THE WESTERN Bulldogs are yet to settle on their best midfield as they race towards a spot in the finals, says AFL.com.au‘s Josh Gabelich.
With captain Marcus Bontempelli and Adam Treloar returning from injury, and career-best campaigns from Ed Richards and Joel Freijah, the Bulldogs are trialling a number of combinations when it comes to balancing their midfield.
On AFL.com.au‘s The Round So Far, Gabelich said that the Dogs’ talent-heavy midfield has sparked a mid-season shake up from coach Luke Beveridge, which has pushed vice-captain Tom Liberatore into the backline.
“You look at their midfield, and I think they’ve got the deepest midfield in the competition in terms of quality,” Gabelich said.
“Across the first part of the season, Marcus Bontempelli missed the first five rounds. Adam Treloar played once between round one and round 12. So, we got the exposure of Joel Freijah … he’s been a sensation in his second season … he’s exploded as an inside mid.
“And Matt Kennedy, when they took him on Deadline Day last year, I don’t think they were expecting to get this level of output.
“I just wonder how [Luke Beveridge] goes about balancing this midfield because clearly there are so many stars in that group that all want the time. Can’t fit them all in though.”
Beveridge conceded they’ll make some small changes to Liberatore’s position on the ground, with the aim to extend the premiership Bulldog’s career.
“He’ll still be priority one as a contest and stoppage player, but we might explore that a little bit more here and there,” Beveridge said last week ahead of the Dogs’ round 14 clash with St Kilda.
“We’re looking for maybe another layer for Tom. We’re hoping his future goes beyond this year … but there are players who can move for a minute or two.
“If Tom goes to half-back, it gives us some flexibility.
“My reassurance to him is that it’s just a layer and maybe a Plan C. His Plan B is really for him to play a bit of forward time as well.”
Tom Liberatore chases Max Hall during the match between St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium in round 14, 2025. Picture: Getty Images
Despite it not being the Bulldogs’ ‘Plan A’ to move him out of the midfield, Gabelich says that the last two weeks have shown that Liberatore’s position has in fact shifted drastically.
Since the Bulldogs’ mid-season bye, Bontempelli’s average attendance at the centre bounces has risen from 18.2 to 19.5 and Treloar’s has risen from 7.0 to 9.5, while Liberatore’s has dropped from 23.4 to 13.5.
“What has it meant for Tom Liberatore across the last two rounds is he’s dropped his centre-bounce attendances by 10,” Gabelich said.
“It’s a massive, massive drop-off. Luke Beveridge said during the week that Plan C is to use him at half-back, but we’ve seen him there quite a bit. I’m just intrigued to see how it looks going forward.”
However, Gabelich says that in the scheme of things, the excess of talent in the midfield is a good problem for the Bulldogs to have ahead of their run for a finals campaign.
“They’ve got nine games between now and finals to work out the perfect balance,” Gabelich said.
“Does Joel Freijah go back to half-back? We saw him play there last year. Does Adam Treloar stay at half forward a bit more?
“It’s a good problem to have.”
Percentage of centre-bounce attendances, 2025
| MB | JF | MK | TL | ER | AT | |
| 1 | 36 | 42 | 79 | 82 | ||
| 2 | 33 | 58 | 79 | 92 | ||
| 3 | 27 | 81 | 81 | 65 | ||
| 4 | 27 | 73 | 80 | 83 | ||
| 5 | 6 | 86 | 86 | 86 | ||
| 6 | 60 | 23 | 70 | 63 | 73 | |
| 7 | 50 | 44 | 59 | 59 | 75 | |
| 8 | 55 | 21 | 66 | 72 | 59 | 24 |
| 9 | 59 | 28 | 53 | 75 | 78 | |
| 10 | 58 | 38 | 58 | 77 | 62 | |
| 11 | 64 | 18 | 56 | 85 | 74 | |
| 12 | ||||||
| 13 | 75 | 8 | 63 | 46 | 63 | 33 |
| 14 | 66 | 38 | 44 | 50 | 69 | 34 |
MB = Marcus Bontempelli
JF = Joel Freijah
MK = Matt Kennedy
TL = Tom Liberatore
ER = Ed Richards
AT = Adam Treloar
