Team, Round 1 2023

[mjp]

Good team MatJoh,

Ugle-Hagan is still not to be in it but perhaps it was a decision between Darcy and JUH for you?

I'd swap Richards and and Jones and Lobb and Naughton. Treloar needs to impress this week to be a chance for round one.

Macrae outside is the one I don't like.

Doesn't play his best footy there...just seems to change his mindset whenever he plays outside the game.

[Matjoh]

Yes wondered about Richards and Jones but..... - put Lobb at chf due to his longer range more? accurate goal kicking.

[GVGjr]

Macrae outside is the one I don't like.

Doesn't play his best footy there...just seems to change his mindset whenever he plays outside the game.

Same here, Macrae is in the middle or on the bench from my perspective.

[Go_Dogs]

Same here, Macrae is in the middle or on the bench from my perspective.

Yep. I wonder if Macrae gets challenged to play a more defensive lite-tag role for us in 2023 at times? He’s done similar roles in the past. Might be with Hunter and Dosh gone we need more accumulators too…. Hmmm.

[GVGjr]

Yep. I wonder if Macrae gets challenged to play a more defensive lite-tag role for us in 2023 at times? He’s done similar roles in the past. Might be with Hunter and Dosh gone we need more accumulators too…. Hmmm.

He should be used a bit more that way but it's doubtful we will.
I saw something the other day on teams that used taggers in 2022 and for us we only tagged Cripps in the 2nd quarter of the 2nd game.

[1eyedog]

He should be used a bit more that way but it's doubtful we will.
I saw something the other day on teams that used taggers in 2022 and for us we only tagged Cripps in the 2nd quarter of the 2nd game.

Agreed re. Macrae and that tagging stat is doing my head in. We really need to change something defensively given what we've seen post-2016. I know 2021 was an amazing run but large parts of the year were very ordinary, we got scored against heavily and it felt at times easily by middle of the road opposition. That trend has continued all the way up to the 2022 EF.

Since we got worked out post-2016 we've appeared hell bent on developing game plans that maximise players attacking traits at the expense of any form of defensive mindset in the middle of the ground. Bont, Baz and Treloar are attacking players, fine, give them space, Macrae needs to focus on contested ball, great, what does he do when he doesn't win it? Even Dosh was used as a largely attacking player who just so happens to tackle good and chase (he doesn't have the wheels to tag though).

Which other one of our mids are really good two way players? Libba? Libba needs help badly and is getting banged up again shouldering the load, particularly with Bont well down last year because of his hip struggles, man Libba was a bull last year but can he back it up? Bont works hard both ways but he does it by providing options through two way gut running. What is going to be the point of difference this season to help us stop the rot in the middle if we refuse to tag the best players at the best teams. How can it not be more of the same? We've gotta tag.

Outside of any psychological shift in the players mindset based on our recent history the only hope we have of creating points of difference in the middle is through McLean and I'm starting to day dream that maybe him missing from the side for so long is one reason we've been ordinary defensively in the middle when it counts, or, at least the reason we won't tag. Toby was played as a tagger leading up to his first knee so we know Bevo will play that role, if he has the right player.

I'd honestly be suprised if McLean doesn't play long minutes as a defensive mid and I hope he does cause he's a very good player and I reckon he's the only bloke that Bevo will use cause he knows he can deliver.

I'm definitely an advocate for tagging more this year.

[bornadog]

I'd honestly be surprised if McLean doesn't play long minutes as a defensive mid and I hope he does cause he's a very good player and I reckon he's the only bloke that Bevo will use cause he knows he can deliver.

I'm definitely an advocate for tagging more this year.

Last year Cripps massacred us in the middle during the first quarter and they got away to a healthy start, which meant we had to chase them all day. In the 2nd quarter we tagged him out of the game and by the last quarter we should have won except we kept kicking behinds from inside 50 - lost by 12 points after kicking 2.7 in the last.

Similar thing happened a few years ago when Carlton beat us first time around after Cripps was let loose. Next time we played them Macrae tagged him out of the game and still picked up a decent amount of possessions.

Mclean is the man to do it and we need to use him more.

[1eyedog]

Last year Cripps massacred us in the middle during the first quarter and they got away to a healthy start, which meant we had to chase them all day. In the 2nd quarter we tagged him out of the game and by the last quarter we should have won except we kept kicking behinds from inside 50 - lost by 12 points after kicking 2.7 in the last.

Similar thing happened a few years ago when Carlton beat us first time around after Cripps was let loose. Next time we played them Macrae tagged him out of the game and still picked up a decent amount of possessions.

