PROFILE
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride – is 2023 the year Pyramid Hill finally break through and claim that elusive piece of silverware?
After being the team most likely to challenge Marong, the Bulldogs came up short once again last year – with their senior premiership drought now extending to 73-years on the back of being ambushed by Bridgewater in the Preliminary Final last season. But while the men from Mitchell Park could be forgiven for still thinking about the one that got away, senior coach Nathan Fitzpatrick and the Bulldogs team are all set to go again – and right the wrongs of six months ago.
“It was a bitter pill to swallow at the time, but you have pick yourself up and go again,” Fitzpatrick said.
“I think the side we had last year probably had enough talent to win it, but we probably needed a little bit more depth – a few injuries at the wrong time meant our lack of depth got exposed, so we’ve tried to bulk up each line as a result.
“If we’re playing our best footy, I expect us to be around the mark.”
While the Bulldogs have lost both Braidy and Ryley Dickens, they have managed to bring in some high-end talent – including Central Murray pair Tom McGregor (Mallee Eagles) and Jaryd Wishart (Koondrook-Barham). McGregor will have a major impact on the Bulldogs defence, while the arrival of midfielder Zach Alford should leave an equally big impression on a Pyramid Hill engine room that still possesses reigning Harding Medallist Billy Micevski, skipper Steve Gunther and Bryden Morison.
While the Bulldogs have beefed up their midfield and defensive playing stocks in order to compete with Marong, Fitzpatrick was still comfortable that his team’s style of play will stand up under the microscope of finals action – with the Bulldogs set to employ a similar game plan to last year.
“We’ve tinkered with a couple of things defensively from last season, but I had a good chat with our leadership group and we all agreed that we don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” Fitzpatrick said.
“What we produced last year was pretty good, yes we need to improve in a couple of areas, but we’ll be pretty similar overall.”
FROM THE COACH
“We’ve got a similar squad to last year, if not slightly better – we thought we were around the mark last season and we expect to be again, we probably just need to manage some bodies a bit better and make sure we peak in September.”
KEY PLAYER
Billy Micevski
Last year’s Frank Harding Medal winner, Micevski is set to spend a bit more time forward this season with improved on-ball depth at the Bulldogs. A long-time servant of Pyramid Hill, Micevski is still the man most opposition teams need to stop when playing the Doggies.
IN’S & OUT’S
IN’S
Tom McGregor (Mallee Eagles)
Jaryd Wishart (Koondrook-Barham)
Thomas Hetherington (Murrabit)
Darcy Hetherington (Murrabit)
Zach Alford (North Bendigo)
Lachlan Carroll (Tyntynder)
Jesse Sheahan (South Bendigo)
Declan Slingo (Castlemaine)
Dylan Goulding (Macorna)
OUT’S
Braidy Dickens (Huntly)
Ryley Dickens (Huntly)
Jack Willcocks (Dunolly)
Ben Dalton
Mitchell Cheesman
