bornadog
27-03-2013, 12:50 PM
Emma Quayle (http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/coach-says-dogs-have-added-more-bite-to-the-midfield-20130326-2gsaw.html)
At the end of last season the Western Bulldogs replenished their list with tough, competitive recruits able to spend time in the midfield.
Coach Brendan McCartney hopes to start seeing the benefits of that focus against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday, believing Matthew Boyd's absence will not expose the team's depth as much it would have early last season.
Nick Lower, Koby Stevens and Tom Young are among the handful of new Bulldogs being considered for round one, with upgraded rookie Brett Goodes likely to line up in defence and draftees such as Jake Stringer and Jack Macrae to get their opportunity in the next few weeks, if not against the Lions on Saturday.
Bob Murphy will captain a team set to feature Shaun Higgins and possibly Adam Cooney, as Boyd recovers from the calf strain expected to sideline him until round three or four. Higgins has overcome a foot injury, while Cooney spent much of last week in hospital being treated for a knee infection but has trained well since.
''The one thing we wanted to do at the end of last year was not just slowly increase our midfield depth but do it quite quickly,'' McCartney said. ''A high number of players went off our list and not a lot of them could play through the midfield to the level that we wanted. All of the people we brought in, bar one who is a defender, are equipped to play through the midfield and that gives us more depth.''
McCartney said the Bulldogs were learning to be ''more functional'' around the ball and to defend better, and that having greater depth would help them to continue improving.
''We are stockpiling a lot of young people who have a great opportunity to learn how to play in a way, as a group, that will stand up,'' he said.
At the end of last season the Western Bulldogs replenished their list with tough, competitive recruits able to spend time in the midfield.
Coach Brendan McCartney hopes to start seeing the benefits of that focus against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday, believing Matthew Boyd's absence will not expose the team's depth as much it would have early last season.
Nick Lower, Koby Stevens and Tom Young are among the handful of new Bulldogs being considered for round one, with upgraded rookie Brett Goodes likely to line up in defence and draftees such as Jake Stringer and Jack Macrae to get their opportunity in the next few weeks, if not against the Lions on Saturday.
Bob Murphy will captain a team set to feature Shaun Higgins and possibly Adam Cooney, as Boyd recovers from the calf strain expected to sideline him until round three or four. Higgins has overcome a foot injury, while Cooney spent much of last week in hospital being treated for a knee infection but has trained well since.
''The one thing we wanted to do at the end of last year was not just slowly increase our midfield depth but do it quite quickly,'' McCartney said. ''A high number of players went off our list and not a lot of them could play through the midfield to the level that we wanted. All of the people we brought in, bar one who is a defender, are equipped to play through the midfield and that gives us more depth.''
McCartney said the Bulldogs were learning to be ''more functional'' around the ball and to defend better, and that having greater depth would help them to continue improving.
''We are stockpiling a lot of young people who have a great opportunity to learn how to play in a way, as a group, that will stand up,'' he said.