WANTAWAY Western Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus has appeared to return serve to former teammate Bob Murphy over the suggestion that Dahlhaus lost "dedication" after the Dogs' 2016 premiership.
Dahlhaus, currently holidaying in Europe with premiership teammate Tom Liberatore, took to social media on Sunday.
It came after Murphy questioned Dahlhaus' lack of hunger in the two seasons after the breakthrough flag, and in the wake of Dahlhaus' request to depart Whitten Oval as a free agent earlier this month.
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"I think a few of them (the Bulldogs), in 2017, took their eye off the ball," Murphy told SEN on September 5.
"I think Luke would put his hand up to say that he maybe wasn't as dedicated or hungry as he'd been the years before.
"That was his thing, he missed out on the draft because he wasn't the most talented, but he was a ball of hunger and selflessness.
"He still does play like that, but the last two years, it's been shaded a little bit and not what it was."
Murphy, who missed the club's first flag in 62 years through injury, played on in 2017 alongside Dahlhaus before retiring at the end of that season.
In several videos posted on his Instagram account, Dahlhaus spoke about motivation.
The 26-year-old appears destined to land at Geelong in the upcoming NAB AFL Trade Period on a four-year deal.
"How unmotivating is this? I feel so unmotivated," Dahlhaus said sarcastically while filming from a beach.
"I swear when I woke up after 2016 I was just so unmotivated. F***ing hell, I wish I was listening to SEN."
Dahlhaus also posted a picture with Liberatore captioned: "Apparently unmotivated."
The former Geelong Falcon, who was taken at pick 22 in the 2011 Rookie Draft, enjoyed a career-best 26 disposals and 5.4 tackles per game in the premiership year.
In the two seasons since, Dahlhaus has averaged 23.5 disposals and 4.2 tackles per game.
Speaking to the club's website after returning to training for the 2017 pre-season, Dahlhaus said he was firmly focused on the future stuck in the past.
"It's head down, bum-up," Dahlhaus said on December 9, 2016.
"The body's a little bit sore, all of the five-plus boys have done about three full days now, so it hurts to sit down a little bit but it’s good to be back – the boys are up and about.
"(But) now it's time to move on and hopefully we're on track to chase another one."
Liberatore, who suffered his second ruptured ACL in round one, also remains unsigned for next season.
