It was a near-perfect night for the Swans as retiring skipper Brett Kirk and coach Paul Roos celebrated their final outing at the SCG with a 17.12 (114) to 10.10 (70) victory.
A knee injury to ruckman Shane Mumford was the only dampener for the home side, while the Bulldogs have more to worry about than their sub-par performance.
Adam Cooney suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter and failed to return, Dale Morris hurt a shoulder in the final term and Ben Hudson is likely to come under the match review panel's scrutiny for a late bump on Dan Hannebery.
First-year Swan Trent Dennis-Lane played his best game at the top level with four goals and Kieren Jack continued his fine season with 19 telling possessions and two goals.
While not as prolific, Kirk was important in the second term as the Swans set up their win with a six-goal burst. He finished with two goals in a typically heartfelt display.
The Bulldogs made the early running, silencing the Swans' biggest crowd of the season with four of the first six goals, but the Swans fought back to trail by just three points at quarter time.
The Swans' rally was admirable after their uncertain start but no one at the SCG expected the onslaught that followed. Jack led the way with 10 touches and two goals as they piled on the first six goals of the quarter to lead by 34 points just before half time.
The Dogs' woes were compounded by Cooney's hamstring injury before a late reply from Jarrad Grant brought the margin under five goals at the long break.
Undaunted, the visitors drew within 15 points after booting the first two goals of the third stanza but if ever the footy gods smiled on a team, it was upon the Swans in the following five minutes.
A speculative snap from Jude Bolton took an outrageous right-angled bounce to settle the home crowd's nerves, followed by a nonchalant one-handed mark and goal from Jarrad McVeigh that quelled the Dogs' charge.
With one of their key playmakers out of action and facing an opponent spurred by the emotion of a fond farewell, the odds appeared nearly insurmountable for the Dogs.
So it proved as the Swans held firm in the final quarter, as goals to Lewis Jetta, Dennis-Lane and a fairytale sealer from Kirk shored up a finals berth.
Sydney Swans 4.4 10.6 13.10 17.12 (114)
Western Bulldogs 5.1 6.3 9.7 10.10 (70)
Goals
Sydney Swans: Dennis-Lane 4, Jack 2, Bolton 2, Bevan 2, McVeigh 2, Jetta 2, Kirk 2, White
Western Bulldogs: Hudson 2, Eagleton 2, Hall 2, Grant 2, Gilbee, Jones
Best
Sydney Swans: Bolton, Dennis-Lane, Jack, Kirk, Meredith, McVeigh
Western Bulldogs: Eagleton, Boyd, Hall, Lake, Griffen, Hargrave
Injuries
Sydney Swans: Shane Mumford (knee)
Western Bulldogs: Adam Cooney (hamstring)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Rosebury, Meredith
Official crowd: 36,554
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
