At the halfway point of the season, the Bulldogs are languishing at the bottom of the ladder, and having recently sacked coach Trent Barrett, season 2022 is essentially written off by the Bulldogs.
With no definitive direction or head coach for 2023, interim coach Mick Potter has a golden opportunity to explore some โwhat-ifsโ and โmaybesโ in the Bulldogs' squad.
Traditionally, teams in similar positions have blooded rookies and dropped those not in future plans, with significant selection pressure motivating incumbents to work hard to earn their next contracts.
With general manager Phil Gould and Barrett having recently overhauled the roster and with major signings on the way next season, Potter has full control of a still relatively new squad, and should start making some creative changes, perhaps even enhancing his reputation as an NRL coach along the way, with the Bulldogs, Tigers and Warriors jobs still vacant.
3. Bailey Biondi-Odo to the halves, pick and stick
With Burton's potential move to fullback opening up a spot in the halves, the easy choice for Potter could be to reinstate Brandon Wakeham or Jake Averillo in the halves, but Bailey Biondi-Odo is the future.
Despite my earlier statement that the Bulldogs should make some changes to their side, they need to pick and stick in the halves.ย The amount of Bulldogs halves having been dragged through the mud in recent years is astronomical, with Brandon Wakeham, Kyle Flanagan, Lachlan Lewis, Jake Averillo among the unfortunate casualty of Barrett's revolving door of halves.
Halves, particularly young and inexperienced halves, need time to develop and gather confidence in the top grade.
As a result, Bailey Biondi-Odo and Kyle Flanagan should be picked in Round 15 and stuck with for the rest of the season under Potter.
Bailey Biondi-Odo, in his short time in the top grade has been tremendous, creating opportunity with his speed and passing game.
He has recorded three tries, four try assists and 220 average kicking metres in just six games in NSW Cup level,ย playing 25 minutes or less off the bench in his NRL opportunities thus far. Blooding some youth in key positions could unlock the rest of the Bulldogs' attack.
Intriguing ideas. I’m a bit dubious about Bailey Biondi-Odo at 6, but the season is trashed in terms of making the eight, Potter does not have a 2023 contract to protect, so yeah – make all the changes and see which ones work !
Either way, the changes will yield valuable information for next season.