Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick says some fans are ‘peanuts’ after clashing with Adelaide Oval spectators.
Hardwick says he ‘has to be better’ after confronting some fans as the Suns crashed to a 19.14 (128) to 7.7 (49) loss to Adelaide on Saturday night.
‘It’s not ideal, to be honest, walking through here,’ Hardwick said post-game.
‘And I understand people are going to say stuff and I have got to be better.’
Hardwick then lashed the behaviour of some fans.
‘At the end of the day, those sort of people are the guys that live in their mum’s basements and type on bloody social media forums and all that sort of stuff,’ he said.
Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick (left) is pictured going back and forth with fans at Adelaide Oval on Saturday in a clash that left him furious
The Suns boss was seen on TV coverage speaking to security about the supporters after the confrontation
‘But we’re not playing well. I’ve got to be better, like I said.
‘But we’ve got to do something about it. It’s a dangerous position to put us in, first and foremost.
‘Security is OK but we don’t need people being peanuts about it. Get out of the basement, mate.’
Adelaide Oval is believed to be the only AFL venue where coaches have to walk through the crowd to access the ground at quarter breaks.
Geelong’s Chris Scott voiced similar displeasure weeks ago, and Crows’ coach Matthew Nicks urged fans of his club to behave.
‘It’s disappointing,’ Nicks said.
‘I don’t think any coach should have to put up with that.
‘I’d say to our members and our fans: we’re not here for that. We’re here to enjoy watching a great game of footy … so just enjoy it.’
Hardwick said having to walk through the crowd to reach the players during quarter breaks at Adelaide Oval puts coaches in a ‘dangerous position’
The coach’s outburst came after his highly rated team fell to a seventh straight loss to leave their finals chances on life support
Hardwick’s mood was soured by a seventh-consecutive loss ahead of a testing run to the finals: the Western Bulldogs, Carlton, Melbourne, GWS, Brisbane and St Kilda.
‘This year is effectively gone,’ he said, referring to the 14th-placed Suns’ finals prospects.
‘What we’ve got to do is forge our way forward about what we want ourselves to look like for next year.
‘So the challenge is firmly set there for the playing group.’
Gold Coast also lost promising 20-year-old Will Graham to a shoulder dislocation against the Crows.
‘He’s probably done for the year, I would say,’ Hardwick said.
