What Will He Bring: Connor Budarick

Last month, the Western Bulldogs warded off rival interest and acquired the services of talented former Gold Coast Suns defender, Connor Budarick.

The 24-year-old’s move to the Kennel came with pick 70 in exchange for Pick 37 in this year’s AFL National Draft, and will provide a much-needed boost to the Bulldogs’ defensive stocks.

Finding a capable replacement for club stalwart Taylor Duryea has been a need for quite some time, so Budarick’s recruitment is a timely one, seeing as Duryea has retired from the AFL after 219 games, 101 of those with the Bulldogs.  

Budarick was a member of the Gold Coast Academy, becoming a pre-listed Sun for the 2019 season and has played 55 games in six seasons.

There might have been bigger names moving clubs this off-season, but perhaps this underrated defender might just surprise everyone with what he can bring to the red, white and blue.

THE PLAYER:

Connor Budarick

Height: 175cm

Position: Defender

Club: Gold Coast Suns

WHAT THEY SAID:

“We’re really excited to have Connor join our Club. His attributes as a small defender give us confidence he can make an immediate impact next year, playing a variety of roles in the defensive half.

“Connor has a history of being able to play on the best small forwards in the competition while providing drive from the back half. He has also shown versatility and been effective in multiple roles, with his speed, physicality and diligence standing out.

“Connor is fantastic character and at only 24 has the capability to continue improving as a footballer.” - Player Acquisition and Strategy Manager Michael Regan

2025 SEASON:

The 2025 AFL Premiership campaign was by far the best and most consistent of Budarick’s career to date as he played a career-high 19 games; after 15 in 2020, proving that he has hopefully over his injury worries, which plagued him since 2021.

Traditionally a defender, Budarick played a selfless role this season, featuring along the wing before settling in an unfamiliar small forward position, courtesy of the Suns prioritising last year’s trade acquisitions in John Noble and Daniel Rioli down back to provide the rebound.

After strong form in the VFL, Budarick earned a recall against the GWS Giants in round 15, and over the next dozen weeks, played some of the best football of his career, including 24 touches against minor premiers Adelaide and 22 disposals against the eventual premiers in Brisbane.

Budarick played a handy role across the course of season 2025, helping the Suns play finals footy for the first time and had a significant hand in their maiden finals victory over Fremantle with 10 crucial touches and two goals.

WHAT WILL HE BRING:

Largely over the past seven seasons, we have been lucky to have Taylor Duryea be a “set and forget” type, which saw him become one of the most dependable players in the competition in his role in shutting down the opposition’s best small forwards.

Unfortunately, with Duryea falling off the pace this season just gone by, the small lock down defender was a position that was sorely missing throughout the course of 2025 and something that saw zippy, crafty opposition small forwards get off the chain at ground level.

At times, it largely appeared the Bulldogs' back six’s best form of defence was attack and that held true with the number of aggressive rebounding options that was played week in week out in Bailey Dale, Lachie Bramble, Jason Johannisen and Luke Cleary.

Unfortunately, none of the above are what you would categorise as “defence first” types as their main impact comes from ball-in-hand and rebounding the ball from the defensive 50.

Enter Budarick, whose penchant is to zero in on a target and make life rather difficult for them at ground level.

Capable of shutting down some of the best small forwards in the competition, Budarick’s inclusion in the backline gives the Dogs a harder defensive edge as well as required adjustment to the defensive system.

Not only that, Budarick is a nimble, quick-minded footballer who still has plenty of attacking traits that can hurt his direct opponent the other way, giving us the best of both worlds.

In the last couple of seasons, Budarick has matched up against two of his new teammates in Rhylee West and Cody Weightman.  With preseason training already underway, the three of them will be getting quite familiar with each other on the field with some tantalising duels which can only improve them going forward into next year’s premiership campaign.

With the bulk of his career ahead of him, if Budarick can maintain a fit bill of health like season 2025, we should be seeing the very best of him over the next few years as he looks to re-establish himself as one of the better general defenders in the game and remind everyone of his talent.