By Dyson Baker
Sons of the West they may be but the Western Bulldogs have in recent years had quite an Eastern suburbs feel.
Tory Dickson, Shane Biggs, Tom Boyd, Lin Jong and Mitch Honeychurch have all played Senior football in season 2016, with four looking likely to play an integral role in their quest for Premiership glory on Saturday;
TORY DICKSON
Dickson wasted no time during his short but sweet Eastern Football League career, recruited from Frankston to the Bullring, Dickson kicked bags of nine and seven in his first two games of EFL football with a haul of eight coming in Round 3 against then reigning premier Vermont.
Dickson was only held goalless on two occasions during 2010, and went on to kick bags of 11 (Round 14 v East Ringwood) and 12 (Round 18 v Lilydale) to confirm his place at the top of the goal kicking table with 96 home and away goals. 16 Goals in the finals, including a four goal display in the Grand Final saw the club secure its third EFL flag.
Dickson was picked up by the then, Bendigo Bombers. Kicking 48 goals for season 2011 he was drafted at the conclusion of the 2011 season and made his AFL debut in Round 1, 2012.
SHANE BIGGS
East Ringwood, Warrandyte and Mulgrave
Biggs didn’t exactly burst onto the seen as an AFL footballer. After playing his junior football with East Ringwood, he moved across to Warrandyte where he played regular senior football at a young age before being picked up by Bendigo in the VFL in 2011.
Whilst playing with Bendigo his community club was Mulgrave where he played 14 games kicking 11 goals. At the end of that year Biggs was taken as the 12th pick in the Rookie draft to Sydney, making his debut at the end of the 2013 season Biggs played in the Swans first two finals before being dropped for the Preliminary Final.
Biggs was traded to the Western Bulldogs at the end of 2014. In Season 2016 he has played every game and will be a pivotal part of the Bulldogs line-up averaging 21 disposals a game off half back and through the midfield.
TOM BOYD
Norwood, Eastern Ranges
One of two EFL players to be taken as the Number 1 pick in the AFL draft (The other being former teammate Jonathan Patton) Boyd has come of age in 2016 especially in the back half of the season.
The Norwood product played in both Under 14 and Under 15 EFL interleague teams playing a starring role.
Drafted at the end of 2013 Boyd played one season for the Giants playing nine games before being traded to the Western Bulldogs at the end of the 2014 Season. Boyd hasn’t looked back since moving back to Melbourne playing 28 games for the Bulldogs in his two seasons with the club.
LIN JONG
Glen Waverley Rovers/ Mulgrave
Fresh from a broken collarbone, Jong starred in last weekend’s VFL Grand Final being named Norm Goss Medallist (best on ground) in Footscray’s premiership side.
The Glen Waverley Rovers product played in a premiership in Under 15’s with the Rovers in 2008. Jong headed to Mulgrave in 2010 to play Under 18’s whilst playing TAC Cup with Oakleigh. Jong was drafted to the Western Bulldogs with the 9th pick in the 2012 Rookie Draft.
He made his debut in Round 20, 2012 and has since gone on to play in two VFL Premierships whilst playing regular senior football. 39 games in four seasons, with majority of those coming in the past two seasons including 16 games in season 2016.
Remarkably after suffering the fracture to his collarbone in Week 1 of the finals, Jong could potentially be selected for the Bulldogs in Saturday’s Grand Final.
