For the second straight year, the Western Bulldogs have stormed into the finals on the back of impressive late-season surges.
Last year, it took eight wins in the last 11 matches to secure the Bulldogs’ spot in the top eight, which came on the last day of the home and away season.
In 2020, after a 0-2 start in a shortened and unpredictable season, the Dogs finished with five out of six victories to clinch their place.
Now, their challenge is to go one better than their disappointing loss to GWS in last year’s Elimination Final.
“What this becomes now is a different project. Finals are a totally different kettle of fish,” said Bulldogs’ coach Luke Beveridge.
“Last year won’t necessarily help us, but we understand the difference between playing football, and playing with an edge as well as playing football, that we succumbed to against GWS last year.
“We’ll be aware of what we need to produce to win a final, and now it’s our challenge as to whether or not we can actually establish that in our first final.”
The Bulldogs have played virtual ‘mini finals’ over the last few weeks of the 2020 season, needing to win their last three games to play finals.
A defining victory over West Coast in Round 16 was followed by ‘away’ wins against Hawthorn in Adelaide and Fremantle in Cairns to lock in their place in the top eight.
“No doubt they have been high pressure games, and when you consider what was on the line today, we met the challenge head on,” Beveridge said after the 30-point win over the Dockers.
“I talked to the boys about how much we admire that, each as an individual and as a collective, to be able to front up to that pressure.
“We’ll celebrate that. We’ll bank it. We’ll be able to play with a different lease of life, because now we’ve got nothing to lose.
“We’ll put it all on the line and see what comes of it.”
The Bulldogs will play either St Kilda or West Coast in the Elimination Final, with details to be locked in following the last game of Round 18 on Monday night between Port Adelaide and Collingwood.
“Whether it’s West Coast or the Saints, we’ll relish the challenge. If we need to go to WA, so be it,” Beveridge said.
“It’s been a challenging enough year with all of those things that we’ve confronted. Another trip shouldn’t concern us too much.
“We’re just rapt to be part of it, and we look forward to whoever it is.”
