Western Bulldogs no longer the underdogs
Roar Rookie
By arkie, 19 Mar 2010 arkie is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- AFL, Barry Hall, NAB Cup, Western Bulldogs
Michael Gardiner from St Kilda and Ben Hudson from Western Bulldogs contest a throw-in during the AFL 1st Preliminary Final between the St Kilda Saints and the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.
The Western Bulldogs will head into their 2010 campaign expected to be in contention for their first premiership in 56 years.
Rightly or wrongly, there has been much hype surrounding the Western Bulldogs. For the first time, the club will find themselves in an unfamiliar position.
Unlike previous years, they aren’t the underdog.
A lot of the hype is credited to latest recruit Barry Hall’s on-field performances throughout the NAB Cup. It seems that Hall is blossoming at the kennel, which isn’t suprising given the delivery he is receiving from the club’s skillful fleet footed midfielders.
Barry Hall is considered to be the missing piece of the puzzle that will be able to take the Dogs that one step further in 2010 and add a second premiership to the cabinet.
If a Grand Final berth does not eventuate for the Western Bulldogs in 2010, key defender Brian Lake believes that the club has “gone backwards”, deeming the year as a “failure”.
The Western Bulldogs shouldn’t let outside expectations get in the way, they should just focus on their own internal expectations.
The Doggies must take an advantage of their opportunity this year. Premiership windows don’t last forever.
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The Crowd Says (19) | Page 1 of Comments
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Redb said | March 19th 2010 @ 7:56am | Report comment
If you’re going to watch one team other than your own in 2010 it has to be the Western Bulldogs. Love the way they play the game at full throttle, now with an explosive big forward in Hall – their game plan is hopefully complete.
Their first game in round one against Collingwood promises to be a classic and will possibly set the tone for the Doggies in 2010.
James said | March 19th 2010 @ 8:17am | Report comment
It’ll be Barry Hall watch for many. Like a ticking time-bomb, will he blowup?
Redb said | March 19th 2010 @ 8:21am | Report comment
The use of ‘explosive’ was intended
James said | March 19th 2010 @ 8:23am | Report comment
Did you see him on the Footy Show? He actually came across as a well-mannered, laid back individual!
Redb said | March 19th 2010 @ 8:30am | Report comment
Yes. Thought it was funny when asked by Crawford in the Footy legends segment about how he was feeling about it and he said very dryly ‘awesome’.
Poor ol’ Scully looked like a midget next to Brown and Hall
Al said | March 19th 2010 @ 8:09am | Report comment
I’m planning to watch Richmond, I love a good comedy!
Redb said | March 19th 2010 @ 12:33pm | Report comment
more like a Shakespearan tragedy
Republican said | March 19th 2010 @ 12:07pm | Report comment
Sad thing is, many Canberra footy punters love the way they play the game as well, with a few of my mates seriously considering signing up, who have no particular allegience to any club, rather than to the code.
That they play a particular brand of footy, will be totally lost on any NZers who turn out to watch them next year.
The Doggees loss I say.
Republican said | March 19th 2010 @ 12:37pm | Report comment
Al
Are Richmond a club that is vulneralbe to relocation?
i would have thought so.
Cheers.
Al said | March 19th 2010 @ 1:15pm | Report comment
Richmond have a huge supporter base and high membership numbers, they’re one of the “big four” in Melbourne (along with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon), therefore I doubt that they’re candidates for relocation no matter how crap they have been and will be on field. Hardwick will whip them into shape on field and their membership figures will grow moreso when they become relatively successful on field, although this will take time.
They had huge financial problems in the early 90′s and their existence was in jeapordy however since that time they have now become quite financially strong.
North Melbourne and Melbourne are the two Melbourne based clubs at biggest risk followed by the Western Bulldogs, each of these clubs could only dream about having the number of supporters that Richmond have.
Redb said | March 19th 2010 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
Agree, If the Western bulldogs had Richmond’s latent fan base they would be well over 50,000 members this year already.
I think the Western bulldogs has a reasonable chance of shoring itself up financially for a years by taking advantage of their on field success and the burgeoning western suburbs of Melbourne. The west has been lightly populated in the past, but in the last 5-7 years has seen massive population growth as the south-eastern boundaries of Melbourne stretched towards Gippsland.
Al said | March 19th 2010 @ 3:57pm | Report comment
They definitely have a much larger supporter basin (ie: Nearly all of the Western Suburbs from Footscray to Werribee ) than a club like North Melbourne that have massive clubs like Carlton and Collingwood and abit further to the west, Essendon on their northern doorstep whilst being hemmed in by the CBD on the south. What works against the Dogs is that the west has always been a very low socio-economic region with a high migrant demographic. They have also never been successful enough in the past to garner support from all over Melbourne (like Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon) therefore most of their current support is almost exclusively from the western suburbs.
Republican said | March 19th 2010 @ 2:05pm | Report comment
Thanks fellas.
I would rather they survive as Melbourne Club entities especilally ‘The Red Legs’ however Canberra would be a good compromise in any re location I believe. i personally am partial to North and the ‘Canberra Kangaroos’ is a good fit for the bush capital, don’t you reckon?
Cheers
Redb said | March 19th 2010 @ 2:09pm | Report comment
It’s a good fit, but will Canberrans accept them back into the fold?
Al said | March 19th 2010 @ 3:47pm | Report comment
North have burnt too many bridges both in Canberra and the Gold Coast.
James said | March 19th 2010 @ 2:12pm | Report comment
When I think back to the “Year of The Dogs” doc of the nineties and remember how much trouble the club was in, I can’t help but feel they have done so well to get to the point they are at now and hopefully success this season – a premiership – will help cement the club’s future.
Republican said | March 19th 2010 @ 2:24pm | Report comment
Redb
That would depend on how transparent the process was. I believe beggars can’t be choosers and we are definately at the bottom of the pecking order in many respects.
The Doggies will be as villified as North presently, given this latest expedient act, however I think North really had established something of significant value with the ACT footy community and that was why we all took it very personally at the time.
Cheers
Mister Football said | March 19th 2010 @ 5:51pm | Report comment
WE have actually been in this identical position in recent history.
After narrowly losing the prelim to Adelaide in 97, we were very close to being outright favourites in 98, and had a very good season, fighting with NOrth in the final game of the season for outright top, which they won.
We then had the ideal scenario of getting back at Adelaide in the prelim, to complete that dream premiership.
The only problem was that the players must have thought it was sufficient to have revenge as a spur, not to mention that Rohan Smith was played at CHB allowing a medirocre player (can’t remember his name) to take mark after mark, and the game was effectively over at half time.
The one moment mid way through the 3rd quarter when we grabbed a couple of goals and looked to be taking control, Grant decides to play on from the top of the square and handball to Hudson who had to have a snap from a tight angle – and that was the end of the come back.
This lot appear better positioned to cop mentally with the pressure of being premiership favourites – but let’s not kid ourselves that this is new to the bullies – it’s uncommon, but it’s not new.
Moonface said | March 19th 2010 @ 9:05pm | Report comment
Impressive start to the season and I’ve had an early wager on them to make the GF in September.