Former West Coast defender Will Schofield says Rory Laird’s post-Showdown comments about Josh Rachele were “a really bad look”.
Rachele delivered a pre-match ‘toothless’ barb to Port Adelaide supporters and doubled down during the Showdown last Saturday night by booting a goal and celebrating by gesturing at his teeth.
Laird, speaking on SEN in the aftermath of the fiery contest, said his 21-year-old teammate “continued on with it instead of letting his footy do the talking”.
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Laird added: “He said it was a joke and a bit of a laugh, but it is something that we try to shy away from — it was a bit misaligned as to how we approach these games.”
Fox Footy’s Schofield was categorically opposed to Laird voicing that view in the public spotlight.
“Yeah, (I was) really surprised,” Schofield told Fox Footy’s AFL Tonight on Wednesday.
“As a player, I certainly valued keeping things inside the locker room, and I know in strong teams that’s what’s important.
“So, to have senior players — I know Rory Laird was one of those guys — effectively putting Josh Rachele up on a pedestal, telling him he shouldn’t be doing these sorts of things in public, I think it’s a really bad look. That was my first reaction.”
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While Schofield acknowledged Rachele needed to be spoken to about his comments in the public sphere, the 194-gamer said it was a topic “never” to be spoken about in public.
“Of course, you need to sit Josh Rachele down and speak to him about how he speaks in public, and how he backs that up on the field — that’s a conversation you have inside your four walls, never outside,” he told Fox Footy.
“You don’t ever want to hang out a teammate to dry — especially young ones — so I thought that was really disappointing for Adelaide — and (it) probably summarises why they’ve been such a poor side this year.”
Rachele managed an equal-season-low 10 disposals in the Round 23 loss to the Power, adding five inside-50s, two marks and his goal.
The Crows, 8-13-1 and sitting in 15th position on the ladder, travel to Sydney to play the Swans in their 2024 season finale.
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