Dual premiership captain Wayne Carey said it was Richmond's lack of mental toughness which cost them the game against Gold Coast Suns on Saturday - not the fact the club had sold its home game to Cairns where it played at the neutral venue of Cazaly Stadium.

In his weekly BackPageLead Vidcast, Carey said it was ridiculous for anyone to blame the venue for the Tigers' shock defeat - teams needed to be professional enough to win anywhere these days and any excuses along those lines were a cop-out.

''I think Richmond were just mentally weak, nothing more than that,'' he said. ''Other clubs have got to go and play at neutral venues.

''Richmond have shown a few times this year that on occasions they just haven't prepared properly. They got off to a great start, then just put the cue back in the rack. One thing we've learned about Guy McKenna and Gold Coast is that he really lets them play, they will always keep coming and they take the game on.

''So, as I say, mentally weak - they didn't prepare the way you're meant to prepare for game of AFL footy and they copped their right whack - again.''

Carey said he had some sympathy for Collingwood pair Heath Shaw and Nick Maxwell after they had been heavily punished by the AFL last week for betting on a Collingwood match.

''I think it's a bit harsh when you consider the amount put on and the fact they didn't bet on Collingwood to lose,'' Carey said. ''They were stupid, obviously, because the AFL has made it very clear they don't like players betting on games but I think the punishment was harsh considering the crime.''

And the best centre half-forward of his generation said the player who took over that mantle, Jonathan Brown, whose bravery at the weekend cost him another operation and the rest of the season on the sidelines, needed to be smarter about when he went back with the flight of the ball.

''There was a little bit of dumb courage in that one, I reckon, because Browny was not ever going to make a real impact on that contest,'' Carey said. ''There was a little bit of Leigh Colbert in that one - silly courage.

''But he's not going to change the way he plays, it's instinctive. It's a shame his courage has cost him so many games because I just love watching him play, and we've probably only seen him play one full season in his career.''

Listen to the full Wayne Carey Vidcast by clicking on here ...