Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has taken a sharp swipe at Hawthorn premiership player turned media commentator Jordan Lewis, dismissing trade speculation around star ruckman Tim English as nothing more than "half a scoop of vanilla."

Lewis caused a stir on Monday night when he declared on Fox Footy's On The Couch that he'd be surprised if English was still at Whitten Oval next year. "I think there's strong word around that the questions are being asked at other clubs, 'is he gettable?' and I think he's gettable," Lewis said.

But Beveridge wasn't having it. On Thursday morning, the Bulldogs coach fired back, calling out his former colleague — they worked together when Beveridge was an assistant at Hawthorn — for stirring the pot without substance.

"He's come back with a half a scoop of vanilla. If he's going to speculate and make statements, you've got to give the full scoop. Tim's contracted until the end of '29, so a player of his ability and impact, he's secure here."

Beveridge added that the speculation came "out of left field" and that the club had no idea where Lewis got his information. "I don't know who he's talking to, but we're not sure there's any accuracy in any of that," he said.

The Bulldogs are reportedly keen to strengthen their midfield by recruiting Port Adelaide star Zak Butters next year, but English has been vital to the side's fortunes this season. Meanwhile, Beveridge said the team had done a lot of soul-searching after last week's 57-point thrashing by Adelaide. He wants to see improvement in scoring from clearances, starting with Sunday's clash against St Kilda — a side the Bulldogs have smashed by an average of 67 points in their last three meetings.

Veteran midfielder Adam Treloar, who spent most of the third quarter on the bench against the Crows due to ongoing soft-tissue issues, has been battling illness but trained on Thursday. "He's been a bit crook, he's missed the first couple of days, but he'll train," Beveridge said. "He wants to see out the year, so we'll work through that."

Magpies coach McRae backs free agency push, provides

Hill update

Over at Collingwood, coach Craig McRae has thrown his support behind the club's pursuit of free agents Lachie Neale and Zak Butters, while cautioning that small forward Bobby Hill is still a long way from a return.

Hill, the 2023 Norm Smith medallist, hasn't played at AFL level since round 22 last year after taking time out for personal reasons. He wasn't considered for selection during last year's finals series. McRae said Hill is "battling" and still a way off playing even VFL footy, despite taking part in a light training session on Thursday.

"Let's be really clear, he's got a lot going on, and he's a work in progress, but it's nice to have him in the building. I was chatting with him yesterday, having really deep conversations about this stuff, and regardless of whatever happens in life, there's a level of love and care, like these young men are in my eyes like my sons."

McRae said the club has a strategic plan around free agency, and list manager Justin Leppitsch is leading the charge to bring in big names like Neale, Butters, and Gold Coast forward Ben King (a restricted free agent). "I've said openly that we want to be in the market for free agents," McRae said. "We have a list management meeting monthly, and names get brought up, and there's an excitement, I must admit."

When asked if 33-year-old dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale would be a good fit, McRae said "absolutely." He also acknowledged that talk of big recruits — including reports that star midfielder Nick Daicos has been part of the pitch to lure Butters — could be a distraction, but said the players don't get caught up in it. "There's definitely an energy when we bring Dan Houston and Harry Perryman into our environment, the locker room gets excited because we're here to win," he said.

McRae also confirmed that Brayden Maynard (shoulder) is still a week away, and Darcy Moore (hamstring) has benefited from a US training block, but no return date is set.