DAVID King has said the Western Bulldogs have serious structural and game-style concerns that will need to be addressed by an \u201coff-season of change\u201d at the end of 2022.<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs sit tenth on the ladder, only a game out of the top eight after winning five of their last seven matches.<\/p>\n
However, they seemed to get exposed against Brisbane in round 16 when the Lions went at a remarkable 64 per cent efficiency inside 50.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of pressure, I think the Western Bulldogs are under more pressure than anyone right now with their game,\u201d King told SEN Mornings<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a look at them on Thursday night and saw Brisbane walk the ball down the ground more often than not\u2026 I had a look at how often they actually intercept the opposition, they\u2019re second last in the competition this year, the Kangaroos are the only team that are poorer at winning the ball back off the opposition.<\/p>\n \u201cI look down back and see Alex Keath, he was brought to the Dogs to be an interceptor, that\u2019s not happening.<\/p>\n \u201cTim O\u2019Brien gets caught in no man’s land more than any other player I\u2019ve seen\u2026 he just gets leapfrogged consistently.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they need drastic change.\u201d<\/p>\n King floated the idea of one of the Bulldogs’ tall forwards going back behind the ball, acknowledging Aaron Naughton and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan as potential suits for the role.<\/p>\n However, the former North Melbourne star also highlighted problems with the club\u2019s midfield unit.<\/p>\n Outside of games against Melbourne, Geelong, Brisbane and Carlton, the Dogs average 45 points from clearance.<\/p>\n Yet, against those sides, that number drops to just 29 points, with King saying, \u201cnumbers against the rest mean nothing when you get to the pointy end.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is why I think they\u2019re struggling. Their brand or mode of football is not working. They\u2019re not winning the ball back, and even when they play against the best they\u2019re not getting through at stoppage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir whole system is geared around these mids. Is it good for them individually or is it good for them as a team? I think right now, you\u2019d have to say it\u2019s good for them individually.\u201d<\/p>\n It left King saying that changes need to be made at the end of 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve won a lot of games over the last few years but we\u2019re talking about 2022, so I think there\u2019s an offseason of change [needed] at the Dogs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey need to have a look at the whole mechanics of how they play. No one\u2019s saying anything about coaching or anything like that, this is just a system that is broken.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n