So the JLT Series is now finally done and dusted for another year and we focus now towards the 2019 AFL season. For the Western Bulldogs, the results may not have been the greatest – going down to Gold Coast last week, and now this past weekend, losing to St. Kilda by 14 points at Mars Stadium.
But, we need to take a breather here. These are just JLT games, they’re not the be-all, end-all of a season. We haven’t even had one regular-season game. Sure, it might feel a little disheartening to some because realistically, both the Gold Coast and St. Kilda are expected to struggle mightily in 2019.
But as there was last weekend against the Suns at Mackay, there were a few talking points to discuss from the weekend. There are six points to take from the weekend's loss to St. Kilda, all of them coming from performances from the players. I understand that there will be those that are criticising the ball movement, but let's just wait for round one.
Where is Mitch Wallis' Best Footy?
Mitch Wallis' contract situation was a massive talking point in 2018. Out of contract and courted by a few rival clubs, Wallis knocked back offers to stay loyal to the club. On Sunday, he showed that he can be just as influential as a midfielder, after playing more as a forward over the past 12 months.
He recorded 26 disposals – half of those contested – along with five clearances and kicked a very important major in the last quarter when the result was still in the balance. He kicked three goals as a forward last week, so it looks like wherever you place Mitch Wallis this year, you'll get a good return. The Bulldogs will need him this year if they are looking to get some ascendancy up the ladder. Whether or not Luke Beveridge opts to play him more forward or not remains to be seen.
Josh Dunkley Needs To Play As A Permanent Midfielder Speaking of midfielders, we need to talk about Josh Dunkley here for a moment. The second half of 2018 showed him to be a standout in the midfield. From winning contested possessions at will and winning clearances with relative ease, Dunkley proved that he has a place in the team's midfield.
Last week, he was tried more as a forward and only resulted in 18 touches – much to my disapproval. On Sunday, he played as a permanent on-baller and thrived, recording an equal team-high 29 disposals, recorded an equal team-high seven clearances and a team-high eight tackles. His disposal efficiency has been a huge concern for a while now, only going at 58 percent on Sunday, but as long as he keeps winning possessions and clearances and busts his guts out in the middle, then I think he'll be fine – just keep him in the middle.
Josh Schache's First Hit-Out
A big talking point in the pre-game was the inclusion of Josh Schache, who had his first hitout on the weekend. Schache came into the Bulldogs side in round 10 last year and played every game since, highlighting his ability to lead the right directions and a decent shot on goal. In 13 games, he kicked 17 goals in 2018, an average of 1.3 per game. With Tom Boyd out for an extended period of time, setting the scene of a big 2019.
In his first hit-out of 2019, I thought Schache was very good. Competing in the air has been something that many have criticised Schache for doing whilst he was at Brisbane. I thought he was very good in that respect. He also kicked two goals, he could've got one or two more if it weren't for a bit of inaccuracy. Overall, I think it was a solid outing from Schache and I hope he plays round one and continues to improve on his 2018. Sam Lloyd Is A Lock For Round One
Whilst we're on the forwards, one player that needs to be pointed out is the work of recruit Sam Lloyd, who I thought was one of the Bulldogs' better players on the weekend. The former Tiger did his best work when ultimately Richmond struggled to put wins on the board, but in a new environment, I think he's going to thrive. He knows how to get in all the right spots and most importantly – he can put it through the big sticks – which has been an achilles heel for the past two seasons.
Lloyd kicked three goals from 18 disposals, three marks and three tackles in a strong performance up forward. Lock him in for a spot in the side come round one. It will be interesting to see what happens when Tory Dickson comes back into the side. Both play similarly and both are equally accurate in front of goal – I look forward to seeing that.
Make Tim English Number One Ruckman
He's been in the team now for two years and entering his third season – it's time to make Tim English the number one ruckman. It was revealed that the Western Australian had cracked the triple figures in weight, which is a good start for any ruckman trying to make the big time. Over the past two seasons, he has just played a grand total of nine games – including the first seven games of last year, before he was back in the VFL for the remainder of the year.
He only played 45 percent of game time on Sunday and I thought for that time, he performed well, recording 18 hitouts against Rowan Marshall, and recording eight disposals, four tackles and three rebound 50s – going at 75percent efficiency. I think it's clear him and Jackson Trengove will be the ruck options to start the year, I just hope English gets more time as a ruckman than anything else. He needs the games now if he is to start working up to his capabilities..
Aaron Naughton – Forward Or Defender?
It could be one of the bigger questions as we approach round one – Where does Aaron Naughton play? We know he plays his best football in defence, but he was used as a key forward for the majority of this match and ended up with three goals for his trouble. He also recorded just the seven disposals and took two marks – both of them contested, thus prompting the question: Where will he play come round one?
Interesting to read that someone highlighted how Carlton trialled Jacob Weitering as a forward after such a good debut year, but since then he has struggled for any ounce of momentum. Maybe Doggies supporters should be worried as throwing players who know their game as defenders are thrown into the deep end as a key forward. It happened with one of their own last year with Easton Wood – great idea that by the way – but I will say that I liked how Naughton competed and I think everyone that reads this knows how sticky his hands are. Luke Beveridge has a big decision to make round one.