Robert Murphy

Young Bulldog Clay Smith, 25, has been forced to retire due to recurrent knee injuries. He started training on Thursday ahead of Round 16, but came off the track and reportedly was in tears as he knew it was the end. In making the announcement, said, “It was a very difficult decision ... but the right one ... given my knee hasn’t been able to fully recover. I’ve given everything to try to make ... but unfortunately it hasn’t worked out ... ". Smith went on to thank the club and medical staff for all of their support and giving him the opportunity to play AFL football and said "... “While life without footy will leave a big hole in my life, it has shaped me as a person and helped me grow and I’m thankful for that.” Being a part of the Dogs' 2016 premiership, he said despite all the setbacks, he would not change anything about the seven years he spent at the club.

by Lisa Albergp reporting for AFANA from Chicago

 In mid-August, three more veterans announced they would be retiring at the end of the year - Bulldog Robert Murphy, Hawk Josh Gibson and Cat turned Bomber James Kelly. Murphy joins teammate and fellow 300-gamer Matthew Boyd in retiring.

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

To paraphrase the introduction to old TV show The Naked City, there are many stories in finals history, these are a few. Every player and team strive for the ultimate prize of a premiership. Over the years, there have been many players whose teams get to the Finals or a Grand Final, but they are absent either through injury, poor form, suspension or simply being excluded from selection. These are some of those stories. [Ed. note: A "tragic" is someone for whom luck does not fall on their side and in this case, a perhaps once in a career opportunity is missed.]

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

Former Bomber Brent Prismall missed out on being picked up by another club, after the Western Bulldogs - with whom he had been training - opted for Brett Goodes. However, Prismall still finds himself a part of the club by

Always a threat when they travel to Perth, the Western Bulldogs suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the West Coast Eagles in front of 37,000 fanatical fans. Prior to this match, the Eagles’ form had been good with four wins while the 2010 Preliminary Finalists had a return to winning form against Richmond last week after a very patchy start to the season. 

The colorful and sometimes controversial career of Jason Akermanis came to an abrupt end last week with the club telling him he was fired. He took part in a training session before being summoned to meet with club officials who asked him to retire.

Following a devastating Round 12 loss to bottom team Richmond, the West Coast Eagles’ players and coaching staff attracted heavy home town scrutiny. John Worsfold’s future was openly debated and senior players spoke publicly of their disappointing recent performances. Sunday’s Round 13 match against the Western Bulldogs needed to be a do or die effort to regain the respect of fans and to inject new belief into the players.