Hawthorn can have Brian and his banter – for Luke Dahlhaus, the Western Bulldogs pups are alright.
Former Bulldogs key defender Brian Lake will play against his old teammates for the first time in Friday night’s round-two AFL pre-season cup match at Etihad Stadium.
The two-time All Australian was one of the big moves in the off-season when the Bulldogs traded him to the Hawks.
Dahlhaus admits it was weird watching Lake make his Hawks debut last weekend, but is confident the Bulldogs will do well out of the trade.
The `Dogs recruited Nathan Horvat and Josh Saunders through the draft with the picks they gained in the deal.
Dahlhaus also has no doubt Lake will want to engage in some on-field chat with the Bulldogs during Friday’s game.
“It will be good, a bit of banter – but it will be good to see the kids we got from his trade and how they go,” Dahlhaus said.
“As you probably know, Brian has a bit of banter about him.
“So he’ll probably be saying a few things, but we will just try to work on the footy.”
While the Bulldogs lost Lake, they gained retired Geelong key defender Matthew Scarlett as a part-time assistant coach to help with their young back line.
Dahlhaus is finding out first-hand that Scarlett, a six-time All Australian and three-time premiership player, is also a good teacher.
“I don’t really work with him too much because he’s a backman,” said Dahlhaus, a small forward.
“But when I’m working with the backs, he tells them all these little tricks.
“A lot of people are beating me because of all his knowledge.”
The Bulldogs lost their round-one mini games against Essendon and Collingwood, adding to the sense that they are in for a long, hard year.
But Dahlhaus said the `Dogs feel they are on the right track.
“Last week was just a bit of a warm-up for us, I think, just to get some of the rust out of the body – especially with the kicking efficiency,” he said.
“It will be a good challenge for us against the Hawks.
“You hear those sorts of things (about the Bulldogs’ chances), but we’ve set ourselves a goal … we’re pretty confident with how we’re going.”
