Are the Bulldogs a flag chance, rebuilding or somewhere in between?
The Western Bulldogs suffered a 29-point defeat to Essendon in round five, slumping to a record of 2-3 for season 2024.
But where do they stand? Do they give themselves a shot at the flag this season or have they internally accepted that it’s time to rebuild and go again?
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Pressure continues to mount on head coach Luke Beveridge, with the clock ticking on their premiership window.
“I don’t think Luke Beveridge is safe,” Herald Sun Chief Football Writer Mark Robinson said on Fox Footy’s AFL360.
“It depends on what the alignment (inside the club) is like, coming into the season they didn’t feel like the team that was going ‘nah, we can’t win it with this group we’re going to change things’, they felt like a team that had removed all the obstacles to nail it down now and finally deliver,” co-host Gerard Whateley added.
“They were one of the two fascinations of the off-season and how they would present into the year.
“All of their work was done to achieve success now, to smooth the obstacles, to remove the barriers and to be successful now.
“They don’t look like that team.”
Dogs aren’t contenders in Bevo’s eyes | 03:27
Robinson believes that these conversations might have been bubbling away inside the four walls at the Whitten Oval for some time.
“I think the Dogs decided in the off-season they were doing this,” he said.
“I don’t think they started the season saying ‘oh, let’s all play the kids’.
“They decided in the off-season, what are we doing, where are we.
“I think they’ve made enormous list management issues, mistakes, I think the Dogs are the first club to be bitten by these long contracts.”
Both Jack Macrae and Bailey Dale are contracted until the end of 2027 while Caleb Daniel is tied to the club until the end of 2026.
Bevo talks ‘disappointing’ night | 11:28
“What are they going to do with them? They’re going to have to trade them out,” Robinson said.
“The Dogs have decided in the off-season, ‘we’ve gone as far as we can go with this list’.
“If they continued going with this same group, everyone would be saying what are you doing Dogs?
“They’re tossing some old out and they’re putting some speed in.
“Those speedy players, they’re not as talented as some of these others, but it’s not all about talent.
“They’re trying to juggle where they are. They might play finals they might not, they’re building, they’re not in it to win it this year.”
Whateley believes that Beveridge is “looking for a fresh mix” of players to lead the club forward.
“It’s a high wire act with the core of players who thought they were in it to win it now,” Whateley said.
Robinson then put the blowtorch on exciting youngster Ryley Sanders, who appeared to be incredibly frustrated after being subbed out of the game for the second time in five weeks.
“Is he spitting the dummy? Mick Malthouse thinks he should get fined,” Robinson said.
“Chill out, Ryley. You’re a good young player, you’ve been in the senior team for two and a half minutes and you start kicking the toys out because you get taken off the ground and you’re not happy.
“I wouldn’t drop him, good young man but pull your head in pal, you’ve done nothing yet, you’ve played a good under 18s year.”
Whateley said the football world will have a far clearer picture of where the Dogs are at after their round six clash against the Saints on Thursday.
“I think he’s got to be crystal clear… where’s the alignment and what does Marcus Bontempelli think of it.
“Part of the off-season to me was recognition that they’re on the clock with Bonntempelli and that wasn’t about rebuilding this year.
“They’ve got a big week ahead, teams typically respond in this week, we’ll get a bit of a glimpse publicly but then when they play against St Kilda on Thursday night, we’ll know.”
The Dogs take on the Saints in a mouth-watering clash at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.
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