While last year’s strong finish to the season won the Bulldogs many admirers, Senior Coach Brendan McCartney is confident of a repeat this season – but only if his team keeps improving.

“We believe as a Club we are [further progressed than 12 months ago], probably the fact that we are winning more quarters, we are in games for longer,” McCartney said.

“We know that our young first and second year people are progressing their game and getting valuable experience and we are finding some different people in different positions.

“But the game doesn’t wait for anyone, while we are improving so are another ten clubs.

“We are under no illusions here, we know what is in front of us and we are really confident we know what we are doing and how to get there.”

Winning three of their past five games – including top eight sides Collingwood and Gold Coast – the Bulldogs have been highly competitive in most games this season.

McCartney said the signs are positive and it’s a matter of building on their strong form and seeing that translate into more wins going forward.

“We are confident we will continue to play good footy – apart from two or three weeks this year we’ve been in games nearly all day which is terrific and we need to be able to extend that now,” he said.

The growing depth across the playing list has created some selection headaches this season but McCartney said the competition for spots has kept motivation high across the group.

“At the moment we feel our strength is our evenness and our depth – the writer coming with that is that you’ve always got someone breathing down your neck,” he said.

“That can work one of two ways, it can spook you and make you anxious or it can make you more steely and determined to keep doing your bit for the team and… know that you are being valued for what you contribute and make the team function.”

While the team’s youth has provided excitement for the future, McCartney said the role of the senior players in guiding and teaching the next generation has been invaluable.

“There are still four or five senior players here who still shape our team and set our team up and organise brilliantly,” he said.

“What we’ve been so pleased about with the young players apart from their flair and ability they’ve shown is they are actually starting to see the game and understand the game and talk and think their way through the game.

“Full credit [goes] to Boyd and Murphy and the other senior players who have given them great direction.”