5 Things We Learned - Preliminary Final

OH MY GOD! What the hell did we just witness! The Western Bulldogs have stormed into the 2021 AFL Grand Final after demolishing last year's Minor Premiers in Port Adelaide, 17.14.116 to 6.9.45 in front of 26400 people at the gorgeous Adelaide Oval. The 71-point victory was the Club's greatest ever winning margin in a final, after overtaking the 70-point win against West Coast in the Qualifying Final at the MCG in 1998.

It was our fourth-highest score of the season as well as the ninth time we had kicked over 100 points in a game in 2021 and we are now just the third team in the current AFL Finals System to make the Grand Final from outside the top four (after themselves in 2016 and GWS in 2019).

Hawthorn ended up waiting five years following the success of 2008 before the core group was able to once again realise its potential and achieve its destiny as they became a true monster of modern football. It has now been five years since the 2016 Premiership... Are we going to finally become what we have promised to be?

I know a few days have passed but IT'S JUST SO EXCITING!!!

The Western Bulldogs celebrate one of their seventeen goals in the Second Preliminary Final against Port Adelaide. Source: AFL Photos

1) Where The Match Was Won

I think it is pretty easy to recognise where the game was won in all seriousness - that first-quarter blitzkrieg.

Preliminary Finals are commonly thought of as the hardest games to win and generally, the team who settles the quickest tends to get the jump on the opposition.

The Dogs quickly set the tone as we kicked the first four goals of the game from intercept possessions which would have put a fair bit of doubt in the minds of the Port Adelaide players. After recording 11 of the first 15 inside 50s we didn't give Port's backline a chance to breathe or blink before we kicked our fifth of the quarter through Marcus Bontempelli.

Even though there might have been an air of confidence and expectation amongst the supporter base, I don't think many Bulldogs fans expected us to deliver the first quarter we had against Port Adelaide that saw us kick seven goals, which made it our highest-scoring first term of the year.

In our three first quarters against Port Adelaide (round nine, 23, and the Preliminary Final) the Dogs have kicked 17 goals to four.

It was also crucially important as obvious as it sounds to win the contested ball but that would not be an easy task against a team who had an average differential of +14 contested possession when it won that statistic on 17 occasions which helped them reach 18 wins for the year.

We put Port Adelaide to the sword not only on the scoreboard but across the ground which came off the back of a +23 contested possession count (48-25) at quarter time. This +23 count was the highest differential recorded by Champion Data in a Final and when you add in a 15-6 clearance (including 12-3 around the ground) it made it an ambush of the highest order.

That first quarter was nothing short of a spectacle that was filled with aggression and power which made it truly enjoyable to watch but the most pleasing part was that the scoreboard actually reflected our dominance.

The first half of football was probably the best we have played all year by a long way and it is by far the most selfless we have played since the 2016 Finals Series.

It was a perfectly weighted combination of poise, precision, and power which was all rolled into hundreds of amazingly timed punches that broke Port Adelaide in two and it gives us the chance to put the exclamation mark on what has been one of the Club's best seasons in its history.

Another factor of the win was that we were completely switched on and made a statement of our own as we scored 87 points from 89 intercepts (Port's season-worst) was the most they have conceded in a game since 2017. To show you just how impressive that is, this year the Dogs; who have ranked first in scores from turnovers, have regularly scored 50 to 60 points from this source over the course of the season.

We were effectively 60% more damaging on the night than our season average. That's deadly in every way, shape, or form.

Interestingly Port intercepted our disposals on 75 occasions but they could only conjure up 35 points (5.5) from this source, leaving 10 more (1.4) from stoppages.

The Western Bulldogs celebrate with the Faithful post-game at the Adelaide Oval. Source AFL Photos.

2) Stefan Martin Is The Key To Unleashing Our Midfield

The question every Bulldogs fan had been asking for several weeks was "when is Stefan Martin returning to the side?" or "how many more rounds is he out for?".

Luke Beveridge has mentioned over this Finals Series that Martin was something of a "break the glass emergency-type". With two important outs in Alex Keath and Cody Weightman it seemed appropriate to shatter the glass and unleash the beast.

His re-introduction arguably allowed our midfield to play its most dominant game as a collective unit since our round 15 clash against the West Coast Eagles in Perth.

We know he is in the twilight of his career but we are hopeful that he is capable of repeating the heroics of Brisbane Lions ruckman Clarke Keating from 2001 to 2003 and end up as a Premiership player.

The Preliminary Final was Martin's eighth game for the Dogs but importantly it was his seventh alongside Tim English. Admittedly it is a small sample size but when paired with Tim English, the Dogs are unbeaten, with the sole loss of Martin's time with us when he was the lone ruck in round seven against Richmond following English's concussion the week earlier.

From Rounds one to 16, the Western Bulldogs were ranked second to Brisbane (9.3 to 9.1) for stoppage score differential but from round 17 onwards we have scored 1.1 points less than our opposition from this source, ranked seventh.

Port Adelaide on the other jumped from equal 6th from rounds one to 16 to the benchmark of the competition averaging 15 points from round 17 onwards.

On Saturday night we kept Port Adelaide to only 10 points (1.4) from stoppages while we kicked 29 points (4.5), a + difference of 19.

Our midfield has steadily got its magic touch back over the past few weeks but there is no doubt that the return of Stefan Martin played a hugely important role in it. Nine disposals and 13 hitouts (6 to advantage - 5 in the first half) doesn't sound like a huge day at the office but it was exactly what the doctor ordered for us.

3) Do We Have A New Three-Headed Monster?

