Western Bulldogs Coach Confirms Tom Liberatore’s Imminent Return Amid Injury Updates and Record Membership Milestone

Western Bulldogs head coach Luke Beveridge has confirmed that midfielder Tom Liberatore is poised to make his return following a series of concussions this year, provided he successfully completes the main training session.

Liberatore, who has played in six games this season, aims to make his first appearance since Round 8 against Hawthorn. Beveridge stated that the 31-year-old has met all necessary recovery milestones and has been in full training for several weeks, with just one final practice session standing between him and a return to face Brisbane.

Meanwhile, fellow midfielder Ed Richards will be given another week to recover from a concussion sustained during the loss to Sydney.

“Just get through training,” Beveridge told reporters on Wednesday. “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.”

Following a spirited victory over Collingwood last Friday, the Bulldogs are also monitoring the status of small forward Laitham Vandermeer and will be without James Harmes due to a hamstring injury and Sam Darcy due to suspension. However, they received a boost with Rhylee West being cleared of any suspension for his incident with Pies defender Jeremy Howe.

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

Additionally, Beveridge announced that the club has broken its membership record for the third consecutive season, reaching 57,151 members in 2024, surpassing last year’s record of 56,302.

Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains commented on the achievement, saying, “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.”