THE WESTERN Bulldogs have extended premiership coach Luke Beveridge's contract for a further three years, keeping him committed to the club until the end of 2023.
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Beveridge had been signed up until the end of 2020, but with his former club St Kilda, along with Carlton and North Melbourne looking to fill senior coaching vacancies, both parties were keen to cement a new deal.
Luke Beveridge has coached 109 games across five seasons at the Dogs. Picture: AFL Photos
Dogs president Peter Gordon had flagged the move for some time, and Beveridge announced it during a press conference on Friday morning at Whitten Oval.
"During the bye weekend, Peter and I spent some time together and talked about my future and the club's stability. We both decided there was no great urgency around getting anything done. I'm fully committed here and the club's committed to me," Beveridge said.
"In recent times, we formalised those discussions a little bit more, so we agreed to formalise it for the future on Wednesday."
Beveridge coached the Bulldogs to the 2016 flag that broke a 62-year drought for the club.
In other news, superstar Marcus Bontempelli looks likely to front up for Sunday's clash with the Saints at Marvel Stadium, although he will be limited in the training session two days out from the game after suffering ligament damage to his left ankle in last week's win over Melbourne.
"(He won't train) a lot as far as our main football session goes. He'll definitely run some straight lines and get a feel for how it is," Beveridge said.
Marcus Bontemeplli is tipped to face the Saints despite injury concerns. Picture: AFL Photos
"I don't want him to do too much at all.
"It's settled down and it's not a major injury – he was able to play out the game, but it's a Friday before a Sunday game, so if we cannot stir it up and he recovers really well, then he'll definitely play."
I'm fully committed here and the club's committed to me - Luke Beveridge on his contract extension
The Dogs would be desperate to have the silky left-footer out there, as they sit at 8-8 and are within grasp of a finals spot.
If Bontempelli is declared fit, he is expected to be joined by gun rebounding backman Caleb Daniel and inside midfielder Tom Liberatore, who would be returning from hamstring and right knee injuries respectively.
"They're on track to play. Just need to get a good session today under their belt. If they get through, they're most likely going to be playing on Sunday," Beveridge said.
Fan favourite Dale Morris may be forced to bide his time with a fourth straight game in the VFL, with the 26-man squad to be trimmed on Friday at 5pm AEST.
"Ordinarily he's just a walk-up start (but) our backline's playing pretty well and it's difficult to omit any of those lads," Beveridge said.
Onballer Mitch Wallis is expected to miss the rest of 2019 as he prepares for an ankle operation.
"He's probably going to be out for the rest of the year. We'll probably explore the surgical route this weekend," Beveridge said.
"We'll give you more on that when it's confirmed. He still needs to go in and talk to the specialist and really make sure that's what's going to happen."
Wallis had lined up in two VFL matches after missing a month with bone stress in the ankle.
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