Dermott Brereton lashes Melbourne over Bernie Vince’s laugh with Patrick Dangerfield
MELBOURNE says criticism of Bernie Vince’s post-game chat with Patrick Dangerfield was “insulting”. The man himself was “disappointed”. But Dermott Brereton says it’s time the Demons got serious.
Melbourne
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HAWTHORN legend Dermott Brereton has lashed Melbourne’s culture in the wake of Bernie Vince laughing after the siren on Saturday night.
Vince and Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield, who are great mates, were captured sharing a laugh minutes after the Demons lost the unlosable game to Geelong after the siren.
Dangerfield and the Demons both defended Vince, but Brereton wasn’t forgiving, pointing to a character flaw he first encountered as a player in the early 1980s.
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“What Melbourne has to put up with is they are the football-playing arm of the Melbourne Cricket Club and it’s a gentleman’s club,” Brereton said.
“For all of us who played against them, we literally viewed it as a gentleman’s club when we played against it. They have to break that stigma.”
Vince said last night criticism of the exchange was “hurtful’’.
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“I was disappointed as anyone, I was down on my knees, Lachie Henderson picks me up … and there was Danger and what he was talking about was a really serious conversation,’’ Vince said.
“It was about my father. At the end he said a lighthearted thing, I smiled and walked off.”
Melbourne’s Bernie Vince has defended his post-game actions, where he was seen laughing with Geelong opponent Patrick Dangerfield. @AyrtonWoolley #9News pic.twitter.com/FTc5ajouu3
— Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) July 23, 2018
Brereton had a different view.
“Show a respect to the game, show a respect to your opponent, get off and socialise somewhere else,” he said
“You’re wearing the jumper and still portraying the image of what your club is about and the image of that jumper was the head poking through the top, having a laugh and smile.
“So the image was, and although disappointed with the loss, it doesn’t hurt to the core.”
Dangerfield tweeted on Sunday: “Known each other for over a decade and not allowed to talk about family post game … #itsagame #spell”.
Known each other for over a decade and not allowed to talk about family post game... #itsagame #spell https://t.co/oTndZf9zt7
— Patrick Dangerfield (@dangerfield35) July 22, 2018
Melbourne head of football Josh Mahoney yesterday labelled criticism of Vince as insulting.
“I can understand people not wanting players smiling after the game because they’ve been emotionally involved,” Mahoney told SEN.
“As we all are, we want to see players hurting. But it’s really insulting that there’s been any link between Bernie Vince and him not dying for the club.
“He’s been here five years. I get to see it first-hand how much players hurt and in particular Bernie.
“He’s played in some games he shouldn’t have played. He had a toe half hanging off last year and played with that. He bleeds for the club.
“It’s one of those things. He smiles, it gets captured on vision, but there’s certainly no issue on our end.”
Internally, the Demons were far more captivated by the lack of defensive run in the dying minute than the Vince-Dangerfield fallout.
Brereton said he accepted the friendship of Vince and Dangerfield, but indicated teams wanting to preach an aggressive and ruthless mantra had to act it.
“I heard Dangerfield’s comments and I can understand they’re really good friends, but I would do it after the game somewhere,” the five-time premiership winner said.
“I don’t like seeing it out on the ground, I never liked seeing a teammate doing it. I just reckon it lowers your guard.
“And in another match and this is going to sound awful, in the Maddie Riewoldt Vision match, even the commentators said the game was being played with such good spirit, the players are shaking hands, they’re helping each other up, there’s genuine warmth between the players. And that is lovely to see because it’s an occasion that befits that.
“But when St Kilda supporters look back at that game, they want to see a W next to their team and St Kilda throughout that match played like English gents on a Saturday afternoon of croquet.”
Breton said when he played — in Hawthorn teams noted for their ruthlessness _ he had one rule with opponents.
“In games, you could only ever talk with an opponent and be half hospitable with your comments if you won or if were leading and in a really dominant position,” he said.
“If I was losing I just couldn’t find any friendship with anyone in an opposition jumper. That was me and it was old school.”
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Originally published as Dermott Brereton lashes Melbourne over Bernie Vince’s laugh with Patrick Dangerfield