Last Season
The Bulldogs were eliminated from the finals by GWS in unceremonious fashion at the first hurdle in a game they came away from looking less than ready. The Dogs were bullied and lack any real grit against a Giants side seemingly full of tenacity.
The Bulldogs showed glimpses of the side many now see as a contender, they beat the Tigers by 47 points but tconsistency was their issue. That impressive win came after disappointing losses to Carlton and Fremantle.
The Dogs' defence was regularly exploited as opposition key forwards tended to take a hold of games, they have recruited to combat that issue.
The development of Bailey Smith was exciting and he added some even further depth to the Dogs elite midfield group. Josh Dunkley took another step forward as he continues to emerge as one of the games better inside midfielders.
Off-Season
In: Josh Bruce (St Kilda), Alex Keath (Adelaide), Cody Weightman (Pick 15, Dandenong Stingrays), Louis Butler (Pick 53, Sandringham Dragons), Riley Garcia (Pick 62, Swan Districts).
Out: Tom Boyd (retired), Dale Morris (retired), Liam Picken (retired), Fletcher Roberts (delisted), Lukas Webb (delisted).
Off-Season grade: B+
The Bulldogs did superb this off-season. They brought in players to fix the gaps in their list and players that will immediately slot into the clubs best team. They lost some experience in Morris and Picken but they look more than well equipped for those departures. Tom Boyd also retired but that was also well before seasons end which allowed the Dogs time to prepare a replacement.
Defining Period
Rounds 6-12 have the potential to set the Bulldogs up for a real tilt at a premiership, after a start that could see them realistically anywhere from 2-3 to 4-1, they will be presented with a series of quite winnable games.
They face Port Adelaide, Hawthorn, Gold Coast, Fremantle, Melbourne, Carlton and Adelaide in games they will almost certainly start favourites in. If they play well enough to win all seven of these they will be at the higher end of the ladder and ready to springboard into the second half of the year. But if last years inconsistency creeps in and a few losses pop up their season could be in ruins before they know it.
Best 22
B: Hayden Crozier, Zayne Cordy, Easten Wood
HB: Jason Johannisen, Alex Keath, Caleb Daniel
C: Lachie Hunter, Marcus Bontempelli, Bailey Smith
HF: Josh Schache, Aaron Naughton, Patrick Lipinski
F: Bailey Dale, Josh Bruce, Sam Lloyd
FOLL: Tim English, Josh Dunkley, Jack Macrae
I/C: Taylor Duryea, Toby McLean, Matt Suckling, Ed Richards
The Bulldogs have built serious depth. Their mature-age recruits have managed to come in and slot straight into the best 22. First-round draft pick Cody Weightman is on the brink but may be forced to bide his time in the VFL before cracking the big leagues.
The Bulldogs' half-back line has plenty of depth and will be a hotly contested position with plenty of internal competition.
Champion Data says
"The Bulldogs won the premiership from nowhere in 2016. They finished seventh on the ladder with the fifth-youngest list in the league. Their finals run was nothing short of outstanding and their prodigious young list had a premiership far sooner even the greatest optimist could've predicted."
"The team profile was reminiscent of a young Hawthorn team in the late 2000's. The Hawks won the premiership with elite young talent in 2008, as well as old heads. After their success in 2008, the Hawks spent the next couple of seasons in the middle of the table before their elite youngsters hit their prime. Following that initial premiership it took the Hawks five seasons to win another Grand Final."
Strengths and Weaknesses
The Bulldogs' onballers is an obvious area of strength and probably the deepest midfield in the competition. Marcus Bontempelli is arguably the games best player and his support cast are stars in their own right.
Josh Dunkley had an incredible back half of the year whilst Jack Macrae has an unrivalled ability to win and use the ball with elite skills. Tim English is one of the games brightest up and coming ruckman and is only going to get better making the Dogs' midfield groups job even easier.
Their weakness come in the key position posts down back. Zayne Cordy had a tough time of it last year and had some big bags kicked on him. The recruitment of Alex Keath is handy but whether he is up to being a clubs number one defender remains to be seen. They will need these two to stay fit as well as they don't have many obvious like-for-like replacements.
Prediction: 5th
The Bulldogs look set to take another forward step in 2020. A home final seems there for the taking thanks to a relatively comfortable fixture. If they play at their best, they are capable of smashing even the best teams. But those little dips in form may see them just miss out on a covered top four position.
