However, due to an injury Murphy suffered in the opening rounds of the season, Easton Wood took over the captaincy for the remainder of the year.
At the end of the 2015 season, the Bulldogs delisted Ayce Cordy, Brett Goodes, Matthew Fuller, Sam Darley, Daniel Pearce, Jordan Kelly and Jarrad Grant from their list.
[7] Michael Talia was also traded to Sydney after controversy surrounding him allegedly leaking game plans to his brother.
The Western Bulldogs had qualified for their second consecutive finals series for the first time since 2010 and battled with injuries throughout the year, finishing with a 15–7 win–loss record.
The only meeting between the two clubs in the regular season saw the Western Bulldogs win a close-fought contest by eight points at Etihad Stadium in round 11.