Lukas Markovic Biography

Daniel Cross, Nick Lower, Lukas Markovic and Patrick Veszpremi are delisted by the Western Bulldogs.

"These decisions are always difficult but are made with the club's future as the primary focus," Bulldogs list manager Jason McCartney said.

"We thank the players sincerely for the valuable contributions they've made to our football club and wish them the very best for the future."

Lukas Markovic is desperate to make up for lost time after his return to the Bulldogs line-up was delayed by a hamstring tendon problem that initially went undetected.

"I'd never had anything like it before so I didn't know how it was meant to feel," he said.

"We couldn't do anything about it, though - we trusted the scan and it showed nothing, so we just treated it by the symptoms."

Bulldog star Brian Lake says his younger defensive teammates have helped him rediscover his dominant form this year.

"The improvement in the side defensively has really helped myself," he said.

"We've had some injuries to some key players down back, and the enjoyment I'm getting out of teaching some of the young guys down there [with] 'Aussie' (Mark Austin) coming into the side and obviously Lukas Markovic earlier in the year, it's given me a new outlook on football and I'm really flourishing from that this year."

Western Bulldogs defender Lukas Markovic says an injury for Tom Williams opens the door for him or another player to take up a spot in the Bulldogs' backline.

"It's very unfortunate for Tommy; he's had a very bad run, so I feel really bad for him but … it is another opportunity for someone to step up," Markovic said.

"I certainly don't have that role cemented yet - we've got some good young kids coming through - but I certainly want to put my best foot forward and try to jump in that role … (and) hold down that key position."

Western Bulldogs youngsters Luke Dahlhaus, Matthew Panos, Liam Jones, Christian Howard, Dylan Addison and Lukas Markovic all sign contract extensions with the club.

"This is an extremely positive outcome for our club and completes the re-signings of our remaining players, including the upgrade of two emerging talents off the rookie list," Bulldogs general manager of football James Fantasia said.

Lukas Markovic makes his AFL debut for the Western Bulldogs at Docklands Stadium with 9 disposals (7 kicks and 2 handballs), a mark and 3 tackles in a 55-point loss to Essendon.

New Bulldog Lukas Markovic hopes a move to defence and an injury-free run will allow him to finally have an impact at AFL level after spending three seasons on Hawthorn's rookie list.

"At the end of the year, I started speaking to the recruiters a little bit here and I just know in this industry, there are no guarantees at all," he said from Whitten Oval on Monday.

"I was certainly still having the mindset I'd be playing VFL next year and if I got picked up, it would be a bonus. As it turned out, it's worked out that way and I'm absolutely rapt."