Toast Welcome to the club, Rory Lobb

[Mofra]

Cody Weightman rocks the sleeves best at our club at the moment but I'm keen to see how Lobb goes.

We had a bit of a void for a while. Brad Hardie was brilliant, Simon Atkins excellent, and Monty rocked it as well.
Underrated, but Mitch Hahn did the long sleeves good service too. Of course, Granty would look good in almost anything...

 

[doggies ftw]

After years of not having any tall targets the Bulldogs recruit freak 207cm power forward / ruck …………

and he isn’t even the first or second tallest player on our list ?

So strange having a genuine spine, get Busslinger & Weddle in the draft to add to Darcy, Marra, Naughty & English and the world will genuinely explode

 

[bobs head soup]

Regardless of what Lobb achieves for the club, I firmly believe he'll be the best poster boy for our long sleeves jumper since Gary Dempsey.

Probably the longest long sleeves too, surpassing Dempsey.

Imagine our uniform supplier;

-'Better give us a few extra long sleeves this year,, a new recruit likes them'
-'Fair enough, what size?'
-'Not sure but he's 6 foot 9.'
-'Oh, FML'

 

[Mofra]

Probably the longest long sleeves too, surpassing Dempsey.

Imagine our uniform supplier;

-'Better give us a few extra long sleeves this year,, a new recruit likes them'
-'Fair enough, what size?'
-'Not sure but he's 6 foot 9.'
-'Oh, FML'

Didn't Ilija Grgic get on our radar by rocking up the club and asking if they had any size 15 boots he could buy?

 

[my plums]

Two Storey Rory

 

[Flags_In_The_Bag]

He

reckon he is gonna smash it for us kicked 36 goals in 21 games this year if he can replicate that next year and do decent in the ruck thats a huge W

Welcome Rory

He did that being the main guy being defended too, tab Waa not much help for a chop out, so imagine him with Naughton and an up and coming JUH

 

[Flags_In_The_Bag]

I'm pretty excited about this one TBH.

Lobb was almost certainly the most balanced forward/ruck in the league this past season. He is a threatening high-ball presence and a very capable tap ruckman who can follow up his work. His output is not sensational, but it is valuable in either part of the ground.

His acquisition will allow:

• Naughton and JUH to get on their bikes much more frequently, making it harder for opposition defenders to keep them stationary, without compromising all forward structure.
• Us to more safely go for the high-ball entries under pressure with a genuine high-ball threat, without compromising Naughton's remarkable ability as third-man up.
• English to better run out games and be more preserved for crucial moments.
• Us to have a better plan B in the ruck when the game conditions demand more clearance dominance rather than more mobility through the middle of the ground.
• Greater use of English's flexibility as a forward, ruck, or defender without losing our only competent ruckman.

All going well, this is a 'greater than the sum of its parts' acquisition. Rory Lobb is a solid if unspectacular player who should be pure gold for us structurally.

That is exactly the points u thought of too and as such could not agree more.

 

[doggiesin08]

Didn't Ilija Grgic get on our radar by rocking up the club and asking if they had any size 15 boots he could buy?

Ilija Grigic averaged 1.5 goals a game with us over 62 games. I’d be ok if Lobb matches that productivity.

 

[Selim]

He

He did that being the main guy being defended too, tab Waa not much help for a chop out, so imagine him with Naughton and an up and coming JUH

Dude has a massive tank aswell I’m pretty sure he was always near player 95-100 percent game time at freo even with playing ruck that will be handy

I noticed JUH was getting tired super early into quarters so a lot of his set shots We’re horrible because of it, hopefully he can improve that

 

[Dogman 1]

We need to petition Lobb as to not wearing long sleeves.

