Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says his team’s unexpected 2016 premiership has not done anyone a favour, claiming it has put unrealistic flag expectations on young teams.

The Dogs have become one of the more mystifying storylines of recent years, for they now appear almost certain to miss the finals for the second straight season since their breakthrough premiership.

They needed to defeat the surging Demons at Etihad Stadium on Saturday to remain in touch with the top eight but were crunched by 49 points, leaving them with only four wins heading into the bye.

Beveridge said the parity of the competition meant he was not surprised the Dogs appeared to already be out of finals contention, and then elaborated about what he felt had become unrealistic expectations on young teams.