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  1. #1
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    Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club


    LUKE Beveridge seems cut from the same cloth as the AFL’s longest serving coach Mick Malthouse.

    A father figure, a confidante and a master motivator who didn’t seem overly fussed if his players burnt the candle at both ends.

    If his players wanted a cheeky beer or an odd blowout after a victory, it didn’t matter as long as they went to war for him on a weekly basis.

    One of the many take-outs from the Western Bulldogs’ premiership hangover is that an isolated group of his players took that rope and ran with it.

    The last time there was this much chatter about the Dogs, the fallout was dramatic.

    They sacked their coach, lost their Brownlow Medallist, traded their captain and saw their CEO depart just months later.

    Now the club which won a premiership off the back of those dramatic decisions has again become the subject of an off-season whispering campaign.

    They might ship their best forward, there are rumours about administrative changes, the list manager is unsigned, the fan base is unsettled.

    The team that started the Handball Club seems more intent on being the Party Club.

    The club’s recent history shows events are never as bad as they seem, that one poor season can be the launching pad for success.

    But only if those issues are identified and immediately rectified instead of swept under the carpet.

    Luke Beveridge’s decision to trade Jake Stringer is the warning shot across the bows of his entire list.

    Beveridge’s issues run far deeper than Stringer when it comes to on-field issues.

    A simple snapshot: the Dogs were 15th for points for, 18th for goals per inside 50, 18th for kicking efficiency, 18th for centre clearance ranking and 17th for hit-outs to advantage.

    Simple question — who kicks all of the Dogs’ goals if Stringer leaves?

    The Dogs want a pick for Stringer instead of players, with Essendon and Geelong strong early suitors and St Kilda, Collingwood and North Melbourne interested.

    But as flighty and inconsistent and infuriating as Stringer is, he is a goalkicker.

    Despite being dropped last year, despite a knee and two hamstring issues this year, he has 122 goals from 2015-2017.

    In that time Marcus Bontempelli has 63 goals, Liam Picken 54, Jack Redpath 54, Luke Dahlhaus 39 and Tom Boyd 36.

    Tory Dickson kicked 101, but at 30 and with just 11 of those goals coming this season, it’s hard to think he picks up the slack.

    So Bevo needs to weed out the ratbags, find a better ruck set-up, weigh a trade for Stringer, fix his midfield, find more goalkickers.

    A single entry on his resume — 2016 premiership coach — will have him shouted free beer in pubs west of North Melbourne for all his days.

    But a long-lasting legacy comes from his capacity to drag this club back up the ladder again.

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  3. #2
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    Re: Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    A nothing article
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

  4. #3
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    Re: Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    Nothing aside from a journo putting to print something many of them and many of us have known for a fair portion of the year, i.e. we have a few party boys who have become comfortable with themselves.

    Now at least one of them is going to pay the price for it.
    Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.

  5. #4
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    Re: Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    Is Jake the party boy type? With responsibilities for two young kids, I would have thought the pressures were in a different direction.

    I can't help but feel huge disappointment if our club has been unable to get the best out of his remarkable talent. I find it so frustrating that we won't know the facts and can't make a rational judgment about what's gone on.
    www.bulldogtragician.com A blog about being a lifelong fan of the Dogs and our quixotic attempt to replicate 1954. AND WE DID
    Author of "The Mighty West: the Bulldogs journey from daydream believers to premiership heroes"
    Twitter @bulldogstragic

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  7. #5
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    Re: Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    The ratbags I see are named Jon Ralph, Damien Barrett and the other low life media scum.
    Footscray member since 1980.

  8. #6
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    Re: Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    who wrote article? Slobbo?

  9. #7
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    Re: Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    Quote Originally Posted by Templeton31 View Post
    who wrote article? Slobbo?
    Ralph
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

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  11. #8
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    Re: Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post
    Ralph
    What a pile of dribble.

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  13. #9
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    Re: Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    The article is a steaming pile of ... speculation. I mean really was the writer stalking players around after dark for the best part of the season? Just a load of unmitigated garbage.
    http://journals.worldnomads.com/merantau
    "It's not about the destination - it's about the trip."

  14. #10
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    Re: Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    The article is a steaming pile of ... speculation. I mean really was the writer stalking players around after dark for the best part of the season? Just a load of unmitigated garbage.
    http://journals.worldnomads.com/merantau
    "It's not about the destination - it's about the trip."

  15. #11
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    Re: Luke Beveridge and Western Bulldogs went from handball club to party club

    My heart wants to cry out b....s..t !!!! But my head thinks it may be fair comment. Even our staunchest supporters must realise something is wrong.
    The truth will set you free,
    but first it will piss you off. ... Gloria Steinem.

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