The Western Bulldogs endured a rollercoaster season in 2022, managing to feature in the September action, but suffering a heartbreaking comeback defeat to Fremantle.
The Dogs featured in plenty of the off-season chatter, with Josh Dunkley finally getting his wish to depart the kennel, joining Zaine Cordy, Lachie Hunter and Josh Schache as they headed for the exit.
It wasn't all grim for the Dogs, welcoming Rory Lobb and Liam Jones as valuable inclusions, bolstering their list as they make another push for the top eight come finals time.
Heading into season 2023, with plenty of expectations placed on the club, we have named five burning questions hanging over the heads of the Bulldogs this year.
5. What is the Dogs' ceiling?
There's no question that the Bulldogs are a team brimming with talent, and who many expect to make the eight once again, but how much damage the Dogs can actually do once there remains to be seen.
Despite those handy inclusions and having a solid core, the Bulldogs will be facing one of the mightiest oppositions in football - a tough fixture. The Dogs play Fremantle, Geelong, Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Richmond twice, face an additional away game to take on the Power for Gather Round, and will travel to Tasmania to face the Hawks.
While great teams don't look to the fixture as an excuse, there's no proof as of yet that the Bulldogs are a great team. Early games against Melbourne, St Kilda and Brisbane will be great for seeing how this team not only performs, but clicks, and should let us know if that elimination final blowout was the best we are going to see from the side. If the Dogs start the season with a winless month, they will have a big hill to climb to make the eight.
