A rollercoaster ride of ups and downs confronted the Western Bulldogs in 2022 which ended with an early finals exit at the hands of Fremantle, after sneaking into the top eight courtesy of Carlton.
After reaching the big dance the year prior, the Dogs struggled to replicate their proven formula that is modelled on consistency, despite a healthy list steering them through the majority of 2021.
With head coach Luke Beveridge guiding them into a new season, a sense of the unknown can be attached to the red, white and blue, as they look to bounce back in 2023 after a sub-par year.
The holiday period saw them lose star onballer Josh Dunkley, who requested a trade to Brisbane, whilst the Dogs welcomed key forward Rory Lobb across from the Dockers.
The swap hurts their midfield stocks with Dunkley a prized contributor in the engine room, in spite of this, with Lobb landing in their lap, it only adds to the selection dilemma in their front half.
A host of worthy tall forwards are in a healthy jostle for positions, with the coaching staff tasked with the headache-inducing role of forming a pecking order amongst the long line of candidates.
During the draft period the Dogs picked up trio Jedd Busslinger, Charlie Clarke and Harvey Gallagher, with the speedy Oskar Baker joining as a pre-season Supplemental Selection from Melbourne.
On paper, the Dogs' spine presents as sturdy as any, with the homecoming of Liam Jones heading up proceedings in his accustomed full-back role after a stint at the Blues before the introduction of COVID protocols.
Further afield, defender Alex Keath steps up as their centre half-back, whilst in their midfield department Tim English holds precedence in the rucking job over fellow tall-timbered counterpart Sam Darcy.
Captain Marcus Bontempelli will be on a rotation system forward, split with his midfield time as he plans to lead his side back into contention whilst they sit in a premiership window.
With contracts irrelevant in this exercise and the club's monetary situation thrown out the window, we look at four potential role fillers at the Dogs before honing in on a verdict to conclude.
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5. Verdict
With this exercise giving the coaching staff a lot to ponder, and funnelling four names into one an obvious hardship, a conclusion must be drawn with the Dogs silly not to steal mid-sized defender Sam Docherty.
Docherty will slot seamlessly into the Dogs' back half, playing third fiddle with the pair of tall's in Jones and Keath, and opening the door for him to be punishing on his rebound 50s and intercepting game.
Still in the prime of his career, the Dogs' youngsters will be able to learn at the feet of Docherty as he controls the back six setup with his level-headed approach and calmness with the ball in hand.
