Footy star ‘apologetic’ after mocking rival with crying sledge two years on from ‘I hope your mother dies’ slur

Brisbane Lions veteran Dayne Zorko says he has spoken with Noah Answerth and insists his teammate is apologetic for making a ‘crybaby’ sledge towards Melbourne’s Harrison Petty.

Answerth mocked Petty by rubbing his eyes in the last quarter of the Lions’ 22-point win on Thursday night after the Demons forward missed a shot.

The 24-year-old Lion appeared to be referencing an altercation between Petty and Zorko during a game in 2022 at the Gabba that left the Melbourne tall in tears.

Zorko allegedly told Petty ‘I hope your mother dies’, reducing the Demons star to tears. 

Zorko, who was booed by Demons supporters every time he had the ball on Thursday night, says he was not aware of the Answerth incident immediately after the game.

Dayne Zorko allegedly told Petty he hoped his mother dies

But he openly addressed it in a radio interview saying he would speak with Answerth.

The former Lions captain said Answerth was ‘disappointed’ with his actions.

‘We’re always learning, we’re always trying to get better, Zorko told SEN on Monday.

‘Like I said on the night, I wasn’t aware of it until after the game when I got asked in an interview.

‘But he’ll certainly learn from it, and I’ve had a quick chat to him about it.

‘It’s just not the way we want to win as a football club and he’s fully aware of that.

‘He’s extremely apologetic and we just move forward from there.’

Melbourne defender Jake Lever said it shouldn’t be part of the game.

Zorko says his younger teammate is ‘apologetic’ for his antics last week

‘He (Petty) had a tough time up there a few years ago and as a player, you don’t know what others are going through,’ Lever told the Seven Network on Thursday night.

‘I think footy’s cleaned up that sort of act.’

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin and Lions counterpart Chris Fagan insisted they had not seen the incident and declined to elaborate when asked it about in their post-match press conferences.