WESTERN Bulldogs gun Tom Liberatore’s 2015 AFL season is over before it began, after a torn ACL injury suffered in the NAB Challenge.

The Bulldogs’ midfielder tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in their win over Richmond in the NAB Challenge.

SUPERCOACH SCORES: DOGS v TIGERS

“Our initial prognosis of an ACL tear was confirmed today by MRI, and we are all feeling for Tom, who is an integral part of our team,” general manager, Graham Lowe said.

“He is in good spirits however, and we know he will take his rehabilitation in his stride. Tom is an extremely resilient young man, and will return bigger and better from this setback.”

Liberatore’s serious injury put a dampener on the Western Bulldogs’ return to their Whitten Oval headquarters.

He was just warming to his first AFL game at the club’s spiritual home when a legitimate tackle in a contest left him writhing in agony, clutching the left knee.

The 22-year-old club best and fairest winner limped off midway through the NAB Challenge opening quarter after his left leg buckled under a heavy tackle by Tiger Ty Vickery near the boundary line.

Luckily, he was only 20m from the interchange gate and the support staff quickly hurried him to the bench.

After strolling out to the quarter-time huddle with an ice-pack on the knee, Liberatore and a trainer disappeared up one of the players’ race before the start of the second quarter.

He wore a compression bandage on the knee when the players filed out of a meeting following the 22-point win against an understrength Richmond.

“He’s tough and resilient and no doubt he’ll come back from it. He’s such an important person and player around the club, so it’s disappointing because he’s crucial to the fabric of the footy club,” Beveridge said.

“He’ll play a role (this season), no matter what.”

High-profile young Bulldog forward Tom Boyd made a modest debut for his new team in front of 9513 faithful fans.

Boyd’s first and only goal for the Dogs was a gift, a relayed free kick after Richmond’s acting captain Steven Morris was a little late with a tackle early in the second quarter.

The high-price recruit was never going to miss with the set shot from the edge of the goal square.

“I thought he was terrific. He spent a bit of time in the ruck and competed. He didn’t have any big impact on the scoreboard, but he gave us a real contest and that’s a really big step for him today,” Beveridge said.

“It’s important he fits into what our forward line is going (to look like). And he is. He’s going to be one of the generals down there and, like the rest of our young guys, he has to grow up quickly for us to be a challenger.”

Admittedly, Boyd worked up the field as a high forward, allowing big Jack Redpath to put in an early bid as one of the Dogs’ key forward targets.

Redpath, who has played only three AFL games, moved stylishly considering his 194cm frame and his two goals were the finishing touches to an eye-catching performance.

Beveridge said he was happy with the progression of stopper Liam Picken’s transformation to a forward role.

“He’s such a dour, hard customer. But even early in his career, he had a creative side. I wouldn’t like to play on him as a backman and he’s hard as nails in the midfield. He’s one of our versatile players and one of our really experienced players,” the Dogs new senior coach said.

5 Things We Learned

ONYA SKIP: Captaincy won’t be a burden for Bulldog Robert Murphy. He quickly settled back into his sweeper role across half-back, repulsing an attack and then controlling the rebound with his unhurried work by hand and foot.

FAST DOGS: New coach Luke Beveridge has the Bulldogs playing a fast, play-on brand. Now he just has to sharpen up the efficiency with the ball, particularly in the forward half. His Bulldogs nearly kicked away a confidence-boosting first win, finally salvaging it with the last four goals against the understrength Tigers.

TIGER IN HUNT: Watch for discarded Cat Taylor Hunt slotting into the Richmond line-up. Hunt hasn’t lost any of that breakaway speed, amassing a creditable 18 possessions, mainly through the midfield and laid four tackles in a solid first-up display.

NEW BREED: Time waits for nobody. While Ted Whitten and Doug Hawkins are irreplaceable icons out West and Chris Grant and Luke Darcy were among the guests, the fans were quick to acclaim the feats of the new breed, like Marcus Bontempelli and Lin Jong.

UMPIRES: Four field umpires really can work. It’s a healthy sign when you really don’t notice any of them. And yet there always seemed to be one within 15m of the action to make an accurate free kick call.