BRISBANE defender Marcus Adams has gone into bat for under-fire teammate Harris Andrews, saying criticism of the two-time All-Australian’s form is off the mark.
Andrews was targeted following the Lions’ win over Greater Western Sydney on Saturday, with former player and commentator Kane Cornes one of many to take aim.
Cornes said Andrews was playing with a lack of intensity, a lack of urgency and “playing like he’s 35”.
However, Adams was having none of it.
“The critics are going to come out and say what they’re going to say, but I think he’s been pretty good this year,” Adams said.
"If you look at his contested defensive one-on-ones he’s had the most in the League and one of the best percentages in terms of not getting beaten.
“It’s just a bit of talk in the media.”
Andrews would not enjoy rewatching his early involvements against the Giants, missing a spoil that led to a Bobby Hill goal and then running over a ground ball that led to a Toby Greene goal.
He recovered well, finishing with a team-high nine intercepts.
Adams is right, with Andrews involved in 57 one-on-one contests this season, losing just 11.
The only key defenders less than his 19 percent loss rate are Steven May (five percent), Sam Taylor (10 percent) and Darcy Moore (16 percent).
Adams believed Andrews was a victim of his own high standards.
“He’s a pretty proud sort of guy and takes a lot of pride in his performance and what he does for the team.
“I think he’d probably take it (criticism) a little bit to heart, but it won’t stop him from going out and doing the best he can each week.”
Adams said the Lions were eager to tidy up their defence collectively against Fremantle on Sunday after giving up 213 points in the past fortnight to Hawthorn and GWS.
“It’s something we’ve got to be more diligent on and tidy up and we’ll be looking forward to doing that this week.”