With one day to go until the Western Bulldogs’ round one clash against Geelong, we take a look at some stats involving number one – with help from AFL Media’s Gemma Bastiani.
1st – Goal kicked of season seven
The Bulldogs first goal of season seven was kicked by Kirsty Lamb.
Coincidentally, Lamb also kicked the Bulldogs' last goal of the season in the elimination final against Collingwood.
Six different Dogs kicked their first career goals in season seven - Gabby Newton, Rylie Wilcox, Heidi Woodley, Isabelle Pritchard, Keely Coyne and Eleanor Brown.
11 – Games played by 14 Bulldogs in season seven
14 Bulldogs played every possible game of season seven, which ended up being 11/11 (including the Elimination Final).
Of those 14 players, four are 50+ gamers - Ellie Blackburn, Kirsty Lamb, Naomi Ferres and Rocky Cranston.
The Bulldogs will again be looking to extend their 10-game season into another finals campaign, but only time will tell.
1 – Point margin in last season’s Dogs v Cats meeting
Saturday night will hand the Bulldogs a chance at redemption - going down to the Cats by a single point in their last encounter.
Falling oh-so short of a remarkable comeback after kicking the final three goals of the game, the hosts couldn't reel in a clinical Cats outfit, outgunned 5.7 (37) to 5.6 (36).
Ellie Blackburn was once again inspirational for her Bulldogs team, collecting 25 touches and kicking a goal to will her side towards the final siren.
1 – Final played since 2018 Grand Final
Prior to season seven, the Bulldogs had only played in one final - which just so happened to be the 2018 Grand Final.
Six premiership players remain from that team - not including Nicole Callinan who recently returned to the Kennel in an off-field role - so the fact that Nathan Burke was able to lead this side to an elimination final last year and provide that experience will hold the entire group in good stead.
