Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has continued to push back against the Magpies supporters who booed Lance Franklin at the MCG on Sunday, declaring “there’s a time and place” for booing players.
But in the mind of Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd, the reaction to the reception the Sydney megastar received has been “overkill”.
“I was at the game watching … When it happened, I went, ‘Oh, geez, don’t go down this (path). Please … just don’t’,” McGuire said on Nine’s Footy Classified on Wednesday night.
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“One, it’s a superstar, and two, he’s an Indigenous bloke. Just don’t go here, don’t put your head in the lion’s mouth and pull its tail. There’s a time and place. So, I just think, really, Indigenous players have copped enough over the journey that maybe you do make an exception. I know everyone says, ‘Everyone’s equal’, but they haven’t been equal over the journey.
“(Tom) Papley? Boo him all day because of what he did to Nick Daicos,” McGuire added, alluding to Papley thumping the Collingwood young gun in the back on Sunday.
“If Buddy had have cleaned somebody up or done something? Yep, fair enough. If he’s lining up for goal and the scores are level, boo the hell out of him.
“But I just think we need to stop targeting individual people because I just think it’s unsportsmanlike.”
The booing of Franklin has dominated AFL coverage this week, on TV, radio and websites, and in newspapers.
Statements were also released by Sydney, Collingwood and the AFL, with both clubs and the governing body condemning the booing of Franklin.
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley applauded the Magpies for the stance they took.
“I’m really, really proud of the club coming out and making that statement,” Buckley said on Fox Footy’s On The Couch on Monday night.
Collingwood apologises for Buddy booing
Lloyd argued on Footy Classified on Wednesday night that the saga had attracted too much attention.
“I think too much has been made of it throughout the week,” Lloyd said.
“It’s a passionate game.
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“I took it (as), and a lot of Collingwood supporters said, ‘He’s a champion player, he’s killed us a lot of times, we wanted to get under his skin and we’ll do it to the next champion player’.
“So I think it’s been a bit of overkill.”
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