Western Bulldogs 11.11 (77) d. Hawthorn 9.12 (66)
Scott Spits
The Western Bulldogs have an injury list that would worry any AFL club, but showed their depth in their win over Hawthorn in their pre-season hitout on Thursday, even as they lost skipper Marcus Bontempelli in the first quarter to a calf complaint.
Marcus Bontempelli left the field early in the Dogs’ pre-season clash with Hawthorn.Credit: Getty Images
Though the decision to put Bontempelli on ice appeared to be a precaution (keeping him on would have been like driving your Rolls-Royce in the rain), the Dogs will be without a number of stars for round one against North Melbourne. Adam Treloar (calf), Cody Weightman (knee), defender Liam Jones (hamstring) and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (personal reasons) will be among the Dogs missing on March 15. Laitham Vandermeer is also expected to enter concussion protocols.
But the club’s depth was evident in performances such as that of Sam Davidson, a mature-aged draftee who shone like a beacon against the Hawks. He racked up possessions at will in the first half; at one point he had 23 touches before the main break. He finished the game with 29 touches. Just try to leave him out of your round one team, Luke Beveridge.
What you need to know
The match had ebbs and flows, and the game was up for grabs until the last minute of play. The fourth quarter was played with more intensity as the instinct to find a way to win took over. In terms of match simulation, with the season proper around the corner, it was ideal for both teams.
Defenders Tom Barrass and Josh Battle have “stiffened up” Hawthorn. The freshly recruited pair, from West Coast and St Kilda respectively, have given the Hawks some serious stability in the back line and early indications are that their addition at Waverley mean the Hawks are better balanced across the field.
Key players
All eyes are on Sam Darcy in 2025, with the sky the limit for the fourth-year Bulldog. The 21-year-old showed only glimpses of his best, but it was a strong and untroubled pre-season hitout regardless. As mentioned, “Bont” was barely sighted and the 240-gamer will enter a new season with very little footy under his belt. Of all the players across the 18 AFL clubs, that should bother him the least. Aaron Naughton’s form against the Hawks will give Dogs fans a reason to smile. He got better and better as the game went on.
Battle (27 possessions and six marks) and to a lesser extent Barrass (11 possessions and six marks) were good for Hawthorn. But the Hawks had a solid spread of contributors, less reliant on standout contributors across the four quarters compared to their opponents. In truth, few Hawks had an impact in the first half, so when they started to find the footy in the second half it was already a plus.
Expert’s view
There was enough rust on show for Hawthorn to give the brown and gold cause for concern a week before their season-opener against Sydney. Hawthorn trailed the club they comfortably beat in last year’s elimination finals by 22 points at the main break in Tasmania, but the margin at that point could easily have been in the range of four to five goals. Midway through the term the inside-50 count was, stunningly, 29 to eight in the Dogs’ favour.
