Consistently monitoring the players’ physical and mental health has been a key focus for Bulldogs’ coach Luke Beveridge as life in isolation continues.
Beveridge and other key staff at the Club have been in constant communication with the players over the last month, ensuring their minds and bodies are looked after as they navigate an unusual period away from VU Whitten Oval.
“I’ve spoken to every one of our lads on the phone…we seem to be in a reasonable space,” Beveridge told Gerard Whateley on SEN radio.
“The boys continue to report in on their own health and wellbeing. Their mental state is included in that, and how they’re feeling with their training.
“The reality is that this is essentially another off-season. When we come back, we won’t have four or five months. There’s a good chance it might be three weeks.
“What a challenge it is for them to continue to train when they’re just come off a pre-season, and there’s no carrot right there for them at the moment.”
The potential impact the coronavirus shutdown will have on the futures of his Bulldogs comrades – players, coaches and staff - has also occupied Beveridge’s thinking as he works from home and plans for the Club’s on-field future.
“You think about how close you’ve become to people who’ve invested so much time and energy and passion into what we all do, and how this is actually effecting them at the moment,” he said.
“Then the fallout and diabolical aspect of the toll financially and as far as future vocational outlooks go, is something that’s reasonably stressful.”
