Western Bulldogs v Sydney Swans - Round Three
Thursday, March 31. 7:20pm
Marvel Stadium

The Sydney Swans travel to Victoria for the first time in 2022 to face the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night.

Senior coach John Longmire has made just one change to the side, following their impressive 30-point win over Geelong at the SCG with Joel Amartey coming into the side in place of Logan McDonald.

“Joel has had a bit of a delayed start to the pre-season with some groin issues. He’s worked through those and played the last few games in reserves now.” Longmire said.

“Joel plays a number of different roles for us, we’re looking forward to having him back in the team.”

Sydney have started their season with two victories and will face a Bulldogs side looking to secure their first win of the season.

After starting the season with a 20-point victory over GWS, the Swans come off a high last week where Lance Franklin kicked four goals and brought up his 1000^th goal milestone while Isaac Heeney also impressed with five goals.

After defeats in the opening fortnight of the competition to Melbourne and Carlton, the home side welcome back midfielder Bailey Smith to their line up who joins a dangerous midfield of Bontempelli, Macrae, Treloar, Dunkley, and Liberatore.

“The Western Bulldogs are an A-grade team, they had a brilliant season last year. We know their midfield is incredible as far as depth goes and talentwise, they play a really strong brand of footy.

“It will be a tough game and we’re really looking forward to it. It will be great to get back in front of our Melbourne based supporters.”

First bounce is at 7:20pm.

Get all the important information in our Match Day Hub ahead of Round 3.

The Sydney Swans will honour their South Melbourne roots by wearing the club’s iconic red-V guernsey as the away strip for all Victorian games going forward.

The guernsey features a distinctive red V on a white jumper. It was worn by South Melbourne dating back to 1932 and made famous by Bloods legends including Bob Skilton, Peter Bedford, Bob Pratt, Ron Clegg and J. Herbie Matthews.

LAST MEETING

Western Bulldogs 8.12 (60) def by Sydney 11.13 (79)

The Swans came away victors over the Bulldogs in last season’s Round 17 clash at Marvel Stadium.

In that clash, Swans Jordan Dawson starred with three goals along with Will Hayward (2) and a handful of the Swans forwards also kicking goals.

Callum Mills impressed with 31 disposals and three tackles while Luke Parker had 27 disposals, four tackles, seven clearances and a goal.

LAST FIVE HEAD TO HEAD

R17 2021: Bulldogs 60-79 Swans

R4 2020: Swans 39-67 Bulldogs

R1 2019: Bulldogs 82-65 Swans

R4 2018: Bulldogs 79-86 Swans

R12 2017: Swans 88-42 Bulldogs

The Sydney Swans have gone down in an 11-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium in Round 3

With the Western Bulldogs under siege in the final moments of Thursday night's clash with Sydney, and the Swans having cut back the Dogs' lead from 17 points to five with a minute to play, it was the Dogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli who found himself with the ball.

Twenty metres out from goal, Bontempelli trickled it through, the goal sealing the Dogs their first win of 2022 after back-to-back defeats to begin the season.

The Bulldogs should have sewn this game up well before. But inaccuracy was costly and kept the Swans within reach throughout the 9.17 (71) to 9.6 (60) result. 

Ruckman Tim English was a major factor in the win, with the big man dominant around the contest and across the ground, while Cody Weightman was dangerous throughout with a game-high three goals and important conversion under pressure.

Bailey Smith returned from his hip injury to produce an excellent 31-disposal game while Josh Dunkley was also busy through the midfield with 31 touches. 

The Grand Finalists' campaign would have been in strife with a 0-3 start but Luke Beveridge's men are now on the board as they inflicted the first defeat of Sydney's season.

The Dogs won their first opening quarter of the season but should have claimed it by more given their dominance with the ball. They pounced on some mistakes in the back half from Sydney to take a two-goal lead into quarter-time, with livewire Weightman busy in attack.  

A defensive struggle ensued in the second term, with a free kick at the top of the goalsquare at the 24-minute mark leading to the single goal of the quarter to Bulldogs forward Laitham Vandermeer. 

From the highest-scoring side in the AFL in the opening two rounds, the Swans went scoreless for the second term, with their 1.3 (9) half-time scoreline their lowest in two years at the main break since round four, 2020, also against the Western Bulldogs. 

The Dogs' 25-point break at half-time was both deserved but not enough. In a fierce contest, they could have been further ahead but had also blunted the Swans' scoring power. 

Sydney's surge eventually arrived in the third term when it kicked four goals, but the Bulldogs responded to the challenge, with Weightman kicking a second and then a third after a spectacular leap and grab inside 50. In an incredibly inaccurate display from the Dogs it was Weightman's efficiency and class that stood out to give the Dogs an 18-point buffer at the final change. 

The Swans kept coming, with a converted 50-metre penalty for Errol Gulden cutting the Dogs' lead back to five points with a minute to play, before Bontempelli again stepped up when it mattered. 

A battle of the No.1s

It was a No.1 pick up against another No.1 pick in the battle between young Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and born-again Sydney defender Paddy McCartin. The 2020 top draft pick had one of his better games in Bulldogs colours, showing smarts and athleticism inside 50, a tough approach at the contests and more confidence to fly for his marks. He kicked the opening goal of the game and then missed two shots in the second quarter, finishing with seven disposals and 1.2. McCartin, the 2014 first draft choice, continues to make a mark in Sydney's defence in his return to the top level; and had 12 disposals and five marks. 

One thousand and…

The Buddy Show rolled into Melbourne after his historic 1000th-goal game last week with the Victorian-based Swans fans excited for another night of brilliance. After his four-goal effort against the Cats, Franklin was quieter against the Bulldogs, kicking two majors. His first came in the third quarter courtesy of a handball over the top from Isaac Heeney and the next came at the start of the fourth quarter with a quintessential goal from the pocket that curled through. 

WESTERN BULLDOGS          3.3       4.10       6.15       9.17 (71)
SYDNEY                                 1.3       1.3        5.3          9.6 (60)

GOALS  
Western Bulldogs: Weightman 3, Bontempelli, Keath, Naughton, Ugle-Hagan, Vandermeer, Wallis
Sydney: Franklin 2, Hayward 2, Heeney, McLean, Ronke, Wicks

BEST  
Western Bulldogs: English, Weightman, Smith, Dunkley, Dale, Treloar
Sydney: Blakey, Lloyd, Mills, Parker, Franklin

INJURIES  
Western Bulldogs: Cordy (concussion)
Sydney: Hickey (knee) 

SUBSTITUTES  
Western Bulldogs: Mitch Wallis (replaced Zaine Cordy in the first quarter)
Sydney: Ben Ronke (replaced Tom Hickey in the first quarter)

Crowd: 24,327 at Marvel Stadium