The Bulldogs’ season got off to a curious start with star Caleb Daniel starting as the sub on Sunday. Photo: Michael Klein.
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has built a career on thinking outside of the box.
The mastermind behind the improbable 2016 flag has been no stranger to innovation at the selection table during his decade-long tenure at Whitten Oval.
But even by the standards of the AFL’s very own mad scientist, Beveridge’s team selection and, more specifically, choice for the starting substitute against Melbourne on Sunday was curious to say the least.
Park triple All-Australian Jack Macrae’s non-selection to one side. He might’ve already played a couple of VFL practice matches after injuring his hamstring earlier in the pre-season, but given how important he is to the team, Beveridge’s insistence that the star midfielder be at his physical optimum before returning to senior footy is understandable.
It was the decision to utilise Macrae’s fellow All-Australian Caleb Daniel as the 23rd man which was truly baffling.
Daniel is one of the best distributors of the ball in the league, let alone at The Kennel, but the jungle drums around his spot in the team had been beating for a few weeks leading into the season, so seeing his name on the interchange bench on Friday evening was mildly intriguing.
Would Bevo actually do it? Or wouldn’t he?
Well at about 12:15pm on Sunday, we got our answer. Daniel would start the season as the sub.
It was quite a stunning move.
Making it even more remarkable was the fact that no fewer than five of the club’s new faces were selected ahead of him in the 22 proper: James Harmes, Ryley Sanders, Harvey Gallagher, Nick Coffield and Lachie Bramble.
Sanders made sense given the enormous wraps that are attached to the No.6 pick from last year’s draft and Bramble certainly justified his selection with 22 disposals, six marks, 407 metres gained and a goal to be one of his team’s best.
But Harmes, Coffield and first-gamer Gallagher had little impact on the match and hardly vindicated their club debuts.
Beveridge said they were picked based on how impressive they had been in the pre-season but, without naming them specifically, appeared let down by their inability to repay the faith he showed in them by giving them a go over Daniel.
“With the pre-season that some of the guys have had, they weren’t at their best today,” a disappointed Beveridge said post-match.
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“Some of the boys who had been at the top of their game, really, in recent times, some of them will be frustrated by their performance today.
“He (Daniel) just found himself out of the team so it’s just part of it.”
Daniel finally entered the fray late in the third quarter, in place of Sanders, and as if to put an exclamation mark on the decision to demote him to sub, the premiership star racked up more disposals (12) than eight of his teammates, including Harmes, Coffield and Gallagher, from just 29 per cent game time.
He also finished level with Rhylee West on 12 touches while another five Bulldogs only managed three or fewer more touches than him. It was quite the statement made.
When asked if Daniel would return to the starting 22 for the Dogs’ clash with undefeated Gold Coast in Ballarat this weekend, Beveridge said: “We’ll see.”
But surely deep down he already knows the answer. It would be astonishing if the helmeted jet doesn’t start on the ground when the first siren sounds.
Beveridge certainly has credits in the bank with regards to team selection given his sparking track record with the Bulldogs which includes a flag and two grand finals. He is arguably the club’s greatest ever coach.
And it is definitely commendable that he backs in new players that arrive at the club with such zeal, even if it seems to go a bit too far as it did on Sunday with one of the team’s best players not a part of the starting side despite being fit and healthy.
However, every now and then Beveridge is probably guilty of over-complicating what would appear to most laymen as fairly straightforward selection decisions.
Sunday was certainly one of those occasions when he was too cute with the make-up of his 23.
Given the final margin was 45 points, it was probably immaterial in the end, but when you’ve got a Rolls Royce in the garage, you don’t take the Datsun for a drive.
Daniel is one of the most skilful players in the competition, and if the Bulldogs want to get off the mark for season 2024 on Sunday, their best shot at it would be if he featured in the starting 18, let alone 22.
