Training 2026 Off-Season & Preseason reports and discussion

[Strapping Young Lad]

We didn't sign big Ned up until the end of 2029 to be just a depth player. But yeah, I'm surprised he's not playing tmrw. Maybe just resting up for GWS game.

He will not be out there against the Giants at this stage.

 

[To the Hawk]

He will not be out there against the Giants at this stage.

Makes sense given he would surely be playing tonight if that's the direction we head. Meek will get a good look against a jumping ruck tonight however, and our mids against an elite opposition midfield. CBA will be an important watch.

Given Dear has had an interrupted preseason, and no Reeves, Schuey could be a very good chance to debut Rd 0. Very exciting. As we all know, there's something about this kid.

 

[thehardway]

I’m happy we signed him. But let’s not pretend Meek has been anything short of outstanding during our rise over the last two seasons, and if we don’t want to waste a spot on a second ruckman then unfortunately Reeves is starting from behind.

Big Lloyd does some great work around the ground, has sticky mitts and converts when he goes forward. Also the Cholinator is a very underrated back up, has ignited us in the middle at times last year.

As someone else mentioned, Reeves will get plenty of cracks, through rotation of not only players but tactics.

The fact GWS have Briggs who plays like Lloyd might also be a factor early.

I'm certainly not questioning Meek's value to the team. He's been outstanding and is currently and clearly the No. 1 ruck. Maybe Reeves is just back up at the moment and play if Meek is injured/rested/match-ups. A lot can change over the course of a season/seasons so it will be interesting to watch how it plays out. Doesn't hurt to have Reeves breathing down Meek's neck.

 

[TazHawk15]

Do we think Dear will play in the Box Hill game?
Seemed to cop a knock against the Cats at one stage.

Sammy said this morning on SEN that Calsh is down on confidence and pretty unlikely for the game against GWS.

I think Calsh will need to find some form and confidence in the VFL.

Barrass just a niggle and does not need the run, will be good to go round zero.
The same as Amon, who has a knee niggle.

Excited by Mraz and Shu and they show potential and we need to get some young players in after no debutants last year.

Reeves will play a full game in the VFL and they are not 100% locked into two ruckman just yet.

 

[JZedd]

I reckon Sam will, at some point, want to include Reeves, especially if we continue to allow the opposition to get a run of goals due to centre bounce clearances.

If this continues and Reeves does make a significant difference then priorities change.
I think many of our losses were, in part, due to this. Of course, the dynamics change if Day comes back fit and healthy at the half way mark of the season.

 

[peetoo]

Makes sense given he would surely be playing tonight if that's the direction we head. Meek will get a good look against a jumping ruck tonight however, and our mids against an elite opposition midfield. CBA will be an important watch.

Given Dear has had an interrupted preseason, and no Reeves, Schuey could be a very good chance to debut Rd 0. Very exciting. As we all know, there's something about this kid.

Shuey and dear in 5-6 years time

 

[kazzooka]

I think we probably have a few plans on how to best utilise the 5th bench player so this will be a test with a single ruck to see how that goes. Or maybe it's a calculated risk to avoid some sort of freakish double injury ahead of the real stuff?

THEORIES

8 on the bench tonight though.

Also we aren't really playing a single ruck. We are playing 1 player who can ONLY ruck. We have 5 Ruck options in that line up. Meek, Chol, Schu, Nash, Weddle + Lewis can take forward 50 stoppages.

 

[To the Hawk]

8 on the bench tonight though.

Also we aren't really playing a single ruck. We are playing 1 player who can ONLY ruck. We have 5 Ruck options in that line up. Meek, Chol, Schu, Nash, Weddle + Lewis can take forward 50 stoppages.

No chance we're sending Weddle, Shuey, Lewis or Nash anywhere near a centre bounce.

My gut feel is that we won't see the last 3 named on the bench until the second half. I think we'll go with 25 in the mix for Rd 0 first half and get the rotations around that.

Mraz being the exception as TB will be a straight swap.

 

[fairdinks]

possibly. I personally don't think there is any point playing Gunners TBH.

He is fit, has played a game and knows how to get himself right. Freshen him up to be full tilt at GWS.

lots of likes, but didnt age well.

 

[oscarthegrouch]

Re the fear of more PCL/leg injuries due to the new ruck changes players should consider wearing some sort of knee/shin protection.

Every ruck already wears a shin guard

 

[Dewnior]

He will not be out there against the Giants at this stage.

I doubt we'll play 2 rucks until the squad is match fit and can run out 4 quarters. Plus Giants will only play one ruck.

 

[thebullnuke]

Does anybody know if the boxhill practice match will be televised anywhere? Hoping someone here is there and can note how the rookies go!

 

[Atch]

Does anybody know if the boxhill practice match will be televised anywhere? Hoping someone here is there and can note how the rookies go!

