Before the Western Bulldogs’ one-point loss to Adelaide in Ballarat on Saturday, coach Luke Beveridge spoke candidly about a “traumatic week” at the club that included two terrible family tragedies.
In order to attend to personal concerns, Lachie Hunter took an indefinite leave of absence from the club, and Mitch Wallis was also excluded from the team for private reasons.
Speaking following his team’s defeat to the Crows, Beveridge also disclosed that Wallis’ mother-in-law sadly died the week after a deadly vehicle accident, and that Travis Varcoe’s mother passed away the previous weekend.
Emily, Wallis’ wife, is expected to give birth to their second child in one week.
“We’ve had a difficult week as a team and as a club,” Beveridge told reporters after the game.
“The families have had a very trying week. It goes without saying that your football team is like a second home and family to everyone, and everyone is quite emotional about what is going on with Mitch and Emily and their families.
“Our only hope is that everything goes according to plan for Emily and their impending baby’s birth over the course of the next week or so.”
Next week, the Bulldogs will want to recover when they play Essendon.
“We simply need to maintain our optimism,” Beveridge stated.
“We are facing a number of challenges in different forms and shapes.”