The Western Bulldogs returned to form with a vengeance, burning off Sydney 16.10 (106) to 9.15 (69) in their cut-throat AFL semi-final at the MCG to advance to their first preliminary final in a decade.

Having limped into the finals on the back of five losses in the final seven home and away rounds, then been belted by 51 points by Hawthorn in a qualifying final last weekend, the 'Dogs entered the match under enormous pressure.

But they responded superbly, displaying their best form in months to turn what had been a tight contest in the first half into a thumping win.

From late in the first half until early in the last quarter, the Bulldogs kicked 10 goals to one to turn a nine-point deficit into a 43-point lead, ensuring Sydney's season would end.

Significantly, the 'Dogs rediscovered the intensity in the physical contests missing in recent weeks, outpointing the Swans in the packs and tackling with enormous ferocity.

Having beaten the Swans in those elements of the game - normally Sydney's hallmark - they destroyed them with their ability to move the ball with speed and skill from one end to the other.

The Bulldogs had plenty of good players, but midfielders Matthew Boyd and Ryan Griffen were as good as any.

Boyd led the way in the midfield packs and tackled strongly, while Griffen cut the Swans up with his run and long kicking.

A goal to Griffen 20 minutes into the third term summed up his influence and his side's superior running game and was the moment when it became clear the Bulldogs were headed for victory.

After Swans full-forward Barry Hall missed a shot, the 'Dogs whisked the ball to Griffen at half-forward, the speedster going on a three-bounce run before threading through a goal to put his side up by 29 points.

Defender Dale Morris also deserved enormous credit for his job on Adam Goodes, the Swans superstar managing just one goal and having little other impact.

The Bulldogs had looked in some trouble midway through the second quarter, when a series of free kicks to the Swans turned the momentum their way.

The 'Dogs had seemed to be seizing control when youngster Shaun Higgins kicked the first goal of the quarter to put his side five points up, then was lining up for another from 40m.

But an interchange infringement by teammate Tim Callan meant the ball was stripped off him and Sydney's Tadhg Kennelly was given a shot for goal at the other end, from which he hit the post.

In the following minutes, Sydney hit the lead with a goal to Hall from a fortunate free kick in a marking contest, then stretched the margin with the help of a free kick and 50m penalty to Lewis Roberts-Thomson.

But the 'Dogs kicked three of the last four goals of the quarter before taking complete control in the third term, dominating possession to outscore the visitors 5.4 to 0.6 for the quarter to wrap the game up.

Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade was full of praise for the character his side showed to bounce back from last week's disappointing performance against the Hawks.

"It was fantastic, obviously we didn't play very well last week, it was disappointing, people were circling and even our supporters jumped off a bit, which was disappointing, or some of them have," he said.

"But I think to show the character with the way they played, to not let last week's result engulf them with a lack of finals experience, to be able to do what they did and bounce back like that.

"The fact that we earned a double chance, we proved tonight that we should be at least in the top four, the players didn't want to let that slip."

Asked whether they could beat Geelong in next weekend's preliminary final, Eade said: "Anything can happen in a two-horse race, you can't beat them if you're not there."

"Rightfully so, no one will pick us because they're a great team, but anything can happen, there'll be no pressure on us in that aspect."

Sydney coach Paul Roos said his side had struggled to physically stay with the Bulldogs in the second half, partly because of a shorter break leading into the game.

"The six-day break versus the seven-day break, you've got to maintain a certain gap if you're playing well," he said.

"We knew they were going to come and I think that was probably significant when they did in the third quarter, we just weren't able to run with them at times."

He said having Goodes restricted to playing up forward, rather than in the midfield, because of a nagging groin injury, had not helped.

Sydney ruckman Peter Everitt announced his retirement immediately after the match, the second Swan to retire, with Ben Mathews already having done so.

Roos said it was unclear whether the club now needed to set about a rebuilding process, after six straight years in the finals.

"It's something we need to assess in the off-season, it's really hard to do it straight after the game," he said.

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