By Molly Magennis
The Western Bulldogs finally nabbed their first win of the AFLW season, with a 17-point win over Richmond on Sunday.
After their original Pride round match was postponed, the Dogs finally got to celebrate their Pride Game at Whitten Oval with a 4.6 (30) to 1.7 (13) win in front of 2000 fans.
A quick start from the Dogs meant they were able to hit the scoreboard in the first quarter, leaving the Tigers goalless heading into the second term.
Kirsty Lamb continued her excellent form, notching up 27 disposals, nine marks and two tackles.
Richmond did fire back in the second term, but two back-to-back goals in the third quarter by Ellie Blackburn and Celine Moody put the Dogs in a good position heading into the final stretch.
Despite a handful of behinds from both sides, neither team was able to secure a goal in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t an issue for the Dogs however, who were able to run away with a nice 17-point win.
Lamb was named best for the Bulldogs once again, alongside Ellie Blackburn, Bonnie Toogood, Bailey Hunt, Isabella Grant and Eleanor Brown.
In a post-match interview on the Bulldogs website, coach Nathan Burke said he was really pleased that the girls were finally rewarded for the effort that had been putting in.
“Through what they’ve been through with the games postponed, no-one at training, all that sort of stuff, the one thing that hasn’t waved is their effort and today they finally got reward for it,” he said.
“We had individual efforts across the middle that were outstanding, apart from the second quarter where I think we lost our way a little bit, the backline under Mel Hickey were really well structured.”
The Dogs will look to grab another win when they take on Adelaide on Sunday, February 13.
