The head coach of the Western Bulldogs, Luke Beveridge, has suspended his player.

The Western Bulldogs management fired longtime assistant and well-liked former player Rohan Smith, overruling senior coach Luke Beveridge.

After a disappointing season, Beveridge had wanted Smith to stay on the coaching panel, but Chris Grant, the club’s football manager, decided that change was necessary for 2024. Bains, the chief executive, agreed. These well-placed club sources, who were aware of the situation but asked to remain anonymous due to its sensitivity, said.

But Beveridge has come to terms with the fact that Smith, a 300-game hero in the 1990s and 2000s, won’t receive a contract offer for the next season, according to a club source. Smith served as the team’s defensive coordinator.