It was another trying season for the Western Bulldogs and Brendan McCartney in 2013, but if their form at the back end of the season is anything to go by then the future is bright for the men from Footscray.
On the field it was difficult year as the team continues to move on from the successful Rodney Eade era which saw the club reach three consecutive preliminary finals between 2008 and 2010.
Excellent wins were mixed in with disappointing losses, and these losses highlighted some of the key issues in the Bulldogs’ 2013 season.
What went right
The Bulldogs started the season with a crushing 68-point victory over the Brisbane Lions.
It wouldn’t be until Round 9 that they would taste victory again, with a narrow nine-point victory over fallen rivals St Kilda.
This kick-started a period in which they would split their last fourteen games down the middle (seven wins and seven losses).
Among the club’s other notable wins were a narrow four-point escape against the GWS Giants in Canberra, as well as victories over West Coast, Carlton, Adelaide and Melbourne in the final six rounds of the season.
Two players were nominated for the AFL Rising Star award during the year – Jackson Macrae and Michael Talia in rounds 8 and 15 respectively.
Those nominations, and the four wins from their last six matches, suggest that the future is bright for the Western Bulldogs in 2014.
What went wrong
Following the victory over the Brisbane Lions in Round 1 the club lost its next seven matches by an average of 46.3 points.
That was a clear indication that the Bulldogs weren’t as competitive in those seven losses, though the smallest margin in that streak came against Geelong in Round 5.
Finishing 15th marked the second year in a row in which the boys from Footscray had finished in that position.
This is the worst period of on-field performance for the Dogs since 2003-4, when they finished 16th and 14th in those years.
The team also narrowly avoided the double-embarrassment of losing to the AFL’s two newest clubs (Gold Coast and GWS) by registering a narrow four-point victory over the latter in Round 15 (this coming after they lost to the Suns by 32 points in Round 8).
The future
Western Bulldogs fans will enter 2014 with a high sense of optimism given it won four of their last six matches of this season.
The players are starting to understand the standards set by Brendan McCartney. McCartney is a no-nonsense coach who, as an assistant coach at Geelong, oversaw the 2007 and 2009 flags and knows what it is like to experience success.
The future of some of the club’s senior players will also come under the spotlight next year, none more so than ageing veteran Daniel Giansiracusa.
The club will also hope to play a big part in the AFL draft over the next few months.
Questions that the fans will want answered in 2014
– Will their form over the second half of the season (seven wins, seven losses from 14 matches) be an indication of progress, or will it be another false dawn?
– Will Daniel Giansiracusa play on after 2014?
– Will Brendan McCartney earn a contract extension?
And last, but not least
– Can the Western Bulldogs climb up the ladder in 2014?
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