Inexperience, injury and lack of chemistry affecting Bulldogs’ ability to kick big scores in 2016



FOR ALL their injuries in 2016, there’s one other issue that could hinder the Western Bulldogs’ upcoming finals campaign.

It lies within the forward 50.

The Bulldogs have kicked 100 points in a game on just six occasions and have kicked less than 10 goals four times in 2016.

While the Dogs are one of the stingiest teams in the league — with only Sydney and Geelong conceding less points — they struggle to hit the scoreboard, with 10 teams kicking more points than them in 2016.

The Dogs have no issues sending the ball forward — they’re equal-sixth in the competition for inside-50s — but they average just 11.6 marks inside the arc, ranked 13th in the competition.

It’s clear the issues stem from their forward set-up and the fluency between their midfield and young forward line.

The absence of both key midfield personnel and mature, experienced forwards has played a role in their failure to translate possession to scoring.

Of the Bulldogs’ 248 goals, Jake Stringer has booted 37, Tory Dickson has kicked 24 and midfielder Marcus Bontempelli 22.

Next in line are now-injured forward Jack Redpath (20), Tom Liberatore (13), Toby McLean (11) and key forward Tom Boyd (nine).

There’s no doubt the Dogs miss the presence and experience of Stewart Crameri.

The medium-sized forward booted 37 goals in 2014 and 32 in 2015.

But the forwards they have left aren’t hitting the mark either.

After booting 50 goals in 2015, small forward Tory Dickson has dropped off, with just 24 goals from 16 matches.

The form of Stringer has also come under scrutiny.

Stringer was electrifying in 2015, booting 56 goals in 22 matches and booting four or more goals on eight occasions.

But over the past three weeks — notably after missing a game with a shoulder injury — he’s averaged just a goal a game and is lacking his trademark explosiveness.

Former Essendon forward Matthew Lloyd said Stringer looked to be down on confidence and avoiding contests.

“He’s running away from the ball at the moment ... very tentative and he might just be losing confidence with what he’s doing,” Lloyd said on Footy Classified.

“He’s lost his x-factor, really, he’s running past the ball hoping it will bobble out to him.

“He’s got to either play midfield or he’s got to start attacking the ball again.”

With Stringer and Dickson down on form, Redpath out injured and youngster Boyd rarely kicking goals, the Bulldogs have increased their reliance on their midfield to help kick a winning score.

Sometimes, as in the game against Collingwood, the likes of Bontempelli, Lin Jong and Nathan Hrovat can chip in with two or more goals apiece to help get the Dogs over the line.

But ultimately, with the likes of Boyd, Clay Smith and Zaine Cordy all required to step up in roles beyond their experience, the forward line is not yet experienced enough to provide the baseline goals.

Injured Bulldogs skipper Bob Murphy said he expected the young front six to start producing bigger returns with more games together.

“The defenders have played a lot of footy together and the boys in the forward line have only played a little bit of footy together,” Murphy said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“So the chemistry of that is something that’s very real and it just takes time.”

“They’re chipping away, they’re working as hard on it as anything ... it will be right by the end of the year.”