Michael Sellwood interview, Western Bulldogs def Hawthorn Hawks, video, Rory Lobb on Nick Watson matchup, highlights

Michael Sellwood, indeed, “walked the walk”.

Off the back of a breathtaking first half, Hawthorn star Nick Watson laid down the gauntlet to the Bulldogs defender before heading to the Hawks’ rooms for half-time.

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Sellwood and Watson had just been locked in a tense and fiery match-up, tangling off the ball on several occasions.

But Watson, with ball in-hand, threatened to single-handedly break the game open for Hawthorn with three goals across the first two quarters. At times, he seemed too quick and shrewd for his 13-game rival.

Which prompted this intriguing Watson comment just after the half-time siren.

“I don’t care if he (Sellwood) talks, as long as he walks the walk,” Watson told Fox Footy’s Ben Dixon when asked about his heated exchanges with the Bulldog.

“I’d love to see it in the second half.”

Man, did Watson see it in the second half.

After a nine-disposal first half, Watson was restricted to just two disposals for the rest of the game. He didn’t register a touch for the entire last quarter.

Meanwhile, Sellwood had eight touches in the second half and completely blanketed Watson.

“I know he’s a very opportunistic player and if you have a lapse in concentration, he’ll probably kick one on you, “Sellwood told Fox Footy post-game. “He got a couple on me early, but just backed myself in.

“I probably felt I was playing a bit too one-on-one on him (early). I’m more of an intercepting player and help my teammates out. I felt like in the second half I was able to do that while also nullifying him.”

Asked about the niggle with Watson, Sellwood said: “It’s good. I love that side of things.

“Probably growing up – one of 10 (kids), four older brothers – so we were always just wrestling trying to pick up the scraps, I guess. I’ve always just had that bit of mongrel about me, which I think stands up well.

“Opposition fans aren’t going to like it, but it is what it is.”

Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge ultimately kept the faith in Sellwood to do the job on Watson – and he couldn’t have been prouder of his defender’s “unbelievable job” post-match.

“Not only did he stop him and negate him, he helped in the air,” Beveridge told reporters. “His third-up stuff was just ridiculous.

“He rolled his ankle, he came off, we thought we were going to lose him. So he just showed enormous courage.“

Bulldogs teammate Rory Lobb described Sellwood as an “antagonist”.

“And you need to do that with Nick Watson, where he’s obviously a very good player, and if you let him play the way that he wants to play, he’s going to torch you,” Lobb told Foxfooy.com.au post-match.

“He’s so physical, he’s so good in the air, he’s really good on the ground.

“It was a great match-up.”

Sellwood was taken by the Bulldogs with Pick 5 in last year’s mid-season draft, plucked out of Peel Thunder in the WAFL as a 21-year-old.

Lobb said he was proud of the development of his fellow WA native.

“He’s that mature-age player that comes in – I feel like they’re always hungry,” Lobb said.

“He’s done his time in the WAFL, he’s come from Peel Thunder, he’s waited his time, and then last year when he came to the club, he spent half the year with the VFL.

“He didn’t lose a game in the VFL, and the way that he went about it, he probably could have played last year – but he waited his time, and I don’t think he’s missed a game this year.”

Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli said Sellwood had already “become one of our more reliable players in about 10 games”.

“That probably comes with those guys who join late and they just want to make the most of every single opportunity,” Bontempelli told Fox Footy.

“He reminds me of a few players I’ve played with in the past – Liam Picken, guys that just have this unbelievable amount of courage and keep going about their business and job.

“One of the toughest tasks in football is playing on Nick Watson. He’s so nippy, he challenges every mistake you make and he’s an unbelievable finisher. He (Sellwood) will learn from that, but I thought Michael had some amazing moments getting in the way and spoiling, especially after what he did last week.”

There was one sour note post-game, with Sellwood copping a spray from a Hawks fan, who called Sellwood a “weak something” – according to Fox Footy’s Jon Ralph.

Sellwood was seen high-fiving fans around the MCG before turning back towards someone in the crowd who’d sledged him.

“We’ve just got to be better as supporters. You win well and you lose well,” Ralph told Fox Foty.

“He has been called a weak so-and-so by, you’d imagine, a Hawthorn supporter. He went back and he was very keen to point out that fan and say ‘off you trot’. He pointed him out to the security guards

“After the Chris Scott situation of last night where he had to walk through the crowd and was abused as well – we understand the circumstances of that – I think we would all say he played a fantastic second half and didn’t deserve to be abused.

“Be better, fans.”

Sellwood, however, and his Dogs ultimately had the last laugh.

And Luke Beveridge’s side continues to get it done in close games, now making it six wins from six in the tight ones. And they did it against a side that’s had its measure recently.

“They beat us up in Adelaide at Gather Round, and we were very disappointed with how we went in that game,” Lobb told Foxfooty.com.au.

“They got a bit chirpy in that game, and we knew they were going to get their tails up. We wanted to really take the fight to them.

“There was a little bit of beef in that. And then when they were really flying, kicking four in a row in that second quarter and then really getting into us, we needed to make a stand.”