Tara Murray
The Western Bulldogs had to settle for a draw against the Gold Coast Suns on Tuesday night after almost pulling off the biggest comeback in AFLW history.
After a slow start, the Bulldogs trailed by 24 points at three quarter time, with the Suns dominating the contest.
The Bulldogs kicked four goals in 10 minutes to get back into the game, with the scores level in the dying minutes.
Bonnie Toogood had an opportunity to put the Bulldogs in front with 1.30 to go, but missed everything.
Neither team could find the winning score, with the teams finishing 6.5 (41) apiece.
Nell Morris-Dalton and Britney Gutknecht kicked two goals apiece for the Bulldogs.
Kirsty Lamb was dominant for the Bulldogs, especially in the last quarter.
Speaking after the game, Bulldogs coach Nathan Burke admitted to having mixed reactions about the result.
“It all depends on how you look at it. You can say that we wasted the game in the first half, [and] a bit of the third in particular and started playing footy in the fourth.
“[Or] we’re coming off three games in eight days, two of them travel days, coming up here in completely different weather than we’ve got at home with slippery conditions.
“You can look at that side of the coin and I’m extremely proud of them. It swings backwards and forwards between oh no, but they were fantastic.”
Burke said at three quarter time he implored the playing group to take their chances and take the game on.
He said they had nothing to lose.
“It was, just take the game on and see what we can do, we haven’t been in this position for quite some time.
“Let’s have a crack. We have the potential here to create a story that we can hang our hat on for next time we are in that position… It’s all about creating those stories… I can say we can almost come back from that.”
Burke acknowledged the performances from skipper Ellie Blackburn, who ‘tweaked’ her ankle and shoulder and that of Lamb.
“Lamby… She’s been battered around from pillar to post the last three weeks but she was outstanding again in the last quarter, I shouldn’t individualise, as a lot of them were able to run out the game, I’m proud of them.”
The Bulldogs sit seventh on the ladder.
Their next match is against six-placed Collingwood on Sunday.
