Not Navajo Indians’: Bevo’s epic response to big Bulldogs question

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has conceded his side will face some “big tests” on the run home in their bid to feature in finals football, after a solid 49-point win over North Melbourne on Thursday night.

The Bulldogs are set to face Adelaide and Brisbane across the next fortnight in what looms as a crunch two-week period for Beveridge’s side.

The Dogs are currently 4th on the ladder with a win-loss record of 10-6, but have struggled to compete against the best sides in the competition this year.

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“We’ll relish the challenge. But we’ve just got to own up to the fact that we haven’t beaten anyone above us… so we’re in the mix, but there’s some opportunities on the stretch to keep winning,” he said post-match.

When asked whether the Dogs needed a scalp on the run home, Beveridge said they couldn’t shy away from the fact that they’re going to need to beat good teams in the back half of the season.

“We’re not Navajo Indians, I don’t necessarily think we need to brutalise it like that,” Beveridge joked.

“I think we need to keep winning to capitalize on our opportunity. The difference between being one of the better sides and being in that mid-tier pack is winning those close ones against the more formidable opponent. If you say do you need a scalp… the short answer to it would be we need scalps to finish high up on the ladder. We can’t back away from that.”

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Beveridge was full of praise for his leaders after the win against North Melbourne, in particular milestone man Tom Liberatore and captain Marcus Bontempelli.

“I just thought that those two boys… as the figureheads, the captain and the vice-captain, and ‘Naughts’ (Aaron Naughton)... our deputy-vice, I thought Naughts was very, very good. So our designated leaders were just outstanding.

“When we really needed our teammates to stand up, they just led the way. They led the charge and Tom… that just epitomises what he’s about.”

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Liberatore amassed a team-high 27 disposals and also recorded ten tackles and two goals, while Bontempelli had 25, ten and two himself. Naughton kicked 5.2 and hauled in nine marks.

Star midfielder Ed Richards briefly left the field during the third term after a collision with tough Roo Cam Zurhaar, Beveridge revealing post-match that it looked as though it was a “minor AC joint injury, which you can always play with”.

The Bulldogs take on Adelaide on Saturday July 12 in round 18.

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