Libba: the legacy

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

If we were truly fortunate, we'd have Tom Liberatore finishing his career with 250 plus games.
He won't. It's a shame. Move on.
Tom's knee's have conspired to prevent this.
He can still have an enormous impact however, perhaps longer than his career.
I reckon if he can produce what he did tonight for the next 3 years, then he has the ability to make a massive contribution to Bailey Smith's development.

Bailey has mongrel and skill.....Libba can nuance heavily the skillsets within the mongrel range.

[MrMahatma]

Libba’s legacy at this point, is Libba.

A gun. He’s an unreal footballer who should be in the first few picked each week.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Tonight makes you realise how much we've missed him when he's fit and focused.

[Eastdog]

Echo the sentiments. Very important player.

[jeemak]

To me it's simple, Libba executes the fundamental skills of the game as a priority. He makes sure his kicks hit targets, he makes sure his hands do as well, and he tackles and positions hard and properly.

He's a very very skillful player, much more so than the focus on his hardness allows us to think about or remember. Sure he brings hardness to the side, but his elite skills bring more.

[azabob]

To me it's simple, Libba executes the fundamental skills of the game as a priority. He makes sure his kicks hit targets, he makes sure his hands do as well, and he tackles and positions hard and properly.

He's a very very skillful player, much more so than the focus on his hardness allows us to think about or remember. Sure he brings hardness to the side, but his elite skills bring more.

Spot on. You just know he is going to do the right thing. Some footballers you trust to get it done. On field Tom Liberatore has done that his entire career.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Great thread - even though we know, its been hard to remember how good he was - tonight gave us that glimpse - elite midfielder without the reputation

Super to have him back - the Liberatores have been the spiritual leaders of the footy club

Given the longevity of his father - Im not closing the door on 250 yet

[Sedat]

Libba has only just turned 28. Sure he has question marks over his knees but Shaun Burgoyne had worse knees at the same age and is still going like a Rolls Royce at age 37 today. The legacy I'd love to see from Libba is to help us reach the holy grail again and stay with us for another 5 years at least - he is absolutely capable of doing so.

Take out his 2017 season and his body of on-field work for us has been outstanding and remarkably consistent since his debut in R1 2011. He is a superb player who makes us infinitely better when he is fit and healthy. He has one-touch hands in heavy traffic, fantastic vision, elite hand/foot skills and unsurpassed decision making under pressure. Added to that he has that competitive mongrel that only the best champions possess and is also a much loved teammate - these qualities are not common all together and far outweigh his lack of foot speed. None of the likes of Greg Williams, Sam Mitchell, Jimmy Bartel, Lenny Hayes and Scott Pendlbury would win a Stawell Gift but they are loinised as champions of the game - Libba sits very comfortablly in that company IMO, and is only not considered at that level by some footy pundits because he is quirky and has a collection of weird hairstyles and tatts.

I absolutely love him and feel so much more confident when he is on the team sheet.

[AshMac]

I’ve thought since start of last year that he is our most important player when fully fit and fully Libba

[The Doctor]

I think he's just as important as any player we have the club.

[bornadog]

Luke Beveridge reveals he feared star Dog would never play again (https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2020-western-bulldogs-gws-tom-liberatore-luke-beveridge-dogs-giants-afl-round-3-afl-injuries/news-story/6090995a997c0c10bc88f656b6411219)

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has revealed he doubted Tom Liberatore would ever play senior football again after a horror run with injury.
Liberatore ruptured his right ACL in Round 1 of 2018, before more surgery was requited in 2019 after cartilage damage. He continued to have trouble with the knee over the off-season and missed the Round 2 restart before his selection for Friday night.

Speaking to Fox Footy, Beveridge gave an insight into just how bad the 28-year-old’s injury struggles were.

“I must admit for a long period of time, even up until probably a month ago I had my doubts that he’d ever play AFL footy again,” he said.

“He’s been through such an ordeal coming back from knee reconstructions and if you were in the inner sanctum and watched him limp around, he’s back he’s in rehab and then you think he’s almost back to full fitness and still there’s a limp, you’d have significant concerns.

“What’s transpired over the last three weeks is probably a bit of a surprise for me.

“Didn’t feel like he was totally right last week, he was talked about. But after his session last Saturday we had to pick him and as you mentioned he made a huge difference.

“He’s one of those teammates that you love playing with. The boys as soon as they hear he’s picked grinned like cheshire cats. He was really important for us last night.”

Liberatore was an important player for the Dogs on Friday night, getting 18 touches, kicking a goal and making several efforts to hinder Matt De Boer’s efforts to clamp down on Marcus Bontempelli.

