Western Bulldogs' list for 2019 after AFL trade and draft periods

Mick Stirling

Western Bulldogs' list for 2019 after AFL trade and draft periods image

The dust has finally settled on AFL post-season activity and all 18 clubs have completed their lists for 2019.

Who’s come in via trades, free agency and the national and rookie drafts? Who’s gone out the other way?

And, most importantly, how does the list look after all the changes?

MORE: AFL draft: every pick, every player, every club

This week, Sporting News is going through each club’s changes to analyse whether steps have been taken forwards, backwards or if they’re just treading water.

Western Bulldogs

In

Trade:

Taylor Duryea (Hawthorn), Sam Lloyd (Richmond)

Free agency:

NA

Draft:

Bailey Smith (7 – Sandringham Dragons), Rhylee West (26 – Calder Cannons), Laitham Vandermeer (37 – Murray Bushrangers), Ben Cavarra (45 – Williamstown), Will Hayes (78 – Footscray VFL)


 

Rookie:

Lachie Young (Dandenong Stingrays), Jordon Sweet (North Adelaide)

Out

Traded:

Jordan Roughead (Collingwood), Marcus Adams (Brisbane), Luke Dahlhaus (FA to Geelong)

Delisted: 

Tom Campbell, Kieran Collins, Mitch Honeychurch, Nathan Mullenger-McHugh

Retired:

Clay Smith, Jack Redpath, Shane Biggs

Western Bulldogs’ 2019 list

The Dogs came away from the draft with a good haul: Smith may prove to be the best player from the class of ’18, West (pictured with father Scott) only needs to be half of what his old man was to be a big win, and Cavarra could have an instant effect and cover Dahlhaus’ loss.

Rhylee West Scott West

But losing Dahlhaus, Adams, Roughead and the retiring Smith, Redpath and Biggs makes the list less than it was in 2018, a year they finished 13th.

Verdict

Don’t bet on the Bulldogs doing a repeat of 2015/2016 and bouncing up from 13th to the premiership, but it is still a young list with bags of on-ball talent. If they can get the bookends worked out, things will head in the right direction.

Mick Stirling