A look at some of the key takeaways from Sunday’s loss to Carlton.
The debutants showed plenty
Bulldogs fans knew what they were getting when they recruited Footscray’s Will Hayes in last year’s NAB AFL Draft - a skilful, hard running midfielder with a knack of finding the footy.
He did his reputation no harm on debut, finishing with 21 disposals, seven marks and seven score involvements on the wing.
Fellow debutant Lachie Young, a 20-year-old rookie from the Dandenong Stingrays, could also be proud of his first effort at the elite level.
Young was thrown into defence against the Blues and showed some promising signs with his athleticism, highlighted by a strong pack mark in the first quarter.
He finished with 12 disposals, three tackles and four marks.
IN THE ROOMS – ROUND 5: WILL HAYES SPEAKS TO BULLDOGS MEDIA
Capitalising is key
In their last three games, the Bulldogs have halved or won the inside 50 count against their opponents, but lost each game.
The Dogs’ win over Hawthorn in Round 2 was the only time in the first five rounds they have scored more goals than points in a match.
It was a similar tale against Carlton on Easter Sunday. The Bulldogs had five more forward 50 entries (53-48) but managed only 7.15 goals from their efforts, while the Blues booted 15 majors.
ROUND 5 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Bulldog running backs are holding their end up
While the Bulldogs will no doubt go to work on their front half finishing this week, they can be pleased that their defenders are doing their bit to start potential scoring chains.
Caleb Daniel (31 disposals), Jason Johannisen (26) and Hayden Crozier (18 and eight marks) were all prolific across the half back line in stopping Carlton’s forward thrusts and turning defence into attack as often as they could.
If the Dogs can capitalise more on their opportunities, they can get their season back on track against the Dockers in Perth on Saturday night.
