Western Bulldogs AFLW senior coach Nathan Burke says the next fortnight of football against two of the top teams will be a great learning experience for his side.
Despite being mathematically out of the finals race, Burke said the opportunity to play the undefeated Fremantle and Conference A ladder-leaders Kangaroos will serve the Bulldogs well as the season nears a close.
“We could play teams down the bottom of the ladder, probably have a win and make everyone happy, but what would we learn from those games? Probably not as much as what we’d learn from playing a top team,” Burke said.
“I firmly believe our best is good enough to win those games, so we’re really looking forward to challenging those top teams.
“I think the girls are pretty excited about how we can shape the rest of the competition even though we aren’t playing finals.”
The Bulldogs currently sit in fifth position on the Conference B ladder, following a loss to Collingwood over the weekend.
The first-year coach said while he “can’t question the endeavour they are putting out there”, there are still some areas for improvement.
“Obviously it wasn’t the start we wanted – the last four games we’ve been chasing other teams after quarter-time which isn’t ideal,” Burke said.
“Our starts are something we need to look at getting better at, so we can look to protect the lead rather than try and chase one down.
“Week in and week out they’re certainly having a crack, but we need to be a lot smarter about how we use that energy – we can’t all be chasing the football at the same time, and we all can’t be chasing the player with the ball at the same time.
“That’s nothing that isn’t solvable though, and we’ll be looking to put some solutions in place this week.”
Burke also praised hard-working senior players Kirsten McLeod and Bailey Hunt for their efforts, despite not always leading the stats sheets.
“Kirsten’s effort hasn’t always translated to goals on the scoreboard - which I know she desperately wants to happen. But her work-rate, the GPS numbers she’s showing, and her willingness to stand up when we need someone in the forward line has been outstanding,” he said.
“Bailey hasn’t been a ‘regular’ senior player over the last couple of years, but bounced back (after West Coast) and was really good for us on the weekend.
“There’s a lot of those players who even though they’re not 18-year-olds, they’re probably still young in terms of football and playing at this level.
“I’ve been really happy with a lot of them.”
The AFLW Bulldogs will play host to Fremantle on Sunday, March 15 at VU Whitten Oval, with the first bounce at 1.10pm.
