"I reckon it's been a bit disappointing that the only thing that seems to be on the news is that players might be missing, whereas it's still going to be a showcase match, still 45 of the best players in the competition going up against each other," the Cats' Norm Smith medallist told The Age newspaper yesterday.
"All you hear from the media is that [Jonathan] Brown might not play, or [Gary] Ablett might not play, or [Nick] Riewoldt's out. I just hope the supporters get along, because it's going to be just about the greatest match you'll see in terms of talent."
The 24-year-old was backed by Geelong and Victorian coach Mark Thompson at yesterday's media conference, who said it was important to focus on the ins, not the outs.
"In the end, whether Gary plays or not, or whoever plays, their replacements are very good players too, he said.
"I think it's irrelevant whether you write up who's not going to play, it's the fact of who is going to play that's the highlight of this match."
