Unsung Western Bulldogs defender Nick Coffield has won the admiration and respect of his teammates after a match-winning spoil in the dying seconds of his side’s clash with Hawthorn.
Trailing by six points with only seconds left on the clock, the Hawks had one last chance at a score when Dylan Moore found himself in a pocket of space at half forward.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Nick Coffield makes game-saving spoil
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Moore looked certain to take an uncontested mark and send the ball inside 50 — but Coffield had other ideas.
The former St Kilda defender left his direct opponent and came from a long way back to make the spoil before collecting his own crumbs and pumping it inside the Bulldogs’ forward 50 as the siren sounded on their pulsating 9.17 (71) to 12.5 (77) win at the MCG.
And it didn’t go unnoticed by Coffield’s teammates, who all rushed to him from every corner of the ground to celebrate the courageous act.
Coffield becomes the second unlikely Bulldogs hero in two weeks after Michael Sellwood took a match-saving mark against Collingwood last Saturday.
Speaking to Channel 7 after the game, Coffield said it was a “stressful” last few moments.
“We’re sort of used to it the moment, our last four or five games have all come down to the wire,” he said.
“As you saw, ‘Sellers’ last week had his moment. I got lucky with one in the middle, I was able to cut it off.
“But I think the composure of the boys throughout the whole last quarter was awesome.”
Coffield has battled injury and form for most of his nine-year career since being taken by St Kilda with pick No.8 in the 2017 draft.
He didn’t play a single game at AFL level in 2022 or 2023 before getting traded to the Bulldogs ahead of the 2024 season.
The 26-year-old managed just 12 games at the Kennel in his first two seasons and didn’t break into the senior team until Round 8 this year.
But Coffield has played every game since then and finally looks capable of living up to the billing that comes with a top-10 draft pick.
Speaking to Channel 7 after the game, Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli lauded his unsung teammate.
“These games, if you’re going to win them, you’ve got to make those contests, make those moments,” he said.
