Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge reveals he snubbed an offer to coach another AFL club

[Rocket Science]

Suddenly the timing of Bevo's extension last year makes sense.

I recall a distinct mood shift in the coach and the club at the time, not to mention how we performed post the bye.

Educated guesses as to who the suitor was?



Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge reveals he snubbed an offer to coach another AFL club.


Luke Beveridge rejected overtures from a rival club before committing to coaching the Bulldogs until the end of the 2023 season.

Beveridge has revealed he was approached after the bye break last year when, he said, he was feeling vulnerable about his future at the Dogs.

He refused to name the club.

“Within our own club, I felt vulnerable,’’ the premiership coach said. “I felt vulnerable as far as job security goes.
“And I knew the competition had changed and I knew there was a little bit of demand for coaches at other clubs.
“But I only wanted to coach the Bulldogs.

St Kilda, Fremantle, Carlton, North Melbourne and Adelaide changed coaches during last season and Essendon changed its coaching structure. Of those clubs, Beveridge had the strongest links to the Saints, who appointed Brett Ratten as their senior coach.

Beveridge played 45 games at the Saints, his father, John, was the long-time recruiting boss and he had accepted a role at the Saints as head of football before his shock appointment at the Bulldogs for the 2015 season. The Herald Sun is not suggesting the approach was from the Saints.

“I don’t want to talk about who it was from,’’ Beveridge told the Herald Sun. “It didn’t shock me and I don’t want that to sound egotistical at all, but based on what the market was — and to seek out your interest and maybe even give you a guarantee that if you’re willing to come over, there’s every chance there is a role there — what it did was allow the Bulldogs and I to sit down and talk more seriously about my future and the future direction of the club.’’

At the bye, Beveridge and Bulldogs president Peter Gordon met in Noosa, where it was agreed to postpone contract talks until the end of the season. But the approach by the unnamed club prompted Gordon and Beveridge to do the deal within four weeks.

At that stage, it was a possibility the Bulldogs could miss the finals for a third successive season after the 2016 premiership.
They would finish the season with an 8-3 win-loss record in the final 11 games and then lose to GWS in the first final.

The disappointing finish undermined a stunning second half of the season. At the break, however, Beveridge believed his future was up in the air.

“Peter was terrific, he said there shouldn’t be any doubt about your future and I said to him it doesn’t seem like the right time to nail anything down,’’ the coach said. “We were 4-7 and I wasn’t comfortable in doing anything and he felt the same way. “But with what was happening with the coaching ranks, it brought it to a head a bit earlier.’’ Beveridge called the unnamed club and said thanks, but no thanks.

“I was really grateful Peter and the club saw fit to sign me up for a longer term when we hadn’t won eight of the last 11 yet,” Beveridge said. He told Gordon of the rival’s approach.

He also said he understood if the club wanted to move him on despite being contracted until the end of 2020.
“I told him I didn’t want to coach anywhere else, but I don’t want to have to deal with the running conversations and uncertainty,’’ he said. “I did say to him it’s the club’s opportunity, if you’re thinking differently, to get out if you want to.
“It’s a two-way street and that wasn’t in their thinking, so we signed it pretty quickly.’’

[bulldogtragic]

St Bedes Mentone nearly got their man.

[comrade]

Mature and professional approach by both Bevo and PG.

[Bulldog4life]

My money would be on the Saints

[ledge]

That’s hilarious they go on about his connection with the saints then say they aren’t suggesting it was the saints .. umm yes you are.

[Mofra]

That’s hilarious they go on about his connection with the saints then say they aren’t suggesting it was the saints .. umm yes you are.

There were rumours of a big Carlton offer last year as well.

[bornadog]

BONTEMPELLI FELT “SOMEWHAT RESPONSIBLE” FOR BEVERIDGE’S BULLDOGS VULNERABILITY

Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli admits he couldn’t help but at least feel a little responsible for the vulnerability Luke Beveridge experienced in 2019.

