Gary Buckenara analyses the Western Bulldogs list after the 2021 season
Tim English spent a lot of time up forward in 2021 and the Dogs are in the market for another ruckman. How does recruiting expert Gary Buckenara rate the young tall?
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The Western Bulldogs might have missed out on the major prize this year but the strength of their list means there’s plenty of ammunition for another flag assault.
The Bulldogs’ list is well-balanced with 23 A and B-ranked players, six future AB players, with Bailey Smith the obvious to be a future star, and some very handy C-grade depth players to call on to cover injuries during a season.
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They were the most consistent team right up until the last month of the regular season when their form slipped and they lost games they should have won.
Losing forward Josh Bruce to injury was certainly a blow so late in the season.
It has been a brutally tough couple of years for all clubs having to cope with the uncertainties Covid has thrown up at short notice, and the Bulldogs were seemingly handling this very well.
But they could have had a big month of training loads in preparation for the finals, which could explain the drop-off in performance and looking sluggish late in the season.
There were shades of 2016 when they won the flag the hard way from playing elimination finals and, again, most people expected them to lose to Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
But the Bulldogs produced a classic finals performance to defeat Port in the preliminary final – their best ultimately coming one week too soon.
The Dogs will be hurting hard after a Grand Final loss to Melbourne – and a big one at that.
They now need to review and use this loss as motivation as this group has what it takes to win a premiership.
Western Bulldogs supporters should keep the faith as their club is in good shape and I am certain the group will bounce back hard and be a contender again in 2022.
LIST NEEDS
The Bulldogs boast 23 A and B-grade players on their list, headlined by Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae and Adam Treloar, while I believe Tim English has also moved into that echelon. The Dogs also have six future AB ranked players that should develop into top-line players.
But Smith, Aaron Naughton and Cody Weightman are playing A-grade football now, which tells us why the Bulldogs have been a team in contention to win a flag.
They also have some very good C-rated players and Stefan Martin should be a B-grade if not for the injuries which have stopped him getting on the park.
Overall, the Bulldogs have a well-balanced squad and there shouldn’t be too many changes.
TRADE TARGETS
The Bulldogs will be in the market to add any free agents or out of contract players to bolster their top-end talent if the opportunity arises.
UNTOUCHABLES
All the A, B and developing players. I expect changes will be minimal and players at the back end of C-grade will be the ones to make way for the compulsory changes.
TRADE BAIT
As mentioned in previous columns, it’s unlikely too many clubs will be looking to trade out players to get into this year’s draft given the difficulties watching talent live around the country due to Covid.
So clubs will look at the minimum list changes and the Bulldogs should be a club that largely keeps the status quo for 2022.
Fringe defender Lewis Young has requested a trade to Carlton and maybe a player like Mitch Wallis, who at his best would be a top-22 player at most clubs, might seek greener pastures elsewhere for more opportunity.
Patrick Lipinski has requested a trade to Collingwood and the Bulldogs should be looking to get a second-round selection from the Magpies. But will the Pies be able to get one if they want the points for Nick Daicos?
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WHAT THE RATINGS MEAN
List management is one of the most important jobs at an AFL club.
Poor decisions can be catastrophic — and Collingwood proved that last year.
Far too many clubs can often hold an overly-optimistic view when ranking their own lists and this can lead to years of mediocrity and has Carlton done this recently?
When clubs are rating their lists, they should rank players as: A+, A, B+, B, C+, C and Development.
In this list analysis, I have just done A, B, C and two tiers of development (“future AB players” and “need more time”) because with the younger players it is important to see who is coming through and those that need more time.
The important area for clubs to look at is how many A and B ranked players they have as well as future consistent AB players.
These rankings are my opinions, but they should give supporters a reasonable snapshot as to where their playing list sits now — and how they might look in a few years’ time.
Players 22 and over
A-grade: Elite players on any AFL list
B-grade: Top 10-18 player on most lists
C-grade: An 19-30 player on a list
Developing: Aged 21 or under
Future AB players: These are players that will hopefully develop into an A or B ranked player once they turn 22. They might be playing to this level now, but it takes sustained years.
Need more time: These players would be a player recently drafted that is still developing and therefore will need more time to see if he is likely to develop into an A or B grade player.
RATING THE BULLDOGS LIST
A-grade: Adam Treloar, Marcus Bontempelli, Josh Dunkley, Lachie Hunter, Jack Macrae, Tom Liberatore, Bailey Dale, Caleb Daniel, Tim English.
B-grade: Mitch Wallis, Hayden Crozier, Easton Wood, Zaine Cordy, Josh Schache, Taylor Duryea, Josh Bruce, Laitham Vandermeer, Mitch Hannan, Bailey Williams, Roarke Smith, Jason Johannisen, Alex Keath, Ryan Gardner.
C-grade: Lewis Young, Stefan Martin, Toby McLean, Ben Cavarra, Patrick Lipinski, Anthony Scott, Will Hayes, Jordan Sweet.
DEVELOPING
Future AB players: Bailey Smith, Rhylee West, Cody Weightman, Ed Richards, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Aaron Naughton.
Need more time: Louis Butler, Buku Khamis, Dominic Bedendo, Lachlan McNeil, Riley Garcia.
Retired/delisted: Lin Jong (retired).
WESTERN BULLDOGS LIST BREAKDOWN
A-grade: 9
B-grade: 14
C-grade: 8
Developing
Future ABplayers: 6
Need more time: 5
CRYSTAL BALL
The never-say-die attitude we saw from the Bulldogs en route to their 2016 premiership surfaced again in the preliminary final against Port Adelaide.
After some fairly ordinary performances in the last month of the home-and-away season, they showed great determination to beat Brisbane at the Gabba and then the Power at Adelaide Oval in a whitewash.
The amount of talent on the list is there for everyone to see in the rankings and credit must go to the club’s list management, recruiting teams and Luke Beveridge and his coaches.
The Bulldogs are capable of winning multiple flags in the next five years with the talented list they have assembled.
But this presents a challenge for them not to waste these chances while they are there. Time can get away from clubs with a talented list if they don’t grab the opportunities as Melbourne has just done this year.
The Bulldogs need to harness the disappointment of their Grand Final loss to motivate them towards a big 2022.
The talent is there for the Bulldogs but they need to be careful not to waste these moments and look back with regret.
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