This is a bit of a surprise -

@White_Adam: Luke Beveridge is brewing as the likely front runner for the Bulldogs coaching position. Likely to be between him and Brett Montgomery.

Family friend of mine. Lovely bloke. Really highly rated too. Obviously, played at the Bulldogs after us, before crossing to St Kilda.

Come Luke....Come to the Bark side !!!

Come Luke....Come to the Bark side !!!

crickets....

It would be interesting to see his credentials.

From memory, they would include:

• Support roles at AFL clubs.
• A very successful stint in the VAFA as senior coach of the A-Grade premiership winning St.Bedes / Mentone.
• Pedigree in the form of dad who was a handy recruiter.

Good luck to Luke.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-31/dogs-hunt-narrows-to-three?utm_medium=RSS

Sumich, Montgomery and Beveridge, with a few others mentioned just for the sake of making it sound like a wide search.

I'm interested by the claim at the end of the article that the bulldogs are an up and coming team, and lauding the Boyd deal... I guess any deal looks good as long as you don't mention what you gave up for it.

Honestly, up until they imploded, yes, I thought the dogs were set to climb, if they could acquire some depth and steadily, calmly develop. But the level of problems at the club perhaps have been masked by the presence of that small group of exceptionally promising young players.

Looking at the list;

Forward line should be ok, with Boyd, Crameri, Stringer and Dahlhaus.

Midfield core looks strong, with Liberatore, Bontempelli, Macrae and Wallis. But it gets thin quickly after that.

Wil Minson is their only real ruckman, that's a worry.

And their defence is full of 'not quite' players, especially tall defenders.

One thing is for sure, they need to get the coach right and it will not be an easy coaching job. They are in danger of becoming the new levitating potato of the AFL.

Peter Rhode didn't do too well there either. Maybe hoping for next Clarko.

Some "Assistants" benefit from strong clubs/strong resources/strong senior coaches.

Andy Lovell also mentioned as a possibility

Made the Interchange in the All Star AFL team of players with a Greek background.

Family friend of mine. Lovely bloke. Really highly rated too. Obviously, played at the Bulldogs after us, before crossing to St Kilda.

I think the football background might go back a few generations as well and his mum was a very good administrator at local junior club St. Peters East Bentleigh for many years.

I'm not sure what happened to him at Melbourne because he seemed be developing quite nicely as a player and then just dropped off the radar. Mind you that's been a common story over the years with us.

The Luke Beveridge appointment as coach of the Western Bulldogs struck me as having some similarities with the appointment of Mark Neeld at Melbourne a few years ago. A young untried coach with a record of multiple premierships at local level, more flags as assistant at AFL level and a team split by dissension and internal power plays.

But the first answer to the first interview Beveridge gave after his appointment does not bode well ~

Luke Beveridge believes timing is right for Western Bulldogs coach-appointment

GLENN McFARLANE: Congratulations on your appointment, Luke. Can you finish this sentence for me? The Bulldogs in 2015 will be ...

LUKE BEVERIDGE: Ill use four words: hard to play against.

The Luke Beveridge appointment as coach of the Western Bulldogs struck me as having some similarities with the appointment of Mark Neeld at Melbourne a few years ago. A young untried coach with a record of multiple premierships at local level, more flags as assistant at AFL level and a team split by dissension and internal power plays.

But the first answer to the first interview Beveridge gave after his appointment does not bode well ~Luke Beveridge believes timing is right for Western Bulldogs coach-appointment

http://m.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/new-melbourne-coach-mark-neeld-says-demons-to-play-tough/story-e6frf9jf-1226139306807

Some similarities indeed. Let's just hope he doesn't make Bontempelli and Hrovat co-captains, then I'd start worrying!

No comparison between Neeld and Luke. One had no man management skills and Luke is brilliant at player management.

No comparison between Neeld and Luke. One had no man management skills and Luke is brilliant at player management.

Agree. One coach was recruited at the end of a formal process, the other coach was appointed as a rushed knee jerked decision following one club's discussion with Mick Malthouse.

Good luck Luke. It's a challenging job with a thin list. You are going to have to really cook the job badly to bring any possible comparison with Neeld.

The appointment of neeld was made by one person one G Lyon, when the club was at a weak time.

How many games did be play at the dees?

How many games did be play at the dees?

.

42 from '89-'92.

The appointment of neeld was made by one person one G Lyon, when the club was at a weak time.

He was appointed by the incumbent Board and I agree it was a weak time.

Come Luke....Come to the Bark side !!!

That is bloody terrible..........

I loved it

[censored] the Doggies!! Hope Beveridge [censored] up and is sacked first year. It will mean at least one team worse off than us.

[censored] the Doggies!! Hope Beveridge [censored] up and is sacked first year. It will mean at least one team worse off than us.

Thats very bitter and highly optimistic

I know Bevo personally and he is a driven, highly credentialed coach. He is an excellent people person and deserves all our best wishes!

I have seen and been involved in sport with him and I can tell you he is a fierce competitor, true sportsman and fantastic loyal fellow.

I wish him all the very best and I believe he will thrive in the "Doggies Kennel" The players will love him!

I know Bevo personally and he is a driven, highly credentialed coach. He is an excellent people person and deserves all our best wishes!

I have seen and been involved in sport with him and I can tell you he is a fierce competitor, true sportsman and fantastic loyal fellow.

I wish him all the very best and I believe he will thrive in the "Doggies Kennel" The players will love him!

Someone been force feeding Mr. Nice pills up your arse Picket?

Someone been force feeding Mr. Nice pills up your arse Picket?

If they were then they must have missed yours by a long way.

I know Bevo personally and he is a driven, highly credentialed coach. He is an excellent people person and deserves all our best wishes!

I have seen and been involved in sport with him and I can tell you he is a fierce competitor, true sportsman and fantastic loyal fellow.

I wish him all the very best and I believe he will thrive in the "Doggies Kennel" The players will love him!

Neeld was the same. Something often happens when you get a senior AFL coaching job and sometimes it aint pretty.