Preparing for Round 1 | The Eye of the Coach with Adam Simpson (12.03.26)

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We've got a commentary dream team on our donation tonight when Kim Hinckley sits alongside Adam

Simpson for the first time. Hello to your Simmo. Good morning Jared. I just have a great look forward

to you. It's just a great vibe around even walking into the studio. This is what everyone's

this is what it used to feel like going into round one. Didn't it?

Where everyone's got a look. You've got the Thursday night game. It's just been a weird week.

The build up to last week as opposed to build up to this week. It just maybe it's just a

Melbourne thing. I don't know. But it feels it just feels different today and everyone gets out of

the gates is we were just reflecting in the back office that because of the nature of things you

you spend your week reflecting on what happened quite rightly. So there are eight teams that sort of

get shepherded through with no what you get the intensity of the 10 teams for the first week.

And then the reflection on the five games that happened and there are eight teams that are about

to pop up in front of us almost unheralded. Yeah. What about me? And the the the Adelaide

or the South Australian Perth sides that has been non-existent. So yeah. I don't know. This

will be the last time we talk about it. I'm sure we'll get on with the season but it just it

just feels a bit different and it just doesn't feel right anyway. Resoft launch and then we

hit it hard. Yes. Anyway. That's fine. What are you thoughts heading to tonight? So you were there

in the box last game. Yeah. Oh look it's been a big wake Perth and as it been warranted I suppose

from the outside point of view I know the the within the Carlton four walls they're just getting on

on with it really and then and I think they've handled it pretty well. You know right through

throughout the week from an internal point of view versus external there's not much you can do

with it with the white noise. So it's all about and it's always been about tonight. From the

moment the song I went last week from a Carlton point of view it doesn't matter what club it is. If

you have a loss like you had and the and the rhetoric around you deal with the best you can but

it's about how you respond and a game where I hope everyone's not thinking it's just a walk-up

win. No one's thinking that. I wonder what the fans are thinking. I know from a coaching point of

view there's games where you expect it to win when you're a good side and you're on your way and

this is just a game you got to tick off and that was a very nerve-wracking game from a coaching

point of view but from a game that you need to win to create momentum and a statement to start the

year that's a different feeling as well. So no doubt there's some nerves for everyone. It's how

you box that and you get on with actually paying your best footies. That's that's the challenge for

bossy and and and so it's the collective memory of two fan bases from the corresponding game last

year that just brought back tears to my eyes. I'm a Richmond supporter of that Campbell backflip

Howard's footy which is followed by why would you do that to me. It's a beautiful morning up here

and now I have PTSD Gavin from Aubrey so these things live in the hearts. It's why we love it.

It is and you know the anxiety the worst anxiety used to be the 20 seconds before a time trial

and you know what am I doing this and and that's probably the one thing you miss when you're out

of it is that that that really bad feeling you have that's a good I don't know what you call

there's a word for it the apprehension whatever it is it's and I think we get it as supporters as

but you can tombs it by a thousand when you're a coach or you're a player and you're expected to

perform because coaches the work's done during the week so it's just you're sitting there hoping

that everything's going to be executed if you're a player and that doesn't matter what level you

play it by the way just before the bounce you're not going to go today and quite often you're

playing for relief you know you have a win or you play well and you're I'll take the box for a week

so anyway that's what we that's what we love sport you know that's what we love sport

and for a couple of coaches they're about to experience this for real so Stephen King has

done it at Gold Coast but he was only 10th of the year in the job it's not the same this is

his job and Josh Carr has been prepared for this for a long time but I think both have been

impressive publicly I think especially Stephen King and now you get to the business of the game

on Sunday yeah and it's it is new and you get you get a cut I think they both had good wins in

the community series and for a first time coach that means there's so much more than if you're

Chris Scott so the preparation would have been a lot more detailed for those two coaches in the

community series so you're a little bit more prepared from a coaching point of view you're really

trying to stamp your all your style your culture all those type of things so they'd be excited

they'd be really excited and how they delivered their first speech to the players pregame that's

a big deal too so you know I remember going through mine back in 2014 and we had a good pre-season

when we played free man would come off a grand final we've beaten by 60 points so you know I

thought I was Vince Lombardi there for a while and then your pregame speech I just I think I played a

song welcome to the new age who sings that song anyway it doesn't matter who sings it but yeah it

was a it was a I imagine dragons I think that's what they're called and we just put highlights on

and it was that subiaco home game and it was our rooms we train at too so and I didn't even do

the speech I just played that song with all highlights of us over preseason and they would jump

