Despite the lure of a new year, another pre-season of development and clean slate, Senior Coach Brendan McCartney is resolute that there is still much to be gained from the remaining rounds of 2014. 

While with an emerging list it could be easy to be distracted by planning the road forward, McCartney said he didn’t have the luxury yet to think beyond the next match.

“I’ve already knocked back a few planning meetings for next year quite pointedly because we still have two games to play,” McCartney said.

“We will deal with next year when we get through round 23.”

Preparing for Sydney and GWS Giants in the final two rounds of 2014, the Bulldogs coach expects his side’s focus to be squarely on the contest ahead.

“We’ve got a really powerful club next week and we are under no illusions that we are going to have to play well to be in the game,” he said.

“Then we have a developing club the week after.

“Then we will exit our players properly and then we will look at next year.”

While the run home is occupying McCartney’s immediate attention, that doesn’t mean he has not stockpiled an ideas bank ready to withdraw from in the pre-season ahead. 

“Do I have some thoughts in the back of my head about how we may be able to do things differently and what we might be able to do? Absolutely,” he said.

“You don’t have much down time in this job and you don’t have much time in this job where you are not thinking about right, what can we do to get better.”

The Bulldogs will first face Sydney at Etihad Stadium on Sunday 24 August 2014 before facing the Giants the week later at the same venue.