A tall story that keeps changing at the Bulldogs

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They seem to always be searching for one, but this year the Western Bulldogs tall, key position stocks are bursting at the seams.

For the past 15 years the Dogs have constantly scoured the market for that one player to fix their big man woes – think Stewart Crameri, Barry Hall, Scott Welsh, Travis Cloke, Andrew McDougall and Jade Rawlings.

Hall came close to becoming the tall question's ultimate answer in 2010, but the club's most prized tall recruit of this period, Tom Boyd, seemed to have ended the Dogs' search when he played 11 consecutive games at the end of 2016, which culminated in a premiership, off the back of his brilliant grand final performance.

But in 2017 Boyd suffered from injury and mental health issues while other talls and key position players like Marcus Adams, Jordan Roughead, Cloke, Dale Morris and Jack Redpath had their own injury and form problems around him.
Roughead, when fit, knows all to well the cursed life of a big man at the Kennel. He's spent his career shifting between ruck, forward and defence depending on what his side needs.

Maybe, just maybe this year he can spend most of his time in the ruck because the Bulldogs' off-season recruiting haul of Josh Schache, Jackson Trengove and Aaron Naughton has put them in a strong position when it comes to key position talls.

Defensive stocks

With Cloke, Crameri and Jake Stringer (their 2017 leading goalkicker) all gone in the off-season the Bulldogs' forward set-up remains in the air. Less so is their defensive zone, despite the retirement of Matthew Boyd, and Dale Morris' long-term injury.

Adams was fit until a training mishap on Friday put him out for the first half of the year. That increases the importance of Fletcher Roberts, while Trengove brings 153 games of experience from Port Adelaide to his key defensive post. That's not to forget 2017's No.9 draftee and intercepting machine Naughton, who was impressive in the JLT Series. He took a team-high eight marks against the Pies, seven of them intercepts.

Assistant coach Steven King said Naughton was a "massive chance" to play round one, before his JLT performance against the Pies.

“Coming in he’s played WAFL footy as a 17-year-old and he only turned 18 in December, but his ability to play tall and small, I think he’s 195 [cms], he’s a terrific intercept mark, he’s just one of those kids that you can tell has played senior footy before he got here," King said.

“He’s very composed, nothing fazes him too much, he’s got some great qualities.”
Lewis Young is a handy, if raw, intercepting option in the backline too and Zaine Cordy seems to have settled in defence as well.

Boyd, Schache and Redpath

The challenge for Luke Beveridge will be to find the right mix of big men to pick each week, however injuries and suspension may tie his hands for round one.
If they're all available can Boyd, Schache and Redpath play in the same forward 50?

Adelaide play multiple talls in attack and St Kilda have flagged they might do the same occasionally, but we all know Richmond won the 2017 flag with a mosquito fleet buzzing round Jack Riewoldt.

Boyd has an injured glute and has missed both pre-season games. Despite that, assistant coach King says he is still in the mix for round one, while Redpath will miss because of a carryover suspension for striking GWS' Phil Davis from 2017.
Schache played in his side's JLT Series loss to Collingwood. He's available for round one selection despite only having four disposals and one hitout in the 33-point defeat.

Easton Wood – an All-Australian backman – looks likely to play forward in round one. He played the role with minimal effect in both JLT Series games although the Bulldogs are happy with the contest he provided for his teammates.
Wood's forward foray is a reminder of Beveridge's penchant for the unexpected in team structure. He likes to throw players around.

One player we know he will continue to throw around is Marcus Bontempelli, who looked superb in the midfield and forward in the pre-season.

He can play tall, and maybe while they have him in their team the Bulldogs' forward woes will always have a pretty handy solution.