The Dogs made the finals, finished top four, and even managed to steal third position from Collingwood after an impressive win over the Pies in round 22. They recovered from a couple of mid-season slumps, (from rounds four to six, and then an inconsistent period across rounds 15 to 19), and more importantly, rebounded from a qualifying final loss to Geelong to beat the Brisbane Lions the following week and set up a preliminary showdown with St Kilda.
They discovered a couple of hard-nut players in Liam Picken and Callan Ward, while Andrejs Everitt finally started to show promise late in the year. Jarrod Harbrow blossomed in his new role as a small defender, and Shaun Higgins had a good year that was free from long-term injuries.
What went wrong
The objective for the Bulldogs this year was to go one better than 2008 and play off in the decider – and once again, it wasn't meant to be. In what was one of the games of the year, the Dogs fell to the Saints by a mere seven points in a fascinating, low-scoring and pressure-filled encounter that kept everyone guessing until the final siren.
While it was a relatively good year for the Dogs injury-wise, their fitness and the absence of a busy casualty ward meant not many of the club's young guns got a look-in at senior level. Ward upped his game time and Picken was a regular player, but Sam Reid played just four games, Brennan Stack three, Easton Wood two and Jarrad Grant one. The Dogs now have a few players – Guy O'Keefe, Jarrad Boumann and Paul O'Shea (although he did have a hip injury for half the year) – who are yet to play seniors, while youngsters who showed promise in 2008 like Dylan Addison were squeezed out and largely kept out.
Most valuable player
Matthew Boyd had his most consistent season since starting in 2003. His ball-getting ability through the middle has seen him average close to 29 possessions a game, while his hardness allowed Rodney Eade to match him up on some of the gun midfielders in the competition in a head-to-head role.
Coach's award for one-percenters
It was the reason he was recruited, and former Williamstown midfielder Liam Picken didn't disappoint in his first season. It took two pre-seasons training with AFL clubs for Billy Picken's boy to be picked up, which alone was a perfect example of his determination. After battling Daniel Cross in pre-season endurance sessions, Picken did everything Eade asked of him across 23 games, even when pitted against the league's best.
Needs a big pre-season
Doggies' supporters were patient with their prized high draft pick Jarrad Grant after a battle with osteitis pubis, but expected 2009 to be the season in which he would start to flower. Unfortunately, this wasn't to be. He was blooded in round five after an impressive NAB Cup performance, but looked lost in the forward line and was sent straight back to the VFL. Will need a big summer in the gym and on the track if his third season is to be his coming-of-age year.
Overall grade: B+
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
