The story of the Western Bulldogs in 2017 is starting to feel eerily familiar.
After ten games the Dogs are just outside the top-four, as they were last year.
They have remained very competitive in their losses to GWS, Geelong, West Coast and Fremantle, only falling short by an average of 12 points. Last year is was three losses by an average of 14 points at the same point.
Injuries have again played a factor. The loss of Jordan Roughead and Tom Campbell played absolute havoc with their ruck strategy. While Bob Murphy, Dale Morris, Clay Smith, Stewart Crameri, Matthew Boyd, Josh Dunkley and Jake Stringer have all missed a number of games. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
The Dogs are still one of the best defensive teams in the AFL, conceding the second-least number of points for the year (81.8 a game). Last year they ranked first.
Marcus Bontempelli remains a superstar of the competition, even if he is a touch off his best, while Luke Dahlhaus, Jack Macrae, Jason Johannisen and Easton Wood have all had stellar seasons.
So if the Western Bulldogs are walking the same path as they did last year, who’s to say it doesn’t lead to another flag?
They still play tough, contested football which is proven in finals. They’ve been able to match it with good teams away from home. They’ve shown they have the depth to remain competitive through an injury crisis.
The Bulldogs will face substantial competition from GWS, Adelaide, Geelong and perhaps Port Adelaide or Richmond to secure a top-four spot, but that wouldn’t worry them.
The other seven teams who make finals in 2017 will all have their fingers crossed they don’t cross paths with Luke Beveridge’s team come September.
B-
