Upcoming opponent Geelong is a great role model for the Western Bulldogs, but not the complete blueprint for what coach Brendan McCartney wants to build at his developing AFL club.
Few know more about how Geelong’s remarkable era of success was built than McCartney – an assistant coach at the Cats for 11 years across two of their three recent premierships.
McCartney’s Dogs take on the Cats at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night at vastly different stages of AFL life.
Geelong are unbeaten in their first four matches and at the top of their game.
The Dogs have just one win, a long injury list, a learning curve to undertake and go into the match rank underdogs.
McCartney has hired two ex-Geelong premiership stars as part-time coaches – Matthew Scarlett and Cameron Mooney – and has only glowing praise for his time at the Cats.
But while there are components of the Geelong experience he wants to implement at the Bulldogs, he says it’s important the club adds its own spice.
“We’re not Geelong, we’re the Western Bulldogs,” McCartney said on Friday.
“You can’t ignore patience and clear stability and developing a brand of footy that the harder the game is, the more it stands up and doesn’t dissolve.
“We’re our own entity, our own club, and we’ll develop our own long-term great players.
“People who worked for (Geelong) are going to have great respect for that club because what was built down there wasn’t just one or two people, it was a group of fantastic people who worked together for a long time.
“And it did take a long time. People have got to remember it took that club six or seven years of patient building and clear philosophy to get to where they wanted to be.”
The Bulldogs are without six of their best 22 through injury – flying midfielder Ryan Griffen and forward Daniel Giansiracusa the latest casualties with shoulder problems.
Also without Robert Murphy, Shaun Higgins, Tory Dickson and Easton Wood, much will be revealed about the youth that lies beneath against the rampant Cats.
McCartney said it was important the Bulldogs had the courage to move the ball, rather than take a strictly safety-first approach.
“There’ll be contests where you think they’ve done better than probably should, and (players) that when the game gets hot, they respond to it,” he said of what he expected to learn about his young Dogs.
“There’s no doubt some of our young players will have patches in the game where it’s getting away on them.
“How well they get themselves back to the game – that’s almost the definition of maturity in an AFL player.
“When you have a bad minute, you don’t let it become a bad day.”
Geelong have made one change, losing Paul Chapman to a hamstring injury but with the luxury of three-time premiership player James Kelly as his replacement.
