The veteran defender is one game shy of his 200th AFL appearance.
By Western Bulldogs Media
Western Bulldogs defender Rory Lobb is practicing patience this off-season.
The 32-year-old finished the 2025 campaign on 199 games, leaving his double-century milestone match for the new year.
“I get to sit on 199 for a bit…hopefully I can hit the ground running and play 200 in Round 1 next year,” Lobb said.
“It’s been such an amazing journey through three clubs. They say that when you first come into the league it goes quick – I feel like it’s gone quick in a way but I feel like I’ve got so much football still left in me.
“I don’t feel like I’m coming towards the end (of my career) yet even though I am getting a little bit older.
“I’ve still got at least two years left at this football club, and I’d love to play 100 games at the Dogs. That would be exciting.”
Lobb’s 2025 campaign was an impactful one, averaging 12.2 disposals, 6.2 spoils and 2.4 intercept marks.
He said having had a full pre-season in the backline paid dividends.
“It feels natural now – having a full season and pre-season as a backman,” Lobb said.
“Obviously it was a pretty disappointing finish to the season but overall I feel like I was really growing in that role and I’m looking to improve next year for sure.
“I didn’t miss a game…I think it’s the first time I’ve done that in about 10 years.
“I worked with Daniel Pratt over the off-season on getting my positioning right. I feel like I went a little bit too far in the defensive aspect throughout pre-season and found the balance early in the year of whether I intercept or spoil.
“Obviously I had a fair few spoils throughout the year but it’s just about learning to read the pressure – whether to sit assertive or take back shoulder.
“I feel like I’ve still got a long way to go in that sense – there were some games I did get done out the back for being a little bit too aggressive – but I’m looking to figure out that positioning in games where I can read it really quickly.”
Lobb looked forward to continuing to work closely with some of the team’s emerging defenders like James O’Donnell.
“Getting that synergy between the backs has been really good. I feel like we were really connected as a group. Us backs like to say we’re the most connected of any line,” Lobb said.
“Watching JOD grow into his role…I feel like he played some influential footy over the year, and I’m sure he’s going to go into the off-season and pre-season, work on his game and come back even better.
“It feels like a tight-knit group and we stayed really connected throughout the year. There were a few times when things weren’t really going our way but we managed to stem the flow and stay in games.”