Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has launched a fierce attack on former North Melbourne forwardย Wayne Carey, who said Cyril Rioli was thinking about giving up the game and moving back to the Tiwi Islands.
Rioli starred for the Hawks during their 51-point win over West Coast at the MCG on Sunday, which allowed for Clarkson to hit back at Carey's comments post-game.
โCyril is going back to the Tiwi, I heard Wayne Carey make that great announcement,โ Clarkson fumed.
โYou reckon youโd be able to coerce someone into a five-year extension if he wanted to go back to the Tiwi?
โWhat a load of rubbish. Once again, no account, no account by a bloke who should know better than throw up bulls**t about our players.
โHold some of these people to account because the hysteria that it creates is just absolute rubbish.
โParticularly Carey, of all peopleโฆ he shouldnโt make too many comments about stories about other players because we could just go to town on him.โ
Carey make the comments on Triple M on Saturday, saying he had heard Rioli was homesick and had to be "coerced into signing a new five-year extensionย last year.
Clarkson followed the comments by suggesting his side had no standouts during their first win of the season, with an even contribution across the board helping them move to 1-4 after five rounds.
โThe most significant part about todayโs game is we had 22 contributors,โ Clarkson said.
โWe didnโt have any stars, but we had 22 guys that all played a really, really important role and thatโs been a hallmark of Hawthorn sides the last 10 years.โ
Despite a poor start to the season, Clarkson said his club have always kept the belief, and are still confident in turning their season around.
โ(There has been) plenty of hysteria outside the club but not within the walls of our footy club,โ Clarkson said.
โWe got great faith in our group of players. Thereโs been a confidence and belief in the group that we can still turn our season around and itโs one small step and itโs a positive one today.โ
