Under-fire Essendon midfielder Dylan Shiel has broken his silence on the taunt directed at him by Sydney co-captain Luke Parker.
When Parker poked fun at Shiel’s work at the contest during Sydney‘s 58-point thumping of Essendon on Saturday, the big-money Bomber didn’t retaliate in any way.
Shiel’s meek response left Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd incensed, and he said on Nine he wished Shiel or a teammate had “ploughed straight through Parker” because Shiel had been “disrespected”.
READ MORE: Former Tigers coach to take reins of Bulldogs
READ MORE: Gus drops hint as Bulldogs’ coach hunt begins
READ MORE: The $1.8M ‘poison’ that ruined Symonds-Clarke relationship
Bombers captain Dyson Heppell defended Shiel on Fox Footy, saying it would have been stupid to hit back and risk conceding a 50-metre penalty, before Shiel had his say on Tuesday.
“At the time it didn’t seem like a big deal and (I) moved on pretty quickly and (am) probably just more disappointed in the outcome of the game,” Shiel told 9News as he arrived at Bombers HQ.
“We’re going to look forward to this weekend and try to get a win for the club.”
Despite its busy work at the trade table and attainment of three top-10 picks in the 2020 AFL draft, Essendon is again slumping to a dismal season.
The Bombers have won just two from nine games and are languishing in 16th on the ladder.
Ben Rutten’s men will face Richmond in Dreamtime at the ‘G on Saturday night.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!