Eddie McGuire says it was “good to see” Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge in a pre-game dust up with controversial commentator Kane Cornes.

The coach and the former Port Adelaide premiership player are known to have a long-running feud, with Cornes banned from entering the Bulldogs’ sheds on game days.

Their rocky relationship took another interesting twist on Thursday night when the pair exchanged words on the boundary line before the Bulldogs took on Geelong.

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Cornes – who was previously employed by Nine – was working in his role as a Channel Seven commentator.

Former Collingwood boss McGuire could see the lighter side of the incident.

“It’s the banter, that’s what happens,” McGuire told Nine’s Today.

“Football media is a contact sport, it’s as simple as that. It is very much an opinion-based business.

“It’s good to see the coaches are having a bit of a fire back.

“Luke Beveridge was very tough as a footballer, very single minded, and he gets in and looks after his patch.”

Cornes has a habit of ruffling feathers and was also recently banned from entering North Melbourne’s sheds.

On his SEN radio show on Friday morning, he further explained what happened on Thursday night.

“I was staring out blankly into space to the players warming up and just out of the corner of my eye Luke Beveridge and the crew started walking towards me. I thought, ‘Oh OK, this is going to be interesting, how do I play this?’,” Cornes said.

“So I just stood there and looked out and as he came closer to me he was staring at me strongly with a strong look on his face. That was from 10 or so metres away and as he got a little bit closer I looked back and I just said, ‘Bevo’, and nodded my head.

“The reaction was the reaction that you saw. I don’t know if it’s for me to share what he said. I’m happy to tell you exactly my part in this – other than to say ‘Bevo’, and nodded my head – it wasn’t received well.

“It was something along the lines of, ‘You’ve got the nerve to say that’, and I just said, ‘What, I can’t say hello?’. Then he turned around again and started to go again and that’s when he was dragged away.

“But it’s OK, it’s fine. He’s combative, he protects his club, I’ve got no issue with it. We can have a bit of a laugh about it, I think.”

Footage of the incident shows Beveridge making his way off the ground pre-match when he has a run-in with Cornes, who was on commentary duties.

A Bulldogs staffer was then seen having a brief word with Cornes.

Speaking post-match, Beveridge refused to “bite” when asked about the event.

“What incident?” he told media.

“Ultimately, when we come in here, we talk about the game. That’s probably all we’re after, isn’t it?

“If you’re trying to drum up any controversy, I don’t think there was any, so I’ve really got nothing to say.”

Geelong held its nerve to win by 14 points in an arm wrestle.

Cats key forward Jeremy Cameron opened the scoring, playing on from a mark inside 50 and kicking around the body to catch the Bulldogs napping.

However, Ed Richards soon responded for the visitors with a kick that missed everyone on its way through the goal posts.

Just like the build-up to the match, Smith was the centre of attention in the opening term as his involvement was met with both boos and cheers from the crowd.

Despite a tight first term, a three-goal burst from Cameron in the second saw the Cats kick away ahead at half-time.

Leading 11.4 (70) to 6.9 (45) at the main break, the Cats kicked 51 points from turnovers to put pressure firmly on the Bulldogs.

But the match turned in the third term as the Dogs piled on seven goals to trail by just 10 points at the final change.

Cameron finished with six goals, while teammate Shannon Neale kicked a career-high five majors.

Smith had an equal game-high 33 disposals.