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GWS Giants–Western Bulldogs rivalry

Greater Western Sydney Giants Western Bulldogs
First meeting	April 28 2012 GWS 9.8 (62) def. by WBD 15.14 (104) Manuka Oval
Latest meeting	May 18 2024 GWS 6.7 (43) def. by WBD 8.22 (70) Sydney Showground Stadium
Statistics
Meetings total	19
All-time record	WBD, 12–7
Regular season series	WBD, 11–6
Postseason results	Tie, 1–1
Largest victory	GWS, 82 points
Longest win streak	WBD, 5 games
Current win streak	WBD, 1 game
Finals Results
2016 AFL First Preliminary Final: GWS 12.11 (83) def. by WBD 13.11 (89) 2019 AFL finals series: GWS 16.17 (113) def. WBD 8.7 (55)

The Greater Western Sydney Giants–Western Bulldogs rivalry is an Australian Rules football (AFL) rivalry between the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Western Bulldogs.

Prominent moments in the clubs' rivalry included in the 2014 AFL season, when Bulldogs captain Ryan Griffen and Giants number one draft pick Tom Boyd were exchanged in a trade deal, and when the two teams met in the 2016 AFL first preliminary final, regarded the best AFL game of the 2010s by Channel 7.

History

Early years

The Greater Western Sydney Giants were created in 2012 as the competition's 18th active club. The Giants played their first premiership match against the Bulldogs in round 5 in Canberra.

Following the 2014 season, Bulldogs captain Ryan Griffen sensationally requested a trade to the Giants. Griffen was widely regarded as the club's best player and had only been captain for one season. He later cited the stress of captaincy as his reason for nearly giving up the game altogether. The Bulldogs responded by luring the Giants' number-one draft pick, first-year key forward Tom Boyd, on a 7-year deal worth $7 million. Griffen and Boyd were ultimately exchanged in the same trade deal.

Finals rivals (2016–2019)

At the conclusion of the 2016 AFL season, Greater Western Sydney finished fourth on the ladder and the Western Bulldogs had finished seventh. The two teams met in the 2016 AFL First Preliminary Final at Spotless Stadium, in which the Bulldogs were attempting to make their first AFL grand final appearance in 55 years while the Giants were attempting to reach the grand final for the first time in their fifth season in the AFL.

Two goals to each side saw the Bulldogs lead by two points at the quarter-time break. The Bulldogs then kicked four goals to three in the second quarter, during which two players suffered game-ending injuries: Bulldogs ruckman Jordan Roughead, who had a ball kicked in his face, and Giants co-captain Callan Ward, who was accidentally kneed in the head by Zaine Cordy. At half-time, the Bulldogs led by nine points. Three minutes into the third quarter, Rory Lobb kicked a goal for the Giants to bring the margin back to one point, before a rushed behind brought the scores level at 41. However, Tory Dickson kicked a goal shortly after to give his side back the lead; another goal to Lobb and one to Jonathan Patton saw the Giants open up an eleven-point lead, before late goals to Marcus Bontempelli and Caleb Daniel saw the Giants' lead reduced to one point at three-quarter-time. Two goals to the Giants to start the final quarter saw them take a 14-point lead, the biggest by any side during the match, before goals to Dickson, Bontempelli and Cordy saw the Bulldogs reclaim the lead. Shortly after, Patton would kick a goal for the Giants and, with less than five minutes remaining, scores were tied at 82 points apiece. Jack Macrae, who to that point of the season had only kicked one goal, was then paid a mark inside the Bulldogs' forward 50 despite a late spoil from Nick Haynes; he then kicked the match's final goal and despite some desperation from the Giants, the Bulldogs hung on to win by six points. The match was considered one of the best of the decade. The Bulldogs progressed to and won the 2016 AFL Grand Final the following week against the Sydney Swans.

In round 21, 2017, Giants small forward Toby Greene collected Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus in the face with his foot while flying for a mark. Greene avoided suspension for the incident, but was suspended for two matches suspension for punching Caleb Daniel's head the same year.

The Giants finished the 2019 season 6th with thirteen wins and the Bulldogs would finish 7th with twelve wins. They faced each other in a fierce and at times violent contest in the second elimination final, Greater Western Sydney winning by 58 points to progress to a semi-final and end the Bulldogs' season. In that game, the Giants and Bulldogs engaged in on-field fights, with GWS attacking Western Bulldogs superstar Marcus Bontempelli. Bontempelli escaped with a $7500 fine and was charged with serious misconduct for injuring Nick Haynes. Bontempelli was left with bruises around his right eye, and the Bulldogs players were privately fuming. Western Bulldogs players wished they had known that Greater Western Sydney antagonist Toby Greene targeted Marcus Bontempelli's face during an ugly scuffle which typified this year's heated elimination final. A host of Bulldogs, including Patrick Lipinski and teenagers Rhylee West and Bailey Smith, were in the vicinity when Greene grabbed at Bontempelli's face and then pulled his hair while at the bottom of a pack.

