The Western Bulldogs have ended their AFLW season on a high with a 32-point victory over the Giants, consigning their opponents to being the competition's inaugural wooden spooners.
The Bulldogs were too strong for Giants at Manuka Oval in Canberra, winning 7.10(52) to 3.2(20) in front of 6460 fans on Saturday night.
Kirsty Lamb led the Dogs up forward with two goals while Ellie Blackburn and Emma Kearney were influential in the midfield, racking up 25 and 19 possessions respectively.
The game got off to a scrappy start with both sides' defensive efforts making for a goalless first quarter.
Jacinda Barclay broke the deadlock for the Giants in the second term after taking a strong contested mark about 35 metres from goal and slotting the set shot home.
After a number of wasted efforts in front of goal, Lamb grabbed the Dogs' first major with a clever snap before half-time to cut the margin to two points at the main break.
The Dogs took control in the second half with Jaimee Lambert marking deep in attack before running around from a tight angle to extend the lead to nine points before Lamb added another goal two minutes before three-quarter time.
Bulldogs forward Kirsten McLeod put it beyond reach for the Giants early in the last quarter as she squeezed home a snap from the forward pocket.
It was then party time for the Dogs with Hannah Scott slotting one home from long range to push the margin beyond five goals.
Phoebe McWilliams pulled one back for the Giants in the last quarter but it was too late for a comeback.
Blackburn got on to a 45-metre drop punt on the final siren to ice the win.
Giants marquee player Emma Swanson was among her side's best along with Jess Dal Pos while teenage ruck Erin McKinnon dominated the hitouts.
Bulldogs coach Paul Groves said Blackburn had been a stand-out for the side throughout the season.
"She's a big-game player," Groves said.
"There's times when she realises she needs to step up and she really stepped up tonight."
He said the side had taken control in the second half after identifying a number of key areas to beat the Giants.
Giants coach Tim Schmidt said his side battled hard.
"To the girls' credit, I thought the first half was exceptional," Schmidt said.
"We probably didn't get as much reward for effort as we probably deserved and went into halftime behind.
"To the Bulldogs credit, they lifted another gear in the third quarter and were able to put some more score on the board."
