Tweet
link
image.png
For the first 16 weeks of this season, Riley Garcia watched his Western Bulldogs senior side from the sidelines, unable to contribute on-field.
The 24-year-old’s AFL ambitions were placed on hold during a VFL practice match in March, after a tackle gone wrong saw him twist awkwardly and damage cartilage in his knee.
It left the gun midfielder requiring surgery to remove the cartilage fragment, subsequently ruling him out for the first half of 2025.
“It was tough,” Garcia told foxfooty.com.au after the Bulldogs’ 49-point win over North Melbourne last Thursday night.
“It was a challenging 12 weeks and obviously very disappointing, but I’m grateful to be playing again … I missed this.
“Luckily, I have a lot of shoulders to lean on when times are tough. I’ve got a good family and a good close network, some great close friends and my partner. There’s no doubt they helped me through it.”
Garcia’s story since joining the Kennel has been one of persistence. Injuries have prevented the 178cm Swan Districts product from finding genuine continuity for extended periods of time at the top level; even before he was selected with pick 62 in the 2019 national draft.
An ACL injury in his draft year during the Under 18 National Championship meant he was unavailable for selection throughout most of his first year at Whitten Oval.
Varying knee niggles and a concussion have seen him on the injury list since, but his most recent trouble came at an especially frustrating time given how well he performed across a dozen games last year at AFL level.
In his three VFL matches back after injury, the 32-gamer amassed 39, 38 and 31 disposals respectively. Combining those numbers with his 20 tackles across the same period, it was evident to all that he was more than ready for a senior recall for the first time since Round 23 last year.
The senior side’s midfield — currently featuring Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore and Ed Richards — is arguably the toughest to break into across the league, but Garcia was still able to find himself in the centre bounce rotation 24 per cent of the match against North Melbourne in his return game.
“Obviously coming (back into the team), the role was going to be a little bit different. But I love scrapping in the AFL, and love playing my role, so hopefully I can stay in,” Garcia continued.
“There’s no doubt I obviously need to be versatile. I feel like I have a little bit of forward craft, can scrap in the forward line, and then be leant on in the midfield when needed. We obviously have a great midfield, and I’m very lucky to learn off the best … my midfield minutes seem quite split, which I’m rapt with.
“It’s pretty amazing going up against them in the pre-season. Everyone you switch to, they’re all superstars!”
One of those stars, of course, is Liberatore — who last week celebrated his 250th AFL game in a milestone win over the Kangaroos, who were celebrating their own 100-year club anniversary.
Garcia beamed when asked about ‘Libba’, a player he is cut from the same cloth as on-field. He’s always willing to put the team first by doing the dirty work, with serious potential to be a first-grade ball-winner at AFL level as more opportunity comes.
“I’m very close with Libba; he’s been unreal and a very good mentor for me. What a man… he’s such a great human being,” Garcia said.
“We obviously know what he does on the footy field, but yeah, such a good person and we were rapt to get the win for him.”
Garcia’s resilience is exactly what the Dogs need now. With seven home-and-away games remaining, the race for finals is wide open between the nine September hopefuls, meaning every game from here on in is essentially a mini-final.
“We know every team is going to have their own challenges,” Garcia ended by saying.
“We’re taking it week-by-week, and hopefully we can stack on the wins and get some momentum into September.”
The Bulldogs and Garcia line up against a potent Adelaide outfit on Saturday afternoon at Marvel Stadium, in what will be a great heat check for both sides.
image.png
For the first 16 weeks of this season, Riley Garcia watched his Western Bulldogs senior side from the sidelines, unable to contribute on-field.
The 24-year-old’s AFL ambitions were placed on hold during a VFL practice match in March, after a tackle gone wrong saw him twist awkwardly and damage cartilage in his knee.
It left the gun midfielder requiring surgery to remove the cartilage fragment, subsequently ruling him out for the first half of 2025.
“It was tough,” Garcia told foxfooty.com.au after the Bulldogs’ 49-point win over North Melbourne last Thursday night.
“It was a challenging 12 weeks and obviously very disappointing, but I’m grateful to be playing again … I missed this.
“Luckily, I have a lot of shoulders to lean on when times are tough. I’ve got a good family and a good close network, some great close friends and my partner. There’s no doubt they helped me through it.”
Garcia’s story since joining the Kennel has been one of persistence. Injuries have prevented the 178cm Swan Districts product from finding genuine continuity for extended periods of time at the top level; even before he was selected with pick 62 in the 2019 national draft.
An ACL injury in his draft year during the Under 18 National Championship meant he was unavailable for selection throughout most of his first year at Whitten Oval.
Varying knee niggles and a concussion have seen him on the injury list since, but his most recent trouble came at an especially frustrating time given how well he performed across a dozen games last year at AFL level.
In his three VFL matches back after injury, the 32-gamer amassed 39, 38 and 31 disposals respectively. Combining those numbers with his 20 tackles across the same period, it was evident to all that he was more than ready for a senior recall for the first time since Round 23 last year.
The senior side’s midfield — currently featuring Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore and Ed Richards — is arguably the toughest to break into across the league, but Garcia was still able to find himself in the centre bounce rotation 24 per cent of the match against North Melbourne in his return game.
“Obviously coming (back into the team), the role was going to be a little bit different. But I love scrapping in the AFL, and love playing my role, so hopefully I can stay in,” Garcia continued.
“There’s no doubt I obviously need to be versatile. I feel like I have a little bit of forward craft, can scrap in the forward line, and then be leant on in the midfield when needed. We obviously have a great midfield, and I’m very lucky to learn off the best … my midfield minutes seem quite split, which I’m rapt with.
“It’s pretty amazing going up against them in the pre-season. Everyone you switch to, they’re all superstars!”
One of those stars, of course, is Liberatore — who last week celebrated his 250th AFL game in a milestone win over the Kangaroos, who were celebrating their own 100-year club anniversary.
Garcia beamed when asked about ‘Libba’, a player he is cut from the same cloth as on-field. He’s always willing to put the team first by doing the dirty work, with serious potential to be a first-grade ball-winner at AFL level as more opportunity comes.
“I’m very close with Libba; he’s been unreal and a very good mentor for me. What a man… he’s such a great human being,” Garcia said.
“We obviously know what he does on the footy field, but yeah, such a good person and we were rapt to get the win for him.”
Garcia’s resilience is exactly what the Dogs need now. With seven home-and-away games remaining, the race for finals is wide open between the nine September hopefuls, meaning every game from here on in is essentially a mini-final.
“We know every team is going to have their own challenges,” Garcia ended by saying.
“We’re taking it week-by-week, and hopefully we can stack on the wins and get some momentum into September.”
The Bulldogs and Garcia line up against a potent Adelaide outfit on Saturday afternoon at Marvel Stadium, in what will be a great heat check for both sides.
Comment