AFL
  1. Home
  2. Sport
  3. AFL
Greater Western Sydney
12.11.83
Western Bulldogs
13.11.89
Full Time

Match Tracker

Greater Western Sydney
Western Bulldogs
Q1
2.1.13
2.3.15

    Greater Western Sydney Events

  • 6 mins - Behind, D.Shiel
  • 23 mins - Goal, D.Smith
  • 25 mins - Goal, J.Patton

    Greater Western Sydney and Western Bulldogs Events

  • 6 mins - Goal, C.Smith
  • 13 mins - Goal, T.Dickson
  • 18 mins - Behind, J.Dunkley
  • 21 mins - Rushed Behind
  • 29 mins - Behind, C.Smith
Q2
5.2.32
6.5.41

    Greater Western Sydney Events

  • 1 mins - Goal, T.Greene
  • 12 mins - Goal, T.Greene
  • 22 mins - Behind, J.Patton
  • 27 mins - Goal, J.Patton

    Greater Western Sydney and Western Bulldogs Events

  • 10 mins - Goal, C.Smith
  • 14 mins - Goal, T.Dickson
  • 19 mins - Goal, C.Smith
  • 24 mins - Behind, M.Bontempelli
  • 29 mins - Behind, J.Johannisen
  • 31 mins - Goal, C.Smith
Q3
9.7.61
9.6.60

    Greater Western Sydney Events

  • 2 mins - Behind, D.Shiel
  • 3 mins - Behind, D.Smith
  • 4 mins - Goal, R.Lobb
  • 5 mins - Rushed Behind
  • 13 mins - Goal, J.Patton
  • 15 mins - Goal, R.Lobb
  • 23 mins - Goal, H.Shaw
  • 30 mins - Behind, T.Scully
  • 31 mins - Behind, N.Wilson

    Greater Western Sydney and Western Bulldogs Events

  • 7 mins - Goal, T.Dickson
  • 9 mins - Behind, J.Stringer
  • 27 mins - Goal, Z.Cordy
  • 32 mins - Goal, C.Daniel
Q4
12.11.83
13.11.89

    Greater Western Sydney Events

  • 1 mins - Rushed Behind
  • 2 mins - Goal, R.Lobb
  • 4 mins - Goal, T.Greene
  • 21 mins - Goal, J.Patton
  • 25 mins - Behind, J.Cameron
  • 27 mins - Behind, T.Greene
  • 29 mins - Behind, D.Smith

    Greater Western Sydney and Western Bulldogs Events

  • 6 mins - Goal, T.Dickson
  • 8 mins - Rushed Behind
  • 12 mins - Behind, J.Johannisen
  • 15 mins - Behind, J.Macrae
  • 17 mins - Goal, M.Bontempelli
  • 19 mins - Goal, Z.Cordy
  • 23 mins - Behind, J.Johannisen
  • 28 mins - Goal, J.Macrae
  • 33 mins - Behind, T.Dickson

Scorers

Greater Western Sydney
Western Bulldogs
Goal Scorers Greater Western Sydney Western Bulldogs
Goals and Behinds Patton (4.1), Greene (3.1), Lobb (3.0), Smith (1.2), Shaw (1.0), Shiel (0.2), Cameron (0.1), Scully (0.1), Wilson (0.1) Dickson (4.1), Smith (4.1), Cordy (2.0), Bontempelli (1.1), Macrae (1.1), Daniel (1.0), Johannisen (0.3), Dunkley (0.1), Stringer (0.1)

