Whateley - Thursday | Full Show (19.03.26)

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only offer. It's cured. Waitley. Thanks for listening to the podcast in this episode.

The eye of the coach with Adam Simpson legendary broadcaster Bruce McEvaney. Strategy 2026 with

Brenton Sanderson and know your history of the VFA on TV with Shannon Gill. You can get in touch

at any time. Waitley at sen dot com dot a u. Thanks for listening. Enjoy.

Good morning. We really have to rectify the disjointed fixture at the start of the season.

There are 18 teams which demands nine games. It's not a complicated formula. We can't be having

buys in March. It's just silly really. Kenny solved this last night. Simo's got an alternative

this morning. Both get the job done. We need to unleash the full force of the competition to

enter the fresh season with a bang. Not limp along to gather rounds like we will this season.

The propensity to invent problems is actually quite infuriating. What we have in round two is

excellent. And that makes the point from the best game Adelaide and the Bulldogs to the gap

game Richmond hosting the suns. There are rich possibilities before each teams lot is revealed.

There's mystery and intrigue and an eagerness in the possibilities. Putting teams on smoco at five

past nine. Well, that's just patently absurd. Give us the full nine games. Let us immerse ourselves in

our teams and their journeys. Eight of the 24 rounds are short-changed. And only once in the first

five weeks is the full suite of games played for the footy for the fans and for the future.

This needs to be fixed. Our Thursdays are already stacked. Today we add Bruce McEvaney to that.

Strategy 2026, Britain Sanderson. No history takes us back to the glory days of the VFA on channel

O. I feel that this is going to be very popular with Shannon Gill. And we start through the I

have a coach with Adam Simpson. How are you going to see him? Morning, Jared. Just a quick question.

What are you allowed to stick on your roof when you're on the Monash? Because I saw a queen-sized

mattress on a Ford Fest over today just with hockey straps. And is that legal and not legal? I'm

unsure. I've actually done that before. I need to get this from A to B. It's a short journey.

It wasn't a freeway. And it was just to hockey strap the hell out of it. Get it on the roof and

just get from A to B and cut whatever comes. I feel like at the very least there's a YouTube channel

in your adventures on the Monash. Well, it was flapping up to, you know, the front was really

starting to get involved with the wind. So anyone out there knows what's legal on your roof.

Pretty sure that's the rules. What's the rules? Single size bed. It was a coin size and the

card didn't justify the mattress. So anyway, yeah, I got some work to do with that freeway. Sorry.

No, don't be sorry. I'm looking forward to tonight, though. Tonight's going to be great.

We're going to find out a bit more about Sydney tonight. I think Hawthorne, I can sort of sense,

you know, there's a few things in the off-season. The community series game was a bit

smelly. The first game was stinky and they rectified some of the things from an effort in intent.

Point of view. And then tonight's, okay, I think it's going to be a bit more about Sydney.

And are they the real deal without their two prime A grade midfielders? Are you just a slight holdout?

Very slight. Yeah, I was slight before the season started. I thought the underbelly of Sydney

is something that I think I'm still, you know, when they lose the contest around the midfield

battle, what are the two bookends look like? Kerna hasn't fight a shot yet. Let's be honest,

he kicked three against Carlton in the second half, he kicked two and didn't do a lot.

A marty's done well, you know, he beat up a banged up Brisbane last week. So it'll be

interesting tonight what happens with that front half and their back half if they're if they're

tested with Hawthorne and they're small. So yeah, then that's the beauty of the game, isn't it?

You know, we've proved nothing after two rounds, even if you've won two games.

Did so Hawthorne would have had an edge Sydney would have had an edge in the midfield

fully stopped and now they don't. So that feels like it's neutralised to a degree.

Yeah, and you lose some A-graders and you go, we can work around that and the old one soldier

in one soldier out, that's that's a bit of a myth when it comes to your top end talent. But it does,

if they see it, if Sydney win tonight, there's more depth to this side than just their top six or

seven players. That's probably what's what's going to get answered. And I think Hawthorne probably

have a more balanced outlook on their dynamics with their 18, their best 18.

This sort of had to make do with the fact that their midfields mid range. So they've got other

weapons, whereas Sydney's distinct, got this distinct top five or six players that

can win or lose your game. So yeah, for Dane, it'll be a fantastic opportunity to go, okay,

let's system all over our talent with what we're doing tonight. That'll be his message at some

point. All right, Adam Simpson on duty for AFL Nation. You'll be alongside Dermat Bracken tonight.

I mean, I don't think I've worked with Dermu before. So I'm looking forward to that.

Different angles. I'm assuming you will, but he's a fantastic company and he's great on air

and has been for so long. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. All right. So Hawthorne and Sydney

at the MCG on the radio tonight. Two teams in your eye, the Saints and North Melbourne.

So let's do St Kilda first. Just a little, the way that they've come into the season. So this

was Andrew Bassett, their president ahead of opening round. Yes, I do respond. I can't help

myself. Somebody has a slap, but you've got a slapback, maybe twice. But the truth is,

I think we're getting under the skin because we're getting somewhere as a football club.

I think everyone likes us now when criticized us when we were down the bottom of the ladder.

And we weren't saying anything, Ken. We were just taking our hits quietly. Now that we've started

to really fight to his football club, we're starting to get under people's skin and it shows

we're making some progress when they criticize us. Unrepentant on that front? Oh, I'm

repented, completely unrepented. I'm laughing mostly because most of the criticism to be

frank is a pen nonsense. It wasn't the year to start 0-2. No, I keep thinking of,

and I know this is a P.G. rating show, but the Dennis Pagan, don't piss down my back and tell

me it's raining. It's not far off that. It's not a three-year build. I mean, Wengen and Mille

has got a two-year contract. So is that right? Yes. So it's time to step up and show us.

If that's what the statements are and we're here, we're in your face. We're playing on a Sunday

against Collingwood. We want to be top billing. We want to be respected. You know,

taking a few risks. Well, I think it's time to get going. And the odds are against them this week,

but this is a game, not from a coaching point of view or a Wengen and Mille are a point of view,

they just need to start backing up some of the statements they've made.

Yes. Yes. So what aren't you seeing? Well, it would have expected to see.

It's probably early. So I think they're going to start winning some game center later,

but I haven't seen the full connected system where they can adapt. They can adapt to a team that

has 40 inside 50s and outscores you. And you've had 60. And then you sort of work on that. And

then in the next week, you just have a shootout for the whole game. So I'm working through all

the sides at the moment about their identity. And I'm trying to figure out what is St Kilda's

identity because everyone gets caught up in the ball, the speed's king. And let's back half

transition and scoring. That's fine. And that's good. What's exciting. And I'm not a Wengen on that.

But what's the pivot point? What's the, okay, this is not working. I don't like this shootout

style. Let's let's go to this third gear or let's play like Brisbane did in the second half

against Sydney. They controlled the ball a little bit or let's do some things with players

other than Wengen and I mean, we played the Saints a few years ago. And we were not a great side.

We lost by 171 points to Sydney. And we played the Saints next week. And at half time we're in front.

And we did some strategy things. I said, I look, let's go, let's go around the Saints. They fall

back a little bit and let's let's try something a little bit different and try and mitigate

a bit of the scoreboard. And strategically it works. We get to half time tick. What um boys

does kept going? Ross had come out and took that away and did something a little bit different.

They played six forwards, bit of length, took away a switch and they rolled us. They ran over

by four or five goals. And from a coaching point of view, you tip your hat. Well, you know,

after the game, well, you know, we couldn't have an answer to that. I've just not seen that at

the moment. There hasn't been many levers pulled where it's, I need to fix this game or we've

got some education we've done in the preseason that suggests we can do, we can win differently.

So I'm looking for that. And along with the answer, Stuart, that's what we expect, I think,

from someone with Ross's column. And then event versus pattern fits in with the Saints as well.

Yeah, well, I mean, what's going to happen with the tag is interesting. You know, this would be

the third time you probably should get tag Wengen Emile. So how does that work with

happens again? And the second half's with Wengen Emile, as well. So I'm interested to see what

is that going to be a pattern for him? And if it is, um, that's just a little bit slow for him,

but more and pulling for the side. So there needs to be some activations around how we're going to

deal with this. And I think he's doing a press conference that a Ross. Yes. So I've got no doubt he'll

answer some of those questions. How he answers it will be interesting. So he's spoken the aftermath

about he needs to lead well this week, which was, uh, that was his post game reference.

The high record lead well. Yep. And I reckon that was both internally and externally.

Right. So, but I mean, his words are talk is cheap. Is they got to get going? Yeah, they do.

And it's, it's not off field. It's not with the equalization. It's not with the fixture.

It's just get it done. Yeah, it's performance. So, you know, sometimes you worry about all these

things and you, you take your eye off what you're there for and that's the win. So, um, and I'm sure

the St. Kilda supporters is a bit of grace, but it's like, okay, well, let's, there's a bit of expectation

now, which they're put on all of us. So that's, that's reality, isn't it? Yeah. That's what you do the

job. And then there's North Melbourne who might have had the breakthrough. It does tempt us to think

they've had the breakthrough. I heard King of last year after Melbourne's game, they beat Melbourne

and it was like, and this is no district of King. We've all done it. It's like, all right,

it's never arrived. Here we go. I think this is the biggest game they've played this week in the

last 10 years since the probably the last time they play West Coast in the prelim in 15. I feel

like it's that big this week that if they, if they consolidate with their identity, put up a

strong performance, have a good win. And then they've got, is it Richmond and it's

SNN Carlton? SNN Carlton after that. So there's, there's an opportunity really to start the year

in a way where it's more than just one or two games in a row. So I think this is the biggest game

for the club for a long time, a long time. How would you go about that? So how do you solidify the

games that have been made and then get them to repeat in circumstances where they are now expected

to win? Yeah, that's, I mean, not knowing all the ins and outs of what they've trained in

preseason. It's evidence now. There's a little bit of evidence. So I think, I think players that

have been beaten up for years are looking for belief. And we've asked this question before,

what comes first? Evidence or belief? I'll give you some evidence and then I'll get

I'll believe or sell the belief and then get the evidence. That's sort of a coaching

discussion you do have. And when you don't have either, where do you start? So to have a game where

we've done this across the border. It wasn't just a cent about dominance. It was just a full,

we won every quarter. We defended well. The system stood up. Let's do that again. And let's

let's be really aware of it. We're not the finished product as well. So I'd start with that. I

suppose if you're Clarko and then you just double down on that. And if you if you're West Coast,

there's opportunity for them as well. They've second half was great. That a really good,

they beat Gold Coast up there away, which was a horrendous fixture by the way. And they come back

with a little bit of belief and evidence themselves. So I don't think it's going to be a walk

in the park, but there's definitely opportunity for North to double down on a really good performance.

How are you inclined to believe in them? Not yet. Okay. No, give me another week.

Make a move. Yeah, but I was really happy for Clarko and the club.

You know, there's been under the park overnight. The adversity piece already in pre-season.

And we spoke about this a month ago about some of the teams under the park in pre-season games.

They were one of them. So yeah, I was usually happy for the club and for everyone,

just to settle things down a bit. But now it's become survival versus opportunity.

