The Western Bulldogs are playing for their season in the next fortnight after North Melbourne snapped a seven-year losing streak against them to claim their biggest scalp of the season.
Denied a September berth on the last day of the home and away season last year, the Dogs face another nervous finish after a shock 23-point loss – 15.10 (100) to 11.11 (77) – on Thursday night.
In another blow to the Dogs, ruckman Tim English limped off the field late in the game with concerns over his knee. He did not return to the field.
The Dogs could have booked themselves at least a wildcard berth by knocking off North, but now may need to beat either the in-form Carlton or Melbourne at the Demons’ MCG fortress to guarantee finals football.
It would be a massive fail for the Dogs if they were to miss the finals for a second year in a row. They were spared savage reviews after finishing ninth with 14 wins and a mammoth percentage last season, but there will be no sympathy this year if they were unable to claim a top-10 berth in the wildcard system.
In 2023, a loss to lowly West Coast was costly, and this time a similarly disappointing defeat to the Kangaroos could be just as costly.
When the game was on the line, it was the Roos, whose finals aspirations are slim, who played as if they had a finals berth up for grabs rather than the Bulldogs.
Other than Ed Richards and Marcus Bontempelli, there were few Bulldogs among the better players on the field.
For North, this was the win the club needed after five losses in a row. It also ended a nine-game losing streak against the Dogs stretching back to 2019.
They remain in the hunt for the top 10 but will start rank outsiders against Geelong and Sydney.
The Kangaroos’ win was full of character. They led all night, by as much as 28 points in the third quarter, and held off three challenges from their more fancied rival.
Luke Davies-Uniacke, with two goals and 31 disposals, and Paul Curtis, with four goals, vied for best afield honours, while Caleb Daniel played one of his best games for his new club against his old team.
The margin was narrowed to just four points a minute into the final quarter but their desperation and pressure, particularly inside their defensive 50, showed how much they wanted to win.
With nine wins now, North have significantly bettered their five-win season of 2025 and belatedly moved out of the bottom four.
It will ease the chatter behind the scenes over the future of Alastair Clarkson, who is contracted for next season.
