A “rivalry full of nastiness” is developing between Grand Final combatants Melbourne and Western Bulldogs, according to Sportsday co-host Sam McClure.
The Dogs and Dees squared off in last month’s decider, which saw the Demons break a 57-year premiership drought in style to win by 74 points.
In the lead up, Dogs players were filmed singing and dancing to ‘Freed from Desire’ in the rooms after their preliminary final victory over Port Adelaide, with Luke Beveridge later conceding he was “disappointed” with club staffers who filmed and leaked what was meant to be a private celebration.
McClure, who was in Perth for the Grand Final, said there were senior figures at both clubs who were at odds with each other, saying he also later observed Melbourne players singing the same song on the Optus Stadium turf hours after winning the premiership.
“I don’t think there’s too much love lost between (these) two clubs, both the administrators and players,” he said on Sportsday.
“This is a rivalry full of nastiness and there’s a few things that stem from it. There are senior players from both sides that don’t particularly get along.
“The fact that Melbourne sang the same Bulldogs song they sang in the rooms (after their preliminary final win over Port Adelaide) that leaked on social media, it got back to the Dogs and it didn’t go down too well.
“A couple of hours after the game, everyone had left and one of the great Grand Final moments is when the team walks back onto the ground with the cup, they have a few beers and sing the song a couple of times.
“The only people left in the ground were media and suddenly you hear ‘Freed from Desire’ and realise that was the song the Bulldogs were singing a couple of weeks ago, that got back to the Dogs and I don’t think they were happy about it.
“For me, one team lost and one team won and we move on and get over it, but I think this will be a rivalry (moving forward) that isn’t necessarily like Hawthorn and Geelong with the Kennett curse, but it’ll be in the same suburb.”