IT’S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP AS ROAMING DOGS HIT THE ROAD

WESTERN Bulldogs will have to travel almost 6000km to reach the grand final, after results in the qualifying finals conspired to give them the longest road possible to glory.

The Dogs flew from Melbourne to Tasmania on Saturday and will travel to Brisbane on Friday after basing themselves at the Country Club in Launceston this week. Should they beat Brisbane Lions , the Dogs would then have to go through a hostile preliminary final against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval to reach the premiership decider.

The AFL on Sunday night confirmed the Geelong-Greater Western Sydney semi-final would take place on Friday night at 7.50pm at Perth Stadium, while the Lions-Dogs encounter would be played on Saturday at the Gabba.

The Dogs recaptured their mojo in the second half of Sunday’s elimination final as they beat up the Bombers in the midbackline

field, winning contested ball by 33 and clearances by 10. Essendon was restricted to its lowest finals score since 1908 as it endured the first goalless second half in a final since Geelong in the 1950s.

Meanwhile the Lions have lost Daniel McStay to concussion, threatening coach Chris Fagan’s structure of playing three key forwards. It is understood Fagan will consider bringing Ryan Lester in to the and unleashing All-Australian defender Harris Andrews as a forward.

The Victorian government is expected sign off on the grand final relocating from the MCG to Perth Stadium early this week. That would leave the Bulldogs facing four finals at four venues across four foreign states, in what looks the most arduous major round campaign in history.

But the itinerary won’t be totally foreign to a club which won multiple finals on the road on its way to the 2016 flag.

While the Dogs would face nine hours in the air to reach Perth for the grand final, the other remaining finalists will be far more settled. Geelong, Melbourne and Greater Western Sydney will stay in Perth regardless of results.

The Cats and Giants will play at Perth Stadium on Friday night and the winner will meet the Demons in a Friday night preliminary final, also in Perth.

The Dogs-Lions clash winner will get a seven-day break, with Port Adelaide assigned a Saturday night preliminary final.