Future Father/Sons

[Dancin' Douggy]

Be interesting to watch as he gets into under 16/18s that's when other players tend to catch up. Sounds like he is ripe for rugby league, does he play any other sport ?

I don't know if he plays other sports. He loves footy though and at this stage has more of an Aussie rules type physique. Unfortunately he broke a kids arm on the weekend. The Caroline springs player thought he was well and truly in the clear but 3 or 4 huge loping strides from Noah and he came from nowhere and ploughed him down at breakneck speed. Snapped the poor kids forearm clean in half. Seems he's in the Kanga's zone anyway. Unless of course he's Brian Royal's long lost son.

[Dancin' Douggy]

Thanks bad

[Twodogs]

I don't know if he plays other sports. He loves footy though and at this stage has more of an Aussie rules type physique. Unfortunately he broke a kids arm on the weekend. The Caroline springs player thought he was well and truly in the clear but 3 or 4 huge loping strides from Noah and he came from nowhere and ploughed him down at breakneck speed. Snapped the poor kids forearm clean in half. Seems he's in the Kanga's zone anyway. Unless of course he's Brian Royal's long lost son.

So was Scott Wynd. And Tony Liberatore.

[Eastdog]

So was Scott Wynd. And Tony Liberatore.

Scott Wynd, Jose Romero from Jacana near Broadie.

[Twodogs]

Scott Wynd, Jose Romero from Jacana near Broadie.

Yep but Jose played 80 odd senior games at North on his journey to the Bulldigs. We signed Wynd at 12.01 on his 17th birthday a minute after North's hold on him as a sixteen year old expired. They thought they had another year with exclusive rights to him. That was sweet.

[Bulldog4life]

WESTERN Bulldogs father-son prospect Ewan MacPherson has been named Captain of Vic Metro under 16's. His game has been likened to Jimmy Bartel's.

[bulldogtragic]

WESTERN Bulldogs father-son prospect Ewan MacPherson has been named Captain of Vic Metro under 16's. His game has been likened to Jimmy Bartel's.

Vic Metro captain. So he can kick presumably. Commit to him now!

[WBFC4FFC]

WESTERN Bulldogs father-son prospect Ewan MacPherson has been named Captain of Vic Metro under 16's. His game has been likened to Jimmy Bartel's.

Probably explains why we have so many talls on the list at present. The Club must know that a few of the pending Father-Sons are decent and are Midfielders. Hence the Recruiting/Trading that has transpired over the last couple of season.

[Twodogs]

Vic Metro captain. So he can kick presumably. Commit to him now!

That's a big presumption mr BT. That's like saying it's impossible for a player's skills to deteriorate while they are on an AFL list.

[bulldogtragic]

Probably explains why we have so many talls on the list at present. The Club must know that a few of the pending Father-Sons are decent and are Midfielders. Hence the Recruiting/Trading that has transpired over the last couple of season.

His older brother Darcy seems to be doing well this year at GCS too. Nearly 14 disposals, 1 goal & 6 tackles a game as a small forward. Our small forward stocks of Dahl, Hrovat, Hamilton, Honeychurch & Stringer has us overlook him. So there's a vacancy. Maybe he wants to come play for us again in front of his club champion dad, and one of my all time favourite players.

[Eastdog]

Probably explains why we have so many talls on the list at present. The Club must know that a few of the pending Father-Sons are decent and are Midfielders. Hence the Recruiting/Trading that has transpired over the last couple of season.

While talls are important still particular I reckon you need a great tall intercept marker in the backline up forward it's not so much about the talls more need for mid sized forwards good crumbers who are really good when the ball is at the ground. The game has gone in that direction. We need a good ruckman.

[Bulldog4life]

Probably explains why we have so many talls on the list at present. The Club must know that a few of the pending Father-Sons are decent and are Midfielders. Hence the Recruiting/Trading that has transpired over the last couple of season.

Good point. I am sure they look ahead at the upcoming drafts.

[bornadog]

Is there room for all the sons of the West?

FATHER-SON selections are widely considered as draft windfalls, but they can also force tricky decisions because of the emotion that comes with the son of a gun.

The Western Bulldogs have benefited from the draft concession more than most clubs, with four current players following in their fathers' footsteps.

Two of them, Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis, become free agents at season's end. While coach Luke Beveridge says they are required players, can the Dogs play both contested-ball specialists in the same side with their lack of a "strong athletic profile" and flexibility the premiership coach demands?

Fellow midfielders Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae and Toby McLean all win the ball on the inside, spread from the contest and can play on a wing or a flank, while impressive youngster Bailey Williams has displayed a nice balance in his game when recently switched from half-back to the midfield.

Also joining a burgeoning inside-midfield assembly is 190cm Josh Dunkley, with Beveridge believing the premiership forward can also be a dominant force at the coalface.

Liberatore, 26, was preferred ahead of Wallis during the JLT Community Series and in round one, but the former's year-ending knee injury in the season-opener still didn't open the selection door for the latter until round three.

Dropped to the VFL for a fortnight after round nine, Beveridge explained the 25-year-old needed to add a "qualitative sheen" to his game if wanted to be a permanent member of the team.

While Wallis has been a solid contributor since his return to the senior side, his foot skills once again let him down in the dying moments in the two-point loss to North Melbourne last week, when a wayward kick just sailed out on the full, the mistake giving the Kangaroos the chance to launch their match-winning play.

Beveridge judged Wallis as "influential" in the heart-breaking defeat, but the costly blunder was another example of the ongoing skill errors that have plagued the Dogs throughout the season.

The Dogs sit 13th in the AFL for use by foot with an efficiency of just 64 per cent.

The ability to retain possession is key in the modern game, and Dogs list manager Sam Power told AFL.com.au's Road to Draft Podcast recently the club will look to add some much-needed class to their list via trade, free agency and November's NAB AFL Draft.

When it comes to this year's underage talent pool, the club is likely select a skilful finisher with a likely top-five pick, but also acquire another father-son recruit, as club great Scott West's son Rhylee has been impressing with Vic Metro and the Calder Cannons.

But what could complicate the club's list management strategy is West, like Wallis and Liberatore, is smaller inside midfielder who excels at stoppages, but isn't overly reliable by foot.

When it comes to efficiency by foot over their eight-year careers at Whitten Oval, Liberatore (59.4 per cent) only just shades Wallis (58.6), while West hits a target just 58.1 percent of the time.

However, what the AFL Academy member has over his potential future teammates is a burst of speed and elite agility to compliment the vision and quick hands he inherited from his father.

While West is likely to attract a bid from a rival club early in the second round on draft night, there's every chance the Bulldogs will have to make the tough decision to bid farewell to either Wallis or Liberatore at season's end.

[FrediKanoute]

Personally it creates a bigger problem for someone like Jong, than Libba or Wallis. That said I can see one of the 2 not finishing their careers as Bulldogs.

[ledge]

I can't see Libba or Wallis going anywhere we have players on the list worse than them, I would think honeychurch, Campbell Collins might be on the outer , this isn't a go at the players just what I see from how the club sets up , I have no doubt that Campbell would be a good player if playing in a side that values ruckman more than us and we have English coming on.
Collins has had no luck, I could be wrong as we are patient with injured players eg the two smiths, Roughead and libber.
Suckling is an interesting one, I value him , his kicking is special that's why we got him but we know what an achillies injury can do to an older player ( Johnson).
I don't see any retirements except maybe Picken or Clay Smith both due to injury.
We will have to upgrade 3 rookies Lynch , Gowers and Smith ( I think he is a rookie)