Western Bulldogs great Doug Hawkins says coach Luke Beveridge and several players are fighting for their futures, with Saturday night’s clash against limping Richmond a pivotal juncture in a season spiralling out of control.
A shock loss to Hawthorn on Sunday has again put heat on Beveridge, although club president Kylie Watson-Wheeler has insisted she can “see, hear and feel” positive signs that the premiership coach, contracted until the end of 2025, is still the right man for the job.
Where to now: Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge is in the spotlight heading into Saturday’s clash against Richmond.Credit: Getty Images
Hawkins, who played 329 games for the Bulldogs, said he feared what could happen if the Tigers, sitting second last on the ladder, prevailed at the MCG.
“We can’t afford to drop this one, and Bevo can’t afford to drop this one, because the drums are beating outside. Inside, I don’t know, but I wouldn’t think so. But it doesn’t take a lot for the drums inside to start banging, too,” Hawkins said on Tuesday.
“These boys, the Bulldogs, need to step up for their coach and, obviously, for themselves, and their playing futures. Some of these blokes … are playing for their future.
“He [Beveridge] has been there 10 years – two grand finals. He is the most successful coach we have ever had in club history, but then again it was eight years ago, the premiership. What he and the team did was a miracle, they were magnificent, but it’s eight years ago now. We got into one in 2021, Melbourne got us in the second half.”
Hawkins, however, has backed Beveridge to turn the season around, the inconsistent Bulldogs with a 3-5 win-loss record and two wins from a spot in the top eight.
“I am a Bevo man, and it goes back a long time. I love it when he is up against it, he has his back to the wall and everyone is throwing punches at him. That’s what they [critics] are doing at the moment,” Hawkins said.
“I reckon he gets the best out of himself, and, hopefully, he continues to get the best out of the playing group.”
Dual North Melbourne premiership player David King, now a prominent commentator, told SEN on Tuesday he was a “believer in Bevo”, but said he believed Beveridge would follow Damien Hardwick’s template of quitting mid-season, having a break and then looking for a new club – should Beveridge decide it’s time he moved on.
King said the Bulldogs’ playing list “was short of the mark”, with key contract decisions to be made on ruckman Tim English and injured midfielder Bailey Smith.
Club chief executive Ameet Bains last year said he felt the Bulldogs had a top-four list, but they failed to make the finals. Hawkins said there should have been “alarm bells” after their round 23 loss to bottom-placed West Coast, the Dogs later commissioning an independent review of the football department by veteran administrator Peter Jackson.
The Bulldogs still boast elite talent in Marcus Bontempelli, Aaron Naughton, Bailey Dale, Adam Treloar, English and Tom Liberatore, the latter now out indefinitely after a fourth concussion in 12 months.
However, Hawkins has concerns about the team’s bottom six players, and does not understand why 2020 All-Australian Caleb Daniel, fourth in the Charles Sutton Medal count last year, has fallen from favour.
“I am surprised he is not in the side, particularly as our kicking skills at the weekend were ordinary, our field kicking was terrible,” Hawkins said.
Club champion: Former Bulldogs captain Doug Hawkins, now a traffic stopper, has backed Luke Beveridge to turn the team’s fortunes around. Credit: The Age
“I am not blaming our bottom six, but our bottom six are honest kids. Two or three may go on and be good players but, at the moment, when you have four or five, maybe six, who are struggling at the top level a little bit, it makes it hard.”
Hawkins said veteran midfielder Jackson Macrae, who has spent time in the VFL this season but had 21 touches, including five clearances on Sunday, was struggling with the pace of the game.
“I like Macrae, I think he is a good player, but, as we get older, the game gets a bit quicker, you get a bit slower, but his heart, and ability to win the footy, doesn’t change. It’s an interesting game this weekend, coming up,” he said.
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