West Coast midfielder Matt Priddis says little can be done to stop AFL crowds from booing under-fire Essendon skipper Jobe Watson.
Watson was roundly booed by Eagles fans in Essendon’s seven-point win at Patersons Stadium on Thursday night.
The 2012 Brownlow Medallist faces an uncertain future after admitting he believes he had been injected with the WADA-banned anti-obesity drug AOD-9604 last year.
Watson says he was told the drug was legal when it was given to him.
The 28-year-old tallied 29 possessions and kicked two goals against the Eagles, but was close to tears by the end of the match after dealing with the constant crowd abuse.
Priddis said he felt for Watson, and hoped people would wait until the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority completed their investigation before forming an opinion.
“Sledging and booing has been going on for as long as the game has been played,” Priddis said on Friday.
“We’ve had players here who have been booed every time they’ve played in Melbourne. It’s just part of the game sometimes.
“People are entitled to their opinions. They pay their money to come to the game.
“Personally it’s something I probably wouldn’t do, but you can’t control 36,000 people.
“Watson has been a great player for a long period of time. He’s a Brownlow Medallist and he’s held in high regard.
“You can’t really form too many opinions on what he has or hasn’t done. We just have to wait for the investigations to be completed.”
Essendon coach James Hird wasn’t happy with the treatment Watson received from the crowd.
“I didn’t like that at all. It’s not necessary,” Hird said.