In all honesty, I don't think the exact team that won us the Premiership had much chance to replicate that. Not so much because of retirements or the natural trading of players or injuries, but because we simply didn't know how to handle or react to success. For many, it was the pinnacle of their footy career and that was enough - Biggs, Roberts spring to mind immediately...You could perhaps also make a case for Smith...Libba was looking like he was going to call it quits this time last year but then appeared to make amends this year...Again, one could make a case for Roughead and Dahlhaus but the fact they're looking to continue their footy careers elsewhere suggests they believe they have more to offer.
In some ways, I think bringing in a wealth of young players who haven't tasted that Premiership success will install a new sense of hunger - we began to see it over the course of the last four games (and glimpses of it at stages in other games). There won't be that burden of breaking a 62 year Premiership drought, it'll just be about achieving success as many times over as they can.
At the end of each season, there are 17 teams who have failed. I don't care if you make the finals and bow out, you still failed. There is only one measurement of success and that's a Premiership. What I see is a Bulldog outfit learning to grow together with the intent of setting themselves up for several tilts at the Premiership. We still might not get there (just like '08-'10), but I have every faith we will. And, even if we don't, I'll still bleed red, white and blue until the day I die.