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The Western Bulldogs have re-signed another premiership star, with in-form midfielder Tom Liberatore recommitting to the club.
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The Western Bulldogs have locked away ball magnet Tom Liberatore for two more years.
Following on the back of captain Marcus Bontempelli’s recent re-signing, his midfield partner will be remaining at the Whitten Oval until at least the end of 2023.
Liberatore, 29, who was out-of-contract at the end of the season, has been in career-best form and integral reason why the Dogs are on top of the ladder.
He hasn’t missed a game this season, averaging 24.3 disposals, 8.6 clearances and 5.2 tackles. He leads the competition for clearances (129).
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“It’s very exciting to stay on for another couple. I’m certainly looking forward to the next couple of years, and obviously this year as well,” Liberatore said.
“It’s been good to be consistent and keep myself healthy. That allows me to get out on the park and play some good footy each week.
“It’s been extremely pleasing to be part of a group that’s got a lot of chemistry.
“I think we’re in a good place to keep playing good footy and keep challenging the best teams. It’s exciting times ahead.”
Liberatore, a member of the 2016 premiership team, has played 163 games since joining the Bulldogs as a father-son selection in the 2010 AFL draft.
BETTS BACKFLIP? BLUE’S SHOCK CALL ON FUTURE
Eddie Betts was definitely retiring at the end of this season, his 17th in a storied and inspirational career.
After being granted another one-year contract by a football club that could easily have pensioned him off, Betts had already made plans for life after football.
The media, corporate, speaking and leadership opportunities are already flooding in for one of footy’s most passionate, engaging and authentic individuals.
At 34 years of age in a team unlikely to play finals, that will still be the likely course of action.
Except, after a torrid 2020 season full of painful time away from his family in a Queensland hub and just 13 goals from 15 games, the old Eddie Betts is back.
Not the 2017 version that kicked 55 goals, but at least one holding up his end of the bargain in Carlton’s forward line.
Betts has kicked a very respectable 22 goals in 13 games, including 20 goals in his past nine games.
In five of his past six games he has kicked two or more goals, including the go-ahead goal against Fremantle midway through the last quarter on Saturday.
For the first time this year Betts is at least open to the conversation about what might happen if one of footy’s great small forwards can stay fit and in form until season’s end.
When asked on Tuesday night about potentially playing on in 2022, Betts said on Fox Footy’s AFL360: “I’m happy to play on as long as I can.
“But for me at the moment it’s just me going out and having fun and helping my teammates and the Carlton Football Club get success.
“And to try and help develop these young forwards in Matty Owies, Lachie Fogarty, Fish (Zac Fisher) and help out Harry McKay while I’m down there as well.”
Betts admitted he was enjoying his football much more this year.
“I put it down to just going out and having fun,” he said.
“Last year was pretty tough being in a hub and being away from family.
“And to be honest last year I was kind of out of my head because I wanted to play for another contract.
“I let it get to my head and there was a lot of media scrutiny out there … you just overthink stuff and especially in games.
“This year I don’t care what anyone else thinks, I don’t need to prove a point to anyone else and last year I wanted to prove a point to myself that I could still play.
“This year I don’t need to.”
Betts isn’t keeping anyone out of the side — No.37 draft pick Corey Durdin has just five VFL goals after being drafted as an electric small forward, and the impressive Owies has 14 goals in nine games as a forward playing alongside him.
And most importantly, his future will not turn into a saga at Carlton.
Betts is determined to avoid that.
As recently as Round 1 as he came back from a soft-tissue injury he admitted he wouldn’t pick himself if he was David Teague, returning to the senior side in Round 3.
He is totally comfortable with retiring in seven weeks.
As a small forward Betts remains elite for goals and ground ball gets, and above average for forward 50 pressure and marks.
At the very least if Betts is to retire he will do so knowing his return to Carlton after six seasons at Adelaide came with him hitting the line at a decent pace, if not a gallop.
Manager Garry Winter was reluctant to comment on Tuesday given he knows Betts isn’t interested in putting any pressure on the Blues about his future.
