Rival club keeping tabs on Dogs ruck as contract talks face wait

The 24-year-old is understood to be holding off on negotiations at the Kennel until later into the year.

EDITOR | February 16, 2022 - 9:27am

Western Bulldogs tall Tim English is understood to be holding off on contract talks with the Whitten Oval club until later into the season, with West Coast reportedly keeping an eye on the situation surrounding Western Australian ruckman.

English is among a star-studded group of Bulldogs players off-contract this season, joining the likes of Jack Macrae, Josh Dunkley, Caleb Daniel, Bailey Smith and Bailey Dale in being yet to recommit to the club for 2023.

The 24-year-old is seen as one of the most promising ruckmen in the AFL, with 2022 set to be the season Luke Beveridge hands English a more accountable role in the middle of the ground.

Across 69 games for the Dogs, English has matured into a versatile asset, able to wrestle with the best ruckmen in the AFL while also being a formidable option in attack and behind the ball.

With English's value placed among the top bracket of ruckmen, the Bulldogs may need to pay a significant fee to retain the South Fremantle product at market price.

According to The Herald Sun however, English is set to hold off until mid-season before considering a new deal to remain at the Kennel.

To add angst to the situation surrounding English's future, the News Corp report suggests the Eagles are keeping tabs on English this season.

West Coast are sure to be plotting a succession plan for veteran ruckman Nic Naitanui, with the idea of prying English back to his home state a fitting move the Eagles could make.

While English is understood to be happy with the Bulldogs in hope of going one step further with the club this year, the Eagles could sway the 205cm tall to look home.

English's partner, Rudi, currently resides in Western Australia, having recently purchased a property in Fremantle.

With star names in Macrae, Dunkley and Smith potentially being seen as priority signings for the Bulldogs, English may also face the reality of needing to take a pay cut to remain in the blue, white and red.

Bulldogs list manager Sam Power recently noted to members that the club is set to place strong attention toward retaining their top echelon of off-contract names this year.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 03: Tim English (right) and Stefan Martin of the Bulldogs in action during the Western Bulldogs AFL training session at Whitten Oval on February 03, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“We have clearly got a lot of players out of contract this year, but there are discussions ongoing with a lot of those players at the moment," Power said last week.

“We’re really confident at this stage that we’ll be able to retain those players and keep this group together.

“There are some good players coming out of contract, but it’s not uncommon across the competition for a lot of players to be coming out in any given year and we’re no different to that,” he said.

“I think from a club perspective, it allows clubs to maintain flexibility. It also helps from a salary cap management point of view.

“In terms of our guys, there are clearly six or seven priorities and we want to retain every single one.”

English and the Bulldogs will begin their quest for redemption this year when they face fellow 2021 grand finalists Melbourne at the MCG on Wednesday, March 16.