Western Bulldogs can make quick return to finals after suffering premiership hangover in 2017
Chris Cavanagh, Herald Sun, December 26, 2017 2:25pm, Subscriber only
THE Western Bulldogs went from hero to zero this year, missing finals after their drought-breaking 2016 premiership.

But most of the premiership side remains at Whitten Oval and the club will be confident of getting back on track next year.

While the club may have lost plenty of experience and x-factor with the exits of Bob Murphy, Matthew Boyd and Jake Stringer, it more than made up for it in the trade period by securing Jackson Trengove, Hayden Crozier and Josh Schache.

Here are eight reasons Western Bulldogs can improve in 2018.


The Western Bulldogs after losing the final game of the year.

FINDING MORE

When you have 15 players who are down in output by 10 per cent you are going to struggle. That was the story of the Western Bulldogs this year. Many players had career-best campaigns in 2016 which led to the drought-breaking premiership but were down on form in 2017. There is clearly a capable playing list there to work with and coach Luke Beveridge will be confident of getting more out of it next year.

PLAYING FOR CAREERS

Talking of players who were down on form this year, Luke Dahlhaus and Tom Liberatore were two examples. The duo had top-six best-and-fairest finishes in 2016 but both missed the top-10 this year. Dahlhaus’ statistics were only fractionally down but his impact was significantly less. Liberatore averaged almost 12 fewer SuperCoach points and just 149.3 metres gained, down from 244.5m. What makes things interesting is both players are out of contract at the end of next year, among others including Lin Jong, Jordan Roughead, Matthew Suckling and Clay Smith. While it might not be a case of playing for their careers for all those players, the pressure will be on to perform if they want juicy new contracts.

Luke Dahlhaus is in the last year of his contract. Picture: Michael Klein Tom Boyd was struck by injury and personal issues in 2017.

MORE BOYD

He was the premiership hero in 2016 but Tom Boyd played just 11 games this year, battling form and then personal issues. The 2013 No.1 draft pick missed seven games in the back half of the season after being diagnosed with clinical depression but did return to the fold to play four VFL matches at the end of the year. The 22-year-old showed what a player he could be in the 2016 Grand Final, kicking 3.2 from 14 disposals. The Dogs will very much welcome his return next year and will be hoping he can produce such games more regularly.

EASIER DRAW

On the back of their 2016 premiership, the Bulldogs were slapped with the fourth-hardest fixture last year as judged by Champion Data. Next year they have a significantly better run, their draw judged the ninth-hardest. The club faces double-up matches against only two 2017 finalists — West Coast and Port Adelaide — while also playing Melbourne, North Melbourne and Carlton twice. The Bulldogs also have home games in six of the first eight rounds and only five six-day breaks throughout the year.


Marcus Bontempelli in action during a training camp in Torquay. Picture: Michael Klein

BETTER PRE-SEASON

Beveridge admitted in March there was “uncertainty” around how his side felt heading into Round 1 after an interrupted pre-season. Not only did the Dogs have a late start given their premiership triumph but they were also hit hard by injuries. Marcus Bontempelli, Matthew Boyd, Travis Cloke, Jordan Roughead and Tom Campbell were among those affected. If the curse does not strike again, the Bulldogs will have a much better lead-in to next season.

SEE YA, STRINGER

Premiership player and livewire forward Jake Stringer is gone and his x-factor could at times be missed. But on the flip side, there were positives out of trading the 23-year-old to Essendon. Relationships clearly broke down this year and Stringer being pushed out while under contract sent a message to other players about the standards Beveridge demands as well as his willingness to put the club before any individuals. The Bulldogs also secured Brisbane forward Josh Schache with one of the two second-round picks they received from the Bombers in the Stringer trade and the 2015 No.2 draft pick seemingly has plenty of untapped potential.

OTHER SIGNINGS

Schache was not the only acquisition for the Bulldogs over the trade period, with Hayden Crozier (Fremantle) and Jackson Trengove (Port Adelaide) also finding their way to Whitten Oval. Crozier, 24, has played 35 games at the Dockers over the past two years and is likely to slot in at half-back to help fill the void of retired pair Bob Murphy and Matthew Boyd. Trengove, 27, will help add some much-needed height to the backline while also having the ability to swing forward or pinch-hit in the ruck.

GOALKICKING

One of the biggest areas the Bulldogs can derive improvement from next year is their goalkicking. The side was at times woeful this year and finished with the equal-worst accuracy in the competition alongside St Kilda at 52 per cent. In Round 16 they kicked 5.15 against Adelaide to lose by 59 points despite having just four fewer scoring shots. A little goalkicking practice over summer might go a long way.