Gary Pert has responded to reports which suggested Melbourne and Western Bulldogs were almost involved in a Perth nightclub incident in the aftermath of the Grand Final, calling the story a “beat up” and “blown out of proportion".
Campbell Brown told a Herald Sun podcast that the Dees and Dogs landed up at the same nightclub in the days after Melbourne’s Grand Final win, with the simmering tensions between the clubs igniting after Melbourne were heard dancing to ‘Freed from Desire’ after the Grand Final, a song which the Western Bulldogs were also seen dancing too after their win over Port Adelaide in the preliminary final.
“(The clubs) didn’t come to blows because a player from Melbourne and a player from the Western Bulldogs that are best mates and used to live together and met halfway between Level 2 and Level 3 (at the night club) and negotiated a peace deal,” Brown said on the podcast.
“That’s my mail on the ground in Perth and it’s factually correct.”
Responding for the first time to the allegations, the Melbourne CEO said there wasn’t anything sinister that came from the potential incident.
“From all my reports, it’s absolutely been blown out of all proportion,” he told Sportsday.
“Like all these things, you don’t like tipping water over them as they just keep growing as the days go on.
“Unfortunately this one was a bit of a beat up.”
Melbourne will celebrate its drought-breaking premiership at a public event at the MCG on December 5, after the Grand Final was moved to Perth as a result of Victoria’s COVID situation at the time.