How a toy giraffe helped the AFLW Bulldogs rise back into finals
Each week, Western Bulldogs fan-favourite Elaine Grigg looks forward to the side's player meetings.
It has been a good year for the Dogs, with eight wins from 12 games, finishing seventh on the ladder and back playing finals since 2022.
But reviewing the side's victories isn't the only reason Grigg likes getting together.
"This year, we've had a little mascot. Its name is Sawya, and it's a pet giraffe," Grigg told ABC Sport.
"Every week we spin a wheel, and someone has to take Sawya during the week … You have to make a video of what you do with it. So every Monday you present that, and it has been a really good laugh every week."
The "little mascot" a player takes home every week. (Supplied: Elaine Grigg)
Grigg, who joined the club as a high-profile draftee in 2023, said it has been a great way to get to know teammates and who they are off the field.
When she took Sawya, she said it was mostly work (as a student support officer at a school) and recovery, including a lot of time in the sauna. However, it has given away some teammates' hobbies, such as goalsneak Sarah Hartwig's creative side.
"That really surprised me," Grigg said. "How many different things she can do … She sews, she bakes, she does all these different things. I'm like, 'Twiggy, you need to start a business.' She makes all these different clothes as well."
More than bonding for the fun of it, Grigg said it's part of the Bulldogs's focus on building team connection, which has helped them immensely on the field.
Elaine Grigg is quickly becoming one of the personalities of AFLW. (Getty: Quinn Rooney)
In 2023, the club hit rock bottom with a last-place finish, resulting in a review of its program and the appointment of a new coach, Tamara Hyett.
From there, it was a slow and steady climb back up the ladder. In both 2024 and 2025, the Dogs finished 12th.
This year, however, they fired back with a 26-point win over fellow finals team Gold Coast.
Many AFLW pundits and commentators have remarked on the side's new feel, particularly the excitement and "fun" factor.
"We know we need to lock in when we're at the club (and) when we're out on the footy field. But then it's the balance of having fun and also when it's time to be serious, to be serious as well," Grigg said.
"The connections that we have with everyone, it actually helps on the footy field."
Sarah Hartwig was one of the stand-out players of the Bulldogs's 2026 campaign. (Getty: Michael Willson/AFL Photos)
The side also dances before every game, with a new player picked each week to lead.
"That came about in our off-season trip. We were having a pool party and that dance, we did it, and that's carried on to our pre-game," she said, citing teammate Ellie Blackburn as the main instigator.
"It just shows how much fun we can have as a group, even before a game, to just let loose and be really connected with each other … It's something you look forward to and brings us closer as a group."
There was a lot of excitement around Elaine Grigg when she was drafted to the Bulldogs in 2023. (Getty: Quinn Rooney)
On the field, Grigg said one of her favourite moments this year was Emma McDonald kicking a fourth-quarter haul against Sydney in round four, handing the Swans their first loss of the season.
"She went on a rampage to kick her three goals and to get us up and about," Grigg said.
"But it was her first one (liked the most). It was a team goal."
Grigg will hope for a similar finish this Sunday, when the Bulldogs face the Swans in an elimination final at Henson Park.
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