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AFL 2020: Wayne Carey slams Mark Ricciuto critics after Adelaide Crows furore

The King has spoken — and he’s come down on the side of former teammate Mark Ricciuto as the Crows boss faces calls for his head.

Mark Ricciuto and Wayne Carey at Adelaide Crows training in 2004.
Mark Ricciuto and Wayne Carey at Adelaide Crows training in 2004.

Wayne Carey is sticking by his former Crows teammate and Triple M colleague Mark Ricciuto, blasting criticism of a controversial interview involving the Adelaide Football Club director this week.

Damian Barrett, another Triple M stablemate, led calls for Ricciuto to be sacked after he publicly discussed the departures of a host of former Crows players and specified the money they were being paid by their new clubs.

Footy Classified’s Caroline Wilson was another to stick the boot into the Crows great, labelling his comments “appalling”.

RELATED: Ricciuto sprayed for ‘appalling’ outburst

But Carey suggested too much was being made of Ricciuto revealing confidential contract figures, arguing the numbers had been reported before.

“This is for the media that are having a go at Roo right now, the media report figures every bloody week about what players are getting paid and what they’re not, and they guess, and they make them up,” Carey said on Triple M on Thursday night.

“Roo has read those figures, but those figures were bandied around in the paper and everywhere else.

“So you know what … everyone knows these players were getting paid more to leave than to stay, and why do we (criticise) when we want honesty from people like Mark Ricciuto, who’s a champion of the game — and yes, he is a director but he works in the media as well (so) he’s gotta have an opinion. I thought that was refreshing. I thought it was great.”

Ricciuto also took fire from former Crows teammate and close friend and now Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin, after his player Jake Lever was embroiled in the furore.

TREDREA CALLS FOR ‘REAL CHANGE’

Former Port Adelaide captain Warren Tredrea also went hard, going so far as to write a lengthy post on his blog about how “delusion has set in at the Crows”.

Tredrea questioned the timing of Ricciuto’s comments four days after a heavy Showdown defeat against Port Adelaide.

“Ricciuto’s love for his club is obvious, but his conflict of interest is clear for all to see,” Tredrea wrote.

“Only he can reveal why he felt compelled to orbit the Crows back into the AFL headlines with inappropriate comments about other club’s player salaries as a current Crows director.

It has only damaged his club further. Once again highlighting his club hierarchy’s inability to read the room.

Mark Ricciuto. Picture: Tricia Watkinson
Mark Ricciuto. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Tredrea questioned whether the Crows had made former coach Don Pyke, football boss Brett Burton and assistant Scott Camporeale scapegoats while keeping “the three key pillars that governed the club through the same period in chairman Rob Chapman, football director Mark Ricciuto and CEO Andrew Fagan”

“Its time for real change,” he concluded.

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-2020-wayne-carey-slams-mark-ricciuto-critics-after-adelaide-crows-furore/news-story/79c6fb589bfd73d6f206673c6ccdfc83