as a prominent full-forward, kicking 12 goals against Geelong in Round 16 and ending his debut season with a very respectable 82 goals in an under-performing side, finishing second only behind North Melbourne’s leading goal kicker Malcolm Blight. From there, Footscray gradually began to rebuild, first by luring Carlton administrator Shane O'Sullivan as general manager in October 1982 and then in 1983 fielding up to 15 new players, including fellow Western Australian Andrew Purser and future club stalwarts Stephen Wallis, Brian Royal and Peter Foster. The Bulldogs' performances improved dramatically; although they still suffered the odd thrashing (with 100+ point losses to Essendon and North Melbourne) they were sitting in fifth at the end of Round 12, and after falling to ninth by Round 20, finished the season strongly to end in seventh place on the ladder with ten wins. From an individual perspective, Beasley was unable to match his previous season's goal tally, finishing with 69 majors from 20 games, but was nonetheless consistent, with his best effort being a seven-goal haul against Fitzroy in Round 9 at VFL Park, and three games where he kicked six goals. The unexpected resignation of popular former player and coach Ian Hampshire in January 1984 (presumably over a pay dispute as the club's financial woes were well-known at the time) heralded the arrival of recently retired Richmond defender Mick Malthouse, who would begin a coaching career that would eventually span over three decades. The Bulldogs again finished seventh on the ladder in 1984, this time with 11 wins. Beasley began the season in spectacular fashion, with hauls of 11 against Richmond in Round 1, eight against Geelong in Round 2, and five against North Melbourne in Round 3. But almost just as quickly his form fell away, being held goalless against Hawthorn and Fitzroy. In 1985, the Bulldogs rose up the ladder, finishing in second place at the end of the home-and-away season before losing to Hawthorn in the Preliminary Final. Beasley played a key role, taking out the Coleman Medal with 93 goals during the home-and-away season, his personal best. He reached the century mark with a seven-goal performance in the First Semi-Final against North Melbourne and ended the season with 105 goals, becoming only the second Bulldog after Kelvin Templeton to kick 100 goals in a season. The following year his career was affected by a dispute with former club