Beveridge’s admission on struggling Dunkley is ‘a blessing’: Martin

New Western Bulldogs ruckman Stefan Martin says honest feedback is “a blessing” at the club, following coach Luke Beveridge’s admission that midfielder Josh Dunkley was under pressure.

Speaking on SEN on Wednesday morning, the Bulldogs coach revealed Dunkley, whose request to be traded to Essendon last year was denied, was “not at his best” and that his position in the midfield pecking order was under scrutiny.

“He didn’t play his best game against Hawthorn [in last week’s practice match],” Beveridge said.

“There’s pressure on for his spot and the role that he plays. He understands that and he’ll be treated the same as every other player.″⁣

Martin, who crossed to the Bulldogs after eight seasons at the Brisbane Lions, said Beveridge’s forthright comments and honesty were “a blessing”.

“That’s the way it should be,” he said. “We’ve got a culture where we actually want that feedback from people.

Coach Luke Beveridge has been forthright in his comments about the pre-season form of midfielder Josh Dunkley.Credit:Getty Images

“We view it as a blessing that we get talked to honestly like that, so the onus is on us to respond and take it in the right way. Because we’ve got that trust, we can give that feedback and get that feedback.″⁣

The former Lion is a firm advocate for honest criticism, and says it is an important ingredient to a winning recipe.

“Cultural stuff is really important, in particular feedback stuff,” Martin said. “‘Fages’ [Lions coach Chris Fagan] and the Lions did it too. If you’ve got the trust in the relationship, you’re willing to take feedback from them, because you know they’re doing it to help you.”

With heat on for spots in a stacked Bulldogs midfield, the 199-centimetre veteran said training had been fierce.

“The pressure that is applied in there, and the way the boys scrap it out and fight to the death, is really noticeable,” Martin said. “Their attack on the ball just amazes me at times. Witnessing it from a few metres away, some of the stuff that the boys do, it’s pretty impressive.“

Adam Treloar is one Bulldog who can be assured of a spot in the starting midfield, provided the former Magpie overcomes a calf complaint.

“I don’t think the limited preparation will be a problem,” Martin said. “He’s naturally a fit guy and the competitive side will come out no matter what. As long as [his calf] comes up, we’ll definitely have him in there round one. He’s the type of guy that when he crosses the line, he could’ve had a sketchy pre-season and still perform at his best.”

The 34-year-old Martin has taken on a new role this year, working with Bulldog Tim English to help the young ruckman becoming one of the league’s premier big men, and giving him more support in the ruck, which also gives the team the option of English spending time up forward.

“The role of a mentor, obviously I’m here to play too, but that’s been enjoyable, I’ve been loving working with Tim,” Martin said, with the pair turning heads in the recent hitout against the Hawks.

“I think Tim was particularly good. Gee, he’s an impressive forward, an impressive footballer. He was the standout there,” Martin said.

Ruck duo Stefan Martin (left) and Tim English at Bulldogs training on Wednesday.Credit:Getty Images

“He uses the ball really well, he can come up and hit up at the ball and he’s smart with his leading patterns, so I’m sure ‘Bevo’ will be really confident of him playing forward. You’d love two of him, but for him to be forward and contributing so well, it lets me be on ball and do my thing as well.”

After moving to Whitten Oval in last year’s trade period, Martin says he “needed” the challenge of proving himself to a third club.

“Having been at Brissy for quite some time, it’s given me a bit of extra energy with a new challenge. Even though I’ve been around for a while, I feel like I’ve got to prove myself to a whole bunch of new people, which is good for me.”

Following a season marred by a stress fracture in his back, Martin also said his body was feeling “close to perfect”.

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