The Bulldogs depth will again be tested this Sunday when they travel to Spotless Stadium, with senior coach Luke Beveridge telling media on Tuesday afternoon he’ll explore all possibilities to replace the suspended pair Matthew Boyd and Jack Redpath.
Koby Stevens heads the list of those likely to return to the senior line-up, after recovering from an abdominal strain that has kept him on the sideline for the past two weeks.
Beveridge said there was also a chance the Dogs could blood yet another debutant, the fourth for the season.
“Whether it’s a young guy playing his first game, that’s brilliant, there’s some energy around the Club and some appreciation and acknowledgement that a young Western Bulldogs player is starting to live his dream and that can be quite uplifting,” said Beveridge.
“Or whether it’s a more experienced player who’s played a few games, we’ll wait and see.
“But our players have been enormous.
“Every time there’s been a challenge and we’ve lost one of our teammates, they’ve stepped in and they’ve adjusted and done everything that we’ve asked of them.”
Veteran ruckman Will Minson is another option Beveridge and his match committee team will explore, after the 192-gamer amassed 57 hitouts in Footscray Bulldogs VFL win over Port Melbourne at the weekend.
“Yeah, we’ll consider that, definitely," Beveridge said.
“We’ll make a decision on that on Thursday, but that’s definitely a consideration.
“He dominated the ruck and as the game went on I think we got more and more value out of his dominance out there in Port Melbourne, so he’s doing everything he can to get back in.
“He played really, really well in the corresponding game last year and that’ll go in his favour.”
The Bulldogs sit in fifth place on percentage after eight rounds, Beveridge taking the time to praise the resilience of his young Dogs in the face of injuries to key players.
“We’ve been a little bit unlucky but we’re still definitely glass half full.
“It was a strong performance against Melbourne and I think everyone has seen the promise in our football club, and our players with what they’re doing.
“It’s a real credit to our players to be able to continue the momentum when we’ve lost players throughout the course of the year so far, so we don’t see it as losing two pretty handy players, we look at it more as an opportunity to play two guys who’ve earnt a spot in our side.”
