As the Western Bulldogs prepare for a high-stakes Friday night clash against Collingwood, one of their key defensive players is turning widespread outside criticism into a powerful source of motivation. For seasons, the Bulldogs’ back six has been labeled the soft underbelly of their premiership campaign — a persistent narrative that doesn’t sit right with young defender James O’Donnell, and his refusal to back down from that critique is exactly why he has become one of head coach Luke Beveridge’s most admired players.
In an interview ahead of the Collingwood match, O’Donnell opened up about leaning into the doubt surrounding his defensive unit, explaining that the negative chatter pushes him to perform better. “To be honest, I kind of like it. It fuels me a bit,” he said. “It is, at times, a narrative that is a little bit… I don’t think it’s completely correct. There’s definitely been areas in our game we needed to lift, and I feel like we made a lot of ground this year. Statistically speaking, we’re a pretty solid back six. Again, it’s just fuel and something I don’t shy away from. It’s definitely been nice to prove all those doubters wrong.”
Data from the final third of the 2026 AFL season backs up O’Donnell’s confidence. After a shaky start to the year that saw the Bulldogs leak goals at an alarming rate, the defensive unit has turned its performance around dramatically. What was once a clear weakness now matches the output of the club’s top-tier attack, pushing the Bulldogs into the league’s top six when it comes to defensive efficiency without possession. The backline has also racked up wins in critical individual matchups against some of the league’s most dangerous forward lines, outperforming many pundits’ expectations.
For O’Donnell, this underdog identity is core to who the Western Bulldogs are as a club, rooted in their blue-collar reputation that has defined the western Melbourne franchise for decades. “We don’t really talk about (the external noise) too much, it’s quite process driven,” he explained. “It sounds cliche, but that’s what it is: week-to-week, what we want to go after, different teams show different looks. But for me, I personally think as well, I’m sure the other boys if you ask them would probably feel similar. I think that’s us as a club in general as well: (we’re) doubted, but when our backs are against the wall we hopefully stand up. I love that side of it.”
Ahead of Friday’s game, O’Donnell is expected to shoulder the heavy responsibility of marking Collingwood star forward Dan McStay, a task he and the Bulldogs’ backline are already gearing up to meet.
Beveridge has openly admitted O’Donnell is one of his favorite players, and the coach’s praise for the young defender highlights just how far O’Donnell has come since switching his focus from professional cricket to elite AFL. “He’s a stand-up lad, isn’t he? He’s a ripper,” Beveridge said. “I know coaches aren’t allowed to play favourites, but I just admire how he’s come on, for a young fella who turned his mind to playing this game in a serious sense from cricket.”
Beveridge even compared O’Donnell’s famous long kicking to that of Carlton club legend Val Perovic, who was renowned across the league for his powerful distance kicks. “I made the comment to the players a while ago, he’s a thumping kick, you know? I reckon it started with Val Perovic, remember Val Perovic? Val had a thumping leg, he could kick it a mile. Mainly at Carlton, I think, when he would roost it, the whole crowd would go ‘oof’, like that. Now when there’s a highlight and Jimmy O’Donnell kicks the ball, the whole lecture theatre, the players go ‘oof’. He’s our Val Perovic now. Jimmy has been outstanding, and Buku Khamis has been tremendous. I think that backline, the composition now is probably in a place where it’s favourable.”
The respect and admiration between player and coach is fully mutual. O’Donnell says he owes much of his growth and confidence to Beveridge, who gave him an early opportunity in the Bulldogs’ senior side and has trusted him with critical responsibilities from the start of his AFL career. “Bevo and I have a great relationship, I am very lucky to have Bevo as my coach,” O’Donnell said. “I think about how I started and how he, I guess, gave me the opportunity so early in my Bulldogs career. The trust he’s given me and the responsibility, he’s probably given me more belief than I ever had in myself – especially at the start. That as a starting point, we’ve just got a great relationship in that sense, but from a backline and role point of view, he’s super clear. He knows what he needs from me and I try to provide that every week – I love playing for him.”