Former Western Bulldog Adam Cooney believes his old team can go all the way and defeat Sydney in Saturday's AFL grand final.
"I think it's going to be a little GWS style, they destroyed Sydney a couple of weeks ago," the 2008 Brownlow medallist said. "I think the Dogs play a similar brand to that, they matched GWS inside in their contest work a week ago and the game never really opened up on the weekend.
"I think against Sydney the outside run will be just too much. They really have the desire and the belief at the moment, just riding the wave."
Cooney said the Dogs lack of finals experience was not a factor.
"They have [done well] so far, they've beaten last year's grand finalists and then probably the premiership favourites in GWS when they beat Sydney. They haven't been overawed so far and they'll carry that momentum in this week with huge belief."
Having left the Dogs after 2014 for Essendon Cooney was asked what odds he would have given his old club to have made a grand final two years later.
"Pretty juicy I would have thought. In the 50s, I think" he said. "It's a great story. The last couple of years have been good for the Dogs, obviously they got rid of the dead wood in the club in a couple of the older boys and they've come on in leaps and bounds since then."
Cooney, who retired last month after 250 games, said a scarred history had made a great club of the Bulldogs.
"There's such history there really. There's been a lot of dark times - seven prelim finals losses since I've been alive - so the Dogs fans have been through a bit of heartbreak and they really deserve to have some success."
