Harris Andrews spills the beans on Darcy Moore's 'awkward' act before AFL grand final
The Brisbane Lions co-captain says he would do things differently if he had his time over again.
Brisbane Lions captain Harris Andrews has revealed he's been "haunted all off-season" by the fact he took his hand off the AFL premiership cup before Collingwood counterpart Darcy Moore at the grand final parade last year. Many in the AFL world believe the "curse of the cup" is a real thing and that whichever captain takes their hand off it first during the pre-game parade will lose the grand final.
It came to fruition last year when Andrews took his hand off the cup first, before the Lions lost to Collingwood by just four points a day later. Speaking on Triple M Breakfast with Marto, Margaux & Dan on Thursday, Harris revealed how Moore had made a point of making sure he was the last one to be touching the cup.
“It’s haunted me all off-season to be honest,” Andrews said. “Collingwood made a big deal about holding the cup, being the last one to let go of the cup at the grand final parade. It was a little awkward up on the stage because we’re sort of both standing there and I’m not really sure what’s happening.”
RELATED:
Richmond rocked by Trent Cotchin news amid Dustin Martin blow
Sad news about Adam Goodes comes to light on eve of AFL season
Jimmy Webster's wife caught in awful twist as suspension decided
Andrews said he would definitely do things differently if he had his time again, although it will be co-captain Lachie Neale in the position if the Lions make another grand final in the near future. “If I get to that situation again and it’ll probably be Lachie this time, I’ll be imploring him that he certainly doesn’t let go and probably take the cup home with him.”
Brisbane Lions shed baggage from AFL grand final heartache
The Lions looked destined for glory on AFL grand final day in 2023, but were overpowered by a Collingwood side who won their first flag in 13 years. Rather than shy away from the pain of the defeat, Harris revealed how the Lions reviewed the decider in-depth before going into their off-season break.
"The way we reviewed the game, and the year, was probably a little bit different," Andrews told AAP last month. "We reviewed the game and some of the things, those moments, we wish we could have taken back.
"Guys were really honest and up-front about that. It's good to hit that on the head, and that way you then walk into the off-season without carrying a little bit of baggage. I mean, you'd be naive to think you don't think about it every now and then. But I thought we did a really good job of identifying that and then also just reflecting on the whole year in general."
Andrews said the Lions were able to celebrate their remarkable season rather than focus on their grand final heartache. "The disappointment of losing a grand final, you could probably look at the whole year and call it a disaster (because they didn't win the premiership), but we were able to identify that, yes, it was a disappointing game, but it was also a great year at the same time," Andrews said.
Neale, who won a second Brownlow Medal in 2023, said last week he'd trade all of his individual awards for a premiership. "The only thing on my mind is a premiership," he said. "(Individual awards) don't really play on my mind at this time of year. I don't think I'll be getting a third (Brownlow). Two's enough, I reckon. Just a premiership medallion will be enough for me."
with AAP
Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.