Over the course of the season, and especially in the early stages of the year the Bulldogs were able to possess three extremely powerful marking weapons in the forward half of the ground and those three players have been Aaron Naughton, Josh Bruce and Tim English.

Unfortunately of that trio, Josh Bruce has been on the sidelines after injuring his ACL in the closing stages of round 21 and has thus missed out on our finals campaign.

We now look at forward Josh Schache who had trained as a defender from the midpoint of the season before once again being thrown up forward. Clearly, Schache is quite a different footballer to Bruce but there are some similarities that are starting to make appearances.

We all know that Schache has an outstanding engine and it allows him to run up and down the ground all day but there have been previous questions on his ability to "go when it's his turn". These queries were put to bed against the Power.

Standing under a high ball and waiting for a defender's knee to come crashing into your back isn't one of the most pleasant experiences a key forward has to endure but that was the most pleasing part of Schache's preliminary final as it was sitting under the high ball and bringing it to ground which created four goals for his teammates.

Schache who took six marks (five of those inside 50 - career-high), laid four tackles (equal second-most in his career) and had six score involvements, was targeted on 13 occasions and I can barely think of one where he was out marked.

It was only a one-goal game from Schache but it was by far the best game of his career as he took 2021 All Australian Defender Allir Allir completely out of the contest, only allowing Allir to only have three one-percenters on the night, the equal second-lowest amount he recorded this year.

Throughout this finals series, Schache has only averaged 11 disposals, took 15 marks, and kicked the four goals but he has suddenly changed the way that people have perceived him.

Schache has played only seven games this year, including all three finals so far, yet it is rather interesting that the majority of them have been career-best performances. For a player who's been seen as a bit fragile, someone who wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of a high-intensity final and the atmosphere that comes with it, he couldn't have been more impressive.

In two weeks' time, his probable challenge will be to quell the influence that Jake Lever will have on the contest and this task will go a long way into determining this year's Premiers.

It wasn't a big night on the stats sheet for Josh Schache but his impact on the game could not be questioned. Source: AFL Photos

4) We Have Two Great Football Stories.

Delisted from Geelong. Recruited to the Western Bulldogs. Returns to the team late in the season before going on to play an important role down back in a Premiership campaign.

You could be forgiven for thinking I'm talking about Flag hero Joel Hamling but I am actually talking about Ryan Gardner.

In what was the biggest game of his career to date, Gardner was named as the side's number one key defender on Saturday night which did seem rather intimidating.

There was concern with the absence of Keath and many would have thought that Port Adelaide would have taken advantage of this as we ranked 18th for defending marks inside 50 Gardner stood up to the challenge and was able to provide strong support for Zaine Cordy (who was exceptional) against man-mountain Charlie Dixon, keeping him to just two goals.

He isn't a flashy intercept marker or a dashing half-back but what you will see is a very capable, fast, efficient lockdown defender who is damn effective and his absence was felt throughout times this year.

Gardner is of course just one cog in a very well drilled backline but it's time to pay a bit more respect to the 2019 Mid Season Draft Pick as he is an important part of makes this strong defence click.

We now look at Roarke Smith, a player who has featured in 36 games, spent seven seasons on the rookie list with the majority of those on one-year contracts. He was delisted twice and has also suffered two ACL injuries which cost him two years in the infancy of his career.

We've had more successful rookies throughout our history but there wouldn't be too many who have gone through the hardship and difficulties like Roarke has on the football field who has had to fight tooth and nail to get to where he is today. The boy from Sunbury has well and truly earned his spot in the team.

Both Gardner and Smith have had their critics throughout their careers as their performances at the time weren't up to scratch but they have persisted and have had a huge amount of unwavering support from a coach who is extremely protective of his players.

Last year both Gardner and Smith played in their maiden finals series but weren't able to make an impact. Fast forward 12 months and they are now quite likely to be selected for the Grand Final which is one heck of a turning circle.

Over their careers, both have been thrown a few select choice of words or have been criticised for their performances but I think now that many fans have come to terms with them both being in our best 22 as they are trying to make their way in what is a very difficult and harsh business.

Gardner and Smith are just two of the many stories that the Western Bulldogs have had this AFL Finals Series and hopefully they can have their efforts rewarded with a premiership medallion around their necks.

Ryan Gardner has come a long way from being a VFL footballer for two clubs to potentially becoming a premiership player in just his 22nd game. Source: AFL Photos

5) Where To From Here

First of all, the team at The Salty Bulldog could not be more proud of the Western Bulldogs and how they have been able to not only resurrect their season over the past few weeks ago but how they have dealt with all the adversity that has been put upon them. There is just now but one game left in the 2021 AFL Premiership Season and one final story left to tell.

Just say it out aloud - the Western Bulldogs are in the 2021 AFL Grand Final.

To me there is a definite air of 2009 about the two remaining teams in the Western Bulldogs and the Melbourne Demons.

We are set to regain Alex Keath and Cody Weightman who no doubt are huge inclusions but there is another factor that people might have forgotten. Although Josh Dunkley, Adam Treloar and Stefan Martin played last Saturday, they have not yet faced the Melbourne Demons at all this year.

We were well short of the mark in round 11 this year but the return clash in round 20 saw us defeat the Demons without Dunkley, Treloar, and Martin who are all essential pieces of our Premiership puzzle.

Now it will all come down to the third clash between the two sides as they will deliver the Australian Rules community the Grand Final that we all deserved to see. They've been the two best sides all year long and we are set for an all-time classic after we get through the longest two-week wait of our lives.