The reporters had headed out the door, the cameras were being packed up, and Luke Beveridge's pre-match press conference on Saturday at Whitten Oval was over. Except it wasn't.

The Western Bulldogs premiership coach had ventured away from the press conference room, but something had been left unsaid, and so he walked back, telling journalists that an important matter was on his mind: Runners.

Beveridge said he had listened to the "vibration" about the on-field messengers which has followed an investigation into whether Greater Western Sydney runner Nick Maxwell broke AFL rules by positioning himself tactically during the Giants' loss to Carlton last weekend. Since that happened, the role of runners has been debated greatly, with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan on Friday flagging a possible review about their place in the game.

Beveridge wasn't going to sit back quietly on the issue, calling back the press to extend what had already been an 11-minute session. "I don't want to be too controversial in regards to it, and I won't comment on Nick and GWS' situation," Beveridge said.