Recalibration or rebuild? Time for Western Bulldogs to tell truth on belief in their list
What is behind the Dogs’ downward spiral? And is it a terminal spiral which will become a full-on rebuild, or is Luke Beveridge just recalibrating his star-studded list? JAY CLARK investigates.
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The recalibration is on at the kennel.
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge almost said it on Friday night, but held his tongue because he has never been one to throw his players under a public bus in press conferences.
And at Round 6 there is still plenty of life in the season if they can find the spark.
But the reality is the same club which only nine months ago said it has a top-four list has probably worked out that is no longer the case.
And, as much as Beveridge will be hoping for a turnaround over the next few weeks, now is the time to tell the fans more of the brutal truth.
Two-and-a-bit years ago they led Melbourne by eight points at half-time of the 2021 Grand Final, but three years on and losses to the Saints and Fremantle away over the next fortnight would present an enormous crossroad for the red, white and blue ahead of a tough mid-year fixture.
Ask any Dogs’ fan where they are at and they’ll scratch their heads.
Perhaps the Dogs have been a bit unsure of themselves, too.
While the club has probably the best and most consistent player in the competition in Marcus Bontempelli, and Tom Liberatore gives his heart every week, it is clear that as talented as some of their teammates are, the Bulldogs’ biggest names include some of the most up-and-down performers in the competition.
And the reason why the coach keeps dropping and subbing some of his biggest names is not to do with their weekly possession totals which is what we often gravitate too.
It is their lack of speed which is crucial in the modern game and the missing defensive efforts without the ball that Beveridge has been tough on.
Jack Macrae is a ball magnet, but the midfield lacks pace.
Caleb Daniel is exquisite with the Sherrin, but the club wants more run off half back.
And Bailey Dale is an elite kick, too, but where is his man?
Ryley Sanders is also still learning the two-way game.
Rory Lobb was a yo-yo, Tim English might want the big money but got destroyed on Friday night and it will be a miracle if Bailey Smith isn’t elsewhere next year.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan could be anything and on Friday night showed superstar qualities, but the combination with Aaron Naughton and Cody Weightman has delivered rollercoaster results.
So Beveridge may not be rebuilding, but recalibrating on the run in the belief the team needs more youth and more leg speed and more consistency.
And the man who has held the back line together in recent times, Liam Jones, is 33, Liberatore is 31, and Sam Darcy should never play VFL again.
West Coast and Hawthorn may have fallen off a list cliff after their flags and ended up in deep holes, and Beveridge will be wary not to go down the same path.
But if they go down to the Saints on Thursday night they are 2-4 and it will be time to call a spade a spade after chief executive Ameet Bains said mid-last year “yeah we do (have a top-four list)”.
“They haven’t played consistently at that level and the analysis will show that,” Bains said.
“But if you look at the nucleus of the team … they’re going as well as anyone in the competition and you build a side around that.”
But then why the slump, after last year after suffering an inexplicable loss to wooden-spooner West Coast and missing finals?
Former Collingwood and Carlton superstar Dale Thomas said on Triple M on Sunday “They are so hard to rank, their list is stacked”.
Beveridge is clearly up for the fight, and will say he has a lot of coaching in the tank.
That is what it looks like.
He would be an attractive option for another club.
The joint was humming when he took them to a flag in 2016 after a magic carpet ride through September.
Their connection was off the charts and their handball skills out of congestion were just about the best in it.
The Dogs ate out of Bevo’s hands back then, and the club has backed him in until the end of next year.
So there is time from that perspective, we think.
But is the locker room affected by the selection ring-a-rosy?
Certainly, the club cannot pretend it is a top-four contender and then behind the scenes plot a different course.
Perhaps it is time to tell us what that course is, because if it is a recalibration or rebuild then the results won’t seem as puzzling or indeed as disappointing if there is more than one eye to the future?
But would that sort of admission turn the players off and ignite an even worse downward spiral? Would rivals make a play for ‘Bonti?’
The coach is trying to keep everyone engaged. It certainly feels on edge.
This fortnight is massive for the Dogs because the Saints have not nearly as much talent, but loads more running power and intent at the moment.
It was a miracle the Saints got within one point of GWS Giants on Saturday considering the difference in draft riches between the two sides.
And this week the Saints will try and burn the Dogs on the outside.
Then it is Fremantle away, followed by a tough mid-year fixture.
The pain may be coming for the Dogs, as they prepare to weed out the inconsistent ones on the list.
Beveridge even sort of said it, in a yes but no sort of a way.
“The players themselves have created an internal pressure for spots and that is all OK if you end up being a formidable team,” Beveridge said.
“Right now, we are not.
“Whether or not there is any pain as we evolve and move into the future because it is all about the now and what is up next and what is up next year.
“I understand if people are unsure about where we sit in the scheme of things.”
If the Dogs do know where are at, it is time to tell us. And if it is not a rebuild of sorts, what is it?
St Kilda great Leigh Montagna said the list on its own didn’t tell the full story at the kennel, and that Beveridge was right to make a selection stand.
“There is a lot more to a successful footy team; there is the coaching, the system that you play, the culture. There’s all these other factors that come into being a good team, not just names on paper,” Montagna said on Triple M.
“Over a couple of years now they have shown they are consistently inconsistent.
“They conceded run-ons as much as any team in the competition.
“We don’t see the work behind the ball and that is what Luke Beveridge might have had enough of and said ‘I don’t care if you get the ball 30 times’.
“’If you aren’t helping us win games and consistently win games, we will move past you.”
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