The Western Bulldogs officially welcomed Adam Treloar into the fold as Josh Dunkley returned to Whitten Oval for pre-season training after having his AFL trade request go unfulfilled.
Dunkley wanted out in November, citing a desire for more midfield time, but was denied a move to Essendon when the clubs could not reach an agreement.
Treloar’s high-profile switch from Collingwood during the trade period only served to increase pressure for spots alongside Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore, Jack Macrae and Bailey Smith in a stacked Bulldogs on-ball division for 2021.
“There’s certainly a lot of depth there, but competition for spots is good,” Dogs defender Hayden Crozier told reporters on Wednesday, adding the players consider Dunkley’s trade wish as water under the bridge.
“A lot of those guys in the midfield can play different positions, as well, and a bit of flexibility in the team is nice.
“Bevo (coach Luke Beveridge) enjoys having guys who can play multiple positions.
“I’m sure the boys aren’t too fussed what positions they’re going to be playing, they just want to be playing.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how it goes over the next couple of months in the match sim and all that kind of stuff, but we’re confident the group we put out in round one will be good.”
Treloar made a brief training appearance with the Bulldogs’ first to fourth-year players in December and has had an instant impact on his new teammates, with the majority back on the track on Wednesday.
“He’s vocal, he’s been really good,” Crozier said.
“Adam’s someone that the club looked at last year and thought that he’d fit the bill really well.
“He’s the ultimate professional. I’ve caught up with him a couple of times, he’s got a great footy brain, is a great fella and will add a lot to this group going forward.”
Smith and Tim English were standouts for the Bulldogs on their return to training, with the third-year midfielder winning the MAS (maximal aerobic speed) running test.
Mobile ruckman English has added more muscle to his previously lanky 205cm frame.
Crozier is fit again after post-season toe surgery kept him sidelined for seven weeks and Toby McLean had his first AlterG running session since an anterior cruciate ligament rupture four months ago.
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has revealed his “huge surprise” at learning of Josh Dunkley’s AFL trade request but expects the versatile on-baller to slot comfortably back into the team next season.
Dunkley publicly declared he wanted more guaranteed midfield time elsewhere and nominated Essendon as his club of choice during the recent trade period.
But the Dogs were steadfast in their demand for two first-round draft picks in return for the contracted 23-year-old, and a deal was not reached before the November 12 deadline.
Beveridge caught up with Dunkley last week to clear the air and said the trade request is now water under the bridge.
“All that matters to me and to our club is that he’s with us,” Beveridge told SEN on Wednesday.
“If we delve into the whys and the wherefores, it’s not going to help us settle him again and bridge him into the future.
“If there is any tension there as far as what he feels is something that affects him, then we need to discuss it, but he reassures me that things are fine.”
The Bulldogs secured gun on-baller Adam Treloar from Collingwood during the trade period, adding to their midfield depth.
It will only increase the pressure for spots that Dunkley, who is contracted for two more seasons, was concerned about.
“We’ve got a significant amount of inside mids who are candidates to play,” Beveridge said.
“Some of those boys can play forward and on wings and even at half-back, depending on performance and where you want to place them.
“The other thing with that mix of ours is we’ve still got some long-term things on our mind.”
One of those considerations is the longevity of Tom Liberatore, who Beveridge hopes can play for at least another two years.
But the coach concedes he won’t know when the “time bomb” will go off for the 28-year-old, who has endured a string of serious knee injuries.
Beveridge also declared the ongoing list management period has been “as intense as they come” due to a series of AFL-enforced changes, including reductions in playing list sizes and the salary cap.
It has come on the end of a difficult year in which clubs were forced to make significant numbers of staff redundant as part of league-wide cost-cutting measures.
Collingwood has officially got some of Adam Treloar’s mega salary off the books after finding a trade for the midfielder.
While the Pies are set to pay a significant chunk of his huge wage that tips close to $900,000 per season, they have managed to strike a trade with the Western Bulldogs in the final minutes of trade period.
Pick 14 and a future second round pick will head from the Dogs to the Pies, with Pick 26, 33 and 42 going back to Whitten Oval, which will allow the club to match an offer for next-generation academy gun Jamarra Ugle-Hagan with later selections.
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Grand Final
The Bulldogs have secured Treloar who will add even more to their strong midfield group, with Josh Dunkley to remain at the club.
Despite wanting to leave the club, Dunkley will stay after talks broke down with Essendon, with list manager Sam Power wanting two first round picks from Adrian Dodoro.
A deal never eventuated with the contracted onballer to return to the kennel. Already the Dogs have Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae and Bailey Smith in their onball brigade.
“On behalf of Collingwood I would like to thank Adam for his service. He was a committed and strong performer for us and we wish him well,” Magpies list manager Ned Guy said.
