In the wake of Geelong’s 83-point Preliminary Final thumping at the hands of Melbourne, Cats wingman Isaac Smith spoke honestly.
The former Hawthorn star was so disappointed with the way his team played that he took to radio to describe the lacklustre showing against the Demons in Perth as an embarrassment.
Speaking on RSN, Smith said: “To be honest, I was pretty embarrassed walking off the oval.
“Playing that last quarter and a half was probably the most embarrassing 45 minutes of football that I’ve played in my career, to be honest.”
The same disappointment felt by Geelong would have also been experienced by Port Adelaide following their 71-point defeat to the Western Bulldogs.
Garry Lyon has been intrigued by the reactions of both the Cats and Power in the aftermath, wondering how the two clubs will respond to the respective setbacks.
“This is what I find really interesting, the pain was real for Geelong and for Port Adelaide when you bow out in the prelims in the manner that they did,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“Too real to be making statements after the game and the day after you’ve got to give them some space
“Now they’re starting to talk. Isaac Smith described that Geelong game as ‘the most embarrassing 45 minutes of football that I’ve played’.
“It gives you a bit of indication of where it’s at and maybe what’s going to take place at that footy club over the next couple of weeks in terms of the review of the season and ultimately the last game.
“It’s pretty powerful stuff from an experienced footballer which I think speaks to the recrimination or reverberations that would be down at Geelong.”
Port’s football boss Chris Davies was not backwards in coming forwards after his side went down to the Dogs, touching on assistant coach Michael Voss and his future plans.
Voss is being linked with the Carlton job and must soon make a decision according to Davies.
“We will allow him to work through that... but there is also a time frame in all of these things,” he told reporters.
“I am not the type of person that is going to wait forever and Michael knows that.
“I don’t want to seem too cold here but I can be pretty cold in these situations.
“If we get to a point where we need to make a decision then we will make it and Michael will have to live with that.”
It is another situation that Lyon finds intriguing.
“Then you had Chris Davies come out and describe their performance as an abomination,” he added.
“He talked about his harsh ultimatum for Michael Voss about having to find out pretty quickly (if he wants to pursue the Carlton job).
“The reaction and response on the back of the disappointing losses is going to be fascinating.”
As preparations for the Grand Final between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs continue, both the Cats and Power will have to settle to lick their wounds as they look to hit back hard in 2022.