He’s too good for the VFL, but out of favour in the AFL, so where to next for Macrae?

While the Dogs had a convincing win against the Suns in Ballarat, star midfielder Jack Macrae lit up the VFL with 46 touches. So the question remains – what does Luke Beveridge do?

What do you do with Jack Macrae? That is what Luke Beveridge will be asking himself – and his Bulldogs coaching staff – throughout this week.

The three-time All Australian midfielder, who has polled 106 Brownlow votes across his career and also recorded the most-ever disposals in a season (880) in 2021, has failed to play an AFL game so far this season.

In part, there is a valid reason: Macrae suffered a hamstring strain in late January and missed both of the Bulldogs’ preseason games against Hawthorn.

But the talk of Macrae and his place in the side has been a long-time coming, after he fell out of favour in Beveridge’s primary midfield rotation and was consigned to a half-forward flank for much of 2023.

Ryley Sanders had 22 disposals in the Dogs win over the Suns on Sunday. Picture: Getty Images

It’s a strange role for one of the competition’s great ball-winners, but it’s also an incredibly difficult midfield to consistently feature in – with Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore and Adam Treloar all dominant clearance players in their own right.

Throw in the arrival of draftee Ryley Sanders, who has been seriously impressive in his maiden AFL campaign, and suddenly the engine room is pretty packed.

The injured Bailey Smith faces a similar conundrum, and is the reason he has been heavily linked to clubs like Geelong, Hawthorn and Collingwood, which all have capacity in the midfield for the hard-running ball-winner.

Beveridge said after the Bulldogs’ convincing win over Gold Coast in Ballarat on Sunday that there was room for Macrae in the side going forward, with the coach believing Macrae needed to play a lower-grade game without managed minutes to prove he was ready for the step up.

And he showed enough to be firmly back in contention, collecting 46 disposals, 17 clearances, seven marks and five tackles against the Giants’ reserve side.

Jack Macrae at Bulldogs training last week. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

“It’s not that we didn’t consider Jack this week, but I think one of the important things is you back your preparation and the temptation was there,” Beveridge said after the win over the Suns.

“Jack is at a build and today at VFL level is enough evidence that he’s pretty ready to step up. There’s no doubt he’d be considered and he’d be a big chance to come in.”

There is room in the senior side for Macrae, with defenders Nick Coffield (shoulder) and Ed Richards (concussion) both set to miss the clash against West Coast at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

But Macrae is not a clear-cut, like-for-like replacement, with some shuffling required if the Bulldogs do opt to bring him back in.

In the short-term, it looks like Macrae will play against the Eagles, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is locked into Beveridge’s side for the long haul.

How will Luke Beveridge move the magnets around for this weeks clash against the Eagles? Picture: Getty Images

The Bulldogs coach is infamous for his decisions at the selection table, having recently dropped Rory Lobb for Sam Darcy, brought in Lachie Bramble in favour of Caleb Daniel to start the season, and historically rewarding lower-profile players like James O’Donnell, Harvey Gallagher, Arthur Jones and Caleb Poulter with games when outsiders may not have them in the club’s best 22.

Macrae could have been a perfect crash-test dummy for the proposed mid-season trade period, had it been implemented in 2024. There would be a line of suitors making phone calls, asking about his availability in an attempt to bolster midfield stocks before a premiership charge.

It’s hard to believe rival clubs aren’t already circling his name on a big whiteboard, despite being contracted until the end of 2027.

There has been nothing from Macrae’s camp that he wants out of the kennel. In fact, he said he wants to retire a Western Bulldogs player back in 2022 after inking the five-year extension.

However, whether he can recapture his best ball-winning form, as well as a permanent place in Beveridge’s midfield plans, could play a key role in him staying in the red, white and blue beyond this season.

Originally published as He’s too good for the VFL, but out of favour in the AFL, so where to next for Macrae?