BRISBANE coach Chris Fagan has defended captain Dayne Zorko for his post-match verbal spray towards Touk Miller, and says there needs to be balance in the commentary surrounding the incident.
For the second time this season Zorko lost his cool following the final siren against Gold Coast, this time yelling expletives in Miller's face before sarcastically going back to shake his hand on multiple occasions.
In round five Zorko simply refused to shake Miller's hand following a five-point Suns win.
I didn't see the cameras highlight all the whacks and knocks he got from the bloke who was playing on him.
It sparked an outcry from former players, led by ex-Western Bulldog Brad Johnson, saying the incident was a "disaster".
Fagan said he was sure Zorko would handle things differently next time, but understood why his skipper acted the way he did.
"I think it's really easy for all of us sitting back and observing to make those comments, it's a lot harder when you're the bloke that's copped the physical attention for two-and-a-half hours to remain composed when the siren goes," Fagan said.
Gold Coast captain Steven May and Dayne Zorko. Picture: AFL Photos
"I thought it wasn't that big a deal this weekend.
"I didn't see the cameras highlight all the whacks and knocks he got from the bloke who was playing on him during the game and no one talked about that as being bad sportsmanship.
"I think we need to keep a bit of balance in the commentary on that."
Fagan was quick to laud Zorko's efforts as captain since taking over from Dayne Beams who stepped down from the role mid-season.
"If you watch that game and watch it closely, you'll see the amount of attention he gets during it. It's no surprise when the siren goes and we've won, it's hard to control his emotions.
"It was only for a brief second or two and if he had his time over he would try and conduct himself in a different way.
"He plays with a lot of passion, brought a lot of energy to the role. For that little misdemeanor I forgive him.
"I sort of understand where it's come from. I'm sure that in the future we'll see a little bit more control."
