We must balance our criticism of Luke Beveridge with meritorious acclaim when the moment is appropriate if we are going to sit here and critique him on a semi-regular basis.
It’s more about how they approach the game than the outcome; they could lose this week or at any other time in the near future and their attitude wouldn’t change significantly.
The coach is solely to blame for the Bulldogs’ consistent success in large games. The same coach who, in his nearly ten-year tenure, has failed to lead them to a top-four finish. The same coach who has unjustly come under fire for being so set in his ways that it hurts the squad. The same coach, who in a season that was always expected to be evenly balanced, made significant adjustments to the team’s roster and tactics to transform 2024 from a year in which he might leave the team to one in which he might achieve the highest level of success.
We say could since nothing is guaranteed, but once more, this is a novel stylistic shift that has the potential to be consistently harmful rather than results-driven.
There’s no need to go into detail about every tactical failing of the Bulldogs—we’ve already done that in other articles, and the football community as a whole has talked about it endlessly.
But what’s fresh?
The most evident is Rory Lobb’s defensive shift, which was perhaps necessitated but was a truly revolutionary and game-changing play that elevated this squad to the level of a contender.
Lobb has endured criticism throughout his career, especially this season, much like his coach. Once more, it seemed like this relationship was rapidly deteriorating.
Yes, the 31-year-old has excelled on defense on his own. He is significantly above average in intercept marks, has only lost two games in the last six weeks, and is using the ball in a way that is both legitimately effective and dangerous. But Lobb’s addition has boosted this club because of the way the entire defense has changed.
The Bulldogs have never had a strong backup key defender, so it seems like they rely on Liam Jones to do his job and try to create opportunities for the opposition to score easily. This allows lower-level players to score more easily.
Because of his size and athleticism, Lobb is able to cover his opponent and assist as a defender. Jones leans toward similarity by nature. It’s also possible for guys like Buku Khamis. Everyone can play in this cohesive defense that has faith in one another, lead by the consistently underappreciated Taylor Duryea quietly going about his business.
Players who could formerly scramble defense have evolved into ones who can cover their own man to make sure that avenue is protected while also stepping in to read the play and assist when needed. A communicative back seven is starting to replace the opposition player who is a magnet for three or four opponents more and more. Outstanding.
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