Geelong coach Chris Scott has defended the bravery of star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield amid claims he exaggerates injuries.
Dangerfield was helped from the ground in dramatic scenes during Saturday's clash with Hawthorn at the MCG after injuring his foot during a contest with Hawks skipper Jarryd Roughead.
The reigning Brownlow medallist soon re-emerged and turned match-winner, playing deep in the forward line and booting 5.6.
It was a remarkable recovery, and one that led Port Adelaide premiership player Kane Cornes to suggest Dangerfield carried on about injuries.
Cornes claimed when Dangerfield played for Adelaide, teammates told him to stop talking up injury problems.
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Cats coach Scott on Monday bluntly dismissed the comments as "attention-seeking behaviour".
"Patrick Dangerfield doesn't need me stepping in for him," Scott said on Fox Footy.
"If there is a tinge of seriousness there, I'd probably counter with the fact that Paddy played through broken ribs earlier in the year without a peep.
"My experience with him is that he deals with pain pretty well. Maybe we have different experiences and different perspectives."
Dangerfield made light of Cornes' comments on Monday, arriving at a media conference on crutches with his head bandaged.
"I didn't have that conversation, so maybe Kane should do a little bit more research next time," he told KIIS.FM.
There is local context to the Cornes barb, given Cornes's long playing career at the Crows' hated local rivals Port Adelaide.
"It's great we have someone from the Crows' inner sanctum - no-one is as welcome as Kane Cornes in the Adelaide change-rooms," Dangerfield said sarcastically.
"I can only laugh at Kane, I don't think I need to reference his career at times.
"I don't take it hard ... it makes for certainly entertaining TV."
Dangerfield faces a race against time to line up against the ladder-leading Crows at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
Scans on Monday revealed he had escaped serious damage but he will still need to overcome bone bruising and swelling in his foot.
