Despite being contracted at the Kennel for the foreseeable future, now-fringe Western Bulldog Caleb Daniel is reportedly set to draw rival interest ahead of the trade period.
Daniel began life as a Bulldog after being drafted with being selected with the 46th pick of the 2014 AFL Draft.
Across the course of his 180 games in red, white and blue, the small-statured rebounder has written his name into the record books at Barkly Street, becoming a premiership player in 2016 whilst also earning All-Australian honours and the Charles Sutton Medal in 2020.
However, after seeing his playing time shrink during the early stages of 2024, veteran AFL journalist Damian Barrett pontificated whether the 27-year-old's days as a Dog numbered.
"There is a problem of sorts, I'll say, with Caleb Daniel, who, in the four games, has started as the sub on one occasion, and has also been made the sub on another," Barrett said on Nine's Footy Classified.
"He's got two years to run on a contract, but he's clearly in the Jack Macrae bracket now, in my eyes, as to how Luke Beveridge is choosing to use him.
"(He's) on good money. Big money. $700,000-plus, maybe even $750,000-plus for those remaining two years of the contract.
"The party line will be, 'he's a contracted player', but there's going to be interest in him, as he's now twice, out of the four games played, either started or ended up as the sub."
At present, no clubs have been linked with Daniel, however, as a South Australian native, both Adelaide and Port Adelaide are sure to be linked with the pint-sized Pup at some stage before the end of the trade period.
Daniel and the Bulldogs are scheduled to face Essendon this Friday night at Marvel Stadium, with both teams seeking to bounce back from respective Gather Round defeats.
