What's behind the decline of the Western Bulldogs running game?

[GVGjr]

What's behind the decline of the Western Bulldogs running game

The Western Bulldogs have started 0-2, with their running already under the microscope. DANIEL CHERNY explores what?s gone wrong so far.

Josh Dunkley generally handles the media with the same cleanliness he shows at stoppages. But pre-season remarks he made about his former club the Western Bulldogs? running ? or supposed lack thereof ? created a mini storm.

It's been a great pre-season so far. The boys have come back really fit and are running really well,? Dunkley said.

Which has been a bit of a change-up for me too because we didn't really run a lot at the Dogs as much as we do here.

Given the intrigue surrounding the reasons for Dunkley's move to the Brisbane Lions at the end of last season, the comments were interpreted as a dig at the club where he was a premiership player in 2016 and won the best and fairest in 2022.

Having copped a pasting from some Bulldogs supporters on social media, Dunkley took to Twitter to clarify the remarks.

This has been taken way out of context, I genuinely have no problems at all with the club, Dunkley wrote.

However if that?s how you want to try and rev up round three, then go ahead. All I'm looking forward to, is playing against my old teammates.

Well round three is upon us, and Dunkley is set to confront his former side at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night. After a fade out against Port Adelaide in round one, the Lions bounced back well to beat Melbourne last Friday night.

There has been no such relief for the Dogs though, thrashed in consecutive weeks to start the season, first by the Demons and then more alarmingly by an undermanned St Kilda.

Theories have abounded as to what has gone wrong across the first two rounds. At a doorstop on Monday morning, captain Marcus Bontempelli said the Dogs needed a ?really simple focus with the contest with the basic skills and fundamentals?.

It's something of a motherhood statement. And the Dogs did lose the contested possession count against the Saints by 11, albeit having won that category against Melbourne by 15.

But Dunkley's running comments, even if he talked them back, perhaps pointed to a broader truth about why the Dogs are battling on the back of four-straight finals appearances.

Running is an issue for the Bulldogs. The prevailing view at the club does not appear to be that they aren't doing enough of it. But in relative terms, they aren't the running side they once were.

Dunkley might not have initially identified the reason for this. But he is part of the reason. The midfielder is known as an excellent contested ball winner, but he's also an elite endurance runner by AFL standards, albeit with moderate speed.

Lachie Hunter, whose departure from the Dogs was not purely down to on-field considerations, is an outstanding runner both in terms of pace and tank.

Pat Lipinski, traded to Collingwood 12 months before Dunkley and Hunter left after being starved of opportunities in a stacked midfield, is not overly quick but has good endurance.

Exacerbating the issue is the fact the Bulldogs have, as has been well-documented, with a very tall side early in the season. Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Sam Darcy are both still raw, and it?s hard to imagine any club would not have taken such talented key position players given the chance early in the draft.

But as with most young key position players, they are both prone to dramatic form fluctuations. And when it comes to covering ground, both are still very much developing.

That the Dogs have gone tall early in the draft three years running (Jedd Busslinger was taken at pick No.13 last season) has also denied the club access to some of the top-tier running talent available early in the draft. Of course, it is always a trade-off.

The Dogs cause also wasn't helped on Saturday night by the identity of their opposition, given St Kilda despite some weaknesses does have a lot of quality running players, something Ross Lyon has mentioned publicly several times since becoming coach.

Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge spoke frankly about the situation following the loss to the Saints.

There's no doubt that when we prepare our ground cover as far as the intensity of it and the speed of it, we haven't been up to the level that the first two teams had, Beveridge said.

Now that's a combination of things. It's definitely not because we haven't worked hard enough. It's a difficult one to analyse but we've just got to face up to it.

The next step will be interesting. Do the Dogs cop the pain that comes with the ups and downs of young talls in a side that has lost some of its best runners Or does the structure need to change? Speedy forward Arthur Jones will make his debut against the Lions. It's a start.

[mjp]

Bont says we need to focus on skill fundies and the contest. It is dismissed as motherhood. Then the article tells me that because Lipinski, Hunter and Dunks have left - all 'average' speed at best - that we lack the running capacity of other sides. And bringing in Arthur is a step towards remedying that?

I like the point about the draft and recent top picks of Darcy, Jamarra and Busslinger have not been ideal given our list - but Darcy and JUH we essentially had NO CHOICE but to select....

Bont's point is NOT motherhood - games are won by fundamentals not magic tricks and the GPS tells a story but it's only PART of the story...

Assigning blame or looking at players who left (in Lippa's case over 18 months ago) is not a solution and it is NOT a reason.

Just play better. Bont is on the money...we can do this with a little more focus and attention to the stuff right in front of our faces.

[GVGjr]

Bont says we need to focus on skill fundies and the contest. It is dismissed as motherhood. Then the article tells me that because Lipinski, Hunter and Dunks have left - all 'average' speed at best - that we lack the running capacity of other sides. And bringing in Arthur is a step towards remedying that?

