AFL greats slam Eddie McGuire's 'unfair' Lachie Hunter take

AFL icons Tim Watson and Garry Lyon have sided with Caroline Wilson, after she and Collinwood president Eddie McGuire had a spirited debate about the sanctions handed to Western Bulldogs star Lachie Hunter.

Hunter was stripped of the Bulldogs vice-captaincy and banned for a month after allegedly drink driving and crashing into several parked cars late last week.

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McGuire and Wilson debated whether Hunter should have fronted the press on Footy Classified, with McGuire suggesting journalists simply wanted to ‘kick people to death’ when they make mistakes.

Speaking on SEN radio on Friday, Watson said McGuire’s comments were ‘unfair’ to reporters, arguing senior players should be held more accountable.

“I don’t think (McGuire’s comments) are fair,” Watson said.

“I don’t think what Eddie is saying is correct. They don’t want to make people cry.

“What they want is they want to hear from the person who was directly involved and there were people who were camped outside Hunter’s house yesterday and I would have suggested that at some point the Bulldogs should have put him up to be questioned by the media.

“I think under those circumstances that is reasonable.

“No one wanted to browbeat him, no one wanted to make him cry – they just want to hear directly from him and ask him questions and have him answer those questions.

“He’s a 25-year-old, he’s considered to be a leader of that club, it was reasonable that he would have been able to do that.”

Lyon agreed with Watson, arguing Hunter’s status within the club and the nature of what he had done meant the public deserved answers.

“I think every case needs to be taken on an individual basis and he is the vice-captain of that football club,” Lyon said.

“He’s not a second-year player. He is the vice-captain. I think that would have been fair game.”

Eddie McGuire, Caroline Wilson clash over Lachie Hunter

Discussing the scandal on Footy Classified on Wednesday night, veteran journalist Wilson said Hunter should have fronted up and been made to answer questions from the media.

However McGuire strongly disagreed, saying the media only wanted to see Hunter in tears.

“Caro, you’ve made your point. My point is this, in that situation with Lachie Hunter. People who have not been on the front page of the paper under enormous attack don’t understand what it means to you and his family,” McGuire said.

“His sisters were being door stopped coming out of the house, all that sort of stuff.

“The media want him to do a press conference so they can browbeat him and he cries. That’s what they want.”