Season in short
Luke Dahlhaus spent more time than ever in the middle of the ground in 2016, and the 24-year-old responded with 26 disposals and five tackles per game, both career highs.
An early season favourite for the Sutton Medal, an injury to the medial ligament in his knee suffered in the Club’s round 12 win over Port Adelaide temporarily slowed him down, but he would return to the side six weeks later and was one of the Dogs’ best against Geelong at Simonds Stadium.
While he can still be found at the bottom of most packs, the 24-year-old’s average inside 50s rose for a fourth straight season and his 131 score involvements highlighted his importance as a link-player when the Dogs thrust forward.
But it was the former rookie’s finals series that will likely define his season, his last month of football cementing Dahlhaus’ reputation as a big game player.
The stat that mattered
Dahlhaus ranked third at the Club for tackles in 2016, one behind Tom Liberatore in second place.
What they said
“I was just rapt to spend some more time in the midfield. I think I played in there more than forward this year, so I’ve just been building towards that, building on my fitness.
"The year felt like it was going pretty well before the injury, but to get back - the medical team were so good – I didn’t miss a beat in training and ended up winning the granny, so that goes alright.”
Gram of the year
There was plenty of Hollywood royalty in the Bulldogs rooms after the Grand Final.
