Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge admits Easton Wood’s days as a forward could be numbered amid a mounting injury toll at Whitten Oval.
The Bulldogs have had a wretched start to the AFL season, copping an 82-point thrashing from Greater Western Sydney in which Tom Liberatore suffered a season-ending knee injury.
While Liberatore’s second torn ACL is a major blow, the medial ligament damage sustained by Fremantle recruit Hayden Crozier is an equally serious concern.
Crozier will miss a month of football, joining fellow defenders Dale Morris (knee) and Marcus Adams (ankle) on an injury list which also includes forward Liam Picken (concussion).
Morris and Adams aren’t expected to return until the second half of the season, further decimating a Bulldogs backline already damaged by the retirement of Bob Murphy and Matthew Boyd.
Bulldogs skipper Wood has been employed as a forward throughout the pre-season but has struggled in front of goals.
Against the Giants, Wood started forward, spent time on the wing and was eventually sent to the backline, finishing the game with just seven disposals and three marks.
The Dogs have been keen to persist with the experiment but Beveridge admits their “brutal” start could force his hand ahead of Sunday’s clash against West Coast at Etihad Stadium.
“We want to drag out Easton’s best and at the moment we’re probably not getting that forward of the ball,” he said on Tuesday.
“There’s a chance that he might start back this week but we’ll assess that as we go through selection.
“Some of Easton’s work over pre-season was outstanding. It hasn’t really worked out so well but he was really impressive so we’ll work from week to week on what that looks like.”
Beveridge identified Mitch Wallis, Caleb Daniel, Jack Redpath and Roarke Smith as potential inclusions to face the Eagles.
Premiers in 2016, the Bulldogs have since fallen badly off the pace with Saturday night’s game their biggest loss under Beveridge.
Outspoken club president Peter Gordon on Tuesday described the loss as “embarrassing” but stressed that the club remained united behind Beveridge and the players.
“That’s a strong word,” Beveridge said.
“I suppose we all understand … when you get rolled by 82 points, there’s no doubt a lot of people feel that emotion.
“It was a brutal start, there’s no doubt about that … (but) we’ve come out of the meeting feeling pretty good about how we can grow this week.”
