Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs facing crucial wildcard final, Zak Butters and Tim English headline monster trade period, Marcus Bontempelli battle with Nick Daicos, analysis

Ten years ago, Luke Beveridge’s Western Bulldogs dreamed an impossible dream.

Heading into the 2016 finals series as $67 outsiders, having been dealt a cruel injury run all season long highlighted by captain Bob Murphy’s Round 3 ruptured ACL, they stunned the football world with four consecutive sudden-death victories, to break the club’s 62-year premiership drought in the most extraordinary fashion.

Watch every match of the 2026 Toyota AFL Finals Series before the Grand Final LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

It secured Beveridge, 49 games into his tenure as coach, Bulldogs immortality.

A decade on, and that tenure has become decidedly more polarising.

He proved 2016 was no fluke by orchestrating a run to the 2021 grand final – again from outside the top four – where they led Melbourne by 19 points midway through the third quarter before being brutally overrun to concede 16 of the last 17 goals.

Outside that, the Dogs’ fate every season is footy’s Groundhog Day story: four years of elimination final exits, three of ninth or tenth-placed finishes to miss September by a whisker, and only one season (2018) of being truly poor.

It’s why no Dogs fan is surprised that it will be them squaring off against Collingwood in the AFL’s first ever finals wildcard.

And it’s why Friday night is as important a game for Beveridge as any since that fateful night in Perth in September 2021.

‘SYSTEMATIC DISMANTLING’: DOGS’ UGLY SEPTEMBER PAST

It’s hard to argue the Bulldogs haven’t underachieved over the last five years.

At the end of 2025, popular AFL stats platform Wheelo Ratings ranked the Bulldogs as the league’s second-best side, as comfortably the year’s highest-scoring team and with a club record eight 60-points-plus thrashings under their belt.

They finished ninth and missed the finals – albeit with a 14-9 record and percentage of 137.

In 2024, Wheelo Ratings had them top of the pops, with the third-best attack and clear best defence, having conceded the fewest points of any team and scored the second-most.

They lost the elimination final by 37 points to Hawthorn.

“A systematic dismantling,” was Brisbane great Jonathan Brown’s assessment of the loss on Fox Footy, while Hawthorn four-time premiership star Jordan Lewis questioned Beveridge’s coaching directly.

“You don’t like any surprises from coaches, but it just felt like there were a few tricks that tried to be played,” Lewis said.

“There was a lot of moving parts in that first quarter that I don’t think as a player you’d tend to like – when you’re coming into a big final, you want predictability and continuity.”

2023 and 2022 were no less cruel fates.

LATEST AFL NEWS

‘ALMOST FELL OFF MY CHAIR’: Dogs coach on Pies’ Marvel training ‘special’

‘SIGNIFICANT’: Cats’ concussion sanctions revealed

‘RICHMOND 2017’: Ominous truth in Blues’ rise

BOMBERS CLEAN-OUT: Inevitable Merrett truth … and stars looking over shoulder

The former saw the season blown up by a disastrous Round 23 loss to wooden spooners West Coast at home, the latter ended with a 41-point lead squandered on the road against Fremantle for another elimination final exit.

Add in first-round exits in 2015, 2019 and 2020 under Beveridge – the middle a rout against GWS, the first and last agonisingly narrow defeats to Adelaide and St Kilda respectively – and you’ve got a club mired in mid-table mediocrity.

With every September nightmare, the pressure has risen on Beveridge, who in 2024 became the Dogs’ longest-serving coach.

The club showed faith midway through last season, having allowed him to enter the final year of his contract without a new deal, by re-signing the 56-year old until the end of 2027.

Defeat on Friday night would make it more likely than not that Beveridge, for the second time in three seasons, would head into next year with no contract safety net.

It would be a precarious place to sit – especially when Dogs fans tune into Saturday night’s wildcard final and watch one of Josh Fraser or Steven King lead Carlton or Melbourne into a top-eight berth no one thought possible when they took on the job, having rejuvenated their respective clubs.

‘REAL WORRIES’ DEFIED … BUT WILDCARD PRESENTS SPANNER IN THE WORKS

The Dogs of 2026 have been a different story: Wheelo Ratings has them the league’s 11th-best team this time around, below the nine other teams in the premiership race plus Gold Coast.

Minus Sam Darcy after a season-ending ruptured ACL in April, the Dogs sit only ahead of this year’s bottom four for points scored, while a percentage of 95.4 – 41.6 per cent worse than 12 months ago – makes for grim reading.

Repeat stints on the sidelines for Tim English, who missed eight home-and-away games, has exposed the Bulldogs’ dire ruck depth – and led to ever-increasing murmurings about the 29-year old’s future at the kennel.

Amid a brutal injury run that has also seen heart and soul veteran Tom Liberatore, All-Australian half-back Bailey Dale, experienced defender Bailey Williams and important recruit Connor Budarick spend weeks on the sidelines, a shock loss to North Melbourne in Round 22 seemed the hammer blow for their season.

“I’ve got real worries about where the Dogs are headed,” Richmond great Jack Riewoldt said on Fox Footy’s On the Couch.

“They’ve still got the star power there, but their system continues to break down.

