Opening Round needed something special.
Sure, you could argue the Swans’ third quarter against Carlton provided it, but in terms of a classic contest, the concept hasn’t really had that moment.
Until now.
In a pulsating last quarter, the Western Bulldogs stood up against the reigning premiers and demonstrated that they may just be ready to take 2026 by the scruff of the neck.
To illustrate what this game meant to the Dogs, we need to look in the rearview mirror. Their 2025 season was one that saw them fall over against the good teams far too often. Against top-eight teams, the Dogs’ record was abysmal, and if this team is to be taken seriously, it is something they had to arrest. They had to start taking some big scalps.
There is no bigger scalp in 2026 than the Kings of the Jungle.
The Dogs gave this game everything they had. They tackled hard, they gave second, third, and fourth efforts to create for teammates, and they threw themselves into the contest without any fear of what was coming the other way.
The Lions were not disgraced – they wrestled the lead back on several occasions, and looked at one stage like they were about to put the Dogs down. However, after a gritty fightback, this night belonged to the Dogs.
Let’s jump into HB’s Loves and Hates from this one.
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Oh… a Mongrel paywall… the worst of all paywalls. We’re all in on the 2026 AFL season. Player articles, stats, awards, game coverage. Dump the mainstream lip service and dive into articles like this – you will never look back. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I consider it your loss as we get into the grind of the season, and you’re stuck with the stuff that’s frustrated you for years.