It has become apparent that Beveridge was the subject of an offer from a rival club last season before he sought assurances from the Bulldogs which ultimately came in the form of a new contract.

Beveridge admitted he “felt vulnerable” within his own club, something Bontempelli empathised with.

Asked on SEN Breakfast if he could sense any tension around the coach during that time, Bontempelli said: “Not that he indicated.

“It probably speaks volumes of his character that he was maintaining the same sort of level-headedness and the emotional connection with the group, as he always has.

“It’s a credit to him.

“It makes me feel, as a player, that to some extent you let your coach feel that vulnerable. You definitely feel, in part, somewhat responsible.”

The overtures reportedly came just after their bye round when the Dogs were sitting 15th on the ladder with a record of 5-8.


Amid the coach’s uncertainty, the Bulldogs would win seven of their next nine to qualify for the finals, prompting further praise from the club's star midfielder.


“I guess I feel really proud of our efforts as a football club to keep everything on an even keel to continue to make something of the season,” Bontempelli added.


“To think that to some extent we finished the year really well and it’s obviously kept ‘Bevo’ feeling more safe and secure (which) is a really good thing for us.

“We obviously love him as a person, we love him as a coach and to know that he felt secure after that period was a good thing for us.”

The Bulldogs, with a fully assured Beveridge at the helm, kick off the 2020 season with a tantalising clash with Collingwood at Marvel Stadium next Friday night.

[ledge]

There were rumours of a big Carlton offer last year as well.

That’s irrelevant they still made the suggestion by family connection and previously playing there it was St Kilda, whether it was or wasnt. Then they say we aren’t suggesting it was St Kilda ! Haha I love how the media says things then back peddles in the same article/ paragraph.
Why mention that stuff in the first place ?
They were certainly suggesting it was.

[GVGjr]

You have to wonder why he was feeling vulnerable? Some of it might have been of his own doing.

[jeemak]

You have to wonder why he was feeling vulnerable? Some of it might have been of his own doing.

Staring down the barrel of three successive missed finals and a contract expiring at the end of 2020 was probably enough. The detail is in the quote:

“Within our own club, I felt vulnerable,’’ the premiership coach said. “I felt vulnerable as far as job security goes.
“And I knew the competition had changed and I knew there was a little bit of demand for coaches at other clubs.
“But I only wanted to coach the Bulldogs."

So what's the article really saying? A club approached him, he told his club, and as a result he and the club expedited an extension pretty much straight away rather than waiting until the end of the year.

Sure, he contributed to the way the team performed, but so did the players and this is reflected in Bontempelli's comments.

[azabob]

There were rumours of a big Carlton offer last year as well.

That would explain why Carlton took so long to sign Teague.

[GVGjr]

How does s senior coach get into vulnerable state when he has regular meetings with the likes of Maple and Grant? I don't understand how there is apparent communication challenges

[hujsh]

How does s senior coach get into vulnerable state when he has regular meetings with the likes of Maple and Grant? I don't understand how there is apparent communication challenges

I don't think it's a question of communication. He's not signed so he knows there's a chance the club could not extend his contract. The team is performing poorly for the third straight year. It's natural to feel vulnerable in that state I think.

[comrade]

I don't think it's a question of communication. He's not signed so he knows there's a chance the club could not extend his contract. The team is performing poorly for the third straight year. It's natural to feel vulnerable in that state I think.

Yep, that’s how I read it. How can you not feel some vulnerability sitting at 4-7 and uncontracted at end of the year. Sounds like both parties were open and honest and proactive in getting shit done. And our performances subsequently improved.

[GVGjr]

I don't think it's a question of communication. He's not signed so he knows there's a chance the club could not extend his contract. The team is performing poorly for the third straight year. It's natural to feel vulnerable in that state I think.

Vulnerability typically stems from a lack of communication and certainty about your performance and future. In a professional environment where feedback to players and coaches occurs on an almost weekly basis he would have been very aware of how he was regarded. Perhaps he didn't agree with some of the improvement opportunities that he would have received feedback on but he would have been clear on how things were progressing.