With every game that the Western Bulldogs play in 2018, I am more and more impressed with the young kids that are coming through the system. Injuries have decimated this side a fair bit this year and we are only seven games into the season, so it's only fair that we have a look at the young pups that could potentially make a name for themselves in the near future right?
I have just about conceded 2018 as a whole. Injuries and retirements to veteran stars mean that the experience is about as limited as ever. It's not entirely a bad thing though, as several first, second and third-year players are making their way through the system.
Which is why this morning on Bulldogs Centre, I'm going to list five young Bulldogs who are a strong chance to play in the Bulldogs' next premiership. I have opted to list players that didn't feature in the 2016 premiership, because it's obvious that guys such as Toby McLean, Josh Dunkley, Jack Macrae, Marcus Bontempelli and others and will play a large part going forward.
These five are players that are just finding their feet at AFL level, and I know I have left one or two people out from this list. Don't panic, I've either written something about them already or I plan on doing so in the near future.
So without further ado, let's get stuck into this.
5. Aaron Naughton Let's be honest, you probably thought he would be somewhere in this list of five – that's okay, that's why I have him here at number five, because he is the key defender that the Dogs can build their defensive structures around. Maybe there'll be an extended article on him somewhere down the line, but for the moment, here's what I've got to say about him.
On draft night last night, I highlighted that scouts compared Naughton to another WA-boy in Alex Rance, who is currently the number one key defender in the game. Whether you agree with that or not, it's hard to not acknowledge what Rance has accomplished in his time at Tigerland, and I remember distinctly saying if he's half as good, then the Dogs have themselves an absolute gem of a player on their hands here.
So far in 2018, Naughton has had a rough going of things, he made his debut in round one, has played every game and whilst there have been times where he has been a little overawed by the occasion, there's no doubt in my mind that he has what it takes to not just have what it takes, but to be a defensive force in years to come. In his seven games this year, Naughton has averaged steady numbers of 12.8 disposals, 4.7 marks, 2.7 rebound 50s, 1.3 contested marks and two tackles per game. To top that all off, he is amongst the top 20 in the AFL for both total intercepts (14th in the league) and intercept possessions (17th in the league). I don't like badgering on about comparisons too much, but it must be reminded that Alex Rance took a while to become what he is today, so I urge you all to be patient on the young man. 4. Patrick Lipinski He's only played four AFL games, but I've warmed up to Patrick Lipinski incredibly quickly. A Western Bulldogs supporter himself growing up, he got to realise a childhood dream when the Doggies picked him up in the second round of the 2016 AFL Draft, just over a month after witnessing the very same team break a 62-year premiership drought.
Season 2017 was somewhat of a development year for Lipinski, as he played most of his games for Footscray in the VFL. He kicked 10 goals from 11 games and averaged 18 disposals, four marks and three inside 50s per game, before he was eventually named for his debut in round 23 against Hawthorn. It was this game alone that made me realise that he had something. He had 18 disposals, four marks and kicked three behinds.
Don't let the behinds fool you, because this young lad had an idea where the goals were – he was just a little off-target that night. Since coming back into the team this year, he has been terrific up forward. He kicked three goals back in round six against Carlton and showed with his ice-cool composure in front of goal in the last quarter that he can be a serious goal-kicker in the future.
In three games this year, Lipinski has kicked six goals, reeling in an average of two goals per game. If he continues to develop, I definitely can say he can give you 40-50 goals in due time and most importantly, a player that will play a huge part up forward in the future. 3. Bailey Williams Since being drafted late by the Western Bulldogs in the 2015 AFL Draft, Bailey Williams has found himself in and out of the side. However, the recruiters saw what he is capable of producing as a junior and could envision him as a future rebounding defender – a half-back flanker for when the likes of Robert Murphy and Matthew Boyd eventually retired. Just in case you needed a reminder, he produced a 56-disposal game for Glenelg in a under-18s game before the draft.
In the first two seasons, Williams has only played 18 games of a possible 48. In 2018, he looks set to match it, if not break it. He has played all but one game in 2018 – that being due to an ear infection that caused him to miss the flight to Perth to take on the Dockers. In these six games, Williams is averaging career-highs all across the board. He is averaging 19.3 disposals, six marks, five rebound 50s, and 3.3 inside 50s per game – all of them career-high in his short career so far.
He even managed to snag his first career goal back in round three when the Dogs defeated Essendon. To be fair with you guys, I had my concerns about him when he rocked up to the Bulldogs' photo day with one of the most horrendous haircuts you will ever see – a mullet with one half blonde and the other half a dark brown. However, he is playing some really decent footy at the moment, and given that he doesn't hit 21 until October this year, that's a real positive as he looks to cement a spot in the half-back line in the future. 2. Billy Gowers Rookie selection Billy Gowers hasn't just been one of the better finds of this off-season, but his tale of making it to the big stage is emerging as one of the best feel-good stories of 2018. After being discarded from Carlton's rookie list at the end of 2016, Gowers signed with Footscray in 2017, and from there he played all by one game and did well enough to earn a spot for the Western Bulldogs in 2018 on their rookie-list, kicking 20 goals in 19 games. At 21 years of age, Gowers got his second-chance and so far in 2018, he has made the most of it, playing every game for the Bulldogs as a handy forward option and as it stands currently, he leads all Bulldogs in goals kicked, with10.7 for the season. Admittedly, seeing him kick for goal in the early rounds of this year made me nervous, but he has done a tremendous job and will only get better in time. He has kicked at least one goal in each of his seven games this year – this includes three bags of two goals in each of the past three games. Would you say he's a suitable replacement for fallen hero Jake Stringer? Maybe, but it's too early to call on that. He's got an extraordinary amount of athleticism and he has proven that he can hit the scoreboard with such regularity. His leading patterns are very impressive for someone seven games into his AFL career and much like Lipinski, he can definitely be a 40-50 goal player down the line. Only time will tell if we struck gold here with Billy Gowers, but so far, the signs look very, very good. 1. Josh Schache You may call it a controversial call here with Josh Schache. Despite being a number two draft pick back in 2015, there have been many knocks about the lack of competitiveness that he brings to the table, and particularly during his tenure with the Brisbane Lions, there have been rumours of him being so unhappy with Brisbane that he legitimately wanted nothing to do with them during the 2017 season.
Nonetheless, he's back in his home state of Victoria now and now he'll get ample opportunity to show why recruiters rated the young key forward so highly back in 2015. We must remember that this kid was an absolute beast in under-18 level, he kicked 24 goals in six games for Vic Country and was awarded the Larke Medal as the best player in division one of the National Championships. In his first year at Brisbane, he managed to kick 16.18 in 17 games, before his development had stalled with talks of him being unhappy at the Lions.
Since being traded to the Doggies, Schache has made it perfectly clear that he wants to silence those that question his ability to compete. Unfortunately for him, injuries have stalled any progress until last week where he made his return for Footscray in a thrilling win over Richmond's VFL team. What made this performance so special is that he was named as Footscray's best, kicking three goals including the game-winner which saw him unload from outside 50 metres into an unguarded goal-square in the dying stages of the last quarter.
It may still be a while before Schache gets back onto the big-stage, but that's a start. Whether or not he can work in tandem with Tom Boyd remains to be seen, but currently as it stands, Josh Schache has still got the talent to be a good full-forward and once he gets confidence and continuity in his game, he'll be a more-than-welcome addition to the Western Bulldogs' forward structure. If You Enjoyed This Piece, Jump Onto www.patreon.com/AlexDocherty and Help Keep This Going!!!