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This is part two of the magnificent story of coach Luke Beveridge and his Western Bulldogs.
Haven’t read part 1? click (here).
To start 2016, Luke Beveridge genuinely thought a premiership was a ‘certain possibility’. Staff however have come out publicly during the week admitting they thought 2018 was their first real shot to bask at glory.
All the wash-up from the AFL Grand Final
» Match report: Bulldogs are premiers!
» BUCKLAND: The West wins one for all
» Seven talking points from the match
» Western Bulldogs player ratings
» Sydney Swans player ratings
The club started strongly, but the only downside was massive. Spiritual leader, captain and Footscray inspiration Bob Murphy ruptured his ACL. In the same play, Hawthorn stole the game out of the Dogs’ hands, preventing them from going to the top of the table.
Easton Wood would be the stand-in captain with Dale Morris and the youngest ever winning captain Marcus Bontempelli his counterpart when he was absent.
The Dogs were effectively and constantly executing their zany handballs during games, endlessly catching their opponents off-guard.
At various times of the year the Dogs found themselves in the top four with commentators in awe.
Their rapid ball movement was becoming more beneficent as Bevo assured his players all had mastered the art.
The fact that Mitch Wallis, Jack Redpath, Easton Wood and many others missed many games between them would have probably put an end to any tantalising premiership predictions but Luke Beveridge, already was ahead of the pack with back up options.
A dead rubber loss to lowly Freo to round out the home-and-away season would have shot down optimism doubtlessly, even to the faithful.
Being young, the way the Dogs handled the pressure through all four finals was magnificent. Each game they started as the underdogs, finished on top.
The word on the street is that the footy gods gave the west a chance. But it wasn’t the footy gods. It was a footy god.
This god was born more recently than the one in the sky – 1970 to be exact – and he is named Luke Beveridge.
Whatever he said to the players at the breaks, particularly in the latter three matches of the finals is something only he and the players know.
It deserves to remain that way. Presumably though some fiery words, seemingly out of character for a placid man, to remember all the hard yards. To remember what they’d learned at training, composure, but most importantly to back their instincts.
Then, a few minutes after 5 o’clock, the 1954 old premiership had some company. The ecstatic scenes were jaw-dropping to watch but it was the moment when Luke Beveridge invited Bob Murphy to the stage to present him with his Jock McHale medallion that we were reminded of what the Doggies were made of.
It wasn’t the first selfless act we’d seen from Bevo. Just look at this finals series alone and two other moments stand out. The first moment is when he rewarded the diehards that crossed the pilgrimage with $10 for a brekky.
Small but so loyal and thoughtful. Then a much less publicised event I observed on Thursday night when he was interviewed on the grand final Footy Show about the parade. He was asked something along the lines of ‘Do players, other than the 22 and emergencies deserve to enjoy the parade?’
He said that Roarke Smith and Lukas Webb, perennial emergencies had been removed and that they deserved to come.
“I wish I could give up my seat for them” he said.
“Unfortunately, I can’t”. That’s easy to say but other actions he has been involved in suggest he would. This is typical of the loyal Western Bulldogs.
It needn’t be forgotten that, unlike the previous premiers, these players, outside solitary Marcus Bontempelli, aren’t of the calibre of any of the Sydney, Hawthorn, Geelong or Collingwood players were when each of those teams were premiers.
They are all young prospects that Luke Beveridge has produced wonders out of. As much as the majority of Victoria would not admit it at all costs, they are the least-dominant premiership team for at least a decade, finishing seventh.
But it always comes back to Bevo. In the history books and twice consecutively voted the coach of the year, he rightfully has immortality status at Whitten.
If one thing, the Jock McHale Medal deserves to be on display at the club with each Luke Beveridge and Bob Murphy’s name attached to them. The future best clubman award deserves to be called the Beveridge-Murphy Medal. The Doggies have them both to thank.
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