on out of their skin Jared and that's the one that's the one big cringey now but back in the day it was

it was a good little reminder that where it's it is different it's a new age it was the message

and yeah I think we played the Bulldogs and we won by 10 goals and it was just a great day for

for the coaching group and the players so I'd expect Melbourne are going to be hard to beat

and cell support in round one more than relief I hope when you win your first game

no it was relief just real it was yep that's all it was um

we lost uh I think the third game by 90 points against free man in the first derby so that

that's when it really kicked in I'm not Vince Lombardi so uh yeah your coach you play and some

players are different some there's different types of motivations but the fear of failure quite

often creeps in all right give us a little primer on the teams that we haven't seen so far so

last week you gave us key strength key weakness to set them up and see what would evolve from

there so let's let's go and fixture order of the teams who haven't played set me up for Richmond

well you know what what are we going to get this year with Richmond it's probably more about

their playing group and evolution of performance but you know the injury toll was their biggest

weakness last year so I'm not sure if that's being rectified they still don't feel like they're

a bit off their best side but their ballman got better as the year went that's for sure so

it get I don't think it's going to be a walk up easy win tonight put it that way and a weakness

oh that's the injuries yeah and and you know I heard Adam talk about spirit and fight was

his focus last year so and I don't mind that you know the style of play that'll evolve but just

chunks of real spirit I think we saw that in these first years so the injuries probably still

their biggest weakness isn't done well you know they're it's hard to work us in and out they'll

have you know ravaged by injury as well last year so you know their their list exposure was

probably the biggest strength last year in terms of their style of play you know they they

send a take on the the call or a lot more they looked a little bit dangerous for their attack but

they look vulnerable their weakness was their defense and how they can handle that so I don't

know what to make it what do you make a lesson in at the moment we're gonna see I fear with their

list profile that this is actually ground zero so last year is sort of you just have to take

last year off the table because of they just had no availability but third third youngest and least

experienced that I started I did them at length yesterday and thought this is a this is an odd

team yeah well they started to defend with the ball last year after the injuries they started

control the game you know you can defend the speed of the game with the ball and you know

protect your defense by own the footy a little bit I don't think we should be seeing that we

aren't be seeing that so we'll see a different estimate tomorrow not free mantle wow jeez they um

you know I didn't think they already last year and I'm there's no excuses this year as long

their their best teams available you know the defense from around 10 to 24 is one of the best

defenses in the competition the criticism around that ball movement I don't buy into that so I'm

not I'm not a big you know and they were slow it's just take what they give you if you can go

quick go quick if you get held up there's another way to to move the ball so and that's probably

is their biggest weakness is you know is is their attack but I just don't think it's a miles off

so the interesting to see what they do in gelong this week I don't I gelong are they ready to

face free mantle oh it's unantrubble yeah until we see it yep Adelaide I'd be surprised if they are

but it's a fair jump from what we saw last week um well their defensive system was almost the best

and their turnover game was great last year um you know so that'll continue

the clearance differential stuff that's the weakness for them so how are they going to go where

that midfield's probably lacking and one or two a-graders isn't it so what they do with

Dorsen this year is really interesting to see and this is what we missed last week like talking

about Adelaide you know they they were a really big story last year and at least I'll be noticed

them yeah in the last few weeks so um and they've got the pies who you know would you rather be

a ten that's played a game then a ten that hasn't played at all yet so is it I don't know the stats

behind that but I'm assuming the ten that's already played it's got the advantage and well I

think it's it is such a small sample size because we had two games ripped out of opening round

last years we don't really know and the old the trends around the buys have shifted um but yeah

I think you'd I think you'd rather have played a game than being to your season I would too North

Melbourne um while their stoppage games pretty good you know they got port this week so they're

both these teams haven't played so you know they're their ability um to defend their weakness

so they're they're transition defense I suppose and what we showed a little bit last night on

on on 360 on how Gold Coast go about it if if North can do something like that and get the game

played in their front half off their clearance dominance then yeah they're on their way but

they've got to get that defense I mean that personnel is a bit of an issue as well down back as well

so defense is their there's the biggest weakness and and port you know they're they're defending

ball movement in their back half the front half defense is good yeah they've been pretty good

new coach though so what do you do you you don't probably look at this as much as you would have

looked at other sides um you know how they go from a clearance point of view they look really sharp

against West Coast a few weeks ago Melbourne's profile will change entirely yeah it's hard to you know

what are we hearing fun was love last year love last year fun this year yeah I'm not great I'm not

