AFL great Wayne Carey has threatened to never watch another football game and is convinced he will “abandon ship” if Essendon’s Peter Wright is suspended in court on Tuesday night.
It follows Wright, 27, being charged with rough conduct for his hard hit on Sydney’s Harry Cunningham on Saturday night at the SCG.
The Bombers’ key forward faces a long ban, with its High speed hit qualified as reckless conduct, severe impact and high contact.
Carey couldn’t believe that Wright was going to appear in court and made her feelings very clear in her The truth hurts podcast.
“Weak as fuck, straight away, for the AFL, whoever decided that was sent straight to court, that’s bullshit and wrong,” the Kangaroos double premiership player fumed.
AFL great Wayne Carey (pictured) has threatened to never watch another football game if Essendon’s Peter Wright is suspended on Tuesday.
It follows Wright, 27, being charged with rough conduct for his hard hit (pictured) against Sydney’s Harry Cunningham on Saturday night at the SCG.
Swans star Cunningham suffered a concussion and was assisted from the field following the collision early in the first quarter.
“I’m prepared to say that if Peter Wright is suspended, however many weeks he gets, I won’t watch an AFL football game. I’m done. I’m abandoning ship.
“I would say to anyone: if we want this game to look the way it should be, you are allowed to attack that football and you are allowed to protect yourself.”
‘They came to football simultaneously. Peter turned his body to protect himself. If he doesn’t turn his body, both of them will be injured. This is what our game is about. You can attack football like he did.
“It’s just gone too far for me. I won’t watch football for that long, if even weeks. I’m not going to watch it while he’s out of the game.”
Carey added that a further suspension for Wright would change the players’ decision-making on the field.
“Players will be petrified even at the thought of playing hard,” he said.
“They will be tiptoeing around and won’t even want to attack the football.” Is that what we want to make this game into?
It also follows Sydney Swans star Tom Papley criticizing Essendon for their off-ball tactics during their spiteful 30-point home win.
‘They (the bombers) were pretty good at the beginning, their pressure is good. They are chasing us a little, but we will continue attacking the ball,” he told Canal Siete at halftime.
Tom Papley (pictured commentating on Channel Seven at half-time) suggested Essendon targeted the Swans without the ball during the match.
Papley also felt Essendon’s toughness was “a facade” (pictured Swans teammate Isaac Heeney)
“They are trying to chase us, everything is out of order.” We are only concerned about the ball, we will continue to be tough in the game and we will do the job.”
Meanwhile, Essendon young gun Archie Perkins has backed teammate Wright, questioning what other players would do in the same situation.
Swans defender Cunningham suffered a concussion and was assisted from the field following the collision early in the first quarter.
“He’s a really fair player and I think any player in his position at the weekend, leading the ball, I don’t know what decision other players would make,” Perkins told reporters.
“The court will deal with him, but we will definitely miss him if he has weeks.”
When pressed further on the matter, Perkins added: “I’m not sure what other players or what I would do in that same situation.”
“It will be interesting to see what the court says in the future.”
Wright’s knock came after Bombers coach Brad Scott spoke about the ‘Essendon advantage’ he wants his team to develop.