JAKE Stringer considered having a shot at goal before he centred the ball to Tory Dickson and sealed the Western Bulldogs' thrilling preliminary final triumph over Greater Western Sydney.

The Bulldogs held a five-point lead over GWS last Saturday night when Stringer burst inside the Bulldogs' forward 50 and took a handball from Tom Boyd.

With no one between him and the goals, Stringer closed to within 30m of goal, on about a 60-degree angle.

Then, with 30 seconds remaining on the clock, Stringer suddenly centred the ball, having spotted teammate Dickson alone on the other side of the Bulldogs' forward line. 

Stringer's 30m pass hit Dickson on the chest and the reactions of Luke Beveridge and Leon Cameron in their respective coach's boxes told you the game was effectively over. 

If Stringer had taken a shot on goal and missed, GWS would have had just enough time to goal and force a draw. 

But by the time Dickson started his run-in at goal, the siren had sounded, sending the Bulldogs through to their first Grand Final since 1961. 

Despite the suffocating pressure of the moment, Stringer had pulled exactly the right rein.

WATCH: The thrilling final two minutes

However, the 2015 All Australian told AFL.com.au on Monday that when he had taken the ball inside the Bulldogs' forward 50, he initially intended to kick for goal.

"Of course, being inside 50, running in, with no one in front of me, it was the first thing that went through my mind. I was like, 'Yeah, I'll have a shot,'" Stringer said.

"But then a little bit of maturity kicked in, I think, and I thought if I miss they'll get another chance to take the ball down the ground and have a shot.

"I saw Lachie Hunter streaming through. He was probably who I was going to kick to first and then I just saw Tory out the back by himself.

"A GWS player was closing up pretty close on Lachie and I knew if I made it look like I had Lachie in mind no one would get close to Tory and that worked out perfectly.

"If I missed the goal we could have been in a bit of trouble, but I knew if we got a mark inside 50 we would end up winning up the game."

Dickson's recollection of those frantic final moments was a little hazier. 

The 29-year-old could not recall how he got free inside the Bulldogs' forward 50, but told AFL.com.au once he took the mark he had "a lot of things" going through his head.

"I knew there was only about a minute left. If I kicked the goal, it was 100 per cent we win. But Matthew Boyd was behind me looking for a handball. He was probably trying to get his 30th touch or something," Dickson said with a laugh.

"As soon as the siren went it was a weird feeling because I knew that the kick didn't matter. I was thinking about 'torping' the ball and I think I was smiling as I was walking in to take the kick."

Dickson was aiming for his fifth goal of the game but hit the right goal post. 

He said he had never cared less about missing a goal.

"I know from personal point of view kicking five in a final is still an amazing effort and it wasn't like I went to miss the goal. But I just had a weird feeling in my head that the kick didn't matter and I was more than happy to just jump into my teammates' arms," Dickson said.