By Peter Ryan
The Western Bulldogs will leave for Perth on Sunday to spend the week in quarantine at the Joondalup Resort ahead of next Sunday’s match against West Coast as they lick their wounds from a heartbreaking one-point loss to Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said the situation was becoming increasingly difficult for clubs as border restrictions between states changed repeatedly, with the Bulldogs forced to hastily rearrange plans due to COVID-19 cases in NSW.
“The operatives at the AFL are really trying to help but the executives have got this really clinical approach to their decision making that games need to go ahead no matter what,” Beveridge said.
“Circumstances are a bit different this time that what they have been … what we all have to be careful of is telling people they have to stay somewhere and they can’t leave.”
The Bulldogs had expected to have the next few days in Melbourne before spending time in Sydney next week and then heading to Perth but the diagnosis of COVID-19 cases in the harbour town has forced the AFL to change tack with the Bulldogs and the AFL having to hastily reorganise their schedule.
Beveridge said that distraction made their performance against Geelong even more meritorious as they held the lead until Geelong’s Gary Rohan kicked the match-winning goal after the siren.
A masked Marcus Bontempelli leads the Bulldogs off the ground after the loss to the Cats.Credit:Getty Images
“There is a lot going on behind the scenes at the moment and for them to turn up and put some of the peripheral things out of their head and just focus on the challenge of playing the Cats, at their home base, and to get so close, we were pretty grateful for what they did tonight,” Beveridge said.
“Pre-game there was a lot of organisation that went into going to NSW amongst everyone and with family and friends and for it all to be shut down, and now with the probability that the AFL are going to want us to be on tight restrictions to play the West Coast Eagles, that compared to having a few days off and refreshing is pretty extreme.
“I thought the boys processed that extremely well, gave a great account of themselves and nearly got there.”
He said that despite the disappointment the team would take heart from their ability to match the Cats on their home ground where they have not won for 18 years.
“You guys all say that the Cats will be a contender or one of the better teams so ultimately to have this experience and understand that all of these games are generally going to be tight if you are one of the better ones. To learn from the possibilities and grow from them is the way we’re looking at it and with the optimism that next time we might get them,” Beveridge said.
Meanwhile, Bulldogs spearhead Aaron Naughton had scans immediately following Friday night’s match after suffering what appeared to be a rib injury just before half-time in a clash that caused him to be subbed out of the second half.
Peter Ryan is a sports reporter with The Age covering AFL, horse racing and other sports.