Mclean is the man to do it and we need to use him more.

Yeah I like McLean. He was a terrier before his knee I hope he stays injury-free all year. What I also like about him is he's good enough to be creative and damaging when he's in there, so it's not all about him being simply a nullifying player.

[Mofra]

Yeah I like McLean. He was a terrier before his knee I hope he stays injury-free all year. What I also like about him is he's good enough to be creative and damaging when he's in there, so it's not all about him being simply a nullifying player.

McLean is an effective high forward too so isn't a 'midfield only' player.
He can also take a wing if need be

[1eyedog]

McLean is an effective high forward too so isn't a 'midfield only' player.
He can also take a wing if need be

Yeah he's really versatile I get why Bevo loves him.

[letoucan]

Duryea Jones Darcy
Dale Gardiner Richards

Baker Macrae Willliams
English Bont Libba

McLean Naughton Weightman
Daniel Lobb JUH

Treloar Smith Bedendo West

Daniel IMO should try small forward. Sick of him down back, for all his good the opp always tries to find a mis match on him (Tracc keeping matching up on him in the GF....). Need a crumbing forward. Richards and Dale gone way past him. We have Macrae and Bont as good I50 kicks.

Give Mclean more mid time, he's a ready to go Dunkley replacement albiet smaller.

[GVGjr]

Duryea Jones Darcy
Dale Gardiner Richards

Baker Macrae Willliams
English Bont Libba

McLean Naughton Weightman
Daniel Lobb JUH

Treloar Smith Bedendo West

Daniel IMO should try small forward. Sick of him down back, for all his good the opp always tries to find a mis match on him (Tracc keeping matching up on him in the GF....). Need a crumbing forward. Richards and Dale gone way past him. We have Macrae and Bont as good I50 kicks.

Give Mclean more mid time, he's a ready to go Dunkley replacement albiet smaller.

I like this one, you've nailed the wingers and the forward line looks like it can kick some goals plus we have a bit of fire power on the bench. I'm not sure about Bedendo given he has missed a couple of weeks but he will get some senior games.

[knucklehead]

McLean seems to be the only mid who is likely to add to our defensive pressure.
it probably needs a mindset change by our midfielders.
Our lack of defensive midfield pressure has been a liability

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Duryea Jones Darcy
Dale Gardiner Richards

Baker Macrae Willliams
English Bont Libba

McLean Naughton Weightman
Daniel Lobb JUH

Treloar Smith Bedendo West

Daniel IMO should try small forward. Sick of him down back, for all his good the opp always tries to find a mis match on him (Tracc keeping matching up on him in the GF....). Need a crumbing forward. Richards and Dale gone way past him. We have Macrae and Bont as good I50 kicks.

Give Mclean more mid time, he's a ready to go Dunkley replacement albiet smaller.

I like your thinking overall. Would like to see Daniel because of his superior disposal moved into the midfield.
Naughton to line up at CHF, would certainly open up our forward line.
Baker looks a likely type to strengthen our wings. Even with Dunkley we failed to match up quality midfielders like Cripps Petracca Dangerfield Oliver etc in the past and well worth Maclean thrown this responsibility. I would be happy to start West at half forward with Weightman doing his best work closer to goal.
Darcy may eventually provide more class at centre half back with Gardner better suited in a back pocket minding the opposition’s resting ruck man.
Should see improvement this year with the inclusions of Lobb Jones and Baker plus Naughton given more flexibility at CHF and agree with Daniel being better suited further afield. Maclean if fit enough would be a fine addition as a tagger in the midfield which we have lacked previously.

[Axe Man]

Every club’s predicted line-up for their round 1 clash

WESTERN BULLDOGS

B: E. Richards, L. Jones, R. Gardner

HB: B. Dale, S. Darcy, C. Daniel

C: J. Johannisen, T. Liberatore, J. Macrae

HF: L. Vandermeer, R. Lobb, J. Ugle-Hagan

F: C. Weightman, A. Naughton, R. West

Foll: T. English, M. Bontempelli, B. Smith

I/C: T. Duryea, T. McLean, A. Keath, B. Williams

Sub: R. Smith

Notable absentees: A. Treloar

Norm Smith Medallist Jason Johannisen is the query. While he does bring versatility, his input was down last year and might be the victim of a Bevo squeeze if Treloar is fit. Josh Bruce has trained at centre-half-back but Sam Darcy could be anything so deserves first crack. Bailey Williams went backwards last year and is lucky to scrape in.

-Scott Gullan