There's long been rumours of a rift, but Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says it would have been great to acknowledge Chris Grant's contribution to the club at Monday night's gala celebration.
The Bulldogs named their five greatest players at Monday's gala, with Ted Whitten coming in at No. 1, ahead of current captain Marcus Bontempelli, Grant, Gary Dempsey and Doug Hawkins.
Grant was a notable absentee from the celebrations, with the Bulldogs great still reportedly feeling wounded from his sudden exit from the club eight months ago.
The 52-year-old, who played 341 games for the Bulldogs, was in the director of football role before leaving abruptly in November last year following a reported falling out with Beveridge.
It ended Grant's 30-year association with the Bulldogs.
Grant has remained silent about the issue that resulted in him leaving, with the club great keen to avoid adding fuel to the fire.
Beveridge addressed Grant's absence from the gala when questioned about it during his weekly press conference on Thursday.
"It would have been great to have Chris there, for him, especially when you consider the impact he's had on our football club," Beveridge said.
"Even in the struggling times when the club wasn't financial and our survival was questioned, Granty was a critical figure on the playing field and through that journey to show his loyalty.
"So it would have been great to have been able to acknowledge Chris as part of that recognised 25, but unfortunately he wasn't there.
"It didn't diminish the celebration, we celebrated everyone that was there."
The ninth-placed Bulldogs (10-8) will be aiming to keep their finals hopes alive when they take on struggling Essendon (6-11) at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
This week's re-signing of Bontempelli until the end of 2029 has given the Bulldogs a pep in their step, and the skipper used the moment to signal his wish for Port Adelaide star Zak Butters to join him at the kennel.
Butters, who grew up a Bulldogs fan, will become a free agent at the end of 2026, and Beveridge doesn't mind his players doing their utmost to lure rival stars their way.
"I can't stop our players from talking about who they'd love to have as teammates," Beveridge said.
"But I've got a personal approach to it. I spoke about Matt Rowell the other week because I knew he was going to re-sign at Gold Coast.
"So it wasn't like a public overture. As far as a player like Zak, who every club has a great opinion of, I don't want to be over the top with anything in regards to him.
"He's still contracted, so the ball's in Port Adelaide's court."