As AFL clubs enjoy the mid-season bye and list managers turn to 2018, we take a daily look at one club and how it's performed so far - and what to expect from here.
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WESTERN BULLDOGS
Pre-season expectations:
The Western Bulldogs finished the 2016 home and away season seventh and then won four consecutive do-or-die finals to claim the club's first premiership since 1954. So, pre-season expectations were always going to be difficult to frame.
Expecting Luke Beveridge's Bulldogs to finish at least in the top four in 2017 was common and don't forget their 2016 ladder finish was unusual considering the team won 15 games. Their young and deep list was also tipped to be buoyed by Bob Murphy's return from injury and the acquisition of Travis Cloke.
Sitting fifth on the ladder at the bye, that's certainly possible, but not assured.
Record: 6-4
What's gone right:
Defence. The Bulldogs are second in the competition for points conceded, after finishing 2016 ranked third. For defending premiers, the hunted, maintaining that defensive rigour is splendid.
They are ranked fourth for inside 50 differentials or amount of inside 50s won compared to their opponents.
Jack Macrae, Luke Dalhaus, Easton Wood, Jake Stringer, Jason Johannisen and Marcus Bontempelli have been 2017's standout players. While Mitch Wallis (returning from injury), Marcus Adams and Lin Jong have also been impressive.
Dalhaus is averaging career-high disposals (27) and two score assists a game and Stringer has enjoyed his best goal average (2.4 goals a game) since his breakout 2015 season average (2.5).
Considering intangibles, the Bulldogs' desire, togetherness, never-say-die attitude and flexibility that made them so formidable in 2016 remains present in 2017. But it hasn't always delivered wins like it did in 2016, when they won five games by under 10 points and only lost one by under 10 points.
Despite the Fremantle loss, the Bulldogs have won the games they should have and lost narrowly to teams above or near them on the ladder this year.
What's gone wrong:
Injuries. Matthew Boyd (shoulder), Clay Smith (calf), Josh Dunkley (shoulder) and Bob Murphy (knee and hamstring) are unavailable. Murphy will miss up to a month, while important big man Jordan Roughead (knee) has only just returned from missing the first nine rounds. Stringer (knee) also missed round eight and nine.
The Bulldogs' contested and uncontested disposal differentials and clearances and scoring from clearances differentials have dropped. They're ranked 14th and 12th respectively for clearance differential and scores from clearances differential. Last year they were ranked first and fourth. Roughead's injury and Tom Liberatore's form slump have hurt the Dogs there.
They have lost to Fremantle, GWS, West Coast and Geelong and of those four, the performances against the Dockers and the Cats were particularly disappointing. All losses, to be fair, came in front their opponents' partisan home crowds.
Standout star:
Others have better stats, but "The Bont" undoubtedly remains the star. The 21-year-old's poise and skill have been crucial at so many stages this year and despite his modest disposal average (23.8) he is ranked among the league's top few midfielders.
His 22 touches, three goals and seven tackles in the narrow loss to GWS in round six were massive, as were his 30 touches and two goals in the round two Sydney win. He also had 27 disposals and kicked one goal in the round seven win over Richmond. Forward or back he is an irresistible player, crucial to his team's stature.
Players under the pump:
Liberatore's form is down on 2016 and his fitness has been questioned by Beveridge. He's played the last two games in the reserves. Questions remain over Cloke's worth to the team with Stringer, Tory Dickson, Jack Redpath, Roughead and Tom Boyd all fit. Matthew Boyd's remainder of 2017 (and career) is unclear given injury and form, while his namesake Tom still faces consistency questions.
The run home:
Four of 12 remaining games are against current top eight teams (GWS, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, West Coast). They also play Carlton, Brisbane, Sydney and Hawthorn. They need 10 more wins to be firmly in the top four conversation come September, you would think.
Grading: B
