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Re: Western Bulldogs vs Hawthorn - Community Series 2/03/24
AFL practice match teams: Western Bulldogs star Caleb Daniel under selection pressure
Could Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge make another shock call at selection ahead of round 1? There was some surprise news out of Whitten Oval this week, reports Sam Landsberger.
Western Bulldogs premiership star and All-Australian Caleb Daniel is understood to have come under shock selection pressure on the verge of the season.
There was a belief this week that the much-loved utility would be axed from the round 1 dress rehearsal against Hawthorn in Tasmania on Saturday night.
But sources have since confirmed that Daniel would travel to Launceston and be named in the squad to take on the Hawks in the pre-season match.
The Bulldogs will announce their team at 5pm on Friday.
Daniel has played some match simulations in the seconds this pre-season, but that is understood to be in part due to the Dogs’ strong core of midfielders.
Daniel, 27, has been a stalwart at Whitten Oval ever since he was drafted in 2014.
The link man with an incredible football IQ has played 85 out of the past 90 games and he has long been one of the club’s most consistent performers.
In 2020 Daniel won the Charles Sutton Medal as the club’s best-and-fairest in the same year he was named in the All-Australian team.
Last year, Daniel placed fourth in the best-and-fairest.
Daniel – who is contracted for a further three seasons – has placed inside the top seven in each of the past eight seasons.
If Daniel started the season on the fringe of selection it would come as a major shock to both supporters as well as some of his teammates.
Daniel’s place in the line-up now looms as a watch entering the home-and-away season.
Coach Luke Beveridge has a history of giving new recruits extended opportunities to make an instant impression.
It is expected both Melbourne recruit James Harmes and pre-season signing Lachie Bramble will be in the team to take on the Hawks in the pre-season clash.
Last year, Rory Lobb played 20 games despite his indifferent form while Jackson Trengove featured in 38 games across his first two seasons at Whitten Oval.
Trengove was secured as a high-priced free agent but was never able to transform the Dogs’ fortunes.
Jack Macrae has been left out of the pre-season squad, but that is purely to manage his minutes when playing for Footscray in a VFL scratch match as the three-time All-Australian recovers from a hamstring injury.
AFL practice match teams: Western Bulldogs star Caleb Daniel under selection pressure
Could Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge make another shock call at selection ahead of round 1? There was some surprise news out of Whitten Oval this week, reports Sam Landsberger.
Western Bulldogs premiership star and All-Australian Caleb Daniel is understood to have come under shock selection pressure on the verge of the season.
There was a belief this week that the much-loved utility would be axed from the round 1 dress rehearsal against Hawthorn in Tasmania on Saturday night.
But sources have since confirmed that Daniel would travel to Launceston and be named in the squad to take on the Hawks in the pre-season match.
The Bulldogs will announce their team at 5pm on Friday.
Daniel has played some match simulations in the seconds this pre-season, but that is understood to be in part due to the Dogs’ strong core of midfielders.
Daniel, 27, has been a stalwart at Whitten Oval ever since he was drafted in 2014.
The link man with an incredible football IQ has played 85 out of the past 90 games and he has long been one of the club’s most consistent performers.
In 2020 Daniel won the Charles Sutton Medal as the club’s best-and-fairest in the same year he was named in the All-Australian team.
Last year, Daniel placed fourth in the best-and-fairest.
Daniel – who is contracted for a further three seasons – has placed inside the top seven in each of the past eight seasons.
If Daniel started the season on the fringe of selection it would come as a major shock to both supporters as well as some of his teammates.
Daniel’s place in the line-up now looms as a watch entering the home-and-away season.
Coach Luke Beveridge has a history of giving new recruits extended opportunities to make an instant impression.
It is expected both Melbourne recruit James Harmes and pre-season signing Lachie Bramble will be in the team to take on the Hawks in the pre-season clash.
Last year, Rory Lobb played 20 games despite his indifferent form while Jackson Trengove featured in 38 games across his first two seasons at Whitten Oval.
Trengove was secured as a high-priced free agent but was never able to transform the Dogs’ fortunes.
Jack Macrae has been left out of the pre-season squad, but that is purely to manage his minutes when playing for Footscray in a VFL scratch match as the three-time All-Australian recovers from a hamstring injury.
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