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Smack talk: Mac Andrew won't change aggressive style
Lachlan Geleit • April 29th, 2025 4:17 pm
Mac Andrew doesn’t plan on changing the way he goes about his footy, even if he cops some criticism from the media.
The star Gold Coast defender has been in some fiery tussles in recent weeks, with his battle against Adelaide’s Riley Thilthorpe in Round 4 drawing plenty of attention with the pair even pushing and shoving after the final siren.
While the 21-year-old has been the instigator in more than one recent scuffle, he’s not keen on changing anytime soon. Andrew simply loves the competitiveness of battle, something that’s always come naturally to him.
“I feel like I've always been a pretty competitive player, and I really love that side of the game where you get to talk smack and kind of push and shove,” Andrew told SEN's Fireball.
“I've been a big fan of American sports my whole life. I guess you see it in all those sports, and, I don't know, I feel like everyone's fine with it.
“I don't know what the difference is when you do it in footy, I guess some people don’t like it, but I’ve always loved that side of the game.
“I guess growing up with older brothers as well, they've always kind of bullied me and talked smack to me, so I've kind of always had to defend myself a little bit.
“It’s something that I won't change, and I'll keep on doing it, but I probably just need to pick and choose the times I do it, I guess.”
While Andrew admits he did see some comments made in the media about his conduct after the Thilthorpe matchup, he refused to let it affect him negatively.
“To be fair, I didn't really think about it too much,” Andrew said.
“I obviously saw some stuff and copped a bit from it, but at the same time, I just feel like you can't really change what's in the past.
“I just moved on from it as quickly as I could, and I guess people can kind of say whatever they want.
“The only way it affects me is if I read into it, so I just try to stay away from it, not read into it and just kind of focus on what I can control and what I can do in the future.”
Andrew and the 5-1 Suns will hope to continue their strong start to the season when they face the 6-1 Lions in the Q-Clash at the Gabba on Saturday night.
