Western Bulldogs champion Chris Grant has broken his silence on his high-profile fallout with coach Luke Beveridge that led to his messy exit at the end of 2024.
In November of that year, Grant walked away from his post as the club’s executive director of football after his relationship with Beveridge broke down.
Grant was handed the Bulldogs’ football boss job ahead of the club’s famous 2016 premiership victory, and he held a direct line of communication with Beveridge. But ahead of the 2024 season, head of development Matt Egan was elevated to general manager of football operations to sit between Grant and Beveridge, as tensions between the pair simmered.
However, on Tuesday night, Grant, 53, made an appearance at the club’s 2016 premiership gala event at the MCG, and told 7NEWS that he held no grudges.
“Bevo and I worked together for nine years and had a great relationship,” Grant said. “So I’ve still got a lot of love for him, enormous amount of respect for him and, you know, I’m really hoping he and the boys can turn the ship around over the next few weeks. I wish everyone well. I have no ill-feeling towards anyone.”
Grant said “a lot” had been made of his departure in 2024, but he put it down to the industry and its pressure-cooker environment. “My thoughts on things like that are that when you’re in professional and high-performance sport, there’s a lot of pressure. There’s pressure on everyone who’s involved in high-performance sport, none more so than coaches and senior administrators and boards and CEOs.”
Grant said he was thrilled to return to the club after “a bit of a break”. “And lovely to be around the people I’ve spent so much time with,” he said.
He said he was amazed how quickly the list had turned over in the 10 years after that famous premiership victory of Sydney, but it was great to see so many past players at Tuesday’s event. “The last four or five days for the club has been brilliant off field, it’s been obviously really hard for the boys on it,” he said, referring to the club’s current injury crisis. “But they’ll work through that.”
At the time of his departure, Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains said Grant’s contribution to the club had been significant. “Chris has been an outstanding Bulldogs person for more than three decades, characterised by great integrity, care and compassion for the Club and our people,” Bains said. “Without exception, Chris has always put the club first, building a legacy that includes overseeing two premierships and countless accolades during his time as a champion player and progressive leader at the Bulldogs. Chris remains one of the best players to ever don the red, white and blue jumper. As an administrator, his ever-calming influence and ability to lead people has guided this club through both successful and challenging times. On behalf of our club and the entire Bulldogs community, we’re extremely grateful to Chris for everything he has done for us and we wish him well for the next chapter of his journey.”
Grant played 341 games for the Bulldogs, is a former captain, and an Australian Football Hall of Famer. He also features in the club’s Footscray and Western Bulldogs ‘Team of the Century’. Adding to the complication of his departure was the fact that his daughter, Issy, was — and still is — a member of the club’s AFLW team.
