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bulldogsman
26-04-2013, 06:28 PM
TOM LIBERATORE will turn 21 on May 16, two days before the Western Bulldogs take on Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium, but don't expect him to celebrate the occasion with an all-night binge.

On that front, the young Dog is once bitten – indeed, hard-bitten – and twice shy.

Perhaps because of this, Liberatore's coming of age as a man coincides with his coming of age as a footballer.

Last August, the promising midfielder received a season-ending, club-imposed, four-match suspension after police found him drunk and in possession of an ecstasy pill in Melbourne's notorious King Street nightclub precinct.

The Bulldogs also ordered Liberatore to find full-time employment for six weeks, during which he wasn't allowed to train at the club.

Liberatore appears to have heeded at least some of the life lessons that have been thrust his way, since transforming himself into one of the AFL's premier hard-ball winners.

In the process, his strong on-field response has earned, and regained, much respect.

Before his misdemeanour, Liberatore was already on the rise as a player. In his last 13 appearances of 2012, he showed great consistency for a youngster in a battling team, averaging 22.4 possessions (including 11.7 contested), 6.5 clearances and 3.9 tackles.

But in the opening month of this season, he has taken his developing game to an entirely new level.

Back in early March, Bulldogs development coach Ashley Hansen told BulldogsTV that Liberatore had been challenged to not only become the best clearance player at the club, but the best in the AFL.

After a strong pre-season, in which he has improved his running power while adding size and strength, he is on track to achieve this lofty goal.

Liberatore is averaging 24.75 disposals (15.75 contested), eight tackles and 8.25 clearances.

At the time of writing, he was in the top 10 in the AFL in clearances (equal fourth), centre clearances (equal fifth), contested possessions (eighth) and tackles (equal second). However, he was poised to overtake a few higher-ranked stars.

Remarkably, he has had almost as many tackles (32) as uncontested possessions (36).

Last week against Adelaide on a rain-sodden AAMI Stadium, the Dogs were flogged but Liberatore produced the best of his 37 games to date, amassing a career-high 33 possessions, including 23 contested.

His contested-ball tally places him equal-13th since Champion Data began recording the statistic in 1999. (The record is held by Chris Judd, who had 28 as an Eagle against the Brisbane Lions in 2006.

If we take away Liberatore's only down game this season – when he was tagged by Richmond's Shaun Grigg and managed just 10 touches (six contested), two clearances and five tackles – he has averaged 30 possessions (19 contested), 10 clearances and nine tackles.

Calder Cannons region manager Ian Kyte, who was involved with Liberatore in the TAC Cup under-18 competition, is proud of the way he has responded to his wake-up call.

"When Tom got his kick in the backside last year, he would have gone away and decided that if he didn't knuckle down and do everything to the best of his ability, he was going to put a wonderful career in jeopardy," he told AFL.com.au.

"He's put his head down and shown people that a little hiccup isn't going to worry him, and proved that not only does he deserve to be there, but he can become one of the best midfielders going around.

"He hasn't always toed the line but he's always come back from those things pretty well.

"I reckon he's always wanted to play like he is, and everything that's happened has probably just made him more determined than ever to do it."

Kyte said Liberatore was exceptional at the Cannons in "setting examples on the field in terms of the way the game should be played".

"In my 20 years in the TAC Cup, he's the best clearance player I've ever seen," he said. "I never had any concerns that he'd be able to transfer that to AFL level, and he's doing that."

Kyte is impressed with the left-footer's continued improvement, and believes there is still much scope for development.

"His kicking is improving all the time, and he's getting better bit-by-bit in every other area too," he said.

"He seems harder at it. He goes in one side of the pack and all of a sudden he comes out the other side with the ball in his hands. I don't know how he does at sometimes."

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-04-26/libbas-coming-of-age

Greystache
26-04-2013, 06:52 PM
There's no question how good a player Libba could be and this year he has certainly taken it up a level from a decent base to begin with. I really hope he keeps himself on track and makes the most of his talent. He could be our best player within 3 years.

Nuggety Back Pocket
26-04-2013, 08:21 PM
There's no question how good a player Libba could be and this year he has certainly taken it up a level from a decent base to begin with. I really hope he keeps himself on track and makes the most of his talent. He could be our best player within 3 years.

He has probably been our best player this year and leading in the B&F.A wonderful recovery considering his fall from grace last year. Libba is now rating with Boyd Griffen and Cooney given his output this year.

Ghost Dog
26-04-2013, 11:44 PM
Dang, if only we had a forward line to go with our midfield stocks. Patience.....

jeemak
27-04-2013, 01:47 AM
Dang, if only we had a forward line to go with our midfield stocks. Patience.....

Both are a work in progress.

Our midfield is going to be a touch lean for outside pace, as the players replacing Boyd and Cross are of similar ilk, to this point.

The big challenge for our club is keeping the balance between getting more experience into Wallis, Liberatore and Smith, and finding players who can finish off the work once we have the ball. Griff and Coons will be around for a few years yet, though at this stage only MacRae (and potentially Dahl) seems like a player that can assist them moving forwards, and it's still very early doors for him.

I'm looking forward to seeing Hrovat get a run after injury, and from all reports Prudden is working hard.

Drafting to bolster this area of the ground is paramount, though we also need to be wary of our need to pick up smart utilities that can play both ends of the ground (my number one draft requirement, at this point).

Ghost Dog
27-04-2013, 08:04 AM
Both are a work in progress.