“You can’t really see exactly what their game plan looks like.”

To recover and jump to eighth with a draw over Carlton and stirring final-round victory over Melbourne, despite a brutal draw that has seen them draw double-up fixtures against none of the bottom eight and four of the top six, is an impressive achievement.

But the wildcard element is a spanner in the works.

Star midfielder Ed Richards himself said on Monday “I personally think we haven’t (made finals yet)”.

Most Bulldogs fans would agree.

And it leaves Beveridge facing the same predicament as he did against Fremantle in Round 24 12 months ago.

Win and you’re in, lose … and watch the pressure meter go up another notch.

KEY BUTTERS DILEMMA … AND STAR’S BRUTAL PRICE TAG

No team will be as fascinating to watch this AFL Trade Period as the Bulldogs.

They have been at the centre of the year-long Zak Butters circus, which has left the Port Adelaide superstar the most widely discussed free agent since Lance Franklin.

Having been favourites from the outset for the 25-year old, the Dogs have seemingly been usurped in recent weeks, with Geelong the new frontrunner; while Richmond’s monstrous $18 million, nine-year deal, plus far superior draft hand to satisfy the Power in a trade should it come to that, can’t be discounted either.

Beveridge has been open throughout about the Dogs’ desire to add Butters to a strong if at times lopsided midfield combination.

“You’re always working out what you can do – you know, have you spent everything that you can?” the Bulldogs coach told Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Monday night.

“Not in regards to the dollar, but is there any more you can do? Is there another angle?”

However, if one of those “angles” is the chance at a premiership, the Dogs’ middling season has raised questions about whether Butters’ best shot at it is at the Whitten Oval.

“I think about him looking at the Bulldogs the other night … is he in the game to win a premiership next year?” Riewoldt said on On the Couch.

“I just wonder whether it’s ‘next year I need to win a premiership’, or ‘what does the next 5-8 years look like?’ I don’t think it’s the Dogs.”

Never a true destination club, no club’s fans have been more passionate about bringing Butters into the fold as the Dogs’.

At the very least, though, they’ll have to pay a pretty penny to get him, with Port Adelaide adamant they will match any bid, while the Tigers’ presence means neither they nor the Cats can realistically walk him to the draft.

That price might end up costing them highly rated Next Generation Academy prospect Khaled El Souki, who finished as the Talent League’s leading goalkicker for 2026 and is exactly the sort of dangerous crumbing small the Bulldogs need roving at the heels of Darcy and Aaron Naughton.

It’s likely they’d need to sacrifice a player, too, with stalwart defender Bailey Williams among those linked to a potential deal.

Even beyond Butters, the Dogs will be right in the thick of the trading action.

Jordon Butts, stuck down the key defender pecking order at Adelaide, is likely to arrive on a five-year deal – a badly needed acquisition for an often undersized backline.

On the flipside, Buku Khamis’ future is up in the air, with the Bulldogs reportedly matching a lucrative four-year offer from Carlton, while Fox Footy reporter Jon Ralph even suggested earlier this year the intercepting backman could command an $800,000-per-year price tag.

The biggest watch of all, though, is on the ruck merry-go-round.

‘GETTABLE’: RUCK MOVE TO TRIGGER BOMBSHELL SWAP?

English’s future at the kennel has been closely watched since June, when Jordan Lewis told On the Couch that he would be “surprised” if the ruckman remained a Dog in 2027, deeming him “gettable”.

That trade rumour was quickly denied by Beveridge; but only this week, the Herald Sun’s Ed Bourke reported that GWS are exploring English’s interest in a move north to follow wife and professional netballer Rudi Ellis, who has signed with Super Netball team NSW Swifts.

Meanwhile, foxfooty.com.au’s Will Faulkner revealed the Dogs are well and truly in the market for St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall, having also reported in May that the veteran Saint would look for a trade a year on from having his requested move to Geelong scuppered.

A 2023 All-Australian – he narrowly pipped Marshall himself for the ruck position – English would surely only be moved on if the Dogs could add a ready-made replacement.

They’d only need to look at the last quarter of their Round 24 clash with the Demons, when Max Gawn repeatedly set up final-quarter goals by monstering the woefully outmatched back-up ruck Ryan Gardner and had his way with Rory Lobb from start to finish, to see the consequences of shipping out English without a plan.

Or if not that, then the fact the Dogs have a 3-1-4 record without him in the team (it was 2-4 before the final two rounds) compared to 10-5 with him this season.

But the Marshall interest makes sense.

The Saint is a bullocking clearance specialist rather than a classic tap ruckman, which is part of why the club brought in Tom De Koning on a monstrous pay packet in an attempt to take advantage of new ruck rules at centre bounces.

Those attributes would suit a Dogs midfield that has at times struggled without Liberatore’s ball-winning ability at stoppages in 2026, and which boasts Bontempelli and Richards as brilliant ball-users on the outside.

They sit 15th in the AFL this year for centre bounce differential, and 11th for scores from them – partly, but not wholly, due to English’s absence putting the onus on Lobb and raw first-year ruck Louis Emmett to fill the void.

