“Coffee mates”: Why Bulldogs coach is “disappointed” about Bont-Greene friendship

Western Bulldogs are gearing up for a heated game as they come face to face with long term rivals, the GWS Giants this weekend.

Coach Luke Beveridge is taking this rivalry seriously, shown in his detailed analysis of the Giants' Opening Round game against Hawthorn.

"I thought strategically they were really good. They've still got a really potent forward line and sturdy back end. They've had an injury or two through their midfield but they were really disciplined with that last week. So expecting them to produce the same and put us on edge."

The feud between the teams has been exacerbated by the seemingly intense hatred between Toby Greene and Marcus Bontempelli. There has been no love lost between the pair since engaging in an intense scuffle during 2019, with Greene even saying he would never share a beer with Bontempelli in the AFL's Prime docu-series Final Siren: Inside the AFL.

However, the pair may have managed to make up while both representing Victoria during the State of Origin games this year.

"I'm a bit disappointed actually because they're now coffee mates," Beveridge joked. "They'll probably both forget about it tomorrow... but yeah, some of the tension has been taken out of it a bit."

Speaking on the teams' history against each other, Beveridge said "We've played really good footy... we've been up for the challenge because we know that they're a really good side and we'll have that respect going into tomorrow."

The Bulldogs are well positioned going in this weekend's game, with Beveridge saying they can "feed off" their win against the Lions.

"It's one of the better home and away wins that we've had," said Beveridge. "That gives us an element of confidence going into our first game at Marvel this year."