An offer from a rival club accelerated Luke Beveridge’s re-signing as Western Bulldogs coach, according to the Herald Sun.
Due to come out of contract at the end of 2019, the 2016 premiership coach originally decided to park contract talks until the end of the 2019 season.
The report states an offer to join another club came after the bye last year, which forced Beveridge to confront club officials after feeling his position was becoming increasingly vulnerable.
After showdown talks with President Peter Gordon, Beveridge decided to knock back the offer and re-sign with the Dogs until the end of 2023.
“I don’t want to talk about who it was from,’’ Beveridge told the Herald Sun.
“It didn’t shock me and I don’t want that to sound egotistical at all, but based on what the market was — and to seek out your interest and maybe even give you a guarantee that if you’re willing to come over, there’s every chance there is a role there — what it did was allow the Bulldogs and I to sit down and talk more seriously about my future and the future direction of the club.
“Within our own club, I felt vulnerable.
“I felt vulnerable as far as job security goes.
“And I knew the competition had changed and I knew there was a little bit of demand for coaches at other clubs.
“But I only wanted to coach the Bulldogs.”
Beveridge’s side is currently riding a wave of optimism ahead of the new season, which kicks off with a blockbuster Friday night clash against Collingwood.
