This preview was a bit of a difficult one to write. For a team that made finals in 2024, I feel like the Dogs are under some pretty intense pressure at the moment.
Whilst I do tend to gravitate toward the potential positives in these previews, there was a bit of negativity creeping in about this team, and I can only think that it comes with expectations, and expectations unfulfilled.
This strikes me as a do-or-die year for the Western Bulldogs.
One of the most talented lists in the game have underachieved for a few years, now, and it is time they correct it.
Let’s face it, the Dogs are not always going to have one of the top three talents in the league at their disposal. They are not always going to have a list capable of contending. And they’re not always going to have a forward line with three talls in the same team capable of tearing a game to shreds. They may for a while, but not always.
Sides with those types of assets simply have to make the most of it. And the Dogs have not done so. Take a step back, and it actually looks like they have squandered some pretty big opportunities over the past four years
Without a finals win since 2021, the Western Bulldogs head into the 2025 AFL season with a ‘win now’ mindset and must make good on this period of opportunity. To walk away from the Bont Era with one flag and a runner-up finish would be pretty sad, particularly when you realise Bont was not long out of his teens when they won that premiership.
If they don’t put it all together, and we have another ‘nothing’ year from this club, I am afraid that things may have to change.
Drastically.
It’s that time of year, already.
The break after Christmas and New Year is over and we’ve past the halfway mark of January. The holidays are finished for AFL players, and the hard stuff starts now. Yes, the teams had been training for well over a month prior to Christmas, but as we head into 2025, the stakes are raised, and the intensity increases.
This is where premierships are won and lost. This is where improvements are made and lists come together. This is where the kids show if they’re serious or not. New faces, new colours, old heads with renewed passion… so much feeds into the making of a contender. And as the days tick down toward the intra-club clashes, practice games, and eventually the real stuff, questions are raised about each team and how they’re going to perform in this new season.
And that’s where HB and The Mongrel come in.
We don’t do things by halves here, at The Mongrel Punt. When we do a season preview, we go all out to make sure it is the best, most comprehensive coverage you’ll receive. We pride ourselves on it. If you are going to read one season preview for your team, or any team, this series will provide it.
The way it works is as follows.
Each club has a minimum of 15 questions asked about the upcoming season, their coaches, their players, and their expectations. The answers are not glossed over. We dive deep on each and every one of them – some singular answers would normally be long enough for an entire column. The first five questions/answers are free for you to consume. The next 10-14 for each club are for our members, including a special appearance from Mrs Mongrel to throw her two cents in the mix.
Isn’t it a bit early for a season preview? Well, I suppose, but do you know how long it takes to write seven-to-nine thousand words? That’s 18 x 8,000… gets out the calculator… that’s 144,000 words. The average novel is about 85,000 words, so buckle the hell up with these previews; we’re going deeper than ever.
Also, if there are any issues that arise after the publication of the preview for any team, they will be covered in standalone articles to act as additions to this preview.
You will not read a deeper season preview than this – I guarantee it. This is where we start the run to the new season, and believe me – nobody does it better than The Mongrel.
And now we come to the Doggies. Plenty to get through, here.
1 – IS THE MIDFIELD NOW MORE BALANCED AFTER THE DEPARTURES OF SMITH AND MACRAE?
Good way to start, HB – with a dumb question. I mean, the Dogs just lost a couple of guns, right?
It’s never that simple.
Over the past couple of seasons, the Dogs have both recruited/drafted midfield talent, and allowed some to slip through their fingers.
Just this off-season, they waved goodbye to two stars, both past and potentially future, in Jack Macrae, and Bailey Smith, whilst if we go back a little further, Josh Dunkley and Pat Lipinski both found their way out of the Kennel, as well.
On the flip side, they brought Adam Treloar into the team a few years back and he really paid dividends in 2024, they drafted Ryley Sanders, and have moved Ed Richards into the middle from his half-back role. So, a bit of juggling has occurred from Luke Beveridge, as he searches for the right formula to capitalise on what has been viewed as one of the clear strengths of the club for quite a while.
Has he now got the mix right?
Well, immediately, we look at the people most recently departed. No, not the dead… that’s a bit morbid. But those who have left the club – Macrae and Smith.
Are these losses big in the current footy climate?
Three years ago, I would have said absolutely. Now… I’m not sold.
Smith has the potential to be a star – he demonstrated this in the 2021 finals series, when he turned it on over September and demonstrated why the Dogs rated him so highly. However, since then, his career has been a series of missteps and injuries, which saw his on-field performance fall off a cliff before he injured his ACL.
Smith averaged 18.8 disposals over his last eight games as a Bulldog – not the type of numbers to write home about, but he was also pushed out of the midfield rotation.
As was Macrae in 2024, shoved off to a half-forward flank in one of those moves where Bevo seemed to think Macrae was too good to drop, but no longer good enough to play the role where he made All-Australian teams. He was never a half-forward. It was a waste to play him there.
