Training 2026 Bulldogs Pre-Season

[Bulldogs85]

 

[BrisDog]

Levi owning Buss with the shrug - glass half full or empty?

 

[weltschmerz]

Levi owning Buss with the shrug - glass half full or empty?

By the looks of it Levi's maybe 5'10, makes sense he can duck a tackle from a KPP

 

[weltschmerz]

Rhylee's got a bit of height on Levi

 

[dogwatch]

Levi owning Buss with the shrug - glass half full or empty?

Levi drank Buss’s half glass.

 

[grassman75]

Buss has a long way to go yet…he’s a real slow burn from what I saw yesterday. Doesn’t mean he won’t make it. All depends on how patient we are

 

[grassman75]

I’ll try and drop in to tomorrows session and see what I can see

 

[Mofra]

That’s too bad. Round 1 is 5 weeks away so although it’s very unlikely as a 1st year player to debut off an injury, at least he’ll be ready before the season begins.

Certainly not when Jaques is absolutely flying and looks set for a round 0 debut.

 

[JohnnySteel]

Certainly not when Jaques is absolutely flying and looks set for a round 0 debut.

Jaques is looking like a lock for HB. Helps his case even further that he also has experience on the wing in the VFL.

 

[cecil]

Buss has a long way to go yet…he’s a real slow burn from what I saw yesterday. Doesn’t mean he won’t make it. All depends on how patient we are

Gardner is OOC at the end of the year so I guess worst case Buss becomes our depth key defender

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport%2Fafl%2Ftrack-watch-sam-darcy-joel-freijah-and-lachie-jaques-the-standouts-in-bulldogs-practice-match%2Fnews-story%2Fe638fefd7272aedd1a17e881928d180b?amp%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B

 

[goodcop badcop]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport%2Fafl%2Ftrack-watch-sam-darcy-joel-freijah-and-lachie-jaques-the-standouts-in-bulldogs-practice-match%2Fnews-story%2Fe638fefd7272aedd1a17e881928d180b?amp%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B

From the article. Some of this has been said but

• Sam Darcy destroyed Ryan Gardner in 1st half. Rested in 2nd half
• Freijah gun
• Jaques looks certain to debut
• Rory Lobb, James O’Donnell, Nick Coffield, Jaques, Connor Budarick and Bailey Dale started in the A-team
• Khamis swapped from B team to A team
• Sanders played a half
• Only 28 players played
• Treloar adds to the injury list which also includes Riley Garcia (hamstring), Josh Dolan (foot), Lachlan Carmichael (ankle), Liberatore (quad), Jordan Croft (toe) and James Harmes (personal)... Weightman (knee)

 

[BomToydd]

Buss has a long way to go yet…he’s a real slow burn from what I saw yesterday. Doesn’t mean he won’t make it. All depends on how patient we are

Disappointing. The longer he takes the less likely he will make it.
Is he too slow to play more as just a small defender if we give up on him as kpd? I thought he's a good kick and reads the play well, like is he really much different to someone like Jacques?

 

[Optimistic Dog]

If Sam only kicked 6 in a half on Gardiner it is probably why he was dragged. LOL

 

[Mofra]

Disappointing. The longer he takes the less likely he will make it.
Is he too slow to play more as just a small defender if we give up on him as kpd? I thought he's a good kick and reads the play well, like is he really much different to someone like Jacques?

He does remind me of a bigger Fletcher Roberts, and a bit like Sam Collins.

We need to remember Sam Collins was delisted at one point then dominated state leagues before getting on the Suns list where he's won 2 B&Fs.

I think Buss' style of play means he can't really play until he's more physically developed.

 

[grassman75]

Disappointing. The longer he takes the less likely he will make it.
Is he too slow to play more as just a small defender if we give up on him as kpd? I thought he's a good kick and reads the play well, like is he really much different to someone like Jacques?

I think it’s inconsistent pre seasons at this stage. Shoulders both heavily strapped. He’s still got a couple of years to develop. He’s solid through the hips and has a tidy kick. Just need patience but can see why the club went chasing an older ready made defender

 

[Golden_6]

Disappointed to not hear Sellwood's name in the mix for the A team defenders. Coffield has 5cm on him but I'd much prefer to give Sellwood a chance. This how I'd like to start the year with an additional tall (Khamis, Croft, Emmett etc.) as the 5th interchange player to help with height if required.

Budarick JOD Sellwood
Dale Lobb Jacques
Cleary

 

[Mofra]

Disappointed to not hear Sellwood's name in the mix for the A team defenders. Coffield has 5cm on him but I'd much prefer to give Sellwood a chance. This how I'd like to start the year with an additional tall (Khamis, Croft, Emmett etc.) as the 5th interchange player to help with height if required.

