The Western Bulldogs have avoided the worst-case scenario with key forward Aaron Naughton, who was cleared of serious structural damage to his neck after a sickening fall during Thursday night’s 66-point thrashing by Sydney. Scans revealed only muscle spasm and associated pain, with no concussion symptoms detected, though the club confirmed he remains in doubt for next week’s clash with Fremantle. The incident, which saw Naughton flipped mid-air while attempting a mark and landing heavily on his head and neck following contact with Swan debutant Will Edwards, forced the forward from the field on a stretcher and cast a pall over an already grim evening for Luke Beveridge’s side.

Viewed from Melbourne’s football heartland, the injury is merely the latest in a cascade of setbacks that have transformed a premiership contender into a team haemorrhaging confidence and personnel. Just over a fortnight ago the Bulldogs sat atop the ladder, the last unbeaten side in the competition. Now, after three consecutive defeats by a combined margin of 181 points, they are a shadow of the team that thrilled neutrals earlier this season.

Thursday’s loss was emblematic of their collapse: Charlie Curnow, Sydney’s marquee recruit, exploited a decimated Bulldogs defence to boot seven goals, feasting on mismatches created by injuries to key pillars. In Sydney, the performance was hailed as a statement of intent from a side rebuilding its own credibility, but the broader narrative was the Bulldogs’ implosion. The night was supposed to be a celebration of the 10-year reunion of their 2016 fairy-tale flag, yet it instead laid bare how quickly fortunes can turn in the modern game.

That Naughton escaped catastrophic injury offers some relief, but the club’s medical staff will monitor him daily ahead of Friday’s match against Fremantle. Analysts in London and beyond, accustomed to the brutal arithmetic of professional sport, will note that even if Naughton returns soon, the Bulldogs’ undermanned defence and flagging morale present a structural problem no single player can solve. The path back to contention now demands not just fitness, but a reinvention of the resilience that deserted them.