I like the point about the draft and recent top picks of Darcy, Jamarra and Busslinger have not been ideal given our list - but Darcy and JUH we essentially had NO CHOICE but to select....

Bont's point is NOT motherhood - games are won by fundamentals not magic tricks and the GPS tells a story but it's only PART of the story...

Assigning blame or looking at players who left (in Lippa's case over 18 months ago) is not a solution and it is NOT a reason.

Just play better. Bont is on the money...we can do this with a little more focus and attention to the stuff right in front of our faces.

One of the things to consider is that in the past during a lot of the running drills we used to have it was the likes of Dunks, Wallis and Hunter who were leading and pushing the rest of the group. While none of them were in any way speedsters, with all of them gone perhaps we are lacking that leadership on the training track at the moment.

[SquirrelGrip]

One of the things to consider is that in the past during a lot of the running drills we used to have it was the likes of Dunks, Wallis and Hunter who were leading and pushing the rest of the group. While none of them were in any way speedsters, with all of them gone perhaps we are lacking that leadership on the training track at the moment.

This is an interesting point. GVGjr, you've been at the track lately, who now leads the group in those drills?

[Grantysghost]

Lipinski is a loss - I get the reasons around the why, I still would've made an effort to keep him considering the list profile.

Not sure what we were thinking. Good players are good players.

Actually I'm as surprised we didn't go for Sullivan. Thought that was a lock. Baker I guess took that spot. He's been pretty good so far.

[bornadog]

Lipinski is a loss - I get the reasons around the why, I still would've made an effort to keep him considering the list profile.

Not sure what we were thinking. Good players are good players.

Actually I'm as surprised we didn't go for Sullivan. Thought that was a lock. Baker I guess took that spot. He's been pretty good so far.

Just like Young, Lippa wanted an opportunity to play in a position that he wanted to. The teams they went to had a spot available, whereas at the Dogs they had to fight others for the role.

[Happy Days]

We’ve gotta manufacture more ball into Bailey Dale’s hands. He’s been a complete non factor the first two weeks.

Also Caleb Daniel as a 50% midfielder is definitely not the move I would make if we’re struggling to exit the ball from D50.

[bornadog]

We’ve gotta manufacture more ball into Bailey Dale’s hands. He’s been a complete non factor the first two weeks.

Also Caleb Daniel as a 50% midfielder is definitely not the move I would make if we’re struggling to exit the ball from D50.

With Treloar back in, Caleb won't play midfield

[Happy Days]

With Treloar back in, Caleb won't play midfield

Hopefully not, but the stats say Caleb took on a much more significant centre square role than Treloar does, mostly at the expense of Macrae. It was a really confusing move and robbed us of a reliable downfield kick for really no gain.

[Axe Man]

We’ve gotta manufacture more ball into Bailey Dale’s hands. He’s been a complete non factor the first two weeks.

Also Caleb Daniel as a 50% midfielder is definitely not the move I would make if we’re struggling to exit the ball from D50.

Dale has been really disappointing (although he's hardly alone), not only lacking his usual run and drive from half back but also uncharacteristically butchering the ball.

I'm hoping he, Ed, Caleb and perhaps JJ back can provide some better ball movement tonight.

It's a shame Cody is injured, I would have been interested to see if injecting him into the middle for 5 minute bursts would have provided more spark than Daniel.

[GVGjr]

This is an interesting point. GVGjr, you've been at the track lately, who now leads the group in those drills?

It's shared around with no dominate player or players acting as the pace setters. Most of the running is against the stop watch.

[Jasper]

Dale has been really disappointing (although he's hardly alone), not only lacking his usual run and drive from half back but also uncharacteristically butchering the ball.

I'm hoping he, Ed, Caleb and perhaps JJ back can provide some better ball movement tonight.

It's a shame Cody is injured, I would have been interested to see if injecting him into the middle for 5 minute bursts would have provided more spark than Daniel.

I like your thinking and observations. Quick movement of the footy is vital for us.

[Grantysghost]

Just like Young, Lippa wanted an opportunity to play in a position that he wanted to. The teams they went to had a spot available, whereas at the Dogs they had to fight others for the role.

He went to a team with a good midfield I was never sure that argument had merit.
He didn't feel appreciated, was in and out of the side so made a change.

[Jasper]

He went to a team with a good midfield I was never sure that argument had merit.
He didn't feel appreciated, was in and out of the side so made a change.

Its strange that some feel that Lipinski isnt much of a player but he performed well at a club who performed better than we did.
Does it question our ability to develop players or accept some limitations?

[Grantysghost]

Its strange that some feel that Lipinski isnt much of a player but he performed well at a club who performed better than we did.
Does it question our ability to develop players or accept some limitations?

Personally I think Bevo has a "type".

If you don't fit that there's possibly some unconscious bias at play. Or maybe it's concious!

I don't really know, McComb played a fair bit last year and he's nowhere near the player Lipinski is.

My views are known re Lippa you don't let young guys will his skill and upside go however it's beating a dead horse!