It’s a delicate balancing act, especially if the Dogs remain in the Butters race: but it could prove the missing piece to take a team mired mid-table into the next tier.

THE KIDS: BEVO V RIEWOLDT

Riewoldt’s On the Couch assessment of the Dogs’ youth – in particular comparing it unfavourably to that of Richmond, Collingwood or Geelong – didn’t impress Beveridge.

“We all make a mistake here or there … he left four or five off, just to make his Richmond point!” the Bulldogs coach told AFL 360.

Among players 22 or under, Riewoldt listed Ryley Sanders (21 games in 2026), Joel Freijah (23), Jedd Busslinger (8), Michael Sellwood (23) and Jordan Croft (17).

Beveridge brought seven extra names to the AFL 360 panel: Josh Dolan, Harvey Gallagher, Lachie Jaques, Luke Kennedy, Cooper Hynes, Louis Emmett and Lachie Carmichael.

Only Hynes (21) has played more than 11 games this season, but three more – Dolan, Kennedy and Carmichael – featured in the Dogs’ win over Melbourne in Round 24.

Having played the last seven games, Dolan has looked more assured at AFL level with every passing week – a perfect pass to Freijah inside 50 against the Dees, having waited for the opportunity to open up and resisting the urge to blast to a contest, featured on Fox Footy’s First Crack on Sunday night.

A tackling machine at VFL level, Kennedy reached 20 disposals for the first time in the seniors on Saturday, impressing with his clean hands and ensuring he’ll play his seventh AFL game against the Magpies on Friday night.

The raw Emmett has been asked to do plenty in his first season – even Beveridge himself has declared the tall prospect is “not ready” for AFL level despite injuries forcing his selection for seven games; while half-back Jaques impressed early in the year but has played just twice since Round 12.

On Riewoldt’s list, Sanders and Freijah have both made the step up into full-time midfield roles in 2026, with the former’s third season clearly his best yet and the latter ending the season in strong form after initially failing to live up to the hype generated by an exceptional first two years in red, white and blue.

Selwood, a mid-season recruit in 2025, has been the biggest find of all.

An old-school mid-sized defender, he rose to prominence mid-year with a game-saving mark at the death to seal a crucial win over the Magpies.

A week later, he engaged in a captivating tussle with Hawthorn ace Nick Watson.

“I don’t care if he talks, as long as he walks the walk,” was Watson’s assessment after his three-goal first half.

Restricting him to two disposals and no goals in the second half, Sellwood definitely did that.

17 times out of 23 this season, the Bulldogs have been younger and less experienced than their opponents.

Add to that Darcy, who perhaps sits behind only Bontempelli as their best and most influential player, is just 23 with only 51 games under his belt.

Injuries in 2026 have provided the Dogs with an opportunity to explore their youth.

Heading into September, the crop of kids has already shown plenty of promise for the years ahead … and for many of them, right here and right now too.

BONT UNDER THREAT?

It’s sacrilege to question Marcus Bontempelli’s standing as a modern great of the game.

For more than five years straight, he has been the No. 1 player in the AFL according to the league’s Player Ratings.

His average rating of 18.73 points per game in 2026 sits only behind Isaac Heeney, having topped the charts in each of 2023, 2024 and 2025 and running second in 2022.

He’s a three-time Leigh Matthews Trophy winner as the AFL Players Association’s MVP – only Gary Ablett has more.

His lack of a Brownlow Medal, having run second in 2021 and 2023, is more a sign of what the medal has become than a mark against him.

In the words of Bob Murphy: “The Brownlow might need the Bont more than he needs it.”

And yet it’s arguable that, barring the 2016 and 2021 grand finals, Friday night’s wildcard final will mean more for his legacy than any other when his glittering career finally winds up.

Shaking his hand at the coin toss, and lining up next to him at the first ball-up, will be Nick Daicos, who this season might have at last overtaken him as the best player in the game.

It’s sure to provoke fierce debate, but the Magpies superstar claimed the AFL Coaches Award – with a record 147 votes – on Tuesday night, is now a two-time reigning AFLPA MVP, and is the overwhelming favourite to claim a maiden Brownlow in a few weeks’ time.

Long the Bont’s heir apparent as the best in the game, a wildcard masterclass from Daicos is the perfect stage for a handing over of the baton – while the Bulldogs champion can postpone that judgement for another 12 months should he lead his side to victory.

There’s even more than that at stake for Bontempelli, though.

Because for all his undisputed greatness, his most recent final was one he’d love to forget.

Blanketed by Conor Nash as the Hawks went to town on the Dogs in 2024’s elimination final, Bontempelli ended the game with just 7.0 AFL ranking points – 30th on the ground.

Amazingly, he was on -0.8 at three quarter time.

Bontempelli is far from a September struggler, though.

He was the top-rated player on the ground in the 2016 grand final despite not receiving a single Norm Smith Medal vote, while he was again heroic with three goals in 2021 against the Demons.

He did all he could to will the Dogs home against Fremantle in 2022 as well, with 30 disposals and two majors.

That Hawks nightmare is the one blemish on an immaculate copybook.

Leading the Dogs to victory over Daicos’ Pies on Friday night can remove it for good.