Budarick JOD Sellwood
Dale Lobb Jacques
Cleary

Why Sellwood though?
Obsession by this board side, he was pretty untidy with disposal last year and doesn't seem to have improved at all this pre-season.

Cleary well ahead of him as a 'defending' defender and he played for the B team in the most recent match sim.

 

[stefoid]

Budders pretty funny on FB mic'up

I need a weeeeee
beep beep beep

 

[Golden_6]

Why Sellwood though?
Obsession by this board side, he was pretty untidy with disposal last year and doesn't seem to have improved at all this pre-season.

Cleary well ahead of him as a 'defending' defender and he played for the B team in the most recent match sim.

I've really big on including versatile defenders that can play on a variety of forwards. We usually either pick genuine KPDs (JOD, Lobb, Buss etc.) or running defenders where actually defending isn't a strong point (Dale, JJ, Bramble etc.). I really want to include a couple of medium defenders than can do the job defensively but aren't a liability on the transition.

Now Sellwood might not be the answer but we're crying our for 2-3 of that style of defender. It's why I included Cleary as well.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

There's a hell of a lot of faith in JOD continuing his uptick in form late last year to this one, but by the same vein, Lobb arresting his decline in form.

The key defenders are very much a weakness here. All good and well having Darcy kick 80 for the season if we let the typical average oppo key forward also kick 80 for the season when they come up against our defenders.

 

[TiAn_]

He does remind me of a bigger Fletcher Roberts, and a bit like Sam Collins.

We need to remember Sam Collins was delisted at one point then dominated state leagues before getting on the Suns list where he's won 2 B&Fs.

I think Buss' style of play means he can't really play until he's more physically developed.

Even at Fremantle, Collins was considerably better than Busslinger is now. He was good at AFL level his debut year. The next year before he was delisted he won the Peel B&F and was FB in the WAFL team of the year. Fremantle delisting him was a big blunder.

I really do get the sentiment, but even in terms of physique Buss would need a dramatic improvement in the next year or two. Is that likely for a bloke with ongoing career-long shoulder issues? It’s going to take a lot of luck from here for a player with the limitations Buss has to make it. I hope he has that luck, for everyone’s sake.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Even at Fremantle, Collins was considerably better than Busslinger is now. He was good at AFL level his debut year. The next year before he was delisted he won the Peel B&F and was FB in the WAFL team of the year. Fremantle delisting him was a big blunder.

I really do get the sentiment, but even in terms of physique Buss would need a dramatic improvement in the next year or two. Is that likely for a bloke with ongoing career-long shoulder issues? It’s going to take a lot of luck from here for a player with the limitations Buss has to make it. I hope he has that luck, for everyone’s sake.

One bloke with an errant delisting and clear drive and determination above the levels of even editing AFL players is always held up as an example.

I said this last year: for every Sam Collins who turned it around there's a Caleb Graham, Darragh Joyce, Griffin Logue, Aaron Francis, Ryan Garthwatie, Lewis Young, Harrison Macraedie, Xavier Richards, Michael Talia, Tanner Smith, Hugh Goddard, Henry Schade or Kieran Collins who failed to turn it around.

What makes Jedd Busslinger a Sam Collins and not a Tanner Smith?

 

[Libbaaaa]

One bloke with an errant delisting and clear drive and determination above the levels of even editing AFL players is always held up as an example.

I said this last year: for every Sam Collins who turned it around there's a Caleb Graham, Darragh Joyce, Griffin Logue, Aaron Francis, Ryan Garthwatie, Lewis Young, Harrison Macraedie, Xavier Richards, Michael Talia, Tanner Smith, Hugh Goddard, Henry Schade or Kieran Collins who failed to turn it around.

What makes Jedd Busslinger a Sam Collins and not a Tanner Smith?

Didn't realise he was OOC at the end of this year, thought he was signed through to 2027. First thing I thought of is Butters will take the #5 so he can sit next to the Bont in the changerooms.

 

[Mofra]

One bloke with an errant delisting and clear drive and determination above the levels of even editing AFL players is always held up as an example.

I said this last year: for every Sam Collins who turned it around there's a Caleb Graham, Darragh Joyce, Griffin Logue, Aaron Francis, Ryan Garthwatie, Lewis Young, Harrison Macraedie, Xavier Richards, Michael Talia, Tanner Smith, Hugh Goddard, Henry Schade or Kieran Collins who failed to turn it around.

What makes Jedd Busslinger a Sam Collins and not a Tanner Smith?

Jedd's already played 3 more games that Tanner did in his entire career. And was a more celebrated junior that multiple clubs were interested in with a first rounder.

If Griffin Logue was on our list he'd be playing ahead of Coffield and looks like he's come back in much better shape than last year.