The pre-finals bye weekend is the perfect moment for some reflection, and what better case for introspection than the club that was the first beneficiary of the bye, two years ago.
Since that drought-breaking premiership, the Western Bulldogs have failed to make finals in two successive seasons, and this year, at times, looked a long, long way off the mark.
Being the first team to win the premiership from seventh, and the first to do it from outside the top four under the current final-eight system, it’s tempting to view that one month of finals football as being a bit of a lucky break.
They certaintly were assisted by the bye weekend, with two or three of their better players being able to return from injury, while their opponent in that first finals game, the Eagles, lost a bit of momentum from having the break.
However, we shouldn’t view that seventh position in the manner one normally would. The Dogs won 15 games that year. In 1993, Essendon only needed 13 wins to top the ladder, and in 1998, the Bulldogs finished second with 15 wins.
Nevertheless, the last two seasons make that 2016 premiership look like a bit of a flash in the pan.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
In October 2016, Dogs fans were on top of the world: premiership, record memberships, record profits, all merchandise sold out, and on it went.
On top of that, look at all the players who were going to come back from injury: Bob Murphy, Matt Suckling, Mitch Wallis, Marcus Adams, Jack Redpath and Lin Jong – our list was rock solid!
So many young players in their first, second and third year of footy were in that team: Marcus Bontempelli, Josh Dunkley, Toby McLean, Tom Boyd and Caleb Daniel.
The immediate future looked bright, we were on the verge of a dynasty.
The thing is, in the history of the game, no exact team of 22 who have won a grand final have ever appeared together in a game again… ever.
In the Dogs’ case, this would become evident within a week of the premiership. Even before celebrations had completed, Joel Hamling announced that he was returning to Western Australia.
Within 12 months, the whole back six had been decimated: Hamling gone, Morris and Wood injured for long periods, Fletcher Roberts barely played a senior game, Matt Boyd retired at the end of the 2017 season, and Biggs had lingering injury concerns that forced him into early retirement mid-way through this year.
Premiership heroes Liam Picken and Tom Boyd have had to face up to their own demons – concussion and depression, respectively – and have had extended periods away from the game across the two seasons.
Like Shane Biggs, Clay Smith has had persistent injury woes over the journey, and he too announced his intention to retire early mid-way through this season, at the tender age of 25.
Clay Smith (AAP Image/Craig Golding)
For the whole of the last season, enigmatic forward Jake Stringer had to deal with a variety of personal issues, which ultimately forced him to consider a move to Essendon.
Elite ball-winner Tom Liberatore, son of a bulldog Brownlow winner, missed most of the season due to a serious leg injury.
So less than 24 months after winning the grand final, the Bulldogs had maybe 14 players to choose from who had played in the 2016 decider, and of those, a few have been out of form since that day, with others destined to go to other clubs in the off-season.
Considering how young the team was that won the premiership, it’s incredible that coach Luke Beveridge appears to have worked overtime to make the team even younger the last two seasons. It’s unclear whether it’s by design, or forced by a long injury list, but it has been happening.
This season, virtually all first and second-year players have seen game time. Most rounds, the Bulldogs were either the youngest team or the most inexperienced in terms of games played. There was at least one game where up to five players had fewer than ten games.
Does this point to some masterplan on the part of Bevo which is meant to come to fruition in the next season or two?
Most fans would like to think so, that there is method in the madness. Regardless, it has been a pretty big fall in a short period of time and all we can do is what the supporters of ten other clubs are doing right now: hope for better times next season.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
I think that the additional factor with the Pies was that any coach always has problems in coaching the players if he played with them. There are always issues about the players dealing with the change in the relationship. For the most part the players moved on by Buckley did not go well elsewhere, though good on Shaw for what he did for GWS. But, by his own admission it forced greater responsibility on to him and he felt it was a great thing.
IAP
Guest
You're probably pretty much on the money there.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
People claim the Magpies dismantled a premiership list from 2012 yet look at what is happening with the Dogs in just 2 years of footy. Biggs, Dalhaus, Stringer, Picken, Smith, Hamling, Murphy, Boyd, etc....It just happens as a mix of go home factors, fresh start, retirements.... Funnily enough no one is shouting that Bevo has dismantled a premiership list, why? Because the Dogs don't have the hate of other fans like the Pies so don't really care.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Thanks FT.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
Insightful and informative article. Thanks
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Thanks PD.
IAP
Guest
Pumping, I suspect that Adams is a bit of a lemon. It was well known that he was injury prone before the Dogs picked him up, and I suspect that's why he went so low in his draft year (35th). He, along with Wood, is definitely predisposed to injury.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
Good article EJ. I'm comfortable with where things are at. We have the most promising young list in the AFL. All of our best players are very young and these blokes will improve and be peaking together in 3 to 5 years. Bevo is a brilliant coach. We were hurt by injuries to our more seasoned / hardened bodies this year. If we get as lucky as Richmond and Geelong with injuries, there's no reason why we can't return to finals next year. We need full seasons from Libber, Boyd, Adams and Picken to compliment our regulars from this year, plus further improvement across the group.
IAP
Guest
Boyd played 11 games last year and 12 games this year, but I agree, he needs to get some continuity going. He seems to be very much a confidence player, and he probably needs more fitness; both of those would be helped by continuity. I suspect he's one of those players who dominated junior footy because he was so big, and not necessarily because of elite natural talent, so he got taken too high in the draft. Time will tell, but hopefully he'll get some confidence and mongrel in him and come good. At the moment, Schache looks much more like a natural forward, so maybe 2nd ruck/forward is the position for him. He'll be 23 season, and in his sixth year - the time for him to make an impact is now.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
IAP Thanks for the considered response. I understand they've got big wraps on English, so they are probably expecting him to step up sooner rather than later. At one point, Tom Boyd was looking like he could become a handy tall forward/2nd ruck, but he's now basically had two years off footy. He's still young enough to make something of his career, but he can't afford another whole year off.
IAP
Guest
That's a good summary of what's happened at the Dogs. Hopefully this forced use of the young blokes will be a blessing in disguise, but we probably won't know for another couple of years. I like the note about their 15 wins in 2016 too - many forget how strong a team the Dogs were in 2016, and think that they pulled something out of the bag for one month. That's just not true. They were dominating teams for the first part of the year, until injuries to key players tempered things. They got those players back for finals and away they went again. 15 wins will get top 4 in many years - the Crows finished first last year with 15 wins. I think the Dogs will be strong all over the park in the next couple of years, except for in the ruck. I can't for the life of me work out why they're not throwing the cheque book at Lycett. They need a big monster of a ruckman badly. None of Trengove, Roughead and Boyd are ruckmen, and English needs a couple of years in the gym. I just don't get it. They should be targetting Preuss in this year's trade period - he's a massive unit and he's a competitor. That's what they need - someone who can at least nullify the big ruckmen in the league. Losing Dahlhaus is a blessing in disguise too - he just can't kick. It burns them every week. Anyone can apply pressure if they have the right mindset, but kicking requires natural ability. It's not a coincidence that the Dogs moved the ball better in the latter part of this year when he was injured. Hopefully they'll get a reasonable draft pick for him, because it's slim pickings for them after the first round, which they're going to get shafted on because other teams are so crap.