SuperCoach pre-season intel: Bulldogs flag midfield moves, Elijah Tsatas stocks rise

Look away now SuperCoach teams. Western Bulldogs have declared ‘flexibility’ the key trait they want from players this year in a worrying sign for a team already known for its magnet moves.

Western Bulldogs midfield coach Brendon Lade expects his engine room to look different every week this season as the official practice matches draw near.

The club moved away from Jack Macrae in previous seasons, who defected to St Kilda at the end of 2024 in an attempt to feature more regularly at senior level, with the Bulldogs focusing on developing their young midfield talent.

Lade said he expected some of the burgeoning talent on the list to shine in 2025, with a clear focus on improving players’ flexibility during the summer.

“The game has changed a fair bit and you have to be quite flexible with the amount of roles you can play, especially through the midfield, the high forwards, the wings and half backs, if you can play multiple positions you can plug and play them anywhere you like,” Lade said on 3AW.

The Dogs say Ryley Sanders won’t exclusively be a midfielder.

Marcus Bontempelli might spend more time in attack.

“Matt Kennedy will play in a few different positions, so will Riley Garcia, Ryley Sanders is learning different positions, Bont goes forward, so we’ve got some real depth in our flexibility which is great.”

Lade said Sanders, who booted three goals in the weekend’s match simulation in Noosa, had been a star this summer.

“Ryley’s come back in super fit, he’s one of our top three or four in our running tests, he’s come back with a … I wouldn’t say chip on his shoulder but he’s definitely got a real focus of being a really good AFL player,” he said.

“We’re excited with what that group can bring, it does hurt with some of that experience going out but also coming in is some excitement and some youth.”

Quite a number of people thought Elijah Tsatas was best player in the match sim.

He did a lot of things right.

This is only a small thing but I like the fact he stood his ground and took the intercepting mark even though Wright was coming from behind at a fair rate of knots pic.twitter.com/U8GjWURwVP

— Rick Edwards (@BomberRicko) January 12, 2025

TSATAS STOCKS RISE DUE TO DONS MIDFIELD INJURIES

Essendon is set to be without two of its starting midfield guns in the first practice match next week, with Darcy Parish and Sam Durham expected to miss with injury complaints.

Parish has battled through a back worry this summer, having been sidelined from match simulations this year, while Durham has rib soreness and missed last Saturday’s scratch match.

Elijah Tsatas has starred in their absence during contest work, with a noticeable improvement with his ball use by foot.

Forward Harrison Jones is also unlikely to feature in the match against the Western Bulldogs on February 15, but it is not expected he miss any further time.

Essendon will face Gold Coast in Opening Round on March 8.

Originally published as SuperCoach pre-season intel: Bulldogs flag midfield moves, Elijah Tsatas stocks rise