WAFL 2025: New South Fremantle coach Craig White says Bulldogs have to face lofty expectations head-on

South Fremantle coach Craig White says they’ve got to roll with the heavy expectations on his side in his first season at the helm. The Bulldogs have been one of the most active sides this off-season, adding a lot of talent including four former AFL players as they look to rebound from missing finals last year. Former Fremantle defender Ethan Hughes joined ex-Collingwood backman Trey Ruscoe as well as former West Coast and Geelong speedster Jamaine Jones in heading to the kennel this off-season. Ruckman Hamish Free has also returned after a stint at North Melbourne, giving White plenty of talent to work with in 2025. But the strength of their recruiting also means there’s plenty of expectation, which White said they had to face head-on. “We’ve just got to roll with it, you’ve got to face it,” he said. “Most sides at this time of the year want to aim for finals and try to position themselves for that. “We’re realistic that there might be some teething problems in the first month or five rounds of the year but hopefully with those quality of players we’ll be able to hold ourselves in good stead early and give ourselves a shot at playing finals.” Ruscoe joins the Bulldogs after a season at West Coast’s WAFL side where he was used in a variety of positions for the wooden spooners. White said they’d settle the former Magpie up forward as they looked to add more firepower in 2025. “We identified we’re a little bit deficient there in being able to kick a score,” he said. “Trey played the first two practice games as a key forward and that’ll probably be the role for the first five to six games. “Dylan Main has been away and Zac Strom’s slowly coming back (from injury) but he played a practice game, but he’ll need a few games to get going.” South Fremantle already had one of the soundest defences in the league led by captain Chad Pearson and full back Noah Strom. Hughes – who played 107 games for the Dockers – will further strengthen it alongside the pace that Jones adds. “Those four guys and we’re really competitive for spots down there,” he said. “We’ve got Lewis Rayson, Toby McQuilkin, Jacob Whan, Jaxon Artemis as well – we feel with those senior guys can be a solid foundation and probably the backbone for the year.” White takes over from premiership coach Todd Curley, who ended an incredible 10-season reign to the Bulldogs’ longest serving coach. Curley had blooded a lot of youth in his final few seasons, with one of White’s biggest challenges ensuring he gets the mix of youth and big-name recruits right. “We want to continue that, we’ve focused a lot over the pre-season on relationships and the cultural piece,” he said. “We’ve dedicated training sessions to just getting to know each other and building relationships because that’s what we feel like will bring everyone together. “We feel like if the young guys can blend in with those new guys and get to know them as quick as possible we feel like they’ll gel on the field as best they can. “We’re mindful that we want to continue to blood these youngsters and maybe they get quicker development with those senior guys.” One man the Bulldogs will likely be without for the majority if not all the season is Sandover medallist Haiden Schloithe, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. “It’s really unfortunate for Haiden to get that news and from our point of view as a club, we really just focus on getting him healthy and back to it,” White said. “From the perspective as losing him as a player, he can’t be replaced. It’s got to be a collective where we try to fill the void of his ability and his leadership. “There’ll be a number of guys that we try to fill that role but hopefully it’s kind of a collective that we step up. We’ll make it a bit about Shloithey and have him supporting from the grandstands.”