AFL 2022 Radar: 'Will the real Western Bulldogs please stand up'

The Western Bulldogs are a strange team. They have been ever since Luke Beveridge took over as coach for 2015.

The Dogs set the pace in the first half of 2021, racing to a 9-1 record and handing out some fearful thumpings along the way.

They scored freely and often, and looked every inch the premiership fancy.

From Round 11 onwards however, they could only go 6-6. Sitting on top of the ladder after Round 20 with a percentage of 142, they lost their last three home and away matches, to Essendon, Hawthorn (where they could only kick five goals), and Port at Marvel Stadium after kicking the first four goals of the game.

It sent the Dogs tumbling to fifth, hitting a series of cut-throat finals while out of form.

Essendon completely outplayed the Dogs in the first two-and-a-half quarters of the elimination finals, but couldn’t convert their chances in the rain. Meanwhile, the Dogs kicked five of their first seven goals from questionable free kicks. They were valuable in a low-scoring game.

Beveridge’s boys got the rub of the green again against Brisbane, with an undeserved victory against the Lions at the Gabba. They parlayed their good fortune into a demolition of a Port Adelaide that didn’t turn up in the prelim.

They played some great footy in the grand final, but it all ultimately caught up with them as Melbourne piled on what must have been the greatest blitzkrieg of goals in grand final history.

Will the real Western Bulldogs please stand up.

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

What’s new?
Not a great deal.

The Dogs had been active players in the trade and free-agency space across 2020-21, bringing in the likes of Adam Treloar, Stef Martin, Mitch Hannan, Alex Keath and Josh Bruce. The only player they’ve brought in this time around was Tim O’Brien, to provide some tall insurance given Bruce is on the comeback trail from an ACL.

The list build has been a good one from the Dogs, with a lot of homegrown talent. Their time is now.

Star on the rise
Bailey Smith, not yet 21 last September, was arguably the player of the finals, the exploits of Christian Petracca notwithstanding.

He did it all, winning his own ball, running harder than anyone else late in games, kicking goals, and seizing big moments. He kicked the Dogs last two goals in that final against Brisbane, winning them the game. And he was best on ground when the game was on the line against Port in the prelim.

He’s probably passed Treloar, Josh Dunkley, Tom Liberatore and Lachie Hunter in terms of midfield importance, but still has Jack Macrae and Marcus Bontempelli in front. What a midfield group, by the way.

Looking outside Smith, Laitham Vandermeer has something special about him. He’s got lovely touch, classy moves and while his stats are yet to be significant, he finds ways to be involved. Looking forward to seeing him develop further now that he has 23 games under his belt.

Who’s under the pump?
Tim English will turn 25 before the season is out and is now in his sixth year of AFL football.

He’s looked a player from early in his career, but was built like a stripling and has needed time to develop. Stef Martin was brought in last year because the brains trust still didn’t trust English to shoulder the ruck load.

To be fair, he started last year really strongly. He’d taken 13 contested marks and kicked eight goals after four matches, playing as a foil to Naughton and Bruce up forward, while also doing his share of ruckwork. Martin got injured and he reverted back to being the main ruckman, and played some decent footy.

By finals time, English was in no man’s land. Sam Draper and Oscar McInerney outplayed him in the first two finals when he was lead ruck, then Martin returned and he had no real impact against Port or Melbourne.

The time is now for him to announce exactly what type of player he’s going to be at the highest level.

Also, where is Jamarra Ugle-Hagan at? We saw a couple of glimpses against Gold Coast and Adelaide late last year, but No.1 draft picks don’t get to sneak under the radar. Let’s see some results.

Best-case scenario
When you lose a grand final, there’s only one rung of improvement you can take. And everyone at the Dogs will have their eye on that prize.

The depth of the aforementioned midfield means they can dominate possession like few other teams in the league. When they are running in waves and sharing the ball around with pinpoint skill by hand and foot, they are close to unstoppable.

Can they eliminate their really poor performances? They kicked 20-plus goals a couple of times, as well as 17 in the prelim against Port. But a team of this quality can’t go around being held to five goals against the Hawks.

They can certainly go all the way, and avenge last year’s grand final defeat. But they’ve got some work to do.

(Photo by Rob Blakers/Getty Images)

Worst-case scenario
They should have too much depth to miss the eight, even if some injuries strike. So that’s their floor.

Most people have Melbourne and the Bulldogs well clear of the pack as we commence this season, but they’ve got some problems.

The Dogs only had four players kick more than 20 goals last year, and the best of them, Josh Bruce, won’t be around for the first half of the season. Is Ugle-Hagan ready to make a mark?

Down back, there is still a vulnerability around Alex Keath and Zaine Cordy. If one of them goes down, either Josh Schache or Tim O’Brien might be forced to fill in, neither of which inspires confidence.

The Dogs showed late last season that they are far from rock solid. It wouldn’t be truthful to say they pick and choose their moments, but they’re not uncompromising either. It’s something they need to become in order to win it all.

Best 22
B Hayden Crozier Zaine Cordy Taylor Duryea
HB Caleb Daniel Alex Keath Bailey Dale
C Jack Macrae Marcus Bontempelli Lachie Hunter
HF Adam Treloar Aaron Naughton Bailey Smith
F Cody Weightman Josh Bruce Mitch Hannan
Foll Tim English Josh Dunkley Tom Liberatore
Int Stef Martin Bailey Williams Jason Johannisen Laitham Vandermeer