Is Roughy a ruckman or a tall defender? Would you like to see Dahl in the forward line, or in the middle? And what about the new guys? Is there any room for Matt Suckling in the back six or would you like to see him on a wing?
Now YOU can put yourself in the shoes of Luke Beveridge and the match committee.
Over the next six days, westernbulldogs.com.au will do a deep dive on our list, breaking it down line by line before we will give you the opportunity for you to gaze into your crystal ball and tell us who you think will make up the selected side in round one.
Let the debate begin!
Mids
There are over 20 players on the list that have either been through the midfield in 2015 or are capable of doing so in 2016. That makes this gig the toughest of the lot. Who is in the centre square and who is on the wing when the Dogs run out onto Etihad Stadium on 27 March?
Perhaps the first thing to consider when building your team is the return of 2014 Sutton Medallist Tom Liberatore. Libba was sidelined by a knee injury for all of the 2015 season but at his best, he is one of the league’s premier inside midfielders and if fully fit, would likely find a spot in most sides across the competition.
A few beneficiaries of Libba’s injury were Mitch Wallis, Luke Dahlhaus and Koby Stevens, who all spent more time on the ball in 2015 and grasped the opportunity with both hands.
Dahlhaus ranked 16th in the AFL for total disposals in 2015 and was a member of the All-Australian squad of 40 for the first time in his career. Similarly, Mitch Wallis stepped seamlessly into the role of attacking midfielder in 2015 and topped the Bulldogs leader board in the AFLCA Player of the Year award. Koby was a key contributor to the Bulldog resurgence in the first half of the year before being struck down with injury after round 15, but there are only so many spots.
Then there’s Marcus Bontempelli. The sky is the limit for ‘The Bont’ and while the quality of his highlights packages rival even Jake Stringer’s, his offensive flare and ability to find the ball is matched by his grunt work. Bontempelli ranked fourth at the Club for tackles laid in season 2015.
Both Jack Macrae and Lachie Hunter had slow starts to the season before coming on to play a crucial role in the drive to finals. Both are prolific ball winners and both are capable of big games. Lachie spent a bit of time forward in 2015, so you may prefer him there.
Lin Jong had an interrupted season due to an injured hand sustained against Sydney in round five, but unsurprisingly returned in time to play and star in the Dogs’ elimination final loss to Adelaide. If you’re picking your side for a final, then ‘Mr September’ may be a walk up start.
Perhaps it’s a sign of the strength of the Bulldogs midfield troupe the fact that we’ve made it this far and not mentioned Liam Picken. ‘Picko’ moved away from his traditional role as tagger became more of an attacking mid under Luke Beveridge’s tutelage. Despite finding plenty of it in 2015, Picken didn’t lose his hard edge, finishing 10th in the league for tackles.
And what about the pinch hitters? Jake Stringer kicked 56 goals last season playing deep forward but gives opposition coaches the sweats when he goes in the middle, and Matthew Boyd has made a career out of winning the ball in the guts, but was shifted down back to great affect last season.
Stewart Crameri also spent some time on the ball last year. If you think they’re better off in the engine room, that’s your call.
Youngsters Mitch Honeychurch, Bailey Dale, Lukas Webb and Caleb Daniel can all expect more time in the middle in the future and older heads Matthew Suckling and Jed Adcock may be called upon at some point during the season as well.
Cast your vote for the one player you want to fill each position and the players with the most votes will start in that role. The top four players not selected will fill out the interchange.
