“Can Robert Murphy get better?”
That was the question posed Assistant Coach Rohan Smith at a press conference following Saturday’s Intra Club match.
Backing-up from All-Australian honours in 2015, and arguably the best of his 15 seasons to date, is there still more to be unearthed in the fleet-footed, veteran half back?
“Can the old man get better?,” Smith replied rhetorically to gathered media.
“I think you can always get better, but it’s going to be pretty hard because he had a pretty special year last year, the way that he played.
“The way that Murph will improve is the way that he helps the kids, you know, Jason Johannisen will sit next to him and learn off him…so that’s the way I think Murph will help the Club.
“He’s a pretty special player for us, and the way that he is playing is pretty good.
"He’s going alright the old boy.”
Over 4000 fans gathered at the kennel to watch a keenly fought contest between the ‘blue’ and ‘white’ teams, a game that Murphy’s ‘blue’ team won 12.7.79 to 11.6.72.
Smith said that Murphy’s dash off of half back was a treat to watch, but it’s development of the clubs’ depth in the back half of the ground that has been pleasing for the coaching staff to see.
“I was on the blue side and I was coaching the defenders, but I was also keeping an eye on the white defenders at the same time,” said Smith.
“It was just great to see that we’ve got some many young kids coming up that can play key positions, but the offensive style of our high defenders is also really good and really powerful.”
Another of Smith’s defensive group to stand out from the pack was WAFL recruit Marcus Adams, the big bodied 22-year-old making his claim for a spot in the Bulldogs squad for Thursday week’s NAB Challenge opener against Greater Western Sydney.
“He’s strong, isn’t he?, Smith remarked.
“He turned the ball over, but I said to him not to worry about it.
"The way that he defended and defended with purpose was great - It was a really good sign.”
The Dogs have the fifth youngest group in the League according to Champion Data, but Smith said that veterans like Murphy, Matthew Boyd and Dale Morris are a key ingredient in the makeup of this Bulldogs team.
“When you become a good team, you have a good even spread, the contributions from the older players, the mid-tier players having a really good season and the younger guys coming through at the same time.
"That’s when it all gels together and you have a really good season,” he said.
“We had a really good year last year, but we’re looking to improve.
“So for us to improve, our younger players need to have a better impact, our mid players need to have a bigger impact, and our senior players need to have a bigger impact as well.”
