After the carnage that followed the 2014 season, in which captain Ryan Griffen walked out on the club, coach Brendan McCartney resigned and seasoned players Adam Cooney and Shaun Higgins were traded, expectations for 2015 were low.
The Bulldogs were coming off a 14th-place finish the previous season and to make matters worse, their 2014 Best and Fairest winner Tom Liberatore suffered a season ending ACL injury in their first NAB Challenge match.
This made their sensational 2015 season all the more remarkable. The third youngest list in the competition won 14 games during the home-and-away season to finish sixth, qualifying for finals for the first time since 2010. This was built on the back of a free-flowing, offensive game style implemented by new coach Luke Beveridge, which complimented the defensive contested ball style game they practised under Brendan McCartney.
Highlight wins included a triumph over Sydney in the pouring rain at the SCG, a confidence boosting win against Richmond in front of 50,000 fans at the MCG and a comeback victory over Gold Coast in Cairns. A heartbreaking loss in the Elimination Final against Adelaide though, ended the year on a bitter note, but the experience of playing on the MCG on such a big occasion will serve the team well for the future.
What went right?
Across all areas of the ground, players stood up to take the Bulldogs to the next level. In the forward line, Jake Stringer was a revelation, kicking 56 goals. He was aided by the deadly accuracy of Tory Dickson, who kicked 50 goals and just 12 behinds.
The loss of Griffen, Cooney and Liberatore in the midfield allowed players such as Mitch Wallis, Luke Dahlhaus, Jack Macrae and Marcus Bontempelli to take centre stage and they didn’t disappoint. Liam Picken also transformed himself from a dour tagger to a genuine ball winner, who was a steady hand in an inexperienced midfield.
In defence, it was the run and carry across half back from All-Australians Easton Wood and Robert Murphy, plus emerging (and underrated) speedster Jason Johannisen, which set up so many rebound forays into the forward line. Easton Wood’s intercept marking saved countless goals during the season and Matthew Boyd reinvigorated his career with a move to defence.
But it was really the leadership of Robert Murphy as captain and Luke Beveridge as coach which was the driving force behind the team’s meteoric rise. If you watch the excellent documentary of the Bulldogs’ 2015 season, ‘The Ride’, you will understand the raw passion and belief these men instilled into the team, without which a finals appearance wouldn’t have been possible.
What went wrong?
The Bulldogs’ ruck situation was farcical at times in 2015. With Luke Beveridge imploring 2013 All-Australian Will Minson to become more mobile and defensively accountable, it left him languishing for long periods in the VFL.
Ayce Cordy was given a chance to finally cement his spot as a ruckman but failed miserably (rucking against Fremantle in Round 7, he had just three hit-outs while Sandilands had 50).
Tom Campbell and Jordan Roughead were more promising, but they too struggled at times. In the forward line, Tom Boyd was supposed to be the Bulldogs’ forward saviour, but managed just 16 goals from 14 games, showing a lack of mobility and second efforts at times.
Jack Redpath was instead preferred for much of the latter half of the season, and contributed a serviceable 19 goals from 12 games, but he is not the dominating key forward the Bulldogs have been screaming out for.
Elsewhere, the Bulldogs’ key defensive stocks were also a bit light in 2015, with no real big-bodied key defender to tackle the monster forwards à la Brian Lake. Jordan Roughead was given that role in recent seasons, but was preferred more in the ruck in 2015.
This left the job up to Fletcher Roberts and Joel Hamling, who struggled in the one-on-one contests due to their relatively light frames. Despite this, they still did a pretty good job holding down the fort, supported by the ever reliable Dale Morris and the superb intercept marking of Wood.
Also, while the Bulldogs were great at locking the ball in their forward 50, they were susceptible to easy rebound goals when the ball was turned over, especially as the Dogs’ key defenders were not great one-on-one.
2016 preview
When predicting how the Western Bulldogs will fare in season 2016, there seems to be two opposing schools of thought.
