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View Full Version : Luke Dahlhaus signs up for Western Bulldogs' red, white and blue vision



bornadog
26-03-2015, 04:57 PM
Link (http://www.theage.com.au/afl/luke-dahlhaus-signs-up-for-western-bulldogs-red-white-and-blue-vision-20150326-1m8f6j.html)

http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/8/i/3/8/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.1m8f6j.png/1427348766835.jpg


At his club's season launch on Tuesday night, Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon put a red, white and blue spin on an off-season most would colour as deep purple, descending into black.


A new coach who Gordon thinks will be one of the greats, a captain who wants the job and understands the honour it bestows, 11 recruits who will be around for a decade (a feat of mass longevity history says is impossible), a summer spruce-up that's left Whitten Oval boasting upgraded change rooms and coaches' boxes. Soon there will be lights, too.


Such markers are hard for fans to quantify; it is unlikely the Bulldogs faithful will be dancing a jig at the newsfive sports scientists are now embedded at the club.


They will take far greater heart and hope from the news Luke Dahlhaus has signed a new contract that ensures he will remain a Bulldog until at least the end of 2018.


The 22-year-old, who finds himself an elder among the heralded group of young Dogs, thinks the time frame is irrelevant.


When Fairfax interviewed Dahlhaus three years ago, he was an 11-gamer starting his second season in the wake of Callan Ward jumping ship to Greater Western Sydney.


Asked what he would say to fans fretting that he might do the same, Dahlhaus said: "I'd tell them I'm never leaving. I want to be a one-club man, always will."


Sixty games and a haircut later, and with three more big names freshly departed too, his resolve has only hardened.


"It's even stronger now. When the offer came up to sign again I just jumped straight on it. It's one of the proudest moments of my life to sign now and get it done so I can just relax and play footy. That's the person I am – I want to be loyal and be a one-club person. I'm rapt."


Simon Dalrymple will not be allowed to forget that his first draft-day act as the Bulldogs' recruiter was to take Christian Howard at pick 15, a left-field punt that ended in October with Howard's delisting after 20 games over five seasons.


Dahlhaus leaps off Dalrymple's CV as a striking counterweight, an unwanted Geelong Falcon taken in the 2011 rookie draft.


"The Bulldogs were the only ones who wanted to give me a chance, and I just want to repay their faith," Dahlhaus says. "That's why I never want to leave. Every time I go out on the ground I just want to repay them as much as I can."


Dahlhaus has finished fourth and sixth in the past two Charles Sutton Medal counts, and in the eyes of list manager Jason McCartney has made every post a winner.


"He's been that small, pressure forward who plays with a lot of energy, but we've seen in NAB games he's playing higher, in different roles," McCartney says.


"He's still learning. We think he's by no means reached his ceiling or his potential."


Adding a further three years to a contract that was to expire at the end of 2015 meets a club priority of locking away young talent before the clock ticks into the red.


Marcus Bontempelli is already secured until the end of 2017, with Jack Macrae and Jake Stringer signed to the end of 2016, with work under way to further bed them in.


"We've been really conscious to keep ahead of the game with the ones who are coming out, the ones you value," McCartney says. "Luke's an example of that."


Dahlhaus finds it "ridiculous" that he's in the most experienced half of a list that features just two 200-game players and three others who have passed 100.


Yet he is most content to see a spotlight that quickly zeroed in on his dreadlocked head broaden its arc to encompass others, particularly the much-hyped Bontempelli and Macrae.


His early "look" was deceptive; quiet and modest, Dahlhaus is no attention-seeker.


"It's amazing what a head of hair can do. I was the complete opposite of that and I think people got the wrong impression," he says, recalling some recruiters telling his manager he should lose the locks during his TAC Cup year because they cast him as an extrovert.


He is still the face of the "Dahlhaus Clubhouse" targeting young members, but could not be happier to no longer be unwittingly hogging the limelight.


"It was in my hands for a while, but those two are on another level. Some of the other kids coming through, like [Mitch] Honeychurch, [Nathan] Hrovat, [Lachie] Hunter, [Jake] Stringer ... I'm trying to keep it low-key, but I'm pretty excited."


It is another reason he is rapt to have signed – to be part of what this group could become.


He was saddened to see Tom Liberatore, one of his closest mates, go down for the season, but he embraces the knock-on of fast-tracking his evolution from energetic, pressure forward into a genuine on-baller who can hurt the opposition inside and with spread from stoppages, where he has made cleaner ball use a priority.


