At 1.84 m (6.0 ft) and 85 kg (187 lb), he plays as a contested ball-winning midfielder who applies high amounts of pressure.
While attending St Kevin's College he played top-level junior football with the Calder Cannons in the NAB League.
[3] The son of Tony Liberatore, former Western Bulldogs player and Brownlow Medallist, and mother Jane,[4] he was the eldest of three children.
[8] Fellow schoolmate and friend Mitch Wallis was also drafted ahead of Liberatore at pick 22, after the two had played together for St. Bernard's Junior Football Club, St Kevin's College and Calder Cannons since a young age.
[4] He was selected in the junior All-Australian team after the 2010 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, where he had averaged 22 disposals at 72 per cent efficiency, five clearances and four tackles.
[11] Liberatore made his debut in the Western Bulldogs' round one defeat to Essendon,[12] collecting 19 disposals, one behind and seven clearances in front of a 42,617 person crowd.
The Western Bulldogs' 35 point win over Richmond in Round 8 showed the power Liberatore could bring to a game, after he collected 25 disposals, kicked two goals and laid six tackles.
[18] On 5 August 2012, after a heavy loss to the Kangaroos in Round 19, Liberatore was found by police unconscious on King Street and was questioned about drug offences relating to the possession of what was believed to be ecstasy.
In addition, he was issued a $5,000 suspended fine, required to undergo club-driven counselling and education, and be engaged in full-time employment for the following six weeks.
[23] Liberatore improved in the following season, establishing himself as one of the AFL's most statistically dominant inside midfielders; he ranked first in the league for clearances[24] and second in contested possessions, behind only Sydney's Josh Kennedy.
[32] Liberatore had an outstanding performance against Melbourne in round eight of the 2014 AFL season, kicking two goals, collecting 27 disposals and getting a career-high 14 tackles.
[39][40] Coach Brendan McCartney praised his efforts at the end of the season, stating "He's tough, he uses the ball well, he defends and he cares deeply about this club and he's a fighter.
"[40] Liberatore had an unfortunate 2015 AFL season, missing the entire season due to a shock knee injury after Richmond player Ty Vickery tackled him and his leg buckled under the weight of the tackle in the Western Bulldogs's 22 point victory over Richmond in Round 1 of the 2015 pre-season.
"[50] Liberatore also had a great game against Port Adelaide in the 12th round of the season, gaining 24 disposals,[51] one goal, eight tackles and 13 clearances.
Playing 18 games, Liberatore averaged much lower amounts of kicks, handballs, disposals, marks and goals then he had in all previous years, and critics described his season as disappointing.
[59][60] Before this slump in form however, Liberatore started off the season with four solid games, getting a total of 47 tackles, 77 disposals and 2 goals.
[61] That wasn't enough for him to keep his spot in the team, and was dropped due to an incredibly poor eight disposal game against West Coast in the 8th round of the 2017 AFL season, after which coach Luke Beveridge decided he needed some time in the VFL.
[62][63][64] Liberatore did not make the Top 10 of the Charles Sutton Medal voting for only the third time in his career, missing out in his debut season and in 2015.
[95] He also played a similarly impressive game in the final round of the home and away season which saw him named the Bulldogs' best on ground,[96] gathering 25 disposals, 8 tackles and 7 clearances.
[98][99] He also won the John Van Groningen Domestique Award,[98][99] which honours the player who puts the team above all else on the field.
[102] Just three weeks into the season, it was revealed that Liberatore was second in the league for generating scores, behind West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui.
[103] He was named one of the Bulldogs' finest players in their win over Greater Western Sydney, their sixth consecutive victory of the season.