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bornadog
30-11-2019, 08:56 PM
link (https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/bullish-bulldogs-aiming-to-go-to-another-level-20191130-p53fml.html)

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The Western Bulldogs believe they are building momentum as they head towards 2020 after putting another important piece of the puzzle in place during the national draft, with the club expecting to improve on their solitary finals appearance in 2019.

New recruits Cody Weightman, Louis Butler and Riley Garcia will arrive at the club on Tuesday afternoon, joining a list that also added key position players Alex Keath and Josh Bruce during the trade period.
with the lively Weightman addressing the need for a small creative forward and Keath and Bruce to play at either end of the ground the Bulldogs feel they now have the firepower to contend for the first time since their 2016 flag.

"Everyone has a healthy sense of belief in what the club is capable of delivering," Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains said.

"Our aim clearly would be to improve on last year and last year we played finals."

The club takes heart from the fact no senior players were lost and the additions they made complement their precociously talented midfield.

That bullishness is not limited to their on-field prospects but beyond with the club announcing this week they had recorded their sixth consecutive profit just one week after revealing they had sold their gaming assets, although they will continue to draw rent on the Peninsula Club in Dromana.

Bains said selling the gaming assets was more important to the club than the revenue they provided because it ensured all the club's activities were aligned to the community programs they run in the west through their Community Foundation, focusing on diversity, youth leadership, men's and women's health and social inclusion.
Now the club is looking to build beyond that, aiming to reach 50,000 members for the first time and continuing their ambitious development of Whitten Oval, which will turn it into a community and sporting hub for the western region.

Convincing governments to contribute to such proposals is increasingly competitive but the Bulldogs are confident their community programs stack up positively in comparison to other AFL clubs.

Bains said the club has traditionally underplayed their work in the community but the sense of what is possible has shifted in recent years since the club added an AFL and AFLW premiership to the trophy cabinet.

Motioning with his hand, Bains makes the point that the Western Bulldogs are elevating their goals in relation to what is possible now that the club is stable and competitive.

"We need to start thinking of ourselves as [up] here, not here, so when we are thinking about what we do next we are actually thinking about up here and that is an ongoing challenge," Bains said.

The Bulldogs also have one of the most highly rated prospects in next year's draft Jamarra Ugle-Hagan tied to their club via their Next Generation Academy and have retained their first-round pick for next season.

Go_Dogs
01-12-2019, 07:03 AM
I'm 34 and a few years ago wasn't sure I'd ever see my club win a preliminary final, let alone be as well positioned we are to be a long term contender and viable to a point we don't need to have discussions about being viable...what a place to be.

Bring on 2020.

Bulldog Joe
01-12-2019, 10:48 AM
I'm 34 and a few years ago wasn't sure I'd ever see my club win a preliminary final, let alone be as well positioned we are to be a long term contender and viable to a point we don't need to have discussions about being viable...what a place to be.

Bring on 2020.

I have been around a lot longer and the 2016 gave an enormous lift to the supporters.

I was very confident going into 2016 and am even moreso for 2020 and beyond.

When I am asked how I expect us to perform next year my answer is "somewhere above second."

bornadog
01-12-2019, 12:03 PM
Really looking forward to next year and I think we can make top four with a team that has some exciting players.

The club is certainly heading in the right direction.

Eastdog
01-12-2019, 04:43 PM
I as well am getting excited for 2020. We have a good list and plenty of young talent coming through and solid experienced heads. Fantastic on the financial front probably the best position we have ever been in. I'm very excited as well about the plans for the Whitten Oval.

GVGjr
01-12-2019, 04:50 PM
I as well am getting excited for 2020. We have a good list and plenty of young talent coming through and solid experienced heads. Fantastic on the financial front probably the best position we have ever been in. I'm very excited as well about the plans for the Whitten Oval.

Easty, I don't think there is any doubt we are in the best financial position the club has ever been in and if we can progress up the order on the ladder by the end of 2020 we will be a significant force in the AFL on and off the field especially if we crack it for 50K members.

There is no doubt we have a strong list, the minimal list changes at the end of the season confirms that, and we are really well placed for a strong 2020.
No more excuses for us

Eastdog
01-12-2019, 05:04 PM
Well said GVG.

Dry Rot
02-12-2019, 11:36 PM
When I am asked how I expect us to perform next year my answer is "somewhere above second."

Exactly. It is so obvious that the 2020 flag is ours, that the AFL should just give us the flag now, let the girls play a full winter season and allow the other 17 teams have 2020 off to rebuild to take on our 2021 title defence.

You know make it sense.

Bulldog Joe
03-12-2019, 08:36 AM
Exactly. It is so obvious that the 2020 flag is ours, that the AFL should just give us the flag now, let the girls play a full winter season and allow the other 17 teams have 2020 off to rebuild to take on our 2021 title defence.

You know make it sense.

Sorry Dry Rot.
I still need the experience of watching us win.

Twodogs
03-12-2019, 11:19 AM
I have been around a lot longer and the 2016 gave an enormous lift to the supporters.

I was very confident going into 2016 and am even moreso for 2020 and beyond.

When I am asked how I expect us to perform next year my answer is "somewhere above second."


My dad, who died in may 2017, was laying in bed as sick as a dog and I said in July 2016 "Organize yourself a GF ticket mate. This is the team that will go all the way because Marcus Bontempelli" and he said "bullshit" and I said "do you think that I'd lie to a dyeing man?"

I organized my own ticket.