[Roscoe_G]

All

I had to pass comment on Tom's performance last night. As a North supporter, I don't follow the Bulldogs nearly as closely as you all surely do, indeed I had implicitly presumed he had retired due to ongoing injuries. I was stunned to see him on the field last night, and even more stunned to see the quality of his play.

Tom has now ascended to being my favourite player to watch. God forbid another injury, so that we can all enjoy his sublime skills, concomitant with genuine toughness and game generalmanship.

The OP opined that "Libba can nuance heavily the skillsets within the mongrel range". Encapsulates it beautifully!!

Cheers
Greg

[bornadog]

All

I had to pass comment on Tom's performance last night. As a North supporter, I don't follow the Bulldogs nearly as closely as you all surely do, indeed I had implicitly presumed he had retired due to ongoing injuries. I was stunned to see him on the field last night, and even more stunned to see the quality of his play.

Tom has now ascended to being my favourite player to watch. God forbid another injury, so that we can all enjoy his sublime skills, concomitant with genuine toughness and game generalmanship.

The OP opined that "Libba can nuance heavily the skillsets within the mongrel range". Encapsulates it beautifully!!

Cheers
Greg

Thanks Greg, he is a little beauty. We all have our fingers crossed those wretched knees hold up. He is also very popular amongst his team mates.

[EasternWest]

All

I had to pass comment on Tom's performance last night. As a North supporter, I don't follow the Bulldogs nearly as closely as you all surely do, indeed I had implicitly presumed he had retired due to ongoing injuries. I was stunned to see him on the field last night, and even more stunned to see the quality of his play.

Tom has now ascended to being my favourite player to watch. God forbid another injury, so that we can all enjoy his sublime skills, concomitant with genuine toughness and game generalmanship.

The OP opined that "Libba can nuance heavily the skillsets within the mongrel range". Encapsulates it beautifully!!

Cheers
Greg

Good to hear from you Roscoe.

[Vred]

“He’s one of those teammates that you love playing with. The boys as soon as they hear he’s picked grinned like cheshire cats. He was really important for us last night.”



This quote right here sums up what Tom means to not only the fans but the club. Must have in our midfield.

[Remi Moses]

Roscoe would be stoked Brad Scott’s finally gone

[Remi Moses]

On the flip side love Ben Cunnington
Gotta say he’s the last bloke you’d think would get some new feathers on the head

[bornadog]

Lots of love for Libba on return (https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/719545/lots-of-love-for-libba-on-return)
What a difference he made

[Roscoe_G]

Roscoe would be stoked Brad Scott’s finally gone

Yep ... though it was about 8 years overdue. He also had a "go" at David King in his last match I recall, which showed a distinct lack of class. David King was a great player and great Northener - one of my favourites.

[Twodogs]

I was wrapped to see it was Libba who walked back with the ball under his arm at 3/4 time. I just knew he would eat the pressure of the situation and convert.

[jeemak]

I was wrapped to see it was Libba who walked back with the ball under his arm at 3/4 time. I just knew he would eat the pressure of the situation and convert.

The only person I would trust in that situation to put it through carefully, most others would need to go back and revert to process. Libba knows his limitations and works within them.

I said in the threads before Friday's game that we need to use his kicking more. He can't be the enforcer or bit part possession getter in close that he has been when in and out of form due to injury, he at this stage of his career needs to use the footy as well as he can and as often as he can, and the only way that can happen is if we get the footy into his hands.

[bornadog]

Another Libba to continue the legacy


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVAhBvLIkuU

[The bulldog tragician]

Another Libba to continue the legacy


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVAhBvLIkuU

Quite lovely, and I also liked that it was mentioned that Wally has also become a dad. The dynasties continue...Steve wallis and Tony Liberatore are now grandfathers. I saw them debut and now feel extremely old.

[Twodogs]

Quite lovely, and I also liked that it was mentioned that Wally has also become a dad. The dynasties continue...Steve wallis and Tony Liberatore are now grandfathers. I saw them debut and now feel extremely old.

I've told this story before but when we drafted Callan Ward I saw a family shot and his mum looked familiar. I couldn't work out where I'd seen her before until I mentioned it to an old school friend and he said "Mate. That's Ramon Gunn's annoying baby sister"

Ramon Gunn was one of the kids in the same year level as I was in at high school. You know that your getting old when it's not your school mate's sons that are getting drafted (you feel old enough when that happens) but when their little sister's kids are getting drafted you feel extra old. Then when they get appointed captain of their club and get to 100 then 150 games you start to feel positively ancient!