Brisbane’s dominant victory over Essendon was overshadowed by the unintended exposure of a whiteboard detailing the Lions’ analysis of their opponents, prompting strong reactions from coach Chris Fagan. The Lions secured a decisive 64-point win with seven consecutive goals either side of half-time, but the match became more about the controversy that followed.
The whiteboard contained insights into Essendon’s players, including notes on star Bombers Zach Merrett and Kyle Langford being “selfish,” Sam Durham as a “hot head,” and defender Ben McKay having “low confidence.” It also questioned the disposal of Bombers skipper Andrew McGrath and highlighted weaknesses in Nate Caddy and Xavier Duursma’s decision-making. Merrett’s strengths were noted as his “kicking, licence, pressure,” while Caddy’s athleticism and aerial threat when allowed to “run and jump” at the ball were mentioned.
There was also a reference to former Lion Jaxon Prior, whose only strength was humorously noted as his girlfriend.
The Lions believe the photo was taken by a member of the public during an Auskick session at the club’s training base at Brighton Homes Arena. The image was later uploaded to social media, sparking debate.
Fagan addressed the issue, stating he had spoken to Prior after the game and assured him there was no ill intent behind the comments. “I spoke to Jaxon out on the field after the game, as did a lot of our players, and had a bit of a laugh and a joke together,” Fagan said. Senior Lion Josh Dunkley also confirmed he had spoken to Prior before and after the game.
“I spoke with Jaxon Prior after the game and before the game, so he’s all good, which is nice,” Dunkley said. “We love Priz and he’s been at our footy club for a long period of time so it’s good to see him going well for the Bombers.”
Fagan clarified that the mention of Prior’s girlfriend was not meant to be derogatory. “Remember that player played at our club, and players all know him, and we know his partner as well, and there was nothing bad intended at all with that comment, not at all, zero,” Fagan said. He expressed disappointment that the incident had become the focus of discussion after a game of football.
“Private information. You guys wouldn’t even know about it if that guy hadn’t done what he did,” Fagan added. He criticized the person, believed to be an Essendon supporter, who took the photo and released it publicly.
“Somebody illegally took photos of information that was on a whiteboard and then decided to make a hero of themselves and put it out in the public domain,” Fagan said. He emphasized that the information was internal and part of the club’s routine practice.
“We’ve been writing the strengths and vulnerabilities of opposition players up on a whiteboard for nine years,” Fagan said. “I’m not going to comment on isolated things that were written on it. I can promise you, though, that nothing was written up there that had anything sinister in mind or degrading in mind at all.”
Fagan raised concerns about whether the club should open its facilities to the public, given the incident. Meanwhile, Bombers coach Brad Scott stated that he would not want such sensitive information to be made public by his club.
“It’s a problem for them to deal with, not for us,” Scott said. “I wouldn’t want that coming out of our building. They do it for every opposition. It’s a tough game, and it’s sometimes a psychological game, too. If that’s what’s identified about you, then if you’re a competitor, you respond to it.”
Scott also refused to comment on how Bombers fans should behave at games after McKay received boos in the final quarter. McKay, who faced criticism from Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes and St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt earlier in the week, managed to keep debutant Cody Curtin goalless but struggled overall, finishing with five disposals.
“I’m just going to focus on what I need to focus on, and that’s supporting the players, which I’ll do relentlessly … but I’m also not going to be an ostrich and put my head in the sand either,” Scott said. “It’s always the easiest thing in the world to sort of suggest changes. But who goes out is easy, who comes is in the hard bit.”
