AFL Geelong vs. Western Bulldogs: Bulldogs back in Luke Beveridge
The Bulldogs’ finals dream is over, but a member of the board at the club backed the under-fire Luke Beveridge, guaranteeing he will remain at the Dogs.
AFL
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Western Bulldogs board member Luke Darcy has called scrutiny of senior coaches including Luke Beveridge “bordering on disgraceful” as he emphatically backed the premiership coach.
On Sunday the Dogs’ finals hopes were dashed when GWS defeated Carlton.
It was the fourth time in five years their finals hopes rested on a result in the final day of the home-and-away season.
Dogs chief executive Ameet Bains made clear on Saturday the club would not consider any trade overtures for contracted forward Bailey Smith, who wants to play more midfield time.
Aaron Naughton also has suitors this trade period but is adamant he will fulfil a contract that lasts until the end of 2024.
And Darcy, father of young Dogs swingman Sam Darcy, was emphatic on Triple M about backing in Beveridge as he said he would “100 per cent” be at the club in 2024.
“Sometimes the commentary outside can border on disrespectful when you are talking about someone with the history and the record that the particular person (Beveridge) has, changed the whole paradigm of AFL coaching in many ways, and his recent record has been extraordinary. People are not always aware places are constantly being reviewed and constantly look to get better. Any discussion is way off the mark. He has been an extraordinary leader of the football club,” he said.
“I think you get afforded a level of respect when you have delivered what you have over a period of time. This death riding of coaches, I am uneasy with that. The way Ken Hinkley was treated this year was borderline disgraceful.”
Darcy denied any issues with the coach-player connection and said the playing group were “incredibly connected”.
Dream alive but what results do Dogs now need to make finals?
– Mark Hayes
For three quarters, you could almost hear the Benny Hill music.
But finally, and with only the vaguest hint of justification, the Western Bulldogs kept their season alive with an all-time forgettable 25-point win over Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.
The Dogs will now sit and sweat on Carlton knocking over Greater Western Sydney on Sunday to make the pointy end of the season.
But on exposed form, only the most ardent Bulldogs fan would expect that run to last long in September.
With Adam Treloar and Tim English finally setting their team alight, the Dogs booted six straight goals in the final term before a consolation major for Tyson Stengle after 31 minutes.
But should the Bullies ultimately miss the finals action, please dismiss any talk of top-eight expansion in years ahead as a complete nonsense.
They simply don’t deserve it.
A critical review of the tape of this game, once mooted as a clash of premiership aspirants, will reveal some of the most insipid defensive efforts – from both teams – in the current era at the Cattery.
Up to a third of goals for the night were kicked by forwards unattended and running towards or through an empty goalsquare.
A great example of the Dogs’ undeserving performance was that as time-on was reached in the second quarter, they trailed the Cats in the tackle count by 43-23.
For a team supposedly fired up to keep their season alive, that stat is deplorable, especially when Geelong had dominated possession at that stage and provided plenty to chase.
It’s far easier to excuse the Cats – who were eliminated from contention last week – for permitting some easier goals. And make no mistake, they did just that.
But it was bordering on laughable how many Cats goals were kicked by players without an opponent.
Yet, to give them credit, the Dogs didn’t let any out of their sight in the final term.
English pried the gates apart with an early final-term goal, then surged again with Marcus Bontempelli typically inspirational when most needed.
Then when they cracked wide open, the Bullies eventually looked the team most assumed they would be when the night began.
Earlier, the freedom with which the Cats played early was the polar opposite of the seemingly stress-hampered Dogs.
A series of “under-18” decisions compounded by basic skill errors gave Geelong all the early momentum.
But as the Dogs finally cranked up, the young Cats – exposed by a series of injuries to the club’s stalwarts – ultimately ran out of puff.
‘YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW’: PHILOSOPHICAL BEVO RUES MISSED CHANCES
Coach Luke Beveridge says he’s no choice but to remain optimistic as the fate of his Western Bulldogs switches to the hands of the Giants.
