AFL preview series: Western Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs were the most thrilling story of the 2015 AFL year, rising from the ashes of a tumultuous off-season to become the soaring phoenix of the competition.

Their ‘run and gun’ style was compulsive watching, a blitzkrieg of speed from the back half undoing many a team that couldn’t shut them down. It took them all the way to sixth spot on the ladder and very nearly the second week of finals.

Read the rest of Cam’s AFL season previews here.

The questions about a side that rises so dramatically are always the same. Is it sustainable? Or was it just a flash in the pan?

The first thing that strikes about the Bulldogs line-up is that there are still plenty of unknown quantities and undeveloped mature talent in the side.

Using the above team as an example, Marcus Adams is yet to debut and Joel Hamling has only played 11 games. Jack Redpath has only suited up 15 times at senior level. These three are all in the 23 to 25-year-old age bracket.

The quirky thing is, those three are all spine players. The fourth key position member is Tom Boyd, a 20-year-old, having only played 23 AFL matches. Tom Campbell in the ruck is another case, 24, but with only 26 names to his credit.

A lot will be relied upon five big men with not a lot of football between them. It has to be a query. At least Will Minson and Jordan Roughead are in reserve and should be trying to force their way in. Coach Luke Beveridge values form over reputation.

Adams looks to have taken the full-back spot from Fletcher Roberts due to superior NAB Challenge form. It’s a sign of the Dogs under Beveridge. They don’t stand still on the field, but nor off it, ever improving to get the right mix of players.

Beveridge appears to have a different 22 in mind for each opposition, often making multiple changes to a winning team. It speaks to the strong culture he has built already, that players go in and out but still deliver on their role.

Dale Morris still has one more year in him, and is playing smaller these days. You know he’ll keep going until his heart is carved from his body and left on the field of play. Hamling is a negating defender with neat skills. He prefers to transfer the ball to a more natural run-and-carry player.

Speaking of running defenders, the Dogs have plenty of them.

Bob Murphy leads the way with composure and pinpoint skills. Jason Johannisen likes to shoot first and ask questions later. Easton Wood became intercept marker extraordinaire in 2016. Matthew Boyd went back there last season and still racked up the numbers. Shane Biggs in reserve is highly skilled and likes to kick it.

That doesn’t take into account new recruit Matthew Suckling, who made his name at the Hawks as a running backman with a laser left boot. He’ll likely be used more as a wingman and asked to penetrate the forward 50, as he did more at Hawthorn as time went on.

Jackson Macrae will run the other wing, but is a lot more inside than people probably give him credit for. It will surprise many to learn that he was a clear third for clearances at the Dogs last year.

It won’t surprise anyone to learn that Mitch Wallis and Marcus Bontempelli were ranked one and two for that stat at the club.

Wallis cemented his spot in the side as inside ball-winner, no doubt helped by Tom Liberatore’s absence, but is suited to the role anyway. His nose for a goal was important, and he’s good at finding a pocket of space after sneaking inside 50. He should relish the help of Libba’s return.

But the player we all love to love is Bontempelli. Ryan Buckland anointed him the best young player in the AFL two weeks ago, and it’s not hard to see why.

He is almost a hybrid of Scott Pendlebury and Nat Fyfe on the ground, given he doesn’t have the latter’s natural contested marking ability (but then who does).

The Bont wins his own ball at the coalface, but can’t be contained on the outside either when his gallop is up. Tough on the inside, smooth on the outside. Damaging in the forward half, and has the intangible x-factor of making something happen when all looks lost. He also tackles with intent, hard and often.

It’s going to be a privilege to watch him play footy throughout his career.

Luke Dahlhaus is the other prime mover at the Dogs, and arguably their most balanced and complete player. He’s good at everything, and gets better year on year. The beauty of this team is they have so many natural footballers. You can’t teach true footy smarts, and Dahlhaus has got them in spades.

The Dogs have an army of back-up mids that Beveridge has been able to harness. Liam Picken went from tagger to key runner. Lachie Hunter is ready to go next level with his outside run and skill. Koby Stevens has a role to play.

We spoke about Boyd and Redpath earlier, and a lot rests on those two sets of broad but inexperienced shoulders. Their job will be to present and contest, and hopefully take hold of a game or two along the way.

Tory Dickson had been a good average player in his first three seasons at the Dogs as a mature-age recruit, but became a show-stopper last year, kicking half a dozen bags of four or more, including five in the elimination final.

And what about his accuracy? His last 44 goals of the season were accompanied by only six behinds. That’s perverse.

The Dogs’ fast pace of play creates a lot of space and catches opposition defensive units on the hop. And a canny forward operator like Dickson gets to those spots ahead of time. He took 28 marks inside 50 last year, almost all of them unmanned.

Caleb Daniel burst onto the scene as one of the smallest men in the AFL. Built low to the ground, his balance is pure, his hands are sure, his disposal neat. He’ll have an impact again.

Jake Stringer is the bull of the forward line. As I wrote in Wednesday’s piece on our Roar Top 50, where Stringer was ranked at 25, he is powerful and explosive, a superb judge of flight, beautiful kick, light of foot and a great mark. He is impossible for almost any single defender to match-up on.

The loss of Stewart Crameri is a blow, but Beveridge is a ‘one door shuts, another bursts open’ coach. He’ll find a way to cover. Anyone, anytime, anywhere.

So the Dogs will again have lots of run and excitement from the backline, a midfield that is well balanced between inside and outside, and a multi-pronged forward line that will continue to create match-up problems for a lot of defences.

On top of this, they have two of the most outstanding young prospects in the game, both of which look likely to be rated in the top ten in the competition at some stage.

The Dogs were ranked fourth for points for in 2015, and sixth for points against. It’s the right mix, going in the right direction. If they can bump up one or two spots in each category, that should have them in the top four.

Beveridge will be looking to coach the costly lapses in games out of them. They can generate their own irresistible momentum, but are often helpless to stem the tide when it turns against them. This is what happens with a side that is still young in both age and experience.

The Dogs open the season at their favoured Etihad against Fremantle. What a clash of styles we get to digest on opening weekend! Geelong versus Hawthorn has match-of-the-round status sown up, but this one isn’t far behind.

Most will pick the Western Bulldogs to slide, and the bookies have them tenth in the betting for a top-four spot. You can bet Beveridge doesn’t see it.

It’s very difficult to predict how teams are going to play before the season starts, but he’ll have something up his sleeve if people think other clubs have worked the Dogs out.

Predicted ladder spread: 3rd-8th

Predicted finish: 4th

Best and fairest: Marcus Bontempelli

Leading goalkicker: Jake Stringer

All-Australian potential: Marcus Bontempelli, Jake Stringer, Luke Dahlhaus, Mitch Wallis, Easton Wood

Rising Star candidates: Caleb Daniel, Josh Dunkley, Kieran Collins

Current ladder
4. Western Bulldogs
5. Geelong
6. Richmond
7. Sydney
8. Greater Western Sydney
9. Collingwood
10. Adelaide
11. North Melbourne
12. Melbourne
13. Gold Coast
14. Port Adelaide
15. St Kilda
16. Brisbane
17. Carlton
18. Essendon