Media Street: Luke Beveridge and Tom Morris to break bread three years on from press conference stoush

Three years after a fiery, high-profile stoush at a post-game press conference, Tom Morris and Luke Beveridge are set to break bread on screen. See the details in Media Street.

Three years after their infamous press conference stoush Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge and reporter Tom Morris are set to break bread.

The pair haven’t spoken since Beveridge launched an extraordinary personal attack on Morris after the Dogs lost the 2022 season opening game against Melbourne.

Next Tuesday night Beveridge will be seated alongside Morris on Footy Classified with the Dogs premiership coach a guest panellist on the Ch 9 show.

Eddie McGuire hosts the Tuesday night version of the footy talk show with former Essendon great James Hird and Morris.

Beveridge has agreed to appear on the show as part of a deal with the AFL Coaches’ Association.

Channel 9 footy reporter Tom Morris.

Luke Beveridge. Picture: Kelly Defina/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

The press conference blow-up stemmed from Morris, who was working for Fox Footy at the time, reporting that Bulldogs player Lachie Hunter would be omitted from the team due to poor performance.

Hunter was initially named as the medical emergency before the match, but took his place in the team as a late replacement for Jason Johannisen, who was sore in the warm-up.

A furious Beveridge attacked Morris in the post-game media conference accusing him of having a conflict of interest because he supported Melbourne and of trying to destabilise the Bulldogs, saying the journalist’s reporting had threatened the mental health of players.

“You’ve got the nerve to ask me a question, and even be here,” Beveridge said.

“You barrack for Melbourne, Tom Morris. You’ve been preying on us. You’ve been opening us up and causing turmoil within our football club by declaring our team well before it needs to be declared.

“Is that the gutter journalist you want to be? Your gutter journalism at the moment is killing us behind the scenes.

Tom Morris, Eddie McGuire and James Hird. Picture: Ch9/Supplied

“The health and wellbeing of people in the game is caught up in all of this stuff.”

He then told Morris to leave the press conference but the reporter stood his ground pointing out that it was the AFL who controlled the event.

“You’re an embarrassment to what you do, mate. You’re an embarrassment.,” Beveridge said.

The Dogs coach was widely criticised for his behaviour and the next day issued a formal apology.

“I have reflected on my comments and actions from the post-game press conference after last night’s game and acknowledge that my exchange with journalist Tom Morris overstepped the mark,” Beveridge said in a statement.

“I want to apologise for my behaviour. I want to apologise to Tom Morris and all those present last night and to our members, supporters, partners and the wider football community.

“I recognised that what I did was not OK. It was not representative of our club culture, which is so special and means so much to me.

“While I was highly emotional in the moments after a difficult loss, it is no excuse to let those emotions spill over and get the better of me.”

But the apology was overshadowed by a shocking development on social media where a recording of Morris using sexist remarks about a female colleague as well as separate homophobic and racist slurs was widely circulated.

Morris was sacked the following day by Fox Sports for the offensive comments and was subsequently banished from the media for 12 months.

After undergoing counselling Morris returned to SEN in March 2023 and was then hired as Nine’s chief football reporter in November 2023.