And that's turned pretty quick, isn't it? And what we were hearing three weeks ago. So yeah,

I'm excited in that sense. Adam Simpson, the eye of the coach very much on

Secilda and North Melbourne heading into round two. What's what has been scouted in the early weeks

of a season? We had a teaser of that from John Long My last night. We'll go a little deeper with

Simo and ask AI. So Kenny's got his solution to these God awful buys in March at Simo and AI have

put their minds together. The Hyundai Openline is one three hundred seven three six seven three six

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Waitley on SEM. The high scores, the speed of ball movement, the slight change in real changes

that have happened. It's hard to argue that it's not Jared when you look at the facts in front of

you. But we do see every year and particularly the first six weeks, some adjustments. And when

the coaches now they get into the rhythm of their season from about now. They're looking at what the

opposition are doing. They're starting to scout. They scout the opposition during the preseason,

but they're really scouting hard. And they'll make adjustments. The coaching teams are smart and

they'll be making adjustments to as the game has been played right now. And we'll see a subtle shift

and really buy about around six. It'll settle into the into the rhythm of what the rest of the season

will look like. John Long My with us last night on AFL 360. So I thought we'd dig a little bit

deeper here. When you're scouting hard, when you're scouring for information everywhere and

these smart groups of coaches, give us an insight into that. It's a combination of the line coaches,

the opposition scouts that you have, and then your own little research. So your desperate

for vision in the preseason. So you'll get on and look at opposition clubs, websites,

and the fans, your upload training because you're just trying to see, okay, what's going on at

Richmond? And what's going on? We've got Richmond round one. So it's only really the round one

side that you play where you go. Well, you try to figure out and get something from any type of

conversations. And then you've got the community games. So you're looking at that where they're

experimenting and trying things. But you don't see everything. So the classic what horse is alluding

to was the Richmond Carton game. There's two minutes to go. Richmond and game on the line,

they do this particular move where they embrace having spares of their own and they go,

they open side play. And what if you call that? There's a name for it. Richmond would have

trained that all preseason. And you know, it would have been lucky for Carton to have scattered that.

But the next thing that plays Richmond knows that's the move they'll go to. So there's what ifs

it every week, which is a war games, whatever you want to call it, where you spend an hour going

through. Okay, if we lose a rock, what do we do? If we lose an important player for players getting

tagged, what are the maneuvers we do? But then there's the opposition. If they go to this mode,

what's our what's our call? And that would get discussed and scouted and we'd show the coaches,

maybe not the players. It wouldn't be hey guys, if they do this, we do this. It's just more

for our knowledge from a coaching point of view, we can go to something that's that's going to

counteract the ripple. So there's that. And then just where's the game at? You know, what's

what's everyone doing? And what have we missed in our preseason planning? And at the moment,

we're all seeing a faster tempo game, slightly higher scoring. And the transition piece from

the back half looks like it's a bit sharper, teams have focused on that. So there'll be there'll be

teams now going through. Okay, let's how do we either embrace that? Or how do we slow it down if we

have to? And that might be something simple as changing angles, make the ground a bit bigger,

and just let's not get caught up in the in this game. Or we're going to we're going to go harder

than you. And so there's all these type of things that you can't do until you see some evidence

around the competition. So the rotations, what's working? What's this fifth guy on the bench doing

at the moment? Once again, that'll settle a little bit. Looks like it's a little bit horses for

courses, but there'll be something there that teams will do well that you'll copy. And every now and

then you've thought you're the one that's done it well and people of you're in front of the game

a little bit. So I'm not quite sure who's in front of the game at the moment. I'm really seeing

anything that's, oh wow, this club's doing it completely different. Maybe the Bulldog's doing.

But yeah, we'll wait and see. So yeah, that's why the game sort of gets tinkered with by around six.

There's a few things. There's a bit more evidence, a bit more data there. And look, if we play Melbourne

this week, we do these three things and take away that big strength that they're bringing.

What's next for Melbourne? That's what's going to happen. It might even happen this week with

free metal. And what they saw against the Saints are like, okay, let's just take this away and see

what Melbourne's got. So I imagine that is both invigorating and just a little bit unnerving while

you're searching. What is everyone doing? I haven't pulled the wrong reign. The other thing that's

huge is the line coaches and their ability to sit down with the player and go, okay, the games

moved slightly and the defenders in particular. So Leverde, we showed a clip last night with Leverde

defending Norton and he struggled by the fourth lead. He just got worked out. How line coaches go

right? Let's talk about your craft where it's mid-four to backs and this is what's happening in

the last couple of weeks is what we're seeing. So let's just make sure we play this opponent from

in front for the next time we play or we need to get back shoulder because the game's moving too

quick. You're playing a player who wants to get out the back playing from behind or you're playing

Gunston. Let's get in front of him. Whatever it is, those coaches are evolving as well. So that's

why Gorns mentioned the other week. Have I still got it? That's when he's driving to the game because

all this stuff's going on and the rule changes have made it even more perplexing. You know,

the Ruck center bounce. Like who's not going to survive in the middle? Who's not going to

survive the jumping? Yeah. So Riley O'Brien's the first casualty of it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think

Briggs is, I don't see him as dominant as perhaps I mean he was going against some pretty good

Ruckman last week. So that's going to evolve as well and then it comes down to craft. How do you

get around these rules? So all this stuff's happening with these full-time athletes and full-time

coaches on a daily basis. All right. The eye of the coach with Adam Simpson. We're going to be

together on Crunchtime with Ken Hinkley. That's great. Yeah. Can't wait. Already Kenny's put forward

his suggestion of how to eradicate these God-for-saken buyers. What are you a bit of our ask AI task

today is? Well, I did. I'm just trying to find where I've got it here. I did ask AI, how do I?

What's the perfect round one fixture that's balanced towards giving the Northern States maximum

exposure? And it gave me a good answer but I wanted more. So I said, take away the Derby's or Derby's

and put in a Wednesday night and a Monday afternoon just to spread it a little bit. So

and I know we've been banging on this. It's been the drums are beating louder this year than last

year, aren't they? Because the same thing happened last year with all the boys and the time between

the confusion with it last year is because two games got removed for the cyclone. This was

really only the second time we've had the full impact of opening rounds. Yeah. So it gave a pretty

good fixture for round one. Do you want me to go through? Give it to us. So round game one would be

Sydney versus Collingwood on a Wednesday night at SCG. So Wednesday night, that's the only

conversation but I think that's a good game. Brisbane versus Carlton of the Gabba. First hour.

On Thursday night. The Giants versus Richmond on a Friday night. And then the Saturday night

Gold Coast versus Jolong. So there's your sort of four Northern States games. And then Saturday,

West Coast would place in Kyoto at Optus. Adelaide would play Melbourne at Adelaide Oval. And then

on Sunday you've got Port Adelaide worth as the Bulldogs. And then Fremont versus North at Optus.

So and then Monday is that holiday that we went through that nothing was a beautiful day that day.

Bring it home strong. We got Hawthorne versus Essena. Now we're hoping Essena is a better

product than they are today. But that will be a standalone Monday afternoon MCG game. So

it just didn't take long. It's a 10 minute process, Joe. And yeah. How long before the change?

What needs to happen in your eyes? It should change for next year. Yeah. But what needs to,

what would you do? You could do it Ken's way, which is to play the four Northern States games

in one week and then play the other five games the next. So just have a straight split round.

Your, my tendency is towards your, yours give four prime time slots for maximum exposure in the

Northern States. Still hold the season launch there. Get the full bang. But then integrate West

Australia and South Australia and have the blockbuster Monday at the MCG. So we all agree on it.

But what's the AFL? Well, how do they make this decision? I think honestly, I think you have to

listen to your fans. They've pledged to listen to the fans. And the fans are given them the big

thumbs down on this. There's a way to service both. Yeah. I think people in the media have given

it a fair thumbs down as well. All right. See you at the 40 tonight. You're not. Can't wait. Adam

Simpson on duty. The eye of the coach with thanks to the new McAfee drinks range. Let's head

to the newsroom. Want to have your say? Ring Jared on one three hundred seven three six seven

three six. Now back to waitly. Athletics horse racing in 40. We are in the sweet spot for legendary

channel seven broadcaster Bruce McAvani. Bruce always an honor to have you on the program. Welcome

back. Good to chat to you too, Jared. You were drawn to Brisbane to watch Jack out of the weekend.

How'd you find him? Look, I did just want to go up and have a look and as a fan,

so to speak, and catch up with these managers. Just chat about a few things. And look, he was under

the weather. I knew he had a cold before I got there. And so his times weren't quite as spectacular

as we expected. There's a pretty stiff headwind. Rory Eastern ran incredibly well. So I feel like

we've got another athlete to watch. But he ran well. I mean, it's a really good run into a

stiff head breeze, not fully a hundred percent. You know, he's two weeks away from a big race

for him in the Murray plan. Locky Kennedy waits. We know what happened last year, Jared. So I

look, he's going well. He ran ten seconds flat three weeks ago. I think he's right on target

for the Royal Junior Championship. So it's a big year for him. He's going to arguably be the highest

profile athlete at those championships. And there'll be a lot of pressure that comes with that.

We're in a slightly different position to what he's been before, certainly in the

international sense. What is it about scout that that lights the fire for you as a sport fan, Bruce?

I think he trends since, don't you? I mean, I don't know about you, Jared, but if I'm asked

questions about athletes, 90% of them surround him and that, you know, we've got a lot of depth

for the moment. It's so much talent. But I think everybody's, you know, enamored with him. They

want to follow this journey with him. It's a great back story. He's only just, I don't, I hope this

is public, but they're going into a new home that gets me now, but I hope he's better and farther

with and he's doing six sisters and brothers. Look, he said, great, young fella. And I think Bruce

been standing out there, sitting out there. He's going to be 24 years of age. They are rare. I mean,

Browning came along in Tokyo. Kennedy's around, but we haven't had that Marl Alpha sprinted too

off and over the years. And he's great to watch. I mean, there's a bit of, there's a bit of

colorless about him. There's a bit of, you're saying both of that. And so it's hard not to be drawn

towards him. Look, I, I know him pretty well. And he's respectful. He's really kind of

beautiful head on his shoulders and he's a, he's a good person.

You mentioned, so Saturday week in Melbourne, the Mori plant meat, which feels like it grows in

stature annually. And it's going to be a major television event as it was last year on Channel 7.

So just, it, Lockheed Kennedy got him as you, as you referred to. How important is it for Gout

to turn the tables, do you think? Pretty important, I think. I mean, it's not, it's not life

changing at the end of his career. We're probably jured not going to say, oh, wow. But look,

these early, these early forays are important, I think. And there's a good rivalry. They,

they get on pretty well. I mean, Lockheed Lockheed's just a great guy. He's a, he's an incredible

talent. He's quicker than Gout. I, you know, in this 30 or 40 meters. And that's what's going to make

us somebody now. He's, I think, going to be drawn outside Gout. I'm pretty sure that's the case.

I think Lockheed wants a Rudy outside, drawn Gout more in the middle. So Gout's going to do a lot of

chasing here. And yeah, it is significant. I think in the eyes of the public as well. I think we're

all excited. There's not one. There's, you know, there might be two. And if Kennedy were to win

again, then that's a significant victory for him. Lockheed is on two races, too. So he's going

around the hundred. And then about an hour three quarters. He's going to under two. That suits

him. That's what he wants to do. He wants that hundred to, I guess, I guess inflame the juices,

so to speak. And it may be a lax him in a way, because there is a huge build up to this race.

