The Western Bulldogs made a notable resurgence in the 2024 Rebel VFLW season – going from a three-win season last year to booking a Grand Final appearance.

IN NUMBERS

Position: Runner-up
WLD%: 12-6 (122.55%)
Players used: 41
He played all the games: 5 – Stephanie Asciak, Dom Carbone, Keeley Hardingham, Renée Saulitis, Sarah Skinner
AFLW players used: 9 (18 matches)
Debutants: Maggie Gorham, Jaime Henry, Isadora McLeay, Jasmyn Smith

STAR ARTISTS

Better and fairer: 1st: Keeley Hardingham, 2nd: Jaimi Tabb, 3rd: Dom Carbone, 4th: Steph Asciak, 5th: Tamsin Crook
Lambert-Pearce Medal votes: Dom Carbone (17, winner), Keeley Hardingham (10), Ellie Blackburn (8)
Coaches MVP votes: Keeley Hardingham (81, runner-up), Dom Carbone (52), Jaimi Tabb (40)
Rebel VFLW Team of the Year: Dom Carbone, Keeley Hardingham, Jaimi Tabb
Main scorers: Renée Saulitis (16), Jaimi Tabb (16), Mia-Rae Clifford (12)

STATISTICS LEADERS

(Averages – Minimum 6 games)
Disposals: Dom Carbone 18.2, Keeley Hardingham 17.5, Sarah Skinner 15.5
Disputed possessions: Keeley Hardingham 12.4, Dom Carbone 9.7, Sarah Skinner 7.2
Kicks: Dom Carbone 10.6, Sarah Skinner 10.5, Jaimi Tabb 9.2
Handball: Keeley Hardingham 8.6, Dom Carbone 7.7, Isadora McLeay 5.4
Brands: María Sandral 3.5, Sarah Skinner 3.0, Ash Snow 2.9
Tickets: Jaimi Tabb 6.3, Sarah Skinner 5.3, Keeley Hardingham 5.3
Hits: Keeley Hardingham 22.6, Isadora McLeay 6.6, Imogen Milford 6.5
Authorizations: Keeley Hardingham 4.4, Dom Carbone 4.3, Sarah Skinner 3.2
Within 50: Keeley Hardingham 3.7, Sarah Skinner 2.8, Jaimi Tabb 2.8
Bounce-50s: Ash Snow 2.6, Courtney Ugle 2.4, Tamsin Crook 2.3

What went well: Praise all around for the reborn Bulldogs, who celebrated the return to their wonderful new facility at Whitten Oval with a fantastic year. Captain Dom Carbone was back on the AFLW radar with a ferocious attack on the ball and the opposition to claim a convincing Lambert-Pearce Medal victory. Meanwhile, Keeley Hardingham emerged as the competition’s best ruck at just 20 years of age, finishing second in the Coaches MVP award and winning the Debbie Lee medal as most promising young player. The Bulldogs also didn’t need to rely heavily on their AFLW players, although Ellie Blackburn’s three-game cameo would have made the young VFL players walk on water.

What went wrong: It’s hard to find many things that went wrong, although they would be lamenting the poor start in the Grand Final when they conceded four goals to none in the first quarter. The fact that they came back from behind to tie the score at the final break before running out of games in the final quarter illustrates how close they were to the ultimate prize.

Summary: A remarkable resurgence for the Bulldogs: going from 11^th last year, after a three-win season, to finish second in the standings and book a Grand Final appearance. Their scoring power was on display most weeks, averaging 43.8 points per game, ranking second only to a Box Hill team whose numbers were inflated by having a host of AFLW stars playing games at the beginning of the season. The Bulldogs beat every other top-six team and broke ten head-to-head scoring records and seven margin records in a historic season. He was a quarter away from what would have been a surprise victory as prime minister.

Qualification: 8.5/10

VFL REBELDE 2024 REVIEWS

Williamstown
melbourne harbor
Box Hill Falcons
Essendon
collingwood
demons casey
carlton
Darebin Falcons
Southern Saints
Geelong Cats
GWS Giants
Sydney Swans