This summer, there was one question everyone was asking of the Western Bulldogs.

How will all those talls work together up forward?

Between Aaron Naughton (195cm), Rory Lobb (207cm), Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (197cm) and versatile swingman Sam Darcy (204cm) there’s no denying a fair bit of height.

And on Saturday against opposition, people got the answer.

Combining for 10 goals between them in Saturday’s practice match against North Melbourne, led by Naughton’s bag of four, Bulldogs assistant coach Rohan Smith couldn’t have been more impressed.

“The four talls really played well. To kick 22 goals in a game – at times we looked really dominant in the air, which is a great sign for us too,” he told reporters following the hit-out.

“There was a couple of times where they flew against each other, but that’s terrific. It shows their competitiveness and their willingness to fly in the air.

“The synergy and cohesiveness that they had in our forward-line was outstanding.”

Smith was also full of praise for returning backman Liam Jones, who seamlessly slotted into the Dogs’ defence to finish with 19 disposals, 11 marks and 13 intercepts.

“That’s what Jonesy has brought this whole pre-season – his speed and his competitiveness,” Smith said.

“He was terrific today – he read the cues of the kicker really well, he comes forward and is always looking to help out a teammate. He was a really positive player for us today.

“It’s obviously really handy for us – with Gardy not playing today, we really needed to step up. Alex Keath went down for a bit during that second term as well, so for Jonesy to stand up today in really difficult conditions, and play big game time, was brilliant.”

The Bulldogs will kick off their 2023 campaign with an opening round clash against Melbourne next Saturday night at the MCG.