A FOUR-GOAL haul from Heidi Woodley helped the Western Bulldogs hold off Port Adelaide to claim a hard-fought victory in front of a convivial Grand Final Eve crowd at Mission Whitten Oval.

It marked the first time Woodley has kicked four goals in a match, headlining a frantic 14-goal second half where the Power stayed in touch but the Bulldogs ultimately prevailed in a 10.2 (62) to 8.1 (49) victory.

While the Power edged the inside-50 count 37-35 and won the clearance battle 32-26, the Bulldogs were far more efficient, converting 28 per cent of their entries into goals compared to Port Adelaide’s 21 per cent.

With the win, the Western Bulldogs continue their promising campaign, improving their record to 5-2 to consolidate a spot place in the top eight.

Keeley Hardingham stepped into the primary ruck role to replace the injured Alice Edmonds, joining fellow inclusions Analea McKee and Sarah Poustie.

With Edmonds, who leads the league in hitouts this season, sidelined, her absence was a huge loss for the Bulldogs and gave Port's Matilda Scholz a major advantage in the middle. Consequently, the battle at the stoppages became a key focal point for the Dogs, but despite losing hitouts 45-11, they held their own to tie stoppage clearances at 21 each.

While Woodley led all comers on the scoreboard, teammate Isabelle Pritchard collected a game-high 23 disposals.

For the Power, Shineah Goody and Hampson both chipped in with two goals, while Scholz and Dowrick shared a team-high 22 disposals.

The Bulldogs found their rhythm early, displaying strong link-up play through the middle and flooding forward with numbers to drive the ball inside 50.

Playing the early minutes almost entirely in their forward half, the opening goal came from a forward-half intercept for Woodley, who snapped truly. She had two on the board shortly after with another snap finish.

Despite Port evening up the inside-50 count, the Bulldogs took a seven-point lead into the first break.

With minutes remaining in the second quarter, neither side managed to score as both defences held firm. While the match remained tightly contested, the Bulldogs controlled general play, leading forward-50 disposals (24-9), forward-50 marks (5-2), and shots at goal (8-2).

Late in the term, an Analea McKee tackle yielded a holding-the-ball free kick in the forward 50, which she duly converted from the resulting set shot to give the Bulldogs a 13-point lead at half-time.

The hosts picked up where they left off, with a classy finish from Ellie Blackburn triggering a flurry of goals, a stark contrast to a defensive second term that produced only one.

The response for Port Adelaide came quickly through Hampson, before Woodley converted a set shot for a career-high third goal, all within five minutes.

Jasmyn Smith snapped one from the square before Goody kicked her second major, marking the first two-goal game of her career. Shortly after, backing into the flight to win the aerial contest, Woodley gathered possession and snapped home her fourth.

Late in the term, Blackburn and Boyd collided in a heavy contest, with Boyd coming off second best, suffering swelling to her temple and heading straight off the ground for an assessment before being ruled out for the remainder of the match.

Following a seven-goal quarter, the Bulldogs took a 19-point lead into the final change. The shootout continued as both sides relentlessly traded goals but the home side held on.

Up next

The Western Bulldogs head for their home away from home in Ballarat to face St Kilda at Mars Stadium on Saturday at 3:05pm AEST, before Port Adelaide hosts Adelaide at Alberton Oval for the Showdown at 7:15pm AEST.

WESTERN BULLDOGS     2.2    3.2    7.2   10.2 (62)
PORT ADELAIDE             1.1    1.1    4.1    8.1 (49)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Woodley 4, McKee, Blackburn, Smith, Hartwig, Fitzgerald, Wilcox
Port Adelaide: Hampson 3, Goodey 2, Young, Woodland, Mules-Robinson

BEST
Western Bulldogs: Woodley, Pritchard, Fitzgerald, Cann, Georgostathis, McKee 
Port Adelaide: Scholz, Hampson, Goody, Young, Dorwick, Brooksby

INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Port Adelaide: Boyd (concussion)

LATE CHANGES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Port Adelaide: Katelyn Pope (illness) replaced in selected side by Jasmine Evans

Crowd: 2431 at Whitten Oval