I'm not a massive one on the themes I think you can sort of you can include things in press

conferences and message things the right way but when you declare we're going to bring some love

back to the club or we're playing fun foodie and if you're 10 goals down it's not fun so

we'll see how they go but it looks looks like an exciting brand they've got some exciting young

talent there as well so it'll be interesting to see who's winning that game if you're the

Saint in your zero two and you've lost the Collingwood and Melbourne um yeah there's a bit of

pressure there yep yep this is it's a sneaky game borders are thinking a bit like the carton

supporting yeah a carton fan here can confirm we are nervous as hell I told my boss I'm suffering

from round one Carlton trauma and won't be in tomorrow if we lose that's from Tony at West Coast

yeah I look they had some patches last year probably quarters more than games

getting the ball played in their front half the ones one or two games that get 30 odd

four-half turnovers didn't get much from it so you know um consistency is the biggest weakness

and contest and that was there what I was there as well ability to win a contested position and

sustain that for four quarters that's you know turn a quarter into a half maybe um massive challenge

this week Gold Coast up there with not only the personnel the conditions are different so

yeah that'll be a tough tough first game yes there around has a grim air too yeah but I think

it'll be fun watching Gold Coast all through the year so let's see all right pen picks of the

eight teams that we haven't seen yet the eye of the coach each week will include the culture check

a team that has spent time in the limelight throughout the week pattern versus events is one of

semi-specialties and we're fashioned forward here ask AI before others were asking AI

I would love to pass the eye test you know I know that that's not just perhaps what

what people say when they stand up here but I want the Hawthorne fans that go along um to say

yeah that's a team that I'm glad I support because I'm I'm proud of the effort and the

and the way that that team goes about it you know I'm I'm proud that I'm I'm going to be

wearing my Hawthorne job at home and if we can if we can pass the eye test of the Hawthorne

members and fans and I think I think that means we can win a lot of games the eye test for San

Mitchell that's interesting after one game I thought I thought they'd get a bit more in the

X's and O's with the game like we the stuff we can control the momentum all that sort of stuff it

feels like listening to day the other night as well it feels like it's it's pretty raw it's like

effort attitude intent don't worry about the X's yeah so I feel like that's that's the message

that's been pushed out and no doubt that's the message internally that's been pushed out as well

so I they're going to come out for it up yeah so they've had the classic off-field onfield

week yeah and every week you're just going to run a culture check what did we learn about a club

over the past seven days it's interesting isn't it like I'm assuming this is just a dot in terms

of the cultures find internally and there's no systemic problem here but it was an issue that

you had to deal with in the off season so I didn't listen to the press conference I didn't get

everything that Mitch said about why didn't they work through this when it happened and now

in reason why you know if you reflect on I think they're happy that they didn't but how's

more going and that's probably what I'd be thinking you know and that question had been prevalent

in 40 for about three weeks right what's going on with telling more yeah this was the answer it's

carrying these things that this is a one phone call one text from getting out and living with that

that's that's not easy so and then you've got a performer at the top level so I look I'm not

sure if they reflect on these things definitely went back at at West Coast it'd be the

Senates would be used within a week of that happening is let's get in front of this and that's

sort of the modern way of dealing with these issues going to get out at some stage so for them not

to do that they would have their reasons but yeah the player and how long has he been carrying this

if this was done and dusted by you know December do we see a better player and that's ultimately

what you're looking for as well as the right way to message things so culturally I don't think

it's a big issue I think they'll move on pretty quick how we look after our players maybe they

were from other other circumstances involved in this issue but from a from a mental health

meal being it's been he's been carrying it for a while look like they didn't it and so it's a low

end in discretion but it has cost in the vice-captaincy which was interesting yeah yeah so you can

look at it from the outside get trespass night and jail alcohol fueled high jinx stupidity

but enough that Hawthorne suit you keep and the words yesterday was you can't carry the

vice-captaincy with that sort of behaviour no no no I look maybe there's more to it you know I

remember Hawthorne off he's Harley in close to me we know 94 I never got out till now

and he kept these leadership role but yeah maybe there's more to it maybe it's this you know

it's the tip of the iceberg I don't know maybe there's the third or fourth

in discretion who knows sometimes you know the evolution of your team is going to take in a

different direction anyway and this is just listen you know this is still it fires our thoughts

on on the leadership group so yeah you do you do ask you a few questions but from a cultural

point of view I think they're fine yeah and I don't think it's going to matter tomorrow not

and then the on field so we would absolutely expect to see a fight up Hawthorne and the more

connected Hawthorne so their problems have been building can hinkley sort of blew the whistle on

this three and preseason games there's a little bit there's a little bit worried about their

fort line when I saw the the the community series game you know it wasn't overly alarmed but they

hadn't really clicked I had Mitch say I've got our best side and my go on full tilt and they just

didn't turn up against the bulldogs you know that and then we got what we got on the weekend so

