Five predictions for the 2024 Western Bulldogs season.

[DexterT]

1. RORY LOBB WILL HAVE HIS BEST SEASON FOR THE BULLDOGS.

A key if rather puzzling signing for the 2023 season, Lobb was supposed to be the solution to the Dogs problems of having a reliable and effective ruck relief for Tim English.

It was an interesting signing as Lobb indicated he didn?t want to play ruck for Fremantle but then is recruited by the club to play a role as a relief ruck.

With the dogs having so many young and inexperienced talls, Lobb should have been there to help take the attention from Aaron Naughton and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (JUH) and be an effective replacement for a resting English.
With recruitment of Lobb and the drafting of Father/Son Sam Darcy, the focus shifted from the Dogs much vaunted midfield to the ?Talls? in the forward line. Could three talls function in the forward 50? When the ball went to ground, could those talls provide enough pressure to keep the ball inside 50?

It was an uneven start to Lobb?s career with the Bulldogs. He was even subbed off in the round 3 win against Brisbane after three quarters with a 2 goal, 4 possession game. A vivid memory for Bulldogs supporters when the backline was decimated with talls and coaching staff decided to push Lobb back instead of Naughton. Yes, Lobb started his career in the backline with GWS but I would have rather trusted a more athletic Naughton to be more effective in the backline than Lobb.

Then he was dropped for two rounds (18 and 19). Perhaps his best game for the tricolours was against Geelong at GMHBA, where his dominance in the ruck helped turn the tide. Bulldogs supporters also pointed out it was against the VFL version of the Cats because they had decided to end their season already and rested most of their star players.

Lobb?s only competition for the relief ruck/utility tall is an unproven Sam Darcy. Many Bulldogs supporters have already discarded Lobb and have Darcy playing Round 1 but when you look at Beveridge?s selection philosophy he will generally select experience over youth.

With the general consensus that Naughton will be playing further up the ground, the forward 50 will have more isolation and one on one contests. Hopefully now with Naughton mainly operating outside 50, there should be more space for Weightman and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan to have their leads honoured and isolation plays to take advantage of Lobbs height and marking capabilities, making him a nightmare matchup.

The equation for Lobb is simple: Play well or Sam Darcy will take your spot.

1. THE ROAMING CENTRE HALF FORWARD IS AARON NAUGHTON?S BEST POSITION.

Debate has raged since Naughton was switched to the forward line, the beginning of the 2019 season. A magnificent aerial presence, his contested marking and second efforts were great but those pesky set shots misses were the bane of Bulldogs supporters. Yes, I still have nightmares from the Jade Rawlings era. The thought process became - great mark Naughton but no idea if he?s going to kick the goal, even 15m out, right in front.

When the dogs are insistent on having 3 talls in the forward 50, the dogs forward line has not been functioning consistently for the last 2 seasons. The forwards (talls and smalls) ran into each other?s spaces and each other or were static. Having the midfield and backline bombing it into the forward 50 hoping the talls would take a mark did not help at all.

My opinion has always been for Naughton to be a down the line target to help the ruck or back to his true home in the backline. Taking him out of the forward line and playing him as a roaming CHF ensures more space and can serve as an extra midfielder as his forward of centre pressure acts show he can keep the ball within the forward 50 arc.


The farther away Naughton is from goal, a goalkicker like Cody Weightman will have space to operate

1. IF THE DOGS DON?T HAVE A GOOD START TO THE SEASON, LUKE BEVERIDGE WILL BE SACKED.

The talk from Bulldogs supporters has been a list as good as it is on paper with midfield that consists of Bontempelli, Liberatore, Treloar and a forward line boasting Naughton, Lobb and Jamarra Ugle - Hagan and all Australian ruck Tim English, the dogs should finish top four at the end of the season.

The dogs have never finished top four in Beveridge?s time as head coach. There were wild rumours at the end of the 2023 season when the Dogs missed the finals, that he would either be asked to resign or outright sacked. Instead there was a key coaching personnel changes, restructuring and recruitment. With these changes and much needed new player additions, the team must perform up to expectations or Beveridge is out.


