When he is not consumed by the day-to-day dealings of coaching, or spending time with his wife Dana and two children, Luke Beveridge likes to pick up a book. This can be anything from a The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, to a range of Malcolm Gladwell's works to a biography on the world's best sports coaches.
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"I have a diverse interest in literature. I will read a book like the talent code which talks about skill acquisition and then I'll read Gladwell's David and Goliath or The Tipping Point, or the Outliers. All that is important," Beveridge says.
Books of this kind have helped the new Western Bulldogs coach improve his leadership, and understand others. He remembers reading a biography on the great Green Bay Packers NFL coach Vince Lombardi, while completing a level-two coaching certificate late in his own AFL playing career with St Kilda, then under the guidance of coach Stan Alves.
"One of the things you had to do was write a synopsis on a famous coach. I did mine on Lombardi. It occurred to me when I was reading the biography I read that Stan Alves was like an AFL version of Lombardi, the way he went about his coaching. [But] I have never asked him that question," Beveridge said.
"There were so many similarities, with the military stuff ... Alvesy used to get us doing military drills and the disciplines and the way you interacted with people."
St Kilda was Beveridge's last stop in his 118-game career, having initially spent time under John Northey at Melbourne and then three years with the Western Bulldogs.
"Johnny Northey was a great motivator as coach and probably taught me the emotional side of the game, and being able to take your players on a journey is still really critical," Beveridge said.
"Johnny had you on the edge every time you played. There is a real strength in that. Sometimes reading and having an understanding of different ideas and cultures, even flora and fauna, it can help you in some of your messaging."
Beveridge's messaging has been clear since he joined the Dogs. Upon taking his seat in his office for the first time at Whitten Oval, he knew there was much to do but it had to be done in an organised manner. While fitness requirements and game plans were vital, there was more to be done, for the Dogs were still hurting from the shock departures of his predecessor Brendan McCartney and disenchanted skipper Ryan Griffen.
"I knew that it was going to be a conundrum - whether you wanted to do everything now or be patient and do it over a period of time," Beveridge said.
"You are trying to work out where to start, and on what level. Are you starting straight away to just make sure you get to know everyone? Are you starting to send out a message around what we want from a performance point of view?
"I started on more the emotional and get-to-know everyone level, and probably tried to give them an insight into me, maybe me a little bit as a person. I didn't want to talk too much about me.
"It was just where we wanted to head, not so much from a productivity point of view, but as us working together and how important it was that we get that right from the start. We pretty much went from there."
The word from inside the Kennel is that it is a more harmonious place. President Peter Gordon says he couldn't be happier in terms of the connections Beveridge has forged with those around him. This would include with Brett Montgomery, who had been one of the favourites for the top job but missed out, and took a few days to assess whether he wanted to stay. Montgomery has returned as Beveridge's senior assistant, with all coaches recently getting together in a happy gathering at Beveridge's home.
"We have reorganised a little bit and now we have got some things in place. He [Montgomery] is now better positioned to reassume that senior assistant space because one of the things you do is - you are taking the players on a new journey but you are taking the coaches on a new journey as well," Beveridge said.
It promises to be an intriguing journey, for the Dogs boast some of the competition's best young talent, with the likes of Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Boyd, Tom Liberatore, Nathan Hrovat and Lachie Hunter likely to lead a ladder uprising in the near future.
Skipper Bob Murphy has spoken about a more adventurous game plan this year, while Liberatore, now part of the leadership group, believes climbing into the top eight is a realistic ambition. Told of this, Beveridge, 44, responds with an answer all rookie coaches would be wise to follow.
"I don't know whether I like adventure, and [it's reported] I am turning them into greyhounds and this sort of stuff, because the headlines don't always match the content," he said.
"I don't really want to forecast ladder positions or numbers but I generally believe we can grow really quickly. I don't know what the result of that is in relation to the competition. But I have seen enough already to be buoyant with what we are aiming to do. I don't know how many wins that means.
"We will be picking sides week in, week out, that are our best sides. With us, everything is for the future. Everything you do now is for the future. We just need to make sure we make good decisions week in, week out."
Beveridge, the backline coach in Hawthorn's back-to-back flags, remains good friends with Alastair Clarkson. He also plays cricket with Hawks assistants Brendon Bolton and Cam Bruce, and considers fellow senior coaches Leon Cameron, a former Bulldog, and Adam Simpson good friends.
Having had a successful stint as a premiership coach with St Bedes-Mentone in the VAFA, worked in player development during Collingwood's 2010 premiership year, and had a key role with the Hawks, Beveridge - and his family - would seem as well prepared as they could for what lays ahead.
"I suppose this time of the year we are not playing [and everyone is happy] but it's going to hit between the eyes when the season starts."
