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Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge’s extraordinary attack on Fox Footy journalist Tom Morris on Wednesday night has swiftly been condemned by large sections of the AFL media.
Beveridge labelled Morris a ‘gutter journalist’ and accused him of spreading ‘muck-racking trash’ after the newshound reported that star midfielder Lachie Hunter was to be dropped for the Bulldogs’ season opener against Melbourne.
Beveridge’s outburst was quickly slammed by Morris’ Fox Sports colleagues, with former great Nick Riewoldt saying after the match the 2016 premiership coach ‘lost his composure’, while Garry Lyon said he was ‘a little stunned and a little shocked’.
“To describe him as a gutter journalist was way over the top,” Lyon said.
“To call into question his integrity because he may or may not support the Melbourne footy club is out of line.
“That’s a poor reflection on him as a coach, I think, in this instance, and I know Luke, I know him well, I know how passionate he is, I know how hard he defends his turf, but he’s let himself down in this instance.”
“It’s poor form, absolutely. Tom Morris is there to do his job. Bevo is there to coach the football team, Tom Morris is there to get news,” footy hard man Jonathan Brown added.
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was more diplomatic, sympathising with Beveridge’s frustration with Morris and an internal leak within the Bulldogs, but believes he will regret his actions.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“I understand Bevo’s perspective … in a coach’s position, you want to control all the information in your football club,” Buckley said.
“That’s abnormal. There’s going to be ramifications from that. Unfortunately this is a big story, it’s going to be replayed.
“He’s [Beveridge] a dog at a bone, like Tom who got that information and shared it, because that’s his nature and his job. Bevo sees this as something he needs to address and he’s just put it out there.
“I’m not surprised he’s that done that because I think he’s very passionate about his football club and he wants to stamp out the leaking information.“That’s an emotional response and he’s created something that he’s now going to have to deal with.
“I think when Bevo looks back at that, he’ll go ‘I wish I had my time again.”
Morris quickly won support from all sections of the AFL media, with journalists taking to Twitter to defend his conduct.
Hawthorn’s chances of beginning Sam Mitchell’s tenure as coach with a win have been dealt a major blow, with captain Ben McEvoy among three players ruled out of Sunday’s clash with North Melbourne.
McEvoy and veteran forward Luke Breust will both be unavailable for the Round 1 match due to the AFL’s health and safety protocols, which have caused chaos across both the AFL and AFLW competitions in recent weeks.
Collingwood’s AFLW side saw their qualifying final against Brisbane postponed after the Magpies were left unable to field a full squad for the match; league rules state teams must have a minimum of 16 available players for a game to proceed as planned.
McEvoy and Breust join West Coast star Tim Kelly and another Magpie Will Hoskin-Elliott among those affected in the men’s competition. New Richmond captain Toby Nankervis has only just returned from isolation under the guidelines, and will face Carlton on Thursday night.
The Hawks are expected to name Jaeger O’Meara as captain against the Kangaroos in McEvoy’s stead.
The club will still be able to field a full side without needing to use the AFL’s COVID-19 top-up player pool.
Sydney are also reportedly feeling the brunt of COVID-enforced absences, with a number of players set to be unavailable for their opening round clash with GWS.
However, co-captain Dane Rampe said on Thursday the Swans still expect to field a near full-strength side.
“There’s been one or two close contacts so we’re just monitoring it at this stage. As far as I’m aware everyone’s ready to go but as is the case every morning it’s kind of a wait and see approach,” he said.
“We’re doing RAT tests every morning. It seems like every couple of days there’s someone who’s a close contact and has to isolate for a day or two. That’s been pretty consistent over the last two months.”
(Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Fremantle captain and dual Brownlow Medallist Nat Fyfe is in doubt for the Dockers’ Round 1 clash with Adelaide as he battles a knee injury.
7 News’ Mitch Cleary reports Fyfe, whose pre-season was curtailed by a shoulder injury suffered midway through the 2021 season, is also battling a knee injury that could rule him out of Sunday afternoon’s game.
Hopes were high for Fyfe’s fitness to start the year despite a turbulent summer that saw him contract a bacterial infection in his shoulder following surgery.
He missed both the Dockers’ pre-season clashes against West Coast, but had been given the all-clear by club doctors on his shoulder.
Fyfe is expected to return to a full-time midfield role for the Dockers in 2022, after stints in the forward line last season.
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