Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has lifted the lid on the club's reaction to star midfielder Josh Dunkley requesting a trade to Essendon.
A move to the Bombers fell through as negotiations between the two clubs failed to find an agreement, with Dunkley now remaining at Whitten Oval with two years left on his contract.
Beveridge revealed he held discussions with Dunkley following the conclusion of the trade period.
โIt was a surprise and when Dunks and I caught up last week, I talked to him about the two sides of it,โ Beveridge told SEN Breakfast.
โJosh and I are very close, Iโve spent a lot of time with him talking about life as much as footy. I feel like Iโve spent more time than most of our players talking to him about key aspects of his game.
โThereโs a personal connection between him and I. I had to contain my emotions and try to put it in some sort of perspective.
โWeโve invested a lot in Josh over the last five years, heโs blossomed as a player, heโs definitely applied himself, heโs a professional but our program has really helped him get to where heโs got to.
โFor all the different reasons and the weight of the reasons as to why he might consider the move to another club, my discussion with him was that it doesnโt matter, all that matters to me and to our club is that heโs with us.
โIf thereโs any tension there, then we need to discuss it, but he reassured me that things are fine. It was a huge surprise for all of us.
โWe look forward to him being a key contributor next year.โ
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