So, what have the Dogs actually losy? A bloke who has not played in 18 months, and was in close to the worst form of his career the last time he was on the park, and another who, at 30+ years of age, has served the club well, but was no longer in the midfield mix.
All of a sudden, it doesn’t seem so bad.
A combination of Tom Liberatore, Marcus Bontempelli, Adam Treloar, Ed Richards, and Ryley Sanders gives the club a potent mix of inside/outside midfielders, and whilst it is fine to mourn the loss of what was, and what could still be, we will soon find out whether the Dogs have now got the midfield unit that will rally around their superstar captain and bring out the best in each other.
I love the role Ed Richards was playing in 2024 – he reminded me of a younger Elliot Yeo at West Coast, with his powerful run and defensive capabilities. It is something the Dogs have needed in the guts for a while, and they have brought him along nicely to emerge as a midfielder only when he was truly ready.
The Dogs have also been careful, to ensure they have a backup plan should they cop one or two injuries, with Matt Kennedy joining the club from Carlton. He has proven to be a midfielder that can genuinely play across half-forward, so immediately, I see him being more of an asset as a backup mid who is deployed into a different role.
From the outside looking in, this seems like the Dogs have finally trimmed their bloated midfield and can now start to play genuine half-forwards as half-forwards, as opposed to shoehorning midfielders in like they’re the All-Australain selectors.
Of course, the proof is in the pudding, and we should know if the balance is correct by about eight games into the year.
2 – WHO FROM THE ‘MIDDLE TIER’ HAS THE CHANCE TO BECOME A TOP-TIER PLAYER?
It’s Ed Richards, guys. It actually started last year, with his move from half-back into the middle, but whilst he seemed content taking a back seat to the brilliance of Bont, the in-and-under efforts of Libba, and the hard work on the outside of Treloar, you get the feeling that Richards has a lot more to give than we’ve seen to date. He just had to play as the next-best mid after those three.
I reckon Bevo knows exactly what he has with Richards – he can and does work both ways, is capable of locking down and playing a more defensive role, or grabbing the ball, busting a tackle, and going long inside 50.
I touched on it above, but the absence of Macrae, who was spending most of his time outside the middle, and Smith, who was a non-event in 2024, takes the pressure off the midfield rotation to a degree. Players can now settle in their roles, without feeling they have to consistently fight and scrap for a spot in a midfield that was just too congested.
I guess the adjacent question is how good can Richards be?
Well, when you’re playing with established stars, there is a glass ceiling. Until Bont takes a step back, the midfield will revolve around him. He is like the sun at the Whitten Oval, and all things revolve around him. Libba is an animal, but he is also an animal that will turn 33 in May, whilst Treloar, despite a ripping season, is also in his early 30s. This means that Richards is the bridge to the next group, and the man that will likely slot into a prime role over the next couple of years. He already has games under his belt where he has amassed ten clearances, or 12 inside 50s – he has the capacity to be the best midfielder in any given game. It’s just that he will have to start doing it more often and make people realise that whilst Bont remains the sun, they have another star shining pretty brightly in the middle with him.
He is my tip to unseat Bont as the Charles Sutton Medallist in 2025.
It has to happen sooner than later, and with the Red Menace of the Whitten Oval deployed as a two-way mid, I reckon he will continue opening eyes as he establishes himself as the next big thing at the Dogs.
This should be his year.
3 – WHAT DO THE DOGS DO IF LIAM JONES GETS HURT?
Drop to your knees and pray.
Nah, just kidding. They have some defensive stocks now, and the move of Rory Lobb into defence proved to be a winner from Bevo. He took a disgruntled, failing forward, and gave him a new lease on life as an intercepting defender. I am not sure anyone saw Lobb blossoming the way he did in the second half of 2024, but the big fella went from someone desperate to be traded, to a player that applied himself, did the work, and reaped the benefit.
Unlike just about everyone else you read, I’ll always take the time to put my hand up and state when I’m wrong.
I was wrong about Rory Lobb at the Dogs. I seriously thought he was out the door, and would be settling into another club at the moment. Hats off to the Dogs, and to Lobb for being mature about it, looking at options to find the best possible outcome for each other, and making this work. There may still be games where it goes wrong, but as it stands, this move has been a success, and all parties should be commended on their roles in it.
Aside from Rory, the work of Buku Khamis has been something of a highlight for Dogs supporters, whilst Joel Freijah and James O’Donnell both did some heavy lifting at points in 2024, as well. It is worth remembering that the three mentioned above are 24, 19, and 22, respectively, so ‘some’ Dogs fans really need to take that into consideration before lambasting one, or several of them for their efforts. Hell, I saw plenty of it during the 2024 season, and whilst they did make mistakes, they were mistakes borne of inexperience. Like good racehorses, they’ll be better for the run.
The Dogs also have Jedd Busslinger, who is yet to play a game, and Sam Darcy is talented enough to play at either end of the ground, as well.
