THE WESTERN Bulldogs have fended off rivals in the race for Tom Campbell's signature, with the ruckman agreeing to a two-year contract extension.



The market for ruckmen is heating up and the Dogs, who have limited options for the specialist position, should view Campbell's re-signing as a coup. The new deal will tie him to the club until the end of 2018.



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The 24-year-old has been a solid performer in 35 games with the Bulldogs but has not played senior football since his round 13 outing against Geelong.

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During that time he recovered from a foot injury before being concussed in the final round of the VFL season.



He returned to play against Essendon in the VFL semi-final and kicked one goal while sharing ruck duties with Will Minson.



Campbell will be a key player in Footscray's preliminary final against Collingwood on Saturday, as the Bulldogs continue their success with a list that is the envy of many clubs in the competition.



The market for ruckmen is expected to be very tight in the 2016 trading period with many big men out of contract and several clubs interested in bolstering their ruck stocks.



Geelong’s Nathan Vardy is on the shopping list of several clubs with Greater Western Sydney having expressed interest.



Giants' ruckman Rory Lobb is in demand but he is also under contract and the preliminary finalists are unlikely to entertain trading him.



West Coast’s ruck stocks in 2017 may be under pressure if Scott Lycett requires an operation on his PCL, which could rule him out for an extended period. The Eagles have already lost Nic Naitanui to an ACL injury for next season.



Several quality young ruckman including the Giants' Tom Downie, Collingwood's Jarrod Witts and the Sydney Swans' Toby Nankervis remain out of contract and might be tempted by clubs who can offer them more opportunities at senior level.



Clubs have also been debating the type of ruckman required in the future as stoppages are down due to the stricter interpretation of the deliberate-out-of-bounds rule with some fearful the last touch rule may be introduced down the track.