Opening Round kicks off on Thursday and the pre-season has provided plenty of answers, but certain questions can't be answered until the real stuff starts.
Zero Hanger has outlined a topic likely to garner plenty of discussion at each club in the first month of the season.
1Western Bulldogs
How do they defend?
Plenty was made of the Western Bulldogs' backline last year, with the Dogs' inability to contain sides a significant contributing factor to them missing finals despite their starpower. The club made attempts to bring in established talent but was unable to land the big fish they were after, so they will be reliant on internal development to take the next step. The club has made notable adjustments to the way they defend the ground, and their backline structure is different to how it looked in 2025. James O'Donnell has notably bulked up over the summer, and Buku Khamis has been impressive in the backline in practice matches against Sydney and Hawthorn, while Rory Lobb will be charged with leading the tall defenders. The Dogs' ability to nullify Mabior Chol and Mitch Lewis in the AAMI Community Series match will provide.
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