Beveridge could point out there were holes in the list that caused the team to underperform. Now it seems those holes have been filled. The team was in desperate need of a tagger, James Harmes was brought in. Injection of pace in the midfield? Ryley Sanders was drafted. Depth needed in the KPD stocks? Nick Coffield was recruited.


The first five games of the season, the Dogs have Melbourne at the MCG, the Suns at Ballarat, West Coast Eagles at Marvel and Geelong at Adelaide Oval for Gather Round and Essendon at Marvel.

In my opinion the dogs should be at the very least 3-2 at the end of Round 5. Melbourne and Geelong will probably be too strong and unfortunately the dogs are just not at their level yet.

If the dogs are 1 and 4, Beveridge will walk or be sacked.

1. JAMES HARMES WILL BE THE RECRUIT OF THE YEAR.

Over the last couple of years, the closest tagger the dogs have had was Toby Maclean. It?s fair to say either Beveridge didn?t believe in tagging or he thought the dogs didn?t have players capable of being taggers.

A tagger would have come in handy against the West Coast Eagles in Round 22 when Tim Kelly ripped through the Dogs midfield, or against Hawthorn with an out of control Jai Newcombe. A body on either Daicos brothers in Round 17 could have made a difference in the 12 point loss against Collingwood.

Bringing in Harmes fixes this ongoing problem that has caused the dogs games.
And let?s face it, Harmes had a couple of great auditions with tagging roles on Libba which negated the clearance king.

1. A COUPLE OF VETS WILL BE CALLING IT A DAY.

Time could be up for a couple of vets.Taylor Duryea, once considered the Dogs premiere lock down small defender (who could forget that one on one duel with Charlie Cameron in the 2021 Semi Final against Brisbane) showed considerable decline in 2023, so much so, he was delisted and redrafted via the rookie draft.

Alex Keath?s time as a first choice key position defender are numbered especially with his body continually letting him down.With other KPD prospects like James O?Donnell and Sam Darcy now being viable replacements. Keath will probably spend most of his time in the VFL mentoring backline players unless an injury occurs to first choice KPDs - Jones, O?Donnell and Coffield. There?s also always the chance he decides to give it away because of another injury.

Link to Mongrel Punt article

[Bulldog Joe]

I see the Melbourne game as being really important.

Get that one and have the team in the right mindset and there is no reason we don't win the next 4.

Geelong in Adelaide don't concern me if we are at our best.

Our season can be really set up like it was at the start of 2021

[Uninformed]

I see the Melbourne game as being really important.

Get that one and have the team in the right mindset and there is no reason we don't win the next 4.

Geelong in Adelaide don't concern me if we are at our best.

Our season can be really set up like it was at the start of 2021

I see the Melbourne game as our litmus test for the season.

We are prepared, so are they.

If we beat them I predict we will win the cup.

If we lose then I predict that we might win the cup.

The Melbourne test is between being a certainty to a maybe.

[FrediKanoute]

First 5 games will set the scene.

In terms of the predictions I would agree with Bevo needing a good start and Harmes being our boom recruit. The others well the retirees is almost a guarantee not a prediction as such.

[jeemak]

Where's this from?

[azabob]

Where's this from?

Dexter T?

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

1. RORY LOBB WILL HAVE HIS BEST SEASON FOR THE BULLDOGS.

A key if rather puzzling signing for the 2023 season, Lobb was supposed to be the solution to the Dogs problems of having a reliable and effective ruck relief for Tim English.

It was an interesting signing as Lobb indicated he didn?t want to play ruck for Fremantle but then is recruited by the club to play a role as a relief ruck.

With the dogs having so many young and inexperienced talls, Lobb should have been there to help take the attention from Aaron Naughton and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (JUH) and be an effective replacement for a resting English.
With recruitment of Lobb and the drafting of Father/Son Sam Darcy, the focus shifted from the Dogs much vaunted midfield to the ?Talls? in the forward line. Could three talls function in the forward 50? When the ball went to ground, could those talls provide enough pressure to keep the ball inside 50?

It was an uneven start to Lobb?s career with the Bulldogs. He was even subbed off in the round 3 win against Brisbane after three quarters with a 2 goal, 4 possession game. A vivid memory for Bulldogs supporters when the backline was decimated with talls and coaching staff decided to push Lobb back instead of Naughton. Yes, Lobb started his career in the backline with GWS but I would have rather trusted a more athletic Naughton to be more effective in the backline than Lobb.

Then he was dropped for two rounds (18 and 19). Perhaps his best game for the tricolours was against Geelong at GMHBA, where his dominance in the ruck helped turn the tide. Bulldogs supporters also pointed out it was against the VFL version of the Cats because they had decided to end their season already and rested most of their star players.

Lobb?s only competition for the relief ruck/utility tall is an unproven Sam Darcy. Many Bulldogs supporters have already discarded Lobb and have Darcy playing Round 1 but when you look at Beveridge?s selection philosophy he will generally select experience over youth.

With the general consensus that Naughton will be playing further up the ground, the forward 50 will have more isolation and one on one contests. Hopefully now with Naughton mainly operating outside 50, there should be more space for Weightman and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan to have their leads honoured and isolation plays to take advantage of Lobbs height and marking capabilities, making him a nightmare matchup.

The equation for Lobb is simple: Play well or Sam Darcy will take your spot.

1. THE ROAMING CENTRE HALF FORWARD IS AARON NAUGHTON?S BEST POSITION.

Debate has raged since Naughton was switched to the forward line, the beginning of the 2019 season. A magnificent aerial presence, his contested marking and second efforts were great but those pesky set shots misses were the bane of Bulldogs supporters. Yes, I still have nightmares from the Jade Rawlings era. The thought process became - great mark Naughton but no idea if he?s going to kick the goal, even 15m out, right in front.

When the dogs are insistent on having 3 talls in the forward 50, the dogs forward line has not been functioning consistently for the last 2 seasons. The forwards (talls and smalls) ran into each other?s spaces and each other or were static. Having the midfield and backline bombing it into the forward 50 hoping the talls would take a mark did not help at all.

My opinion has always been for Naughton to be a down the line target to help the ruck or back to his true home in the backline. Taking him out of the forward line and playing him as a roaming CHF ensures more space and can serve as an extra midfielder as his forward of centre pressure acts show he can keep the ball within the forward 50 arc.


The farther away Naughton is from goal, a goalkicker like Cody Weightman will have space to operate

1. IF THE DOGS DON?T HAVE A GOOD START TO THE SEASON, LUKE BEVERIDGE WILL BE SACKED.

The talk from Bulldogs supporters has been a list as good as it is on paper with midfield that consists of Bontempelli, Liberatore, Treloar and a forward line boasting Naughton, Lobb and Jamarra Ugle - Hagan and all Australian ruck Tim English, the dogs should finish top four at the end of the season.

The dogs have never finished top four in Beveridge?s time as head coach. There were wild rumours at the end of the 2023 season when the Dogs missed the finals, that he would either be asked to resign or outright sacked. Instead there was a key coaching personnel changes, restructuring and recruitment. With these changes and much needed new player additions, the team must perform up to expectations or Beveridge is out.


Beveridge could point out there were holes in the list that caused the team to underperform. Now it seems those holes have been filled. The team was in desperate need of a tagger, James Harmes was brought in. Injection of pace in the midfield? Ryley Sanders was drafted. Depth needed in the KPD stocks? Nick Coffield was recruited.


The first five games of the season, the Dogs have Melbourne at the MCG, the Suns at Ballarat, West Coast Eagles at Marvel and Geelong at Adelaide Oval for Gather Round and Essendon at Marvel.

In my opinion the dogs should be at the very least 3-2 at the end of Round 5. Melbourne and Geelong will probably be too strong and unfortunately the dogs are just not at their level yet.

If the dogs are 1 and 4, Beveridge will walk or be sacked.

1. JAMES HARMES WILL BE THE RECRUIT OF THE YEAR.

Over the last couple of years, the closest tagger the dogs have had was Toby Maclean. It?s fair to say either Beveridge didn?t believe in tagging or he thought the dogs didn?t have players capable of being taggers.

A tagger would have come in handy against the West Coast Eagles in Round 22 when Tim Kelly ripped through the Dogs midfield, or against Hawthorn with an out of control Jai Newcombe. A body on either Daicos brothers in Round 17 could have made a difference in the 12 point loss against Collingwood.

Bringing in Harmes fixes this ongoing problem that has caused the dogs games.
And let?s face it, Harmes had a couple of great auditions with tagging roles on Libba which negated the clearance king.

1. A COUPLE OF VETS WILL BE CALLING IT A DAY.

Time could be up for a couple of vets.Taylor Duryea, once considered the Dogs premiere lock down small defender (who could forget that one on one duel with Charlie Cameron in the 2021 Semi Final against Brisbane) showed considerable decline in 2023, so much so, he was delisted and redrafted via the rookie draft.

Alex Keath?s time as a first choice key position defender are numbered especially with his body continually letting him down.With other KPD prospects like James O?Donnell and Sam Darcy now being viable replacements. Keath will probably spend most of his time in the VFL mentoring backline players unless an injury occurs to first choice KPDs - Jones, O?Donnell and Coffield. There?s also always the chance he decides to give it away because of another injury.

Dexter T. If this is your handiwork, more please. Thanks for taking the time to share your opinions. Some great talking points. Alex Keath one especially. It's certainly a crossroad's year for him. Can he too find a way to reinvigorate his career for one big burst?

Same could be said i think for Jack Macrae. I think a new role and challenge is required. He's getting squeezed for time in the centre, and maybe he could find a new role to perform for the back half of his career, that maybe isn't as focused on him racking up possessions. Could Jack tag? He's a good tackler and very focused.

[jeemak]

Dexter T?

If so, massive thanks for the effort Dexter T.

[josie]

Thanks DexterT. Great read & thoughts.

[ratsmac]

Dexter T comes in and goes bang!
Love your work.

I like your thoughts on Lobb. His situation is not dissimilar to when Josh Bruce joined the club. His first season. Was poo and yet found favour amongst the selection panel. Lobb was average at best for most of his debut season the the dogs and managed to get a game more often than not. I'm hoping that he takes a lot of confidence out of that last game against the cats seconds and rolls I to this season with the same output and has a good second season like Bruce. There were a couple good signs in the pre-season that his attitude is where it should be. Let's hope it stays this way if he loses his spot to Darcy.

It's going to be interesting to see how Bevo navigates around the Darcy Lobb situation as like Dexter T mentioned, Bevo has said he going with experience and a mature body over raw potential at this stage of the season.

I see the recruitment of Coffield as being the recruit of the year for us tbh rather than Harmes. Coffield is the perfect money ball recruit that we are crying out for IF he stays injury free. He's going to be our Jake Lever/Sam Docherty if he can reach his potential. A real need for us in our back 6.

[Axe Man]

Well done Dexter getting this published on the Mongrel Punt:

FIVE PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2024 WESTERN BULLDOGS SEASON

[bornadog]

Well done Dexter getting this published on the Mongrel Punt:

FIVE PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2024 WESTERN BULLDOGS SEASON

Now we know who Dexter is. Great work

All WOOFERS

Always add a link when posting articles, to give credit to author

[DadBod]

I'm actually pretty bullish on us this year so my predictions are
1. We finally finish top 4 (top 2)
2. Marra will kick the most goals for us and finish 3rd in the Coleman.
3. Rising star for the Colonel
4. Brownlow is won by Rowel with Bont the Bridesmaid again.
5. Naughts wins the Norm Smith.

[jeemak]

I'm actually pretty bullish on us this year so my predictions are
1. We finally finish top 4 (top 2)
2. Marra will kick the most goals for us and finish 3rd in the Coleman.
3. Rising star for the Colonel
4. Brownlow is won by Rowel with Bont the Bridesmaid again.
5. Naughts wins the Norm Smith.

Pretty soft predictions, why don't you try leading with the chin a bit!

[Jasper]

I'm actually pretty bullish on us this year so my predictions are
1. We finally finish top 4 (top 2)
2. Marra will kick the most goals for us and finish 3rd in the Coleman.
3. Rising star for the Colonel
4. Brownlow is won by Rowel with Bont the Bridesmaid again.
5. Naughts wins the Norm Smith.

Fantastic DadsBod. I could live with Rowell winning the Brownlow if we were to finish top 2 and Naughton the Norm Smith