Bulldogs back after thumping Bombers

SEN host Garry Lyon says the Western Bulldogs are back in the “hunt” after their convincing forty-nine-point thumping of Essendon on Sunday.

Leaving the Bombers goalless in the second half, the Bulldogs got back to their best to move through to next week’s semi-final.

“The Bulldogs got back to what has made the Bulldogs such a great side over the journey,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.

“When the rain came, to me, they just seemed to me to want to get their hands dirty and it was back to that aggressive, hunting the footy, winning contested ball, pushing it forward… I love what they did.

“They were just a touch harder… they were a bit more seasoned and a bit harder.

“It was [Tom] Liberatore in the middle of the ground, it was [Jackson] Macrae, it was Alex Keath keeping Peter Wright.

“So all these things can get thrown at Essendon over the summer months, but it was just a good sign, it was a great sign for the Bulldogs.

“And they’re back in this hunt I reckon.”

Kane Cornes was also impressed with the Dogs and their “next level of hardness”, even in the moments leading up to controversial free kicks.

“They just went to that next level of hardness and when there were 50/50 balls, they were just that little bit more ferocious,” Cornes said.

“They put themselves in positions to win those free kicks when, you know, some of them clearly weren’t there, and the umpiring was questionable in the first half.

“But they [Essendon] didn’t kick a goal in the second half.”

The Bulldogs will now look ahead to Saturday when they face the Lions in a do-or-die semi-final at the Gabba.

– BY NICOLE ERASMUS/ SEN