THE WESTERN Bulldogs will unveil a new-look defence to start 2026 at the Gabba on Saturday night, but star key forward Sam Darcy and dual All-Australian Bailey Dale remain in doubt for the Opening Round clash against Brisbane.
Darcy didn’t feature in the club’s two practice matches against Sydney and Hawthorn after dealing with hip and groin soreness out of the AAMI AFL Origin clash.
Dale played only one quarter in February after suffering a grade-one MCL sprain, after being unlucky to miss out on Victorian selection.
They both trained at the Whitten Oval on Wednesday but Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge remained tight-lipped on their availability ahead of the season-opener against the back-to-back premiers.
“I won’t give you anything today. I know the teams will come out this afternoon. I’d rather keep it under wraps until then; I don’t really want to know before time,” Beveridge said on Thursday morning.
“Sam was having a strong preseason until (AFL Origin); we looked after him to make sure he could play full noise in the rep game and he came out of that game a bit sore.
“So he has had some interruption; he hasn’t played since then and he’s missed some training. His last month has been a spluttering month and so that’s not ideal.”
Beveridge has rewarded the pre-season form of Lachie Jaques and Michael Sellwood with debuts in Opening Round, while recruit Connor Budarick will also play his first game for the club after moving from Gold Coast during the trade period.
Jaques played 20 VFL games in his first season at the club, including the Grand Final win for Footscray, while Sellwood was plucked from Peel Thunder out of the WAFL in last year’s Mid-Season Rookie Draft and will now get his chance at 22.
Intercept defender Buku Khamis will also play his first game for the Bulldogs since a trade couldn’t be brokered to seal his desired move to Carlton by the deadline.
The 25-year-old explored a move, despite having a year to run on his contract, for more playing time after managing only 14 appearances in 2025.
Buku Khamis handpasses the ball during the AAMI Community Series match between the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn at Mission Whitten Oval on February 27, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos
But since returning to the club for pre-season, Khamis has got on with it and produced a best on ground performance against the Hawks last week to book an Opening Round spot.
“He’s had a strong pre-season,” Beveridge said. “He reads the ball really well. The pressure the other night really helped our backs, and he was a great interceptor the other night, I was rapt with his game.
“There’s no way we were going to let him go. He’s too valuable for us, and he’s such a beautiful human being; he’s added so much to our club, just as a person that pumps happiness and care into the place.
“When push came to shove, Carlton offered us nothing and we wanted what was best for him. We were prepared if the deal was right to look after him, if that’s really what he wanted to do. But we knew that we weren’t going to let him go if we didn’t get the value we thought.”
Cody Weightman can see some light at the end of the tunnel, but Beveridge said the star small forward is still a few months away from returning after a nightmare run of knee injuries.
The 24-year-old hasn’t played since the 2024 elimination final due to a rare congenital condition called bipartite patella that required a handful of operations last year due to infections in his knee. Weightman has started running outside again, but is unfortunately facing another season spent largely watching on.
“He won’t be back for a while; we’re talking another 10 to 12 weeks. But he’s feeling pretty good about himself. He got the message from the surgeon the other day that he can get a bit busier with some of his loading,” he said.
“But he’s still a way off, it’s going to take a little while. And when you think about him playing at his best, I reckon maybe really late in the year he’s still got to play some footy considering he missed the whole last year.”
Ed Richards (left) and Cody Weightman at Western Bulldogs training on January 16, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos
The Western Bulldogs travel to Brisbane on Friday morning ahead of a captain’s run at the Gabba, then host Greater Western Sydney at Marvel Stadium in round one before travelling to play Adelaide ahead of a bye in round three.
