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While I'm not worried about this injury it does show how it we will be if something does happen. Our backup is nowhere near ready, Lobb is part of our backline now and really wouldn't want Darcy to shoulder that load for an extended amount of time. The decision not to get a back up ruck ruck may be a very poor one.
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JJ came off with a leg injury. It didn't look good and he was really hobbled when he came off.Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"Comment
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JJ injury not really a suprise. It's not a killer blow but he seemed to be training well and was a genuine shot to line up round 1. Hopefully he can be available for most of the year even as depth. Treloar walking laps is a big concern and it seems like he has done very little of the pre-season. His calf went at the worst time last year and although he got a lot of the ball in the final he wasn't near his best. Feels like we can't afford to lose many more players and the early pre-season momentum we had has really halted since the Ugle-Hagan news. My confidence for the first few weeks of the year has dropped a bit in the past two weeks.Comment
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JJ’s injury is disappointing, but I feel like he was more of a depth piece this season anyway.
English, Naughton and Treloar are the worries.
what’s the likelihood that they all make it to the line for round 1? Or is it still too early to tell?Comment
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Naughton appeared to do most of the session today. He did stop at one point and got some attention from the trainers, but it looked like he just got his ankle restrapped and then he was back at it. He appeared to be moving freely and was participating in the contact drills too.Comment
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This from Code Sports regarding who's training the house down
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Ed Richards: The defender-turned-midfielder has impressed on the track through summer so far and will remain as an onballer in 2025, with his silky ball use adding a different dimension to the hard-nosed ball-winning abilities of Tom Liberatore and Adam Treloar.
Sam Darcy: The key forward burst onto the scene in 2024 and will shoulder more responsibility this season, especially if teammate Jamarra Ugle-Hagan misses games. Darcy has piled on muscle and is learning how to throw his weight around in the contest.
Marcus Bontempelli: The captain has not put a foot wrong this pre-season, dominating all drills, running and match simulation work during the summer. Sporting longer hair that is often contained by a headband, Bontempelli’s new lookWestern Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"Comment
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Apparently Liam Jones injured hammy during game in NoosaComment
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All the scouting notes and news from the Bulldogs’ pre-season
Just days after Adam Treloar’s injury, a young gun at the Dogs has staked his claim for a spot in their midfield, as Luke Beveridge waits on scans that could cause another selection headache.
Western Bulldogs’ young gun Ryley Sanders is ready to make a big impact in his second season after a sensational Rising Star snub last year.
The hard nut midfielder who was overlooked for a Rising Star nomination across 14 games last season was best-on-ground in the club’s intra-club match in hot conditions in Maroochydore on Sunday.
Sanders, 20, kicked three goals and won a truckload of the ball out of the middle, showing he is ready to become a mainstay in the club’s engine in 2025 after a decent spell in the VFL in the middle part of last season.
And mature-age pickup Sam Davidson continued to firm for Round 1 selection against North Melbourne after booting three goals playing wing-half forward, while Harvey Gallagher shone in a new half back role.
Sanders struggled to make an impact in his first season. Picture: Michael Klein
Tall utilities James O’Donnell, Ryan Gardner and Jordan Croft all worked through a key forward position in Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s absence but could be forced to swing back to help cover Liam Jones’ hamstring injury in another headache for coach Luke Beveridge.
But Sanders’ statement was a significant one for the Dogs who will look to the ball magnet to help cover for Adam Treloar, who will be sidelined for up to three months with a calf strain.
A natural onballer, Sanders’ development is crucial for the Dogs as he was taken with pick six in the 2023 national draft and is a certain target for new club Tasmania ahead its AFL entry in 2028.
Gun playmaker Bailey Dale said it was an eye-catching performance from Sanders as the club prepares to rejig the midfield mix without traded premiership stars Jack Macrae and Caleb Daniel.
“Definitely Sando. He burst out of the midfield a few times and I think he ended up with three or four goals,” Dale said.
“For him to do that and start to play a bit more midfield time for us that will be great.
“I feel like Sando has had a really, really good preseason and Riley Garcia as well, just being able to fill those holes we are probably going to have early on in the season without Adsy (Treloar) out.
“Plus, losing guys like Jack (Macrae) and CD (Daniel) last year, there are plenty of options for those guys now to roll through the mids, and I’m sure they’re going to take it with both hands.”
Sanders looks set to partner Ed Richards, Tom Liberatore, Marcus Bontempelli, Matthew Kennedy and Garcia in the onball rotation this season with Bontempelli a chance to be sent forward at times.
Richards has been among the stand-outs this preseason, while Liberatore was a strong performer in the clearances on Sunday.
As the Herald Sun revealed last week, Davidson, 23, is also in the frame for a shock debut next month after kicking another three goals on Sunday.