The bad blood from the elimination final persisted into round 3 of the 2020 AFL Season where The Giants turned sent Nick Haynes out for the coin toss instead of captain Stephen Coniglio to meet with Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli, who fractured Haynes’ larynx the previous year. The two teams engaged in constant melees throughout a match leaving 15 players cited by the AFL Match Review Panel with fines totalling $7750. The Bulldogs won by 24 points at Marvel Stadium.

2021–present

In the final round of the 2023 AFL season, the Giants and Bulldogs were in indirect competition for the final spot in the finals. After the Bulldogs defeated the Geelong Cats on the Saturday night, Greater Western Sydney needed to draw with or beat Carlton to qualify and knock the Bulldogs out. The Giants succeeded, beating Carlton by 32 points.

Head-to-head

	Year	Date	Timeslot	Rd	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Score	Ground	Crowd	Result/Winner	M	HRT	H2H
1	2012	28/4	Sat, 1:45pm	5	Greater Western Sydney	9.8 (62)	Western Bulldogs	15.14 (104)	Manuka Oval	9,128	Western Bulldogs	42	W	+1
2	2013	6/7	Sat 1:45pm	15	Greater Western Sydney	12.11 (83)	Western Bulldogs	13.9 (87)		7,132	Western Bulldogs	4	W	+2
3	2014	12/4	Sat 4:40pm	4	Greater Western Sydney	12.11 (83)	Western Bulldogs	17.8 (110)		7,863	Western Bulldogs	27	L	+3
4		31/8	Sun 4:40pm	23	Western Bulldogs	15.19 (109)	Greater Western Sydney	18.7 (115)	Docklands Stadium	14,725	Greater Western Sydney	6	L	+2
5	2015	30/5	Sat 4:35pm	9	Western Bulldogs	16.17 (113)	Greater Western Sydney	11.2 (68)		16,395	Western Bulldogs	45	L	+3
6	2016 ⚑	22/5	Sun 3:20pm	9	Greater Western Sydney	15.8 (98)	Western Bulldogs	10.13 (73)	Sydney Showground Stadium	9,621	Greater Western Sydney	25	W	+2
7		24/9	Sat 5:15pm	PF	Greater Western Sydney	12.11 (83)	Western Bulldogs	13.11 (89)		21,790	Western Bulldogs	6	L	+3
8	2017	28/4	Fri 7:50pm	6	Greater Western Sydney	11.9 (75)	Western Bulldogs	9.19 (73)	Manuka Oval	14,048	Greater Western Sydney	2	W	+2
9		11/8	Fri 7:50pm	21	Western Bulldogs	7.15 (57)	Greater Western Sydney	16.9 (105)	Docklands Stadium	30,672	Greater Western Sydney	48	W	+1
10	2018	25/3	Sun 1:10pm	1	Greater Western Sydney	20.13 (133)	Western Bulldogs	7.9 (51)	Manuka Oval	10,454	Greater Western Sydney	82	–	0
11	2019	18/8	Sun 3:20pm	22	Greater Western Sydney	9.11 (65)	Western Bulldogs	19.12 (126)	Sydney Showground Stadium	10,139	Western Bulldogs	61	L	+1
12		7/9	Sat 3:20pm	EF	Greater Western Sydney	16.17 (113)	Western Bulldogs	8.7 (55)		19,218	Greater Western Sydney	58	W	0
13	2020	19/6	Fri 7:50pm	3	Western Bulldogs	8.9 (57)	Greater Western Sydney	4.9 (33)	Docklands Stadium	0	Western Bulldogs	24	L	+1
14	2021	23/4	Fri 7:50pm	6	Greater Western Sydney	9.11 (65)	Western Bulldogs	15.14 (104)	Manuka Oval	10,064	Western Bulldogs	39	W	+2
15	2022	18/6	Sat 7:25pm	14	Greater Western Sydney	16.9 (105)	Western Bulldogs	19.11 (125)	Sydney Showground Stadium	6,208	Western Bulldogs	20	W	+3
16		13/8	Sat 1:45	22	Western Bulldogs	9.8 (62)	Greater Western Sydney	8.9 (57)	Docklands Stadium	18,301	Western Bulldogs	5	W	+4
17	2023	6/5	Sat 7:30pm	8	Greater Western Sydney	10.11 (71)	Western Bulldogs	13.8 (86)	Manuka Oval	10,039	Western Bulldogs	15	W	+5
18		29/6	Sat 1:45pm	20	Western Bulldogs	10.13 (73)	Greater Western Sydney	11.12 (78)	Eureka Stadium	9,080	Greater Western Sydney	5	L	+4
19	2024	18/5	Sat 4:35pm	10	Greater Western Sydney	6.7 (43)	Western Bulldogs	8.22 (70)	Sydney Showground Stadium	7,747	Western Bulldogs	27	L	+5
20		25/8	Sun 12:30pm	24	Western Bulldogs	14.14 (98)	Greater Western Sydney	9.7 (61)	Eureka Stadium	10,224	Western Bulldogs	37	W	+6

