Big-name trio in line for AFL recall
Jun 5, 2017 - 1:53 AM Big-name Western Bulldogs trio Travis Cloke, Tom Liberatore and Matthew Boyd could all earn AFL recalls this week against Sydney, coach Luke Beveridge says.In former Collingwood star Cloke's favour is that he played his best match for his new club against the Swans in round two, registering 18 disposals, seven marks and three goals.
"He really did spark us in that game," Beveridge said of Cloke.
"We were a bit stale early and I think that collision with (Zak) Jones hit Trav pretty hard, but that clicked us into gear.
"That'll help him if we were considering a change."
Liberatore was dropped after round eight, but Beveridge didn't want to "torture" his premiership midfielder in the VFL for much longer.
"The hard thing for 'Libber' at VFL level is that he gets that attention, he's getting tagged, we'll consider that," he said.
"We saw some really good signs last game.
"He'll come into consideration this week."
Beveridge also expected Boyd to play this week after overcoming a shoulder injury, but whether that would be in the VFL or AFL remained to be seen.
"He hasn't missed that much footy but coming off the back of a pretty good win (against St Kilda) and how (Shane Biggs) came in and played really well, we're happy with how Bailey Williams is going, so we'll consider that after training today," Beveridge said.
"The challenging thing for the (VFL) boys who had a 90-odd-point win against Sandringham, is that the senior team played pretty well, so we're not going to force a change and force someone out who's got really good form."
Beveridge said captain Bob Murphy was recovering well from a hamstring injury and knee surgery and expected him to miss no more than four weeks.
The Bulldogs earned a reputation for being road warriors in 2016, winning five of seven games outside Victoria on the way to their historic premiership.
However, the Dogs are zero from three this year on interstate trips and Beveridge is keen to improve that record on Thursday night at a ground where they have fond memories.
"The SCG wins (in 2015 and 2016) have been critical wins for our football club, they've been victories that have instilled some belief in our group and helped us go onto bigger things last year," Beveridge said.
Source: AAP
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