The more positive view, is that the young talent which propelled the Bulldogs last season will only improve, leading to the team as a whole getting better. If Marcus Bontempelli, Jake Stringer, Jack Macrae, Lachie Hunter and co. continue to progress at the same rate they did last season, the Bulldogs can seriously push for a top 4 berth.
The promising thing for Western Bulldogs supporters, is that their oldest regular midfielder (besides Liam Picken) is 24 year old Koby Stevens. Despite this youth, Champion Data rates the Bulldogs as having the fourth best overall midfield this year. The return of Liberatore, who was arguably the Bulldogs’ best midfielder before he was injured, has been likened to the gaining of a number one draft pick.
Depth is also becoming a real strength of the team, with players such as Lin Jong, Lukas Webb, Caleb Daniel, Mitch Honeychurch, Nathan Hrovat and Toby Mclean all on the fringes of selection and capable of playing a role in 2016 (also don’t forget the talented but perpetually injured Clay Smith, whose return would be a bonus).
The Bulldogs recruited well in the offseason, with Matt Suckling offering a deadly left boot which can be used all around the ground and Jed Adcock bringing vital experience to the group. At the draft, the Bulldogs strengthened their key defensive stocks with the highly regarded Kieran Collins and the mature aged Marcus Adams.
Despite this, the more negative view is that the Bulldogs will suffer a Port Adelaide 2015 style slump this season, which could see them missing finals. This is based usually on the assumption opposition teams will have ‘worked out’ the Bulldogs game plan by now, making it harder for their high-scoring, offensive game plan to succeed.
Doubters will also usually point to the reliance on veterans Murphy, Boyd and Morris, which could become an issue if their level of performance declines or they become injured.
On the other end of the age spectrum, if talented youngsters such as Bontempelli, Stringer and Macrae stagnate in their development this year, the team could struggle. One player who needs to stand up is Tom Boyd.
If he starts to fulfil the potential his price tag and number one draft pick status demand, it will make the Bulldogs forward line even stronger. The loss of Stewart Crameri for the year is a major blow, for he took one of the opposition’s best defenders every week, has a big tank and is a proven goal kicker.
It places more pressure on Stringer and Dickson to perform, which makes it vital Boyd or even Redpath becomes a strong forward target. Alternatively, Matt Suckling could help cover the loss of Crameri in the forward line; he certainly has the booming kick to do so.
Two players which I think are set for breakout seasons this year are Lachie Hunter and Jason Johannisen. Hunter was a player on the fringes of selection midway through last season and looked to be a wasted talent. But a move to the wing reinvigorated him, as he went on to average 29 disposals from Round 17 onwards.
He has the talent to join Bontempelli and Stringer as bona-fide stars in 2016. Similarly, Jason Johannisen has the capabilities to be a star, with his electric pace and improved disposal a highlight across half back last season.
While still in the shadow of Murphy and Wood, continued improvement could see him become elite this season. Also, Toby McLean only played four games last year before he suffered an untimely injury, but looked impressive in his limited opportunities. He is a sneaky chance for the Rising Star award this year.
Overall, whether the Bulldogs will improve or fall this year depends on whether they can find a viable ruck scenario, improve their one-on-one defending and continue to get the most from their talented youngsters and veterans.
If Tom Boyd stands up, Liberatore returns to his best and Kieran Collins and Marcus Adams strengthen the team’s one-on-one defending, the team will surely improve. With that in mind, I’m predicting finals again for the Bulldogs, but whether that be in the lower or higher reaches of top eight, is dependent on the many other factors outlined above and the performance of other teams looking to improve around them.
Best 22
B: Dale Morris, Fletcher Roberts, Easton Wood
HB: Robert Murphy, Marcus Adams, Jason Johannisen
C: Jack Macrae, Marcus Bontempelli, Lachie Hunter
HF: Luke Dahlhaus, Jake Stringer, Matt Suckling
F: Tory Dickson, Tom Boyd, Caleb Daniel
FOL: Will Minson, Tom Liberatore, Mitch Wallis
INT: Jordan Roughead, Lin Jong, Liam Picken, Matthew Boyd
Ladder prediction
6th
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