Crowds impacted by COVID-19

Common individuals

Players

The following players have played for both the Giants and the Bulldogs in their careers:

• Callan Ward – Bulldogs (2008-2011), Giants (2012–present)
• Sam Reid – Bulldogs (2008-2011), Giants (2012–13) (2016–2021)
• Dylan Addison – Bulldogs (2006-2011), Giants (2013–2015)
• Ryan Griffen – Bulldogs (2005-2014), Giants (2015–2018)
• Tom Boyd – Giants (2014), Bulldogs (2015–2019)
• Adam Treloar – Giants (2012-2015), Bulldogs (2021–present)
• Josh Bruce – Giants (2012-2013), Bulldogs (2020–2023)
• Rory Lobb - Giants (2014-2018), Bulldogs (2023-present)
• Matthew Kennedy - Giants (2016-2017), Bulldogs (2025-present)

Others

• Leon Cameron – Bulldogs (1990–1999 player), Giants (2014–2022 senior coach)
• Jason McCartney – Bulldogs (2011–2017 manager), Giants (2017–present list manager)

References

1. "Why Dogs don't dig Giants: Six key moments behind a nasty new-age rivalry". afl.com.au. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
2. Connolly, Rohan (2017-04-26). "GWS v Western Bulldogs: A newer rivalry with a ring of authenticity". The Age. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
3. "'It's just on the whole time': How the Giants-Dogs rivalry got so hot". afl.com.au. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
4. "The fiercest rivalry in the AFL: Bulldogs, GWS' history". The West Australian. 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
5. ^ @7afl (September 1, 2019). "Game of the Decade" (Tweet). Retrieved 2021-11-24 – via Twitter.
6. "On this Day: The beginning of a Giant rivalry". westernbulldogs.com.au. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
7. "Bulldog bombshell: skipper Ryan Griffen requests trade to GWS". afl.com.au. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
8. "Griffen and Boyd swap places in blockbuster trade". afl.com.au. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
9. "AFL Ladder 2019 Round 23 - FinalSiren.com". finalsiren.com. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
10. "ROUND 22 REPORT: Dogs into top eight after Giant win". westernbulldogs.com.au. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
11. Forsaith, Rob (2021-04-19). "Giants play it cool, AFL rivalry reignites". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
12. Robinson, Mark (18 June 2020). "GWS Giants still have retribution in mind ahead of Round 3 clash with Western Bulldogs, Marcus Bontempelli". Herald Sun.
13. "Cameron challenges Giants to rise to task against rival Bulldogs". afl.com.au. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
14. Williams, Rebecca (17 June 2020). "Western Bulldogs bracing for more physicality from GWS Giants in first meeting since elimination final". AFL.com.au.
15. "'It was strange': AFL world divided over 'childish' act". au.sports.yahoo.com. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
16. "Giants poised for AFL test with rival Dogs - Nine Wide World of Sports". wwos.nine.com.au. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
17. "Giants called 'babies' as AFL greats slam 'rubbish' tactic in Bulldogs loss". Fox Sports. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
18. "Round 3 2020 Western Bulldogs v GWS Giants - FinalSiren.com". finalsiren.com. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
19. "Giants poised for AFL test with rival Dogs". 7NEWS. 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
20. "Dogs get revenge as fiery brawl erupts". wwos.nine.com.au. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
21. "Shape of the eight: Giants secure finals spot as match-ups decided". afl.com.au. 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
22. "Giants seal September spot, fall just short of home final". afl.com.au. 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.

• Australian Football League rivalries
• Western Bulldogs
• Greater Western Sydney Giants