AFL Supercoach 2026: Western Bulldogs 2026 Squad Analysis


<p>The Western Bulldogs are packed with top tier talent and will be hoping that 2026 is the year that they can finally deliver on their potential and be a genuine premiership contender.&nbsp;</p>



<p>There’s been a fair bit of list turnover for Luke Beveridge’s side. Jason Johannisen, Taylor Duryea, Liam Jones and James Harmes are no longer on the list, while Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is now a Gold Coast Suns player.&nbsp;</p>



<p>They did add former Sun Connor Budarick to their backline, while Sydney Academy graduate Lachie Carmichael headlines a trio of draftee inclusions.</p>



<p>Let’s take a look at the Bulldogs’ SuperCoach prospects for the upcoming season.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Predicted Round 1 starting team</strong></h2>



<p>FB: Connor Budarick, James O’Donnell, Buku Khamis</p>



<p>HB: Bailey Dale, Rory Lobb, Lachie Jaques</p>



<p>C: Bailey Williams, Ed Richards, Sam Davidson</p>



<p>HF: Adam Treloar, Aaron Naughton, Matthew Kennedy</p>



<p>FF: Rhylee West, Sam Darcy, Cooper Hynes</p>



<p>FOLL: Tim English, Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore<br>I/C: Joel Freijah, Arthur Jones, Oskar Baker, Lachie Bramble, Jordan Croft</p>



<p><strong>Analysis: </strong>There’s never been doubting the Bulldogs’ glut of A-grade talent, but now it’s time for their next tier of players to stand up. Budarick is a reliable defender and will be a nice inclusion, while youngsters such as Joel Freijah, Lachie Jaques, Cooper Hynes and Arty Jones will hope to take their game to the next level. Ryley Sanders will miss the start of the season due to concussion, while small forward Cody Weightman is still working his way back from a serious injury last year. The likes of Josh Dolan, Luke Kennedy, Laitham Vandermeer, Lachie McNeil and Lachie Carmichael are others on the fringes of selection.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Fixtures</strong></h2>



<p>Round 1: GWS Giants (H)</p>



<p>Round 2: Adelaide (A)</p>



<p>Round 3: Bye</p>



<p>Round 4: Essendon (H)</p>



<p>Round 5: Hawthorn (A)</p>



<p>Byes: Round 3 &amp; 16</p>



<p><strong>Verdict: </strong>The Bulldogs’ involvement in Opening Round means they’ve got an early season bye in round 3, which is annoying for SuperCoach purposes. They share that round 3 bye with the Hawks, Swans and Suns and then a round 16 bye with Geelong, St Kilda and Melbourne. Their best fixture run comes late in the year, which could be huge for head-to-head SuperCoach finals. </p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>LOCK</strong></h2>



<p>I could talk all day about why you should select captain <strong>Marcus Bontempelli ($706,800 MID) </strong>but long story short, it comes down to whether you want to pay north of 700k to start him. The Bont has averaged 114+ for seven consecutive years now and is a weekly captaincy option. </p>



<p>In fact last year, he only dropped below 125 once in his last nine matches. The early bye is frustrating as well but he might just be good enough of a scorer to negate that. </p>



<p>Ruck <strong>Tim English ($600,900 RUC)</strong> is another player in plenty of starting teams and should be suited by the new ruck rules. English got the better of Hawthorn ruck Lloyd Meek in the AAMI Community Series which could be a sign of things to come. He’s been a great scorer for several years now, has stayed fit but does have an annoying early bye.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>POINT OF DIFFERENCE</strong></h2>



<p>Forward <strong>Sam Darcy ($517,600 FWD)</strong> is in almost 20 per cent of SuperCoach teams at the time of writing, but has a genuine case to be a starting F2 selection. Darcy’s upside is enormous and he’s actually quite consistent for a key position player. </p>



<p>Given we often get an influx of players suddenly forward eligible come the DPP changes though, plus the early bye, I’m happy to fade him. He also appears to be a little bit banged up (although could be management) post-Origin.</p>



<p>If you do want a genuine point of difference play, midfielder <strong>Ed Richards ($602,300 MID)</strong> is a consistent and reliable SuperCoach performer. Richards scored 16 SuperCoach tons last year for an average of 111.3 points per game in what was an outstanding campaign. </p>



<p>There have been some rumblings throughout the pre-season for <strong>Adam Treloar ($311,700 MID/FWD)</strong> and <strong>Joel Freijah ($428,700 MID/FWD)</strong>, but I don’t think you can select either of those options. Treloar has had an interrupted pre-season with injury, while Freijah&#8217;s increased midfield minutes haven’t yet materialised like we’d expected and there are lots of mouths to feed in that Dogs midfield.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>CHEAPIES</strong></h2>



<p>The pick of the Bulldogs cheapies is defender <strong>Lachie Jaques ($119,900 DEF)</strong>, who looks set to take his place at half-back early in the season. Jaques has impressed over the summer, has a great kick and can penetrate the lines. He only scored 44 points in the AAMI Community Series, but most importantly, the role was there. </p>



<p>Small forward <strong>Arthur Jones ($119,900 MID/FWD)</strong> is another player who has had a strong summer, likewise teammate <strong>Cooper Hynes ($149,500 FWD)</strong>. They’ll probably both start the season in the senior side, but will be battling it out for selection once Weightman returns. </p>



<p>Draftee <strong>Lachie Carmichael ($113,500 DEF/MID) </strong>was another bolting towards an early season debut but might be a downgrade option instead after suffering a syndesmosis injury in January.</p>


AFL Supercoach 2026: Western Bulldogs 2026 Squad Analysis

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