Luke Beveridge’s Bulldogs are a tough side to trust, but there’s plenty of quality options headlined by Tim English and the now-injured Marcus Bontempelli.
Fixture
The Dogs don’t have an early bye, then they have the first of the mid-season byes in Round 12.
Squad Changes
Ins
Sam Davidson (No.51 draft pick), Josh Dolan (No.31 draft pick), Cooper Hynes (No.20 draft pick), Lachie Jaques (No.29 draft pick), Luke Kennedy (No.62 draft pick), Matt Kennedy (trade, Carlton)
Outs
Dominic Bedendo (delisted), Charlie Clarke (delisted), Caleb Daniel (trade, North Melbourne), Alex Keath (retired), Jack Macrae (trade, St Kilda), Aiden O’Driscoll (retired), Kelsey Rypstra (delisted), Bailey Smith (trade, Geelong)
Snapshot
The Dogs have allowed some key players to leave in the off-season, namely Caleb Daniel, Jack Macrae and Bailey Smith, while key defender Alex Keath retired.
That’ll open up some holes in their midfield, for someone like Ryley Sanders to come in, or recruit Matt Kennedy who has joined from Carlton. Keath’s departure may mean former no.13 draft pick Jedd Busslinger gets a chance.
Injury returns
Dashing defender Jason Johannisen is under-priced after a nasty hamstring injury last year, but he’s now suffered another hammy strain, so put a line through him.
Injury-prone Nick Coffield missed plenty of footy last year with a shoulder injury, so keep an eye on him.
Mainstays
Marcus Bontempelli is arguably the best in the business but a pre-season calf injury means he’ll miss the first 4-5 rounds.
Tim English didn’t quite reach his best in 2024, but is a good ruck option, who may have upside.
Room for improvement
Former top 10 pick Ryley Sanders offered plenty of glimpses of his potential last year but was harshly treated, often subbed off or used as sub, meaning he seems under-priced. With the Dogs’ midfield departures, Sanders could get more mid-time and benefit big time.
Joel Freijah was good in the back-half of 2024 and may continue his rise off the backline with the likes of Johannisen out and Daniel departed.
Rookies
Sam Davidson might be 23-years-old, but he’s an off-season addition as a mature-age tall forward from Richmond’s VFL side. He’s shown a bit in pre-season, making him a popular pick, especially with selection issues for the Dogs’ forward line around Cody Weightman, Aaron Naughton and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
