Welcome to the Kennel - Nick Coffield

[Smads57]

I can see Coffield play in a role similar to Nick Vlastuin. Where he isn't the main intercept marking back (May, Lever, Andrews types) but he is the player we'd like to use to be the loose man in defense if the opposition is playing a forward short. He's a solid mark, consistent kick, reads the play up the field well, won't get lost if he is further up the ground on a high press and his pace is good enough for the role.

IMO Richards and Dale are a bit too short for the role, have shown they can defend one on one and still get free to attack. JOD isn't experienced enough at this stage. I think this could be Coffields place in the team if he stays fit.

Coffield well into it this morning at training. He tackled and was tackled in some drills. Hopefully the previous two years are behind him re injury woes. Has some good size for that third interceptor type role. Fairly clean disposal skills as well.

[EasternWest]

Hoping this lad is consistent and good enough to maintain a lock posy in Defence.

WE are desperate for a Buss and Coffield to step up and improve our defencive unit

Cheers
Stephen

SPower it's great to see you back in action.

[bulldogtragic]

Hoping this lad is consistent and good enough to maintain a lock posy in Defence.

WE are desperate for a Buss and Coffield to step up and improve our defencive unit

Cheers
Stephen

If we can go the season without seeing Keath & Gardner we will have had a good year. If LJ, JOD, Buss, Darcy/Naughton, Coff, Richards, Dale & JJ plus maybe Daniel (Cleary, Gags, VDM, Doc) can stay fit and hold their place on form suspect our defence will have improved dramatically. With support from a two way running midfield.

[mighty_west]

He kind of feels like a bit of a free hit at bringing in an elite type player (injuries pending) to our back end, like a few others also didn't realize he was 194cm (although officially listed 191cm), that's 1cm taller than Chris Grant if correct, so if he can get his body right, he could be a massive player for us, Coffield along with Sanders are the two in's i'm most excited about.

[Mofra]

He kind of feels like a bit of a free hit at bringing in an elite type player (injuries pending) to our back end, like a few others also didn't realize he was 194cm (although officially listed 191cm), that's 1cm taller than Chris Grant if correct, so if he can get his body right, he could be a massive player for us, Coffield along with Sanders are the two in's i'm most excited about.

Easton Wood broke the AFL record for intercept marks at 185cm and held it for a few years and we're absolutely screaming out for an Intercept player (TOB just didn't work out).
If his body holds up there really is a spot for him. Classic cheap boom/bust trade for a high-end talent who was an outstanding junior

[mighty_west]

Easton Wood broke the AFL record for intercept marks at 185cm and held it for a few years and we're absolutely screaming out for an Intercept player (TOB just didn't work out).
If his body holds up there really is a spot for him. Classic cheap boom/bust trade for a high-end talent who was an outstanding junior

Which is why i'm surprised we haven't tried Buku more in that role, seems like the perfect type with enough pace and athletic enough, can play forward obviously so should be able to read the play quite well down back, perhaps his sudden rise in the forward line looking like Wayne Carey on occasions in the VFL hurt that, still think he should be played down back even though he's a very good set shot for goal.

[azabob]

Which is why i'm surprised we haven't tried Buku more in that role, seems like the perfect type with enough pace and athletic enough, can play forward obviously so should be able to read the play quite well down back, perhaps his sudden rise in the forward line looking like Wayne Carey on occasions in the VFL hurt that, still think he should be played down back even though he's a very good set shot for goal.

The knock on Buku is he would get winded just running onto the ground.

Bevo loves his defenders to play close to 100% game time as possible.

[Mofra]

The knock on Buku is he would get winded just running onto the ground.

Bevo loves his defenders to play close to 100% game time as possible.

True. Also a reason we chased Lobb apparently, racks up a high TOG for a tall forward

[azabob]

True. Also a reason we chased Lobb apparently, racks up a high TOG for a tall forward

Lobb TOG numbers at Freo were insane. Close to 100% most games.

[SPower]

SPower it's great to see you back in action.

Cheers, All Good
Go Go Doggies

[FrediKanoute]

The knock on Buku is he would get winded just running onto the ground.

Bevo loves his defenders to play close to 100% game time as possible.

The other knock on Buku is that he doesn't read the play well enough and positionally finds himself out of position and has to compensate with his athleticism. He has the tools not the nouse. Better as a forward from what I have seen.

[Bulldog Joe]

The knock on Buku is he would get winded just running onto the ground.

Bevo loves his defenders to play close to 100% game time as possible.

Agree that Buku has the challenge with his running capacity.

Undersized and inadequate tank mean he needs to be elite in other areas to compensate.

[Hotdog60]

The 'massive' month that earned lifelong Bulldog a second chance
After a horror run at St Kilda, Nick Coffield is hoping a move to the club he supported as a boy will reinvigorate his career



NICK Coffield was there in 2016. He was at Giants Stadium after making the nine-hour road trip to Sydney with his dad to witness one of the most famous preliminary finals of the modern era. And he was at the MCG for two unforgettable games that September; the semi-final win over Hawthorn, a fortnight before the drought-breaking premiership win against Sydney.

But despite growing up as a passionate Western Bulldogs supporter in Melbourne's northern suburbs, it was Coffield's head - not his heart - that steered him to the Whitten Oval during the trade period in October.