Bump.

 

[kazzooka]

No chance we're sending Weddle, Shuey, Lewis or Nash anywhere near a centre bounce.

My gut feel is that we won't see the last 3 named on the bench until the second half. I think we'll go with 25 in the mix for Rd 0 first half and get the rotations around that.

Mraz being the exception as TB will be a straight swap.

There are very centre throws in a game really. And they always happen after a goal or qtr break so it's very easy for Meek to take 95-100% of them.

Most ruck contests are around the ground throw ups and boundary throw ins.

Weddle, Nash, Chol have been our others rucks the past 2 years. With, Dear, Ramsden doing that role too when in the side.

 

[Brownbird]

Bump.

no could only follow the scores on the Dogs vfl X site. BHH led all day and held on to win by 2 points.

 

[Atch]

no could only follow the scores on the Dogs vfl X site. BHH led all day and held on to win by 2 points.

Saw that, thanks for that BB, and thanks to the others that were keeping track as well.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

No chance we're sending Weddle, Shuey, Lewis or Nash anywhere near a centre bounce.

My gut feel is that we won't see the last 3 named on the bench until the second half. I think we'll go with 25 in the mix for Rd 0 first half and get the rotations around that.

Mraz being the exception as TB will be a straight swap.

Just like last season we will have Meek and Chol doing CBA duties - barring emergencies of course.

Lewis, Nash and Weddle can assist with around the ground rucking (depending on where the ball is) if Chol and Meek are off the ground or caught out of position.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Interesting to read Sam stating Dear is down on confidence.

I thought Dear did some nice things against Geelong, or did I imagine this?

 

[peetoo]

Only Ramsden has taken contested pack marks f50 this pre season

Our kicking i50 was consistently to pack situations

Change the plan or change the kpf

 

[hardway]

With the the new out of bounds rules it’s going to favour the highly skilled teams. Aerobic capacity will be wasted on chasing bums.

 

[ppphawk]

Why it is that bulldogs get this and we get nothing for the VFL praccy.
Keen to hear how Reeves, Greeves and dear performed

VFL Match report: Fast-finishing Footscray fall short against Hawks

Bulldogs leave it too late as Box Hill get the better of pre-season clash

www.westernbulldogs.com.au

 

[hawkinoz]

Why it is that bulldogs get this and we get nothing for the VFL praccy.
Keen to hear how Reeves, Greeves and dear performed

VFL Match report: Fast-finishing Footscray fall short against Hawks

Bulldogs leave it too late as Box Hill get the better of pre-season clash

www.westernbulldogs.com.au

There is a fan writeup on th BH thread. Quoting it here for visibility

I went to the practice game which started at 3:40pm, not at 4:10pm as previously advised. Luckily I arrived early to try to identify the new players.
HFC Reeves, Dear, Ryan, McCabe, Leray, Anderson, Dalton, Greeves, Ramsden, Uhr-Henry, Hustwaite (11) plus Perez, Stanley and Riding.
BHH (Christian name included for new players) Farrer, Declase, Ward, Beau Tennant, Bianco, Alex Lukic, Donohue, Max Pinckbeck, McGown, Brown, Julian, Thomas Swainston, Canning, Baldwin, Simonson and William Pewtress.
Footscray also had 11 AFL listed players.
Scores: Qtr Time Footscray 0.5.5, BHH 3.0.18
Half Time 2.8.20, 6.1.37
3/4 Time 4.9.33, 8.4.52
Full Time 10.11.71, 11.7.73
The Dogs kicked three goals in the last three minutes and had a chance to win with a shot on goal after the siren from about 40 metres on a 45 degree angle. The kick went OOBOTF for a good win.

The goal kickers to the best of my viewing were Ramsden 3, Stanley 2 and singles to Dear, McCabe, Anderson, Dalton, Uhr-Henry and Farrer. All our set shot gaols were straight through the middle with Ramma, Daltons and Farrer from the boundary the standout.

