AAA<\/p>\n
Adelaide: The Western Bulldogs were brave, they were willing, but just lacked that touch of class that the competition\u2019s top-shelf contenders possess.<\/p>\n
In a nutshell, the Bulldogs\u2019 22-point elimination final loss to Adelaide was a microcosm of their 2026 season.<\/p>\n
![\"Aaron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/216d835fbff085da0628c7a6cfd14dfbcd33c62e.jpeg\")
Aaron Naughton congratulates Taylor Walker after the former Crows skipper\u2019s final Adelaide Oval game.AFL Photos<\/p>\n
Their evening couldn\u2019t have begun more horribly when defender Michael Sellwood was concussed by a stray football during the warm-up.<\/p>\n
Their backline was summarily rejigged, their midfield \u2013 piloted brilliantly by Ed Richards and Joel Freijah \u2013 had a huge say in proceedings, but it was ultimately their forward efficiency (or lack thereof) that cost them a semi-final berth.<\/p>\n
The Dogs chalked up repeat entry after repeat entry, especially early, with the Crows hemmed inside their defensive-50 at the river end. But the visitors just couldn\u2019t make Adelaide pay \u2013 not early when they had all the ascendancy, and not at the start of the final term when they looked as though they had discovered a second wind to roll over the Crows.<\/p>\n
In the end, it was a familiar finish for Luke Beveridge and his Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe unfortunately lacked a bit of polish,\u201d Beveridge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe couldn\u2019t convert or complete some of our prime opportunities at different times.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the flipside, we were giving them their opportunities too close.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, for the Crows and coach Matthew Nicks \u2013 who entered the match with more noise than necessary surrounding his future \u2013 the proverbial monkey is well and truly off the back.<\/p>\n
Adelaide notched their first finals victory since 2018 to lock in a semi-final date with the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba next Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t wait \u2013 we actually cannot wait to get up there,\u201d said Nicks, who received a booming ovation from the 51,370-strong crowd every time his broad-smiling face flashed on the big screen in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to play for a month. We\u2019re one down, and we\u2019ve got three to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it comes on the back of, 12 months ago, going through a fair bit of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Izak Rankine, who missed last year\u2019s finals<\/a> while serving a suspension for directing a homophobic slur at an opponent, was masterful, while Josh Worrell played the game of his life behind the footy \u2013 racking up an AFL finals record 19 intercept possessions.<\/p>\n After a topsy-turvy first half, the Dogs looked out of energy and options following a goalless third term, before suddenly bursting to life with three goals in five minutes early in the fourth.<\/p>\n With the scores level and the visitors boasting all the momentum, Aaron Naughton soared for a spectacular mark for a shot at goal straight in front.<\/p>\n Related Article A third-straight Crow choke in a final was on the cards.<\/p>\n But then Naughton let them off the hook, hitting the post for the third time to give the Bulldogs the lead by just that margin \u2013 one point.<\/p>\n From that moment, the Crows wouldn\u2019t be denied.<\/p>\n Their big three forwards \u2013 all of whom had been held in relative check on a night favouring smaller crumbing types \u2013 stepped up in the crunch.<\/p>\n Riley Thilthorpe, Taylor Walker \u2013 playing at Adelaide Oval for the last time \u2013 and Darcy Fogarty went bang-bang-bang in front of goal.<\/p>\n And then there was that man Rankine.<\/p>\n At long last playing the first final of his burgeoning career, he showed he has the capacity to be \u201cMr September\u201d \u2013 much like a former Crow wearing the iconic No.23 jumper, the incomparable Andrew McLeod.<\/p>\n Rankine put an exclamation point on a wonderful night by conjuring an incredible crumbing finish from the south-western pocket, before Josh Rachele added a fifth-straight goal for the fast-finishing Crows, pouring some more icing on a sweet-tasting cake.<\/p>\n Despite bowing out at the elimination final stage for the third time in the past five years, Beveridge feels his team is tracking in the right direction.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe the boys have come a long way, and it\u2019s a good platform for the future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems like it\u2019s one that got away … we did a lot right, we were just not good enough tonight.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bitter pill when you know you can measure up, but you ultimately come away without the chips.\u201d<\/p>\n Freijah, one of the Dogs\u2019 best against Adelaide, agrees that the future is rosy at Whitten Oval.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a really strong bond of characters within this team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a group and club, we\u2019ve had some challenges this year with injuries and guys being out.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud of us as a group. Although this was a disappointing night, we\u2019re definitely going in the right direction, and I\u2019m optimistic about what we can do going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Marcus](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/e9ceb9a4c91c230d9d6ec43489590222545e599a.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n