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Five reasons to watch the Bulldogs in 2020

4th March, 2020
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Roar Guru
4th March, 2020
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Seeking an in-depth analysis of each club’s chances in 2020? You’ve come to the wrong place. Looking for an off-kilter and slightly unhinged reason to watch each club in 2020? Step into my office.

Tom Liberatore
Society, let alone sport, wasn’t designed for people like this. His ideal job? Unemployed. Spirit animal? Guinea pig. Briefly broke the internet with his Simpsons deep-cut tattoos. Descended to one of the biggest pests to ever pull on the boots, due to his questionable tagging techniques. Delivered an all-time post-premiership interview.

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Dig a little deeper, though, and little Tom is articulate. A poetry enthusiast. Rupi Kaur best watch her back. Won a best and fairest for the Bulldogs while just 22. Co-holds the record for most tackles in an AFL game with 19 (achieved against Melbourne in 2016). A contested-ball fiend, tackling enthusiast, and damaging midfielder when fit, he ruptured his ACL in 2018. Returned with gusto in 2019 before again injuring his knee in Round 13 against Carlton.

Season 2020 could see Libba rise again. Are we, as a footballing world, ready?

Aaron Naughton
I don’t claim to be a theologian. So I don’t know much about the strength of the Galilean Football League circa 20AD. What I do know is that Jesus Christ probably wouldn’t have played in the back line. This is a man who turned water into wine.

I also know that Aaron Naughton put such a biblical beat down on Richmond in Round 7 of 2019 that Damian Hardwick himself categorically stated that Jesus had no chance of stopping him.

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Aaron Naughton

(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos/Getty Images)

Considering he attended Kolbe Catholic College, the Astro Naught probably has his own views on this matter. They’re not important.

What is important – from a Bulldogs supporter’s perspective – is that this contested marking beast of a swingman has signed on until 2024. The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the tyranny of evil backmen. In 2020, Naughton will continue to execute great vengeance on them.

Marcus Bontempelli
Marcus Bontempelli is a 24-year-old three-time best-and-fairest-winning premiership player. He is also the purest of souls, who stated that as a footballer he wants to be remembered for being honest. The Age described him as the “Western Bulldogs’ Mr. Perfect”. He took his mum to the Brownlow in 2016. Filmed a terribly innocent audition for The Bachelor in his rookie year.

This is a man who would carry your nan’s shopping to her car after paying for the aforementioned groceries. Someone who operates on a such a level that Toby Greene was sufficiently motivated to go full pariah and gouge his eyes. The only slightly un-redeeming feature I can find is that he’s an inaccurate goal-kicker (put up figures of 15.27 in 2019, a career record of 115.109). He’s on track to be among the greatest players of all time for the red, white and blue. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

The Bont meets his people

(AAP Image/Scott Barbour)

Alex Keath
Two roads diverged in a wood, and Alex took the one less travelled by. Peter Hanlon wrote in 2014: “That he still can’t escape football’s searing light makes [Keath’s] determination to be the best cricketer he can be all the more admirable. Without doubt, he chose the harder road”. Considering he lost his Cricket Victoria contract at the end of the that 2014-15 summer, he surely did.

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By late 2015 Keath was suitably nostalgic about his underage football exploits and the searing lights of the Adelaide Crows were soon on the horizon. Come Round 8 2019, the former Australian under-19 all-rounder had consolidated his spot as a dangerous intercept defender following two best-on-ground performances (and a Showdown Medal to boot).

However, Adelaide seemingly didn’t value Keath’s travelling exploits as much as others, and so the road again diverged. All the way to Whitten Oval. Averages of 16.3 touches, 8.3 intercept possessions and 4.7 ground ball gets (all apparently considered ‘elite’ by Champion Data) no doubt have Bulldogs fans salivating.

Release the hounds
Halfway through 2019 the Bulldogs were floundering with a 4-7 record. It seemed as though it would be another disappointing season for the boys from Whitten Oval, following finishes of tenth (11-11) and 13th (8-14) since their miraculous run to the 2016 premiership.

However, no-one told Bont and co. that their season was over. So it was that a week after embarrassing Essendon (booting a staggering 21 unanswered goals) they launched a second-half blitzkrieg against GWS (kicking 10.9 to 0.5 after half time) to propel them into September action.

Unfortunately, the pre-finals bye allowed the Giants to regroup, plan out their skirmish on Bont, and run away 58-point winners. Many think the Western Bulldogs will rediscover their bite in 2020. Lock in Round 3 (Friday 3 April) as the night we see whether there’s a bit of junkyard dog in the Sons of the West as they seek revenge on GWS.

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