Western Bulldogs president Kylie Watson-Wheeler says it’s too early in the season to “panic” and backed coach Luke Beveridge as pressure again mounts on his tenure.
The Bulldogs dropped to 11th on the ladder following a shock loss to Hawthorn at Marvel Stadium on Sunday – their fourth defeat in five games.
Frustrated star Adam Treloar said players were “not connecting well” in games despite strong training standards, while crucial on-baller Tom Liberatore could be absent for an extended period after he “stumbled” in another on-field episode following a head knock.
Watson-Wheeler said Beveridge, who has made bold selection calls this season, including to leave premiership and All-Australian defender Caleb Daniel out against the Hawks, continued to have her support.
“Yeah, he’s contracted until the end of next year, we are really focused on working together with the coaching group and we have had a lot of coaching changes as well so we are settling that in,” Watson-Wheeler told ABC Radio.
“We are focused on supporting the group we have and really ensuring we are giving them everything they need to bring that positive result on the field.
“I think you need to watch what is happening on the field consistently and what is happening within the walls of the club … we are in a bit of a phase of evolution within the team and determining how we can manage to deliver that high performance that we have the ability to do on a consistent basis.”
The Bulldogs conducted an extensive review of their football department last season that led to the appointment of Matt Egan in a newly created general manager of football operations role.
Watson-Wheeler said the club was continuing to assess how their staff was faring in the new structure but would not leap to any sudden conclusions.
“I think it’s too early in the season for us to panic or for us to make rash decisions,” she said.
“But we’re always coming together as a club and we’re always discussing where we’re at – does the playing group have what they need? Are the right decisions being made?
“This is not something that you just jump in on when you have a bad loss … these conversations are happening constantly and we’re always assessing where we are at as a club.”
Beveridge said after the game Liberatore would be treated with great care after another troubling on-field incident in his first game back since he collapsed in the middle of the ground against Essendon in round 5.
The 31-year-old is also set to receive an MRO sanction for a dangerous tackle on Hawthorn’s Will Day in which the Hawk’s head hit the Marvel Stadium turf during the third term.
“It’s something I can’t really comment on because I saw (Liberatore) stumble in the middle of the ground and that’s concerning,” Beveridge said.
“For it to happen again this afternoon when it was only a couple of weeks ago the same thing happened, it’s a bigger concern than a one-week issue.
“We’ll take a conservative approach, we’ll look after him.”