Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield has revealed the details of his controversial conversation with teammate Bernie Vince following the Cats dramatic after-the-siren win over the Demons.
Much has been made of the duo's encounter, with both players smiling as they chatted despite Melbourne being just minutes removed from a heartbreaking loss.
But Dangerfield has cleared the air on the issue, explaining in a column for theย Herald Sunย that there are more important things in life than footy.
โHowโs Tim,โย Dangerfield's column inย the Herald Sunย reads.
"As I shook hands with my former teammate Bernie Vince on Saturday night, that was the first question I asked him.
"Tim is Bernieโs dad. Heโs a ripping bloke, a farmer who is basically an older version of his son. In recent times heโs had a battle with cancer.
"Thankfully for Tim and the Vince family, heโs bounced back and is again larger than life."
The Brownlow medallist went on to recite his conversation with Vince that sparked an outroar from football fans during the week.
"Thatโs what Bernie told me after I asked the question," Dangerfield said.
"'Heโs all clear, heโs good to go,' the Cats champion recalled Vince say.
โ'Life is good, the farm is good although heโs complaining about the lack of rain.'
"That made me chuckle and I replied: โFarmers always do.โ
"My comment made Bernie smile for a split second.
Dangerfield and Vince played at Adelaide together for five seasons, and they have known each other for twice as long.
Which is why the Geelong midfielder said the critics need to "give him a spell".
"Unless you understand the circumstances around that conversation, you should be embarrassed about casting aspersions.
"Bernie hasnโt come out and addressed the issueย because heโs bigger than that, he can take the criticism and move on."
Dangerfield added that Vince would undoubtably have been hurting after his team's narrow loss, but it should not have stopped him from embracing an old friend.
"I would think fans would understand that seeing one of their players smile briefly as he chatted with a friend doesnโt say to them that he hadnโt tried or had accepted the loss," Dangerfield's column reads.
"He was as devastated as anybody by what happened, it was obvious but since when does that mean he canโt engage in a conversation with a friend.
"As frustrated and bemused as Iโve felt all week about the whole episode, Iโm glad Bernie and I chatted because now I know Tim is going well.
"And really, thatโs all that matters."
