VAFA denies Western Bulldogs coach abused umpires after son injured in Premier B section match

AFL coach Luke Beveridge offered VAFA umpires a few words of advice after his son copped a big hit on the weekend. But the VAFA says Beveridge wasn’t abusive and “did what any concerned parent would do”.

The VAFA has dismissed suggestions Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge confronted the umpires at a Premier B section match last Saturday.

“Certainly not. Absolutely untrue. Yes, Luke Beveridge spoke to the umpires but in no way could it be called aggressive or a confrontation,’’ umpires coach Peter Marshall said this morning.

Beveridge was watching his son Kye play for St Bedes Mentone Tigers against Fitzroy Lions at the Brindisi St Oval.

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Late in the first quarter Kye collided with a Lions opponent in the middle of the ground.

He was helped to the bench and played no further part in the match.

Marshall was a field umpire in the game and said he saw Beveridge crossing the ground to go to the Tigers’ huddle.

The collision left Kye Beveridge (pictured on ground, left) sidelined for the rest of the match.

“He was walking in from the outer side and had to go past the centre circle and I could see he had a concerned look on his face,’’ he said.

“I said to our group, ‘You realise that’s Luke Beveridge and it was his boy who went down in the middle, brace yourself, you might cop something here’.

“He had a bit of a scowl on his face. Now I actually had to jog off the ground for a toilet break but when I got back on I asked the group if he had anything to say.

Kye Beverage (right) and Darby Henderson during the 2018 Challenge Cup

“They told me Luke said, ‘That’s my boy, that’s twice in two weeks he’s gone down, make sure you’re protecting the ball player’. That’s all he said, protect the ball player. There was no heated confrontation or discussion or anything like that. He did what any concerned parent would do, in my view.

“He was watching the game from the outer wing. He did not make a beeline for the umpires.’’

He said he was aware of talk in the past few days that Beveridge had “had a crack at the umpires’’ but it was untrue.

Marshall said he noted the incident involving Kye Beveridge in his after-match report, “only because he left the ground and didn’t come back on’’.

But after viewing footage he was satisfied there was nothing in it.

“It was a case of Kye awkwardly running in to an opposition player and his head hitting the player’s chest,’’ he said.

“He was helped from the ground and did not participate in the rest of the game. I believe he failed a concussion test. But he sat and watched the remainder of the game from the bench with his tracksuit top on.

“He plays without fear. I had him in the first round against Parkdale Vultures and he goes in hard. He’s a tough little bugger.’’

Kye was on Collingwood’s VFL list last year.