So Gout will be waiting as he did last year, waiting for that last race of the night. You know,

I'm really excited by the deal. And I said, we, you know, how many times have we had this in your

lifetime in the struggling athletes, a battle royal between two male or females, bridges like this,

and then right in ball and to these boards, a long time ago, and in the games, and in the games

from Cassie was a little bit, you know, a little bit different, but at 200, they came together,

and they had some great clashes as well. So it doesn't happen to us. Gout's strategy not to go to the

Commonwealth Games, Bruce, to go to the world under 20 championships, and you would understand

this better than most. What, why is that the right call? He's 18. It's an enormous thing to prepare

for championships. There's rounds, there's pressure, there's an incredible amount of media,

there's travel involved. And I think they thought of themselves. If we had one focus this year,

I know this, I don't think. We've got one focus this year to win a world championship,

an under 20, or be it. He won't get another chance. You'll be about three days too old for the

next one. So this is for the Commonwealth Games, I feel like, hopefully, hopefully, forever,

you know, four years time to centenary. And then he can go there. It was just a proximity.

Had the Commonwealth Games been two weeks extra in terms of the separation, he would have done both.

It was just a very quick turnaround. In the fact, I think that the world juniors were second

and not first. Had it been the other way, he may have gone to the world juniors and had he won,

I think he probably would have gone onto the Commonwealth Games. But they're feeling like,

this is his one chance. And if he would have gone to the Commonwealth Games and something

would not go completely right for him, I feel like it would perhaps really make that job in

using even more difficult things. It is completely understandable. It's disappointing. We all wanted

him to go to the Commonwealth Games as such a high play fellow bit of our country, much high,

of course, the world juniors, but I think it's completely understandable.

Yeah. The race seems pretty rich. That's the humans. How about the horses on Saturday at Rose Hill

Golden Slipper Day? And rather remarkably, James McDonald is highly likely to break Damian Oliver's

all-time group one winning record. A record that it stood for generations, Bruce,

until Oli Broketer, and just a couple of years later, just four years later,

J-Mac is going to claim it. It is hard to get your head around. He's done it so quickly,

isn't it? He set himself to it last week. I feel like I've got there too quickly. That was

in respect today, I think in so many ways. As you said, George Moore. So that would have been

in the early 1970s, so he basically had that record. He would have taken that record.

I mean, there's a little bit of conjecture here. It was probably from Scooby, but he said,

if you think about it, George, if Tommy Hayles is the sort of a marker, so he was at the

9th century, and he won 64 group ones. So he's let's say he's the fat Bobby Lewis in the 90s,

20s and 30s, 65s, so one more of Tommy Hayles. So the great Bobby Lewis with these four

Melbourne cups and brilliant Bobby. So he was the next, and then after him, it was probably

Scooby. The problem with Scooby and all trials to work it out is that so many of them were

international, and he had about 30 odd in Australia. So let's say it is breezly in the 1950s. So that's

breezly. So we've got up three. George Moore in the late 1960s retires about 1971. That's four,

and then Ollie comes along, and you know, it's a hard slope for Ollie because he doesn't have,

he doesn't have those incredible horses that James has had, but he's like multiples on,

and then Ollie gets past George, and now we've got James. So half a dozen in what 167 years?

Yes. But as you say, two in a blink, but he's probably, he's probably even money to break the record

on the weekend. You'd certainly think you're equal, and look, he's probably slightly better

than the 50% chance when I really think about it to break it. So this is what sort of confrontants

on Saturday. On a day that is so rich, it's arguably the third, fourth, or fifth biggest race meeting

annually in Australia. Melbourne Cup 1 ever is probably now two toss-up cocks playing

Golden Slipper Championships of things. So in its own right, it's an incredible meeting, and yet it's got

this, you know, this story that, you know, is, I think, capturing not just racing people, but

the wider sporting public. And the new star of the turf is here as well. So you forecast,

coming into last spring that VS Estena would be the best toss in the country at the end of it.

That's precisely what happened. She's now retired. Has it moved to Autumn Glow? Are you prepared to

ordain her the best toss in the country? Yes, I am. And, you know, every time she races, and that

ribbit motion goes on the line, you are very connected with Black Caviar and weeks. And you know what

it's like. And it's, it's, when no one knows this blood count, how do you know where the journey's

going to end you? But she is unbeaten. She, there's always been an aura about a James who said

from the very beginning, we know, none of us really knew much about her, how special she might be.

She cost 1.8 million dollars. You know, she's got done the soures and owner and Chris of course

has the trainer. So it's racing royalty all around her. And she has tapped up to every challenge.

She won an episode with a big weight. She won a gold and eagle under, you know, not the,

the easiest of conditions. And he, she's 10 for 10. He's running in the George Rider. What

I'm pleased about you, is they're not showing away from her. I mean, so field of oil and it's

a great field. So it's not like she's fighting people off it. This is where Winx was as a

four-year-old. There's a me, you know, with the George Rider, sir. Yeah, look, comparisons,

we jump a bit too quickly. She's got so much to do, to, you know, to get alongside those other

couple horses. I talked about, she may now do that and wonder if it would be crushing in terms of

the reputation because we've got this invincibility surrounding it that had the moment.

And she's certainly the number one horse I think in the now. The thing with it, you know,

there's no, it can't find any vulnerability. She jumps out of a barrier world. She can take

up a position, you know, her, just to try and certainly is from, you know, 1200 through to what

we're not sure. And this is part of this autumn and maybe a cox plate, we're not sure what might

happen. But it's pretty hard to find. Winx could be slow out of the barrier, you know. Black caviar,

we've never got beyond 400 should have, not sure if that's the wrong word could have. And Pete

knows that we all know that, but it's not the moment. You feel like, you know, where's the weakness

now? She'll be tested again on Saturday. If it keeps raining, this could be a bigger challenge.

Now she can handle it, but you would have seen last start against Aliana. She wasn't completely

comfortable in the very, very weak conditions. So that might be another talking point on Saturday.

All right. You'll be at Rose Hill on Saturday, just any early impressions from 40 from 14 games?

Look, the big improvements, you know, three, the three teams of, you know, the hottest of the

name, but in no particular order, the bulldogs, the sons and the flums, but the sons have got

an explanation mark alongside of them, obviously, with the, you know, the cruel injury, the

golden, which is going to be significant. Adelaide of all sets started really well. So there's a thing

that I've looked at and high scoring, you know, very high scoring. Now is that because the

cases haven't, you know, they haven't got around to, I don't know, I mean, these matches have been

prepared for three or four months, but, and I'm enjoying it. It feels really exciting and, you know,

we start this round with two matches that are absolutely mouth-watering. So, um, yeah, so I think

place three turns, particularly, and probably the close, but certainly the bulldogs, the swans,

and the sons are shining now. All right. Closing his eye. And Bonson Pilly. Bonson Pilly

portrayed with Dacos. Well, when his grandma knocked. Yes. They'll be polling big early. And maybe

just a closing word, Bruce, is losing Dennis would have been very personal and to you and to the

family, our thoughts have been with. And in amongst the sadness, just the recognition of what a

beloved figure he was and what a contribution he made to the game, were you able to take that in

amidst the sadness? No, for sure. And you say it so correctly, it was a very big shock.

And it was, I felt like I'd lost a part of myself to be, you know, in an absolute truism.

And we were very close. And you know what it's like to work with a team. And I think of all the

people I've worked with over the years. Nobody has been closer in a working sense than I had

with Dennis. It was, you know, something that grew and became lasting. So, yeah, it was a big

shock. The family, a beautiful family. He'd walked into a room. He didn't have to say much

or say a lot. And he had that way about him that every staff member that I certainly worked with

alongside Dennis felt the same as I did towards him. And I'm very fortunate to have had that

relationship and the work alongside him. So, I felt an enormous loss, Jared. And, you know,

it's been hard and hard to believe in him. He'll always be around in so many ways. But,

yeah, it was, it was, it was so chalting and, and so upsetting.

Beautifully remembered. Thank you, Bruce, as ever, for your time. Good luck over the next couple

of weeks. We'll be watching the races at Rose Hill, the, the Murray plant here in Melbourne,

and the 40 years will appreciate it as ever. All the best, yeah. Bye-bye.

Let us go in. Sam Edmunds, we're thoughts taking place in 40 today. Ross Liner's held his press

conference so we get Sammy to cast a knee across that. Brenton Sanderson's strategy, 2026.

And Shannon Gill is going to take us back to the heyday of the VFA on Channel O. The origins

of it and why it is also fondly remembered. Your thoughts, the 40-winks temper tech, 043, 98, 11,

16, the difference is temper. The Hyundai open line is 13736736. Get a deal. You'll be proud

of at your participating dealer today. Justin, this round zero, Malaki is just a bismill awful

dire. And the startering start to the season along with the unevenness that results is just

manifestly stupid. The latter won't be a true reflection of where the teams stand for months

infuriating, especially given it would be so easy not to botch the start of the season like this.

It can't happen again. I feel like we've lived the inevitable consequences of the way that

it's done and it's just it's just such a flat start to the season. We stumble along

until we gather around instead of hitting with full momentum. There are 18 teams. There should

be nine games every week, every week. This is your town. This is your station. This is Waidley.

Andrew, Jared, you're not going far enough. The middle of the year buys a ridiculous two,

drag on for far too long. Give me a two weeks split round where we try and manufacture as many big

games as possible. Derby's showdowns, King's birthday, etc. Hang on, Andrew. Hang on, hang on.

Ken Hingley solved all of this last night. We'll get to that in half a tick.

Brent and Sanderson is coming up strategy 2026. Hawthorne and Sydney,

Adelaide and the Bulldogs, St Kilda and the Giants and St Kilda are very much in the eye of Adam

Simpson who quite a Dennis Bacon. Don't pee down my back and tell me it's raining.

Sam Edmond, hello to you. The Dennisisms just roll along with us guys, don't they?

They are in great. They are tattooed, imprinted forever, burned into the brain of North

Melbourne players. But the Saints are talking point for all of us, Jared, because they're

our one two after an offseason that fueled expectation. They lost a colony where they were wasteful.

And then the narrative feed to Melbourne in which they were very good. But the Dos sections

been dominated by the use of their best player and their highest player in the aftermath.

So that sets up a huge game against GWS up in Sydney. That's on Saturday afternoon, 415.

And then if we just cast Ford, I can't help but do this. The Grudge match against the Brisbane

Lions in Round 3 at Marvel, the following Saturday. What would you give for both of those two

teams to be winless going into that? And what it might represent. But Ross is front of the media

today. Always, always a must watch, Adam is Ross. So winless. And the question came,

you're under pressure, you're two best players in the pressure that they're facing going into this

game. And this is how Ross framed at that conversation. With the two boys that you're paying a lot

of money, Nassau lying in their noir and Tom Deacon, do you feel they've been prepared for

like the level of heat that they've had to face in the first fortnight? Well, it's not a job,

we just support people. That's why I felt football is abnormal. It's not like you do, you're not

under scrutiny, right? Like you choose I felt football, you choose stress, you choose anxiety and

you choose winning the arena. I'm happy to be an arena, I know what's coming. But you've got to

write your own story. And traditionally, both those players are written really strong, I felt

sorry. So, but all that is good is our next moment. So, the moment you don't handle the stress

and anxiety, it's time to give it away. You've got to keep learning into it. That's why it's

a fail and tight performance, and it's not normal. If you want normal, you step the other side of

this microphone, the other side of the fence on the ground. And you pursue media, I crede in

your life. These guys are pursuing excellence, and with that comes a lot of critique.

