And just like that, the Western Bulldogs have cast aside their Jekyll and Hyde persona to be the team that surgically dissected the Sydney Swans on their home deck.
For the third week in a row, this team has knocked over a contender, with the Swans copping their biggest loss of the season, and the Dogs adding them to the recent list of prized-scalps, including the Blues and the Cats.
I suppose the question from here is – how far can this team go?
If the last three weeks are any indication, those calling for the head of Luke Beveridge a month or so ago may end up looking like some of the biggest knobs in the caper!
The Dogs were all over the Swans from the outset. They were cleaner, harder, faster, and stronger. Their disposals meant more, their tackles stuck, and despite five of the top eight players on the ground in terms of disposals wearing red and white, it was the Dogs slicing the opposition up by hand and foot.
Sydney had some of the key stats favouring them – they won the tackle count by 20, and the teams were more-or-less even in terms of possessions, but it was the relentlessness of the Dogs that set the Swans back on their heels… and they seemed unable to get on the front foot from early in the contest.
So, what went wrong for the Swans? Were the last few weeks just scattered showers before the storm set in? And if the Dogs keep this up, what do we make of their run home, and their chances of adding silverware to the trophy cabinet?
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Loves and Hates from this one.
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