5 Things We Learned - Round 2

If you had told me that by the middle of June the Western Bulldogs would have only suffered two losses, I’d have been stoked but due to certain global events over the past few months there has only been two games of Aussie Rules so that statement backfires quite a bit.

In another underwhelming performance our Western Bulldogs were defeated to the tune of 39 points under lights at Marvel Stadium. It is never a fun way to start a new week with your football side being beaten pretty easily and it sets in a rather annoying mood until the next game which is hopefully a much better experience.

1. Wasting Opportunities – Rinse and Repeat

There is nothing more disheartening for a team to see one of its players misses a relatively easy shot at goal only for the ball to make its way down the other end with absolute ease and see six more points added to the deficit.

When a team has control of the game it has to capitalise on its dominance and put some pressure on the scoreboard. This wasn’t the case for the Bulldogs in the opening half and especially the first quarter as they weren’t able to punish the Saints errors at all or convert its inside 50 entries into goals. It is a familiar story the Bulldogs are unfortunately well accustomed to over the past five years and many supporters have been wondering when the scoreboard will start to reflect the statistics.

The opening quarter saw the Bulldogs record 12 inside 50s to seven, seven tackles inside 50, four midfield intercepts yet annoyingly we trailed by three points as we couldn’t convert those intercepts (0.4) and miss three relatively textbook set shots.

Compare that to the Saints who kicked 4.0 from defensive turnovers in the first half and kicked three goals from their seven opening quarter inside 50s. Although it might have been in the early stages of the game and that there is still plenty of time to rectify it during the remainder of the match, it sets a precedent for the game and becomes quite contagious.

2. Why Aren’t We Picking Our Best 22?

Consider these names that were left out of Sunday’s game: Toby McLean, Tom Liberatore, Tory Dickson and Jackson Trengove. The compare them to some names that were either brought into the side over the weekend, or even kept their place in the side after the Round 1 debacle. Sure, they aren’t A-grades but Aussie Rules is a hard enough game as it is and much like Round 1, Round 2 served up some polarising decisions which can absolutely confuse the bejesus out of someone.

For some reason unknown to everyone the Bulldogs continue to shoot themselves in the foot strangely prioritising a youth policy when it is meant to be in a premiership window. Sunday night saw us name the second youngest side of the round; only ahead of the Gold Coast Suns, which is bewildering to say the least.

We know Tim English isn’t the most physical or strongest of ruckman and for a player who spent a large part of his junior career as a midfielder before a 20 centimetre growth spurt turned him into a ruckman he needs some support to say the least.

The Free Agency recruitment of Jackson Trengove in the 2017 off season made plenty of sense for a club in need a key position defender who could hold his own against some of the game’s biggest forwards but it was his versatility that allowed him to play in the ruck that was most appealing.

Unfortunately Trengove hasn’t been seen since the Round 22 game against the Giants last season at Spotless Stadium where he was moved pre-game from full back to the ruck after Tim English was pulled from the match.

Trengove’s inclusion in Rounds 1 and 2 would have made plenty of sense seeing as it is pretty clear at the moment that mid season draftee Ryan Gardner is out of his depth.

Yes, Gardner hasn’t put in the best couple of games but he is on a hiding to nothing as he isn’t AFL standard. It was a better effort then Round 1 as he recorded the second most kilometres covered for the Dogs after Bontempelli and that the Saints tall forwards only kicked three of their 14 goals, but Trengove not only offers more reliability on such opponents but has a knock-on effect that benefits the team in many ways.

Trengove would provide a chop out in the ruck, freeing English up to use his reach and athleticism up forward and remain fresh for his normal duties whilst allowing Keath to do what he does best: intercept.

Although the game itself is won mostly between the ears and sure a couple of player swaps might not have made a huge difference but the point remains, pick your best 22 to give yourself the best chance for a victory. You might not win games at the selection table but you sure can lose it and that not only includes Trengove over Gardner but playing McLean ahead of Gowers.

Should Jackson Trengove (L) be joining Josh Dunkley in the AFL side? Source: Getty Images

3. Have We Overrated Ourselves?

Cast your eyes back to the end of round 23 last season and the Bulldogs were returning to September football for the first time since 2016 after a blistering second half of the 2019 season which saw us win eight of our last eleven games.

Unfortunately the party came crashing to a halt in Week One of the finals but the optimism had returned.

Some smart trading by Sam Power last October saw the Bulldogs bring in two mature key position players in Josh Bruce and Alex Keath for a total of two second and third round draft picks. Things were definitely looking up - or so we thought.

Dating back to the start of the 2017 season the Bulldogs have won 31 of our past 68 games. Even putting aside 2018 as a reset year, it is pretty frustrating that a team which contains plenty of proven talent still plays patches within quarters, let alone matches. The past three consecutive games, two of them against premiership threats, has seen our midfield been nothing short of blown off the park with the club in 2020 sitting -42 in contested ball, -16 in clearances, -21 in inside 50s.

The forward line hasn’t been much better with only 12 goals (18th in the competition), six goal assists (18th in the competition) and have the worst differential for marks inside 50 with -14, (you guessed it....18th in the competition).

There is a lot of work to do.

4. The road ahead - GWS, North Melbourne and Sydney

Starting a season 0-2 is never ideal, even more so in a shortened 17 game season but that is exactly what we have to deal with at the moment. Being able to bank early season wins this year is more important than previous seasons and for a side with its apparent premiership window open it is looking rather bleak with our next three opponents looking for the most part assured in their ability and sound in their game plan.

The Bulldogs in last year’s elimination final against the GWS Giants were embarrassed and hammered and that is exactly who is next up on the agenda. The Dogs have been exposed in its past three AFL games in terms of spread from the contest, its aggression in winning the ball and its ability to halt momentum. It is pretty clear what needs to be done next week or season 2020 will become a nightmare instead of promise. This stretch of games not only will define the season but this group of players going into the coming years and whether they are up for the fight of regaining their former glory which seems like a lifetime ago.

5. Fear the Mullet

One player you can certainly not question is Bailey Smith at the moment. Smith has been our best player across our opening two games of the 2020 season and is providing the point of difference in our midfield which we clearly lack and that is a combination of flair, hard running and precision.

Smith is in his second season at the club and has played 25 games on the bounce and is already one of our most integral players. When you consider the calibre of players who were a part of the 2018 AFL National Draft it is no surprise that the top 10 picks that year were worth more than normal and although we were unsuccessful in acquiring Chad Wingard, Sam Power was strongly clear that our pick 7 was not on the table in any way shape or form in a potential deal. Clearly we can see why.

Smith leads the club in average disposals (26), pressure acts (51), tackles (12), contested possession (21), is equal first with Bontempelli in clearances (8) and leads the competition for handballs (34).

Fear the mullet, indeed; Bailey Smith is the real deal. Source: Getty Images