Red, white and new: The challenges facing Dogs upon fresh start

We take a look at the five biggest challenges facing new Bulldogs coach Tamara Hyett

A NEW era is upon the Western Bulldogs.

Tamara Hyett has been handed the reins after former coach Nathan Burke’s departure last year and there’s a massive challenge awaiting her this season.

Hyett will need to lead the Bulldogs through what looms as a lengthy rebuild after a mass player exodus over the off-season.

The positives are it gives her somewhat of a clean slate to work with heading into 2024, the downside is that a heavily pillaged list might take a while to get back to the top.

AFL.com.au takes a look at the five biggest challenges facing the newest AFLW coach in 2024.

Building relationships

All good coaches need to have good people skills to succeed and Hyett has that in spades. Hyett began her coaching career with the VWFL side St Kilda Sharks, before getting an opportunity to lead Coates Talent League side Sandringham Dragons. Players and colleagues alike say one of her biggest strengths is building relationships.

“My strengths as a coach are understanding people and building relationships. I love people and I think I recognise that from my background as an athlete is that you’re a person first before the athlete,” she told AFL.com.au earlier this pre-season.

Hyett spent years on the professional golf tour in Europe and the US and says that experience will hold her in good stead as she embarks on her next adventure.

“We’re lucky that these are talented people that play football. So, the strength of mine is to build that rapport, and have an understanding of the balance that is required to [perform] in a high performance environment.

“Having been an athlete myself in an individual sport, (Dogs players can) leverage off the fact that they are very lucky to have teammates around them for support.

“But first and foremost, it’s building that connection with people. I love it. That’s what I thrive on.”

Hyett’s had experience working with young stars through her involvement in the Dragons and that will hold her in good stead as she embarks on her role at the Bulldogs this season.

Rejuvenating old stars

The Dogs had their fair share of turmoil last campaign, and it only got worse as the season ended, with a third of their list leaving the club. But for those senior players who are still at the club, it’s been a refreshing start. Superstar Ellie Blackburn has handed over the captaincy reins to midfielder Deanna Berry, who is set to lead a new-look leadership group of Blackburn, Elle Bennetts, Isabelle Pritchard, Isabella Grant and Jess Fitzgerald. Blackburn said the refreshed program had been really positive despite still being in its infancy.

“It’s been really good – obviously there’s been a bit of a change-up since last season, with a whole new-look team with a whole new range of players and staff that have come on board, but it’s been really positive to start off with,” she told SEN earlier this pre-season. The Dogs have had a pretty big clean out, but the early signs are that their core group of senior players left are well and truly on board with the new path the club is headed.

The Bulldogs acquired some extremely exciting youth over the off-season. Last season’s wooden spoon finish meant the Dogs got access to the No.1 pick, selecting Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner. Weston-Turner is a powerful athlete with explosive speed and strong aerial ability. While she is more than capable of playing as a midfielder at some stage, it looks as though the impressive youngster will begin her AFLW career in the forward line, helping to cover the loss of some established talent forward of centre. The Dogs also pounced on dynamic duo Brooke Barwick and Elaine Grigg at the draft. Barwick, a Tasmanian product, is a solid ball user and her evasiveness and line-breaking ability were key factors as to why the Bulldogs selected her with pick No.4 last year. Grigg, taken with pick No.6, was one of the most exciting players of last year’s draft, possessing elite speed, agility and a strong defensive workrate. Rylie Wilcox, Heidi Woodley, Keely Coyne and recent draftee Cleo Buttifant are other youngsters to have shown promising signs during their start to AFLW life and will feature prominently for Hyett’s side moving forward. Nabbing three top-10 talents in the one draft gives Hyett the nucleus for their next premiership push.

The Dogs turned over almost a third of their list last season as four senior players requested trades away from the club. Midfield veteran Kirsty Lamb joined Port Adelaide, ruck Celine Moody is set to partner with her sister Breann at Carlton, Katie Lynch has moved north to Gold Coast and Gabby Newton headed west to join Fremantle. Rocky Cranston and Kirsten McLeod both hung up the boots and the Dogs axed four players to cap off a big off-season of player movement. But with that comes great opportunity. Lauren Ahrens (Gold Coast) and Ellie Gavalas (North Melbourne) have come via other clubs and should slot straight into the best side, while Analea McKee, Jasmyn Smith and Zimmorlei Farquharson are also seeking more opportunities at the Bulldogs this year. Mature-age ruck Jorja Borg has also been added to the squad to give insurance for star ruck Alice Edmonds. There’s been monumental changes at Mission Whitten Oval (which has also been revamped!) so there’s bound to be some teething issues in Hyett’s first season at the helm.

There’s no way to sugar coat things, rebuilding can be a challenging time for supporters, although it can be an easier pill to swallow if there’s been recent success. The Bulldogs won just one game last year which led to such significant change over the off-season. But here’s hoping things are about to change and Dogs fans can have beaming smiles once more. Hyett is a western suburb local so coaching the Bulldogs is a match made in heaven. Hyett has always brimming with pride and excitement at the possibilities that await the club in the future, often noting that the Bulldogs can “shape their own narrative”. Fingers crossed the Bulldogs can bring an exciting brand to the fore under Hyett, even if it doesn’t immediately result in wins.