What is it about Luke Beveridge?

Bulldogs skipper Bob Murphy was asked that very question on SEN this week, and probably not for the first time.

“It’s probably the question we (players) all dread the most, “ Murphy said

“(It’s) not that we don’t like talking about the coach but it’s too difficult to try to capture anyone in a paragraph or a couple of sound bites.

Indeed, ask any player about his coach and he’ll likely give a different answer to the one sitting beside him, but Murphy is one who is uniquely qualified to comment.

After going down with a knee injury in round 3 last season, he was often in the coaches box where he got a special insight into what made the Dogs’ coach tick.

“As soon as you start to describe him in one way, you feel yourself going ‘yeah but he’s not really like that,” he said.

But one thing that did stand out was his ability to remain calm when the intensity was at its highest.

“What I know from observing (is) ... every time the game was at its most tense, and whether the mood of the box or of the stadium just went through the roof, it was almost like he became calmer,” Murphy said.

“He altered the tempo of the coaches box, and then the game happened — whether it’s real or imagined — the game settled, and the boys relaxed.

“That’s something that I’ve found very unique with him.”