How do you feel you went supporting this R on the field? There's a lot of players looking for

them for the run past, getting the hamburger receives. Do you think you've got the balance right

of trying to support them helping them find out what the balance is? I think when

anything get in the hands, Nick Dake has said 23 hamburger receives the week before

and was lauded. The next closest on the ground was the 11. So, clearly a good strategy is to get

in the hands of your good users. It's not always going to look perfect. So, I don't think

kick three. I was up to 66 for the year. I don't know, where would that rank him on the key for it?

A ranking number one, wouldn't it? So, none of us are perfect. We're here. We don't want to be

zero two. We are. And the only way you get out of zero two is to improve your football and win.

All right, that was Ross Lyne. I'll tell you what, Gerard. It's all about the man in the arena,

and all the journeys out there today, clearly pursuing mediocrity in their lives, was the

snapshot. That's all I've taken that all by all of us. All right, you want it easy like you like,

you jump on your side of the fence and grab a microphone. So, really, showing away from nothing

there, is he in the hard questions with the harder answers? Yes, yes. So, I mean, that's the,

there's no effort at deflection in any of that. No, not at all. Take it on, and then get on with it,

perform and win, which is sort of that that's the whole point around this week's conversation

with St. Kielder, other than the extreme stuff, which you always dismiss. Just get on with it.

This wasn't the year to be zero on two. So, sort it out. Sam Edmund for Alex Scott and

Scott to sell your livestock or sell your home. Every day I get messages, Sam, we're asking,

when is the NFL game going to be in September? There is reporting out of the US at the moment.

There is the date for this game as much as the teams, which, of course, are the Rams and the

Forting Honours, the divisional rivals over there, has been the source of intrigue. So, we can tell

you this morning that reports out of the US, Gerard, via Joe Flint, the Wall Street Journal, initially,

and then vice-worlds, illustrated. And a number of other sites include as Nauna's nation that the

game will be played here on Friday, September 11, sometime around midday. So, that's a Thursday

night back in the US. The season opening Wednesday night slot over there, so Thursday here,

according to these reports, anyway, will be the domain of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

That will be broadcast on NBC in the US. So, concerns around the turn around time for the teams.

They may be on a plane back to California on Friday night. So, we don't know how accurate

these reports are. It will either be Thursday, September 10 here, or Friday, September 11 here,

which will be in the thick of our AFL finals. Clearly, semi-final weekend. I mean, Gerard,

I'm not sure if we've got a preference. Clearly, you'd think the MCG, the AFL, the MCC would want it

to be on a Thursday and just give every hour will be vital to turn the venue back around to a big AFL

final we think. Yeah, I think if they had their choice here, it would be Thursday morning,

but the US vibe is that it's highly likely to be Friday. It looks that way. So, Friday late

morning, lunchtime here, September 11 is, I'd say the likely date, regardless, that needs to be

confirmed. And we await confirmation. I think confirmation is coming very, very, very soon on this.

All right. And we have alluded a couple of times to Ken Hinckley's solution to open round

and a bit broader than that. Here's a bit of Ken Oath from the sports day last night.

I feel like we can fix the opening round stuff straight away. So, opening round, we want opening

round AFL have said and Dave declared opening round is here to stay. So, let's do it. Let's do

eight opening round with the eight teams at play. Let's just make round one then. Those eight teams

don't play. We stop this argument around who's played, who hasn't played when you come up against him.

So, then we go with the ten teams who are left behind to play. They play each whichever way they

make the draw out to be. And then once that's over, we're into round two. And round two becomes

nine teams for the rest of the nine games to the rest until we get up to the buys. And we have the

the right opportunities. No one complains. We don't have JL saying, oh, they've had an unfair

advantage or we have someone else saying that they each team by round two will have had one

week off, whether it be opening round or round one. Yep. And then we eliminate the other two

rounds that we didn't have to have less than nine games for the weekend.

That seems to just make so much sense. Ken Oath was on fire last night. Jared,

and he went on to explain the buy. So, as they stand at the moment, rounds 12 to 16,

which are cumbersome. We hate them. But he said instead of that, do it over two weekends.

And you do that by including a weekend where all the Victorian teams play each other. So,

the ten clubs, one weekend. Then the next weekend, all the non-Victorian teams play each other.

So, you get some great rivalry, showdowns, Darby's and the like that weekend.

Therefore, Victorian teams get the buy one weekend. Non-Victorian teams get the buy.

The next weekend, done and dusted in a fortnight. We march on to final.

Yep. Just get that done. It made that rate just sense when he explained it, Ken Oath.

And then Simo went with all in one with the Northern States emphasis. So,

we'll debate this on crunch time on Saturday where the last game is the Monday afternoon game in

Melbourne. Now, the MCG won't be available next year. So, that would just need a bit of refining.

But Saturday and Sunday, Adelaide and Perth with the feature games in the Northern States.

They don't know when's that one. I like that too. Yeah, both work.

Just to one or the other. And then leave us with nine games to build momentum through the season.

I just like it. How two of our sharpest minds of this week just set themselves the task of

solving opening round. Like it's one thing to complain, but another to explain.

And Ken and Glenn Adam Simpson have done it beautifully last night today.

Sam Edmund, whether it's selling your livestock or selling your home contact,

Alex Scott and staff today. Sammy Maxx from Mornington. We tried to book the Pullman Thursday,

the 10th to Saturday, the 12th of September, a month ago, response from the Pullman.

We are booked out entirely on those days. There's going to be some big men staying at that venue,

perhaps, Jared. Yeah. I reckon there will be indeed. All right. So, the reporting out of the US

is Friday the 11th. Yeah. It looks that way. A midday-ish. Thanks, Sam. Thanks, Jared.

Strategy coming up with Brenton Sanders and the three key games of this weekend's Melbourne's

weather. Where did we go there? For city power. City power working in all conditions to keep

your power connected essential as cloudy a slight chance of rain in the top of 21.

Want to have your say? Ring Jared on 1-300-736-736. Now, back to weightly.

Our Thursday staple to set you up for the round of footy ahead is Strategy 2026 with Brenton

Sanders and Sando. Welcome back. Thanks, Jared. It's good to have Sammy in, but also too. I could

listen to you and Bruce McAvani. Seriously, talk for three hours. There would be a great weekly

podcast. You and you and Bruce for three hours, just talking sport. I loved it. Bruce was

just a little under the weather today with a cold. I said, I won't talk to you, but seven

or eight minutes later you go, no, I was just going to talk to him. He's a ripper. How is

you, Arawonga? It was good. Boys won two, lost one. It's just a good opportunity, I think, for

and all the community clubs and AFL clubs have experienced this where you have been training

against yourself. So, ball win versus ball win for three months. You're needed to see

us against another team. And it's a great opportunity for some of the younger players,

some of the boys that spent last year fighting to get a spot in the senior 22. These games

are a great opportunity to see how we've improved, where our gaps are. Like probably every team,

we've got some gaps defensively. So, you focus on offense at the detriment sometimes of what

you're setting up behind the ball and defensively. So, yeah, we've got some areas to focus on.

Like a lot of AFL teams have as well. So, now we've got only a small sample of TARDIS,

but it's probably enough to make some minor tweaks and adjustments. But AFL clubs,

community clubs are the same. Now we know what our training week looks like leading up to round

one for us. So, yeah, stoppages into a forward line, setting up defense behind for fast transition.

Are we a kicking team? Are we a handball team? Can you be both, which we'll talk about a little bit

with the swans and Hawthorne in a minute? But yeah, it's a really great time of the year, but

there are a lot of questions to be answered. And we'll get our feedback after good Friday.

And the fans are feeling that as intensely as the coaches.

I said, what's going on with Carlton's second halves? I feel like that would be the next three

hours if we dug into that, is we'll probably get back to Carlton next week.

Yeah, that's unfortunately again, yeah, it's a combination of, I guess, a little bit of mental

stuff. It's a little bit about the type of players they've got. We spoke about that last week.

There's a bit of an imbalance with a lot of inside players, but they're just getting out

worked at the moment, and particularly those second halves. 40 Wings, 10, but text is 0,

4, double, 3, 98, 11, 16. The difference is temper. Right, oh, we're going to start tonight

with Hawthorne and Sydney. So let's have a little dig here. The two game styles from what we've

seen across a couple of games. Yeah, they're good. I mean, both these teams, I know Hawkes had a

bit of a setback in the opening round, but they went back to their best against the bombers.

They took 157 marks against the bombers, which you can't let Hawthorne do. You can't let

there are a short change angle, short kick and mark, but fast. Like they'll catch you up with

short kick and marks, little change of angles, little lane changes. It's fast, but it's effective.

And the bombers let them mark the ball the week before. So that took 157 marks against the bombers.

The week before the Giants kept them, I think, to 78. They kept the game contested.

The swans, what we've seen in their first two games, they prefer that high

handball running carry forward handball. I cut you up through running carry.

So that's, I guess, the difference we'll see tonight, when we say them plays, both sides

trying to do different things with their ball movement. They've been both very efficient with

their ball use inside forward 50. The area that I think both sides having now seen them play twice,

maybe this is being a bit hard on both of them, but we talked about it at length last year

with Hawthorne is they need to improve their work around stoppage. Sydney 42 points and they're

averaging minus 10 and a half clearances per game so far. Hawke's 35 points from stoppage

plus three clearances, but it just feels, and the off season was that chase for another midfielder

for Hawthorne, and while they're missing Will Day, I think they're not that they're shallow

through their midfield depth, but that's an area that I think Hawthorne and Sydney both need to

find a way to improve. If they're going to be a real contender and they look sharp at the moment

with a lot of things that they're doing, the stuff from turnovers being excellent from both teams.

They're both scoring from turnover. Hawthorne plus 26 points, Sydney plus 44 points, and they're

both scoring from the back half, and I talked about their different styles and how they transition

the ball, but yeah, it's two different styles, but they're both getting great effect. Just add

that stoppage element now too for both of those teams, which will be a great challenge tonight.

All right, bit deeper on the Hawkes. What changed from opening round to round one to your eye?

Yeah, well, what Sam Mitchell would now be nervous about, and he's got to keep preparing for this,

is the Giants gave him a high contested game, and they didn't like it. There was more contested

possessions. They lost contested possession that night by, with that afternoon by 11, and as I

said, they can only take 78 marks, so you can't let Hawthorne mark the ball. It's as simple as that.

They couldn't control the tempo, and we saw last week against Desmond, and they were able to get

more of a transitional open free-flowing game. 157 marks, as I said, and also to Hawthorne, they

just jumped all over Essendons kicking errors last week. They capitalized, I think, with 93 points

from turnover. 70 of those points from turnover were from the back half. So that's a bit about

the bombers as well, about their transitional defence. But yeah, that's, I think, the adjustment we

saw in one week from Hawthorne was they had a game style which challenged them. They couldn't find

a way to win against Giants. When they got the game on their terms against the bombers, they just

looked awesome, breathtaking. So much fun to watch them play. So they're probably the changes,

and as I said, Sam Mitchell will be aware of that. If you want to beat Hawthorne, you've got to

put him in a contest, you've got to get stoppages, and you can't let him mark the ball. I think that's

going to be the challenge for Sam Mitchell and his team this year. The conversation of the week has

been defined by the outs at Sydney, and well it should be when they're out of the quality of

Haney and Golden, and then they are depth players that are being brought in. So how big a fact,

the how much of a difference does two superstars out make replaced by two depth players?

