The Western Bulldogs are coming off an impressive 2021 campaign that was soured by a late fade-out in last year's Grand Final to Melbourne. 

The Doggies sat in the top two for most of the season before losing the last three games of the regular season to finish outside of the top four. 

The side rallied in the finals to win three weeks in a row to earn a spot in the Grand Final, before their demise to Melbourne in the big dance. 

Star players in Marcus Bontempelli and Jack Macrae had quality seasons, whilst the continual emergence of Bailey Smith, especially in finals, has been one that has impressed in the past season. 

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Marcus Bontempelli of the Bulldogs handpasses the ball during the 2021 Toyota AFL Grand Final match between the Melbourne Demons and the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium on September 25, 2021 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Luke Beveridge has a strong, star-studded lineup at his disposal that is expected to be premiership contenders once again, and will look to kick off their 2022 campaign with a redeeming win over rivals Melbourne at the MCG tonight. 

With their premiership window still wide open, can the Doggies pounce on the opportunity? Only time will tell. 

Ins: Sam Darcy [National Draft], Tim O'Brien [Hawthorn], Charlie Parker [Rookie Draft], Robbie McComb [Rookie Draft], Luke Cleary [National Draft], Arthur Jones [National Draft]

Outs: Easton Wood [retired], Patrick Lipinski [Collingwood], Lewis Young [Carlton], Lin Jong [retired], Will Hayes [delisted], Ben Cavarra [delisted]

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Weaknesses

Ruck conundrum: One glaring weakness for the Bulldogs in 2021 was the ruck situation, as Luke Beveridge could not find a solution to their ruck woes.

Stefan Martin started out and finished the season as the Dogs' number one ruckman, but his season was plagued with injuries.

Tim English continues to develop as a ruckman, but was deployed by Beveridge mainly as a forward in 2021 who could then move into the ruck.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 03: Tim English (right) and Stefan Martin of the Bulldogs in action during the Western Bulldogs AFL training session at Whitten Oval on February 03, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Midfielder Josh Dunkley was even used as a ruck around the ground at certain points of the season, which Beveridge would presumably rather not have.

The head coach will hope that English continues to develop, and even up and coming ruckman Jordon Sweet who showed promising signs in 2021, to take over from Stefan Martin as he comes to the back end of his career.

A well-rounded ruckman would be the finishing touch on a classy midfield unit and would help capitalise on the plethora of quality midfielders that Luke Beveridge has at his disposal.

Key defender stocks: The part of the ground where the Bulldogs run a bit thin is in their defence, particularly with their key defenders.

Alex Keath is the main key defender for the Dogs who holds down the main opposition key forward, but apart from Keith, the Dogs are lacking in consistent key defenders who can stop opposition scoring and play a role for Luke Beveridge and his team.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 13: (L-R) Ryan Gardner, Alex Keath and Stefan Martin of the Bulldogs in action during the Western Bulldogs training session at Optus Stadium on September 13, 2021 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Zaine Cordy and Josh Schache are the two that come to mind when looking at the other key defender position at half-back, and whilst Schache played pretty well in defence last season, he's been utilised as a forward throughout the majority of his career.

The retirement of Easton Wood and the move of Lewis Young to Carlton compounds this lack of depth in defence that would worry some supporters and even Luke Beveridge, as they were exposed in last year's Grand Final, giving up 140 points.

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