This season certainly hasn’t gone to plan for the Bulldogs sitting 14th on the ladder with a record of 4-8.
After a tough opening-half of the year, their campaign was dealt another blow last week with serious injuries to some star players.
But as we’ve seen in recent years, this side won’t go down easily.
Star-studded injury list
The Bulldogs’ Round 13 clash with Port Adelaide was one to forget, not just because of the 57-point defeat, but due to the new additions tothe injury list.
Captain Easton Wood and star midfielder Jackson Macrae suffered hamstring injuries, while Lukas Webb (broken thumb) and Tom Boyd (dislocated finger) also came off second best.
Potential future skipper Marcus Bontempelli (knee) and Toby McLean (shoulder) sent scares through the camp, but managed to play-out the match.
According to the club, Wood, Macrae and Webb will all miss Saturday night’s match, while Boyd, McLean and Bontempelli need to prove their fitness.
This group of players joins some very established stars who featured in the 2016 premiership, such as Matt Suckling, Dale Morris, Clay Smith, Tory Dickson, Liam Picken and Tom Liberatore.
Young potential
With all young players comes some level of inconsistency, which is why you can’t put a line through the Bulldogs despite their position on the ladder.
In their most recent outing, the Dogs had four first-round draft selections aged 23 or younger, with Ed Richards (Pick 16, 2017), Josh Schache (Pick 2, 2015), Marcus Bontempelli (Pick 4, 2013) and Tom Boyd (Pick 1, 2013) in the side.
Ed Richards has showed impressive signs, while Bontempelli continues to prove why he’s one of the game’s future stars.
Despite the poor recent form of Boyd and Schache, the key-position players are capable of turning a game on its head, and can’t be underestimated.
Hayden Crozier (Pick 20, 2011) and Macrae (Pick 6, 2012) were also early picks which featured in Round 13.
Well rested Dogs
After a bye in Round 12 and heading into Saturday’s clash with a nine-day break after Port last Thursday night, the Bulldogs will be well rested.
The bye would have given Luke Beveridge and his coaching staff a good opportunity to make adjustments to their strategy given the start to the year.
In addition, the week off and extended break between matches would have given the injured stars a greater opportunity to recover from their respective setbacks and get their bodies right ahead of their clash with North.
