AT A TIME of the year when some teams out of finals contention start to look ahead to the next season, Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney has one focus for the remainder of 2013 – winning.
"We want to win some games in the next month," McCartney said after the Bulldogs' brave 35-point loss to the Sydney Swans on Sunday.
"We don't care who it's against, but we want to put ourselves in a position to win some games and hopefully get the job done."
The young Bulldogs took the fight up to the reigning premiers at Etihad Stadium and were just eight points down late in the third term.
But the Swans kicked three goals in the final four minutes before three-quarter time to effectively kill off the Bulldogs' challenge.
After the game McCartney was buoyed by some of the statistical wins the Dogs had against the Swans, such as leading the tackle count 95-77, clearances 51-44 and inside 50s 60-54.
But the Bulldogs coach said his team had to learn to maintain its intensity through an entire game.
"We've still got some growth at times, just to fight every contest, you just don't know what's around the corner," McCartney said.
"There were a couple of bits of play where we probably could have been stronger at it. And because there were people forward of the ball seeing there was a ball to be won they were already moving into position, next minute it didn't come out.
"You don't know that when you're the person in the griller, but the moral of the story is you've just got to go, go and be strong.
"And the team that beat us today, that's their trademark, that's what they do."
McCartney praised the performance of young midfielder Mitch Wallis, who held star Swan Josh Kennedy to 18 possessions while racking up 29 of his own.
After a slow start to 2013, Wallis has been reinvented as a run-with player since returning to the side in round 14, having also performed good stopping jobs on Hawks skipper Luke Hodge and Eagles pair Chris Masten and Matt Priddis.
"I was watching Josh Kennedy at the end and he was finding it hard work," McCartney said.
"Mitch has really elevated his footy in the last month, just that work within one or two metres of the ball is back to what he was doing last year.
"He got a little bit of criticism for where he was progressing, but he was probably being compared to Tom (Liberatore), which mightn't be that fair.
"We've created a new role for him and to be honest I think all young midfielders should learn the game that way, learn how to deal with an opponent first and then work off him."
McCartney said Bulldogs captain Matthew Boyd could return for next round's clash with Carlton after missing Sunday's game with calf soreness.
"He throws himself around, Boydy, and I was trying to get him last week to play a bit more measured," McCartney said.
"But he doesn't know that word – he's taken a while to get over the game."
Nick Bowen is a reporter with AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter @AFL_Nick
