Matt Suckling shattered to miss Grand Final despite already tasting premiership success at Hawthorn
WESTERN Bulldogs defender Matthew Suckling says the two premierships under his belt aren’t enough to take the sting out of being overlooked for Saturday’s Grand Final.
Bulldogs
Don't miss out on the headlines from Bulldogs. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WESTERN Bulldogs defender Matthew Suckling says the two premierships under his belt aren’t enough to take the sting out of being overlooked for Saturday’s Grand Final.
Suckling missed last week’s preliminary final against Greater Western Sydney and could not force his way back into the Grand Final side as coach Luke Beveridge opted for no changes.
The 28-year-old won flags with Hawthorn in 2014 and 2015 before joining the Bulldogs but dismissed the notion that it might make his omission easier.
“It’s a little bit hard, but I did it in 2013. I injured my knee and I watched the boys win the flag then and obviously I was just happy for them to win. Hopefully it’s the same thing tomorrow,” he said at Friday’s Grand Final parade.
“I’m not content.
“I want to keep winning and have more success.”
Suckling’s preliminary final omission was initially attributed to an achilles injury but Bulldogs football director Chris Grant this week said it had been partly due to team balance concerns.
Suckling, who has been named as an emergency for Saturday’s grand final, admitted his troublesome achilles had prevented him from training at full intensity but said he would be ready to line up if called upon.
“I’m good enough to go but the preparation probably hasn’t been ideal,” he said.
“With every step there’s pain, and it gets worse and worse after you train. We’ve been trying to manage the loads for the second half of the year and it’s probably got a bit too much the last couple of weeks.
“I’ll prepare as normal and if something happens I’ll be ready to go but I’m more looking forward to getting along and supporting the boys tomorrow.”
‘Don’t want him to feel pressure’: Bont unclear on Jamarra return
Marcus Bontempelli says football is secondary to Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s health and there is no clear timeline on when the star forward will return to full training.
Jamarra takes first step towards Bulldogs return
He may not be in Queensland with the rest of his teammates, but Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has taken the first steps towards a return as the Dogs near a decision on their final list spot.