Bailey Dale was one of the Dogs’ most damaging and reliable defenders in 2025.
The 29-year-old smashed some of his personal bests in a campaign to remember, which saw him rewarded with a second All-Australian blazer.
A career highlight came in Round 10 against Essendon, with Dale registering a whopping 49 disposals – 37 of them being kicks – and 1016 metres gained.
Remarkably he had ample opportunity to reach the half-century too, despite teammate Bailey Williams unaware of the circumstances in the dying minutes.
There was no love lost however, with the pair reconciling post-game.
Dale collected 20 touches or more in all but one outing this season, regularly using his trademark run and speed to clear the ball outside the defensive 50.
Overall, the 29-year-old averaged 27 disposals (ranked elite), seven handballs, five marks and 546 metres gained (also ranked elite) from 23 games.
A maiden Charles Sutton Medal would be icing on the cake for Dale’s 2025 campaign.
Charles Sutton Medal history:
Tony Liberatore Most Improved Player - 2017, 2021
Doug Hawkins Medal - 2024