He said Betts was thrilled to be playing football that contributed to the team, content to do whatever was in the best interests of Carlton.
“He was adamant this was his last year and there was a bit of planning about that, but with where his form and body is at, the conversation has turned a little bit,” Winter told News Corp.
“He is very self aware of where he is at and he has a lot of options post-footy so he is in great form at the moment and will consider his position later in the year.”
If Betts played out the season from his current games tally of 344 games he would rise past Luke Hodge (346), and Doug Hawkins (350) and equal Matthew Pavlich at No.16 on the games played list.
He is already the best pure small forward football has seen in total goals (635 to Stephen Milne’s 574), even if Leigh Matthews (915) and Kevin Bartlett (778) morphed from midfielder into goalkicking machines.
But his quest to call out racism and help others understand the pain it leaves in his soul will leave a legacy just as sizeable.
That will continue next year in his media and non-football roles regardless of whether he plays on.
If he retires, a farewell home game against GWS at Marvel Stadium in Round 23 will be a fairytale send-off at the club that ignited his career.
But for Carlton, which has had enough of five year plans and just wants to be as good as it can be every single year, Betts might have opened the door a sliver to continue on next year.
BOMBERS SHOCK IN RACE FOR GIANT FREE AGENT KELLY
Essendon has dropped out of the race for Josh Kelly’s signature as the star free agent looks increasingly likely to activate a massive eight-year $8 million trigger on his Greater Western Sydney contract.
The Bombers’ withdrawal leaves North Melbourne at the head of a handful of Victorian clubs still hopeful of luring the midfielder home from NSW.
The Roos have lodged an offer which would effectively match his GWS deal but are aware of the risks of such a lengthy contract, which would have to be ticked off by the North Melbourne board.
Kelly only has to inform the Giants that he will remain in Sydney to activate the last eight years of a deal that will see him playing with the club until 34 years of age.
Despite the Victorian interest he is seen to be content playing in Sydney and confidantes expecting him to remain a Giant for life.
Essendon has continually been linked to the 26-year-old but is developing its own midfield core as Darcy Parish and Jake Stringer emerge as bona fide stars.
Dons football manager Josh Mahoney told News Corp on Friday the talks were at an encouraging stage with Parish and Stringer on new deals.
There are few Victorian teams with huge cap space to accommodate a deal like the Kelly contract, but St Kilda and Carlton are clubs that have room if a quality free agent emerged.
It is not known which other clubs have joined the race with North Melbourne for Victorian-born Kelly.
Kelly has been in slashing form since a return to the midfield and wing after playing a large chunk of time as a half-forward from Rounds 1-6.
From Round 7 onwards he has played 62 per cent of game time as a pure midfielder and 27 per cent on the wing, averaging 28 disposals, 485-metres gained, eight score involvements and an excellent 55 pressure points.
He has peeled off nine consecutive games with 25 or more disposals and 100 ranking points, including monster games against North Melbourne (39 disposals) and Essendon (30 possessions, two goals).
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North Melbourne is determined to avoid the scattergun approach of the past offering huge contracts to rival players such as Isaac Heeney, often with little communication to them or hope of landing those targets.
But, given Kelly’s father played 61 games as a wingman for the Roos and he came close to accepting their massive offer two years ago, they would have been negligent not to offer him a deal.
GWS captain Stephen Coniglio is due back in the senior side that has seen Kelly, Callan Ward, Jacob Hopper, Tim Taranto and Tom Green thriving in his absence.
It remains to be seen what role Coniglio will play when he returns to the side after a strong return in the VFL on the weekend after injury.
Fox Footy expert Leigh Montagna said on Sunday he didn’t believe there was a starting role in the midfield for the captain.
“I can’t see Coniglio being a part of the midfield mix. They’ve already got four or five midfielders better than him. Hopper, Taranto, Ward and Green are all ahead of him, they want to get Kelly in there a little bit more,” he said.
“I just think they need to find a new spot for Coniglio whether it’s half back half, half forward or maybe as a wing.
“They’ve just got to be careful because at the moment they way they’re going you don’t want to upset the apple cart too much by bringing in a player you think it might help.”
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