Western Bulldogs have taken the blowtorch that was trained on them and turned it onto St Kilda for a morale-boosting nine-point AFL win.
The Bulldogs scored only the second win from their last 20 matches on Saturday at Etihad Stadium when they repeatedly rallied in the second half to win 17.8 (110) to 15.11 (101).
Their loss to Gold Coast last Saturday meant the heat was on the Bulldogs throughout the week and coach Brendan McCartney said it was an important win for the club.
From before the opening bounce, when there was a scuffle in the centre square, the Bulldogs were determined not to back down.
“Getting a whack sometimes isn’t a disaster for your club, because it makes you reassess a few things,” McCartney said.
“If you’re made of the right stuff as a club, which we know we are, it should serve to reinforce your stability and reinforce what you stand for.
“There weren’t too many people hiding from responsibility this week.
“But we have a long way to go.”
Indeed, like the Saints, the Bulldogs are struggling with a 2-7 record.
The two teams are far removed from the top-four combinations of the 2010 season and clearly are in transition.
The Dogs looked in big trouble when they had control for 10 minutes at the end of the second term, but only kicked 0.1 and trailed by 10 points.
They then fell behind by 19 points during the third term and the Saints also kicked two goals in the first three minutes of the final quarter for a 14-point lead.
The Dogs then kicked six of the last eight goals.
Ryan Griffen withstood a fierce tag from Clint Jones to star in the final term for the Bulldogs.
Will Minson, captain Matthew Boyd and Koby Stevens were also superb in the midfield.
Veteran Robert Murphy provided the highlight of the game when he went on a scorching run and kicked a vital goal in the last term.
While it was easy to find good players for the ‘Dogs, there were too many Saints who drifted in and out of the game.
“The ability to go for four quarters is a challenge for us as a group at the moment,” coach Scott Watters said.
“While we were able to surge, we were playing an opposition who were also hungry.
“You could say it was an arm wrestle for a large portion of the game, but right at this point we’re not quite at a stage where we can sustain and put a foot on the throat.”
Captain Nick Riewoldt continued his outstanding season with four goals, but was concussed in a head clash when he went for a mark late in the game.
Watters said Riewoldt appeared to quickly recover post-match.
Lenny Hayes, playing his first game for three weeks, had to be subbed out with a corked leg muscle.
