After finishing 2014 in 14th, the Western Bulldogs’ captain left and their coach was sacked. So what does 2015 have in store for the Bullies?
1. The Marcus Bontempelli position decision
After a second-place finish in last year’s NAB Rising Star, Bontempelli represents the height of the hype for the new generation of Western Bulldogs players.
Bontempelli showed outstanding form late in the year when he played both forward and in the midfield. Therein lies the real intrigue for Bontempelli this season: where is his best position?
One of the better comparisons to Bontempelli is Matthew Pavlich, and much of Pavlich’s early career was spent with coaches trying to identify how to best utilise his skill set for individual and team gain. New Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has a pivotal decision to make in his first year in charge about whether to play Bontempelli where he can help the side this year or look further down the track and have Bontempelli set in a position that he could play in a premiership-contending squad, even if it means more short-term pain for the side.
2. Improved consistency from Jackson Macrae and Tom Liberatore
They may have placed one-two in the Charlie Sutton Medal last year, but there is still improvement ahead for the Bulldogs’ two best-performed midfielders of last year. Macrae and Liberatore each battled consistency week to week and within games. The duo complement each other as well as any other midfield duo, with Liberatore a contested-ball winner and Macrae among the leaders in uncontested ball.
If this duo can increase on their consistency and can find improved performance when battling opposition attention then expect another one-two finish in the 2015 Charlie Sutton Medal for Macrae and Liberatore and a better Western Bulldogs team.
3. The transformation of Tom Liberatore
Though Robert Murphy took the captaincy upon himself on Ryan Griffen’s departure, no doubt more eyes will be on the next captain than the current one.
At the end of 2012 Liberatore’s AFL career was a tenuous state of affairs as off-field indiscretions became very public. The transformation of Liberatore since that flashpoint moment has probably not got the attention it has deserved and Liberatore the credit he deserves.
Highlighting the change in Liberatore was Charlie Sutton Medal night last year. The Charlie Sutton Medal win was a reward for on-field performance, but taking the Scott West Courage Award and Brad Johnson Team Player Award are more significant to the proof of development of Liberatore.
In 2012 courage and team player were the opposite end of the spectrum to how to describe Liberatore, now after 2014 and heading into 2015, eyes should be on what Liberatore does to prove he is the next captain. He is getting the backing and how he leads the Bulldogs midfield will be as important as how many possessions he collects.
4. An injury-free Easton Wood and Dale Morris together
This unheralded defensive duo have battled to string consistent games together and getting them fit could be pivotal to Western’s defensive success. While Dale Morris has been able to beat the injury plague over the past two years, it has instead been Wood who has been forced to battle injury hurdles.
In an ideal world both these two would be classed as mid-sized defenders, but in the Bulldogs defence they have been required to play outside their standard repertoire. Morris has shown an ability to stop bigger forwards while Wood has shown to stop quicker forwards.
If these two can get 22 injury-free games together; the defence is more formidable.
5. The other Sydney recruit
Tom Boyd has received much of the attention over the off-season, and his large contract ensures that he will be the discussion point of the Bulldogs’ season. However it is a less-discussed pick-up with the other Sydney side that has the possibility to have a bigger impact on the Western Bulldogs’ season.
Shane Biggs received high praise in his limited appearances for Sydney over the past two years, with his ability to find the ball a standout. If not for being in a loaded Sydney team few would argue that Biggs would be an AFL regular. Well with the current state of Western, Biggs now is that regular AFL player and is likely to be a handy inside midfield foil for the aforementioned Liberatore.
More importantly is that Biggs brings the knowledge of being a part of a successful culture. Like his new coach, having the knowledge of what winners do can be as important a mindset than on-field talent.
6. Must-see match
The Western Bulldogs received a more favourable fan and commercial draw in 2015, with a move from Sunday to Saturday games in part over the season. In terms of must-see matches for Western this year though, the Saturday twilight clash in Round 9 against GWS must get top billing.
This is two clubs that have a habit of playing out close games in the rivalry’s short history. With the added spice of Griffen-Boyd going against former clubs, May 30 is going to be an under-appreciated big day on the football calendar.
7. The Luke Beveridge story
Just what and who Luke Beveridge the AFL senior coach is will be a big part of the 2015 season for Western Bulldogs. Beveridge follows a coach who, despite praise for his development, failed to really win the support of a loyal fan-base. There are similarities between Beveridge and his predecessor Brendan McCartney and there is the potential that his decision-making and demeanour will be received negatively by Western Bulldogs fans.
Beveridge has the pedigree, but then again, this is a club that has turned to pedigree before and still been left chasing that elusive premiership. A premiership is not coming this year, but belief from fans that Beveridge is a prospective premiership coach is a telling part of the Bulldogs’ season.
Maybe that sums it up: 2015 is not about premierships, but the belief that they can exist for long-suffering red, white and blue fans.
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