Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge reveals shock over Josh Dunkley trade request

Luke Beveridge has revealed how he was taken aback by Josh Dunkley wanting to leave Western Bulldogs and why the club played hard ball with Essendon.

Luke Beveridge and Josh Dunkley caught up recently following the latter’s failed trade to Essendon.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge admits star midfielder Josh Dunkley’s request to join Essendon during the trade period came as a “huge surprise.”

Dunkley appeared headed for the Bombers, but a deal between the two clubs could not be struck on the final day of trading.

The pair have since sat down to clear the air before the start of the Bulldogs’ pre-season campaign.

“Josh and I are very close, I’ve spent a lot of time with him talking about life as much as footy. I feel like I’ve spent more time than most of our players talking to him about key aspects of his game,” Beveridge told SEN.

“There’s a personal connection between him and I.

“I had to contain my emotions and try to put it in some sort of perspective.”

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Luke Beveridge and Josh Dunkley in 2016. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Beveridge said the Bulldogs were not prepared to watch the 2016 premiership player walk out of the kennel.

“We’ve invested a lot in Josh over the last five years, he’s blossomed as a player and definitely applied himself,” he said.

“He’s a professional but our program has really helped him get to where he’s got to.

“For all the different reasons and the weight of the reasons as to why he might consider the move to another club, my discussion with him was that it doesn’t matter, all that matters to me and to our club is that he’s with us.

“If there’s any tension there, then we need to discuss it, but he reassured me that things are fine.

“It was a huge surprise for all of us, (but) we look forward to him being a key contributor next year.”

The lure of more midfield time was one of Dunkley’s reasons for trying to get to Essendon.

The addition of ball magnet Adam Treloar makes it a jam-packed engine room, but Beveridge was adamant the mix would work.

“We understand that we’ve got, on paper, a significant amount of inside midfield candidates to play,” he said.

“Some of those boys can play forward and on wings and even at halfback, depending on performance and where you want to place them.”

Dunkley said he had cleared the air with Beveridge since his failed trade request.

“It’s nice to be able to go back now and really put my head down and earn that respect. If I have lost any from those people, I’ll work hard to get that back,” he said.

“I spoke to Bevo, I caught up with him the other night in Melbourne.

“We had a good chat. I’d spoken to him a lot through the process as well, (and) Chris Grant, Sam Power and Ameet Bains were the big four I’d spoken to and my teammates as well, so they were very supportive.

“I definitely feel comfortable. The boys have made me feel really comfortable, it’s obviously a challenge because it’s not every day someone asks to move.”

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