The Western Bulldogs remain one of the great riddles of season 2026, but there is a danger they will be remembered as one of the great disappointments.
A strong start meant they won their opening four games, and were the last team to experience a loss. They then dropped their next four to serious premiership contenders Hawthorn, Geelong, Sydney and Fremantle, not helped by injury, particularly to Tim English – their only legitimate frontline ruckman.
However, entering Thursday night’s clash against Adelaide, they were again in good form. Or so it appeared, having won four (against Port Adelaide, Melbourne, Collingwood and Hawthorn) of their past five games. But dig slightly deeper and those victories were by a combined 15 points, and none more than the six against the Hawks in round 13.
That’s why this clash at Marvel against the resurgent Crows was important. It provided the opportunity to not only embolden their own finals, even, dare we say, premiership hopes, but also give the wider football world reason to believe they’re serious challengers.
Instead, this was a night where the Dogs were a disappointment, slumping to a 57-point loss, with coach Luke Beveridge bemoaning they were “second rate”. Put simply, they were blown away in the first term, trailing by 41 points by the first break against an opponent resembling a smooth-moving cheetah desperate for a kill.
The Crows were super efficient, booting nine goals from only 17 inside-50s for the term. At one point, they had eight goals from 12 entries, exposing the Dogs’ lack of size.
Led by brilliant skipper Jordan Dawson, arguably the league’s best captain in a season when he has endured family tragedy, the Crows did as they pleased in the opening stanza. They won contested ball 45-33, and dominated in space with a 67-36 advantage in uncontested ball.
Dawson had three goals in the first term, and finished with the third-highest ranking ever for a quarter, while rival captain Marcus Bontempelli failed to have an impact.
“I am not sure if I have seen a Bulldogs midfield humbled like this before,” analyst David King said during commentary on Kayo Sports.
“This is a mauling but, I tell you what, it is special to watch.”
For Dawson, this was surely one of the best games of his 166-game career. He finished best afield with 32 disposals, three goals, and five inside 50s, burning Matt Kennedy who had been sent to him.
“He is class, he is a warrior – we knew two or three years ago he was an outstanding leader,” coach Matthew Nicks said.
In the pre-game, Dawson opened up to Hamish McLachlan on Seven about the impact of his brother Jaryd’s death in April.
“It’s been a bloody tough time obviously, for myself and my family,” Dawson explained.
“I can’t thank the AFL enough, and all the captains and obviously the Crows as well.
“You obviously never wish this upon anyone, but you also don’t realise the support that you have and the generosity that you have around you until something like this happens, so from the bottom of my heart I just want to thank the AFL and also the Crows.”
Dawson admitted footy at this point had become a refuge for him.
“Especially the first few games back. I kind of felt like, in my life, there’s always been clarity and throughout the last few months I was probably lacking a bit of clarity and understanding of the world, and footy’s been that release and that understanding for me,” he said.
Dawson also spoke about his release of emotion after the Crows’ one-point win over the Cats in round 13.
“It’s still hard for me to talk about, obviously, but at that time, after a close game like that, the emotions are high,” he said.
“It was a moment I really felt like I wanted him [Jaryd] there for.
“To not have him there, it kind of hit me straight after the game … just looking around the stands and up to the sky and knowing that he wasn’t there, it was pretty overwhelming, but it didn’t take away from the happiness and joy I had as well.”
Beveridge said pre-game his team needed to handle the Crows’ intensity, the visitors not only having won four of their past five games after a lacklustre start, but ranked the league’s best pressure team.
They are also smart. Beaten by six points by the Bulldogs in round two, they, as Beveridge noted, sought “retribution, and they got it”, despite being without Izak Rankine and Taylor Walker this time around.
“We didn’t handle their pressure,” Beveridge said.
“I think I’m always one to give the opposition praise when you’re impressed by their level of game, and I thought all over the park they [Crows] were impressive, and were just second rate.”
The Dogs enjoyed a more open contest early in the second term when the teams exchanged goals, Beveridge noting his team had been able to “stabilise the game”. But the Crows then settled. While the Dogs began to win the clearances, this benefit was questionable. The Crows had averaged 35 points from clearances per game this season; they had 36 by half-time.
The Bulldogs are at their best when they handball from stoppages, and then link up – and that was rarely seen.
English – so important to the Dogs for they were 7-1 with him in the line-up this season before Thursday night – was well beaten by Lachlan McAndrew, while veteran midfielder Adam Treloar was a shadow of himself, spending considerable time on the interchange in the third term.
Beveridge said the Bulldogs wanted to save Treloar “up for a run at it in the last quarter, and he came on at the start of that last quarter, and had an impact”.
Treloar had six touches in th final term, but finished with only 10 for the game. His senior career is on a knife edge.
Bontempelli stood out with his pink boots, and finished with 29 touches. But he never really got going. He was goalless, having had 19 to this point of the campaign.
He had James Peatling as his opponent at the opening centre bounce, while Sam Berry later had that responsibility.
Nicks said through the week he had various plans for the Bulldogs great. This included letting him roam free, and it worked a treat.
As the Bulldogs begin their reflection, it’s not all doom and gloom.
It’s been great to see Cody Weightman back, the small forward lively in his second on the bounce after a long lay-off.
They are 8-7, have a winnable game against St Kilda next week with Tom Liberatore (knee and concussion) expected back, and remain firmly in the finals hunt.
However, this was a team many pundits believed could – even should – finish in the top four. That’s yet to happen in the Beveridge era, despite appearing in two grand finals for one unforgettable flag.
Based on Thursday night’s performance, it’s likely to remain a strange anomaly.
With Russell Bennett