“For some time we have held the view that this year’s draft represents an excellent opportunity to address some of our needs. We think in the short term we can improve from within but we can also now strengthen the profile of our list for the medium and longer term. This deal improves significantly our ability to do that.
“With the draft assets we now have, we also have the ability over the next couple of weeks to explore ways of improving our draft position further.”
New Western Bulldogs recruit Adam Treloar is “pumped” fellow gun midfielder Josh Dunkley is staying put at the Whitten Oval.
The Bulldogs will have one of the AFL’s most explosive onball brigades next year following Treloar’s move from Collingwood and the collapse of Dunkley’s trade request to Essendon.
Controversially pushed out by the Magpies with five years to go on his contract, Treloar immediately “felt the love” after talking with Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.
The 27-year-old is excited about forming a midfield combination that will rival anything in the AFL.
“I have a lot of admiration and respect for the Bulldogs,” Treloar told reporters on Friday.
“I’m pumped that Dunks is staying. Watching him play, I regard him very highly and I think that dynamic that we have inside is something that is going to be exciting.”
Treloar fronted the cameras less than 24 hours after his whirlwind trade to his third AFL club was finalised.
He was joined at the media conference by partner Kim Ravaillion, who has signed a Super Netball contract to play with the Queensland Firebirds next year.
“The love and empathy he (Beveridge) was showing Kim and I was something that I was drawn to,” Treloar said.
“When he was chatting more about Kim (and her netball career) and less about me it was something I genuinely felt was care and love, so that’s sort of what pushed me over.”
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs remain confident in Dunkley returning to the influential inside midfield role that was at the centre of his failed trade request to the Bombers.
After finishing runner-up in the Bulldogs’ 2019 best-and-fairest, Dunkley struggled with injuries this year and never returned to his best.
He was also played out of position as a back-up ruckman to try and nurture young tall Tim English.
But with the Bulldogs securing veteran Brisbane Lions ruckman Stefan Martin to support English, Dunkley is set to reap the rewards.
“Josh’s main reason to us (in requesting a trade) was around the midfield opportunities,” Bulldogs list manager Sam Power said.
“He had a fantastic 2019 and played some really good football this year.
“He did have a significant injury this year and he came back from it relatively quickly, which is a credit to Josh’s professionalism.”
The Western Bulldogs appear to be one of the biggest winners of the trade period.
And if fans get their way, they might just add a statue of Sam Power at the Whitten Oval if the club can lift the premiership cup at the end of 2021.
Taking a huge gamble, the Bulldogs added Adam Treloar to the mix, snared extra points for academy star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and kept midfielder Josh Dunkley.
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Grand Final
Bulldogs trade for Treloar
1:02
The club’s first round pick was always on the table throughout trade period, given an early bid is expected on Ugle-Hagan at the draft. Matching the selection with latter picks (every selection 1-73 is given a points value) suited the Dogs.
They were able to do just that in the mega move for Adam Treloar, receiving extra 526 points in what only can be described as a win, which could mean the Collingwood star virtually comes for free if they win the flag.
With Jack Macrae, Marcus Bontempelli, Bailey Smith, Tom Liberatore, Macrae and Treloar in the midfield mix, teams will certainly struggle to win the ball out of the centre.
However, David King did question whether it was an opportunity lost to secure another player to support Aaron Naughton inside 50, but backed the gamble by the Dogs as Luke Beveridge’s side aims for another flag.
West Australians Logan McDonald and Denver Grainger-Barrass, as well as South Australian Riley Thilthorpe are among the talls likely to be picked inside the top five, while Elijah Hollands and Will Phillips are other midfielders around the mark.
“I just wonder in five years’ time, if we’ll look back at the opportunity to get back up to Pick 2 or Pick 3,” King said on Fox Footy’s Trading Day.
List boss explains exodus
9:37
“They’ve missed that chance, they’ve chosen Treloar instead of that option. They’ve done a great job with the list for 2021, but for the list for 2026?
“I’m not being negative on them at all – Hannan’s a great get, Treloar’s gonna be a star for them and Martin, they needed some ruck help. But have they solved the forward 50 problem?”
Former AFL opposition analyst and strategy coach Rob Harding believed the Treloar fit at the Bulldogs wasn’t as pretty as it seems on paper.
“I think the link between Treloar and the Bulldogs naturally comes because of the Dunkley situation, but I don’t think he’s a fantastic fit for the balance they’ve got at the moment,” he said on SEN.
“We’re talking about Dunkley leaving the Bulldogs, essentially because a lack of midfield time and we’re also talking about bringing in Adam Treloar.
“There’s only so many minutes in the midfield and so much footy to go around, so a team that’s got (Marcus) Bontempelli, (Jack) Macrae, Bailey Smith, Libba (Tom Liberatore), they’ve already pushed guys like Mitch Wallis out of the midfield, Lachie Hunter is another playing on a wing who could play time inside.
