AS THE dust settles on the season for clubs out of the premiership race, the review process begins in earnest - and that includes from our AFL.com.au experts, too. 

We look at what worked, what didn't, season highlights, and what your club needs to do ahead of next season.

Check it out.

Where they finished

12th (four wins, seven losses, 63.1 per cent)

What worked

Strangely enough, the midfield's ability to adapt once inaugural Dog Ellie Blackburn went down with a season-ending foot injury was a real highlight in the club's season. Jess Fitzgerald, initially slated for a defensive role, returned to the contest, and Isabelle Pritchard, Deanna Berry, and Dom Carruthers found their own groove through the middle. Pritchard's season in particular was a standout, with the midfielder averaging a career-best 19.9 disposals and 5.2 clearances. The ability to spread the load and become more unpredictable to opponents was evident, and certainly needs to be a priority going forward. In addition to this, after some teething problems in finding the balance between defensive and attacking footy, once new coach Tam Hyett threw off the shackles and empowered her charges to play a little more freely, the rewards flowed in thick and fast. Backing in the speed of players like Heidi Woodley, Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner, Elaine Grigg, and Rylie Wilcox proved to be game breaking, and even more evident was the joy with which the group began to play.

What didn't work

Two areas where the Bulldogs will likely be prioritising in the off-season is their ability to win contested ball, and offer reliable marking targets inside 50. They won the contested possession count just once throughout the season – against Collingwood in week four – and were found lacking at that hard ball over consistent patches. This was a concern even when Blackburn was fit and firing, which suggests it is a deeper issue that just one injured player. In terms of the aerial game in attack, over the last off season both Gabby Newton and Celine Moody moved to other clubs, leaving a really young contingent of forwards to roam the 50m arc, none of whom are bullocking key forwards. Sarah Hartwig (eight marks inside 50) was certainly a presence, leading the club for the metric, with Analea McKee (six) and Jasmyn Smith (four) offering support. But with the ground ball nous of the club's forward contingent, lacking the strong aerial target around whom to operate did stymie their output.

Season highlight

Of the Western Bulldogs' four wins in 2024, one in particular stood out. After a tough week, in which the club copped some flak for its hyper-defensive game against Essendon – a 23-point loss – there were two options on the table for the following match. Double down with the defensive style, and bring that against Carlton in week eight, or engage a more free-flowing style of play and back in the list's best assets. Thankfully, the club opted for the latter, and to great effect. It resulted in a club-best eight individual goalkickers, including majors off the boot of new recruits Weston-Turner, Grigg, and McKee, and the side's score of 61 points was the third highest in its AFLW history. Importantly, the Dogs backed it up the following week with a gritty one-point win over St Kilda.

Targets in the player movement period/draft

Bolstering the midfield and forward lines need to be priorities for the Western Bulldogs throughout the off-season. Given the strength of this year's draft class, and the number of highly skilled midfielders and forwards, they would be forgiven for focusing heavily on recruiting young players from the draft, but another experienced, hardened player from another club wouldn't go astray. In terms of names to keep an eye on come the Bulldogs' first pick on December 16, key forward Emma McDonald, tall utility Charlotte Riggs, or hard-nosed midfielders Sara Howley or Sierra Grieves would all add plenty to the club's young list.