Former St Kilda and North Melbourne star Nick Dal Santo says that Tom Rockliff’s demotion to Brisbane vice-captain following a player vote, is a ‘slap in the face’.
Rockliff, who has captained the Lions for the past two seasons, has been deposed by former Collingwood ball-winner Dayne Beams as skipper.
Dal Santo said he was surprised that Beams got the nod having only been at the club for two years – and missing most of last season – but while Rockliff’s on-field playing credentials cannot be questioned, the demotion says more about his leadership off the field.
“He was highly scrutinized for some of his leadership styles previously,” he told SEN Aftenoons.
“And if that’s a player vote, they’ve basically said, ‘we didn’t like the way you’ve gone about it previously, and now you’re the 2IC.’”
“Football clubs are brutally honest places.
“You compare it to any workplace – your nine-to-five tradition job – and there’s a lot of things said in a footy club that you cannot say anywhere else.
“You have to be honest with Tom Rockliff, there is obviously something that’s not working that they’ve said has to change. That’s going to be a little slap in the face.
“His football stands up, he gets a lot of the ball and he’s been really consistent for a long period of time.
“Its more off-field, which is going to be difficult to assess from our point of view – we are a long, long way away and its hard to get insight into football clubs – but it is going to be interesting to see how that plays out this year.”
Dal Santo said that the way Brisbane starts the season will be vital for the confidence levels of the group, but also for their perception amongst the wider football community.
“At this time of year you’re always optimistic and you’re always positive as a player,” he said.
“You’ve been away from five months doing your own pre-season, you feel like you’re going well, you feel like you’ve improved, and now its time to show it.
“So their start to the year will be really important – even from a perception point of view as opposition players and (the) media.”