‘Arrogant’: Gold Coast Suns star Mac Andrew’s post-match act called out
AFL star Mac Andrew has never been one to worry about ruffling feathers but he has come under fire for overstepping the mark on Saturday.
AFL
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Star Suns defender Mac Andrew has come under fire for his “arrogant” behaviour in Gold Coast’s narrow 13.13 (91) to 14.6 (90) victory over Adelaide on Saturday.
The Suns’ victory sent a warning to the AFL world that they are serious contenders in 2025 but it wasn’t without controversy.
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As the game ticked into the final minute and Adelaide once again attacked the Suns’ goalsquare only for Crows young gun Riley Thilthorpe to give away a free kick during a one-on-one contest with Suns defender Sam Collins.
“That in the modern interpretation is the right call,” triple premiership Lion Alastair Lynch told Fox Footy.
“He did throw him around, arm around the torso.”
After the ball was cleared, the Crows had one final inside 50 with 15 seconds left, but Andrew cleanly spoiled the ball away from Thilthorpe to seal a gritty win for the Suns.
But instead of celebrating with his teammates, Andrew used the final horn to antagonise Thilthorpe, screaming and pointing in the forward’s face.
He then gave a thumbs up to Thilthorpe which unsurprisingly led to a tussle between the duo and other teammates.
“A lot of words (between) Mac Andrew and Thilthorpe in the last minute,” Johnson said on Fox Footy.
“Still going on (after the siren) between Thilthorpe and Andrew in the forward pocket. Not happy.”
Montagna added: “We don’t want to see this, it’s been a great game played in great spirit … it doesn’t need to be anything more. Thilthorpe is not happy that maybe Mac Andrew has said something to him afterwards.”
AFL fans were also unimpressed with the defender’s behaviour.
“The audacity of Mac Andrew to sledge Thilthorpe for giving away the last-minute free kick despite five brilliant goals, then deliver the matchwinning spoil on him seconds later. Thumbs up all round,” Fox Footy’s Jon Ralph wrote on X.
While another fan wrote: “Shocking bloke taunting Thilthorpe before they’d won and then after. Don’t stand for that crap. Embarrassing stuff.”
Nine’s Matthew Lloyd was equally irate, laying into the defender for his “arrogant” behaviour.
“I didn’t like this. Thilthorpe went down because he got kneed in the head from Mac Andrew,” Lloyd said on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.
“That hurts when you get hit on the top of the eyebrow or head.
“Mac Andrew then gets down and gets in his face. They’d been at it for most of the night but he (Mac Andrew) just kept carrying on a bit.
“I’ve got no issues with getting into a forward but I thought he lacked class Mac Andrew, both in that moment and after the game where he took it too far.
“ … He should focus on tap-tapping the ball away instead of tap-tapping in an arrogant manner.”
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Originally published as ‘Arrogant’: Gold Coast Suns star Mac Andrew’s post-match act called out
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