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“The end is near”: Why ill-timed injury clouds future for veteran Dog
Jaiden Sciberras • June 24th, 2025 6:00 pm
The Western Bulldogs could be facing a difficult decision surrounding one of the club’s decorated veterans.
32-year-old star midfielder Adam Treloar went down with an unfortunate moderate-grade calf injury early in the Bulldogs’ clash with Richmond, ruling him out for at least the next six weeks.
An All-Australian in 2024, Treloar has managed just four games this season, with Sunday afternoon’s injury marking his third calf setback across the course of this year.
Unfortunately for Treloar, the string of injuries hits on a contract year, with the 258-gamer’s deal with the Dogs set to expire at the end of 2025.
Entering the off-season as a non-free agent with a thriving Bulldogs’ midfield even in Treloar’s absence, the club may face a very difficult decision regarding their star veteran.
When questioned on the potential uncertainty of Treloar’s playing career, Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge revealed the difficulty in dealing with consistent injuries at an older age.
“This is the tough one,” Hodge told SEN’s Whateley.
“When you get into your 30’s, injuries are going to happen with footballers.
“You have ones where it’s knees and shoulders, impact injuries you can sort of say ‘well that was just an accident’.
“When you do a calf, it’s the old one of ‘is it the old man injury?’ When you do your second calf it’s like ‘oh hang on’.
‘The third in the season… this is where - for the Doggies as well, especially when their midfield is lit up with a lot of quality mids - the question has to be asked.
“Does he feel that he can get his body back to where he can play consistent AFL football?
“What we’ve seen, especially over 30, you can’t come in on lack of pre-season, under conditions, because your body just can’t withstand the rigors of AFL and what you need to be able to do to play high quality football.
“These are going to be some tough discussions for him. He’s an ultimate professional who would do everything he possibly can to push through.
“The tough discussion is, does he think he can push through another solid pre-season and be fit to play 16-17 games next year to have an impact and be fit for the finals?
“This is a bad time of year for anyone over 30, when they’ve had some soft tissue injuries.
“We all know the end is coming, the end is near, you just want to push on for as long as you can.
“You want to make sure that for someone in Treloar who has given his absolute all, goes out on his own accord and not on medical advice because his body just can’t hold up to what he’s trying to do out there.”
Averaging 21 disposals, three clearances and a goal assist per game, there is no question that Treloar has plenty to offer at AFL level.
That being said, the coming six weeks and beyond will be extremely telling in what lies ahead for the star Dog.
