The Western Bulldogs have promised so much and delivered so little over the past couple of seasons. Heading into Round One, Dexter Tan has five things to keep an eye on in 2024.
RORY LOBB WILL HAVE HIS BEST SEASON FOR THE BULLDOGS.
A key if rather puzzling signing for the 2023 season, Lobb was supposed to be the solution to the Dogs’ problems of having a reliable and effective ruck relief for Tim English.
It was an interesting signing as Lobb indicated he didn’t want to play ruck for Fremantle but then is recruited by the club to play a role as a relief ruck.
With the Dogs having so many young and inexperienced talls, Lobb should have been there to help take the attention from Aaron Naughton and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (JUH) and be an effective replacement for a resting English.
With the recruitment of Lobb and the drafting of Father/Son Sam Darcy, the focus shifted from the Dogs’ much vaunted midfield to the “Talls” in the forward line. Could three talls function in the forward 50? When the ball went to ground, could those talls provide enough pressure to keep the ball inside 50?
It was an uneven start to Lobb’s career with the Bulldogs. He was even subbed off in the Round Three win against Brisbane after three quarters with a two-goal, four-possession game. A vivid memory for Bulldogs supporters when the backline was decimated with talls, and coaching staff decided to push Lobb back instead of Naughton. Yes, Lobb started his career in the backline with GWS, but I would have rather trusted a more athletic Naughton to be more effective in the backline than Lobb.
Then he was dropped for two rounds (18 and 19). Perhaps his best game for the tricolours was against Geelong at GMHBA, where his dominance in the ruck helped turn the tide. Bulldogs supporters also pointed out it was against the VFL version of the Cats because they had decided to end their season already and rested most of their star players.
Lobb’s only competition for the relief ruck/utility tall is an unproven Sam Darcy. Many Bulldogs supporters have already discarded Lobb and have Darcy playing Round One, but when you look at Beveridge’s selection philosophy, he will generally select experience over youth.
With the general consensus that Naughton will be playing further up the ground, the forward 50 will have more isolation and one on one contests. Hopefully now with Naughton mainly operating outside 50, there should be more space for Weightman and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan to have their leads honoured and isolation plays to take advantage of Lobb’s height and marking capabilities, making him a nightmare matchup.
The equation for Lobb is simple: Play well, or Sam Darcy will take your spot.
THE ROAMING CENTRE HALF FORWARD IS AARON NAUGHTON’S BEST POSITION.
Debate has raged since Naughton was switched to the forward line at the beginning of the 2019 season. A magnificent aerial presence, his contested marking and second efforts were great, but those pesky set shots misses were the bane of Bulldogs supporters. Yes, I still have nightmares from the Jade Rawlings era. The thought process became – great mark Naughton, but no idea if he’s going to kick the goal, even 15m out, right in front.
When the Dogs are insistent on having three talls in the forward 50, their forward line has not been functioning consistently for the last two seasons. The forwards (talls and smalls) ran into each other’s spaces and each other or were static. Having the midfield and backline bombing it into the forward 50 hoping the talls would take a mark did not help at all.
My opinion has always been for Naughton to be a down the line target to help the ruck or back to his true home in the backline. Taking him out of the forward line and playing him as a roaming CHF ensures more space and can serve as an extra midfielder as his forward of centre pressure acts show he can keep the ball within the forward 50 arc.
The farther away Naughton is from goal, a goalkicker like Cody Weightman will have space to operate
IF THE DOGS DON’T HAVE A GOOD START TO THE SEASON, LUKE BEVERIDGE WILL BE SACKED.
The talk from Bulldogs supporters has been a list as good as it is on paper with midfield that consists of Bontempelli, Liberatore, Treloar and a forward line boasting Naughton, Lobb and Jamarra Ugle – Hagan and all Australian ruck Tim English, the Dogs should finish top four at the end of the season.
The Dogs have never finished top four in Beveridge’s time as head coach. There were wild rumours at the end of the 2023 season, when the Dogs missed the finals, that he would either be asked to resign or outright sacked. Instead, there were key coaching personnel changes, restructuring and recruitment. With these changes and much needed new player additions, the team must perform up to expectations or Beveridge is out.
Beveridge could point out there were holes in the list that caused the team to underperform. Now, it seems those holes have been filled. The team was in desperate need of a tagger, so James Harmes was brought in. Injection of pace in the midfield? Ryley Sanders was drafted. Depth needed in the KPD stocks? Nick Coffield was recruited.
In the first five games of the season, the Dogs have Melbourne at the MCG, the Suns at Ballarat, West Coast Eagles at Marvel and Geelong at Adelaide Oval for Gather Round and Essendon at Marvel.
In my opinion, the Dogs should be at the very least 3-2 at the end of Round Five. Melbourne and Geelong will probably be too strong, and unfortunately the Dogs are just not at their level yet.
If this club is 1-4, Beveridge will walk or be sacked.
JAMES HARMES WILL BE THE RECRUIT OF THE YEAR.
Over the last couple of years, the closest the Dogs have come to having a tagger was Toby Maclean. It’s fair to say either Beveridge didn’t believe in tagging or he thought the Dogs didn’t have players capable of playing the role.
A tagger would have come in handy against the West Coast Eagles in Round 22 when Tim Kelly ripped through the Dogs midfield, or against Hawthorn with an out-of-control Jai Newcombe. A body on either Daicos brother in Round 17 could have made a difference in the 12-point loss against Collingwood, as well.
Bringing in Harmes fixes this ongoing problem that has cost the club games.
And let’s face it, Harmes had a couple of great auditions with tagging roles on Libba which negated the clearance king.
A COUPLE OF VETS COULD BE CALLING IT A DAY.
Time could be up for a couple of vets. Taylor Duryea, once considered the Dogs’ premier lockdown small defender (who could forget that one on one duel with Charlie Cameron in the 2021 Semi Final against Brisbane?) showed considerable decline in 2023, so much so, he was delisted and redrafted via the rookie draft.
Alex Keath’s time as a first choice key position defender is numbered, especially with his body continually letting him down. With other KPD prospects like James O’Donnell and Sam Darcy now being viable replacements, Keath could spend some of his time in the VFL, mentoring backline players unless an injury occurs to first choice KPDs – Jones, O’Donnell and Coffield. There’s also always the chance he decides to give it away because of another injury.
This club has had a list to contend for the last five years. One appearance in the big game is a disappointing result. 2024 is the season things must change for the better, because if they don’t things may change for the worst for some.
