Carlton coach David Teague has admitted he bungled a press conference in trying to explain the injury intrigue around star midfielder Patrick Cripps.
A report surfaced last Thursday revealing Cripps had suffered a fractured back early this season and had been receiving pain-killing injections to play.
When Teague fronted his pre-game media conference only hours after the story dropped, he attempted to downplay Cripps’ fitness, saying he was unsure what the findings were of the club co-captain’s scans.
After the Blues’ 26-point defeat to Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday, Teague conceded he handled questioning around Cripps poorly.
“I assessed his game better than the way I handled the media conference the other day. That was pretty average by me,” Teague said.
“I thought the injury was in the past, it hampered him in rounds two and three so when it got brought up I was probably a bit frustrated and I probably wasn’t as honest and direct as I could have been.
“The message I wanted to get across is he’s fine now and I probably could have been clearer with the messaging around that, but the fans need to know that he’s right.
‘Last week he just didn’t have a great game. I probably thought it was one of my worst press conferences.
“I knew the full extent, I just thought it was in the past. At the start of the year, I probably didn’t share it all. There are times you just want to protect your player.”
Cripps was one of Carlton’s better players in their sixth defeat of the season, which was made worse by a suspected season-ending knee injury to midfielder David Cunningham.
The 24-year-old will have scans on Monday, but the Blues fear he has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.
Star forward Harry McKay also had pain in his right shoulder, heading down to the rooms in the first quarter, but played out the game to finish with three goals.
“He’s had that for a couple of weeks so hopefully he’ll continue to get better. He said it felt better going into this game than it did last week so hopefully that will just get better again,” Teague said.
PeteB
Roar Rookie
Well said. The football media and some commentators/journalists in particular see themselves as more important than the game. There’s too many of them and they need a culling.
Col from Brissie
Roar Guru
Cripps is about to sign a 4 year contract extension and is not asking for top dollars as he is content to give the club cap space to continue building its list.
C
Guest
This is such media navel gazing. As a supporter and a football lover, I care about how well (or poorly) he coaches and how well or poorly his team (my team) performs. What he tells journalists is neither here nor there - and frankly it's the media's job to sift the wheat from the chaff and deliver the wheat (not whine about the existence of chaff). How many times do coaches and players blather and tell porkies? Who cares? That the AFL media pundits have their knickers in a knot about this says more about their egos than about Teague and nothing about his ability to coach - which is genuinely open to question and - at least to me - of interest.
FabPhil
Roar Rookie
Bending over backwards won't help appease these vultures, Teague. You've got nothing to explain. Tell 'em to bugger off - more diplomatically of course.
Macca
Roar Rookie
Yes Caro.
okapiman
Roar Rookie
I want Clarko to take the reigns at Carlton. Maybe optimist but believe Carlton has the talent just appallingly coached.
Macca
Roar Rookie
I really don't know what he apologised for, he answered the same question about 4 times, then he reverted to one word answers for the same question, then he said I don't know why you are still asking.