Western Bulldogs currently sit 10th on the AFL ladder. That has been their lot for most of the year – teasing, tinkering, looming, ambushing, retreating, knocking on the door. Just when you think they’re out, they drag you back in. Their win over Carlton was full of merit. It was the win of a team capable of doing serious damage in September. And it was a typical Luke Beveridge win – a stake in the ground win.
If they’d lost, all the usual suspects would have been climbing out of trees to intensify pressure on the coach. They’d say he’s too weird, too stubborn, too off-message and that he’s stayed too long. They’d talk about the abundance of talent on his list. They’d talk about his bewildering selections. They’d do what they’ve been itching to do for years, and call for his head.