Team Statistics

Greater Western Sydney
Western Bulldogs

Statistics

 Greater Western Sydney Western Bulldogs
Goals 12 13
Behinds 11 11
Scoring shots 24 30
Goals/scoring shots 50 43
Disposals 359 392
Greater Western SydneyGoal Scorers
Players D K M H CP T FF FA HO CL
J.Cameron 5 2 1 3 2 1 0 0 0 1
S.Coniglio 27 8 1 19 13 4 2 0 1 8
P.Davis 13 9 3 4 7 3 0 1 0 1
T.Greene 18 12 3 6 11 2 2 0 0 3
R.Griffen 18 4 1 14 7 3 0 1 2 2
N.Haynes 17 14 11 3 8 3 0 1 0 1
J.Hopper 12 1 1 11 6 4 0 1 0 2
J.Kelly 29 14 3 15 9 5 0 2 0 1
R.Lobb 15 12 7 3 7 2 1 1 7 0
S.Mumford 10 4 3 6 6 6 1 1 46 4
R.Palmer 14 6 6 8 4 2 1 2 0 0
J.Patfull 6 3 0 3 2 5 0 2 0 0
J.Patton 9 6 5 3 2 2 0 0 0 0
T.Scully 30 12 3 18 10 5 0 2 0 1
H.Shaw 15 15 5 0 4 2 1 1 1 1
D.Shiel 28 12 3 16 11 5 2 0 0 7
D.Smith 16 6 1 10 7 5 1 1 0 0
A.Tomlinson 11 7 5 4 3 4 0 1 0 0
C.Ward 9 7 3 2 3 1 0 0 1 1
L.Whitfield 22 13 7 9 9 5 2 3 0 2
Z.Williams 15 9 2 6 8 2 0 3 0 2
N.Wilson 20 14 6 6 5 3 0 0 0 1
Western BulldogsGoal Scorers
Players D K M H CP T FF FA HO CL
S.Biggs 19 13 4 6 7 0 0 0 0 1
M.Bontempelli 23 14 3 9 10 4 2 3 5 2
M.Boyd 24 20 4 4 5 1 2 0 0 0
T.Boyd 14 2 1 12 9 2 1 1 21 5
Z.Cordy 10 5 1 5 5 1 1 0 3 1
L.Dahlhaus 32 17 9 15 14 3 1 0 0 6
C.Daniel 24 14 4 10 10 4 0 0 0 4
T.Dickson 10 6 6 4 5 3 0 1 0 0
J.Dunkley 24 13 3 11 8 9 4 0 3 2
J.Hamling 7 5 3 2 3 0 0 2 0 0
L.Hunter 19 8 4 11 8 2 2 2 0 4
J.Johannisen 26 24 7 2 2 3 1 0 0 2
T.Liberatore 15 5 0 10 9 7 0 1 0 5
J.Macrae 25 11 4 14 8 1 1 0 0 1
T.McLean 20 8 5 12 9 5 2 1 0 5
D.Morris 10 6 3 4 4 2 1 0 0 0
L.Picken 21 12 4 9 11 6 2 1 0 6
F.Roberts 9 4 1 5 6 1 1 0 0 0
J.Roughead 4 2 2 2 4 1 1 0 8 2
C.Smith 26 16 5 10 10 8 0 0 0 6
J.Stringer 11 7 2 4 7 6 1 0 0 1
E.Wood 19 11 8 8 6 1 0 1 0 0

Match Details

Greater Western Sydney
Western Bulldogs
START TIME
5:15PM
WEATHER
Partly cloudy
VENUE
Spotless Stadium
Umpires
Justin Schmitt, Mathew Nicholls, Simon Meredith

Western Bulldogs book AFL grand final berth after beating GWS Giants at Spotless Stadium

James Buckley

WESTERN BULLDOGS  
2.3      6.5      9.6      13.11     (89)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 
2.1      5.2      9.7      12.11     (83)
GOALS Western Bulldogs:  Smith 4, Dickson 4, Cordy 2, Daniel,  Macrae, Bontempelli.  GWS:  Patton 4,  Lobb 3, Greene 3, Smith, Shaw.
BEST Western Bulldogs: Smith, Dickson, Dunkley, Hamling, Picken, Dahlhaus, McRae, Bontempelli. GWS: Patton, Haynes, Scully, Shaw, Greene, Shiel, Coniglio. 
INJURIES GWS:  Ward (concussion). Western Bulldogs: Roughead (concussion).
UMPIRES Schmitt,  Meredith, Nicholls.
CROWD 21,790 at Spotless Stadium.

Giants coach Leon Cameron said throughout the week that the winner of the GWS-Western Bulldogs preliminary final would head into next weekend's decider as the AFL's fairytale story, while the loser would be tarnished with the brush of missed opportunity.

Up Next

James Hird's father speaks out

null
Video duration
03:51

More AFL Real Footy Videos

null
Video duration
01:30

Bulldogs win thriller to make final

null
Video duration
03:51

James Hird's father speaks out
Video duration
00:00

James Hird pushed out of Essendon
null
Video duration
01:32

Essendon offers support following Hird ...
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 05: Isaac Heeney performs strength drills during a Sydney Swans AFL pre-season training ...
Video duration
00:47

Heeney wants midfield spot
null
Video duration
00:48

Mitchell and Cotchin get their 2012 ...
null
Video duration
00:20

Dangerfield: No players, no game
More videos

Bulldogs win thriller to make final

The Western Bulldogs have upset Greater Western Sydney to book their first Grand Final appearance in 55 years, with a 89-83 win.

