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A steely Sydney have kept their season alive and raised questions about the Western Bulldogs’ AFL flag defence at the SCG.
The Swans outscored the Bulldogs in every quarter to log a 12.16 (88) to 6.6 (42) win on Thursday night.
It improved the Swans’ record to 4-7 and was their fourth win in the last five games.
It was a subdued performance by the normally fierce Bulldogs, whose record slipped to 6-5.
Sydney dominated the hitouts 65-16, tallied 17 more contested possessions, 32 more inside 50s and 41 more marks.
The Swans produced the relentless pressure demanded of them by coach John Longmire as they ended a run of four straight losses to the Bulldogs and won for just the second time in six SCG games this year.
It was the Bulldogs’ lowest score of the season and their biggest loss in almost a year.
The Swans got far more impact from their forwards with Lance Franklin kicking three goals and Sam Reid and Tom Papley both booting two.
At halftime Franklin had outscored the whole Bulldogs side, kicking 3.3 to the visitors’ 2.3.
Sydney fans might have wondered during the first half if their side’s profligacy would prove costly as at one stage they had kicked just 3.8.
The Bulldogs led just once, by one point, in the first quarter but rarely generated any fluency and penetration going forward against a determined Sydney.
Franklin was just one of three Sydney first-half goalkickers, and even he battled to hit the target, at one stage logging three straight behinds.
The Swans led by six, 23 and 29 points at the three breaks and the Bulldogs never got the deficit below 19 in the second half.
Some of the Bulldogs’ prime movers were hardly sighted in the first half, with Jake Stringer, Travis Cloke and Jason Johannisen logging just two, four and five touches respectively by halftime.
The Bulldogs’ accuracy improved markedly in the third quarter, kicking 4.0.
They twice kicked successive goals and got within 19 points, but Sydney still outscored them by six points in the quarter to take a 29-point buffer into the last term.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said his side couldn’t match Sydney’s aggression and intensity.
“Tonight we absolutely weren’t anywhere where we need to be and the Sydney midfield took control of the game and we couldn’t find our way back,” he said.
“They had 71 entries and it just shows you that the other 12 players in the midfield and forward of the ball were just nowhere near the level they needed to be.”
Beveridge said the side was stagnating and struggling and he took responsibility for trying to reignite their campaign.
Longmire said he was happiest with his side’s pressure across the ground.
“We didn’t let up on it at all and we put the opposition under enormous pressure when they had the ball and that turned into 70-plus inside 50s,” he said.
“There’s no secrets to AFL footy, you’ve got to go harder for longer and our consistent pressure was pretty good.”
Former co-captain Kieren Jack dislocated fingers in his comeback match but pleased Longmire with his second-half efforts.
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