Rory Lobb

[bornadog]

To be fair, Blicavs is a pretty unique athletic set up and a straight comparison is unfair.

Great to have you back Dogs 24/7.

Exactly. We need to think out of the box and I was only trying to come up with a better solution than the current setup.

[GVGjr]

From SEN

Rory Lobb’s manager Colin Young maintains hope his client will get to the Western Bulldogs despite Fremantle so far denying a trade request.

Lobb was one of a number of Dockers who requested a trade in the week after the club’s semi-final loss to Collingwood, but Fremantle was quick to insist that the tall forward would not be transferred.

“We had a conversation with Rory where we informed him… we wouldn’t be able to facilitate a trade,” Fremantle head of footy operations Peter Bell said at the time.

Despite Lobb also requesting a trade last year, the Dockers say he is a required player given his contract status and importance to the side, but Young is counting on Fremantle’s pursuit of Melbourne young gun Luke Jackson to allow Lobb to depart.

Jackson has requested a trade to a Western Australian club, with Fremantle tipped as his likely destination.

“I will be trying to work with Fremantle, naturally they’re going to say that (the trade is refused) because he has got one year to go, but they’ve been fully aware he was going to ask for the trade one week after the trade period last year,” Young told AFL Trade Radio’s Trade Exchange.

“We know where it sits and we’re just hoping if Jackson goes to Fremantle there’s an opportunity where Rory can help Fremantle land Jackson by way of maybe picks that can help (in a trade).

“It’s going to be great for Fremantle if they can get Jackson because he’s probably going to set them up for the next 10 years, so we’re just hoping there is an opportunity along the way where we can jump on a trade that assists Fremantle.”

Young added: “I’d like him to be (at the Western Bulldogs in 2023) and he wants to be there, we’ll just work with Fremantle to try and get it done.

“I know at this point in time they’ve said no, but we’ve all been through this a fair few times and sometimes there’s a little bit of an opportunity there.

“He’s got one year to go… this could be a win for Fremantle if they get some really good picks that help them get Jackson, so we’re hoping that’ll be the case.”

Young, of Corporate Sports Australia, also manages Lobb’s teammate Griffin Logue.

Logue has requested a trade to Fremantle and is expected to reach his preferred destination.

But Young confirmed Fremantle had advised him that the club wouldn’t let both Lobb and Logue depart given the cross-over in the duo’s attributes.

He added that the two potential trades were unlikely to coincide with each other.

2022 was Lobb’s fourth season at Fremantle and arguably his best in his nine years at the top level, with the 29-year-old booting a career-high 36 goals.

Young said Lobb’s intentions are family based.

“A myriad of reasons (for wanting to leave), but the main reason was that last year his partner was living on the east coast and at that stage, Fremantle probably wasn’t in as strong a position pushing towards a flag that they are now,” he said.

“Obviously his partner is now living in Melbourne and he’s bought a property in Melbourne based on some discussions last year that he might be playing here.

“We’ve bumped into the Bulldogs over the journey when they’ve been in town, and he wants to live in Melbourne. It’s about the postcode and finishing his career with the Western Bulldogs and starting a family over here, hopefully.”

Meanwhile, on the Dogs’ sell to Lobb, Young said: “He’s played a few more games, he’s been around a lot, so from my understanding, he’ll be the main focus point (of the forward line).

“It just frees up (Aaron Naughton) to be the second or third (tall forward) with Jamarra (Ugle-Hagan), it just frees them all up.”

Former Fremantle star Paul Hasleby recently questioned if Bulldog Josh Schache could be the key to unlocking the trade for Lobb, with the talented key forward seemingly on the outer at Whitten Oval.

[Grantysghost]

Time to start the welcome to the Bulldogs Rory Lobb thread G!

[MrMahatma]

Naughton is a way better fwd than Lobb. And is 100% the main man next year. Lobb may be taller but Naughton is the man.

[whythelongface]

Naughton is a way better fwd than Lobb. And is 100% the main man next year. Lobb may be taller but Naughton is the man.

Does it matter who the ‘main man’ is? It’s a team game where both can thrive to play roles that will benefit the team. I mean if Cameron and Hawkins can play in a team without being the ‘main man’ surely Lobb and Naughton can as well.

[Go_Dogs]

Naughton as the second forward with Lobb #1 is laughable.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

The media speculation is still very strong that Fremantle will trade Lobb and we are in the box seat to take him
Lobb will give us a productive tall forward capable of kicking goals but also the luxury of knowing that when English is having a rest we will have a very competitive chop out to replace him.

How keen are you to get Rory Lobb to the club?


And if so, what is a reasonable pick to part with to get him?

Our recruiting compared to a Club like Geelong is highly questionable. Lobb comes to us on a highly questionable salary. Hardly in the class of Cameron Dangerfield Smith and Stengle when it comes down to quality recruiting.

[hujsh]

Our recruiting compared to a Club like Geelong is highly questionable. Lobb comes to us on a highly questionable salary. Hardly in the class of Cameron Dangerfield Smith and Stengle when it comes down to quality recruiting.

