Western Bulldogs blueprint: midfield key to success but defence a major concern for new coach
BRENDON McCartney did the hard work but will 2015 be the season we see the Western Bulldogs re-build bear fruit, asks David King.
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THINGS must have been pretty bad at Whitten Oval for Brendan McCartney to have been rushed out the door with two years left on his contract.
McCartney might well be the best assistant/development coach in the caper. He also could be a great senior coach but those who matter, Simon Garlick and Peter Gordon, think not.
THE HARD WORK STARTS NOW: BEVERIDGE
McCartney may be the Bruno Grollo of the Whitten Oval. He’s built the foundation and it is only now the development is above ground level that we will see the benefits.
The hard work is done.
Relationships were cited as the reason for the split as tough love was employed post-season. It’s hard to know because Ryan Griffen, the captain who raised the issues, also left.
Luke Beveridge has arrived at the perfect time. The development phase is almost bearing fruit and with the recruitment of Tom Boyd showed the Bulldogs’ intent to become a force again.
PROS
The Western Bulldogs are a genuinely tough unit, priding themselves on contested footy, particularly at ground level, where they’re the best.
This base has broadened from 2013’s No.1 contested possession ranking, giving Beveridge the knowledge that, at minimum, the Dogs can win their own ball.
The focus over the previous two to three seasons was to re-invent the midfield.
All top 30 draft selections have been midfield match-winners like Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae, Jake Stringer and Nathan Hrovat, who fall in behind the grunt work of 2014’s best-and-fairest, Tom Liberatore.
At 22, Liberatore is a contested ball machine around whom to build.
The midfield depth is set to command real attention from opposition clubs as McCartney’s list re-alignment has been almost flawless.
The gamble to sell the farm for Boyd will be a major talking point for years, but securing talent of that quality is, in itself, a positive.
The Bulldogs and St Kilda made the preliminary finals in 2010 and while their win/loss balance sheet since favours the Saints, the road to the next opportunity appears far more advanced for the Doggies.
CONS
The Western Bulldog defenders are the worst in the competition. No sugar coating. They seldom take intercept marks, the reason McCartney targeted Tom Lonergan with big dollars.
This is an unresolved issue. Puzzling why James Frawley was never linked to the Bulldogs.
There will be structural alterations and style changes but the Dogs must start tackling outside of stoppages if they are to improve or the defensive numbers will remain poor, individually and as a group. Beveridge must deny the opposition quality ball use forward of centre.
There appeared to be confusion at the Whitten Oval in the off-season.
Leigh Matthews has a simple yet effective strategy regarding roles and responsibilities for all involved — “Players play, coaches coach and administrators administrate”. Anything outside that and your organisation loses clarity.
I don’t think we’ll hear Peter Gordon doing the trade/free agency portfolio any time soon ...
The players that wanted change got it and the ball is now in their court.
Seven wins in 2014 and five loses by less than 10 points paints a rosy picture. Expect the Dogs to be in contention for the bottom bracket of the eight.
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