The Western Bulldogs are undoubtedly one of the biggest mysteries in the AFL.
They tease us with flashy new draft picks, big-name signings and explosive brilliance, but their overall form since their grand final appearance in 2021 has left something to be desired.
Several teams have been disappointing through the 2020s, but arguably not many have had a playing group as talented as this Bulldogs team.
Zero Hanger ranked them as the second-best list in the AFL, with an impressive mix of superstar talent and consistent, reliable role players.
Of course, Marcus Bontempelli is the cream of the crop, arguably the best player in the competition for the last half-decade. Further bolstered by the talents of Adam Treloar, Tim English, and Bailey Dale, who have all earned All-Australian selections.
The Bulldogs, likely many others, have smartly benefited from Academy selections and father-son picks, with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Sam Darcy taken at picks 1 and 2, bolstering their squad through back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
As good as their list has been, the Bulldogs have not won a final since 2021. Even more remarkably, the club have yet to finish in the top four throughout the Luke Beveridge tenure.
2025 is quickly shaping up to be a make-or-break year for the Dogs, with several players out of contract and the growing weight of expectation bearing down on a perennially, underachieving squad.
The man at the centre of everything, Luke Beveridge, is entering this season under enormous pressure, perhaps more than any coach in recent memory, with his contract set to expire at year's end.
Beveridge has borne the brunt of the media's criticism arguably more than anyone else in the AFL, barring maybe CEO Andrew Dillon.
Of course, some of it is self-inflicted. His own performances at press conferences and his relationship with the media have been testy, to say the least. His infamous exchange with journalist Tom Morris certainly didn't win him any plaudits back in 2022.
At times, though, he does seem unfairly maligned, considering the proven, sustainable winning culture he has fostered for almost a decade.
The Bulldogs' 2016 premiership was their first grand final appearance since 1961, and with another appearance in 2021, Beveridge has fundamentally changed the outlook of a club historically starved of success.
But every veteran coach eventually reaches a crossroads.
The general rule is that historically, barring a few notable exceptions, the longer a coach stays at one club, the harder it becomes to generate grand final success. In the AFL era, only two coaches have won a premiership beyond their tenth season with one club: Chris Scott and Kevin Sheedy.
This, in turn, feels like that crossroads for Luke Beveridge.
The departure of footy director Chris Grant last November doesn't reflect well on his security as head coach, with reports suggesting his relationship with Grant was "tense" and "rocky".
His playing list, while full of talent, is rapidly ageing. At the 2024 Charles Sutton Medal, five of the top 10 players were over the age of 31.
Their overall list is certainly top-heavy, with their bottom six players continuing to be a source of struggle and perhaps contributing to their inconsistent form through 2024. Although they beat Carlton, Geelong, Sydney, and the Giants in the final rounds of the season, losses to 11th-placed Essendon and 14th-placed Melbourne proved costly.
Beveridge himself has rightfully come under criticism for some bizarre choices at times in selection. Many critics labelled his decision to drop three All-Australians in Caleb Daniel, Jack Macrae and Bailey Dale prior to their defeat with Essendon, as an act of recklessness.
With the 10-year coach out of contract at the end of this season, if results were to start falling against him, the club board could be forced into an early decision on his future. Regardless, with no contract extension in place, Beveridge is going into this season coaching for his future.
To his credit, publicly, the Bulldogs coach hasn't shied away from the challenges they face in 2025.
โYou don't come out of a season with that team profile (and not) double down on it over a pre-season as you go into the next one,โ Beveridge said in a behind-the-scenes video posted to the club website.
โWe put internal pressure on ourselves to come up to a standard again. All that does is create something that is healthy, but it is a challenge.โ
But as Marcus Bontempelli recently said, "the talk's cheap" unless you start winning games of footy.
Certainly, the Dogs have what it takes to win it all in 2025. Their best footy in 2024 was simply too good to ignore.
If you finish second in scoring and first in defence, you must be doing something right. It could just take some players around Bontempelli to lift their performance and some luck for the cards to fall the Bulldogs' way.
Beveridge has done so much for this Bulldogs group, and with his contract expiring at the end of this season, there would be something hugely vindicating if he could pull off the unprecedented.
Only time will tell for the boys at the Kennel.
