WESTERN Bulldogs tagger Liam Picken says morale at the club is high as it strives to put aside a turbulent off-season in preparation for its 2015 campaign.
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The Bulldogs endured a tough start to the pre-season when coach Brendan McCartney resigned in October after skipper Ryan Griffen’s shock request to be traded to Greater Western Sydney.
But Picken, who spent New Year’s Eve in Port Fairy, said the club was back on track and eager to improve on its 14th-place finish under new mentor Luke Beveridge.
The Hamilton export said Beveridge, a former Hawthorn assistant, was already making his mark at Whitten Oval.
“It’s been a quick transition but training and the feeling around the club has been good,” Picken said.
“He has been really good. The players are getting along with him really well.
“We were straight into training and there were a lot of competitive drills and we’re adapting to the game style he wants us to play.”
Picken, 28, said Bob Murphy was the ideal choice as Bulldogs skipper.
He expects the All-Australian defender to play a key role in the development of the Dogs’ young list, which includes 2014 AFL Rising Star runner-up Marcus Bontempelli.
“Bob was a popular choice as captain,” Picken said. “It was more official. His role the last few years has been as a leader without the title.”
The 129-game veteran predicted Bontempelli, forward Jake Stringer and midfielders Jackson Macrae and Lachie Hunter would usher in an exciting new era for the Bulldogs, who haven’t played in a final series since Picken’s second season in 2010.
He is hopeful boom recruit Tom Boyd will find a niche in the Dogs’ attack but called for patience, saying the ex-Greater Western Sydney teenager, who landed at the Kennel via a shock trade move, was still raw.
“He’s training really well. He is really tall and fit and is a big body so he’ll be good for us,” Picken said.
“He is quite young and it will take him a bit to get used to the new game plan and teammates.
“It’s exciting to have so many new guys at the club.”
Picken said he was content with his own form last year, playing all 22 games, but was unsure what role Beveridge wanted him to play next season.
“The last couple of years it’s evolved into a run-with role and I am getting the ball a bit more and fitting into the team offence, which is good,” he said.
The father of three believes the Bulldogs will show improvement in what will be his seventh AFL season.
“It was disappointing the way we finished off because we hit really good form halfway through the year and the last six or seven games we fell away,” he said of 2014.
“In the first couple of years I played in two prelims and looking back now it was pretty disappointing not to have played in a grand final and play for a premierships.
“But your career goes fast that you can’t look back (too much).
“You’re always looking forward to the next game, the next season.”
Picken played in the Hamilton Magpies’ 2004 Western Border league premiership and returned to Melville Oval for its 10-year reunion last season.
But he said he was happy the Magpies and rival Imperials merged to form Hamilton Kangaroos prior to the 2013 Hampden league campaign.
“The town’s been struggling a bit the last couple of years so I think it’s been really good for the town to support one team,” he said.
