Will the unbeaten Western Bulldogs be forced to fend off raids from rivals to maintain the depth of their list?
In a prelude to a grudge match with GWS on Friday night, reserves side Footscray rolled the Giants’ twos by 72 points, with a host of senior players starring.
“You saw the depth of this Western Bulldogs team,” Garry Lyon enthused on SEN Breakfast.
“Jamarra Ugle-Hagan kicked five… (and) I saw Mitch Hannan there, I saw Rhylee West, I saw Mitch Wallis…
“Would you rather be at a club contending for a flag and not getting a game, like these boys on the periphery?
“Or would you rather be at another club playing regular senior football?”
Classy midfielder Patrick Lipinski notched up 35 disposals and a goal after he was dropped for notionally the third time in six weeks, while West had 25 disposals and three goals.
Hannan kicked three goals as his return from injury gathers momentum, and former top two selection Josh Schache hauled down eight marks.
“I’d rather be at a club contending for a flag, being a part of that football club,” Tim Watson replied.
“I wouldn’t be happy about playing in the VFL, but I’d be striving to improve myself to get to the point where I could play in the senior team.”
Lyon and Watson wondered whether they could be enticed by the promise of regular minutes at other clubs.
Rebounding defender Lachie Young departed Whitten Oval for North Melbourne after just two appearances in 2020, and is now established in the Roos’ back six.
“Would Rhylee West rather be playing for North Melbourne or Essendon?” Lyon asked.
“He’d rather be playing in the seniors,” Watson conceded.
“But he would be thinking ‘I’m not going to just quit this football club because I can’t get a game at the moment.
“‘I’m going to do all the things the coaches are saying to me to improve my game so I can force my way into this team.’”
Kane Cornes says player retention will indeed challenge the Dogs, as is the case for any team in premiership contention.
“How do you keep the group together?” he asked SEN SA Breakfast.
“(It’s) not dissimilar to what is happening at Port Adelaide.
“Do you reckon Jarrod Lienert is happy not playing? Do you reckon Sam Hayes is comfortable playing SANFL every week?”
“With Lienert, there would be a lot of clubs where he’s playing every week,” Andrew Hayes added.
Luke Beveridge’s side will strive to stretch their unbeaten run into a sixth week when they take on the Giants on Friday night in Canberra.