Aaron Naughton set for ‘huge year’ amid trade interest from WA clubs
Fremantle has already flagged its interest in Aaron Naughton given his WA ties, but his manager’s response will make Western Bulldogs fans happy.
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Aaron Naughton has emphatically shut down Fremantle’s strong trade interest as he prepares for a career-best year with an elite support cast of forwards.
The Dockers would have been prepared to make a monster play for the WA-born spearhead despite the 23-year-old’s contract not expiring until the end of next season.
Dockers football boss Peter Bell made clear this week Naughton was a player of interest this year given his West Australian ties.
But despite the continuing chatter, Naughton’s manager Andrew McDougall, of Corporate Sports, made clear his only focus was on seeing out his contract at the Western Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs are already keen to extend his deal past 2024, but those talks will come after this season at the earliest.
Having finally had an uninterrupted pre-season, completing almost every session, Naughton will play in a forward line where Rory Lobb will finally give him a strong-bodied teammate to stop him being double-teamed.
Emerging star Sam Darcy and No.1 overall pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan will also help lessen the load.
It means WA-based clubs will have to wait at least two years for their best chance to lure Naughton home.
“I have spoken to Aaron a number of times over the break and he’s still got two years to run on his contract. He loves the Bulldogs, loves the footy club and he’s just really looking forward to the year,” McDougall said.
“He has still got a bit of time to play out before the decisions are made either way (at the end of 2025), so at this stage he’s really happy and setting some strong goals at the club with new additions to the Bulldogs. He is in a really good spot at the moment.
“With Rory in tandem with Aaron they will have to put a solid defender on him too and they have big Timmy English pushing forward from the ruck, so it’s a really good three-way team, and Jamara is coming along too so having Rory there with Aaron is a really good bonus for the club and Aaron, who won’t always have three players on him.
“He is used to (the distraction) and conditioned to it. He trains really hard in the off-season and he and (Marcus) Bontempelli went overseas and did a lot of training together before the pre-season started in America and they have a close relationship.
“Aaron is a really dynamic player who has ended up being one of the best forwards in the competition. I think he will have a huge year.
“It is extremely unlikely for anything to happen this year with two years left on his contract. Aaron is in really good hands with the club and also really happy at the club and with his teammates. He loves the footy club.
“Both Aaron and Tim (English) are out of contract for 2024. Both are from WA are both are happy at the Western Bulldogs. I’m sure not only WA clubs but a number of clubs will inquire about both players over the next two years.”
Track watch: Old Dog with new tricks ‘primed’ for Dees showdown
– Glenn McFarlane
The Bulldogs took to the track in an intra-club on Saturday as they continue to prepare for the 2023 season, here are the main talking points.
TIM RUCK AND READY
Bulldogs fans can rest easy about Tim English being ready to take on Melbourne’s two-pronged ruck attack of Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn in the Round 1 clash next month after being a dominant performer in the club’s intra-club game at Mars Stadium.
English had a minor hamstring issue earlier this month, which briefly put a cloud on whether he would be right to go on March 18.
But the big man’s attack on the ball and his work around the ground against Jordan Sweet and Rory Lobb on Saturday showed he will be primed to go against the Demons.
English was at his competitive best, giving his teammates first use of the ball from the outset as well as getting his own hands on the ball.
He was aggressive – a sight that would have delighted Dogs fans – and seemed to relish getting in the face of Bailey Smith and Jack Macrae at stages.
He copped a bit of friendly fire during the third term and looked shaken for a moment, but thankfully resumed playing again.
LIAM, A ROUND 1 LOCK
It’s almost 3200 days since Liam Jones last played an official AFL game with the Western Bulldogs – and 18 months since his last game with Carlton in late 2021 – but the key defender looks primed to take on Melbourne in Round 1.
Jones was matched against the Dogs’ most important forward Aaron Naughton in what was an intriguing match-up throughout the contest.
The 32-year-old didn’t play AFL football last season after choosing not to comply with the AFL’s vaccination mandate.
But he hasn’t missed a beat since signing on to return to the Bulldogs, the first time he has been back at the club since 2014.
His bodywork was strong and his fearless approach in trying to drag down marks and spoil showed why Luke Beveridge was so keen to add him to the defensive mix.
TALL TIMBER IN ATTACK
Sam Darcy might end up being the ultimate swingman, but he was added into what was an imposing first-choice forward set-up in Saturday’s intra-club.
Having initially been drafted as a ruck-forward, the 19-year-old made his mark late in the 2022 season as a defender.
