Wayne Carey threatens to NEVER watch another game of footy if the AFL makes one controversial decision

AFL great Wayne Carey has threatened to never watch another game of footy and is adamant he will ‘jump ship’ if Essendon’s Peter Wright is suspended at the tribunal on Tuesday night.

It follows Wright, 27, being charged with rough conduct for his hard bump on Sydney’s Harry Cunningham on Saturday night at the SCG.

The Bombers key forward is facing a lengthy ban, with his high-speed hit graded as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.

Carey was in disbelief that Wright will face a tribunal hearing – and made his feelings abundantly clear on his The Truth Hurts podcast. 

‘Weak as p**s, straight away, to the AFL, whoever decided that was sent straight to the tribunal, that is just crap and wrong,’ the dual-premiership player with the Kangaroos fumed.

‘I’m prepared to say if Peter Wright gets suspended, whatever weeks he gets, I will not watch a game of AFL footy. I’m done. I’m jumping ship.

‘I would say to anyone out there: if we want this game to look anything like it should look, he’s allowed to attack that footy and he’s allowed to protect himself.

‘They got to the footy simultaneously. Peter turned his body to protect himself. If he doesn’t turn his body, they’re both hurt. This is what our game is about. You’re allowed to attack the footy like he did.

‘It’s just gone too far now for me. I will not watch footy for as long, if he gets weeks. I’m not going to watch it for as long as he’s out of the game.’

Carey added a subsequent ban for Wright would change players’ decision-making on the field.

‘Players are going to be petrified to even go at the footy hard,’ he said.

‘They are going to be tip-toeing around and not even going to want to attack the footy. Is that what we want to turn this game into?’

It also follows Sydney Swans star Tom Papley slamming Essendon for their off the ball tactics during their spiteful 30-point win on home soil.

‘They [Bombers] were pretty good early, their pressure is good. They’re getting after us a bit, but we’ll keep going hard at the ball,’ he told Channel Seven at halftime.

‘They’re trying to get after us, it’s all off the ball. We’re just worried about the ball, we’ll keep being hard in the contest and get the job done.’

Meanwhile, Essendon young gun Archie Perkins has backed his teammate Wright, questioning what other players would do in the same situation.

Swans defender Cunningham was concussed and assisted from the field following the collision early in the first quarter.

‘He’s a really fair player and I think any player in his position on the weekend, leading up at the ball, I don’t know what decision any other players would make,’ Perkins told reporters.

‘He’ll get dealt with by the tribunal, but we’ll definitely miss him if he gets weeks.’

Pressed further on the matter, Perkins added: ‘I’m not sure what other players or what I would do in that same situation.

‘It will be interesting to see what the tribunal say moving forward.’

Wright’s bump came after Bombers coach Brad Scott had spoken about the ‘Essendon edge’ he wants his team to develop.