The AFL future of Western Bulldogs midfielder Adam Treloar is again under scrutiny after he played just four minutes in the third quarter of Thursday night's disappointing loss to Adelaide.
Treloar has managed only five games this season and struggled to get involved at Marvel Stadium as the Crows dominated. The former ball-magnet had just four disposals by half-time and then spent only four minutes of a possible 32 in the third term.
Channel 7 cameras captured the 33-year-old looking dejected while spending an unusually long time on the exercise bike on the sidelines. Chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary called it a "bizarre decision," while AFL great Nick Riewoldt described it as "strange."
Coach explains decision
Coach Luke Beveridge was questioned about the move in his post-match press conference.
"It was Luke Kennedy's first game. Luke's got high endurance," Beveridge said of the 19-year-old debutant. "We're working through who should be playing different roles and covering the ground in different ways, and we thought we'd save Adam up for a run in the last quarter."
"He came on at the start of that last quarter and had an impact. So, with the five midfielders, you're looking for output at different times, and you make decisions throughout the course of the game."
However, with the game effectively decided by three-quarter time, the explanation left Channel 7 experts puzzled and wondering if the end is near for Treloar.
"That's a strange one. I'm not sure whether the physios or medicos got in his ear ... did he have a niggle? But four minutes out of 30-something ... That's strange," Riewoldt said. "You had to be in the game at three-quarter time to use him in the last quarter."
Form concerns mount
Concerns have been raised about Treloar's current form, and the midfielder appears well below his explosive best. Cleary wondered whether they were managing back-to-back six-day breaks, while Hamish McLachlan noted he was an All-Australian just two years ago and the cliff may have arrived quickly.
When asked if Treloar was running within himself to preserve his body, Riewoldt suggested time and injuries might have caught up with him.
"I don't think players necessarily run within themselves. That wasn't my experience. I never really saw that. It was just maybe you lose a step," Riewoldt said. McLachlan added: "He may be running with everything he's got."
Cleary noted Treloar had to work hard to secure a one-year contract extension for this season after playing in the VFL premiership last year. His career has been plagued by soft-tissue injuries, and he managed only four games last season.