But the Bulldogs are keeping their options open this year, with Darcy playing in the first half alongside Naughton, former Docker Rory Lobb and a dangerous Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
Darcy, 19, took a couple of strong marks in attack in the first half before being rested in the second half after having some back tightness.
The Bulldogs plan to use Darcy in different roles from week to week, which footy boss Chris Grant said was a part of the versatile mix the club was aiming to put in place this season.
The Dogs went with a three-tall system in attack at one end of the ground. If they can make that work, it will cause opposition defenders plenty of headaches.
Lobb will make a difference with his size and marking prowess, having joined the club from Fremantle. He played deep forward on occasions before spending time in the ruck.
Naughton kicked three goals, Ugle-Hagan managed two, while Lobb scored one major.
Buku Khamis also impressed with three goals.
MOVING MAGNETS
There was something different about Caleb Daniel and it wasn’t just the fact that he was minus the trademark helmet.
Daniel will bring the headgear back for the practice match against North Melbourne next week – he doesn’t wear it in intra-club games.
But the important Bulldog playmaker will clearly be spending more time in the midfield mix this season, given the club is looking to new options given the departure of onballer Josh Dunkley and wingman Lachie Hunter.
Daniel split his time equally across half-back and the midfield, where he worked alongside the likes of Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore, Bailey Smith and Adam Treloar.
Former Demon Oskar Baker showed some good signs on the wing, while Anthony Scott was also impressive, with two goals.
The Dogs were happy to see Smith and Treloar get through their first competitive hit-outs of the pre-season.
Smith has overcome leg soreness while Treloar appears to have recovered from his off-season ankle surgery.
“It was good to see Adam and Bailey Smith … who have had an interrupted pre-seasons, and they were two of our better mids (on Saturday),” assistant coach Brendon Lade said.
“Adam’s run to get to contests was very good and I thought with Bailey that it was the best he had trained all pre-season.”
Given the Bulldogs’ tall timber in attack, Josh Bruce is aiming to reinvent himself as a defender this season.
Bruce had his hands full early on when Buku Khamis booted two first term goals before settling more into the role.
Khamis ended up with three goals.
“It was good to see the forwards go against the backs, especially because it could be our line-up going into next week (practice match against North Melbourne),” Lade said.
“It was good to see ‘Naughts’ do a few things, and Rory (Lobb) fitting it and ‘Marra’ (Jamarra Ugle-Hagan) was good again, and ‘Darce’ (Sam Darcy) showed some things as well.
“Bevo is pretty exciting, I don’t think he has had this many talls ever, so it is good for us to have that problem. Whether we play all four, we are not sure, we might play three, but it might be a week to week thing.”
WORTH THE WAIT
Cody Weightman was one of the key Dogs who missed out on the club’s intra-club game, but he is confident he will be ready to take on the Demons next month.
He has been troubled by an adductor issue in recent weeks and has backed off his work after having previously had a faultless pre-season.
He aims to step it up across the next few weeks in an effort to prove his fitness ahead of the start of the season.
Others to miss out on the intra-club included Jason Johannisen and Laitham Vandermeer, who suffered a hairline fracture to his lower leg in a training incident last week.
Traded Dog makes explosive Jamarra selection claim
– Harper Sercombe
Melbourne key forward Josh Schache says he was frustrated the Western Bulldogs played Jamarra Ugle-Hagan ahead of him last season.
The No. 2 pick was traded in a frantic last minute deal but revealed on Thursday he believed he wasn’t given a “proper chance” at the Kennel.
In particular Schache said it was tough to accept it when he was outperforming Ugle-Hagan.
“Jamarra had five touches, then the week before as well, he didn’t have any touches [in the VFL], then they brought him in, and I have kicked a fair few goals in those two weeks and played well,” Schache said.
“And he [Beveridge] even had to bring me in and justify why they brought him in. That is just something that is going to keep happening.”
Melbourne pounced on Schache in a bid to provide another marking target alongside Ben Brown, 30, and Bayley Fritsch, 26.
The 25-year-old only 45 games across five seasons at the Dogs, including only 18 matches over the last three seasons.
The key forward said there probably wasn’t a spot in the Western Bulldogs forward line competing against top five picks, Ugle-Hagan, Sam Darcy, former Saint Josh Bruce and new recruit Rory Lobb.
“Looking at where I am at the Dogs, I just can’t see myself getting past those guys that they are prioritising at the moment,” he said to manager David Trotter as a part of Stan’s Show Me The Money II documentary.
“They don’t give me a proper chance, either.
“They bring me in for a couple of weeks, then I have an off game – bang, straight out.
“They don’t stick with me. I don’t have confidence with them.”
Schache was traded for a future fourth round pick during the 2022 trade period.
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