 

[Bulldog in Kiev]

Rory Lobb says he ‘couldn’t have handled’ staying with Fremantle Dockers if Western Bulldogs trade was denied​

Former Fremantle star Rory Lobb

7

Rory Lobb

Age

31

Ht

207cm

Wt

106kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.0

3star

K

6.7

3star

HB

4.4

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.4

4star

G

0.9

4star

D

11.3

3star

K

8.0

3star

HB

3.3

2star

M

4.6

4star

T

1.4

2star

G

1.0

4star

D

7.0

2star

K

4.0

2star

HB

3.0

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

2.8

5star

G

0.6

3star

in Dogs colours.Credit: Kelsey Reid/The West Australian
Western Bulldogs recruit Rory Lobb

7

Rory Lobb

Age

31

Ht

207cm

Wt

106kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.0

3star

K

6.7

3star

HB

4.4

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.4

4star

G

0.9

4star

D

11.3

3star

K

8.0

3star

HB

3.3

2star

M

4.6

4star

T

1.4

2star

G

1.0

4star

D

7.0

2star

K

4.0

2star

HB

3.0

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

2.8

5star

G

0.6

3star

said he “didn’t know if I’d be able to handle” playing another year at Fremantle if the club denied him a trade for a second time in two years.

Lobb, 29, showed off his new club colours in Perth on Friday for the first time since he was granted a trade in a last-minute deal, a year after being denied a move to GWS.

Asked if he would have played out the final year of his contract at Fremantle next season, Lobb said he “didn’t really want to think about that”.

Lobb is now a Dog. Credit: Kelsey Reid/The West Australian
“It was hard enough doing that (this year), especially with my partner being in Melbourne. I didn’t know if I’d be able to handle it again,” Lobb said.

“Obviously, a lot of media would have been on it and I don’t know if I would have been able to play as well as I did this year.”

Lobb said he thinks it would have also been hard on his teammates to welcome him back knowing he didn’t want to be there.

“Considering I had one last year on my contract and I had asked previously, I think it would be really hard on the group having me around again, feeling like I’m not as committed as I should be,” he said.

Lobb said he was really surprised when the Dockers denied his request this off-season after he thought the club had given him their word following the 2021 trade period.

“I had a meeting with the club and they said ‘just make sure you have a really good year and we’ll go from there’ and look to facilitate a trade,” Lobb said.

Lobb in red, white and blue. Credit: Kelsey Reid/The West Australian
“So I was obviously really surprised when I came to the trade period this year and asked and it was denied. I feel like I did everything that I could to go as far as we could in the finals.

“The fact that they said that is pretty normal. I feel a lot of clubs say that and say that they’ll walk clubs to the pre-season draft, knowing that they want to get as much as they can for them.”

Lobb said his partner living in their home in Victoria was a part of why he was so desperate to move clubs.

“There are obviously personal reasons which I don’t really want to get into. I feel like I’ve changed as a person the last four years and I’ve really grown up,” he said.

“I feel what’s best for me is to move to Melbourne with my partner and that’s where I’ve gone.”

Despite the Dockers saying a “trade would not be possible, Lobb said he had “full confidence” manager Colin Young was going to get a deal done.

“I think both clubs just want what’s best for them... Freo wants what’s best for them, Doggies want the best outcome - with me getting there,” Lobb said.

“That was always going to happen, that everyone was going to play hardball, right to the end.”

Lobb is now at his third AFL club. Credit: Kelsey Reid/The West Australian
The Dockers received pick 30 and a future second-round selection in exchange for Lobb, which was on-traded as part of the deal for Hawthorn star Jaeger O’Meara.

Lobb said it feels “unreal” to finally be in Bulldogs colours.

“I like the royal blue, it’s a little bit different from the purple, but it’s nice,” Lobb said.

Lobb was one of seven players to move clubs in the frantic final minutes ahead of Wednesday’s trade deadline, with ruckman Lloyd Meek also departing the Dockers in the O’Meara trade.

 

[weltschmerz]

I think getting him was a great outcome. When he’s done as a player, Darcy will be more than ready to step in as a fwd/ruck. If you’d told me “next year you’ll get an enormous forward who can do ruck minutes and play alongside Naughton and JUH to give them structure” I’d have been stoked. No guarantee Bruce gets back to form, and if they can replicate the Bruce/Naughton/English trio, we’re laughing.

 

[doggies ftw]

I’m pretty excited about this one to be honest, he’s put his best 2 seasons forward in the last two years (last year only played 13 games but averaged his 2nd highest goals per game with 1.5)

He really wouldn’t be the first 207cm/106kg bloke to finally find his best consistent form at 28yo and peak until 32. Time and time again we see these big blokes peak in their late 20s/early 30s. He really could give us 2-3 years of great football, especially now he has support around him and Etihad should suit him.

