Played: 25
Won: 16
Lost: 8
Drew: 1
Finished: 3rd
Best and fairest: Daniel Cross
2009 IN BRIEF
Coach: Rodney Eade
Captain: Brad Johnson
Coaching staff: Leon Cameron, Peter Dean, Paul Williams, Brad Gotch (development/Williamstown), Chris Maple (development), Bill Davoren (head of physical fitness)
ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES
Arrivals
Father-Son selection: Ayce Cordy (Geelong Falcons)
Scholarship elevation: Chris Ogle (UNSW/ES) – rookie list
NAB AFL Draft: Liam Jones (Tassie Mariners), Jordan Roughead (North Ballarat Rebels)
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Jamason Daniels (Murray Bushrangers), Liam Picken (Williamstown)
Departures
Retired: Andrew McDougall, Peter Street, Scott West (veteran – outside list)
Exchange period – traded: Farren Ray (St Kilda)
Delisted: Gavin Hughes (rookie)
FIXTURE
This year’s draw gives the Bulldogs every chance of avoiding an end of season fade out, with a favourable run home.
The Bulldogs have eight of their final nine games scheduled at Docklands and will have the brunt of their interstate travel done before the season's split round.
From last year's finalists, the Dogs will play North Melbourne, St Kilda, Geelong and Collingwood twice, while they'll face Adelaide, the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn once.
INJURY LIST
Paul O'Shea (hip) – three to four months
Cam Wight (hamstring) – to be assessed
Chris Ogle (glandular fever) – to be assessed
MATT BURGAN’S PLAYER RATINGS
5 – Matthew Boyd, Adam Cooney, Daniel Cross, Lindsay Gilbee, Ryan Griffen, Brad Johnson, Brian Lake, Dale Morris, Robert Murphy (9 players – 45 points)
Cross and Boyd are elite midfielders. Gilbee can be All-Australian again down back; Murphy and Griffen could both join him. Johnson keeps on keeping on as one of the best players or his era. Lake is one of the AFL's best backs; ditto Morri. Cooney is a star, but his restricted pre-season is a concern.
4 – Jason Akermanis, Nathan Eagleton, Daniel Giansiracusa, Mitch Hahn, Ryan Hargrave, Shaun Higgins, Josh Hill, Ben Hudson (8 players – 332 points)
Akermanis will still figure in what looms as his final season of a stellar careeer. Giansiracusa could rise to another level. Eagleton gets the footy and has more in the tank. Hahn, despite a pre-season knee hiccup, remains important; Hudson is the main man in the ruck. Expect Higgins to step-up and Hill to rise. Hargrave's durability is underrated.
3 – Dylan Addison, Tim Callan, Andrejs Everitt, Jarrod Harbrow, Will Minson, Stephen Tiller, Callan Ward, Scott Welsh, Tom Williams, Easton Wood, Liam Picken (rookie) (11 players – 33 points)
Addison, Callan, Harbrow and Tiller have the ability to step-up. Ward’s future is promising. Minson could become better. Everitt and Williams are outstanding prospects, but injury-free runs are needed. A back problem has hindered Welsh’s preparations. Wood has impressed in the pre-season and will play. Picken is also a rated rookie.
2 – Ayce Cordy, Jarrad Grant, Malcolm Lynch, Guy O'Keefe, Sam Reid, Jordan Roughead, Wayde Skipper, Brennan Stack, Cameron Wight, Jamason Daniels (rookie), James Mulligan (rookie) (11 players – 22 points)
Draftees Cordy and Roughead are raw, but talented enough to debut. Grant, taken at No.5 in 2007, looks set to be unleashed during 2009. Lynch and Reid will gain a further taste; Stack and O'Keefe should debut. Skipper and Wight will look to emerge as depth players. Mulligan and Daniels are not without chances of being promoted and debuting.
1 – Jarrad Boumann, Liam Jones, Paul O'Shea, Chris Ogle (rookie), John Shaw (rookie), Henry White (rookie) (6 players – 6 points)
Two young players – Jones and O'Shea – have had injury-interrupted pre-seasons. Getting them right will be a priority. Jones came to the club with a knee injury; O'Shea recently underwent hip surgery. Second-year rookies Shaw and White are a chance to step-up. Boumann looks set for further development. Ex-NSW scholarship holder Ogle will hone his skills.
Total team ranking – 138 (6 of 16, league-wide)
THE YEAR AHEAD
The Bulldogs are in a terrific position to go one better than last season and contest their first grand final since 1961. A tough pre-season regime, led by new fitness coach Bill Davoren, has the players in great shape. Adam Cooney, Scott Welsh, Robert Murphy and Brian Lake had interrupted summer campaigns owing to injury but will all enter the season with games under their belts and will only get better as the weeks progress.
The Dogs' depth has also improved with youngsters Jarrad Grant, Easton Wood and Jarrod Harbrow having solid pre-seasons. New acquisitions Jordan Roughead and Ayce Cordy could play this year while rookie Liam Picken is a ready-made midfielder should the side get any serious injuries.
Another aspect helping the Dogs is the determination the players have after being bundled out of the finals race at the preliminary final mark in a closely-fought clash with Geelong. They got close to the last Saturday in September, and are desperate to ensure that opportunity doesn't slip again.
WHAT THE CLUB SAYS
"It's like other teams that made the eight last year; we've got to back up and play finals again. It's hard to get there, you've got to win at least 12 games out of 22 and it's so even.
"If you're one per cent off it and you all of a sudden drop a game here or there, it can really hurt you.
"Our list is very sound in terms of preparation. The majority of them had good pre-seasons, and there are probably only three or four who have missed a bit but they're building up to that and will be better towards rounds three, four and five.
"There is also a very steely resolve from our players and they know it's hard and will be tough to play finals again, but that's the expectation – to play finals."
- assistant coach Leon Cameron
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
