Western Bulldogs captain Easton Wood is set for a new forward role as the 2016 premiers look to return to the AFL summit.
Wood was a surprise addition to the Dogs' forward line during their 22-point victory over Hawthorn in Saturday's trial match in Ballarat.
The 28-year-old was barely sighted during the first half but built into the game to finish with seven touches, four marks and a goal.
Wood's typical role as an intercept-marking general had loomed as a particularly important one this season given the Bulldogs' loss of senior backline troops.
Former captains Bob Murphy and Matthew Boyd have both retired while fellow veteran Dale Morris is recovering from a serious knee injury.
But the Dogs believe Wood's leadership could be best utilised in a young forward line that has been bolstered by the off-season addition of rising star Josh Schache.
"He's a pretty good swingman, isn't he," stand-in coach Daniel Giansiracusa said after Saturday's match.
"We're going to give him a crack at it there. He's done the whole pre-season playing in that position but it's a handy guy to have up your sleeve that you can move back when you need him.
"'Bevo' (senior coach Luke Beveridge) especially likes swingmen in his team and we've probably been looking for one."
A relatively small option at 187cm, Giansiracusa believes Wood has the versatility to cause headaches up forward.
"He's a pretty powerful and quick player, so he's going to put defences on edge," Giansiracusa said.
"He hasn't played there much so he's going to continue to learn ... but the things he's learnt about playing on the best forwards in the competition, he's now trying to put that in place as a forward."
Former Brisbane forward Schache sat out the first half of Saturday's match but took just minutes to boot his first goal in Bulldogs colours.
He is one of several options for the Bulldogs in a ruck-forward role along with fellow recruit Jackson Trengove and Tom Boyd.
Boyd, who took time off last season to deal with mental health issues, is unlikely to play in the Bulldogs' final trial match against Collingwood next Saturday.
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