40 goals is not out of the equation next year IMO, he should be a great pick up

 

[TiAn_]

I’m pretty excited about this one to be honest, he’s put his best 2 seasons forward in the last two years (last year only played 13 games but averaged his 2nd highest goals per game with 1.5)

He really wouldn’t be the first 207cm/106kg bloke to finally find his best consistent form at 28yo and peak until 32. Time and time again we see these big blokes peak in their late 20s/early 30s. He really could give us 2-3 years of great football, especially now he has support around him and Etihad should suit him.

40 goals is not out of the equation next year IMO, he should be a great pick up

Yeah he should be able to produce the same output of about 30 goals and great ruck support for the first two years then after that at worst we have great backup for English and Darcy.

 

[geoffjennings79]

Naughton, at 195, will be one of our 'shorter' talls. Alongside Lobb/English, Darcy and JUH/Bruce, he'll almost be a mid-size forward.

With the arrival of Lobb, Naughton will kick a bazillion next year (hopefully most of them goals!).

 

[In Repair]

I do think this will be a pretty underrated acquisition. Our ruck situation when English was off the field was absolutely diabolical. He now has a genuine support partner that should actually get on top of most opposition backup rucks with the ability to be a multiple goalkicker each week.

He also gets the added benefit of playing with Naughton and not getting the number 1 defender next year. We desperately need a good forwards coach to allow these key forwards to function effectively together.

And we won’t have Dunkley or Hunter delivering it into the 50

 

[Scott Tracy]

Bulldogs Media | Western Bulldogs

Watch the latest videos from the Western Bulldogs

www.westernbulldogs.com.au

 

[doggiesin08]

Yeah he should be able to produce the same output of about 30 goals and great ruck support for the first two years then after that at worst we have great backup for English and Darcy.

I’m excited for the impact that Lobb’s crazy high ToG capacity (98%, #6 in the competition) plus 5 on the bench has for English next year.

On my quick scrolling English had the 4th highest ToG average for rucks across the league (84%) behind only Gawn (89% but behind the play a lot), O’Brien (88%) and Goldstein (86%). Sean Darcy as another reference and supported by Lobb was 80%.

I think if you take the 4-5% ToG away from English where he’s most fatigued, and allow him to be more fresh and sitting behind the ball a bit more for the remaining 80% then he will be a lot better for us.

 

[ossie_21]

One thing that always stood about Lobb even as a young player at GWS, was his contested marking. Some of the grabs he’d take in one go with all sorts of pressure was ridiculous, absolute bucket hands.

Even with him & Naughton is incredible, add either a JUH if he can start holding them and a hopefully fit Bruce, that is a shitload of marking power and I don’t think any other club could match it. Then we could have Darcy as well at times.

It’s insane. Just need better forward structure to help them work together better. If a minimum 2/3 are in the forward line and I see Weightman flying for a mark, I’d drop him for a month

 

[Dale4captain]

During his interview he alludes to being ‘on the outer’ with the Freo boys because of his trade request and has been open with that group about wanting to come back to Melbourne for the last 18months.

Hopefully he can settle in here and produce some great football knowing he’s no longer having to do a long distance relo and the pressures attached. Sometimes people forget that these are real people with real world problems, no matter the money they are on.

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

I liked his interview, where he is already talking “we” when talking about the Doggies.

Funny enough I always thought he was a perfect partner for English, and was annoyed that he was up for grabs that we never tried to get him.

 

[ScragCity]

Has he mentioned how much he still loves Freo or the Giants?

 

[TiAn_]

I prefer when we recruit players like Lobb that think their last club was a giant duffel bag of excrement and is just glad to be rid of the place.

 

[TiAn_]

Interesting that he mentioned the elite kicks off half back. Hope that means we see a lot him leading up at the ball around 50, we know he can kick them.

 

[True Dog]

Can’t wait to see him a Naughts as serious 1&2 marking threats with Marra as 3rd tall that’s friggin exciting. Darcy sneaking down from time to time Wow..... No need for smalls the ball wont touch the ground!!