Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge storms out of press conference after stunning attack on journo

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has stormed out of his post-match press conference after an extraordinary attack on a journalist.

Luke Beveridge let rip at Tom Morris in one of the all-time press conference tirades.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge stormed out of his post-match press conference after launching an extraordinary personal attack on AFL journalist Tom Morris.

Beveridge’s stunning tirade came after the Bulldogs lost the AFL season opener to Melbourne on Wednesday night.

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The coach’s anger was centred at Morris after he reported earlier in the week premiership player and regular midfielder Lachie Hunter would be dropped for Round 1 because of poor form.

Beveridge left fans guessing right until the last minute about whether Hunter would play.

He was named in the starting 22, before Beveridge threw a spanner in the works just an hour before the first bounce when Hunter was surprisingly booted from the starting team and named as the medical substitute.

But Beveridge wasn’t done yet. Just 15 minutes before kick-off, Hunter was then named in the starting 22 again after Jason Johannisen picked up leg soreness in the warm up.

Luke Beveridge was furious over the Lachie Hunter selection saga. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Within 48 hours, Hunter was reportedly out of the team, in the team, the medical substitute and then included in the final line-up.

When Morris asked Beveridge after the game about Hunter’s selection, the Bulldogs coach exploded with one of the all-time press conference tirades.

A furious Beveridge then refused to answer any more questions and stormed out of the press conference.

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Morris: “Talk us through the events of the last few days with a few players, JJ, Martin, Lachie Hunter in and out of the team, Melbourne were similar as well. Is that just normal Round 1 preparation to be uncertain of how you’re going to prepare?”

Beveridge: “You’ve got the nerve to ask me a question, and even be here? You’ve been preying on us the last two times.

“You barrack for Melbourne Tom Morris, you’ve been preying on us. You’ve been opening us up, causing turmoil within our football club by declaring our team well before it needs to be declared. Is that the way Fox want you to operate? Is that the gutter journalist you want to be?

“We went with a plan. We had some late stuff go on with JJ coming out in the warm-up, everything other than was according to plan from the Sunday, which somehow you’ve found out about again, so we need to get to the bottom of this.

Luke Beveridge let rip at Tom Morris in one of the all-time press conference tirades. Fox Sports.

“Obviously we need to put our hand up and say there’s some leakage going on, but you’re preying on it, and it’s a team you barrack for, your conflict of interest here is considerable. Your gutter journalism at the moment is killing us behind the scenes.

“This is why the health and wellbeing of people in the game is caught up in this, because we’ve got things to concentrate on performance-wise, we’ve got to look after our own and then you cause all this muckraking trash that happens behind the scenes and names get caught up into it, and all we’re doing is planning for a football game. Are you proud of your self?

Morris: “Yes, absolutely. Fox backs me.”

Beveridge: “Wow. Do they? That’s enough, next question please. Next question, mate, you’re not welcome.”

Morris: “This is the AFL’s press conference.”

Beveridge: “Yeah, OK, well I think we’ve got enough boys and girls. I think we’re probably done, aren’t we?

Beveridge was furious at Morris and stormed out of the press conference. Fox Sports.

“So this is what happens, because I know Sam Edmund does it, many of you, if you found something out you’d ring (the club) and say look, I know this, just to know that you know, something’s happened, it’s got out, and courtesy and integrity and the ethical way to go about it has happened in the past.

“Now this bloke here and what he’s doing is giving everybody else a bad name, and right when we’re trying to stabilise our competition and what we do, with everything that’s gone on behind the scenes, and us as coaches and a football program with the soft cap situation as it is, and this sort of stuff happens.

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

Originally published as Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge storms out of press conference after stunning attack on journo