By Michael Gleeson and Jon Pierik
Luke Beveridge has dismissed the idea of a rift with players as “total fiction” despite controversial team selections this year, saying rebuilding is a myth and a line had not been put through any senior players.
Where he had been mixed in his messaging after Friday’s night terrible performance against Essendon in the 29 point loss, this time the Western Bulldogs coach tried to be clear.
The Bulldogs were upset by the Bombers on Friday night.Credit: AFL Photos
Though several senior players – including premiership winners, All-Australians and those on long-term deals and significant money – have been in and out of the side and used as subs this year, Beveridge denied there was disharmony at the club and that he and the players were not on the same page.
“The rebuilding term is a myth. You cannot rebuild in our code, in our competition within the constraints that exist with the draft and the salary cap. You just can’t, you can’t do it. Rebuilding infers that you’re knocking something down and it’s coming from the ground up from a new origin and you just can’t do that,” Beveridge said.
The big name players who have missed selection or been used as the sub include Caleb Daniel, Jackson Macrae, Bailey Dale and Rory Lobb. That four alone comprise more than $2 million of this year’s salary cap, which raises questions about the futures of those players at the club.
“We’re not looking at it as a line in the sand with players who have gone out of the side,” Beveridge said.
Premiership coach Luke Beveridge.Credit: AFL Photos
“Some of the players that you’re alluding to, who may be on bigger contracts, that they might not be long here any more – that’s obviously definitely not the case. There’s still a form line, as you know. Like racehorses, sometimes players have dips in their performances and that’s happening with some of our experienced players.
“Jack Macrae is back in the team, I’m sure Rory Lobb will come back in the team, Caleb [Daniel] definitely will. And so if there’s others then that’s all OK. Bailey Dale went out recently and that’s a form thing … and sometimes, we need a circuit-breaker.”
What has made the Bulldogs’ selections decisions perplexing is that the replacements have not played well. And while they are inexperienced at AFL level, they are not young: Lachie Bramble turns 26 on Friday and Oskar Baker 26 next month.
“Where you guys might have thought it was a bit grey [in selection] is you hope there’s no pain. But some of the guys who were picking up and taking those roles haven’t got a history of form at AFL level, so you’re hoping that they can cope with it all right,” Beveridge said.
“And so there will be some situations where young guys don’t necessarily have the best games and that’s just the way it is while you’re trying to give them some experience and hopefully put them in roles that are going to help you win the game.”
He added: “If [messaging] came across as mixed [after Friday night’s game], it wasn’t intended to be mixed.
“I’ve never been a coach that has tried to leverage for time, I’ve always been a coach for the now and I believe in our group and we try to make every post a winner. So each week trying to win the game is absolutely important and critical and it’s what we’re after.”
Beveridge coached the Bulldogs to a flag in 2016 and a grand final appearance in 2021.
“We’ve had a dip that we’ve come again, and we didn’t call it pull it off in 2021. We’ve had another dip and now we’re in the process of doing everything we can to re-emerge,” he said.
Beveridge said Riley Garcia and former Melbourne midfielder James Harmes would be in line to be picked this week when the Dogs face St Kilda on Thursday night.
The Saints are likely to make changes as well, with star forward Max King restricted to light duties at training and coach Ross Lyon saying he is only a “slim” chance to play.
King wrenched his knee in a marking contest on the three-quarter time siren during Saturday’s loss to Greater Western Sydney and left the field.
Max King was injured against the Giants.Credit: AFL Photos
While he was cleared of structural damage, the Saints’ second five-day turnaround has hampered the marking forward’s ability to recover. He was restricted to light running in the time the media was given to watch training on Tuesday.
“He’s more unlikely than likely. There’s no structural damage. He’s going to move today and if he moves today well (we’ll see), but he’ll have to give me confidence that he’s right to go,” Lyon said.
Tall defender Dougal Howard is under consideration to return, having recovered from a high-grade hamstring strain. He had 18 disposals, nine marks and seven rebound-50s in the VFL last weekend.
The Saints already have defensive talls Callum Wilkie, Zaine Cordy and Josh Battle, but Lyon understands the Dogs will look to stretch his team through Aaron Naughton, Sam Darcy and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
Beveridge said Tom Liberatore, who collapsed on Friday night as though he had fainted or been knocked out and had to be attended by worried opponent Darcy Parish, had suffered a “concussive episode” but had cleared all concussion tests on the night and had been lucid after the game.
Despite passing the tests, Liberatore was later put in the concussions protocols and will miss this week’s game while doctors are also doing further tests to try to get greater clarity on why he collapsed.
“We feel like there was a concussive episode that he had some of the delayed response to and that’s what he probably stumbled down, but he still passed all the tests. So that’s why they’re going into some other investigations to make sure there’s nothing else, so there’s still a little bit of uncertainty,” he said.
With Jon Pierik
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