Western Bulldogs senior coach Luke Beveridge has put the emphasis on his players to back-up last year’s surprise season in 2016. 

The ‘Dogs surprised many by finishing sixth in 2015 with 14 wins after a summer where they lost their captain and coach. 

It had been rumoured that Beveridge had ridden his young team hard over this pre-season to ensure no complacency snuck in. 

However, speaking on 6PR’s Sports Today with Brad Hardie and Karl Langdon, the second-year coach denied that. 

‘I know that Mitch Wallis may have let that one slip in recent times, but I don’t feel like I have,’ he said. 

‘I think over the journey and from year-to-year you hope the players take over a little bit with the messaging. 

‘You hope they are their own regulators. It’s compliance of some of the core things you do as a team you just step back from and hear their voices.

‘I don’t think I’ve been more overbearing, but the attention to detail has gone up a notch.’ 

Listen to the full interview here: