GWS Keep Season Flickering as Bulldogs Rest Bontempelli for Finals
GWS beat West Coast 9.12 (66) to 4.17 (41) at Sydney Showground on Sunday, keeping their faint finals hopes alive in Round 23 of the 2026 AFL season. The Eagles kicked 17 behinds — wasted shots that were the difference between a respectable margin and a genuine scare.
The Giants needed two things to stay in the hunt: a big win to boost their percentage (the points-for-and-against ratio that breaks ladder ties), and a Carlton loss later in the day. They got the win, but a 25-point margin may not be the percentage booster they had in mind. ABC News
Harvey Thomas kicked GWS's opener, converting a set shot — a kick taken from a mark, where a player catches the ball cleanly — from 40 metres out. The build-up was clean: Josaia Delana found Aaron Cadman at half-forward, Cadman switched the ball into the middle, and Thomas marked, went back, and slotted it.
West Coast answered through Jake Waterman, who ran on to a handball from Liam Baker and snapped off the outside of the boot. Baker then marked close to goal and put the Eagles in front early, but GWS steadied and pulled away across the contest, finishing 25 points clear. ABC News
The loss continues a rough recent trend for West Coast against the Giants. GWS have won five of the last seven meetings between the two clubs, though the Eagles did take the most recent encounter in Round 10 this year by 17 points. ABC News
At Marvel Stadium later on Sunday, the Western Bulldogs beat Carlton 12.9 (81) to 11.10 (76) — a five-point result that handed GWS the favour they needed, if not the percentage boost. (ESPN) The Bulldogs, though, had already locked in a wildcard-round spot — the new finals format where teams ranked 7th to 10th play knockout games for a path deeper into September — and coach Luke Beveridge chose to rest captain Marcus Bontempelli. Managing a star who is fit, with finals secured, is a luxury few coaches get. ABC News
For GWS, the arithmetic now runs through next weekend's final round. AFL.com.au's ladder predictor has projected the Giants to miss the wildcard spots, finishing just outside the frame. (afl.com.au) The same model has flip-flopped on Carlton, at one stage tipping the Blues into a wildcard blockbuster against Collingwood, then dropping them out entirely. (afl.com.au) Sunday's result muddies both projections.
West Coast, meanwhile, had Harley Reid — the 2023 number-one draft pick and already the Eagles' most dangerous player — in the side, but the Eagles could not convert their scoring chances when it counted. (afl.com.au)
For fans, the Round 23 takeaway is simple: GWS are still breathing, Carlton are still vulnerable, and the Bulldogs are banking their chips for September. One round left, and the ladder won't settle itself.
