Garry Lyon apologises to Tanya Plibersek after AFL 360 moment; Essendon vs Western Bulldogs; Brad Scott focused on win, not damage control
Updated ,first published
Summary of football news from today’s AFL briefing
- Garry Lyon apologized to Minister of Social Services Tanya Plibersek.
- Brad Scott has vowed to seek victory in damage control against the Western Bulldogs.
Melbourne star Garry Lyon has apologized for an offensive remark about Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek that was mistakenly spread on social media.
Lyon joked during the ad break on Fox Footy that Plibersek was the minister responsible for the “nonsense”. AFL360 Wednesday night program. Image and audio were uploaded and published on social media.
The reference came during a conversation with former Sydney coach John Longmire, who was part of the Swans delegation that met with Plibersek at his office in Parliament House.
The clip starts out rather innocently, with Lyon seeing a photo of the group and commenting on Longmire’s “so gorgeous” appearance in a suit.
Presenter Gerard Whateley then asks: “What is Tanya Plibersek doing as a minister at the moment?” Lyon responds to this with “nonsense.”
Longmire then says, laughing: “Oh, don’t say that.”
Lyon then looks at his phone and learns Plibersek’s portfolio and says, “I guess mine was more accurate.”
Australian Football Hall of Fame member Lyon apologized on Thursday in a statement released by Fox Sports on behalf of head of sport Steve Crawley.
“I personally apologize to Minister Plibersek,” Lyon said. “While the comment was intended as a joke, it was clearly disrespectful and I apologize for the hurt and embarrassment it has caused.”
Crawley said Foxtel had “apologized unreservedly” for Lyon’s reference to Plibersek.
“The off-air comment was made by Garry Lyon during a commercial break. AFL360 Crawley said that although the comment was not published, it was mistakenly included in the program when it was uploaded to another platform on Thursday night.
“The comment during the break does not reflect our values and standards and was disrespectful to the minister and the hard work he and all politicians do to represent our community.
“This morning we apologized to the minister and reminded our presenters to be respectful and professional at all times, both on and off camera.”
‘Throw the first punch’: Why Brad Scott won’t play it safe against Bulldogs
Essendon coach Brad Scott has vowed to seek victory in damage control as the Bombers tackle the daunting task of taming the rampant Western Bulldogs.
The winless Bombers are chasing an Easter miracle on Sunday in a game where almost no one expected them to be competitive, let alone upset one of the early season pacesetters.
This is shaping up to be an impossible mission for Scott and his men. With two bettors setting the line at 74.5 points, the Dogs are among the hottest favorites at $1,005, equivalent to a 99.5 percent chance of winning. The Dons have lost 11 of their last 13 games against the Dogs; This includes last year’s double defeats of 91 and 93 points.
The Dons have done enough to escape another week of intense scrutiny with a two-goal defeat against North Melbourne, but the third blowout in four games this tour will see the temperature rise in the ‘Hangar’.
But Scott says he intends to set the Dons up for a win this week because he believes it will do more for their development than just minimizing the margin.
“You step up to the plate,” Scott said. “In boxing language, you throw the first punch. You can use your chance against your opponent.
“We’re at a stage where we need to come out with an attitude and a plan to get the job done. That’s what we did last year.”
“We’ve had challenges in that regard. We’re having challenges now. But I think when you sit back on your heels and step back and try to reduce the margin, even if you do that, are you moving your team forward?”
“We talked about these investments we made, we will not step back.
“We have to keep moving forward and try to improve and get better and reduce the margin to make it easier for everyone to have a little bit of a breathing space, that’s not my approach.”
Forward Nate Caddy has been ruled out after suffering a delayed concussion, while mature player Brayden Fiorini, who left late last week, is questionable after being limited to walking laps in Thursday’s practice.
Scott said he was tempted to draft prize-winning youngster Sullivan Robey, the No. 9 pick in last year’s draft, and injury-prone veteran Jordan Ridley, but was wary of bringing them back too soon after preparations were disrupted by injury.
“The charm is to rush it [Robey] Scott said there was a desire to bring Ridley back in a hurry.
“We have to do what is right for the club and that is not because we make short-term decisions that are not in the best interest of the club, no matter what pressure comes our way.
“I’ll have to weigh that up eventually. Robey, Ridley, this week or sometime in the future?”
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