He was taken with pick 51 in the draft from Richmond’s VFL team and showcased his enormous engine in the heat on Sunday.
“He (Davidson) has made the step up (from VFL to AFL) pretty easily at the moment,” Dale said.
“He is running some really good patterns on the wing and in the forward line and kicking some goals.”
The Dogs face a tough decision with their remaining list spot as VFL onball hard nut Dom Brew and Southport ruckman Brayden Crossley fight for a chance.
Brew could be insurance for Liberatore who has a concussion history, while Crossley could help back-up injured big man Tim English (abdominal strain) and Gardner.
“I thought Dom was pretty good, obviously inside and in-and-under is his go,” Dale said.
“He was pretty clean in there and pretty strong.
“And ‘Croz’, who we all met yesterday pretty much – he has had a pretty good game to be honest.
“He was really impressive in the ruck. He is pretty hard to move in there.
“He laid a tackle on me and I was like ‘Ease up, big fella (laughing). Don’t put your body weight on me.” VETERAN IN DOUBT FOR ROUND ONE
Western Bulldogs’ star defender Liam Jones is in a race to be ready for Round 1 after hurting his hamstring in an intra-club game in Maroochydore on Sunday.
Jones, 33, was sent for scans after coming off the ground late with hamstring tightness in another significant injury worry for the Dogs.
While the club is hopeful the injury is only minor, it continues a terrible run for the Dogs after losing gun midfielder Adam Treloar (calf) and Jason Johannisen (hamstring) for three months, star ruckman Tim English (abdominal strain) as well as ace forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (personal) for an indefinite period.
Liam Jones has exited the Bulldogs’ match simulation early. Picture: Michael Klein
Spearhead Aaron Naughton only played a half and was quiet in Sunday’s scratch match as the injury worries continued to mount for out-of-contract coach Luke Beveridge ahead of a big call on his future.
Jones is the cornerstone of the club’s defence and would be unlikely to play in the club’s two preseason games against Essendon (February 15) and Hawthorn (February 27) if he has suffered a hamstring strain ahead of the season-opener against North Melbourne (March 15).
A more significant hamstring injury would be a disaster for the club ahead of a tough opening month against the Kangaroos (Marvel Stadium), Collingwood (MCG), Carlton (Marvel), Fremantle (Optus Stadium) and Brisbane (Norwood Oval).
Tall utilities James O’Donnell, Ryan Gardner and Jordan Croft spent time in the forward line on Sunday as coverage for Ugle-Hagan but could be swapped into defence to help replace Jones.
But there was excitement around the performances of youngster Ryley Sanders who starred in the midfield and Harvey Gallagher helping rebound off half back and Round 1 bolter Sam Davidson on a wing-half forward.
The Dogs will await the results of Jones’ scans on Monday and are certain to be cautious with him in the hope he will be fit for the season-opener against the Kangas in 40 days’ time.
Backman Bailey Dale said the setback was “not ideal”.
Jones’ injury is the latest headache for the Dogs. Pic: Michael Klein
“He (Jones) went for a mark and landed and couldn’t take his kick,” Dale said.
“They will get scans this arvo and obviously if he misses a bit of the season at the start of the year it is not ideal for us.
“But we have some young guys down there who can hopefully fill the role.”
It is the third serious soft tissue problem in the past two weeks for a club desperate to go deep into September this year after losing to Hawthorn in last year’s elimination final.
Dale said the Dogs had full belief in their list.
“Top-four is what we are striving for,” Dale said.
“We think we have got the list (to challenge). We have got the players.
“It is just trying to bring it all together because our best footy is some of the best in the league – we showed that in glimpses last year.
“We are just trying to build on that and find that continuity week-to-week and keep showing up week-to-week.”
Dale said the club was confident in its goal kicking depth in Ugle-Hagan’s absence.
“There’s options there. Obviously ‘Marra’ is a key player at our club and we are going to miss him but there’s guys there who want to take the opportunity and step up,” he said.
“His (Ugle-Hagan’s) personal stuff has to come first and we understand that, so we are going to support him and hopefully he can get back to the club as soon as possible.”
Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"Comment
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Injuries to our key players are always disappointing, but honestly, most of them were predictable. Jones is 33, turning 34 this month, and Treloar has had persistent calf issues—given he relies on explosive speed and fast-twitch fibres, this was bound to happen. As for JJ, his body just can’t handle the demands of professional footy anymore—it was obvious two years ago. We kept him on for his speed and skill because we needed it in the squad, but in hindsight, it never really made sense.
Not too worried about English, though. Unless the club is telling fibs, it sounds like a minor injury, and he should be back to full-contact training in a few weeks.
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