All-Australian midfielder Jack Macrae says Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge’s “heart was in the right place” during his post-match outburst last week as he committed his long-term future to the club with a new five-year deal.
Macrae also said his superstar teammate Marcus Bontempelli would be ready to tackle Carlton on Thursday night despite ending the season-opening loss to Melbourne last week with an ankle issue.
Beveridge apologised and the club made a $20,000 donation to charity for his outburst towards a journalist in the aftermath of the defeat.
Macrae, who has played under Beveridge for all but two years of his career, said the coach was always out to support his players. He said Beveridge had spoken to them about his outburst and they had already put it behind them.
“His heart was in the right place, as he said, it just wasn’t executed as he would have liked,“ Macrae, who was elevated to vice-captain this year, said on Monday.
“From my view, he was protecting the players and his heart was out there to protect our club and the players.
“If you’re going to get it a touch wrong, at least his intentions were there for us.
“You always know he’s out there to protect our best interests and at times he puts his own best interests at the back for that, so I feel extremely well supported.”
Macrae dismissed any concerns over players leaking selection information, which was at the heart of Beveridge’s concerns.
“It seems to happen at almost every club,” he said
“It’s unfortunate when information gets out before family members are told and things like that. That’s where it gets a bit touchy.”
Bontempelli trained with his teammates on Monday and Macrae said he was “pretty confident” the skipper would line up against Carlton.
“If you can get him out there, even if he’s not 100 per cent, he’s such a special player,” he said.
Macrae, a three-time All-Australian, is set to finish his career as a one-club player after signing the extension, which will keep the 27-year-old at the Bulldogs until at least the end of the 2027 season.
“This club means an enormous amount to me and my family and I couldn’t be happier to commit my future to the Western Bulldogs,” Macrae said.
“I’m extremely passionate about the direction this club is taking, and I am so proud to wear the red, white and blue every week.
“It’s an exciting time to be involved at the Bxjmtzywulldogs. I am determined to help this side continue to strive for on-field success but also drive a really strong culture within the playing group.”
