Patrick Dangerfield has argued that AFL clubs should allow more access to the media after Sydney manager John Longmire’s plea to stop broadcasting images of injured players.
Longmire was infuriated by footage of Swans defender Paddy McCartin looking distressed after suffering a concussion in the club’s sixth win over Hawthorn.
The 2012 premiership coach felt it was unfair for McCartin and his family to broadcast the vision before knowing the ‘facts’ behind the incident and recommended the AFL Players Association take up the matter .
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But Dangerfield, who is the chairman of the AFLPA, strongly disagrees with Longmire and said cameras have been inside venues on game day since he made his league debut. AFL in 2008.
The Geelong star sympathized with McCartin’s case but believes banning media from the AFL’s inner sanctum would be a mistake.
“If we want to grow as a game, media is an integral part of it,” Dangerfield told SEN.
“It’s been impossible to ignore what (Netflix series) Drive to Survive has done to interest in Formula 1, and what they’ve done is open doors by showing the personalities, the agony and ecstasy.
“I think as a code, that’s the way of the future and that’s what we need to be more open-minded about.
“Opening the doors, opening our hearts to the fans who have kept the game going during the COVID shutdowns for the past two seasons.
“We have to open the doors and show everyone what it is to be an AFL player, to be an AFL coach and to be part of the organisation.
“It’s not always great for the players and it can be very difficult, sometimes there are difficult questions to answer because you open up.
“It’s a fascinating piece and it helps you understand the game and how difficult it can be. I’ve always had this philosophy of opening doors more.”
