The Western Bulldogs remain winless in the 2023 AFLW competition after recording a 19-point loss to Carlton at Whitten Oval on Friday night.
A slow start from the Bulldogs proved costly in the end as they conceded three of the first four goals – with the team unable to reel in the deficit for the remainder of the game.
The Blues controlled field position for much of the contest, particularly in the opening term, where they enjoyed a 14-1 inside 50 advantage.
After an even second quarter the margin was 19 points at the main break, with Britt Gutknecht providing one of the game’s standout highlights with a running goal in front of the red, white and blue fans.
The Blues kicked the only two goals of the third stanza and led by 30 points at three-quarter time, but the Bulldogs fought hard in the final stages, registering seven scoring shots to one and winning the last term on the scoreboard.
After the match it was revealed that several Bulldogs players were struck down with illness during the week, while ruck Celine Moody, who failed a fitness test before the Carlton game, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.
Coach Nathan Burke spun the magnets against the Blues, starting Katie Lynch up forward and persisting with Gabby Newton in defence.
Liz Georgostathis started in defence and spent large chunks of the game in the midfield, as did young gun Rylie Wilcox in the latter stages of the contest.
Georgostathis was the Dogs’ leading ball-winner on the ground with 29 and five clearances in an outstanding performance, while the Dogs’ skipper Ellie Blackburn was the team’s barometer again, collecting 27 touches and taking a game-high eight marks.
“It was obviously a tough loss again for us,” Blackburn said/
“I thought we showed some really positive signs in patches there, but that seems to be the way we’re going about it at the moment.
“We’re playing in patches, some really good footy but we’re really inconsistent at the moment, which is something we need to tighten up on.
“We’ve got nothing to lose at the moment, so [the positional changes] gives other girls an opportunity to try different roles and even just for us to have different looks at it, it’s not that we’re giving up or anything like that, it’s what else works, what else can we try, so why not try those things,” she said.
The Bulldogs travel to South Australia in Round 7 to take on the Adelaide Crows at Norwood Oval next Friday night.
