Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge launches passionate defence of Essendon 34 on 3AW

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has launched a passionate defence of the Essendon 34 on 3AW.

Beveridge told Sports Today the players were ‘victims’ of a regime that ‘went off course’ and the Bombers had already ‘copped their whack’ for the infamous 2012 supplements program.

He also took a shot at the clubs who opposed St Kilda, Port Adelaide, Melbourne and the Bulldogs being given top-up players this season.

Speaking full of emotion, Beveridge started by telling 3AW he felt most for emerging star Dyson Heppell.

‘He’s the most telling and extreme case in the whole saga,’ Beveridge said.

‘He was drafted at the end of 2010.

‘He turns up at the Bombers, he was an Essendon supporter and the coach of the day was his idol.

‘When you think about Dyson’s plight right here in 2016 ? How sad is that?’

Beveridge hit back at suggestions the players should have said something at the time.

‘Anybody who steps out of line or is a boat rocker probably doesn’t last that long,’ he said.

‘The Essendon players have been treated like a European cycling team who should know better.

‘Well, no, they shouldn’t know better because they had no grounding to work from.’

Click PLAY below to hear Luke Beveridge’s comments in full on 3AW