AFL Injury News: Western Bulldogs veteran midfielder set to return to action in Brisbane Lions clash

Western Bulldogs veteran midfielder Tom Liberatore is set to return just in time for the clash against Brisbane on Friday (June 7). Coach Luke Beveridge has declared his full support for the 32-year-old. Following the midfielder’s bouts of concussion all year, hopes that he would breeze through the main training session are high.

Tom Liberatore had a rough start to the 2024 season. He has featured in only six games so far, but is set to be back on the field for the first time since the Western Bulldogs’ Round 8 game against Hawthorn.

Coach Beveridge disclosed that he has passed all medical checks and has been back on the training field for a few weeks in preparation for the game against the Lions.

Liberatore’s midfielding colleague Ed Richards, however, has a week more to work through his concussive episode suffered in the loss to the Swans. On Wednesday, Beveridge told reporters:

"Just get through training. He's been training with the group and getting through most things. We anticipate that he will be okay. We're going to give Ed Richards another week, so he won't play this week. There's a bit of uncertainty around selection."

Last Friday night, the Western Bulldogs had a thrilling win against Collingwood. According to Beveridge, the club will now look at the availability of small forward Laitham Vandermeer, with James Harmes suffering a hamstring injury and Sam Darcy suspended. The coach was relieved that Rhylee West would remain in the game after being cleared of any suspension for the incident with Collingwood defender Jeremy Howe. He said:

"If Laitham gets through training, we've got to consider whether that's a significant risk or not to play him. We think he got a knock which caused bleeding in his hamstring rather than soft-tissue injury, so he can actually train today. We lost Sam, 'Westy' got off, we lost 'Harmsey' as well so the team will look a bit different."

The Western Bulldogs take on Brisbane Lions at Marvel stadium this weekend on Friday, June 7, 2024.

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Western Bulldogs hit new membership record

For the third season in a row, the Western Bulldogs have broken their all-time membership record, with a 57,151 surpassing last year's 56,302.

On Wednesday, Western Bulldogs coach Beveridge told reporters that the club was in a celebratory mood as its membership record had just been broken. He expressed gratitude for the commitment and support that the club has received from members and fans.

Chief Executive Officer of the Bulldogs, Ameet Bains speaking on the feat in an interview with Gerard Whateley on SEN, said:

“This is a milestone that we've reached together with our dedicated and passionate Bulldogs family. Our members are the lifeblood of our club and their unwavering support pushes our players and staff to new heights each day, particularly as we strive for sustained success on and off the field.”

The club is now gunning for a whopping 60,000 members.

Western Bulldogs president Kylie Watson-Wheeler on the significance of the achievement, spoke words of thanks and encouraged supporters to sign up to make the 60k goal a reality. He said:

“Breaking our membership record for a third straight season speaks to the commitment and loyalty of our fans, with the coveted 60,000 milestone well and truly in our sights. As the AFL season reaches its climax, the AFLW campaign begins and with the impending completion of Mission Whitten Oval’s redevelopment, there is no better time to get on board and become part of the red, white and blue.”