Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has denied he deliberately plotted to drag Fremantle into a congested, defensive scrap in the Dockers’ 37-point win on Friday night, 11.12 (78) to 5.11 (41).
To most observers, Beveridge and his team appeared to come in with a clear blueprint to turn the game into a stifling, contested battle by setting up in numbers behind the ball to clog Fremantle’s forward half and deny the Dockers the space they thrive on.
Frustrated, Fremantle were made to sweat for the best part of three quarters, before turning on the afterburners late to move to an 18-2 record, all but putting a bow on the minor premiership.
But Beveridge rejected suggestions he devised the unconventional plan of attack, insisting his side was forced into the scrappy style.
“I had them [extra defenders] back because Fremantle had territory, and we couldn’t get it into our front half – that’s why,” he explained.
“We didn’t plan to play like that.
“It wasn’t by design that we had saturation in numbers behind the ball.
“We wanted to press up at different times, and we didn’t get our execution right. We came here tonight to win the game, not to be safe and not to eliminate risk.
“But we didn’t execute well enough.”
Whether by design or not, the Dogs transformed the first half into a stoppage grind, strangling and sandbagging Fremantle’s transition game, silencing the 53,524-strong crowd and reducing the league’s most potent attacking side to a scrap.
But there were fleeting glimpses of the usual Docker brilliance.
Luke Jackson soared for a majestic mark over opponent Tim English before converting the game’s opening goal with 23 minutes already elapsed.
Then, in the second quarter, Patrick Voss produced a powerful one-on-two mark over Michael Sellwood and James O’Donnell as the Dockers threatened to break clear.
Scores were level at half-time, but there was a sense the Bulldogs were just clinging on, their 14 first-half inside-50s the third-lowest tally on record.
It was always going to be a difficult way to win for the Dogs, made even more challenging when their scoring completely dried up after half-time.
Josh Treacy and Hayden Young celebrated their 100th games in style, the former booting three goals to break open the stalemate, and the latter curbing the influence of the great Marcus Bontempelli.
Jackson shaded Tim English in the ruck, while unsung backs Karl Worner and Oscar McDonald intercepted with aplomb to strangle the Dogs’ forward line.
The Bulldogs showed there is a formula to keep Fremantle in check for a quarter, two quarters or even three. But eventually the Dockers’ relentless pressure and superior class proved too much.
“We had field position on our terms for the majority of the night, and we just persisted really well,” Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said.
“Usually when you get that much supply versus the opposition and that much time in forward half (46-33 inside-50s), the dam wall eventually breaks.