Cameron's side fell into the latter category after suffering a heartbreaking six-point loss  to the Western Bulldogs in Saturday's preliminary final at Spotless Stadium, their rapid rise this year coming to a shuddering halt after a pulsating final chapter of GWS's season.

It had been billed as potentially the game of the year between the competition's two hardest-running sides, and it proved to be arguably the best we've seen in 2016. Not until the dying  stages did the Sydney Swans know who they would be playing in the grand final.

After six lead changes in an absorbing contest, scores drew level with just over three minutes on the clock before Jack McRae delivered the dagger that pierced GWS hearts.

He marked and goaled from 25 metres, right in front, thrusting the Bulldogs into the lead for the final time and that buffer was never again breached.

Advertisement

Clay Smith and Tory Dickson were superb throughout, slotting four majors apiece, while Jonathon Patton tried his heart out up the other end, kicking four of his own in the absence of suspended veteran Steve Johnson.

But it wasn't to be for the Giants, and the Bulldogs now advance to their first AFL grand final in 55 years, looking to add to the rusty 1954 premiership that sits all alone in the Footscray trophy cabinet.

This game was played amid a sporting backdrop never before seen in western Sydney.

An AFL preliminary final at a heaving Spotless Stadium, the Olympic precinct swamped by a sea of red, white and blue, and orange and charcoal as fans of both clubs came together at the station and made the pilgrimage to the ground.

GWS supporters took over Olympic Boulevard after a pre-match function with a throng of Giants fans walking the one-and-a-half kilometres from club headquarters to the ground.

Loyalties inside the stadium were fairly even, the Bulldogs fans perhaps outnumbering their GWS counterparts in the biggest AFL crowd at the venue, 21,790 fans having piled in.

And there was plenty of noise from the travelling fans, particularly when ex-Bulldogs Ryan Griffen and Callan Ward touched the ball. Giants fans played their part too on the biggest occasion yet for this young club, but it took 22 minutes for something significant to cheer about.

Devon Smith's goal gave GWS a much-needed foothold in the contest after the Bulldogs dominated most of the opening term.

But for all their forward pressure and inside 50 entries, only Smith and Dickson forced the scoreboard attendants to make any meaningful changes.

Dickson's goal was particularly impressive, after an unfortunate case of butterfingers while bringing the ball to ground cost him a contested mark he looked to have taken against two Giants opponents. It didn't matter - Dickson jumped to his feet first, cleaned up the ball and banged it through.

The warning signs were ominous until Smith's goal for GWS was followed by a superb 45-metre set shot by Patton, bringing the margin back to just a point.

The week off hurt Geelong on Friday night against the Swans and it looked to be doing the Giants no favours either as they were outworked across the ground for most of that opening term.

In the second quarter, the game exploded with four lead changes as Bulldog Smith helped himself to three more, proving particularly damaging at forward half stoppages.

And it was brutal in between the goals, too.

Jordan Roughead was concussed and suffered what seemed to be an eye injury when he wore the full force of a football kicked into his head at close range.

Then Giants co-captain Callan Ward had to be helped from the field after copping an accidental knee to the jaw in a contest with Bulldog Zaine Cordy.

As the pack cleared, Ward's body lay motionless on the Spotless Stadium turf and a team of trainers took several minutes to get him to his feet. Even then he only managed to wobble off the ground and down into the rooms.

GWS played a man down for 10 seconds with umpires restarting play while Ward was still being assisted from the field.

Two goals to Toby Greene in the second quarter helped keep the Giants close, the 22-year-old trying desperately to step up in the absence of Johnson.

The veteran was missed against a tall Bulldogs backline that  had no problem nullifying the biggest GWS threat in Jeremy Cameron, who was harassed continuously  following his four-goal blitz against the Swans two weeks ago. Joel Hamling spent most the night on the rangy Giants forward, and kept him goalless in a crucial defensive display.

GWS seemed to take control of the game in the third quarter, kicking three straight goals, the pick a looping kick by Heath Shaw from outside 50. Rhys Palmer had marked just outside his range, and gave it off to the backman who was playing another influential game for the Giants.

A lull descended at this point as the Bulldogs looked to have run out of steam, having played such a high-octane brand of football for two and a half quarters.

But  Cordy injected himself to snap a goal and Caleb Daniel landed another one late to reduce the margin to just a point at the last change.

Tom Scully looked to have kicked a goal moments before Daniel struck, but it was overturned by a score review, adjudged to have been touched off the boot.

The final term was the most frantic of the lot with both sides exhausted as the grand final carrot dangled tantalisingly close.

And it was the Bulldogs, having lost seven-straight preliminary finals prior to this game, who prevailed.

8 comments