BREAKING: Kangaroos duo disciplined for night out after 124-point humiliation
North Melbourne duo Zac Fisher and Wil Dawson have been disciplined by the club for their behaviour following the club’s historic 124-point loss to Fremantle in Round 13, it has been revealed.Midweek Tackle’s Corbin Middlemas reported on Tuesday night that the fringe pair’s ‘omission’ the following week came after they returned late from a night out drinking.Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.“My understanding was there was no particular curfew, and there was no ban when it comes to alcohol — although it’s believed in this case there was alcohol consumed on the night,” Middlemas told Fox Footy.“Essentially, the players were given a bit of scope. They were told: ‘Keep an understanding here of the context of the day, and be back at a reasonable time. Wherever that imaginary line was, 21 (teammates) were on one side of it, and there were two guys that seemingly found themselves on the other side of it.Fox Footy reporter Jon Ralph added: “We all know Todd Viney well, we all know Alastair Clarkson well. This wasn’t a curfew they broke by 10 minutes they’re very reasonable blokes. I’d imagine for them to be suspended for the next week’s game, they must’ve done something that was significant enough.“Read the bloody room Zac. Wil Dawson’s a 20-year-old kid, he doesn’t really know better ... (but) Zac is 28 — he is right on football’s scrap heap. He hadn’t played a game until July last year, he comes in for that game and has his 14 possessions; he was okay.“But of course, this was a chance to re-establish his football career. Some would say this was the dumbest bell that ever rang, your football career can go like that (clicks) ... it may be well that he doesn’t play football again for this club again this year. I just think he had to be so much smarter than that.”The 124-point defeat was North Melbourne’s heaviest loss since Alastair Clarkson took charge, and contrastingly, Fremantle’s biggest win in their history.The pair were omitted alongside injured Riley Hardeman for their tight one-point win over West Coast last Saturday.“The club became aware that Zac Fisher and Wil Dawson failed to meet the standards expected of the team on the night after our game in Bunbury,” Kangaroos General Manager Todd Viney said in a statement provided to Middlemas.“As a result, they were not available for selection for the match against West Coast and played in our VFL team instead.“We are building a high-performance culture at the club and on this occasion both Zac and Wil did not live up to those standards,” GM of football Todd Viney said.Dawson has played four of his 12 AFL career games in 2026, while the Round 13 fixture is Fisher’s only appearance at AFL level this year. Both players are available for selection this Sunday afternoon to take on Richmond at the MCG.
