Departures, depth and coaching contracts: Five Burning Questions – Western Bulldogs

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.

How big of a loss is Josh Dunkley?

The short answer is, of course, a big one. The Bulldogs' reigning best and fairest headed for the doors at the kennel in 2022's trade period, signing a deal with Brisbane for 2023 and beyond.

The premiership Dog featured in 23 games last season, averaging 25.4 disposals in an impressive campaign and will now ply his trade for the Lions, playing both in the midfield and ahead of the ball. Dunkley's departure, while obviously a loss due to his talent, now means that perhaps the battle for midfield minutes won't be as ferocious down at the Dogs.

Dunkley on average attended 50 per cent of centre bounces in 2022, with his now notable absence around the ball, will this be the year we see names like Cody Weightman or Caleb Daniel getting more midfield minutes?

Where do the talls go?

The off-season inclusion of Rory Lobb is an interesting one for the Dogs. Pre-season accounts indicate that the former Giant and Docker has seamlessly slotted into the forward line, linking up with Aaron Naughton and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan inside 50.

Lobb kicked 36 goals across 21 games for Fremantle last season, and also looms as Tim English's likely ruck partner. 2021 draftee Sam Darcy also looks like a possible ruck option for Luke Beveridge after gaining some experience in the VFL, leaving plenty of magnets on the board for the Dogs.

The off-season also saw the club sign Liam Jones, a likely Round 1 lock in the backline, leaving Josh Bruce and Alex Keath now both competing for spots in defence. Depth is never a particularly bad problem to have, and after recent years at the kennel, will be a welcome change.

Did they extend Beveridge too early?

Beveridge first took the reins at the Western Bulldogs for the 2015 AFL season, going on to coach the club to a drought-breaking premiership win the following year. In the years following their 2016 flag though, the Bulldogs dropped out of the eight, before rising in 2021 to make the grand final, eventually defeated by the Demons.

Beveridge's contract was due to finish at the conclusion of the 2023 season, with the Dogs re-signing him last year until at least the end of 2025. While having their coach locked away is great to prevent speculation and pressure as the year wears on, it's also a big call to make before the ball has even been bounced to start the season.

With the club facing a tough start to the season, the club may be rueing the fact that they didn't let their premiership coach prove he can make history again. But, as we saw at the Saints, extending contracts doesn't always mean that coaches are safe.

Will fitness be a concern in 2023?

The Bulldogs' final match of 2022 left plenty of questions to be answered, one of the biggest being how they managed to give up a 41-point lead in such a crucial match. After just sneaking into finals, the Dogs' performance in the elimination final left plenty to be desired, seemingly having no gas in the tank to fight back against the Dockers.

Even recent departure Dunkley seemed to hint at something amiss in the Bulldogs' fitness program, recently stating in a social media video on Brisbane's pre-season preparation that he had never done that much running at the Dogs.

Ahead of Round 1, the Bulldogs have opted to play just one practice match, facing North Melbourne on March 4, while all other teams (bar the Giants) have scheduled two.

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.