"I found it disrespectful. I actually took it really personally. I have no doubt there are a couple guys feeling pissed off about it.

"There isn't a whole lot we can do about it right now. I think it is good to see other people speaking about it in our four walls to see it hit them as well.

"I saw one article refer to Ben Cunnington and Robbie Tarrant as nothing more than B-grade players," Macmillan added.

"If I were one of them, I would take that personally. Ben Cunnington is one of, if not the, best inside clearance player in the competition. Robbie Tarrant, if it wasn't for Alex Rance, who is probably one of the best full-backs the game has ever seen, would be in the All-Australian team.

"It's only November and there isn't a whole lot we can do about it now unfortunately. Hopefully, as you saw last year when we were able to put in some pretty competitive performances, we can raise a few eyebrows. Next year we will be looking to do that again, it's the only way you can respond."