The Bulldogs shaped as a fancied premiership hopeful going into 2020, but after just one game there are serious questions surrounding the 2016 premiers’ hopes of reaching the pinnacle.
There was no doubt heading into Round 1 that the match of the round was the Western Bulldogs versus Collingwood, two contenders going head-to-head on the opening weekend. This was a game that would help us see just how legitimate both teams are.
The Bulldogs were dominated, the Pies had all the time and space you could wish for and the typical Round 1 intensity was nowhere to be seen from the Bulldogs. They showed almost no resistance and went without so much as a whimper.
Their strength is their midfield. They bat incredibly deep but so do most midfields at the pointy end of the ladder.
They weren’t able to dictate to Collingwood’s engine room and they lost all control of the game. They don’t have a strong enough forward line to stay in games when their midfield isn’t winning first use. Not against the better teams anyway.
Tim English looks to be a bright spark for the future but the way he was rag-dolled by Brodie Grundy posed questions about whether he is ready to be the number one ruckman in a premiership side. If he were to meet Grundy again in finals action, would he be able to stand up?
(AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)
Their defence was all over the place, as can so often happen when their is little to no pressure on the ball when it is coming inside 50. Their game is largely based on winning the ball out of the midfield and moving it quickly by hands to escape congestion, however a good pressure side won’t allow that to happen with ease.
Collingwood were on the Bulldogs’ tail all game and there seemed to be no obvious plan B to turn to.
The Dogs’ midfield is as strong as any in the competition and their ball use makes their smaller forward line to shine despite what often shape up as mismatches.
Marcus Bontempelli may just be the game’s best player and he has the ability to carry a team over the line with X-factor way beyond his years, while Josh Dunkley can both tag and win his own ball, making him one of the league’s best two-way midfielders.
If their midfield fires under the service of English they will be a very imposing figure in 2020. The questions sit on whether they have another way to win. Luke Beveridge has other ideas, but the question mainly looms over the Bulldogs’ ability to pull off whatever plan that is.
For the first time in perhaps many years, there is expectation on the Bulldogs. Even in 2017 after their incredible premiership success, there was an element of expectation that they wouldn’t be able to repeat the same heroics.
If they aren’t able to hit the ground running when the season restarts, they may quickly find themselves back to the drawing board for this season and seasons ahead.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
Yeah Jacko was pretty good. I just rewatched the finals series and they were the players who stood out for me. The whole team definitely played at a high level all year - they were hard to play against every game except the one against Geelong, which happened to be the one game I went to...
Tim McEntee
Guest
Collingwood are like the doggies in that they have one great player, Grundie/Bontempelli, and a host of very good next level players. Where the two teams differ is that Collingwood have made the whole greater than the sum of the parts while the doggies are just the sum of the parts.
Jake Benoiton
Roar Rookie
No denying the Dogs ability, they're a class team but they've put the pressure on themselves. They can go deep but they need to improves dramatically from round one
Pingu
Guest
Bruh, explain how ur better?
Pingu
Guest
Obviously you have no idea what the bulldogs are cabable of. As a roar rookie, go criticise Collingwood or something
Marty Gleason
Roar Guru
Strongly disagree, to say the younger players (ie almost all of them) were not responsible for the premiership is blatantly false. They won because every single player delivered and because their midfield got the ball a lot more than the opposition. The midfield core were all 20-24 in 2016. The player most responsible for the win IMO was Macrae, just turned 22. M Boyd, Picken, Dickson and Morris provided solidity and experience but they were not the number one factor in them winning. To say Stringer was a key factor is pushing it to a comical degree if you look up his stats.
Marty Gleason
Roar Guru
Strongly disagree. Premiership was mostly won by the team's uniform consistency and by the midfield getting the ball heaps more than the opposition, that midfield core were all 20-24 years old in 2016. MBoyd, Morris and Picken and Dickson provided good leadership and solidity but you cannot say the young players were not responsible for the win. At minimum, saying Stringer played a major part is really pushing it.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
I don't actually rate him very highly. Yes he gets a lot of the ball but his kicking is terrible. I've lost count of the times he's just chucked it on the boot or butchered it going into the forward line. His ball drop is too high and he has a bad habit of chipping it too high, which is cannon fodder for defenders. I've watched him in the warm up and he can't even deliver it properly with no pressure. The Dogs would be far better off with a better kick delivering the ball into the forward line from that left flank.
Charlie Keegan
Roar Guru
I also think them being without hunter for a few weeks is gonna hurt
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
Yep. That premiership was really won by Roughead, M Boyd, Picken, Stringer, Libba, Clay Smith, T Boyd, Murphy - mostly players who had been around a while
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
They were that bad; played like traffic cones.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Were they that bad in round one, or were the Pies that good? I guess we will see on June 11. If, as I expect, the Pies beat the reigning premier by 40+, perhaps it is the latter.
Charlie Keegan
Roar Guru
Hmmm a good article I think they fell into the “essendon trap” where they aggressively trade the previous year and just expect it all to come together. Don’t get me wrong they traded well last year, but I think they have a ways to go yet before they’ll fully challenge for a premiership.
Charlie Keegan
Roar Guru
I also think the elder statesmen of the club gave the younger players the self belief necessary to win and win well.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
On point. The Bulldogs may have gotten ahead of themselves in round one; they played like they just expected it to happen. There's still a real mental problem with this group; they tend to switch off at times, sometimes for several weeks in a row, only to turn it on again. Luke Beveridge has spoken about this so it's definitely being addressed in house. Good teams are hard to play against even when they're playing poorly, because they don't give up; the current Dogs team aren't there yet (there were in 2016). This needs to be addressed immediately; yes they're a young group, but the majority of their key players are entering their prime. The time to capitalise is now, not in a couple of years. Having Libba back will make a difference, but others need to stand up as well. They look pretty good on paper, but premierships are won between the ears.