Poulter joins Bulldogs via mid-season draft

The Western Bulldogs have selected wingman Caleb Poulter with pick 10 in the 2023 AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft. 

A former Collingwood midfielder, the 20-year-old has plied his trade for the Footscray Bulldogs this season, averaging 17 touches and three tackles per game.

Selected at Pick 30 in the 2020 National Draft by Collingwood, Poulter played 12 games for the Pies before joining Footscray at the beginning of the season. 

Poulter featured in some match simulation for the Western Bulldogs over the summer, and he will add vital depth and versatility to the squad for the remainder for the 2023 season. 

Bulldogs’ National Recruiting Manager, Dom Milesi, said Poulter would be a welcome addition to the AFL list. 

“We are pleased to be able to bring Caleb into our AFL program full-time,” Milesi says. 

“Caleb joined in for a portion of the Bulldogs pre-season, impressing with his running ability and ball handling skills, and he will provide valuable depth to our list heading into the second half of the season.”

“The 20-year-old fits into our age profile with plenty of upside left in the South Australian youngster, bringing a sense of versatility and reliability after a couple of years in the AFL system with Collingwood.

“We followed Caleb closely throughout his draft year and as a top 30 pick clearly has attributes to make him successful at the top level.

“Our program is very familiar with Caleb after spending time in the Footscray side this season, continuing a strong trend of developing talent for AFL lists.”