What should you be looking for in the Bulldogs’ Thursday night JLT Community Series match against the Gold Coast Suns? westernbulldogs.com.au have you covered.
Forward thinking
You’ve probably heard that Travis Cloke landed at the kennel over the offseason. Add to that the welcome return of Stewart Crameri and all of the sudden, new line coach Ashley Hansen has a few more forward options than Daniel Giansiracusa had last season; which is a terrific problem to have. It’s a bit like trying to predict the final eight in early March – most teams could make a strong case for playing finals and the Dogs’ forward line is a similar affair.
Of the 27 players picked in the squad for tonight’s clash with the Suns, around 14 players could run through the forward line and have an impact.
So, with that in mind we can expect some insight into what Hansen and senior coach Luke Beveridge are thinking long term in front of goal.
Fluent English
It’s not often that a player taken late in the first round garners the attention that Tim English has already.
Part of that is the product of recruiters’ apparent reluctance to take big men early in the draft, and the result is a player that was seen by many to be the best player at his position fall to the Bulldogs at pick 19. While the 205cm Western Australian has impressed early with his ball use, ability to cover the ground and thirst for the contest, he is not yet 20 years old and as Luke Beveridge has said, he’ll likely add at least 10kgs to his frame over the journey - so we don’t know what English will be just yet.
But, speaking post-match after the Club’s second JLT Series match against Brisbane, Beveridge acknowledged that the draftee is in the mix for a round one berth on the back of injuries to Jordan Roughead and Tom Campbell, so Bulldogs fans will be watching the big #44 with a keen eye tonight.
Fit and fighting
It’s not just the draftees and recruits that have people watching the pre-season competition.
Returning skipper Robert Murphy will play his second game tonight after missing most of last season due to injury. Mathew Suckling did not play again after the Club’s semi-final win over Hawthorn last September, and Marcus Adams was not seen after Round 15, also due to injury, after securing a key defensive post in the early rounds.
All have been named tonight, and all can make a convincing case that they are in the Bulldogs’ best 22. So how do they look and where do they fit?
The season is long, and it’s only early March, but tonight is the next step for each of them in their quest to seize back their spot in the side.
The build
The shorter pre-season is a new experience for Luke Beveridge and his men, albeit a welcome one, and tonight will be the closest to a full strength side that fans will have seen this year.
2016 Sutton Medallist Marcus Bontempelli has been named for his first run of the new year, as has veteran Matthew Boyd, while Murphy, Cloke, Luke Dahlhaus, Lachie Hunter, Zaine Cordy, Fletcher Roberts, Tom Liberatore, Caleb Daniel and Jason Johannisen have all been named for their second go-round of the pre-season competition.
As was the case last year, Beveridge built his side gradually through the pre-season before a full dress rehearsal in the final game – the Dogs fell narrowly to Collingwood this time last season but followed up in Round One with a 65-point win over the Dockers.
What will happen this year? We’re about to find out.
