The Bulldogs, who had lost their previous seven encounters with the Storm dating back to midway through 2017, handed their fierce rivals a 10.20 (80) to 3.4 (22) thumping at Wade Street.

The Dogs restricted the Storm to the lowest score in the club's history.

The previous lowest was 4.2 (26) in a 64-point loss to Golden Square in the Storm's first season in 2009.

Saturday's 58-point margin was Strathfieldsaye's heaviest defeat since round three, 2014, when Sandhurst thrashed the Storm by 79 points.

"Right from the beginning the boys set the scene with their intensity and pressure and, thankfully, they continued that for four quarters,'' Golden Square coach Chris Carter said.

"We've shown against the top two sides in consecutive weeks that we're not far away. The boys will take a lot of confidence out of that."

Square's big win was set up by a stunning first quarter ambush of the Storm.

With the aid of a strong breeze at their backs, the Bulldogs kicked 5.8 to no score.

The Storm struggled to clear the ball from defensive 50 as Square piled on the pressure.

Square's well disciplined team zone, combined with the tight confines of Wade Street, didn't allow the Storm to move the ball with the same freedom they do on their home soil at Tannery Lane.

As impressive as Square's first quarter was, you could mount a strong argument to suggest the Dogs' second quarter was even better.

The Dogs restricted the Storm to 2.2 with the wind and, crucially, kicked 2.1 against the breeze themselves to take a 37-point lead into the main break.

The strength of the breeze decreased in the second half, but Square's appetite for the contest didn't.

The home side never let up all day and added 3.11 to 1.2 after half-time.

"We didn't fire a shot and Square were the opposite,'' Storm co-coach Darryl Wilson said.

"They were up and about and wanted to win the game. From the first ball-up of the game they showed intensity at the contest and showed us what a team brand of footy is.

"On their home deck they ripped us apart. The first quarter set them up and it was always going to be hard for us to bridge the gap.

"We thought we fought hard in the second half, but they were far too good for us."

Carter said defensive structures and pressure had been a major focus for his side leading into the contest.

"We did a fair bit of work on Strath's game and we knew they liked to chip the ball around and create handball receives,'' Carter said.

"We had to put pressure on the ball carrier and put them under pressure to hit targets.

"If we could maintain that pressure we were going to get chances to capitalise on turnovers."

The Dogs had 10 individual goalkickers on the day and a swag of good players.

"We can't get carried away because Strath had a lot out, but I thought we had a lot of contributors today,'' Carter said.

"We had a few guys down last week and I put it on a few boys that they had to respond.

"It's not about getting lots of possessions or having a big impact, it's just about playing your role.

"It might be a backman locking down on his opponent or a small forward applying pressure, everyone has a role to play.

"We didn't have a bad player today."

In contrast, you could count on one hand the Storm's four-quarter performers.

"We rate Golden Square and they were a bit stiff last week (against Gisborne),'' Wilson said.

"We knew we were up against it and we knew we were in for a hard-fought game. That's exactly what we got.

"We didn't play that well, but at the same time they didn't allow us to play well.

"We won't just put a line through it because we need to learn from our response to the early pressure and the hard approach they took to winning the contest."

The Storm were down a rotation from early in the match after Patrick Blandford was concussed.

His name was added to a list of omissions that includes Kallen Geary, Lachlan Sharp, Shannon Geary, Caleb Sheahan, Caleb Ernst, Jake Hall and Hunter Lawrence.

"We've had a rough run with injuries and COVID and we'd love to have some players back in the side, but that's life,'' Wilson said.

"Hopefully, we'll get at least a couple of senior players back next week."

Meanwhile, Saturday's BFNL under-18 clash between Golden Square and Strathfieldsaye was abandoned after a Storm player suffered a serious leg injury.

The Storm player was injured in a tackle 10 minutes into the first quarter at Wade Street and an ambulance was called to attend to the teenager.

"We'd like to thank Golden Square for their effort and care in looking after our player,'' Strathfieldsaye senior coach Darryl Wilson said.

"Both clubs agreed that the game should be called off and we're very thankful for what Golden Square did for us. Both clubs handled a difficult situation really professionally. Thankfully, there were two off duty paramedics at the game, who were awesome.

"It was a sad situation, but everyone pulled together and chipped in to make sure the player was cared for and we're very appreciative of both clubs."

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