What Will He Bring: Louis Emmett

While the Western Bulldogs had to wait a long time for their first selection of Night One of the 2025 AFL Draft, they barely had to wait for their turn on Night Two, going into the night armed with the second pick of the night and the 27th overall.

The pick arrived at the Bulldogs as part of the pick swap with the Gold Coast Suns at the start of the night, effectively upgrading it from Pick 33 in exchange for sliding one pick higher up in the order.

The reports leading into the draft were that the Bulldogs were looking to add to their burgeoning group of talls with their second selection in the draft, and while a couple of names had been linked to the club, they ultimately selected Louis Emmett, a mobile ruck-forward option who started the year as one of the top prospects in the draft.

THE PLAYER:

Louis Emmett

Height: 199cm

Position: Ruck/Forward

Club: Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro

WHAT THEY SAID:

“Louis is someone who has had extreme talent for a really long time. His highlights package is probably a bit different to Lachy’s in that there will be the big marks and the extraordinary moments ball in hand…from 16 to all the way through has been highly touted with a lot of really elite attributes and an aerial presence.

“We see Louis as someone with the tools to play any of the key roles around the ground and we’re hoping and looking to start him as a back.” - Player Acquisition and Strategy Manager Michael Regan

“If this draft was (held in) April, you’d take him in the Top 10. A lot to see with him in the future just on his potential. He can mark the ball, he’s a beautiful long left foot kick and he looks set for an AFL career for sure.” – AFL Talent Ambassador Kevin Sheehan

2025 SEASON:

Strong form at the back end of 2024 saw Emmett establish himself as one of the must-watch draft prospects in 2025, with his aerial prowess and strong capacity to cover the ground as a mobile ruckman catching the eye of clubs across the competition, even going so far as being invited to train with Richmond during the off-season.

Unfortunately for Emmett, the campaign did not turn out as planned. After a slow start to the year, his season was hampered by a persistent hip flexor injury, which kept him on the sidelines for significant portions of the season. The end result was Emmett featuring just four times for the Oakleigh Chargers in the Talent League, where he averaged 15.3 disposals and 18.3 hitouts per game, as well as kicking five goals for the year. He did save one of his best performances for the end of the season, however, going toe-to-toe with the highly-touted Cooper Duff-Tytler in the Finals Wildcard round, being named in the best as the Chargers held on for a memorable 14-point win.

Despite the stop-start nature of his season, Emmett was still called up to represent Vic Metro in the U18 Championships, although he largely played second-fiddle to Duff-Tytler, comfortably regarded as the best ruck in the draft crop.

Having also represented Vic Metro, Emmett’s numbers did rise overall, averaging 12.7 disposals and 4.3 marks in the three Championship games that he played. Emmett brought his season to an end by turning heads at the Draft Combine, finishing third in the 2km time trial with a time of 6:07.

WHAT WILL HE BRING:

The big question on everyone’s lips once Emmett was drafted by the Bulldogs was how the club planned on using him. Given the club’s need to bolster its key defensive stocks (and aggressive pursuit of several key backs during the Trade Period) it raised eyebrows to see the Bulldogs bring in a tall who has spent almost all of his junior career playing as a ruck-forward – it’s hard to see Emmett overtaking Tim English as the No.1 ruckman, or either Sam Darcy or Aaron Naughton in the forward line.

However, it’s worth pointing out that despite spending his entire junior career in the forward half of the ground, many clubs harbour the belief that Emmett can be converted into a key defender, and the Bulldogs are among those clubs, as evidenced by the comments made by Michael Regan after the draft. So by their own admission, the Bulldogs have addressed the need to reinforce their key defensive stocks.

Considering that he is yet to be trialled in defence, it’s hard to gauge with any great certainty what Emmett will actually bring to the table in 2026. He was set to be used in defence this year before injuries gave way, but the fact so many clubs believe he can succeed as a key defender should surely give Bulldogs fans hope that he can establish himself in the club’s back six in time.

One could argue that the arrival of Emmett also provides a bit of certainty to the short-term future of Jordan Croft, one of the Bulldogs' many talented young talls. Croft made his debut late in the season as a key forward, but there has been speculation that he could be transformed into a key defender as he evolves. The progression of Croft as a forward and the Bulldogs’ conviction that Emmett can become a key defender will provide both with some positional certainty in 2026.

Despite the Bulldogs’ need to address the issue of improving its key defensive stocks, Emmett will still start next year at the back of the queue, with Rory Lobb and James O’Donnell already established in the Bulldogs' best 23, while Jedd Busslinger also began to break through for regular game time late last year. It makes sense given that Emmett is a first-year key position player who will be starting out in a brand-new position, but it means that Bulldogs fans will need to exercise patience with his progression, as he continues to develop and learn.