The Western Bulldogs are expected to be one of the top teams to watch out for this AFL season, given the depth of talent they have within their roster. And this puts immense pressure on coach Luke Beveridge to deliver success, especially after the disappointment of their eighth-place finish last year. With the addition of new recruits Rory Lobb and Liam Jones, the Bulldogs will be looking to go all the way this year, and anything less than a deep finals run will be considered a failure. Meanwhile, other teams like Collingwood, Carlton, Port Adelaide, and Geelong will also have their work cut out for them as they aim to maximize their talent and make their mark on the competition.
Important Details about AFL 2023: Mick McGuane’s ultimate depth ladder for every club’s list –
– Western Bulldogs are expected to be one of the top teams this season
– Coach Luke Beveridge is under pressure to lead the team to a deep finals run
– The Bulldogs’ list depth ranks fifth overall in the league
– The addition of Rory Lobb and Liam Jones will bolster the team
– Collingwood overachieved last season and will have a similar game plan this year
– The Blues are talented but their “edge” players need to step up for them to make finals
– Port Adelaide’s coach Ken Hinkley needs to take the team to finals this year to keep his job
– Port Adelaide ranks 10th in list depth but Junior Rioli and Orazio Fantasia could improve the team’s prospects
– Geelong is a well-balanced team with strong players across all areas of the ground
The Dogs’ List Profile Suggests They Should Be One of the Teams to Beat This Season
The pressure is on Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge entering the 2023 AFL season. After conducting a deep dive into every AFL club’s list with journalist Glenn McFarlane for The Ultimate Player Ratings project, it is clear that Beveridge has a roster of exceptional talent at his disposal. The Bulldogs finished fifth in the ranking, narrowly trailing last year’s runner-up, Sydney.
With the list of talented players that Beveridge has at his disposal, anything less than a deep run into September could be deemed a failure, and the pressure would mount on Beveridge. Rory Lobb and Liam Jones are two of the latest additions to the team, and they are expected to help bolster the roster significantly. While Lobb won’t kick the 36 goals he did at Fremantle while he was the main man last year, his presence will alleviate some of the pressure from Aaron Naughton, who was the Bulldogs’ clear No. 1 target last season.
Key defender Jones will add some aerial and intercepting strength, but that might not make much of a difference until the Bulldogs develop better whole-ground team defence and apply pressure on the ball carrier coming out of their forward line. The Bulldogs were too one-dimensional going forward at times last season, and that approach cost them.
Beveridge’s challenge is to get the team firing on all cylinders this season. He may have signed a contract extension, but that doesn’t mean the pressure is off him. If the Bulldogs’ best players remain healthy this year, they should not only participate in finals but also legitimately contend for the flag.
Overachieving Pies?
Collingwood coach Craig McRae was able to extract maximum output from his players, leading them to a preliminary final last season. The Magpies don’t have the best playing roster in the current competition, but McRae was able to utilise all of his role players to achieve results.
Expect the Magpies to play a similar game to last year. The recruitment of Tom Mitchell is a considerable addition, as the 8/10-rated player extends the team’s ball-winning ability, creativity and leadership in the midfield. Other recruits, including Dan McStay, Bobby Hill, and Billy Framptom, aren’t superstars, but they can offer critical roles within the team structure this season.
Darcy Moore is a star colleague captain as well, and he should provide stability in his first season in this position. There was an element of luckness that aided the Magpies last year, as they won 11 games by 11 points or less. However, the opposition can also experience luck when they get so close in those games.
Blue Days Ahead?
Despite the optimism surrounding Carlton’s finals hopes, there is still a lot of work to be done. Carlton’s list sits in ninth place in the rankings, and it will rely heavily on its core players, that is, Jacob Weitering, Lewis Young, Patrick Cripps, Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay.
However, the “edge” players have to raise their ratings for Carlton to be genuine finals contenders. The performance of key midfielder, Sam Walsh, is an essential aspect of this change. If Walsh were fully fit and playing in the first month, he would be rated higher than his current 8.5. Furthermore, intercepting key defender, Mitch McGovern, is just rated as 6 and faces difficulties in trusting his body after two injury-plagued years. Carlton’s outside players must improve their ball use under pressure, including Lachie O’Brien and Blake Acres. Similarly, there is a question mark over the effectiveness of their small forwards in the likes of Matthew Owies, Corey Durdin, Jesse Motlop and Josh Honey.
Power Out Early?
Port Adelaide’s out-of-contract coach, Ken Hinkley, needs to take his team to September in his 11th year at the helm. Port’s list ranks tenth in the depth ladder, which makes it debatable whether Hinkley has the players to accomplish this feat. Junior Rioli and Orazio Fantasia have the potential to lift their scores and boost Port Adelaide’s attack. If they can stay on the field, they could bring some X-Factor to the team’s offense and score a lot of goals this season.
Part of Port Adelaide’s problems last year could be attributed to their lack of consistency, especially amongst far too many players. The opening 0-5 start proved costly, and Port Adelaide faces another challenging draw at the start of this year. Despite these challenges, the Power has taken some steps in the right direction, including rejigging their ageing midfield by adding young stars like Connor Rozee and Zac Butters. The team needs to demonstrate a resolve to bank that first win this season, showing how good they are with their new-look midfield.
Cat Attack
Comparisons can be drawn between Geelong and recent dynasty teams such as Hawthorn and Richmond. Geelong’s best players are distributed across the field, making them a well-balanced and dominant team. Rated 8.5 or higher, midfielders Patrick Dangerfield, Cam Guthrie and Mark Blicavs; defenders Sam De Koning and Tom Stewart; and forwards Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron are all among the team’s star performers. Blicavs’ versatility often goes unnoticed, and Geelong is experiencing an increase in youthful talent coming through its ranks.
The Cats have the oldest list in the competition, but their surging youth talent provides a solid foundation for the future.