"Without him we can't do much else but share the load now ... last year it was probably just Libba doing all the dirty work. We're all going to have to chip in and play his role."


He feels himself maturing, rounding out. A carpentry apprenticeship – one day a week, hands on with the father of a mate from home, a half-day at trade school – has filled a void outside the game.


"I've finally found something, and I love it. I've got all the tools in the garage and I'm ready to go."


For now, the Bulldogs are not yet similarly equipped, but every young gun who commits to the cause is another building block.

bornadog
26-03-2015, 04:58 PM
Signed up till 2018, great news and JMacca working on Macrae and Stringer.

Maddog37
26-03-2015, 05:05 PM
Fantastic news. Dal could go on to be an all time fan favourite if he isn't already.

GVGjr
26-03-2015, 06:45 PM
An important signing. It's great that he has recommitted to the club as Dahlhaus should be regarded as one of our best long term prospects

ratsmac
26-03-2015, 07:34 PM
Rapt with this news. It's great to see the younger players committed after the departures of the obvious.

It's a good point he made about Libba going down has forced others to chip in and play his role. We might end up with a few players learning how to extract the ball for a clearance like Libba. A blessing in disguise of a horrible season ending knee injury.

Bulldog4life
26-03-2015, 07:38 PM
Good on you Dal. Love the way he goes about his game.

westdog54
26-03-2015, 07:40 PM
Massive signing. JMac kicks another goal.

bulldogtragic
26-03-2015, 07:49 PM
Great news. His name is off the trade table come years end now.

Twodogs
26-03-2015, 07:50 PM
Great stuff. Like others I hope this signing will be followed quickly by Bont, Stringer, Macrae et al signing new contracts.

Greystache
26-03-2015, 08:02 PM
Excellent news.

The Underdog
26-03-2015, 08:03 PM
That is amazing news. One of my favourites, never stops busting his arse

Eastdog
26-03-2015, 08:06 PM
Great news!

boydogs
26-03-2015, 10:39 PM
Not much to fear at year's end now. If Wood & Grant have good years they may attract interest as restricted free agents but the compensation has been pretty fair

bornadog
26-03-2015, 10:40 PM
Not much to fear at year's end now. If Wood & Grant have good years they may attract interest as restricted free agents but the compensation has been pretty fair

We need Wood and Grant to play well and stick with the club, otherwise we won't have any one over 25 years old if we aren't careful.

Remi Moses
26-03-2015, 10:47 PM
They have good seasons they stay on the list .
Jarryd Grant's career is on the line, and his age and the state of the list shouldnt come into it

josie
26-03-2015, 11:09 PM
http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/2015-03-26/dahlhaus-extends-deal

Great news for all the Mums & Dads with little 'uns (and those of us grown up who love him too) who love our number 6.

Hopefully Easton Wood next.

Eastdog
26-03-2015, 11:15 PM
Great news. Yes his very popular with the kids.

Happy Days
26-03-2015, 11:20 PM
Awesome - The Increasingly Handsome Luke Dahlhaus is actually kind of a gun now, and we're luck to have him.

Twodogs
26-03-2015, 11:37 PM
We are so lucky we picked him up in the Rookie Draft.

LostDoggy
27-03-2015, 12:06 AM
We are so lucky we picked him up in the Rookie Draft.

That luck was mutual Twodogs as Dahl has said, we were the only ones who have him a chance and he wants to repay that faith his whole career.

bornadog
27-03-2015, 06:50 AM
..............

BulldogBelle
27-03-2015, 07:59 AM
It's a good point he made about Libba going down has forced others to chip in and play his role. We might end up with a few players learning how to extract the ball for a clearance like Libba. A blessing in disguise of a horrible season ending knee injury.

Was thinking the same thing. This could fast track the development of our midfielders.

Well done Dal!

Mantis
27-03-2015, 08:40 AM
Very good news.

Has become a high quality performer who's effort levels are a constant.. I look forward to him taking his game to the next level over the coming years.

Will continue to enjoy listening to my cousin's little boy screaming out - 'Who's house? - DAHLHAUS!!'

LostDoggy
27-03-2015, 09:26 AM
Great news

G-Mo77
27-03-2015, 10:17 AM
Terrific news. He's such a popular player it would have been disastrous to lose him.

KT31
27-03-2015, 10:19 AM
Great news and love his commitment to the club.


"It's even stronger now. When the offer came up to sign again I just jumped straight on it. It's one of the proudest moments of my life to sign now and get it done so I can just relax and play footy. That's the person I am – I want to be loyal and be a one-club person. I'm rapt."

Love it.:)