The midfield battle is on.

There’s only so many spots in the middle and yesterday a few young Dogs took the opportunity to press their claim for selection in the absence of their more experienced teammates.  Lin Jong’s 22 disposal, six inside 50, six tackle performance put his name front and centre and Mitch Honeychurch (17 touches and a goal) and draftee Josh Dunkley also had their moments. 

List Depth

The Dogs have played every available player on the list over the first two NAB Challenge matches and no players looked out of place, providing the coaching staff with plenty of flexibility going forward.  Word out of the kennel is that a healthy competition for spots is one of the key drivers of the Bulldog’s summer, and it’s fair to say there’ll be some long afternoons at the selection table this season for Luke Beveridge and his selection committee. 

New faces

There were five players who ran out on the weekend who’d never pulled on the Bulldog hoops before and all had an impact.  Former Brisbane Lions captain Jed Adcock did a lot of the hard stuff and his experience will be a plus when it’s called upon.  At the other end of the scale, rookie Brad Lynch had 13 touches, Bailey Williams’ goal over the shoulder in the third quarter was a highlight, and young backman Marcus Adams and Kieran Collins continue to take steps.

Libba

Dogs fans would have been pleased just seeing Tom Liberatore get through the NAB Challenge unscathed, so they would have been even happier to see the familiar #21 jumper at the bottom of packs and chasing down defenders as if he hadn’t missed a game.  Yesterday’s 19 disposal, 10 tackle performance was a subtle reminder that the 2014 Sutton Medallist is one of the best in the business, and how his return impacts the Bulldog midfield in 2016 will be one of the more intriguing storylines of the new season.