Snarls Barkley
Brownlow Medallist
- Jun 7, 2012
- 11,391
- 14,292
- AFL Club
- Western Bulldogs
- Other Teams
- San Antonio, West Ham, Renegades
I think there is room for optimism. After round 8 we were a seriously good side and gave some beltings to some really good sides. Unfortunately we seem to just switch from the best side in the comp to the worst side in the comp once a month. The last four losses we had were as uncompetitive as any team in the comp, as soon as it got too hard we stopped fighting. Now prepare for some written diarrhea.
- Richards and Lobb moves have transformed both lines.
- Jones had a great season and with Lobb being a revelation it’s nice to have a trustworthy key back pairing. Hopefully Jones’ body holds up long enough for it to keep going.
- Half backs have all had solid seasons. Dale is still vulnerable actually defending but has probably been the most damaging user in the comp off half back after his slow start to the season. Bramble had a really solid, apart from a five week period in the middle of the season, a great find. And despite me writing him off every year since about 2015, Duryea was fantastic all year. He won’t go on forever though and not sure his replacement is currently on the list.
- Freijah had a superb first season and has acclimatised to AFL football as fast as any later draft pick that I can remember. Not sure where he ends up long term, looks like he could play anywhere. Half back, wing, or inside midfield all seem like genuine possibilities.
- Probably question marks about the third tall/mid sizers that will compliment the half backs and Lobb/Jones. Busslinger’s season has been promising, disappointing they didn’t give him a chance in the AFL but hoping he gets an early chance next season. JOD still looks promising but had a lot of hiccups and complications this season. Don’t think he had a particularly good year, save for the last two games of the home and away season, hopefully with a bit more continuity there will be a third year jump. I certainly haven’t given up on him. Coffield looked like a guy who hasn’t played for two and a half seasons. He had some solid moments but a lot of times he looked like he was lacking a bit of trust in his abilities. Look forward to finding out more about him next season. Buku had a solid season, think he proved that he can be solid back up at either end. Unfortunately I think there is too many deficiencies in his game to ever be best 22.
- Midfield was great for the most part. Bont is still the best player in the game, a bad time to play his worst game of the season (and maybe his career). I think he’ll take it personally and come back with more hunger next season. We know he is a great finals player, don’t think he’ll let his next opportunity slip.
- Treloar, outstanding season. Libba is still Libba for the most part and Richards has been a great complimentary piece. His speed and kicking skills are second to none. A Bailey Smith type would’ve been nice this season (think he would have had a really big season if not for the knee), seems like we’ll never see it. Need another gut running ball carrier. Sanders is potentially a Libba replacement but its hard just getting him games at the moment.
- Not sure what we’re doing with the wings. Happy enough with Williams. Not usually the biggest Poulter fan but thought he was good later in the season. Thought his dropping was harsh and not convinced we got more out of that position after his omission. Do I trust him going forward? Probably not. Maybe it is just Freijah who is the next option. He looks awesome back and it’d be a big call to move him early. I sort of just want an Acres like athlete to play wing. Good size to be an overhead threat and just run super hard both ways. Hunter was obviously a great wing and Williams is competent but it’s generally a position we’ve ignored for the past decade.
- A really rough season for English. Think we saw a lot more of the bad English this year than we have seen at other times. I don’t know if it’s his concussion issues that have made him a little more tentative. They’re have been times this year that he has brought the physicality and with his other assets if he just competes he is a real asset after the fact. Was easily the best ruck on the ground when he went against Darcy and Jackson for example and he was ready for the contest. Too often this year, the opposition brought the physicality and English wasn’t up for it. The Adelaide game was the worst example of this.
- Forward line is full of good names and individually they had solid seasons but not sure they are better than the some of its parts. They’re all super young and the more they play together the better they’ll get. Darcy is a jet, Jamarra had a brilliant month but probably was a little down on expectations for a large part of the year. Still had a zillion shots and could have had amazing goal numbers. Think he is ready to break out and he too will be very disappointed with how his season finished. Don’t think Naughton’s season was as awesome as Champion Data wanted us to believe but he had a decent year. Could never question his work rate but doesn’t clunk them like he used to. His improvement in accuracy was great to see.
- Weightman and West had really solid seasons too. Probably could improve their consistency a little still but it is a hard position to play. Still think sometimes Cody needs to just do the basics a bit more often. He is more like the Jamie Elliott type who is a tall in a small’s body but if we’re going to play three talls which we should, it doesn’t give you many opportunities to play that way. West had a really good season and it was disappointing he missed out on the final, just a staggering decision especially after he missed out in 2022 in an equally bizarre selection call.
- Definitely need to improve the other complimentary forwards. Can’t fault McNeil’s endeavour since coming back in. Thought his good stuff was very noticeable. Matches Weightman and West with tackles and pressure acts, was second in the competition in possessions from crumbs. Just can not be trusted when he gets it. If he cleaned up his ball use and took his chances you’d be really happy with him but 54 games in, this is probably what he is. Watching all the Hawks and Giants smalls with how clean and clinical they are makes me jealous. I’m sure VDM is a great teammate and good trainer but it’s absolutely diabolical that he was selected in every game this season. He was the lowest amongst our small forwards in virtually every category (shots, goals, score involvements, possessions, tackles, pressure acts, crumbing possessions). We’re not serious if he’s starting again next season.
- Have seen enough potential in the new players. Freijah obviously awesome, Gallagher shows enough signs that I think he’ll be a player but played way more games than he should have, excited to see what he produces next year. Sanders had some good moments but I worry there is no spot for him, really looks like an inside midfielder or nothing. Going to have to improve his other crafts otherwise he will struggle to get game time again. Was a shame Busslinger didn’t get a chance this year but think he’ll get a lot of game time next season. Clarke was an awful debut, looked so far off but hopefully after a big preseason he is ready for a second chance next season.