The 2017 No.8 pick hasn't played at AFL level since the final round of the 2021 season. Having ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during match simulation on a pre-season camp in Ballarat in February 2022, he has since undergone hamstring surgery and dealt with recurrent calf strains. The injuries have stalled a career that was on the rise in 2020 when he finished fifth in the Trevor Barker Award, but had started to wither on the vine.

Coffield didn't return to VFL level until late July this year but he quickly found his feet, playing four games for Sandringham to build some confidence, both for himself and for potential suitors looking to prise the defender away from RSEA Park.

"I think I just needed a fresh start," Coffield told AFL.com.au. "I have obviously had a tough couple of years with injuries with my knee, some hammy stuff and a fair bit of calf stuff in more recent times.

"I felt like I just needed a different environment to get the most out of myself. Hopefully I can bring on a bit more luck and opportunity here. The Dogs made me feel really wanted in the whole process once we started speaking. It really appealed to me being a Melbourne team and not being too far away."



Coffield met with Luke Beveridge at the coach's bayside home at the end of the season to discuss a move that became far more complicated than anyone envisaged. In all, his trade to the Dogs involved four clubs (Carlton and Essendon were also part of it), two players (Coffield and Paddy Dow) and nine draft picks, and wasn't completed until two days after it looked like it was finalised.

"I spoke to (Beveridge) for the first time just after the season finished and he acknowledged that I hadn't been out there the past couple of years, but they still believed my best footy is ahead of me. You can doubt (that) at times when you're in rehab a fair bit," Coffield said.

"It was nice to hear they still had that confidence in me and backed my ability to play when I'm fit and healthy. They put a lot of confidence in me that I could come and contribute to the team."
After exactly 700 days between games at any level, Coffield collected 28 disposals in his return against Collingwood's VFL side at the end of July and backed it up with strong showings against Box Hill, the Northern Bullants and Williamstown. Bulldogs list manager Sam Power or a member of his recruiting team watched each of those four games to convince the club the defender was over the issues that had wiped out two years of his career.

"That month was massive for me. When you miss a full year with your knee, you are obviously pretty optimistic about the year following. But when it doesn't go your way from a soft tissue front, you start to doubt if you'll ever come good," he said.

"When it got towards the back end of the year, it was probably a good thing for me just to focus on playing VFL and get a few games under my belt and prove to clubs like the Dogs I can back up games and I am fit and healthy still. That was part of the aim of getting back when I did.

"It gave me confidence coming into this off-season fit and healthy. I think the September to December block is crucial and something my body hasn't had for the past two years."
It has been a long couple of years for the Northern Knights product. He has had to watch other top-10 picks from his draft ? Andy Brayshaw, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Aaron Naughton ? emerge as stars of the competition while has been stuck putting his body back together.

While eight other first-round picks from 2017 have reached 100 games, Coffield has been stuck on 52. Mature-age recruits like Bayley Fritsch (126 games), Brody Mihocek (126) and Tim Kelly (124) have all made up for lost time, while Coffield has been left wondering if he would ever get his body right.

Through many hours spent with sports psychologist, Dr Ben Robbins, who has moved from St Kilda to Essendon during the off-season to reunite with Brad Scott as head of psychology and wellbeing, Coffield learned how to combat the doubt that hovered over him during his time on the sidelines.

"It has been really tough, especially watching all your mates play every week. You want to be around the club and bring a positive attitude, but it is tough when you are deprived of something. There were times where it was really tough and you do doubt if you can get back. And if you do get back, will you still be any good? The game moves so fast and there is always new blokes coming in," he said.



"There has been a lot of self-doubt, but full credit to the psychologists and people in the mindfulness space at the Saints, like Benny Robbins. He was awesome for me. A lot of stuff we spoke about was about perspective in terms of you as a person and as a footballer, which makes you think outside of your own bubble at times. Even though you do struggle, there is always stuff you can control. I'm really grateful for him and the perspective work we did."

Coffield spent most of the trade period in Byron Bay with his now former teammates, waiting patiently for updates from his manager, Adam Ramanauskas from TLA Worldwide.

When he flew home two days before the deadline, he thought the deal was done. But it wasn't. The complex four-way trade took far longer than anyone expected and wasn't officially signed off until after 2pm on that final day, just hours before the deadline.

But now he has the fresh start he craved, at a club he has always loved.

LINK

[jazzadogs]

I was strong on this trade and have been really buoyed by the early training reports.

I think he's clearly a best 22 player. His body seems to be working for him atm, so fingers crossed that continues!

[GVGjr]

I was strong on this trade and have been really buoyed by the early training reports.

I think he's clearly a best 22 player. His body seems to be working for him atm, so fingers crossed that continues!

If I'm putting some of the pieces together correctly we had identified him as a potential target during the season and I would guess that has something to do with the discussions Power and his team had with Ramanauskas this year.
With a list management decision made to not re-sign Tim O'Brien our focus moved even stronger towards bringing Coffield in.
During the trade period a multi-club deal was struck that could deliver on a boyhood dream of Nick Coffield to play for the club he supported as a kid.
Our priority entering the trade period was largely to increase our 'points' to deliver Croft and add some needs based players like Harmes, Coffield and then Bramble. The fact that we landed Coffield on the cheap proves that Power had assessed the market correctly and it appears he must have a solid reputation with the various player managers.

Great outcome all round.