A lack of experience contributed to the undoing of the Western Bulldogs' 39-point lead on Saturday evening, according to coach Luke Beveridge.
The Bulldogs were struck with an immediate blow as 29-year-old James Harmes came from the field with a foot injury, and was subbed out for the remainder of the clash.
The loss of Harmes added to a hefty tally of absent leaders, with Marcus Bontempelli, Adam Treloar, and Anthony Scott all currently out of the side with respective injury concerns.
While the youthful Bulldogs' energy helped establish a quick lead exceeding six goals, Beveridge knew the tide would turn as the comeback king Lions continued their stunning trend of overturning deficits.
Beveridge attributed the momentum swing to the lack of experienced troops available to influence the game and provide leadership to the young group, and he found his side especially hindered by the early substitution of Harmes.
"Yeah, it (the early sub) matters, because the kids are playing their first handful of games - obviously, Hynes debuted tonight and Joshy Dolan was our sub, he hasn't played a lot of footy yet - you're relying on, especially against a seasoned team like the Lions, you're relying on your experience to play four quarters of pretty sturdy football," Beveridge said.
"So to lose someone of James' proficiency and his experience, maybe that was part of what tolled in the end for us, but the kids aren't quite ready to see the game out against a team like the Lions, but I think we had enough experience around other areas that just couldn't quite get it done. So that mattered.
"Harmesy's got a cooked foot, so we'll give you some detail on what that is, but ultimately, the Lions kicked something like 15 goals in the last half from high-20 inside 50s. It's a lot, that's a lot.
"So how did that happen? They won contest and space. We turned over some chances, or they sped out of congestion with their high forwards and their inside mids a bit too well.
"As the fatigue kicked in, they came over the top."
The loss now puts the Bulldogs behind the eight ball with a record of 2-3 after suffering two tight losses back-to-back. Bontempelli is an expected inclusion for Round 6, however, boosting the Bulldogs' odds at amending their losing record against St Kilda on Easter Sunday.
