Brisbane Lions’ captain Tom Rockliff has accused the media of trying to drive a wedge between players and club coaching staff.
Rockliff has hit back at a weekend report claiming he has too much power in the AFL club and sets a bad example.
“At the moment, we’ve lost 12 games on the trot and everyone’s looking for answers,” he told RSN radio on Wednesday.
“And externally they’re trying to almost drive a wedge into our playing group and into our coaching staff.
“I think one of the articles suggested that I’m driving a rift from the playing group to the coach, which is that far from the truth it’s not funny.”
Rockliff was also disappointed that embattled coach Justin Leppitsch was forced to address speculation about his future, despite being contracted until the end of 2017.
“He’s commenting on rumours a lot at the moment, which becomes frustrating,” he said.
“I think he’s had to defend his job in every media [opportunity] that he does.
“He’s been open with the players, he’s been open with me and we continue to support each other.”