I don't think he's happy no and if it starts back with just being honest around intent and effort

that's that's a you're pulling back a little bit because normally it's like a we fix these two

things boys and we're away where it's he may have fought a bullet already feels like he has

give him a shake well I always saw his knuckles I think he punched his laptop come on Mitch

watch a wall culture check on Hawkes we'll see them tomorrow night Kenny and Simo together you'll

want to have your SEM sink ready tonight I reckon I can't wait to see it to experience how you

see each see the game I've called both with you separately I'm so looking forward to you being

together will we disagree on things hope so yeah me too our patent versus event is one of yours

that we introduced last year and Sydney are the dogs are trying to turn an event into a patent yeah

they are and that that's there's a bit on that for both these teams if they can if they don't back

it up it'll be okay you know not the same old same old but I mean they both got some credits in

the bank but not not a heap both didn't play finals last year so big games for both club they're

playing good sides this week so can they leverage a really good event into a patent because if you

win the first two and you win convincingly and you beat a really good side a second game up then

you are on your way but if you lose and you're one on one that's you know the relief has gone

so yeah it's it's it's as much as this next round after you lose the first one the second one's

critical but if you win the first one it's it's also got some real benefit so obviously it

went in the first couple of games really sets you up for a little bit of a buffer for the next

three or four weeks after round six there was one change to the to the top eight all right so

all I want to sponsor the dogs language I want to introduce this into the language so Isaac Cuenore

with us on AFL nation on Saturday night I feel like he gave Nick Daycos his proper nickname

he's a freak athlete I call him the teleporter because he you know one minute he's in half

back and in the next minutes in the goal square kicking the goal so the way that he's able to run

and read the player and demand the ball is is the best I've ever seen the teleporter that's not

a bad ball like that he got the 10 votes didn't he from the coaches yeah which is probably a

recognition that perhaps Ross may have had his time again may have done a little bit a little bit

more work on him don't give ground in the press oh all right he was the best player yeah yeah

he didn't have a great presser in the end did he because probably Penelbrie was like you know 53%

game time and probably you know one of the games you've ever played anyway we move on we move on

all right frivolous finish ask AI what have you asked AI this week I'm gonna ask AI how to fix the

traffic on the monash and if you could have a car that doesn't break down that would be the first

every time I drive in on SCN I'm listening to the traffic report and there's a breakdown somewhere

like just make sure your car can get from A to B otherwise take a different route it's the worst

feeling in the world when the traffic report comes on and you're in it yeah it's every day anyway

I did ask and and this is probably not going to go down as one of the greatest ask AI's but

it's what age should you stop and all right I did this in the pre-season because there wasn't much

going on so I'll let you at what age should you stop going to night clubs well this is AI not

me it says 30 I think it's picked up your sense it says 32 you're easing your Spotify rap

both agree and what age should you stop wearing a footy jumper to the pub well it says 35 unless

it's finals and it suggests a switch to a subtle polo but never stop when it's finals never stop

what age should you stop calling into talk back radio to argue about umpires it says 45 after

that text of mate and spare Australia spare Australia maybe that's the kick of the twins you call

you get on or spare Australia and what age should you stop yelling kick it from the stands it says

25 and upgrade to numbers behind the ball like a pro nice AI what age should you stop thinking

you'll get drafted it says 21 after that focus on dominating supercoach

local legends day that's nice and what age should you stop getting into tick tock dance trends

well it says 29 which I think is a bit old but over 30 becomes a core memory for your kids

in a bad way and what age should you stop ordering chicken nuggets at macaws never but after 35

pretended for the kids nice nice where your footy jumper with pride yes especially tonight

Richmond member here and excited as hell have a really good feeling about tonight tigers might

start slow then came and come home strong James in locks the excited as hell for round one

always been worried playing Carlton when they were terrible but can't wait to send the blues

spans into a frenzy is it Carlton membership day tomorrow again and there's a word for everything in

German let's call it angislate button which would translate to love of anxiety okay what was

it again angislate all right see you at the 40 semi yeah look I cannot wait see tonight AFL

nation Ken Hinckley Adam Simpson side by side for the blues and the tigers two good and co-coffee

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