Western Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains has shed light on the standing of senior coach Luke Beveridge as the home-and-away season winds to a close.
Beveridge, who coached the Bulldogs to their drought-breaking 2016 flag, was subject to increased scrutiny last week following his side's shock loss to the West Coast Eagles in Round 23, which put a significant dent in their finals chances.
However, the Bulldogs rebounded in admirable fashion against Geelong on Saturday night at GMHBA Stadium, securing a 25-point win to slot back into the top-eight for at least a day as the club now awaits the result of Sunday night's Carlton-GWS finals-deciding blockbuster.
Prior to Saturday night's much-needed victory, Bains spoke toย Channel 7 about Beveridge's future at Whitten Oval; noting there are two years remaining on his current contract.
"The club, myself [and] the board are fully supportive of him (remaining as coach), [he's] got two years running on his contract and that'll be the case," Bains categorically stated.
"(Bailey) is contracted for next year, so as far as we're concerned, that's that."
.@cleary_mitch caught up with Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains for a chat about Luke Beveridge and Bailey Smith. pic.twitter.com/UWgY0eG0tm
— 7AFL (@7AFL) August 26, 2023
Beveridge, whose future in red, white, and blue appears confirmed for the time being, spoke post-game on Saturday about needing to rely on other results to qualify for September football.
"We've done all we can tonight. We'll watch [the game], you ride your luck, whether we'll get lucky tomorrow, it's a 50-50 game, both teams have been very, very good throughout the course of the year," Beveridge said.
"Ultimately, we needed to kick one or two more (in other matches) to be safe, and we'd be feeling better about it if that was the case."
The Bulldogs have been in this situation before, having needed to rely on a final-round Carlton result in 2022 in order to stamp a finals ticket. However, instead of a loss last season, the Dogs require a Blues victory over the Giants on Sunday evening.