It's a really great question. I know every coach. These are probably arguably the

how the two best players. They've got three and two of them are missing. So if you took

Bracior and Sorong out of Freemantel and you took, we saw it with Jolong, you'd take Dangerfield

and Cameron out of the Katz, Bontan Pelle and Libertore out of, or Sam Darcy, for example,

out of the Western Bulldogs. How does that impact? It has to have a massive impact.

I was texting with Buddha Hawking as I was coming in today, and we're

talking about that final in 94. I think it was when the Katz were missing three of their stars,

and you know, as you call them, like depth players were replaced, and they had that famous final

win at it wavily. So it just means that you have to have to be a little bit more creative with

how you select the side. If this was a final, there's no excuses. You have to find a way to win,

but yeah, I just think the game style can't change too much for the swans to

night. Like, as I said, high transition, they're great front half, they're getting high inside

50s. They've now got that great focal point inside forward 50 in Kerno. But what I've really

loved about the swans in their first two games, and no one's really, I don't think anyone's

really talking about it yet, is their defense is really good. They're actually pressuring

the opposition extremely well. Their tackling is brutal. They were plus 29 tackles against

a plus seven against the lines. Some coaches will say that means they're second to the ball,

but they are hitting bodies and they've been hard. They're scoring from turnover. So yeah,

the two players out is significant. And the five day breaks, not ideally, there is it, you know,

for a side at the start of the season, missing two of their stars to come on a five day break,

but yeah, it has to have an impact. We saw with the lines last week, you know,

you take out two or three of their stars, and it does have an impact. But what a great challenge

for Dan Cox and his team is to find a way to win without those two plays. What have you got

to side in the game? A couple of things I want to focus on. And just to look for tonight is,

you know, Sydney right now, I think they're probably the best transition team in the comp.

So that look for that really fast overlap run, corridor use and ability to score in bursts.

We've seen that in the opening two rounds. And I think the Hawks, that's one area that they

have struggled with defensively. If teams go quick against them, I think that'll play into Sydney's

favour tonight. If they can keep speed on the game, the Sydney swans. The other thing I really

like tonight will be how Sydney's forward line, and it looks much more dangerous in 2026,

with that genuine key target in Kerno. It's a great reference for the smalls. It straightens it up.

And we're actually getting more isolated matchups for other forwards as well, because they want

to come off and double team Kerno. So yeah, it feels like Sydney can score quickly, and they can

really put scoreboard pressure on if they can access that forward line. I like the way they're going

inside 52. It's just not in straight lines. It's just slightly off the angle, a little bit like

the crows. The crows are doing that inside forward 50 as well. But the challenge will be for

the swans, as we talked about, will be that midfield mix is replacing Heaney and Gordon. That adds

a little bit of pressure. But the Hawthorne fans will say, well, we don't have Will Day at the moment

either. They realize so heavily on Newcombe. So I'd put some time into him. I'm just watching him play

last week live. He's so important to Hawthorne and that midfield brigade. And they've just got to make

sure I think Hawthorne that they have a bigger spread of guys that are having a midfluence. I love

how fit their high forwards are looking at Hawkes. So even Ginevan, he's never run this well before,

you know, when you're watching him live, he's just getting from contest to contest, you know, McDonald's

as well. Those high half forwards are just breaking the game open with their run at the moment. But

another thing tonight, I think just to focus on the big one will be this momentum, you know,

the swans have had in their first two games the ability to be able to control the momentum,

you know, kick multiple goals in short bursts. They've blown games open really quickly. So Hawthorne

on the other hand, they struggled a little bit when the game was in a contest when it was highly

contested in round one, but they got the game they wanted against the bombers. So tonight, who

wrestles momentum? And can you score? Can you score in those big bursts when they've got those,

when you've got those momentum on your side? That'll be the big challenge tonight.

All right, I love it when you give me a little checklist. The key stats that we should keep an

eye on as the game unfold. Yeah, so I like to have three or four things that I focus on with my team

that you can refer to at each break. So tonight for me, for both teams, but in particular,

for the Sydney swans, they'll be monitoring uncontested marks. So, and you know, 78 is what the

giants kept them to. That would be a great marker. Turn over scores. So the ability to be able to

defend. So reference, are we scoring on the back of our great defense? Inside 50 efficiency,

both of these sides are really efficient going inside forward 50. So which defense can find a

way to get on top? And not just clearances tonight, but effective clearances. So the ability to

be able to come out of contests clean. So not those clearances where you just jam it forward

is, is can you run out of contests? Can you get some effective clearance? I think they're probably

the four key stats that might decide tonight's result. The hawks uncontested marks, the swans turn

over scores, the inside 50 efficiency and the effective clearances for both teams. Which way are

you leaning? I'm leading to the hawks. And I know I'm loving watching the swans play at the moment,

but I just think those outs, Gordon and Haney, so important. Home ground, let's give it to the hawks.

All right, that's tonight. We will move to Adelaide and the Bulldogs, the high point of round two

with Brent and Sanderson. After we check in with the newsroom with thanks to the new McAfee drinks range,

here's Adam. Adam, thank you. Our late change to tonight,

Dermott Broughton replaces Jared Healey in our broadcast team. Jacob's text through Tom

Barras has made a habit of blanking in Kerno. Granted, he wasn't getting the delivery of Haney and

Golden, but he won't be getting that tonight. Either swans will need another avenue to go.

The cat from Sandhurst has declared himself a salty blue supporter. Charlie should be a dollar

I wonder, not kick a goal against the top six team. And Matt in Jim Brook, I get to watch my hawks

play tonight. Then I have to wait till bloody Easter Monday. What a joke. Good on you, Matt.

So you know, four double three, nine, eight, eleven, sixteen, the 40 wings temper text.

The difference is temper. Adelaide and the Bulldogs coming up with Brent and Sanderson next.

This is waitley for pay.com.au, business owners, pay.com.au and start earning rewards today.

Waitley on SEM, some of the things that came out of the Giants game,

particularly on offense, the start. I felt like we succumbed to their pressure a little bit.

That's not going to go away. Adelaide over against the crows on a bit of a tie to ground and

their physicality and their contests spent pretty good. The crows, especially over the course of

last year and they did well to overwhelm the pies last week. So we've got to be better at the

start of this game going over there and to set us up for a good opportunity to hopefully come

home happy. For one, they're in some real form. They'd be the form team in the comp.

Put three really, really strong weeks against high quality opposition together. So challenges

all over the ground. They're a lot better than just bomb, but he's probably in some of his best

form we've seen. So yeah, big challenges for us. It's the right game in the right slot.

Friday night, Adelaide over the crows and the Bulldogs. Brent and Sanderson, this is rich in pro.

Yeah, this is rich. This is so good. I had some fun preparing for this one.

The crows are excellent. They're profiles perfect now. They're right and we,

maybe we focus too much on them losing two finals, but average age of 26,

110 to 120 games experienced now in that team. They had 30 shots for goal against Collingwood,

55 inside 50s, 117 marks, kicked eight goals for from their defensive half against a really

good Collingwood defense, whichever one rates obviously extremely highly. They are defensive

least set up so well. They're really well organized to the crows and they look much better than

Collingwood around contest two. I think it was plus 25 contested possession. And I love the spread

of goal kickers, nine different goal kickers. Who thoughts the one though? He's the focal point.

Three goals. His game was better than the three goals. He just never gets out marked. He's such a

great target for them. He strains them up. Plus you've got Foggedy. Plus you've got Walker there as

well. Plus you've got the Smalls. They look fit. They look hungry. They look desperate. There's such

a spread of talent there, which is noticeable. So I think it's hard to prepare for Adelaide because

they don't rely on too few. I mean Dawson's a star. I mentioned Phil Thorpe, but it's taking him

a while next, but he's got there with his team. They are really well structured. They're well

organized. Every time they arrive at a contest, they play in great shape. It's going to be a really

hard side to beat this year. The Bulldogs are the hot dogs of the competition right now. We've

seen them twice. What's standing out? Yeah, they couldn't be more impressive. That gritty win

against the Lions in opening round. And very much like the crows, they're getting a really good

team effort at the moment. A good spread of really valuable players. Nick's mentioned

Bonton Pelley. He's had two outstanding games. Excellent. But there is a spread of him everywhere.

They've got talent across all parts of the ground. They did give up 106 points against the

Lions in opening round, but defensively was the area that we're all watching. And we have

seen an improvement there to keep the giants to 53 points. They only had 50 inside 50s.

That's I think what we need to see more of from the Western Bulldogs in this early part of

the season, but they are red hot and fun to watch. They really are. All right, the part of the

ground to focus on. Yeah, well, let's look now at that defensive part of the ground, which the

Western Bulldogs have needed to improve on against that crows forward line. So Lob, O'Donnell,

Bukukamas, they're going to have their hands full with Walker, Foggedy and Thilthort.

Dale's back there as well as that quarterback, the distributor. He can lock away as small if you're

need him to, but it's a couple of new players. I like lucky Jake's. I like Sealwood. They look

comfortable at the level. Kind of butter, it's been a really good inclusion to that side as well.

He's had two excellent games, but what a great test for the Western Bulldogs against that crows

forward line, which is extremely dangerous both in the air and a ground level. So Keys, Archie,

Peddler, Neil Bullin, Soligo in the front half for a Shelley looks dangerous. Plus we see the

return of Isaac Rankin, which we can't wait for to see what form he's going to be in. You expect

him to come into that side and have an enormous impact in that front half. So I think that's the

part of the ground that could decide the result is can the Western Bulldogs defense hold the

Adelaide crows to a low score? That's that's the big challenge. So those three key forwards kick

the 11 goals between them when they met late last season. So that gives you the marker on which

they have to improve strategically, what will the crows have to get right? Western Bulldogs are

unbelievable at stoppage. So they've got to pressure at stoppage, deny those handball chains,

they've got to have bodies around every exit. Plus those goal-kicking mids, you know,

Bonson Pelley, Richards Kennedy, they've got to get protection with those half forwards as well.

So Bulldogs lose, and we look at their data from last year, when their clearance differential is

even or negative. So they've been red hot to open the season with their stoppage work. The Western

Bulldogs especially sent about, so they've been excellent. But they do have issues if you control,

if you can control their impact around clearance differential, and you know, potentially even

winning yourself. The other thing which I think Nick's has got to get right is he's got to try and

get the game at the speed that he wants. So a little bit of marked kick control at different times.

So just disrupt the Western Bulldogs rhythm where you can. So defend with the ball,

force them to defend for long periods. That's the part that I think the Western Bulldogs

can be frustrated in, and then exploit them on turnovers. So create turnovers, turn them around,

they do play a system based on defense the Western Bulldogs. So you've got to take the ball off

the line on turnovers. So any turnovers in particularly in that front half, but go off the line

going inside forward 50. Crows traditionally do that extremely well. And I'd put the game

in speed on turnover as well. So quick entries before the Bulldogs could set up. Obviously,

they need a plan for Sam Darcy, but that'll probably be built around really high four and a half

pressure. I think that you must force the Western Bulldogs into a rush kicks. That's probably

the, there's a lot there, but you've got to get a lot of things right if you're going to beat the

Western Bulldogs this season. All right. And right at the forefront of that, the clearance

difference, we've got to keep it either square or in the negative for the dogs. So that's what

the crows need to do. What about Luke Beverage? What does he need to ensure that his team does well?

