Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy has come under fire for his performance against the Western Bulldogs last night.
Grundy was mauled by the twin presence of Stefan Martin and Tim English, who combined for 29 disposals and two goals, while Grundy only managed 11 possessions and 39 hitouts in the Magpies' 16-point loss.
Grundy's performance was in stark contrast to his previous outings against the Bulldogs, who he has collected nine Brownlow votes against in his last three matches.
A seven-year contract worth $7 million has only fueled the pressure on the All-Australian ruck, who was well below his best in 2020 and was expected to return to the heights of 2019 in 2021.
Fox Footy expert, David King, said after the game that it was time Grundy became the marquee player that his contract entails.
"He was beaten tonight and you can get beaten game-to-game, but this is on watch now. Tonight they were humbled and I think it starts at the coalface," King said after the game and reported by Chris Da Silva for nine.com.au
"You've got to challenge your best players to make a difference and Brodie Grundy, that salary cap squeeze we spoke about last year, it's largely because of contracts like that.
"If you're going to be a senior player demanding that sort of coin then you've got to be the difference. You've got to be a marquee player if you're going to get marquee money."
Grundy and the Magpies will have six days to turn around their form when they come up against Carlton at the MCG on Thursday night.
