The Western Bulldogs have smashed pre-season premiers Brisbane in a stunning round-one upset.
Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney praises his players fight after narrow win over Hawthorn.
Western Bulldogs recruits Nick Lower, Koby Stevens, Brett Goodes and Tom Young sing the song with gusto. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun
Lions defender Matt Maguire leaves the field with ice wrapped around his leg. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun
SOMETIMES a long wait can be well rewarded.
If scriptwriters were searching for a theme for the Western Bulldogs' 68-point mauling of NAB Cup champions the Brisbane Lions in an extraordinarily one-sided Round 1 clash at Etihad Stadium, it wouldn't have been hard to locate it.
Just ask the Bulldogs' players - and their long-suffering fans - who have waited and waited to finally win a match for premiership points again.
Before today, the last time it had happened was way back in Round 12 last season and what followed was a miserable streak of 11 losses that had doomsayers fearing what 2013 might hold in store for Brendan McCartney's team.
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Yet what the Bulldogs served up at their first offering for this year offered hope for the present, as much as the future, and it showed some vindication of the path on which McCartney is offering up for his young side.
Given the wait the Western Bulldogs had experienced, you could understand why they looked so elated at the final siren, given they were missing their captain Matthew Boyd, and were coming up against the form side of the pre-season competition.
But the simple equation was that the Bulldogs wanted it more. And the Lions were desperately disappointing.
There were stories of reward for effort and redemption for reward everywhere you looked for the Bulldogs, and you could understand why some of the players in the winning side celebrated long and hard on the final siren.
Just ask Brett Goodes who finally made his AFL debut at the ripe age of 29, and performed so well that it's almost an indictment on the competition that he was forced to wait so long.
He might do something that his brother Adam couldn't do - win a Brownlow Medal vote in his first game. Adam had to wait until his third season to poll votes off the umpires.
Goodes was outstanding off the half-back line - something which allowed acting captain Robert Murphy the chance to play forward - and he used the ball like a wily veteran that he is in age terms, but not in terms of AFL games played.
Just ask Dale Morris, who played his first game in Bulldogs colours in a home-and-away match in 595 days after a career-threatening broken leg, and who importantly got through the match with confidence in his game and in his leg.
He attacked the ball hard when he went anywhere near it, and led the backline, offering up confidence and support to key defender Jordan Roughead, who outpointed Jonathan Brown.
Just ask Nick Lower, who this time last year was struggling to adapt to life under Ross Lyon at Fremantle.
Lower completely shut-out Michael Tuck medallist Daniel Rich, restricting him to an almost inexplicable eight possessions.
He was a worthy inclusion to the Bulldogs' midfield that overwhelmed a much-hyped Lions engine room that looked as flat as the look on coach Michael Voss' face.
Lower worked well with ruckman Will Minson, who played one of his best games for the club, and the likes of Ryan Griffen, Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis.
Just ask Koby Stevens and Tom Young, who were bit players for their respective clubs West Coast and
Collingwood last season, but who slotted nicely into McCartney's team to suggest they might play nice roles this season.
And maybe ask Adam Cooney, who started the week in hospital due to an infection to his troublesome right knee, but finished it singing the Bulldogs' theme song for the first time since Round 12 last year.
Brisbane was nothing like the team that won the NAB Cup only a few weeks ago.
They were denied the ball early by the ferocious Bulldogs and nothing seemed to go right for them.
The Dogs now face Fremantle next Saturday, while Brisbane finally returns to the Gabba to meet Adelaide on the same day.
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