12 months ago, the first line of this section would have rung true had I asked the same question. The Dogs seemed to really lack someone capable of stepping up and taking the heat as a key defender in the absence of LJ, but I do feel a lot better about their situation right now.
Many eyes will be on Busslinger – highly touted and came in with pick 13 just over a year ago. How he develops will be a key to how the Dogs plan for life after Jones, but for the time being, if the big fella stays healthy, this club has plenty of pieces around him to make life a bit easier.
And if he is hurt, they’re in a much better spot now than they were 12 months ago, even with the retirement of Alex Keath.
As an aside, I want to ask you a favour. Have a look at the first 15-20 minutes of a game and keep a close eye on Liam Jones in that time. I have found that he is most effective BEFORE the opposition come to the realisation that they need to make adjustments. There were games where LJ looked liked he was going to mark and or spoil everything that came his way early in games in 2024, however, the opposition did and will make adjustments, and the Dogs need to be ready to re-adjust, themselves.
Come back to this and tell me what you think later in the year.
4 – WHAT DID THE SIGNATURE OF SAM DARCY MEAN TO THIS CLUB?
Dogs fans smiled when Sam Darcy re-signed with the club. No bells, no whistles, no holding the club to ransom. He just signed the contract, extended by four years, and was happy to do so.
It is a ringing endorsement for the club, and a ringing endorsement for common sense, both from the player and the Dogs. A four-year deal works for everyone, and if Darcy continues to develop to have a similar impact to his old man, the Dogs have a good one on their hands.
I think people forget just how good Luke Darcy was.
I was having a chat with someone a little while back, and when I mentioned he was league MVP at one stage, they looked at me as though I was crazy. Be that as it may, I was speaking fact, and as a big fella that could get around the ground, Luke was a star of the game.
Sam has the capacity to be better.
That doesn’t mean he will, but from a pure talent perspective, Sam has demonstrated that the apple has definitely not fallen far from the tree, and with more athleticism than his old man, and an AA ruckman to work with, we can enjoy Darcy playing both inside 50 and up through the wings, where he has made teams look useless as he gets a run at the footy and launches at it.
At just 21, the big fella still has a heap of development in him. He will put some meat on those bones, and eventually, you can see him morphing into an elite ruckman. However, in 2025, he is not going to be in that role.
So, given that, what can we expect from this burgeoning star of the game?
Already averaging 2.2 contested grabs per game, Darcy’s height troubles defenders. They are forced to turn their attention to him, and in doing so, they don’t give the proven goal kickers liek Aaron Naughton the attention he deserves. Then you have Jamarra Ugle-Hagan attacking the footy, and Cody Weightman doing his best to find space to work into as well.
This makes for a defensive nightmare, as the defence is consistently guessing where the footy is going to go.
Look at a team like St Kilda, or Gold Coast. You know the main target for either team is going to be someone named King, so the defence collapses on them.
Things are different at the Dogs. Any one of the four I mentioned can take a grab. Any one of them is capable of a day out. And as such, every one of them needs to be covered. Who do you sag off? Who do you play your interceptor on?
Carlton offer a two-headed monster in Curnow and McKay. They’re a formidable duo as they have both been able to play as the number one option in that team.
The Dogs can rotate that role between three key forwards – what a luxury!
And what a potent weapon.
If used correctly, the trip of Darcy, Naughton, and Ugle-Hagan could wreak havoc on the league and stretch even the best defensive units.
Re-signing Sam Dacry allows this to occur. It was probably one of the top five signatures in the game.
5 – WHERE DOES CODY WEIGHTMAN RANK AMONGST THE LEAGUE’S BEST SMALL FORWARDS?
Is he in the top tier? I reckon he is damn close, if he isn’t already.
Can you remember back to when he started? It was him and Jack Ginnivan, both receiving the treatment from opposition supporters for their penchant of dropping at the knees to draw high free kicks. Everyone hated it, and though it was effective, it was almost as though Cody quickly realised that he needed to do a lot more to ensure he was not viewed as a one-trick-pony in the league.
To his credit, he has done exactly that.
After he dislocated his elbow and fought through it (how tough was that, by the way?), Weightman’s game has evolved.
Strong in the air, he has become one of the better-rounded small forwards in the competition. With 27 goals in 2024 (he missed seven games, so his average is almost 1.6 per game), he slotted into a potent very Bulldogs forward mix, but managed not to step on the toes of the bigger forwards (Jamarra, Darcy, and Naughton combined for 116 for the year).
Whilst those numbers for Weightman are comparable with his 2023 stats, he did make the leap in terms of his defensive pressure in 2024, going from 1.2 to 1.8 tackles inside 50 per contest. This is the key going forward. The Dogs are never going to struggle for avenues to goal, but they have been known to allow the ball to depart their forward fifty a little too easily over the last five years, or so.
With Weightman adding more defensive pressure to his game, and Rhylee West doing the same, it makes them tougher to play against, and it is that type of work that will further elevate Weightman into the upper echelon of small forwards in the game.
He absolutely belongs in the top group right now.
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