Yeah, I think the Bulldogs belief is there at the moment. And this will sound, I don't know how

to frame this, but this will sound a bit strange. I think they get a free hit here, the Western Bulldogs.

They started the season well. They're too zip. I think back in your system, trust your system,

the game plan is evident, bit of a statement. So from Bevo here, I think you go offense,

defense, stoppages, all three phases. Get some feedback now and play the game you want to play.

Play the game style you want to play. Eliminate any guesswork for the rest of the season is number one.

Does our stoppage stuff measure up against the top team? Number two, can we transition the ball

offensively against a good defensive team? And let's test our good young inexperienced defenders

against a quality, quick, explosive crows team and just see where we're at. So I wouldn't go too

negative with the game this week if I'm Beverage. I would say let's just see where we sit now.

The crows at Adelaide Oval, we're too zip, we're playing really well against a really good side

here. Let's just see where we sit with the way that we want to play. Get some real honest feedback.

With where we're at. Obviously, the crows have got great method. They're a top two defense team

from last year. They're a top four offensive team. So let's have a go with it and let's see where

we sit. I think that's probably an opportunity for Beverage to get, as I said at the start of the

segment, some real good feedback exactly where we're at. Yep. Yep. All right. What will they find?

Which way will they go? Well, I think this is a ripper game. I just think the crows at home.

It'll be a close game. I think under 10 points. The Western Bulldogs won't want to give up more

than 100 points. That'll be the biggest challenge, but they would just might kick 102. I just hope

we get a Friday night game that's both sides, all out offense, and we get, you know, 100 points

plus at maybe three quarter time. That would be my dream. But I know both coaches would want to

shut this game down and make it more of a defensive focus, but anything could happen in this one.

Great stuff. All right. That's Friday night. Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs.

St. Kilda and GWS is there at the other game we've decided to do. There's a lot of focus

on the Saints and quite rightly. So you're going to be ensuring to start with here. What are the

Saints doing well? I think there are some positives there for the Saints. And I know quite often

on a Sam Edmund said before on this side of the fence, we like to focus on what sides aren't

doing well. And there are some things I want to focus on with them, but the contestable

and clearance work has actually been pretty strong. You know, they've been in the plus for

clearances. They've been in the plus for contestable possessions. They look all right around the

contest and clearance stuff. They're tough. They're combative. They are capable of winning first

possessions, St. Kilda. And they've shown in their first two games. They do have the ability to

control territory. So I think the platform is there for them to continue to build on.

I always like with Ross line teams around the pressure. I mean, as I said, it's been in patches,

but they've had territory dominance against Collingwood. They've had that great intercept layer,

sort of 70 to 80 metres from goal. They've created enough turnovers. And I'm seeing enough

in their defensive system and their team defense that in phases, it's been strong. And they can

suffocate in opposition and force them into turnovers. So I think there is enough there defensively

and enough around the contest to be positive about if you're a St. Kilda fan or if you are

Ross line. And I think that signature Ross line defense and forcing turnovers will

eventually find a way to turn into scores. But the biggest thing has been their inability to

hit the scoreboard. Their inability to make the opposition pay with those turnovers that they

are getting. So poor decision making going inside forward 50. Poor execution going inside

forward 50. I think they're kicking too shallow. I think their aerial works been to an outnumber.

And quite often they're in side 50s have been too slow. So they're just that lack of synergy

at the moment between the mids and the the mids and the forwards. But that'll come. But that'll come.

I just think there's enough there that the Saints fans and Ross line can be positive about

to ensure that they are going to be on the right track this season. Just quite stunning is 0-2.

The Giants have had polar opposite performances tremendous against Hawthorne and they got broken

pretty easily against the Bulldogs. What have they done well? I think it feels like the Giants

have still got that strong inside midfield group despite no Tom Green. And I just think that the way

that they can control territory when the game's on their terms, I think their system is built around

stoppage. That was just much harder for them to get right against the Bulldogs. I like their

ball movement but we're not seeing at the moment particularly last week. We didn't see that

that those ball movement change. We refer to it in commentary around the tsunami. We didn't see

that last week. They were unable to generate repeat forward entries on the back of their high pressure.

But we just think when their systems working the Giants, they score heavily. Their forwards get

really good supply and that midfield forward connection is really strong. That wasn't there last

week. They just failed to get that really good ball movement that's been really important for

them. It can tell though, and I often focus on the coaches and I've mentioned to you I think maybe

I even off air last week. Adam Kingsley's got this group. He's a good young coach. I think the

offseason docker that we all saw, he's really hard on them. He's got high expectations of the group

including the leaders, but I just think he's honest and I think he's got the groups respect.

And the culture of this group, you feel like they will bounce back. We sort of know that already.

But yeah, they've conceded some big scores. They've got badly beaten around stoppage

and clearance, which is their go-to and their defensive structure and system has collapsed

pretty quickly from what we saw last week against the Western Bulldogs. But yeah, I'm expecting

for them to bounce back. I think they can find a way particularly with Kingsley coaching this team

that they'll find a way to overcome that disappointment from last week and bounce back really

heavily against the Saints. So when we're watching this game, what are our focus areas?

Clarence differential. So that's going to be the big one. I've liked St. Cuda in their first two

games. There's enough there to show that they are organised around stoppage and clearance.

And as I said, this is a Giants team that has the advantage in that area in most games they play.

So St. Cuda are going to want to find a way to get on top around stoppage and clearance.

They can't let the Giants dominate this game around stoppage and clearance.

St. Cuda at the very least need to break even and drag the game into a slower controlled contest

if they can. I think that's probably the number one area that could decide the game.

Number two, this is the stat for St. Cuda inside 50 efficiency. So plenty of entries,

poor conversion at the moment. And Giants did concede scores quickly last week.

So that must be an area that St. Cuda try and overcome. So watch the goals per inside 50.

Keep an eye on the marks inside forward 50 and how effective the Saints can be from turnover

this week. So that's it. Rebound and punish would be the focus for St. Cuda this week.

Look for opportunities to be more effective inside forward 50 and convert those great

opportunities that they've had, but they haven't taken advantage of that. That's probably the next

point. All right, which way? Gee, who can get the uncontested mark game on their terms?

I don't know who to pick in this game. I just think the Giants looked vulnerable last week

when they exited their 50. They just got to get a better system. And St. Cuda's strength is

intercepting and punishing poor exits. So I just think the Saints might find a way to win

this one. I know it's away from home too, right? It's up in Giants here. I've heard

you, Jared, a lot of people have mentioned this week. I won't want to start zip three,

the Saints. It's a long road back from there. So yeah, I think we'll see a Ross line master class

this week. I think we'll see those those boom recruits step up. I think we'll find that synergy

between the mids and the forwards. So I'm going to I'm going to tip the Saints in a close one.

All right. Sando, terrific work. Three games for us to revel in across this round to enjoy your

weekends. Thanks, Jared. Enjoy your 40 Brenton Sanis and Strategy 2026 every Thursday on the program.

Want to have your say? Ring Jared on 1300 736 736. Now back to lately.

Adam Simpson, Brenton Sanis and Bruce McAvani so far on today's program. They'll all go up

on the podcast on our McCaffay menu. The new McCaffay drinks range with the wave of nostalgia,

which has been around the VFL as it now takes on a three television station deal.

We're going back to the early days of the VFA on channel O. This is really nostalgic

territory. You'll have your own memories. Shannon Gill's Know Your History is next.

This is your town. This is your station. This is Wadley. We had on our list of Know Your History

topics the heyday of the VFA on channel O. And then with the wave of nostalgia that has come with

the VFL retaining that's placed in fact expanding that's place on television with the ABC channel

7 and Fox footy it felt like the exact right moment as the VFL comes to life. It's not the VFA

as it was back in the day when Bruce and Rex would call together and feel clear he would get sent

off in a grand final and then be alongside Sam Kickovich in the box of Billy Swan kicking goals

in grand finals. This was how the VFA was on channel O. Bigger than ever more exciting than ever.

VFA Football 79. Each Sunday afternoon join Melbourne's top football commentator Phil Gibbs

when channel O's cameras bring you exclusive live coverage of all the skills, courage and spills

that is VFA Football. This Sunday's first division match of the week pits

Long West make VFA Football part of your life Sunday afternoon at 145 live on channel O.

Oh wow that'll take some people back when it was a complimentary product when it was a

competing product in its own way when it had it stand alone placed the VFA. Shannon Gilles

Know Your History, Shannon great to see you. Good to see you Jared and it is before my time but

just as the ad said a lot of people did make the VFA part of their weekend on a Sunday

back in the 70s and we're going to go through that era and then the later era with the ABC

later on as well but I know that there will be a lot of people out there who do remember it and

have some very fond memories of the time when the VFA had a almost comparable profile in some ways

to the VFL. Play along with us the 40 Wings Tempered Text is zero four double three

98 11 16 find your personalized bedtime solution with our friendly neighborhood sleep advisors

40 Wings Sirius about sleep and the long form correspondence and photos and anything any archive

that you might have is waitly at sien.com.au and we should just declare you I like your range of

t-shirts that mix in with your Know Your History passions. League T's have helped me out this is

well we'll tweet this out we'll get a photo and tweet it out but it is the watch the VFA

Sunday on ATV O a big O in the middle of the footy all right the VFA logo. So it's the history

of the VFA. So before we start I just for those that maybe a shaggin heads going what is the VFA

just a clarification on terminology that the VFA is what the VFL is now so that's the

continuation of that so when we talk about this to not this morning it'll be the VFA the VFL

will be the what the AFL is now hopefully that makes sense. Did you have a VFA team? Did you follow

a team? Probably Port Melbourne yeah Fred Cook that and it was a big part of your week the Sunday

game on so it's channel 10 by the time I get to it yeah but and then we've done the history of

Sunday football and the rancor around that and the place of the VFA is such it's such an

interesting history. So to go back to the start so the VFA as the and some people won't like me

saying this but the secondary competition as always even way back in the 50s had an air of trying

to innovate to to make an impact on the the VFL audience and get some of that audience so

when TV comes to Australia in 1956 the VFL has has some TV in 57 which is live last quarters.