Adam Treloar is the latest addition to the Dogs’ almighty midfield (Picture: NCA NewsWire / Paul Jeffers).Source: News Corp Australia
“The danger bringing in someone like Adam Treloar, who is a fantastic player, is that we take away minutes from other guys who have been in there and the reshuffling ends up impacting multiple players.”
Harding suggested his Treloar’s best role at the Dogs would be as a half-forward, having him as the extra midfielder at a stoppage.
“You need guys who can be flipped out to other positions. Obviously Bont can play forward and we’ve seen Macrae play on the midfield, but really Bont, Macrae, Bailey Smith and Libba are all inside midfielders,” he explained.
“You can push guys out to half forward or deep like a Dusty Martin does, but that’s where the balance of what you bring in is important. What we’ve seen with Treloar is he is another genuine inside midfielder.
“That’s why I don’t think this mix works.”
Only time can tell whether it was a decision worth making, but the Bulldog fans are certainly eager for 2021 to start.
All the big names got their 2020 trade wishes granted — except midfielder Josh Dunkley, who’ll remain with the Western Bulldogs after they couldn’t strike a deal with Essendon.
Dunkley, a premiership player and runner-up in the Bulldogs’ 2019 best and fairest, officially requested a trade to the Bombers last week.
While there was ample speculation Dunkley’s possible Bombers move was linked to the Bulldogs’ potential acquisition of Magpie Adam Treloar — the latter was an acquisition that came to fruition on deadline day — the Bombers insisted the two deals were separate.
The Bulldogs were seeking two first-round picks from Essendon for the 23-year-old, who was still contracted to the club for another two years.
However the Bombers believed Dunkley was only worthy of one top-10 pick.
The Dogs and Bombers held discussions on Thursday afternoon, with chatter quickly emerging that suggested the deal was unlikely.
It meant the Dogs keep Dunkley and acquire Treloar, while the Bombers retain a whopping three first-round selections: Picks 6, 7 and 8.
“Our preference was to keep him, but once he did indicate his preference, we were open to something and discussing it with Essendon.
“In the end we had some good conversations, but it was unable to happen and we were rapt to keep Josh.
“We had a really clear asking price that we didn’t deviate from otherwise we were very consistently saying we were going to keep him.
“He knows how highly we rate him and we’re confident we can get the best out of the Bulldogs and we’re confident he can be a long-term player for us.”
The Bombers had been targeting midfielders during trade period after losing key forward Joe Daniher and dashing defender Adam Saad.
Dunkley wasn’t the only player that didn’t move clubs on Thursday night.
The Giants and Adelaide couldn’t reach an agreement on first-round draftee Jackson Hately.
The Crows reportedly offered the Giants Pick 40 in exchange for Hately, but that was denied.
Adelaide confirmed after the deadline that it had committed to taking Hately in the pre-season draft, which will be held on December 10.
“Jackson wants to be at the Crows in 2021 and given we have the first pick in the pre-season draft, we will be able to make this happen,” Crows list boss Justin Reid said.
Other players that didn’t move clubs include Demon Tom McDonald, Cat Charlie Constable and Saints duo Luke Dunstan and Jack Lonie.
McDonald, Constable and Dunstan are all still contracted to their respective clubs, while Lonie has a one-year deal from the Saints on the table.
Josh Dunkley remains a Bulldog after last-minute talks between Essendon and the Dogs fell through.
Western Bulldogs list manager Sam Power said the club was always going to keep Dunkley unless Essendon met their demands.
“We rate him so highly, he’s a fantastic player, a future captain of the club really with his leadership qualities,” he told AFL Trade Radio.
“Our preference was to keep him, but once he did indicate his preference, we were open to something and discussing it with Essendon.
“In the end we had some good conversations, but it was unable to happen and we were rapt to keep Josh.
“We had a really clear asking price that we didn’t deviate from otherwise we were very consistently saying we were going to keep him.
“He knows how highly we rate him and we’re confident we can get the best out of the Bulldogs and we’re confident he can be a long-term player for us.”
It has been reported that the Dogs wanted two of Essendon’s first round draft picks for Dunkley, but Power opted not to comment on what the Bombers’ final offer was.
Mitch Cleary has reported that Essendon’s final offer to the Dogs was Pick 7 and a future second rounder.
We’ll be with you through today and into the evening as trade period ends for 2020. Adam Treloar, Josh Dunkley, Jack Higgins, Jeremy Cameron and more are still waiting for deals to go through.
We’ll be with you through today and into the evening as trade period ends for 2020. Adam Treloar, Josh Dunkley, Jack Higgins and more are still waiting for deals to go through.
With just one day left in the trade period, it’s clear two of the biggest deals are about to go down to the wire.
