Liam Picken’s return from serious concussion issues will be a huge boost to the Bulldogs in 2019. Photo: AFL MEDIA

WESTERN BULLDOGS
2018 record: 8 wins, 14 losses (13th)

THE INS
Taylor Duryea (Hawthorn), Sam Lloyd (Richmond), Bailey Smith (Sandringham Dragons), Rhylee West (Calder Cannons), Laitham Vandermeer (Murray Bushrangers), Ben Cavarra (Williamstown), Will Hayes (Footscray), Lachie Young (Dandenong Stingrays), Jordon Sweet (North Adelaide), Buku Khamis (Western Jets)

THE OUTS
Luke Dahlhaus (Geelong), Jordan Roughead (Collingwood), Marcus Adams (Brisbane), Clay Smith (retired), Shane Biggs (retired), Kieran Collins (delisted), Nathan Mullenger-McHugh (delisted), Jack Redpath (retired), Tom Campbell (delisted – North Melbourne), Mitch Honeychurch (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
Having one of the competition’s best young players, and surely a future captain, in Marcus Bontempelli at your disposal is a good start. He may have been down on his already high standards in 2018, but the 23-year-old is a gem. As brilliant as he is as a midfielder, he can be deadly in attack as well. The Bulldogs have got a pretty decent on-ball division, too, featuring Bontempelli, Lachie Hunter, a hopefully fit-again Tom Liberatore, Toby McLean, Jack Macrae, Mitch Wallis, Caleb Daniel, Josh Dunkley and Bailey Dale, which made sure the Dogs were ranked second for clearances on differentials in 2018. They’ve also unearthed some really exciting young talent in the form of Ed Richards, Patrick Lipinski, Brad Lynch, Aaron Naughton and Fergus Greene, while mature-age recruit Billy Gowers was a revelation in a forward line starved of supply.

THE WEAKNESSES
The Dogs’ spectacular fall from grace after their 2016 premiership continued last season as they failed to make the finals for a second consecutive year. They’ve now only won 19 games since that famous September day two years ago. A big reason for their woes in 2018 was their startling inability to score big. They ended up with the fourth-worst attack in the competition at an average of just 72 points a game. Too frequently would they experience scoring dry patches, registering a total of nine goalless quarters, and experienced two in a game on two occasions, against Adelaide and Collingwood. It should come as no surprise, then, that on differentials in 2018, the Bulldogs finished last for contested marks and 15th for marks inside 50. However, when you generate the seventh-fewest inside 50s, what can really be expected of you? The Bulldogs also conceded the sixth-most inside 50s, which contributed greatly to them having the sixth-worst defence in the league. Their midfield has to take their fair share of the blame for that. Despite how good it looks on paper, in 2018 the Dogs line-up ranked 16th for contested possessions, 14th for tackles, ninth for disposals, 10th for uncontested possessions and 12th for marks on differentials. That’s simply not good enough and bordering on uncompetitive. At times during the season, the team did seem to be spiritless. But to be fair, the Bulldogs did have to contend with a huge injury list as Liam Picken (22 games), Liberatore (21), Redpath (20), Adams (16), Tory Dickson (14), Dale (12), Lin Jong (12), Dale Morris (11), Suckling (11) and Easton Wood (10) missed significant portions of the season. With ruckmen back in fashion in a big way, the Bulldogs are found wanting badly in that department after winning a flag a couple of years ago basically without the need of one. And despite the lack of supply, their forward line remains a big concern.

ONE TO WATCH
It’s hard to split Naughton and Richards. Both players produced very promising debut seasons in defence. So good was Naughton that he ended up finishing fourth in the club’s best-and-fairest award. He looks like he has a very bright future ahead of him down back. Meanwhile, Richards burst on to the scene too and provided plenty of excitement for the Bulldog faithful. The red-headed great nephew of Lou Richards is blessed with pace and is capable of bobbing up for a goal or two as well. Both kids were taken in the top 20 of last year’s draft, so the Dogs’ class of 2017 is already bearing plenty of fruit.

UNDER THE PUMP
Probably two of the game’s, let alone the club’s, most maligned young key forwards in Tom Boyd and Josh Schache. So much of the Dogs’ plans for more success rests on the shoulders of these two, because if they happen to reach their full potential as former top-two picks, their team’s fortunes could turn around quickly. Schache did show some signs last year in his first season with the Dogs, and we all know what Boyd, who will probably spend a majority of his time in the ruck again, is capable of following his unforgettable 2016 finals campaign. The pair really need to start playing consistent footy and impose themselves on games.

BEST 22
B: Dale Morris, Zaine Cordy, Easton Wood
HB: Jason Johannisen, Jackson Trengove, Matt Suckling
C: Lachie Hunter, Tom Liberatore, Toby McLean
HF: Tory Dickson, Josh Schache, Sam Lloyd
F: Marcus Bontempelli, Billy Gowers, Liam Picken
R: Tom Boyd, Jack Macrae, Mitch Wallis
Inter: Caleb Daniel, Josh Dunkley, Bailey Dale, Aaron Naughton
Emerg: Hayden Crozier, Bailey Williams, Ed Richards, Taylor Duryea

Liberatore (knee) and Picken (concussion) will basically be like new recruits after playing one game between them in 2018. Lloyd should make his way into the forward line and Richards might just have been edged out of the best 22 at this stage, but that probably won’t last very long. Crozier and Williams are a tad unlucky to find themselves as emergencies after both finishing in the top 10 of the club’s best-and-fairest, while Duryea will probably have to bide his time before cracking into the best 22.