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Devastating injuries leave Western Bulldogs at a crossroads

Mitch Wallis was injured and will miss the rest of the season.
Roar Rookie
25th July, 2016
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The Doggies’ tough Saturday night loss to St Kilda was made even worse by the heartbreaking season-ending injuries to Mitch Wallis and Jack Redpath.

The Bulldogs dropped from third to seventh place after the 15-point loss and now face an uphill battle to reclaim a spot in the top four. They are still even on points with second place GWS and all the sides in-between.

Yet the loss of critical players in the past weeks may be detrimental to the Bulldogs premiership aspirations.

Wallis and Redpath are likely to miss up to 12 months of football, with Wallis breaking both his tibia and fibula when he was bumped and kicked his own leg and Redpath rupturing his ACL after changing direction.

Both players went down in the final quarter leaving the Bulldogs with one interchange for the remainder of the game, due to a hamstring injury to Dale Morris, who did not return after halftime.

Morris is also likely to miss next week’s crucial game with Geelong at Simmonds Stadium.

The Bulldogs season has already been plagued with injuries to major players, beginning with the loss of captain Robert Murphy in Round 3 loss to Hawthorn. Many believed that the Bulldogs had the potential to succeed in finals footy after a breakthrough 2015 that ended in an elimination final loss to Adelaide.

Yet, the overriding fact that they lost a considerable amount of on-field experience in Murphy, left pundits questioning the young side’s ability to play under adversity. Yet, the Bulldogs season has been everything but unsuccessful so far, despite with the numerous issues on and off the field.

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With the loss of Wallis, Redpath and Morris the Bulldogs will look their reserve ranks for support, with an abundance of young talent knocking on the door for senior selection.

Jake Stringer looks a likely inclusion in Friday night’s clash against the Cats, after a week off from an AC Joint obtained in Round 17.

Stringer will be a significant addition to the Dogs forward line without Redpath and Tom Boyd still regaining form after extended sideline stint with injury and suspension.

Further news is still to come throughout the week on Luke Dahlhaus who has not played since injuring his knee against Port Adelaide in Round 12. Marcus Adams is also expecting to return and will be needed to bolster a depleted backline.

Joel Hamling, Bailey Dale, Lukas Webb will all be options for the selection panel after consistent performances in the VFL.

The stark reality for the Bulldogs is that with finals just around the corner they must remain resilient in a challenging week for the players and the club, shifting their focus to a must-win game against Geelong.

Two wins from the next two weeks against top sides Geelong and North Melbourne will be crucial if they want to finish in the top four and have a realistic chance of playing in a grand final.

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