Bulldogs aim for top-eight ‘scalps’ as big tests loom
Roger Vaughan |
Over the next fortnight, it will become much clearer where the Western Bulldogs stand in the AFL premiership race.
The Bulldogs are fourth after four-straight wins, holding off a determined challenge from North Melbourne on Thursday night to mark Tom Liberatore’s 250-game milestone with a 49-point win.
But they’ve only beaten another top-eight side once this season and next week, they host third-placed Adelaide.
The week after that, the Bulldogs will head north to take on second-placed Brisbane.
The last time the Bulldogs faced a top-eight team, they were disappointing in round 13 against Hawthorn and lost by 22 points.
But as coach Luke Beveridge noted, that’s also been their biggest losing margin this season.
“We’ve had a pretty productive year. These teams that have beaten us, that are above us, it hasn’t been by much,” he said.
“Even the Sydney game last week … even though Sydney are below us, they brought a game style and approach to it that would stack up against any team.
“(We) acknowledge that these are going to be tests – big tests against very good sides.
“We could see Adelaide coming at the end of last year. It’s no surprise to us … that they are where they are.”
Beveridge was asked in his post-game media conference on Thursday night whether the Bulldogs needed a big scalp.
He tried to make light of the term “scalp” and immediately realised it was a risky attempt at humour.
“A scalp – we’re not Navajo Indians. I don’t necessarily think we need to brutalise it … I’m joking, I’m joking,” he said.
“What we need is to keep winning.
“The difference between being one of the better sides and being in that mid-tier pack is winning those close ones against the more formidable opponents.
“The short answer would be that we need scalps to finish high up on the ladder. We can’t back away from that.”
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs appear to have caught some luck, with in-form midfielder Ed Richards playing out the game after appearing to suffer a shoulder injury at the start of the third term.
Richards looked in big trouble when he left the field, but quickly returned to the game.
“I thought it was going to be worse than what it seems to be,” Beveridge said.
“It seems like a minor A/c joint injury … that’s some good fortune for us.”
Richards might come under video review for the first-quarter incident that forced North star Luke Davies-Uniacke out of the match with concussion.
But it appeared to be an accidental collision as Richards tried to fend off the attempted tackle.
AAP
