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AFTER collecting 23 disposals in Round 6 last year, the last thing Jack Macrae expected was to be dropped.
But that’s exactly what transpired after the Dogs let slip a 55-point advantage against St Kilda.
Macrae responded with 37 disposals and six tackles for Footscray in the VFL the following Sunday.
Coach Luke Beveridge, who implored the then 20-year-old to improve his defensive skills, still couldn’t find room for the talented left-footer despite the Dogs slumping to their second straight defeat.
It took another 30-plus possession VFL outing for Macrae to force his way back into the side. A game-high 10 tackles was enough to prove Macrae had heeded his coach’s message.
“At the time I wasn’t playing my best footy and it was good to go back and get back to the basics and work on what I needed to work on,” Macrae told foxfooty.com.au.
“Being dropped to the VFL doesn’t necessarily motivate me although the experience is good to keep in the back of my mind.
“After coming back (into the senior team) I played some of the best footy I’ve played.”
Without depth, leaving a player of Macrae’s undoubted ability out of the team would simply not be possible.
Five Dogs were nominated for last year’s all-Australian team, with Bob Murphy, Jake Stringer and Easton Wood making the final 22.
Only Hawthorn had more players included in the initial squad of 40.
Luke Dahlhaus and Matthew Boyd missed out, while Marcus Bontempelli, Mitch Wallis, Tom Boyd and Macrae himself shape as future contenders.
Tom Liberatore’s knee injury was supposed to cripple the Bulldogs midfield, but all it did was allow the likes of Liam Picken, Dahlhaus, Wallis and Macrae to pick up where the reigning best and fairest had left off.
Matthew Boyd was released to half-back with great affect, while Jordan Roughead and Easton Wood had career best seasons.
The latter was the biggest revelation, winning the club’s 2015 best and fairest despite never finishing in the top 10 previously. He also registered 75 intercept marks during the home and away season - the most ever recorded.
“We are not reliant on a few players and that is the great strength of ours,” Macrae said.
“We recognise within the club who plays the sacrificial role and it’s not necessarily about who gets the touches or kicks the goals.”
Macrae began his AFL journey as a lightly built but hugely prolific winger selected with pick No. 6 in the 2012 national draft. Last year he evolved into an inside midfielder in the absence of Liberatore.
Now Liberatore is on the verge of returning, Macrae is happy to slot in wherever the team requires his services.
“I played inside mid last year for pretty much the entire season, which was pretty new to mem,” he said.
“I’ve also been working on my forward craft and becoming a more dangerous player up forward, especially with the interchange cap coming down. I’d love to play inside-mid and wing predominantly, but if I have to play half-back then I’ll gladly slot in there as well.
“I want to be a more dynamic and versatile player.”
And Macrae can’t wait to play with Liberatore again.
“It’s been great to have him back out on the track player for us on and off the field,” he said.
“Playing with him before he got injured was awesome. He was a huge help for me and taught me a lot.
“He’s a pretty special player.”
The Western Bulldogs were widely praised last year for their attractive game style, which Macrae suggested has been refined rather than transformed over the summer.
“We want to continue to be exciting and show flair but by the same token you can’t win that way all the time and play that way 24/7,” he said.
“We all went to another level and this pre-season we know the brand of footy we want to play.
“Finding that balance of when to go quick and when to go slow is important. Teams will start to prepare for us better so Bevo (Luke Beveridge) is big on having an A, B, C and D plan.”
AFTER collecting 23 disposals in Round 6 last year, the last thing Jack Macrae expected was to be dropped.
But that’s exactly what transpired after the Dogs let slip a 55-point advantage against St Kilda.
Macrae responded with 37 disposals and six tackles for Footscray in the VFL the following Sunday.
Coach Luke Beveridge, who implored the then 20-year-old to improve his defensive skills, still couldn’t find room for the talented left-footer despite the Dogs slumping to their second straight defeat.
It took another 30-plus possession VFL outing for Macrae to force his way back into the side. A game-high 10 tackles was enough to prove Macrae had heeded his coach’s message.
“At the time I wasn’t playing my best footy and it was good to go back and get back to the basics and work on what I needed to work on,” Macrae told foxfooty.com.au.
“Being dropped to the VFL doesn’t necessarily motivate me although the experience is good to keep in the back of my mind.
“After coming back (into the senior team) I played some of the best footy I’ve played.”
Without depth, leaving a player of Macrae’s undoubted ability out of the team would simply not be possible.
Five Dogs were nominated for last year’s all-Australian team, with Bob Murphy, Jake Stringer and Easton Wood making the final 22.
Only Hawthorn had more players included in the initial squad of 40.
Luke Dahlhaus and Matthew Boyd missed out, while Marcus Bontempelli, Mitch Wallis, Tom Boyd and Macrae himself shape as future contenders.
Tom Liberatore’s knee injury was supposed to cripple the Bulldogs midfield, but all it did was allow the likes of Liam Picken, Dahlhaus, Wallis and Macrae to pick up where the reigning best and fairest had left off.
Matthew Boyd was released to half-back with great affect, while Jordan Roughead and Easton Wood had career best seasons.
The latter was the biggest revelation, winning the club’s 2015 best and fairest despite never finishing in the top 10 previously. He also registered 75 intercept marks during the home and away season - the most ever recorded.
“We are not reliant on a few players and that is the great strength of ours,” Macrae said.
“We recognise within the club who plays the sacrificial role and it’s not necessarily about who gets the touches or kicks the goals.”
Macrae began his AFL journey as a lightly built but hugely prolific winger selected with pick No. 6 in the 2012 national draft. Last year he evolved into an inside midfielder in the absence of Liberatore.
Now Liberatore is on the verge of returning, Macrae is happy to slot in wherever the team requires his services.
“I played inside mid last year for pretty much the entire season, which was pretty new to mem,” he said.
“I’ve also been working on my forward craft and becoming a more dangerous player up forward, especially with the interchange cap coming down. I’d love to play inside-mid and wing predominantly, but if I have to play half-back then I’ll gladly slot in there as well.
“I want to be a more dynamic and versatile player.”
And Macrae can’t wait to play with Liberatore again.
“It’s been great to have him back out on the track player for us on and off the field,” he said.
“Playing with him before he got injured was awesome. He was a huge help for me and taught me a lot.
“He’s a pretty special player.”
The Western Bulldogs were widely praised last year for their attractive game style, which Macrae suggested has been refined rather than transformed over the summer.
“We want to continue to be exciting and show flair but by the same token you can’t win that way all the time and play that way 24/7,” he said.
“We all went to another level and this pre-season we know the brand of footy we want to play.
“Finding that balance of when to go quick and when to go slow is important. Teams will start to prepare for us better so Bevo (Luke Beveridge) is big on having an A, B, C and D plan.”
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