Taylor made the honest assessment after the second successive upset of a finals contender in Myrtleford with a powerful 10.16 (76) to 7.5 (47) home win in the Ovens and Murray Football League on Saturday.

The Bulldogs toppled Wangaratta Rovers by 42 points in round 15.

That forced the Hawks out of the top five and Saturday's result did the same to the Saints.

Wodonga boasts the longest finals drought of the current 10 clubs at any time in their history, with the O and M starting in 1893.

The Bulldogs haven't made the top five since rounding off three successive preliminary finals in 2009.

Over summer, Taylor publicly declared the goal was to make finals this year and be a genuine competitor in 2023.

However, only two wins from the first eight games destroyed those dreams.

"Every game felt like the weight was bigger than probably what it was," Taylor revealed.

"You play Albury and Wangaratta in the first two games and suddenly you're 0-2."

The Bulldogs have now won four of their last eight.

"We're just playing more freely, I feel like I made a mistake early, I put the acid on the boys by saying, 'there's no excuses any more, we're good enough to play finals," he explained.

"I probably think with a younger side they felt a bit too much pressure, so after the game when our chances were done, we thought we had nothing to lose."

A team suddenly without the fear of failure is a dangerous one and the Bulldogs have certainly damaged, albeit not terminally, Myrtleford's finals hopes.

Sam Jewell was again excellent in attack, kicking three goals, while he received terrific support from Oscar Willding (four).

Josh Clayton chipped in with two and he maintained his outstanding season by racking up possessions in the midfield.

Angus Baker and Josh Mathey were also superb for the 'Dogs.

After an impressive win over Rovers and a bold showing in the mud against ladder leaders Wangaratta, falling by only seven points, the Saints took a backward step.

Nick Warnock booted a double and he impressed, with Murray Waite continuing his fine form, while one of the positives was a second solid performance from Elijah Wales after returning from a long-running hamstring complaint.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Saints must bounce back at home against Wodonga Raiders if they're to play finals, while Wodonga has now jumped above Corowa-Rutherglen, on percentage, to seventh.

To read more stories, download The Border Mail news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: