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What mark do you give the Western Bulldogs' season?
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CHARLES SUTTON MEDAL
Who will win the Western Bulldogs' best-and-fairest?
WESTERN BULLDOGS
SNAPSHOT:
Wins: 5
Losses: 17
Draws: 0
Ladder position: 15th
%: 67
WHAT WENT RIGHT:
It was no secret new coach Brendan McCartney was a contested-ball lover and the Dogs showed rapid and instant improvement in that area. They won the stat in their first two games, played against finalists West Coast and Adelaide and obliterated North Melbourne with a ridiculous 54 more in-close disposals in their best win for the season. They were also able to inject serious game time into the kids – unveiling eight debutants. And all of those excited at times – Clay Smith will be a ripper, Michael Talia progressed nicely as a big-bodied defender, Tom Campbell looks a top long-term ruck prospect, while the late-season form of dashing midfielder Jason Johannisen and hard-at-it Lin Jong provided the highlights of August. Roughead as a key defender also excited Dogs insiders in the latter part of the season, while Adam Cooney provided some hope, coming back from his degenerative knee condition to dazzle with some explosive highlights in the final three games.
Gallery: Check out the 15 pictures which sum up 2012 for the Dogs
WHAT WENT WRONG:
The lack of a capable forward target stung all season – and left the Dogs ranked last for converting inside 50s to scores. Tom Hill and Matthew Panos were unable to crack through for debuts while Liam Jones stagnated big time after his splendid 2011, where he took the second-most contested marks in the game. McCartney searched for answers, trying Roughead, Cordy, Grant, Jones, Campbell, Lake and Skinner as deep targets at times but none were able to take any game by the scruff. A poor year off the field, too, with Tom Liberatore’s drug suspension, Will Minson’s ban for sledging and assistant coach Steven King losing his licence for drink-driving. The Dogs manufactured five wins inside the first 12 rounds and were spirited in another four matches, but the lack of effort and inability to compete in the second half of the season left a sour taste and an ultimate average losing margin of a whopping 53 points.
BEST-AND-FAIREST PREDICTION:
Matthew Boyd and Ryan Griffen
WHAT ROBBO SAYS:
One win from their last 14 games derailed a promising four wins from five games from Rounds 4-8. The fall off was stunning and soul-destroying and by the end there was touch of irrelevancy about the club. Coach Brendan McCartney deserves time to transition the list and game plan _ and will need time. The road back is long and bumpy - Mark Robinson
THE LIST:
Elite: Ryan Griffen, Matthew Boyd, Adam Cooney, Robert Murphy, Brian Lake
Big improvers: Mitch Wallis, Jordan Roughead (as a defender), Dylan Addison, Mark Austin, Luke Dahlhaus, Jason Johannisen
Going, going: Tom Hill, Matthew Panos, James Mulligan, Brodie Moles
Gone: Ryan Hargrave, Lindsay Gilbee, Andrew Hooper
Trade bait: Patrick Veszpremi, Justin Sherman, Jarrad Grant
Western Bulldogs season
WHAT THEY NEED:
The Dogs are hell-bent on developing from within so expect little action (if any) at the trade table, especially with draft picks 5 and 6 at their disposal. The defence looks sturdy but they desperately need a star forward, some explosive midfield pace to help out Griffen and Dahlhaus, while a hard-running and creative defender would be handy, too, with playmakers Jarrod Harbrow and Lindsay Gilbee both gone. It could be a long climb out of the doldrums but the Dogs are adamant that, under Brendan McCartney, they are building for a long-term reign at the top again and being taught a style of football suited to the big stage. Morris back will aid the backline, while they need the kids to take charge in 2013 and the reliance on Boyd, Griffen, Lake and co. to diminish.
STATS THAT MATTER
Club leaders:
Kicks: Matthew Boyd (374)
Handballs: Matthew Boyd (347)
Contested possessions: Matthew Boyd (308)
Marks: Brian Lake (160)
Contested marks: Brian Lake (34)
Clearances: Matthew Boyd (139)
Inside-50s: Ryan Griffen (106)
Rebound-50s: Robert Murphy (85)
Frees for: Ryan Griffen (24)
Frees against: Liam Picken (33)
Goals: Daniel Giansiracusa (28)
Goal assists: Ryan Griffen (13)
Time on ground: Matthew Boyd (2406 minutes)
Players used: 39
Western Bulldogs season
TEAM STATS: (total/percentage + AFL rank):
Disposals: 370 (5th)
Contested possession differential: +3.8 (7th)
Tackles: 61 (12th)
Clearance differential: +2.6 (3rd)
Inside-50 differential: -3.7 (13th)
Scoring % inside 50: 42.5 per cent (last)
Ave points for: 70 (16th)
Ave points against: 105 (15th)
Ave winning margin: 31pts (14th)
Ave losing margin: 53pts (15th)
DID YOU KNOW?
The Western Bulldogs are the only team this season not to be involved in a game decided by less than 10 points.
Edit: " First season for 4 years Cooney has not had post season surgery...yay!! "
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