Jake Stringer and Jack Macrae have shown glimpses of what they’re capable of but Senior Coach Brendan McCartney said an extra pre-season will lay the foundations for an even bigger impact next year.
The pair have agreed to terms to remain at the Western Bulldogs until at least 2016 and with 23 games between them so far, their future looks bright at the kennel.
“We have seen enough of them to show people why we drafted them, but at the same time they’ve had their battles getting through a long, tough season as most young people in the competition,” McCartney said.
“One more summer of conditioning and weights and understanding the rigours of AFL footy and they will be well placed for next year.
“We are really excited about those two.”
McCartney said a debrief of their debut season next week will give the draftees a solid understanding of what they need to address and improve to take their game to the next level.
“All of them have four or five things, in particular our younger players, that just they have to get better in,” he said.
“It’s not just on the field, it might be the capacity to do leg weights, or train harder and not have to be managed as often.
“We will send them off next week very clear of what we expect when we come back.”