THE WESTERN Bulldogs headquarters in Footscray look vastly different to the place Liam Jones last trained at before he departed for Carlton eight years ago.
The 31-year-old returned to the Whitten Oval as an unrestricted free agent last month, with star key forward-ruckman Rory Lobb also arriving from Fremantle.
But things are different, at least right now.
Lobb has moved from one of the best training facilities in the AFL in Cockburn to a construction site.
Things aren’t pretty, but they will be in the not-too-distant future.
Victoria University Whitten Oval and the Western Bulldogs’ training and administration base is undergoing a major $77 million renovation, which will be fully completed by 2024.
The iconic Whitten Stand was demolished in July before the surface was completely dug up in August, sending the players to training grounds off-site for the closing weeks of the season, as well as for season seven of AFLW.
Like plenty of Bulldogs, Jones and Lobb have been completing their off-season weights program inside a gym that has moved into where the old cafeteria used to be open to diehard supporters looking for a glimpse of their heroes.
Those who haven't been back at the club will get a surprise when they report for pre-season training in the coming weeks. The Bulldogs' first-to-fourth-year players are due back on November 21, while the senior group return on December 5.
The plan is to be back on the ground by round one, but it might take a bit longer given the large-scale transformation occurring to the ground.
The surface has been excavated and will return in a different dimension with 1500 seats in a new incarnation of the Whitten Stand, plus broadcast quality lightning upgraded and a new Bulldogs museum, among other additions.
In the meantime, Luke Beveridge's side will complete pre-season training at Skinner Reserve in Braybrook, 10 minutes away from the Whitten Oval.
Skinner Reserve underwent a $3 million redevelopment last year in a project involving the Maribyrnong City Council and the Western Bulldogs, providing a training base for the AFLW program in recent months.
Just like all the weights, Pilates reformers and exercise equipment, the football department has been relocated to inside the John Gent Stand, moving away from the previous building which is still standing but currently has nothing but a roof.
While the membership, community and finance teams are on a floor above them, Chris Grant's football department have been moved into new workstations with a temporary theatrette constructed for meetings, where they will be for the next 12 months. It is makeshift, but it will do.
The redevelopment of Bulldogs HQ has been one of the key projects Ameet Bains has overseen since becoming CEO at the end of 2017, as well as the continued growth of AFLW, the club's partnership with Ballarat and exceeding 50,000 members for the first time in 2022.
The State Government has contributed $44.8 million to a project that is set to provide the Western Bulldogs with one of the best training and administration bases in Victoria.
Short-term pain, long-term gain for Jones, Lobb and the Dogs.