My brief thought on the players:
Reeves - dominated the ruck contests and applied some good follow up pressure.
Dear - Fairly quiet, didn’t hold his marks. A highlight was a strong tackle in the third quarter which resulted in a mark and goal to Ramma.
Ryan - Really strong defending and won the one on one contests to give us drive.
McCabe - A really good first half. Worked hard, took some strong mark and generally used the ball well by foot. Rested in the last quarter.
Leray - Played a solid game whilst finding his feet. Received a really heavy knock in the third quarter however returned and displayed courage.
Anderson - Played mainly deep forward and his pressure and tackling were very good with one tackle resulting in a goal. Was a bit fumbly and needs to find more of the ball.
Dalton - Worked hard and read the game well. Had one terrific intercept mark in the last quarter for a good gall.
Greeves - Had a strong second half winning centre clearances from Reeve’s ruck work. Also laid some strong tackles.
Ramsden - Played on Busslinger and took some strong marks. He kicked accurately. Seems to play very well in patches.
Uhr-Henry - Took a really strong mark and kicked a goal from a free kick in the first quarter. Did okay in limited opportunity in the ruck.
Hustwaite - His ball winning abilility in congestion is great as well is his ability to dispose of the ball under pressure. I’d love to see him get the opportunity to adapt his VFL dominance to the AFL.
Perez - Solid in defence. Halves or wins most contests.
Stanley - Had a really good third quarter in the centre clearances. Displayed pace and long kicking.
Riding - Tapped the ball to his advantage on a number of occasions before using pace to break away.
Finally a few BHH payers:
Kye Declase - Cleary BOG in the first half playing HBF. Spent less time on the ground in the second half.
Tom Farrer - Low however quality possessions. An interesting watch.
Tyler Brown - Great to have him back. He was solid but a bit rusty after missing the season in 2025.
Blake Simondson - Was solid in defence with good desperation.

Thanks Stemiline. Agree re Lane Ward, his work rate was really good. Also you're correct, Alex Lukic kicked the great goal, right foot near the right boundary line from about 40 metres.
There were a few number changes so it took a while to identify the players. Perez wore 59 (listed 39), Farrer 70 (51), Donohue 71 (61), Swainston 51 (70) and Cannington 69 (71).
There was a funny moment just after half time when Dylan Moore and Josh Weddle sat in front of me. They asked me who was playing well and I thanked Josh for making me very happy this week. He turned around and with a big grin asked me what had made me happy. I indicated a signature and Dylan and he laughed. Our players are really lovely young men and I love our great club.
I’m looking forward to our next practice game on Saturday at 11:00am away against Casey.

I’d select Huss. I wish we would focus on his great strength of giving us first use of the ball and not his defensive weaknesses. He needs to be given a real opportunity to translate his outstanding VFL performances into the AFL.
Tom Farrer was definitely 70. He’s only just turned 20 and shows good skills and smarts.

I also liked the look of Pewtress. He was good defensively and didn’t back off after some harsh calls on some strong but fair body work. Gee the umpires look after Craig-Peters (61) .

Edit: I haven’t seen the AFL practice match, however given Lewis only had 3 disposals and 1 mark, Ramma would have to at least be considered.

 

[mustang]

Historically overall Queensland have an absolutely massive chip on their shoulder over NSW in general. There is a genuine parochial hatred and Queensland loves nothing more than beating NSW in any sport (or anything in general) - but being that rugby league is the dominant sporting code in both states it really ramps it up. On top of that - up until 1980 interstate football in rugby league was based on residency as opposed to origin. In those days the Brisbane Rugby League was a very decent league (much like the SANFL and WAFL were) but if you wanted big money you had to go to the NSWRL and play in Sydney. As a result a great deal of great Queensland players would be playing in the NSWRL - then when interstate matches would occur the NSW teams would invariably be stacked and would quite often absolutely smash Queensland. This was galling for the Queenslanders because it would quite often be Queenslanders doing the damage. It then got to a point where Queenslanders couldn't even play for NSW even if they were better than the NSW incumbent and then couldn't instead play for Queensland. From 1962-1979 before Origin replaced it - NSW won every interstate series and the game split was 52 wins for NSW and 4 for Queensland.

Origin came in in 1980 and flipped it to basically where your first junior level footy was played so finally the Queenslanders could play for Queensland no matter where they played their league footy and it very much changed the balance to where Queensland have often dominated. So Queensland not only have the general hatred of NSW but also had the fierce disgust of having their best players either not eligible to play at all or, even worse, forced to suit up for NSW and help trounce Queensland. This really made them passionate about Origin to the point where it is now easily the highest level of the code and players get far more honour playing for Queensland than they would playing for their country. Such is the rivalry that the games are often very evenly balanced (except that period where Qld had insanely good sides for about a decade and NSW were bereft of decent halves which meant competing was problematic) and with the fierce rivalry they are very high impact games which generally come down to the wire.

I don't doubt that some of that rivalry did exist in Aussie Rules origin in days gone - particularly WA and SA wanting to smash Victoria and getting immense joy out of doing it. However I think in 2026 most supporters would enjoy the game and night but not exactly be bragging all year about the result like they do in rugby league circles.

Living in QLD it's built up like the AFL grand final, also every one knows when it is and the media talk about it weeks if not months out.

NSW are like Victoria was in the 80's/90's with the like of
Dunstall - QLD
Pritchard - TAS

Before it became where you were born, and players played for the state of birth, I think If the AFL did VIC v SA every year it could build.

 

[Gene Simmons]

Calsh Dear must be in some horrible form if Lewis is ahead of him...

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Calsh Dear must be in some horrible form if Lewis is ahead of him...

So Lewis is confirmed as this years wet brained posters whipping boy