Now the VFA actually with ironically with the ABC actually do full live halves of games which

is you know this is this is ahead of its time but really it all and and then the VFA expands

to two divisions in the 60s so it's sort of it's trying different things to gather more people into

it but it really changes in 1964 channel oh is born now that will become channel 10 now they do

things differently because they are the last commercial station in and initially they do replays

of VFL games like the other stations we're doing but they're also trying other things like we

spoke about this in our in our Melbourne Cup episode last year that channel oh start running live

race meetings from regional areas to to bring live sport to try something different there as

what we would call today they were a disruptor of the era by 1967 they decide there's no point

doing these VFL replays that are on every other channel so ABC 9 and 7 would have VFL replays as

well so that's where the VFA and channel oh come together and they change footy broadcasting

and it really does change it in a lot of ways now they end up in 1967 they do live games on Saturday

and Sunday so they do a live VFA game on the Saturday and Sunday which is we've not seen well

I say where I wasn't around in 1967 but the football public had never seen live games on television

up until that time they really saw any live sport on television up until that time and even there's

a great article in the age where Mark Fidian who is the great VFA writer is explaining to people

what you're going to see with the VFA on television this year and of course in that era VFA football

had 16 players on the field as opposed to 18 so they didn't have wings so he's sort of talking

about how explaining to what first time watch is how you can how you can enjoy the VFA and what

why this matters and it talks about sort of the half forward flake being a graveyard in VFL

football but in the VFA it's very important yes it's and this is where nothing's new it's all been

done before isn't it the chief attribute of the 16 man game which was adopted in 1959 as the

listening of crowded plays had a play congestion buster exactly so we've seen it all before

now the so live games on Saturday and Sunday VFA gets permission for Sunday play and eventually

sort of settles as Sunday games Sunday games become the VFA day on television and and and and

the so the commentators at this point are Phil Gibbs who will talk about a bit later on

Craig Calle and Ted Henry's they are the three main commentators that are really in the first

the first iteration of this right throughout uh crowds go up so there's a there's a found a little

snippet from the age that how much is ATV owes contribution contribution to the VFA's increase

intensities and this is a difficult one to answer but it talks about the fact that these games are

developing a following on television and it is translating to people in turn and watching it

not sitting at home and not and not turning up so Phil Gibbs Craig Calle and Ted Henry's are the

voices the 1970s though when we get into the 70s this is its golden era so it's it's a combination of

the the public now being used to Sundays being the VFA day the technology broadcasting so we get

color TV in 1975 and probably as bigger contribution as anything is it's larger than lifestyle so a lot

of XVFL players go straight back to the VFA and play and and become at a stars at that level but

as you mentioned before Fred Cook is the face of the league so if you don't know who Fred Cook

was there's a lot to it uh played in the in the VFA from 69 to 85 300 games

1336 goals really it's his years as a regular full-forward for Port Melbourne which roughly run

between so a 74 and 84 where he kicked seven let's kick the hundred goals seven times so he he

with the combination of color TV the growing popularity of the league he is the face of the league

he is seen as a biggest as bigger star as most of the big stars in VFL 40 at the time and he's

a big personality around town now I will recommend there is a book from Paul Amy and I'm not just

saying this because Paul's mate but this is probably the best book about a football person I've

ever read called fabulous Fred the strife and times of Fred Cook it's a it's a tragic story in a

lot of ways it's it's on field greatness his personality his magnetism as a person but there is

this tragic sort of soap opera part to his life of sex drugs crime and a bit of football thrown in

and I just kind of highly recommend that enough and if you want to get a sense of the VFA era get

that book and I'll go into a little bit of that in a second um in that book so Phil Gibbs is the

leading commentator and you often asked Jared to in today's football what would the WWE do

you know well the VFA did what the WWE would do so these are direct quotes or direct from the book

or direct quotes from Phil Gibbs so there is a sense of that players and coaches would ask

Phil Gibbs in the in the channel box what could we do to help the coverage

quote from Phil Gibbs in the Paul Amy book well it would be nice if you thump some poor bastard

in the first quarter that will give us an audience to work with further to that channel I was

on a commercial break when a fight broke out one day Gibbs sent words to the boundary that it

would be nice if it could flare up again when it was back on air soon there were more fister cuffs

he's been smick man he is he's been smick man at the VFA and so and and look we're not

don't want to glorify the BFO but it was clearly part of the attraction and how it was promoting

it was more rustic it was more rustic Phil Gibbs was subjected to threats from Jolong West fans

at well for a while so they decided they would never televised Jolong West games and Fred Cook was

not not a fighter it should be said but and this is again quite from Paul's book when

appeared the match of the day would be one sided Gibbs would take Cook aside and ask him

to pull out something extra a bag of goals a few spectacular marks or do we exaggerate the

effect of any hit you receive so often Cook would take a mark be whacked and he'd stay down and

stagger up after his mark which was all a bit of a put on at times so how brazen was it the

newspaper ad for when Port Melbourne and Sanderingham met and the ad is a Port Melbourne player face

down on the ground and the blurb is remember when Port Melbourne and Sanderingham last met this

Sunday it will be on again on ATV channel oh exactly and the probably the the I don't know if

I call it the high point or the low point of this is the 1976 VFA Grand Final on channel oh

this is just a little snippet of what went on that day

let's watch this and it's on another player is flattening the other end of the ground

clarity's been flattened at the other end of the ground oh no and there's another one down at the

other end a trainer's gone down so this is this is Jesse the body venturer and guerrilla monsoon

call yes he does yes he does in a lot of ways and that was that was a game where Fred Cook was

knocked down and but they still won the game so the grand finals were legendary big crowds they

got 30,000 at some of these grand finals obviously the punchups were part of it but there was also

innovations throughout so the idea was put cameras close up on the faces of players to build

the personalities they were boundary riders which we hadn't seen before then there were replays

which were not part of live and live broadcast because there was no live broadcast there was the

dandy dollar dash what recognition do we have of the dandy dollar dash i wonder out of

now listening community half time foot races the dandy dollar dash so it's Sundays in the 70s

is owned by the VFA often sort of termed as footy for the working man this was the alternative

now VFA obviously are trying to expand themselves and don't necessarily like that they're

their ground has been grabbed by the VFA so they make some efforts to counter that so they're

not allowed to play Sunday football with pain spectators so they in 1979 they start a weekly

reserves broadcast so they'll have a broadcast game of a reserves game on a Sunday then eventually

when Sydney swans come in in 1982 they end up every the off week will be the swans and the other

week will be a reserves game separately while this is all happening the at the end of 78 the VFA

actually goes out to tender for the rights and that really upsets channel low because they think

they've they've made the VFA which is which is right in a little ways and the seeds are sort of

sewn then for the end in 1981 the weekly broadcast ends so there's a few bits and pieces to this

ten have actually bid for the VFL rights so they didn't speak to the VFA for a long time

because they had their eyes set on the VFL they don't get those rights but that does cause some

angst ten starts to question whether it's still worth the cost there is an idea about 10

morning to broadcast games only from one venue so they'll play the same venue each week VFA's

can't agree with that so ultimately and sadly ten walks away from the weekly broadcast at that

point and it's a it's a big deal at the time so again it's it's reported and you know the VFA is

not happy that they talk about it being a shock the VFA president talks about I believe there'll

be a public outcry about not being able to watch VFL game VFA games on television

it doesn't but it doesn't it doesn't sway ten in that moment what they do do do though is

they end up televising the finals for the next few years so up until 1986 ten televises the finals

and they also at times do the last couple of rounds of the regular season so

this actually throws together some unbelievable calling teams so this is in through 1984 and 1985

and check out who was calling with Phil Gibbs then what a captain coach he's been James

the little fella's got to get it on quickly he's got Davidson he's found him now stand the man

is a long way out Rex Hunt and Kenny drill at home well he's got the experience the man from

Benzdale and I tell you what this will be a far cry from the Mitchell River Oval we're 250 people

he's got 20,000 hearts really pumping over time here oh how good Bruce and Rex together like

you know the well arguably the two biggest media stars of the 90s cutting their teeth

the you know it's the first time we've heard them call footing in Melbourne on that

but it's not the only one so in 1986 is the last year of this Rex is out they slot someone else

in next to Phil and Bruce for this year and just for a bit of context that person then throws

to a guy called Tony Banks who is doing the boundary riding who tries to interview someone

immediately after they leave the field players coming in from everywhere now as the two coaches meet

and clear he's been reported sent off as he's been sent off

well what a sensational send off I don't think first I don't think it was much there but

all right now they've got a 20 banks has got it where whatever then Phil

he's not very well actually the moment he said that nothing happened out there and he's not all

okay and not a very good decision now I could but could be

so so that if you didn't pick up that was Eddie McGuire commentating who threw down to the moment

when we had literally Phil Cleary being sent off the ground in a ground final and a microphone

stuck in his face as he was walking off the ground so they did innovate a chattelot in the VFA but

it is to have Bruce Rex and Eddie the three biggest names in footy media for in the through the

90s and beyond to be all involved in the VFA as the second tier competition in the 80s is quite

incredible oh there's there's such rich material here so there's plenty here are remembering Norman

Yem yes from the Sullivan's was a regular participant and crowd favorite in the dandy dollar dash

well that I didn't know and numerous people have got stories of Norman Yem in the dandy dollar

dash right a poor your messages through we got ten minutes of messages yeah we'll curate those

as we go so the heavy days the VFA on chattelot and then channel 10 and then when the ABC comes

in next Shannon Gill's know your history Melbourne's weather for city power cloudy slight chance

of rain a top of 21 city power working in all conditions to keep your power connected essential as

waitly on SEM we are deep in nostalgia the VFA on channel O and then channel 10 and shortly

the move to the ABC so here's a cross section of correspondence shadow this is tapped into something

the 40 wings temperate zero four double three 98 11 16 the differences temper my brother ran

against Norman Yem in the dandy dollar dash brilliant I had no idea no no is you've tapped into

something there where's oh dandy dollar dash was the richest food race in the world at one state

sixteen thousand dollars that's Trent that's half-assed internet research right there that's

Phil Gibbs I've seen some footage of Phil Gibbs telling us it was the which is for most in the

world not sure what evidence he had of that but I'll take his word for it hey Shannon read the

dandy dollar dash my friend won the consolation race Jared Gibney and his brother won the main race

John Gibney in the same year Jared actually won it two years in a row I think it was around 80 81

every VFA ground final VFA ground final used to coincide with my great expert they used

together at her place and graduate to the TV to watch the ground final remember 1979 Barry

Price coberg was brought in for the ground final to take out John Scarlett extra long and

Matthew's father four-jolong west I gouged him blood everywhere those were the days

Darren I absolutely love watching the VFA on a Sunday growing up watched with mum and dad every

week my mum and sister both grew up in Preston so we were Preston supporters in division one and

in division two we supported Oakley as our neighbor was a former Oakley devil in his younger days

and wavly because we lived in Mount Wavley when these two met we couldn't lose

Freddy Cook and Port Melbourne were public enemy number one in our house Billy Swan had was

another player I remember very well Janine from Nari Warren memories of my grandfather taking

me to watch my cousin then the tank Toronto games record holder still I believe who played for

coberg at the city over alongside Phil Cleary in the premiership years of mid to late 80s nothing

better than a full VFL Saturday to have the VFA to book end the weekend Rob from Keel or East

I'm nearly 60 our family used to go to Sheppley over Danny Nong I was a big frosty Miller

fan my mum purchased his sign jumper for me Port and Danny were the two best teams we used to go

behind the goal at the creek end to retrieve the ball great memories that's from Greg we always

miss the first quarter of the VFA is the old man had to watch every minute of world of sport before

we were allowed to turn the TV over Mark from Morty Alec I have great memories of the VFA on

channel O the Sunday press had a competition where you had to match the numbers of all the players

the first week I won two Ross Faulkner footballs the next week I won two basketballs the reason I won

two weeks in a row because I was the only one who entered from reservoir at the memory of man's

Sunday roast lamb watching VFA on channel O the only time we're allowed to watch TV at the table

Mick from Lucknow I always remember coming home after playing under 10s and 11s footy for

Strathmore cold wet days mum made sure we had a hot shower and sitting in front of the open fire

watching the VFA my team was coberg as our neighbor was Robert Smith who played for north and then

coberg we kicked a hundred who can forget Norman Yem running the 400 meters handicap great days

