Long-suffering Western Bulldogs' fans look set for more September heartbreak this season.

As Dogs' fans watched Geelong end its 44 year premiership drought in 2007 and then ran the Cats perilously close in last year's preliminary final, they would have been entitled to go into 2009 thinking that this might finally be their year.

The Dogs of course now possess the unwanted record of having the longest premiership drought of any current club - having not saluted since their only flag back in 1954 - and with the Cats' looking more vulnerable by the week and with last year's surprise premiers Hawthorn struggling to make the eight, 2009 should have been the Dogs' chance.

But instead it is last year's other beaten preliminary finalists St Kilda - which is also bidding to end a long premiership drought stretching back to its only flag in 1966 - which is seizing the window of opportunity created by Hawthorn's decline and the Cats' injury problems.

While the flag is now clearly St Kilda's to lose - after its stunning performance against Hawthorn in Launceston when it still managed to keep its unbeaten record this season intact despite missing or cynics would say resting Nick Riewoldt, Brendon Goddard, Leigh Montagna, Sam Fisher, Nick Dal Santo, Sam Gilbert and Steven Baker with minor injuries - the Bulldogs are facing the prospect of another barren September.

The Dogs' shock five point loss to a West Coast side that had not won on the road since John Howard was still Prime Minister on Saturday has once again laid bare the problems with the club's forward structure.

The lack of a quality key tall forward in the mould of Riewoldt, Jonathan Brown at Brisbane, Carlton's Brendan Fevola and Hawthorn's Lance Franklin has long been the Dogs' achilles heel and until the club can either recruit one or develop one from within its ranks it is not going to take the step from regular finalist to genuine premiership contender.

While it is true to say third-placed Collingwood also lacks a superstar key forward, the Pies offset that by their huge array of gun small forwards in Leon Davis, Alan Didak, Dale Thomas and Paul Medhurst complemented by hard-working key forwards Travis Cloke and John Anthony, who continues to make the most of his opportunities with his accurate kicking for goal.

It was that same failure to make the most of their opportunities that cost the Dogs against