Will Jeremy Cameron make his way to Geelong? And can Essendon lure Josh Dunkley across from the Kennel?
The team from Fox Footy’s Trading Day reveal the deals that should get both moves done.
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Grand Final
MORE AFL TRADE NEWS
TRADE TRACKER: See every done deal and signed free agent for every club
OFF-SEASON CENTRAL: Every signing, delisting and draft pick for every club
WEDNESDAY RECAP: Everything that happened on the second-last day of deals
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How Dunkley deal gets done
1:12
JOSH DUNKLEY
The proposal
– Essendon gives Pick 8, Collingwood gives Pick 16 and its future first-round pick
– Essendon gives Pick 16, GWS gives Jye Caldwell
– Essendon gives two future first-round picks (its own and Collingwood’s), the Western Bulldogs give Josh Dunkley
Why it works
This move satisfies the Magpies by allowing them to move up in the 2020 draft order and give away their first pick in 2021, which they won’t need due to a likely high bid for gun father-son prospect Nick Daicos.
It also satisfies the Giants’ desire for a first-round pick in return for 2018 No.11 selection Caldwell, for whom list boss Jason McCartney has said the club wants a pick close to where they drafted him.
So then it’s about Dunkley. The Bulldogs will need two first round picks to give up the contracted midfielder, but they don’t need picks in the 2020 crop because of a likely high bid for next generation academy prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
That’s why two 2021 first-round picks could be enough to get Dunkley to Tullamarine.
Pies to rip up Treloar deal?
4:24
“Essendon would still have pick 6 and 7 in this draft, and they haven’t had a pick inside the top 30 for three years, and they get their man in Josh Dunkley, so I think that’s a pretty good result for them considering who’s gone out of that club,” St Kilda champion Leigh Montagna said on Fox Footy’s Trading Day.
“The Bulldogs, they don’t need to be in this draft because they want to use their (draft) points on the young fella (Jamarra Ugle-Hagan), so they get future picks which I think makes sense.”
The other option though would see Essendon send two of its three top-ten draft picks to the Bulldogs for Dunkley, who would then use those picks to get higher in the first round.
North Melbourne premiership player David King suggested gaining Picks 7 and 8 for Dunkley, and then trading them to North Melbourne (for Pick 2) or Sydney (for Pick 3).
The idea would be to get ahead of the bid for Ugle-Hagan, so that their draft picks aren’t used up when they match the bid.
The Bulldogs could therefore use Pick 2 or 3 on a prospect like Logan McDonald, a promising key position player, and also match the Ugle-Hagan bid – gaining both players.
Jezza worth 3 first rounders?
2:07
JEREMY CAMERON
The proposal
Geelong gives picks 13, 15 and 20, GWS gives Jeremy Cameron
Why it works
In the end, the Cats may have to cough up all three of their first-round picks, even though they’re desperate not to.
GWS is driving a hard bargain for Cameron, despite the fact he’s a free agent and not contracted for next season, after matching the bid for him under restricted free agency rules.
Geelong has offered picks 13 and 15, but the Giants want three first-round picks or two and a player.
While the Cats could try and land Cameron through the national or pre-season draft, it would be incredibly risky, as any team could select him before their pick – if they can fit Cameron’s contract into their salary cap.
“This is a volcano waiting to blow – this is Vesuvius,” Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph said on Trading Day.
“GWS are saying, we’ve got salary cap room, we’ve got a pick before you – we’ll just get him.
“It’s such a high-risk strategy. I can’t see any way Geelong in the end won’t have to give up close to three first rounders.”
The question though is whether three first-round picks is a fair price for Cameron.
According to King, Geelong’s current offer of 13 and 15 isn’t enough, based on what they got out of West Coast for Tim Kelly last year.
The Tim Kelly deal
West Coast gives up picks 14, 24, 33 in 2019 and pick 15 in 2020 = 3621 draft points
Geelong gives up picks 37 and 52 = 724 draft points
Approximate price = 2892 points, roughly equal to Pick 1
Geelong’s current Jeremy Cameron offer
Geelong gives up picks 13 and 15 = 2324 draft points, roughly equal to Pick 3
Treloar, Jezza still in limbo
1:57
King suggested if Geelong added a future selection – but not a first-round pick – it would be a fair deal.
“There’s a big gap between those (Kelly and Cameron) deals,” he said on Fox Footy.
“I personally think if there was a future second thrown in, you’d get the deal done, because that would be about 500-odd points – it’s close to parity.
“But GWS are looking at that and going, no, it’s time to pay.”
But the Giants don’t just want a good deal, but want the public perception to be that they clearly won the negotiation.
“I don’t think that’s (adding a future second) going to get it done,” Ralph said.
“I think it has to be those three first-rounders, because they don’t just want to be winning from a points perspective, they want to be seen to be winning as well.”