Craig and Lara and on they go they keep going they keep coming in let me just clear the news here

and then we'll get to the moment where the VFA moves to the ABC thanks to the new McCaffay drink

range here's Adam Adam thank you Norman Yem also played VFA Mick my first footy trip went down

to tassie spent the weekend carrying Norman Yem on our shoulders around the pub buying him beers

or weekend turned out to be his brother not him love Norman Yem in those races they're my we

won't have to do a whole normal yeah so I think I think that's what that's what the crowd was I

didn't realize that's where we were going to end up at right I pick up the story of the VFA on

television as it heads to the ABC so 1987 the ABC have the VFL rights as in the AFL rights

it's it's not being televised by channel 10 the VFA now the the the ABC end up doing the finals

of the VFA on a Sunday now presumably this is because they had been covering the interstate games

from the VFL during the year and then when the finals come there's no interstate games to to

live games to play so there's a hole in their schedule and they think oh well we've got to we've

got all these commentary teams that we're using let's use them to cover the VFA finals so that's

what happens p2g and room orphan are the ones that end up doing the VFA finals in that first year

and they actually they they they pull the co-bird coach feel clear he ends up doing it and we'll

get a bit to that later on but this kicks off the ABC's era of doing it so the next year

1988 channel seven get the exclusive rights to the AFL all of them yeah and this would mean that

the ABC for the first time ever have no big time football or league football on their broadcast so

they grab the VFA most of the existing ABC footy callers either go to radio and cover the VF the

VFL AFL some go to seven drew Ian Robertson that they go to channel seven and then ABC sports

sort of splits into two with radio on TV p2g stays with TV and he is becomes the face of the VFA

in calling it and this is this is my era Jared because I remember this I think geographically I

was I was probably a Preston fan but later on one of my teachers coach springvale so I became a

bit of a springvale fan in the in the in the later 90s so this is this is your clat and this

classic VFA on ABC lineup is p2g as the lead caller a guy called Ross Booth who passed away a few

years ago he would be play by play calling and also do the boundary writing and and other parts

and interviews on the side and then they have a couple of experts in their team now I'll just

play this clip you can see the makings of someone who well he went on to lamb ads and preach

sermons on the fat and our experts are Phil Cleary and Sam kick of it good afternoon gentlemen

I would suggest that William style of the favorites even though both teams have only a loss twice

this season yeah I think so p2g are in special with kershaw back having kershaw in the ruckus a big

man built like an oak tree and that moves round to center half forward and that means he takes on

a good player round he you know you've got to look after him yeah I agree Phil I think it's a

vitally important game both sides perced on the ladder in the middle of the field one two and

it's quite conceivable that the loser here this afternoon might even spell down for the rest

of the season they might find themselves two games out of the four and it might be retrieval during

the course of the year that's the big statements right at the top so Sam kick of it and Phil Cleary

were the expert commentary commentary which is quite just a combustible duo at the best of times

but to have them in the box and some of the I mean this is the weird thing is that so he was

Phil Cleary was actually still coaching co-berg yep at the time but the way the VFA did it

is they played all the games on a Saturday afternoon and they played him initially only at north

port over so they'd set the cameras up there all the time and they'd play on the Saturday afternoon

while the rest of the competition remain on the Sunday this allowed uh Cleary to get involved

every week now I've spoken to p2g Phil Cleary this week and we're going to go through the team

you can share those stories with us in a moment uh I'll just share one more Phil Gibbs message

shelly Phil Gibbs upset some fans at Jolong West one day and the crowd turned on the commentary box

which was set up outside security and police had to step in and escort Phil and his fellow commentators

out day from Jolong there is a video of that too but there's no audio so I haven't

brought it for long but there is video of that outstanding all right add so the the iconic commentary team

from the VFA on the ABC next um know your history with Shannon Gill this is waitly for radius

telematics fleet managers and business owners take control visit radios.com

want to have your say ring Jared on 1300 736 736 now back to waitly

pass it off to Bill Swan who's not such a long kick but in his seventh grand final he can win the

game for his adoptive club Williamstown this is unbelievable I can't believe what really

I do imagine that it's all happened spring well seen at the game one what a kick what a kick

for Bill Swan well who could predict this the climax of the 1990 VFA grand final and the winning

goal from Bill Swan Bill Swan father of Dane um but in that era that VFA era like the ABC had it

that is a game that has talked about by so many people and and you can hear the hear the noise

and crowd how big that was uh Scott from Doran's with us on the he and they open line get a deal

you'll be proud of it you're participating dealer today Scott welcome hi Jared and Shannon how are you

good good that's good I just have a quick story to recount about my dad and I going

to the beach road over to watch standard handback in about 1985 but was a huge game we used to take

out deck chairs and sit on the half-board flank anyway this day feel clearing keber came to town

and there was an all-in-broll in front of us um on the half-board flank Peter Fitzpatrick the

standard hand captain and feel clear area both it's an all-in-broll started pretty much and there

was fist fist and hair flying anyway my dad and I are standing as they had to stand up and move back

and the lady came flying through us um and start saying my dad won me the other and

grabbing feel clearing by the hair and wacking and wacking him and doing all sorts of things

in any way and language that I've never heard of before being a 12-year-old kid

and anyway the game all settled down and everything like that and they started playing

anyway got the half-time and this lady came back around to us and she said look I just

like to apologise to you but she said I'm Peter Fitzpatrick's wife and she said I couldn't stand

that mongrel feel clearing doing that to my husband so she said I just had to step in and do

something in there and it was basically on it with a huge game and I can remember I like it was

yesterday oh god what a memory what a memory all that's missing is mum with an umbrella yes all

right so feel clearing feel clearing goes into the box the ABC and look I've spoken to him this

week and to hear him talk about this he's so passionate it's wonderful so he sort of gave me the

run down on each of his co-commentators he he calls Peter G the moral compass moderate and style

but blessed with a great voice and an eye for the moment he's called of the final minutes of the 1990

grand final were truly brilliant which we just heard Ross Booth who is sort of the second man but

he didn't just have a modulator voice he too had a critical eye for the game that Ross was an

academic and Phil used to call him the Toff from Turek now what Phil says is he was actually just

from the he was actually a country boy from Namurka that he used to and the other thing Ross

Ross was a gay man in football at the time and they said that they would you know they would

privately laugh about the fact that in this brawny much o VFA world that was that he was probably

the first gay man to call football so he was a he was a trailblazer in that sense Ross Anthony from

Merning Ponds Ross Booth was a professor in economics at Monash University as a student there

in the early 90s I used to watch Ross on the ABC's VFA coverage and then be taught by him during

the week would always talk the weekends VFA 40 with him after lectures a lovely and knowledgeable

blow yes and then and then Sam Kickovich which you know there's only one Sam Kickovich it's

clearly Phil was talking about you know he would describe players as seeking the sanction of

the boundary line and things like that and that he would often be sort of ducking out during a

chord or listen to a race on the radio and those sorts of things but genuinely passionate about

the VFA game because he had played in the VFA after his VFA career too so and while it's not the

gold mirror of the 70s so to speak it had its own identity so if you weren't watching

if you weren't at an AFL game on a Saturday or you weren't at a local footy game this was footy

for you and I think you know every second Saturday I reckon I was watching the VFA on TV

this time and and you know they did three-quarter time huddle visions they went out to the three-quarter

time huddle I loved they used to on the ABC which I don't know how they did with the advertisement

restrictions and so forth but they used to give the player of the week a higher car for a week

so if you got best on ground you got the car but it was a higher car that is so good and so it

it actually rated pretty well looking at some of the stories from the time

Saturday afternoon was not prime time but Wild World of Sports was on Channel 9 was its main

competitor and they were basically neck and neck and the ratings and it would rate once they got

the final time it would rate 20s so this had a great following and they treated it they actually

sort of ignored the AFL treated the VFA as its own ecosystem made stars of all the people like

names like Jack Aziz that Phil used to always call Josh Knaziz because that was his full name

Saadi Garzi and Ian Rickman and these guys were just names that ring such a bell for all of us

I think that follow follow 40 so you've got a TV column Bob Nillington how pleasant

it was to find VFA football back on television screens last weekend complete with commentary from

slam and Sammy Kekovic it was William Town Williamstown versus Springvale in the panel of Kekovic

Phil Cleary and Peter G were discussing the status of the wind Kekovic asked Cleary to

describe it but Cleary said it was very strong Kekovic wanted a definitive adjective Cleary

came up with gusty Kekovic G I'm waiting for a more geographic description Peter G you mean

meteorological don't you Kekovic well it is the first game of the season Mr. Kekovic is a national

treasure and this is the thing he does become a national treasure this is really his first media

exposure he launches a media career off the back of his role as a commentator on the VFA on

the ABC you could argue Phil Cleary launches a political career off the back of his exposure

just a moment on this so he becomes the member for Wills after Bob Hawke retires as Prime Minister

oh sorry it's deposes Prime Minister in 1992 so he when he went to camera to become an MP

he remains on the ABC coverage as a commentator all through that time in 1992 he also coach

Kobyuk he coach Kobyuk on a Sunday did the VFA commentary on a Saturday was an MP in Canberra

for Monday to Friday I really hope that Phil might make a cameo on this year's broadcast and also

Peter G tells me the iconic green and gold ABC jackets and knits that they were he's got a wardrobe

oh Peter G wonderful all right last set of messages my dad was a VFA goal umpire in the 70s one

week he got the televised port versus Danny Nungame a brawl broke out in the forward pocket and we

watched his dad ran in ran in to break it up then Phil Gibbs said oh someone's throwing the

goal umpire out of the melee no reports John Townsend next Melbourne football club was a

teacher at St Kevin's captain coach of Perran we got out during breaks and hit him hard on the

back as everyone mobbed him cam from South Melbourne best player on the ground of the channel

O coverage would get a pair of Puma footy boots Puma the flash for dash and Norman

him had an identical twin brother that's cam in South Melbourne played for port Melbourne in the 50s

Norm was a singer baritone and performed in stage musicals in 1973 he released a single TV

included homicide division four and number 96 as well as the suburbs Norman him was our rabbit

hole today he was just one text here Jared before we go that the higher car given for best

on ground during the ABC days there are folklore stories of players driving the car to Queensland

back during the week give it a good thrashing Shannon brilliance thank you Jared right oh the

history of the VFA channel O and then the ABC as the VFL returns to three television stations

this weekend we'll tidy up and set you up for midday madness next

waitly on se and michael email to sephoto of a an oakley gernsey long sleeve will

unpurple with the gold crests from the early 1980s and Norman yems daughter jody is an actress

who was on prisoner a fantastic source of information twain russle a bit of midday madness coming

out hello dwein limitless the audience Jared they give us so much and the text machines open

who have you gotten your pressure meter top five in order so looking forward to that as well

individuals in the pressure meter as well so can't wait for the contribution oh four double three

98 11 16 but it's top-back radio Jared so love to hear from the caller straight up one three

out of seven three six seven three six get in the queue I know who you might have number one

of the pressure meter this week Jared it's and killed are these are the science yep

yep at zero to three yeah I've got them three I think that the plants and good footies

nest not going on that bad I think there's a couple others that are high but we'll talk about

their names say you're the footies tonight twain I will look forward to it Jared

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