Senior coach Luke Beveridge shared his thoughts on some players who impressed in the Western Bulldogs’ 39-point AAMI Community Series win over Melbourne, during the post-match press conference.

Marcus Bontempelli
32 disposals (16 contested), seven clearances, nine inside-50s, three goals
“His third quarter was instrumental in us getting the upper hand. We know he’s an outstanding player, and he’s an outstanding leader. He was down on himself a little bit after his performance (against Hawthorn) – he had a lot of the footy but just didn’t use it as well as he can. For him to come out and play as well as he did was important for him and us leading into round one.”

Lachie McNeil
Eight disposals, three inside-50s, one goal
“We saw what Lachie can do with his speed, he’s got good skills and he doesn’t mind a contest. He’s got a good menu of attributes. In his second game against AFL opposition, there were some encouraging moments for him.”

Buku Khamis
Six disposals, four marks
“Buku had already played three quarters (in the VFL), so for him to come on and play a half like he did (was great). We sort of moved him into more of that key back post, and he didn’t put a foot wrong, so that’s important for us.”

Stef Martin + Tim English
Martin: 17 disposals, four marks, 14 hit-outs
English: 17 disposals, seven marks, nine hit-outs, one goal
“We were really pleased with the combination. Stefan spent a lot of minutes in the ruck – big Max Gawn probably got his hand on it a fair bit. The clearance differential was a landslide in our favour so our mids were able to deal with Stef’s strong contest and not be flipped around too much. It allowed Tim to play forward a little bit more – I thought Tim’s second half, he was a real threat down there. If he converted he might’ve had even more of an outstanding day. They were a good combination for us this afternoon.”

Bailey Smith
25 disposals, seven marks, one goal
“As the game went on Bailey probably had 15 or so disposals in the second half – he probably didn’t use it as well as he usually does but he’ll open up some teams with his run. He’s elite in the way he can cover the ground, and on the outside he can make the most of that.”

Josh Dunkley
32 disposals (20 contested), 11 tackles, eight clearances
“I thought Dunks was very good for us today- he impressed with some of the things he does extremely well. Dunks is a really critical part of our 22. As I have done in the past, I’ll continue to nurture both his and my relationship and his performance with the rest of our coaches. Josh has been an influential player for us, and like his teammates there’s still room to grow. That’s what we’re after with him – today is a really good step in the right direction for him. It gives him momentum into round one.”