Our midfield is going to be a touch lean for outside pace, as the players replacing Boyd and Cross are of similar ilk, to this point.

The big challenge for our club is keeping the balance between getting more experience into Wallis, Liberatore and Smith, and finding players who can finish off the work once we have the ball. Griff and Coons will be around for a few years yet, though at this stage only MacRae (and potentially Dahl) seems like a player that can assist them moving forwards, and it's still very early doors for him.

.

We need mids who can kick goals.
Or at least have a go.

Greystache
27-04-2013, 12:25 PM
A similar article in the HUN this morning, this time from his own point of view


Bulldogs midfielder Tom Liberatore learns life's harsh lessons


IT didn't take long for the penny to drop for Tom Liberatore.

Just a couple of weeks after being banished by the Western Bulldogs, he found himself shovelling mud on a construction site.

"It was obviously a new experience," he says. "I'd had a few part-time jobs as a teenager, but it was nothing to working eight hours a day during the week.

"It allowed me to draw parallels with what I would usually be doing at midday on a Tuesday. I'd usually be getting ready to go home.

"I mean working half-days, kicking the footy around...it obviously pays better than shovelling mud and what not.

"All that made me realise how fortunate I was and that I needed to just narrow my focus and prioritise what I wanted to get out of my career."

The reason Liberatore was contemplating life without AFL football was because he'd just seen his career flash before his eyes after a drunken night out ended in humiliation and suspension.

On August 5 last year the rising Bulldogs star was found by police slumped against a wall in King Street at 3.30am, heavily intoxicated with an ecstasy tablet in his pocket.

He was suspended for the rest of the season, wasn't allowed to train with the club during the ban and underwent counselling.

He was also told to find a job and given one strike under the AFL's illicit drugs policy.

Tom Liberatore

Eight months on and Liberatore, 20, doesn't want to go into details about the chain of events that led to him being found in a semi-comatosed state.

"Confronting" is how he describes the 48 hours after the incident.

"I let down a lot of people, that was how I felt," he says. "The first thing you really think about is the club, your family and friends. I knew I'd lost their respect and lost their trust."

He bristles at the suggestion he was led astray by his old school mates.

"It was my decision, my mistake, no one had a gun to my head and there was no influence of other people." he says. "It was just my mistake."

He says the important thing is he knows what he did wrong and won't be putting himself in similiar situations again.

There have been times over the summer where he's been tested given Liberatore isn't the type of person to hide away at home even after his massive reality check.

He likes hanging out with his mates, having a drink and a bet but now understands there are boundaries.

"It's about being smart about where you go out, who you go with, keeping things in moderation and making the right decision not to put myself in vulnerable spots," he says.

"Obviously I stayed pretty quiet for a while, but you are allowed to go out with mates and have a few beers but just keep yourself in control. It's all about keeping things in balance."

Tom Liberatore

Winning back the respect of his teammates was something he started working on immediately once the season had finished.

"I had been selfish in a lot of ways," Liberatore says. "I made things harder for a lot of people and I made the club look bad.

"There was not going to be a quick fix. I didn't have to make some herioc attempt to come back as I had their support all through it, but I just had to put my head down and work.

"I just had to train hard and show that I actually cared about playing footy and playing for the club."

While many of his teammates were lying on beaches in exotic locations, he hooked up with Daniel Cross, the most professional and dedicated player at the club, and started preparing for 2013.

"Watching a bloke like Crossy just kind of puts things in perspective because you have to be an all-year-round athlete," he says.

"You can't just take eight weeks off and expect to rock up in November and still be going, still be fit.

"Also it was important for me to move on straight away, put the head down and work, get another pre-season under my belt to show that I was here to play footy and here to help the team."

Tom Liberatore

The son of former Bulldogs favourite and 1990 Brownlow Medallist Tony, has certainly led the way on the field in just his third season, averaging 24 possessions and is in the top echelon of clearance players in the competition.

"I think it was just important to get back to the common ground," he says.

"Get back to playing with your mates, playing consistent footy and doing it week to week.

"That is the key, showing up and keeping a good attitude during the year and being a professional week to week.

"The bigger picture is playing for the team and improving where we are at as a club. We're a young side and we've got to start coming together a lot more. I just want to play my role for everyone else and build stronger mateship around the entire club."

While his on-field performance this year has got a big tick, what about off-field? Is Tom Liberatore a changed man?

"I think it's more my attitude and mindset to what I have to do to prepare and be a professional footballer has changed," he says.

"The underlying factor is I just want to improve and make up for my mistake."

LINK (http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/bulldogs-midfielder-tom-liberatore-learns-lifes-harsh-lessons/story-e6frey10-1226630246600)

angelopetraglia
27-04-2013, 02:25 PM
It sounds like he has got his attitude right. Hopefully he has learnt his lesson, he has a massive career ahead if him if he applies himself 100%. He has been very good for us so far this year.

w3design
29-04-2013, 06:21 AM
Fantastic that Tom chose to hook his wagon to Crossy. He could not have chosen a better role model inside the club or out.
If he can show his own natural talent, and Daniel's dedication and professionalism, we could well finish up with an out and out champion footballer and person in our team.

Cyberdoggie
29-04-2013, 10:52 PM
We need mids who can kick goals.
Or at least have a go.

Lachie Hunter may add to that in the near future, but certainly Cooney and Griffen stand alone in that area.