Legends put pressure on Kangaroos skipper Jack Ziebell after Bulldogs' 'training run'
Kangaroos greats Wayne Carey and David King have put the blowtorch on their old team after a disastrous 128-point loss at the hands of the Western Bulldogs.
After coming into the game on the back of consecutive heavy defeats, David Noble's men were dismantled in humiliating fashion by a high-flying Bulldogs outfit in a rare prime time TV slot.
North Melbourne was well-beaten by a young Gold Coast outfit in Round Two, and skipper Jack Ziebell promised a better showing after the 59-point defeat, calling it "unacceptable"
While Ziebell tallied a team-high 33 disposals in his new defensive role, King pointed the finger at the skipper for a drop in his efforts in the second half which saw the Dogs kick 16 goals to two.
Jack Ziebell collected 33 disposals against the Bulldogs but had very little impact on the game Getty
"I think Jack Ziebell was a victim of his own efforts early, he blew up large, there's no doubt about that," he told Fox Footy.
"He can't run out the game and playing halfback, the demands of the game mean you've got to do more running than what Jack is probably capable of at this stage, which is a real question on him if he can play as a half back flanker.
"We've been in this position seven days prior. So when you make close-ended statements like that, I think you've got to back it up. Clearly they didn't.
"It fell away big time in the second half. And they invite the pressure that comes now from external sources, such as us in the media we've got to call it as we see it."
Josh Bruce put the Kangaroos' undermanned back six to the sword, finishing with 10 goals Getty
The performance left two-time Kangaroos premiership captain Wayne Carey livid, as he unloaded on the team's effort midway through the third quarter.
"Age doesn't stop you from putting pressure on and doing all of those one-percenters that we talk about so often," he said on Seven's coverage.
"You can cop being beaten by a better team. I wasn't disappointed in the first half because of the effort and the intent.
"They've come out after half-time and that is completely gone. There's just no effort anymore and this now is a training run for the Bulldogs."
The road to a premiership ahead of Ziebell and the Kangaroos appears to be extremely long Getty
The Kangaroos icons were the only people to take aim at Ziebell for his second-half showing, with Lions great Jonathan Brown also pointing the finger at the skipper.
"They'd be bitterly disappointed with the second half because we're just looking at effort. We know on ability there's a big difference between the two teams," he told Fox Footy.
"But the thing is you're the captain, you're putting out that statement and you need to lead from the front from an effort point of view and Jack Ziebell was questionable with his efforts in the second half.
"I've got a lot of admiration for Jack Ziebell over the journey, but you need to lead from the front."