How would you sell this club as being a better destination than Geelong or say Richmond? What do we have that will convince Cameron and Dangerfield that of all the Melbourne clubs we're the best destination for them.

[bulldogtragic]

Our recruiting compared to a Club like Geelong is highly questionable. Lobb comes to us on a highly questionable salary. Hardly in the class of Cameron Dangerfield Smith and Stengle when it comes down to quality recruiting.

It’s also a matter of their volume. Other acquisitions included Dahl & Scott Selwood as a FA, but they offered ok-to-good picks for Josh Jenkins, Higgins, Jack Steven, Krueger, Ceglar, Zac Smith etc (Varcoe for Mitch Clark too). They miss a bit. But they’re seemingly a lot more active overall. The lesson might be try to be more proactive?

[Grantysghost]

How would you sell this club as being a better destination than Geelong or say Richmond? What do we have that will convince Cameron and Dangerfield that of all the Melbourne clubs we're the best destination for them.

Nothing, and that's why I guess we don't try and compete with them its pointless. Different stratosphere.

[hujsh]

It’s also a matter of their volume. Other acquisitions included Dahl & Scott Selwood as a FA, but they offered ok-to-good picks for Josh Jenkins, Higgins, Jack Steven, Krueger, Ceglar, Zac Smith etc (Varcoe for Mitch Clark too). They miss a bit. But they’re seemingly a lot more active overall. The lesson might be try to be more proactive?

Is it maybe a luxury they have that doesn't extend to other clubs?

First they draft very well. How much of that is GFL vs other factors is hard to say. They draft well to the point that they don't need to rely on top end picks to consistently bring in AFL quality players, instead bringing high end talent from other clubs and skipping the development phase of their careers.

Second they have what I believe I might have seen described once or twice as their 'pissant toy ground' that all but guarantees a few wins each year, allowing them some buffer room if they rack up more misses than hits over a couple years.

[jeemak]

I like how the best forward from a team that beat us in a final wanting to come to us is somehow seen as a bad thing. We deride our own position in the league, yet when someone of actual quality does want to get to us we convince ourselves we don't need him, the price is too much, or we should be aiming higher for some unicorn that isn't on the market.

If he's the first forward, or main man or the second or third isn't really relevant. He'd free up Naughton to explore more of the ground and get involved when he's quiet, he'd take pressure of JUH. He'd also provide an adequate alternative and/ or support to Sweet if Tim is out of the side which has been a relatively regular occurrence these past couple of years.

It's all upside if it can get done but for some reason we want some view of perfection get in the way of tangible and affordable improvement.

[hujsh]

I like how the best forward from a team that beat us in a final wanting to come to us is somehow seen as a bad thing. We deride our own position in the league, yet when someone of actual quality does want to get to us we convince ourselves we don't need him, the price is too much, or we should be aiming higher for some unicorn that isn't on the market.

If he's the first forward, or main man or the second or third isn't really relevant. He'd free up Naughton to explore more of the ground and get involved when he's quiet, he'd take pressure of JUH. He'd also provide an adequate alternative and/ or support to Sweet if Tim is out of the side which has been a relatively regular occurrence these past couple of years.

It's all upside if it can get done but for some reason we want some view of perfection get in the way of tangible and affordable improvement.

If the club was serious they'd have developed the technology to clone Luke Darcy and he'd be our second ruckman now.

NGL I actually couldn't think of a better second ruck/forward for us without going back to David Hale so I figured at that point may as well clone Luke.

Is there a current player would be a better second ruck (not Grundy, I'm asking who could partner with English as the first ruck)?

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I like how the best forward from a team that beat us in a final wanting to come to us is somehow seen as a bad thing. We deride our own position in the league, yet when someone of actual quality does want to get to us we convince ourselves we don't need him, the price is too much, or we should be aiming higher for some unicorn that isn't on the market.

If he's the first forward, or main man or the second or third isn't really relevant. He'd free up Naughton to explore more of the ground and get involved when he's quiet, he'd take pressure of JUH. He'd also provide an adequate alternative and/ or support to Sweet if Tim is out of the side which has been a relatively regular occurrence these past couple of years.

It's all upside if it can get done but for some reason we want some view of perfection get in the way of tangible and affordable improvement.

Ha, the life of a pessimistic Dogs fan!

I like Lobb. He would be a dangerous pairing with Naughton and Marra, all 3 are very agile and most sides don't have 3 defenders capable of covering all 3. I've swayed back and forth on us getting him, but that's more to do with our ability to contend than it is him as a quality player/good fit.

What we REALLY need, if we get Lobb, is a quality crumbling small forward. I sincerely hope we draft one.

[jeemak]

If the club was serious they'd have developed the technology to clone Luke Darcy and he'd be our second ruckman now.

NGL I actually couldn't think of a better second ruck/forward for us without going back to David Hale so I figured at that point may as well clone Luke.

Is there a current player would be a better second ruck (not Grundy, I'm asking who could partner with English as the first ruck)?

Better than Lobb?