After the Dogs bungled their way through parts of the first three quarters at Geelong last night, they roared home to edge back into the eight before today’s final home-and-away matches.
But should Greater Western Sydney end Carlton’s winning streak, the Dogs will bow out of season 2023 having blown several golden opportunities.
“You reap what you sow,” a philosophical Beveridge said after the Dogs’ first win at GMHBA Stadium since 2003.
“We’ve sown a bit and there’s been ebbs and flows in our season.
“But ultimately I don’t lament. I just keep looking forward and remain optimistic.
“It’s always my message to the players that I believe in them.
“The `if’ word (given his team’s fate is outside his control) … it’s just there, isn’t it?
“But we’ve done all we can tonight.
“We’ll watch it. You ride your luck and we need to get a bit lucky tomorrow.
“It’s a 50-50 game. Both teams (Carlton and GWS) have been very good throughout the course of the year, so we’ll see how it goes.
“Ultimately we needed … more to be safe, and I’d be feeling better about it if that was the case.”
The Bulldogs battled early, appearing nervous as the young, new-look Cats jumped them and threatened to end their season prematurely.
But Beveridge denied the Dogs had played in a “tight” manner under that pressure.
“We may have felt that the last couple of weeks, but it was a big part of my pre-game to not worry about consequences,” he said.
“We made some blues with the footy and took some risk with our ball use … but as the game wore on, we used the ball better in space, the way we’d like to.
“It was a good outing and good to tick one off at the Cattery for the first time in a long time.
“Time will tell what it means.”
COME DOWN, OLLIE!
Ollie Henry came within a couple of inches of football immortality midway through the second quarter.
Henry needed to call air traffic control at nearby Avalon Airport to request permission to land after one of the longest “flies” in living memory.
Henry leapt for a pack mark on centre wing, using giant pair Bulldog Rory Lobb and new Cat Toby Conway – both over 205cm tall – as his initial stepladder.
He got that classic “second lift” as he stretched skyward, but in addition found a spot to balance and remained there for what seemed an eon.
If only he’d hung on to the Sherrin.
THANKS, FELLAS
He played for the arch enemy for a long time, but you wouldn’t know it by the warmth Cats fans showed Isaac Smith when he launched the scoring in the second minute of his final AFL game.
Smith, who’ll forever be remembered around the Cattery for his Norm Smith Medal win last year, celebrated in typically exuberant style and was mobbed by his teammates.
It was nearly a retiree double minutes later when Sam Menegola blazed a rare attempt at goal, but he too was cheered by the knowledgeable home fans, despite his inaccuracy.
LUV YA, LIBBA
It would be almost impossible to overstate the importance of Tom Liberatore to the Doggies.
Libba, who left the Round 22 clash against Hawthorn early with concussion and subsequently last week’s match, returned with a mere matter of 32 disposals against the Cats, including a rare goal.
But it’s not just numbers, it’s the grunt work and ability to share hard-won footy to his outside mates that still sets him apart.
At age 31 and with some tough kilometres on the clock, he can’t play forever.
But you can almost hear Dogs fans begging for Father Time to cut him some slack.
SCORES
GEELONG
2.5 7.11 10.13 11.13 (79)
WESTERN BULLDOGS
3.1 6.2 10.5 16.8 (104)
VOTES
3: A.Treloar (WB)
2: M.Bontempelli (WB)
1: I.Smith (GEE)
BEST:
Geelong: Smith, Stewart, Parfitt, Holmes, Conway.
Bulldogs: Treloar, Bontempelli, Lobb, Liberatore, Richards, English.
GOALS:
Geelong: O.Henry (3), Stengle (2), Smith, Atkins, Neale, Dempsey, Miers, Dangerfield.
Bulldogs: Lobb (3), Naughton (3), English (2), Treloar (2), Weightman (2), Poulter, Vandermeer, Liberatore, Ugle-Hagan.
INJURIES:
Geelong: Kolodjashnij.
Bulldogs: Naughton (arm), Scott (cut head).
CROWD: 20,553 at GMHBA Stadium, Geelong.
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