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Western Bulldogs have failed to meet the hype

Expert
2nd June, 2010
6
1813 Reads

The Western Bulldogs should be thanking Jason Akermanis, not punishing him. A thank you letter to Israel Folau is probably called for, too. Because with the media focused on those two guys all week, it’s been largely overlooked that the Dogs are ten weeks into the season and still without a major scalp.

Their only wins this year have come against Richmond, Hawthorn, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and North Melbourne. Of those teams, only one side currently sits in the eight – Sydney – and in that game the Swans were without Daniel Bradshaw and their two first-choice ruckmen.

After another disappointing loss to Essendon over the weekend, serious questions have to be asked of a team many thought of as premiership favourites during the pre-season.

We shouldn’t be crossing them off the list of contenders just yet. There’s plenty of time left in the season. Their record – six wins, four losses – isn’t overly troubling.

But significant improvement will need to happen soon, because right now they are not playing like contenders.

And their draw going forward won’t be as easy as it has been these first ten weeks. They are yet to meet Geelong, Fremantle or Carlton. They face Collingwood again this weekend. Do they have it in them to emerge from the challenging draw in front of them as a top four side?

Right now, you’d have to say no. Across the board there are examples of players well below where they were last year.

Ryan Hargrave averaged 24 disposals and 7 marks last year. This year he averages 17 and 5. Shaun Higgins booted 32 goals in 20 games last year. This year he has eight from nine. Daniel Giansiracusa led the league in goal assists per game last year. This year he’s not in the top 90.

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I could go on, but stats aren’t everything.

Perhaps the real evidence that things have gone awry since the Dogs’ NAB Cup win in March isn’t so tangible, but requires only a look at the way they played last Friday night to notice. You could tell Essendon were hungry, switched on and desperate for the four points.

The Bulldogs, not so much. The contrast was there for all to see.

One thing that is for sure is that despite the revelation that has been Barry Hall, the forward line hasn’t progressed in quite the manner most expected.

Higgins and Giancircusa have encountered their own problems, as mentioned above, but it’s the loss of Brad Johnson and Akermanis’ lack of form that have created the most headaches.

Johnson and Aker had 35 goals between them after ten rounds last year. This year they have 2.

Poetically, Hall’s tally for the year so far happens to be the exact difference between those figures, 33. But that just illustrates the shift that has taken place from being a multifaceted forward line, full of goal-scoring and crumbing options, to a forward line that is too reliant on one man.

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With the ball being sent to him 92 times, Josh Hill was the most kicked-to player inside the attacking 50 last year. This year Hall’s been delivered the ball 106 times already.

Another factor that must be looked at is the weight of expectation.

Perhaps it has provided too much of a burden. After all, even when you put aside the NAB Cup win and early-season favouritism, as early as last October coach Rodney Eade said the club had an extremely high view of where the team was headed.

“To finish like we did this year, the expectation, and certainly the internal expectation, is that we’ll make the grand final at least,” he told the Bulldogs’ website.

Put simply, the hype given to the club in the pre-season and the reality of where the club are at now are poles apart. They simply haven’t met the hype. But there’s one good reason for Dogs fans to stay positive, and for you to save this page in your bookmarks in case you feel like reminding of it me later in the year.

It’s 100 per cent better to be in this position in June than it is in August or, worse still, September.

There’s time for the Dogs to find what they’ve been lacking so far this season.

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But still, they better get cracking. Fremantle, and possibly even Carlton, are throwing the cat among the pigeons as far as the top four is concerned. It’s growing increasingly likely that one of St Kilda, Collingwood or the Dogs will miss out.

This is why improvement is needed urgently.

Maybe this weekend against the Pies is when that improvement will begin. Maybe standing up to Aker (albeit more lightly than some wanted) marks some kind of turning point in their season. Maybe this is the weekend where hiding behind Aker is no longer an option.

No matter what, the Dogs have work ahead of them and a ticking clock to battle against. Suddenly, things don’t seem as simple as they did in March.

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