Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has expressed his fury after confidential whiteboard notes detailing the perceived strengths and weaknesses of Essendon Bombers players were leaked on social media. The leak occurred ahead of the Lions' dominant 64-point victory over the Bombers on Saturday.
Leaked Notes Reveal Brutal Assessments
Photos of the whiteboard, shared in a Bomber supporter group on Facebook, listed assessments of several Essendon players. Former Essendon captain Zach Merrett was described as 'selfish', while defender Ben McKay was noted to have 'low confidence'. Kyle Langford was also labelled 'selfish', captain Andrew McGrath's weakness was identified as 'kicking cough up', and midfielder Sam Durham was called a 'hot head'.
Fagan's Response
Fagan condemned the actions of the individual who took and shared the photos. '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. 'I reckon it's a little unfair when it's your workplace and it's what you do every day. We've been doing it for nine years writing the strengths and vulnerabilities of opposition players up on a whiteboard.'
He revealed that the person was a parent attending with children at the club's facilities. 'That man was there with his children, using our facility, and he decides to do that because he's an Essendon supporter and be a hero. I think that's really disappointing,' Fagan added.
Light-Hearted Moment
Among the notes, former Lions defender Jaxon Prior's only strength was listed as 'Bronte', the name of his long-term partner. Fagan noted that he and Prior shared a laugh about it after the game. '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,' he said.
Impact on Club Policies
Fagan admitted the incident might make him reconsider allowing external visitors access to the club's facilities at Brighton Homes Arena. 'We go out of our way to bring the community into our football club and use our facilities. For someone to do that, it's really disappointing, and it makes you feel like not bringing the community in and just keeping it exclusive as an elite performance centre,' he said.
However, he emphasized the club's commitment to community engagement. 'But we'll keep bringing the community in, because we're a good footy club, and that's how we go about things.'
The dual premiership coach noted that the practice of listing opposition strengths and weaknesses was something he learned from former Wallabies mentor Eddie Jones.
Reactions from Others
Brisbane defender Harris Andrews, usually reserved, also expressed his anger about the incident. Essendon coach Brad Scott, however, remained unfazed, stating it was an issue for Brisbane to handle. 'Brisbane have done that for years, so that's nothing new,' Scott said. 'I wouldn't want that coming out of our building.'
