Tom Liberatore

[AshMac]

Did he say Oscar is his second kid? He already has a 5 year old daughter?

[comrade]

Did he say Oscar is his second kid? He already has a 5 year old daughter?

Yeah I noticed that, might not be his biological child?

[chef]

She stars in most of his insta stories.

[AshMac]

There goes the theory about fatherhood changing him.

[Mofra]

Must be tough doing rehab while being a new dad. He was already all but ruled out of round 1, he may not be in the frame for selection for a while.

[AshMac]

Must be tough doing rehab while being a new dad. He was already all but ruled out of round 1, he may not be in the frame for selection for a while.

He is back to running and upping the load every session. I thought it sounded positive for his return. Perhaps not Rd 1 though agree

[Axe Man]

"HE'S A KILLER": RATINGS SUGGEST STAR BULLDOG IS A TOP-FIVE PLAYER IN 2023

Western Bulldogs midfielder Tom Liberatore is having a career season in 2023.

While the 30-year-old is a premiership player and best and fairest winner, the on-baller is thriving with a bigger role this campaign.

Liberatore?s best game of the season so far might have been against Carlton in Round 9 as he was best afield with 26 disposals, nine tackles, 13 clearances and a critical last-quarter goal in the tight win.

Looking at Champion Data player ratings, SEN?s David King revealed that Liberatore is the highest-rated player across the last month and the second-highest-rated player so far this season, just behind his captain Marcus Bontempelli.

?It (the highest-rated player last month) is Libba (Liberatore) which is terrific,? King told SEN Whateley.

?You look across the course of the season, Bont (Marcus Bontempelli) is number one (with a 19.89 rating), Libba is number two (with an 18.09 rating) and Tim English is number five (with a 16.12 rating) in the competition (in terms of player ratings).

?So that sort of snuck up on me a little bit, I knew that English was having a good year, he does it in different ways.

?But for Libba to be back and this player (is impressive).?

While the Bulldogs were disappointed to lose star midfielder Josh Dunkley to Brisbane in the off-season, King pondered whether his absence has made the Dogs a better side with Bontempelli and Liberatore having increased roles.

?I keep looking at the Dogs and asking the question, ?Are they better after Dunkley's exit??, you can have a win-win, we?re not denigrating the fact that he's not there,? King explained.

?But what it's done has challenged Bont to be a better clearance player and it's given Libba opportunity.

?Last year he was playing half-forward at the start of the season, so he?s regenerated.

?He's a killer, I would love to play with Libba, on and off field because I just think he brings an energy, and he brings a passion that's all consuming and drags others along.

?Like you got Arthur Jones trying to match Libba's intensity and that's because you see it, you?ve got to match it.

?So, what he's doing is quite brilliant.?

SEN?s Gerard Whateley agreed with King that Bulldogs players are beginning to match their star leaders in terms of output.

With Bontempelli a dominant force all season, Whateley is seeing younger teammates follow in his and Liberatore?s lead.

?So, I thought the see it, match it, was there,? Whateley said.

?Bontempelli has had those games this season where, ?Hey, we're not walking off this field without victory?, then in the last 10 minutes, he didn't have to do it this time.

?They embodied the almost that mantra that he'd given them, they'd watched him do it and other players rose to meet (his performances).

?We would have totally forgiven the Bulldogs if they'd got overrun at the end there, they'd been on the road three out of four (games).

?They'd played some really gruelling footy in tough conditions.

?They were playing against the team with that heightened emotional charge and they'd led for most of the night.

?If they'd got rolled over by a goal or two at the end, we would have gone, ?Yeah, that's the price of doing business?.

?But no, they got headed twice, they stood against it.

?It was a different set of players (that won the game).

?I just think that tells you everything you need to know about the Bulldogs this year.?

The Bulldogs will hope to win their fifth consecutive game when they host Adelaide in a huge clash at Mars Stadium in Ballarat on Saturday.

[bornadog]

Actually 31 today

[Bulldog Joe]

If he maintains the form he should be AA.

It is unbelievable that he hasn't been.

Nice stat that according to Champion Data we have 3 of the top 5 in the comp.

Just need the others to grow into the season and everything is possible.

[AshMac]

If he maintains the form he should be AA.

It is unbelievable that he hasn't been.

Nice stat that according to Champion Data we have 3 of the top 5 in the comp.

Just need the others to grow into the season and everything is possible.

The impact he has on the game at his age is immense. What a weapon. He?ll probably need a statue outside Whitten oval

[Topdog]

Incredible player, such drive and determination and doing it all whilst being offered 1 year contracts because we cant trust his body.

[angelopetraglia]

Incredible player, such drive and determination and doing it all whilst being offered 1 year contracts because we cant trust his body.

Early days was their also an element that we didn't trusty his off field behavior? However, in recent times he appears to be a changed man. A family man.

[Topdog]

Early days was their also an element that we didn't trusty his off field behavior? However, in recent times he appears to be a changed man. A family man.

Yeah that was a long time back. Think he was only 20 back then.

[hujsh]

Yeah that was a long time back. Think he was only 20 back then.

Was there maybe a bit of that still post 2016/17?

I know we enjoyed Libba's off field antics but his football really suffered post GF and it seemed his career would be just another of many premiership players that petered out.

Given how conservative the club has been off field (no fun banners, no fun song before the match etc) it wouldn't surprise me if the off field stuff made them feel he wasn't totally trustworthy in more than one way

[Bulldog Joe]

Was there maybe a bit of that still post 2016/17?

Wasn't there a story that he was basically out the door at the end of 2017, but he made a commitment to do everything required and more.

Came back for 2018 preseason in great shape but then did his second knee.

Since then the only issue has been managing his body.