Brisbane Lions captain and football boss deny rumours that off-season US trip has caused player rift

General manager of football Danny Daly has denied claims of a “crisis meeting” after the allegations surfaced on Friday, criticizing the reporting of the incident as “poor, insensitive, and factually incorrect”.

What’s coming up? The Lions will face North Melbourne at Norwood Oval in Adelaide on Friday night.

Brisbane Lions co-captain Harris Andrews has refuted any internal tensions within the club, downplaying the impact of the off-season trip on their poor start to the AFL season.

The 2023 grand finalists are yet to win a game this season and are under scrutiny following reports of a rift in the dressing room due to the trip.

Daly addressed the media on Monday to clarify that there was no emergency meeting held in response to the allegations.

He confirmed that he spoke with co-captains Andrews and Lachie Neale to confirm there were no divisions within the team and that no personal relationships were affected by the trip.

“It’s been an interesting [Easter] from the club’s point of view,” he stated.

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“We reached out to our leaders and they reassured us… there is no issue.

“I always trust our players, that’s where it ends. The trip has no bearing on our performance on the field.

“This group has faced highs and lows together. We have full confidence in them.”

Andrews, who was away in Europe during the off-season trip taken by some teammates, is confident that the team is united.

“There has never been any tension… there is nothing to worry about,” he assured.

“There has been a lot of external noise in the past few days, but as a group, we are united. We can’t control what others say.

“I’m not seeing any internal conflicts among players.

“We haven’t had the start we wanted, and people are looking for reasons why.”

Neale did not train on Monday due to an ankle injury sustained in the Lions’ loss to Collingwood last week.

However, scans showed no ligament damage, and he is expected to play against the Kangaroos if he participates in Wednesday’s training session.

AAP