What Will He Bring - Jedd Busslinger

After a couple of years of approaching Draft Night already knowing which young prospects would be at the club by the end of it, there was a lot more intrigue among Western Bulldogs fans this time around, as they competed for draftees in an open market.

With only the first round of the draft taking place on Monday night, the Bulldogs started the night armed only with Pick 11, which slid to 12 after Brisbane matched an early bid on the highly-rated Will Ashcroft

After making an ultimately unsuccessful bid on another Brisbane Academy prospect in Jasper Fletcher, the Bulldogs then selected Jedd Busslinger with Pick 13 – a player that has been linked with the Bulldogs for several months leading up to the draft.

The Bulldogs prized first-round draftee. Source: Getty Images

THE PLAYER:

Jedd Busslinger

Height: 196cm

Weight: 82kg

Position: Key Defender

Club: East Perth/Western Australia

WHAT THEY SAID:

“A tall defender whose real weapons are his intercept marking and ability to take the game on. Was among Western Australia’s best players in matches against Victoria Metro and the Allies at the 2022 NAB AFL National Championships U18 Boys, averaging 22 disposals (75% efficiency), seven marks, and five rebound 50s. His campaign was curtailed by a shoulder injury that required surgery, but he was still rewarded with All-Australian selection, such was his dominance across the two matches. – AFL Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan

“I’m over the moon. It’s the team I wanted to go to. [I] couldn’t be happier at the moment and just can’t wait to get over and get into work with the boys” – Jedd Busslinger

2022 SEASON:

The season started really well for Busslinger, showing promising signs at every level of football he played at. He started the year playing at Cols (under-19 level) in WA, averaging 23.8 disposals and eight marks in the first four games of the season. Such was his impressive form that he was even elevated to the seniors for East Perth in the WAFL, where he played three games.

But it was his form in the National U18 Championships where Busslinger’s stocks really started to rise. He only played the two games for WA, but that was all he needed to demonstrate his talents. Busslinger collected 18 disposals and eight marks against Vic Metro, and then 26 and six against the Allies. His innate ability to read the play and win the ball back from the opposition is well complemented by his use of the ball when going forward, going at 70% efficiency by foot across the tournament. His performances over the two matches alone were enough to see him earn U18s All-Australian honours.

But his Championships were curtailed by a surgery concern that ultimately required surgery. Busslinger had played through the injury for most of the season but the decision was made to withdraw from the Carnival prematurely. He is expected to be back in full training by mid-January.

WHAT WILL HE BRING?

Much has been made over the past couple of seasons of the Bulldog's lack of quality intercepting defenders, and while the Bulldogs have experimented with several different alternatives and have enjoyed mixed results in that time, Busslinger has everything to become the long-term leading interceptor the Bulldogs desperately crave.

However, despite being the leading key defender among this year’s draft crop, there will be several factors stacked against Busslinger as he seeks to make a major impact at AFL level in 2022. The aforementioned shoulder surgery means that he won’t be back in full training until mid-January, already ruling him out of a large chunk of pre-season.

Furthermore, while Busslinger is a fantastic intercept defender, less is known about his one-on-one qualities from a defensive perspective, often being able to roam the backline on his own rather than be assigned to a direct opponent. That specific lockdown role might be something that he adds to his game over time, but weighing in at just 82kg, it could be that Busslinger needs to add more size to his frame before being able to assuming such a role in the side. Regardless, he will almost certainly need to build more muscle over the next few years.

While the temptation will be strong to lock him into the senior side as the designated interceptor, we may just have to be patient with Busslinger as he works to become more adept physically for the rigors of AFL level, but the talent is most certainly there.

DID YOU KNOW?

Busslinger is only the third Bulldog to be taken with Pick 13 in the National Draft, and history will tell you that such a pick turns into only chocolates or boiled lollies for the Western Bulldogs. The Bulldogs selected Peter Walker with Pick 13 in the 1982 Draft and failed to play a single game for the club. But when they had another go with the pick in 1999, they brought in a young Robert Murphy, who became one of the Bulldog's best players of the 21st century.

Bailey and Busslinger. Source: Getty Images