Charlie Austin, Connor Chapman and THAT half-time blow-up. The scenes – which went viral and made headlines in the United Kingdom – were captured by the A-Leagues All Access cameras during Brisbane Roar’s loss to Isuzu UTE A-League premiers Melbourne City in Round 2.
While fans were replenishing themselves at the interval, Roar marquee Austin was laying into team-mate Chapman inside Suncorp Stadium’s inner sanctum: “Game management? Well f*** me!”
THE MOMENT CHARLIE AUSTIN LAYS INTO ROAR – CAUGHT ON CAMERA
The Roar were 2-0 behind at half-time as Chapman was taken to task, and while the Brisbane centre-back did launch back, this is his side of the story.
Joining Melbourne City captain Scott Jamieson on former A-Leagues defender Robbie Cornthwaite’s new KEEPUP podcast The Players Pod, Chapman said the high-profile incident was part and parcel of professional sport, even adding “it was probably a kick up the a** for both of us and also the team”.
In season 2022-23, you can listen to Robbie weekly on his new KEEPUP podcast – The Players Pod, with Robbie Cornthwaite. He chats to Connor Chapman and Scott Jamieson on the second episode. Listen below or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
“It was quite a tough week. I didn’t actually watch the first episode with Nani so I didn’t really know what was going on with all the cameras,” Chapman said on The Players Pod. “It was probably a bad day at the office for myself and it’s normal to come in at half-time and be frustrated.
“Sometimes in sport and definitely in football, we’re both very passionate and we both want to win. We’ve both come in and spoken to each other in a way that probably could be better.
“But at the end of the day I think sometimes it happens. Obviously everyone saw it. It was quite passionate. Charlie is a top guy, 30 seconds after that we came together and we were mates. We got over it for the second half.
“If anything, it’s good for the fans to see that, to see the players are passionate and we do want to win.”
After the 2-0 loss to City, Roar bounced back with an impressive 1-1 draw away to unbeaten Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 3, which saw Austin score his first goal in the A-Leagues.
Chapman added: “Charlie has every right to do that. Charlie has had an unbelievable career and I respect that as well. At the end of the day we both want the team to win.
Charlie is quite a confident person and so am I in ways. At the end of the day, for Charlie and myself, we’re very good mates and got over it straight away. It was probably a kick up the a** for both of us and also the team, and sometimes that does give us a reaction.
Jamieson was part of the opposition on that night in Brisbane as the curtains came down during the second episode of KEEPUP’s ground-breaking docu-series.
Much has been made about Brisbane and the supposed problem with their “culture” in the wake of the moment caught on camera by the A-Leagues All Access crew.
However, veteran defender Jamieson – a Championship winner with City – thought the scenes were “brilliant”.
“Having been in a dressing room, and anyone who has been in a dressing room, knows that emotions run high, and things are said,” Jamieson said, with his head coach Patrick Kisnorbo the subject of A-Leagues All Access episode three, which will air on Thursday at 7:30pm AEDT.
“You saw at the end of the clip both players shaking it out and for me that was the key. I saw a few comments on Twitter saying it reflects their performances, it reflects their culture, which I strongly disagree.
“Melbourne City, we’ve been very successful over the last three or four years. One of the biggest things about us is being honest enough to tell people and pull people up. We’ve had our dressing room stoushes.
Myself and Jamie Maclaren have gone at it numerous times…and it doesn’t do anything but to bring out honesty in people…two experienced players having an honest conversation about what was going wrong, I was a massive fan of it… Full credit to them boys, the A-Leagues and Brisbane for showing it…. It’s honesty, it’s passion. Both players shook hands and moved forward and that’s how it should be.
Jamieson continued: “It didn’t sit well with me with a few people saying it was about their culture. It’s got nothing to do with culture.
“It’s about people being honest enough to say it to their face to criticize but be able to receive it, so no issues.”
