NEW WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has overcome a less-than-ideal initiation to the job to bring "a new lease of life" to the club, according to assistant coach Rohan Smith.
 
In October the Bulldogs became a club in crisis when former coach Brendan McCartney resigned after skipper Ryan Griffen sensationally announced his intention to join Greater Western Sydney.
 
Smith, a Bulldogs teammate of Beveridge from 1993-95, has been impressed by the inroads the new coach has made in a short period.
 
"It was a little bit hard for him actually. Getting appointed so late – it was probably the first week of November – was really difficult for him because he had to come in and (get) to know the players really late," Smith told AFL.com.au's new show First Bounce on Friday.
 
"Normally if you get appointed as a coach, you get four or five weeks to get to know the staff, get to know the players, etc. But the way that he's come in has just been terrific. The players have really warmed to him (and) he's sort of brought a new lease of life, I suppose.
 
"Everyone was disappointed when 'Macca' got the flick, but in footy you've just got to move on, and 'Bevvo' has just been sensational.
 
"The players have bought into his game style, and it's not really that different … He's given them a little bit of a licence to play on instinct, to take the game on a little bit, and the players have really enjoyed it over the pre-season. That's why we're looking forward to putting out a really good team out there tomorrow."
 
In their NAB Challenge opener, the Bulldogs host Richmond at their Whitten Oval headquarters at 4.40pm AEDT on Saturday.
 
Smith was bullish about the prospects of the Dogs' developing team, with youngsters such as Jake Stringer stepping up, and potentially helping to solve the club's scoring issues.
 
"We all know Jake's got so much power and ability. I think he kicked 22 goals in the last 11 games of last year, and if he can replicate that and kick 40 to 50 goals, that'd just be sensational for us. He's taken his game to another level," Smith said.
 
Smith also saw parallels between much-hyped recruit Tom Boyd and Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins.
 
"There's so much external pressure on him (but) he doesn't even show that. Internally, we're not going to put that pressure on him at all. We know that he's going to be a long-term project and it might take a couple of years for him to really hit his heights," Smith said.
 
"I see him a lot like Tom Hawkins (with) the hype that came when he first came in. He wasn't obviously doing that well but if you support him around the club and give him the confidence that if he's training hard and doing those extras, things will turn for him. He's a fantastic talent. We can't wait for him to get out there tomorrow."