Time to question Bulldogs: coach Beveridge
Jul 7, 2017 - 5:31 PM Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says it is time to ask some hard questions of his players after one of the most shattering losses of his tenure.Beveridge says he is gutted at Friday night's feeble fade-out in a 59-point away loss to Adelaide.
The Dogs trailed by just three points at halftime but then conceded 10 unanswered goals in a display which disturbed the third-year coach.
"One of the worst (losses) since I have been at the club, absolutely," Beveridge said.
The Dogs (seven wins, eight losses) are in a mid-table crush of clubs and Beveridge said on current form, the reigning premiers would be "also-rans" if they made the finals.
Asked if was time to put hard questions to his players, Beveridge said: "It is. And I just have."
"We have had some really marginal performances where we have been questioned by the outside world about what our identity is now," he said.
"We had a solid one (identity) previously ... it's time to make sure that quarters, halves, like that just don't happen.
"There's a lot of variables that creep in and affect performance and it's difficult to identify what they are first, and then quantify the effect they have on your group.
"But there's line-in-the-sand type experiences. And we have had a few already where you say 'that can't look that way again'.
"But tonight's second half was definitely one of those experiences that was just too disappointing for a team and a club that has come a long way.
"We don't want to regress but tonight we regressed a bit."
Beveridge forecast much reflection on the Crows loss before next Sunday's match against Carlton.
"(We have) lot of time to process it which they say sometimes isn't the best, that you like to play straight away," he said.
"But we don't deserve to get another look at it straight away.
"We have to sit down and look at each other and get through it together and work out how we can find our way forward.
"There is still plenty left in the season. We are still in the mix.
"But on tonight's performance we would be an also-ran if we got there."
Source: AAP
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