The Tuesday Talking Point - Round 1

It just wouldn't be a Western Bulldogs game without a serious injury, and the trend of unfortunate and lengthy injuries continued in the very last seconds of our win against Collingwood on Friday night, with Dale Morris going down in the last one-on-one of the match, with his leg getting caught underneath the weight of his own body, resulting in a broken leg. The injury is one of the more conventional and believable injuries that have hit the headlines over the last few weeks, but it still leaves the Doggies in a difficult position, especially when we consider that we face a familiar foe in the Sydney Swans this week - a side hurting after their shock loss to the Power last week, but still contains a man named Lance Franklin.

THE INJURY

As mentioned earlier, the Morris injury occurred inside the final 30 seconds of the game, following a clash with Will Hoskin-Elliott. Following the contest, his foot was planted on the ground, and his lower leg was subsequently caught underneath him.

Granted, it's not nearly as serious as the broken leg that kept him out of the entire 2012 season, but even the ironman that is Dale Morris is expected to be out for up to eight weeks. Whilst we're well aware that Morris is the type of player who could return a lot sooner than that, we are going to have to deal without him for several weeks, and he leaves a massive gap in our side.

Dale Morris' injury was far from ideal. Source: Getty Images

THE REPLACEMENTS

Fletcher Roberts also played on Friday night, and he did a terrific job on Darcy Moore, but one key defender against a Sydney side that has multiple tall options just isn't going to be enough. The issue with Morris' absence is that not only is he one of the most reliable defenders in the competition, he is also one of the most versatile. Whilst he's often been assigned with the responsibility of tackling the opposition's No.1 key forward, over the course of his career he has gotten the better of just about every talented forward in the game, from Franklin to Eddie Betts, but considering we're left with just one tall defender in the side at the moment, we'd be best advised to bring in a key defender to give Roberts a chop out.

Unfortunately, we're not blessed with an abundance of talented key defenders, which leaves us with limited options as a result. Joel Hamling had a sensational finals series last year and proved he can handle all kinds of forwards, getting the better of Josh J. Kennedy, Cyril Rioli, Jeremy Cameron and Franklin himself in consecutive weeks. That would make him the obvious candidate to replace Morris, but there's just one problem. Hamling defected to Fremantle during the summer. Hamling's departure was always going to be a significant one, as he had proved that he was well within our best 22, and his departure was definitely going to leave us thin in the backline, but I doubt many people expected our depth to be tested like this so early in the season.

Joel Hamling's (L) departure has inadvertently left the Bulldogs short on key defensive options. Source: Getty Images

Zaine Cordy also played on Friday night and did a reasonable job in the backline as a floating defender. Former No.1 draft pick Paddy McCartin rated Cordy as his toughest opponent during 2014 as well, so the signs are positive, but Cordy is still very undersized as a defender and looked nervous in one-on-one duels on Friday night, so there wouldn't be too many who would have great confidence in him if we were forced to try and stop Franklin.

Kieran Collins was a player who I expected to thrive in the absence of Hamling this year. With one less player above him in the pecking order, this was his opportunity to take full advantage and cement himself in the Bulldogs lineup. But after being dropped for the Dogs final JLT match, and not being heard of in the build up to Round 1, it is very unlikely that we will see his name anywhere near the team sheet come Thursday evening, so he is another player who we can put a line through.

Which leaves us with just one more option (and most likely the best option at our disposal) - forgotten man Marcus Adams.

Adams burst onto the scene last year, starting the season at full-back and developing a reputation for being a big brute of a defender with terrific intercepting abilities and a booming kick. Unfortunately, several ailments curtailed his 2016 season, and he has not been since Round 15 last year - coincidentally against the Swans.

Marcus Adams played in the Bulldogs OTHER famous victory against the Swans in Round 15 last year, but hasn't played at AFL level since. Source: Getty Images

Since he last appeared for the Bulldogs at senior level, a lot has happened regarding Adams, and very little of it has been positive. It started during last year's Trade Period when Adams cheekily requested if a trade back to Western Australia was at all possible, just days after Hamling managed the exact same thing. Unsurprisingly, the Bulldogs quickly shot down the possibility, and Adams stayed with the club. But then his JLT form gave even greater cause for concern. He was well beaten in the first game by Jesse Hogan and looked completely lost and disinterested against the Brisbane Lions in the second game. Things had gotten to a point where he didn't partake at all in the last game against the Suns (despite being named to play) and started Round 1 playing for Footscray in the VFL. Despite statistical numbers not being at hand, Adams was reportedly one of the best players on the ground, and his return to form couldn't have come at a better time for him or for the Bulldogs, and as a result he is the man we expect to see running out for the Bulldogs on Friday Night, in his newly-acquired No.25 guernsey.