One glaring weakness means the Western Bulldogs won’t win the flag in 2025, but there’s a “one man fix” that could put them right in premiership calculations for next year.
That’s according to North Melbourne great David King, who believes the Bulldogs are just one chess piece away from really challenging for the third piece of silverware in club history.
It’s no secret that the Western Bulldogs need to improve the back half of the ground. Their forward line is firing on all cylinders and their midfield mix is arguably the best in the competition.
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And that’s exactly why now is the time to strike.
“I look at the Western Bulldogs and I know they can’t win it,” King told Fox Footy’s First Crack.
“You can’t compete with the best when you’ve got a significant issue behind the ball. This list is set up for half-court basketball,” he said.
“They’ve got an unbelievable midfield and they’re going to be okay for three, four, five years.
“So now is the time. It’s a one man fix behind the ball but really it’s a one man fix at this footy club. Sam Power now has to step up and get aggressive and get a key defender, a key interceptor or a playmaker off half-back that gives Luke Beveridge the chance to have all three components sorted, because right now his hands are tied.”
The numbers speak for themselves. Since round 15, the Bulldogs have been the number one attack in the competition, averaging a whopping 118 points per game. They’re also ranked first in the league for forward 50 goal conversion, operating at 32.6 per cent.
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And they’re only going to get better. Sam Darcy is one of the brightest talents in football at the moment and is just 22 years of age. Aaron Naughton is in ripping form, having kicked 24 goals in his last five games to rocket up the Coleman Medal leaderboard and he’s only 25 years old. Rhylee West has developed into one of the game’s best small forwards and is just 25, while Cody Weightman was another star on the rise but has had his 2025 season cruelled by injury.
The midfield is also on fire. Since round 15, the Dogs rank second in the competition for clearances (+41) and fourth in the competition for points from clearance (+14).
Their midfield group has been “unbelievable” according to King and the age demographic means they’ll likely succeed for a long while yet.
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According to Champion Data’s AFL Player Ratings system, the Bulldogs have the best two players in the league in Marcus Bontempelli and Ed Richards. Tom Liberatore is 33 but is still a force to be reckoned with, while Tim English is a quality ruck. Joel Freijah and Ryley Sanders are young stars on the rise and then there’s Adam Treloar, who admittedly is 32 years of age and has struggled with injury this season, but just last year was in All-Australian form. It’s a “stacked” group.
Which is why it’s all the more important that the Dogs get “aggressive” at the trade table.
“But behind the ball, they’re awful. They’re not competitive in any way, shape or form. Lobb was a byproduct of they had to do something with him. Wasn’t working up forward so he goes behind the ball,” King continued.
Against top eight sides, the Dogs are ranked 13th for denying opposition scores per entry.
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“You can’t compete in a finals series with that. It’s an obvious weakness they’ve had for years,” King added.
“They’ve really picked one or two players in the draft for the best part of five to six years for this area. It’s been disrespectful and built a list that plays half court basketball.”
There’s been plenty made about the Dogs’ struggles against top eight sides this year. Defensively one-on-one, they’ve been battling big time. They’re ranked 13th in the competition for loss rate in the air and on the ground, while they’re the second worst team in the league for getting outmarked.
“I say you can’t win it this year, you just can’t,” King said.
“You can critique Luke Beveridge as much as you like and you can talk about the midfield and the forwards as much as you like, they’ve got their hands tied behind their back when they play the big boys.”
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So it’s time for Sam Power and the Bulldogs’ list management team to get creative and make a bold trade play.
“They’ve got a whole host of picks in the next three years untouched,” King began.
“I’m saying get aggressive. Who would you go and get? Could you go and get a Jack Buckley? Could you prize (Jake) Lever or (Callum) Wilkie or a (Jacob) Weitering or a (Jack) Payne?
“I’m talking about giving up two first round picks because right now – they’ve won two flags in 100 years – this is the time to be aggressive.
“You can’t sit back and hope someone is drafted and develops nicely and slowly, the time is now.”
Herald Sun Chief Football Reporter Jay Clark also mentioned Essendon’s Jordan Ridley, who has been unable to shake his injury issues and Richmond veteran Nick Vlastuin, who is in All-Australian contention this year, as other options. Adelaide’s Jordon Butts could be another target too.
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“Go and find someone that’s unhappy or not getting an opportunity, or just throw big dollars at one. They’ve disrespected this position and it’s hurting them large. I feel for the coach and they’re going to have their time with the ball and they just bleed and leak so heavily,” King said.
“Sam Power, either get fair dinkum or get out of there. It’s a full club thing winning a flag, they’ve got to get aggressive.
“Don’t muck around with the small stuff, I don’t want to hear of any C graders or D graders. They’ve got to get a marquee.”
King said a player like retired West Coast veteran Jeremy McGovern would have been “perfect” several years ago and urged the Dogs to “do something like that to shake the tree”.
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Luke Beveridge’s side has recently been linked as a suitor for Port Adelaide star Zak Butters, but King believes the need for defensive strength outweighs the luxury of adding yet another star on-baller to the mix.
“They don’t need Zak Butters. If you said to me you’ve got a choice between Lever or Wilkie or May, not so much May, May’s a bit older and there’s some other issues with May I think,” King said.
“I think you’re better off, if you get a Weitering, I prefer Weitering over Butters. This team needs a pillar behind the ball.”
For the Dogs to get serious as premiership contenders, they’ve got to get aggressive.
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