The Western Bulldogs are concerned that senior coach Luke Beveridge does not have enough support around him following his outburst at a journalist, according to leading AFL reporter Caroline Wilson.
Beveridge was forced into an apology after exploding at former Fox Footy reporter Tom Morris following his side’s loss to Melbourne in last week’s season-opener.
Wilson questioned whether Beveridge was fit “to be looking after the futures” of his players in the wake of his outburst, and said her sentiment was shared by the Bulldogs.
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“I think there is serious concern, even now as we sit here tonight, around the football club about Luke and whether he needs more support,” Wilson told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“There is an acknowledgement from the club now that there has to be a re-calibration of the support around Luke because clearly he hasn’t been coping.
“They’ve lost a lot of heavy experience in the coach’s box. Ashley Hansen and Steven King are two who come to mind who are gone from last year, and more from the year before.”
Wilson also questioned whether the Bulldogs’ head of football, former club captain Chris Grant, challenged Beveridge enough.
While Beveridge’s explosion stunned the AFL world, Wilson suggested the club had seen it coming in the lead-up to the 2022 season.
“There had been signs all summer that something was festering here,” Wilson said.
“I think he needs help to be capable of doing the job, and the club is admitting that. I’m not saying he needs psychiatric help. Don’t exaggerate this. I think he needs more support around him.
“I was disappointed he didn’t pay the $20,000 donation to charity. The club, I gather, believe now that they should’ve seen this coming with Luke and, as a result, have been prepared to wear the money.”
Wilson lashed Beveridge’s handling of media over the years, after repeated run-ins with a number of journalists, including Sunday Footy Show panellist Damian Barrett.
“The man clearly has no concept of how to deal with the media, or how the media works,” Wilson said.
“He doesn’t cope with the media and he doesn’t understand the media.”
Wilson said Beveridge’s “isolationist” nature showed signs of the stress placed upon him.
“Luke more than a year ago quit the coaches’ association,” she said.
“He was inducted the other night to AFL life membership and yet made clear to everyone there that he wouldn’t be attending the catch-up with Gillon McLachlan and his team when the coaches met the following morning. It’s not the $1000 or $1200 bucks you pay to be a member; it’s this isolationist view.
“The closed training sessions, even though the club say it wasn’t Luke Beveridge’s insistence on this, Marcus Bontempelli being the only captain in Victoria who wasn’t prepared to leave a main training session to go to a captain’s morning and only came later after training. All these little signs.”
Beveridge was also criticised for his new look, which has seen him come into the season sporting a handlebar moustache.
“I just think the moustache is a bad look,” Footy Classified host Craig Hutchison said.
“I know everyone will think that’s shallow, but when you are in the optics business as a senior coach is, and you are looking to present yourself as put together, in control, in the drivers’ seat rebounding from a runner-up position, your summer look has to go by Round 1.
“I’m sorry. It just undermines his ability to communicate. It’s a little thing, but it’s a series of those little things.”