Former Brisbane Lions captain Dayne Zorko says an act by teammate Noah Answerth was “not the way we want to win”.
Answerth mockingly wiped his eyes, making a crying gesture, at Melbourne Demons player Harrison Petty during the fourth quarter of Brisbane’s 22-point win over Melbourne on Thursday night.
It was an apparent repeat of an unpleasant incident from 2022, when Petty cried during a game after a Zorko sledge.
The comment was reportedly about a member of Petty’s family and left the defenseman visibly upset at the time.
Zorko at the time said his behavior was inappropriate and told ABC Sport on Thursday that Answerth’s crying gesture was unnecessary.
“I’ll probably go talk to him, obviously that’s not the way we want to win,” he said.
“In the heat of the moment, things happen. I’m sure he would have fixed it after the game.”
Lions coach Chris Fagan and Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said they were unaware of the incident when asked during their post-match press conferences.
Former Hawthorn great turned broadcaster Jason Dunstall said during the Fox Footy broadcast that he didn’t understand why Answerth were being mocked while his team was in charge of the contest.
“I don’t understand why you would do it. A young player like Answerth, I have no idea why you would go that route,” he said.
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