PROFILE
Despite taking big strides last season, Tyntynder’s Elimination Final fadeout could well be the defeat that spurs them to greater heights in 2023.
While the Bulldogs improved significantly last year, they will find the going much tougher when Round 1 kicks, with some significant departures set to have a big bearing. The loss of Marcus Wattie will be felt the hardest, with the dynamic midfielder having left the kennel in the off-season, along with the Sala brothers, Tom Gilbert and Solomon McKay.
What the Doggies have lost in speed and run, they have gained in size, with the return of their former coach Justin Ellis to play alongside the re-signed Jason Eagle, as well as the recruitment of Darwin Buffaloes Tyrone Bean – who can play as either a key position or running defender.
While the change in personnel will also cause a shift in style, Tyntynder coach Josh Stone is adamant that his side will be better placed than 12 months ago.
“We’ve lost a bit of midfield depth, but the few guys we’ve recruited are going to help us with our structure a lot more than last year,” Stone said.
“Even with losing guys like Tom (Sala) and Marcus (Wattie), I’m confident we’ll go pretty well, as there’s a lot of talent among the group, especially among a few of the younger boys.”
“We seem to have a lot of big blokes this year, whereas last year we were pretty small – we’ve lost a little bit of pace, but if we can move the ball quick then I don’t think you necessarily need leg speed.”
“We’ve just tweaked a couple of things, which is normal for most teams – we didn’t want to do exactly what we did last year because I felt we got found out a couple of times with different aspects of our game, like pushing forward too hard and then not having guys able to get back in defence.”
The addition of Bean will further strengthen an otherwise strong defence, with Patrick and Cayden Crowe, Elliott Broad and Tate Hulland all pulling on the red, white and blue guernsey again. Add Jackson Morris, who should return for the second half of the season from injury, and the Bulldogs have options aplenty.
Elia Ware will be another key player for Tyntynder following his Best & Fairest win last season and should once again take the mantle as the Doggies’ number one ruckman. Of greater concern is their lack of a top midfielder, following the departures of Wattie and Sala.
Brodie Bennett, Darcy Bibby, Ben Hallam and Kyle Brasser are all quality players, but none possess the ability to rip a game open. The one player who is capable of that is Stone, who had a season severely interrupted by injury last year and will be desperate to get himself fit and back into the midfield.
But while the squad they’ve assembled can once again press for finals – Stone and his coaching staff will be doing everything in their power to make sure lightning doesn’t strike twice.
“That loss (Elimination Final) will certainly be what drives us this year,” Stone said.
“One of the worst things that happened to us was we knew we were playing finals three weeks before they started and we just didn’t have the right attitude – our mentality changed from that moment on and it’s something we’ve addressed.”
“We’ve changed a bit of our game plan with regard to that, because teams were running all over us by season’s end.”
“Hopefully, making those adjustments will allow us to compete with some of the better sides and enable us to defend better, rather than being all-out attack all of the time.”
FROM THE COACH
“Our expectation is to win a final this year. While we made it into the finals last year, our finish to the season wasn’t what we wanted – it was disappointing and we need to learn from it and improve on it this season.”
INs & OUTs
INs
Tyrone Bean (Darwin Buffaloes)
Justin Ellis (Sea Lake-Woomelang)
Murray Ogle (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
Mick Dedini (Returning)
OUTs
Marcus Wattie (Shepparton United)
James Sala (Strathmore)
Tom Sala (Cairns)
Liam White (NNW United)
Tristan Dalbon (NNW United)
Tom Gilbert (Railways)
Solomon McKay (Macleod)
Lachlan Carroll
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2023
A tougher fixture in 2023 means a repeat performance of last season will be much harder for the Doggies. Games against an improved Balranald, Woorinen, Koondrook-Barham, Lake Boga and Kerang in their first five rounds could easily see them start the season 1-4 – and from there, it’s a long road back. While Tyrone Bean is a jet and will be a massive inclusion, they have still lost some serious class and depth in Wattie, Sala and Solomon McKay. It’s hard to see Tyntynder improving based on their departures – and although they won’t go backwards, they’re certainly vulnerable to those who finished below them – such as Balranald – going past them.
KEY PLAYER
Elia Ware
Showed just how good a player he was last year in winning Tyntynder’s Best & Fairest. Can play any position on the ground, but saved his best football in 2022 for when he was in the ruck – and although he will likely start there again, the Doggies could get creative and play him solely as a running midfielder. Is as fit and athletic as any ruckman in the league and could easily make the transition to playing as an old-fashioned ruck-rover – with his ability to cover the ground for a man of his size simply incredible.
BIG IMPROVER
Isaiah Bull
Has speed to burn and will no doubt get more midfield minutes with spots in the Doggies engine room opening up. Loves to take the game on and will be required to do exactly that as one of the few x-factor players in the side. Spent time in defence late last season, including at full back, and was impressive – but can have a larger impact on the game further up the ground, which is where you can expect to see him come Round 1.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Will the return of Justin Ellis help ease the load on Jason Eagle?
There’s no denying Tyntynder had an unhealthy reliance on spearhead Jason Eagle last season – and it was this fact that saw them found out in the final against Lake Boga, when he was clearly hampered by injury and unable to impact the game. While Ellis is closer to the end of his career than the start – as is fellow key forward Josh Dwyer – they can both provide a strong alternative to Eagle. How they all work together will be interesting to watch – but at least Eagle shouldn’t have three opponents hanging off him this season.
TYNTYNDER PREDICTED BEST 22 2022
B. Patrick Crowe – Tate Hulland – Elliott Broad
HB. Cayden Crowe – Tyrone Bean – Harry Simpson
C. Ben Hallam – Darcy Bibby – Isaiah Bull
HF. Mick Dedini – Josh Dwyer – Josh Stone
F. Justin Ellis – Jason Eagle – Brock Storer
R. Elia Ware – Brodie Bennett – Kyle Brasser
INT. Murray Ogle – Zac Denham – Patrick Blake – Ben Derbas
