This week on the Real Footy podcast, Michael Gleeson, Jake Niall and Andrew Wu discuss Essendon, and the signs that the club is back on its feet despite Anzac Day defeat to the Magpies.
There is buy-in at the Bombers under new coach Brad Scott and their frailties from last season are not being seen as much in 2023. Mason Redman looks like a big-occasion player, and Andrew McGrath is underrated. Even if they can’t win the flag this year, they are a young team on the rise.
But it was the Pies who got the points in front of a record Anzac Day crowd, and there was a sense of inevitability about the result from the moment Collingwood kicked the first of their last-quarter goals, despite carrying significant injuries. Nick Daicos is an exceptional talent, who draws comparisons to a young Chris Judd for his similar ball use and decision-making, and is being used in a way that weaponises his talents.
Meanwhile, Carlton’s loss to St Kilda further exposed the issues that the Blues’ can’t get right. Even when the Blues had control of the contested ball, they couldn’t get the footy forward. Are the Blues trying to play perfect football, when they should be embracing the chaos? Or do they need a better small forward contingent in order to do that?
We also discuss the best small forwards in the game and what makes Charlie Cameron so brilliant for Brisbane.
Plus, Richmond’s battle with Father Time, Jacob van Rooyen’s performance on Anzac eve, the devil in the detail around Tasmania’s bid for an AFL licence and the discontent around the AFL Commission and CEO appointment.
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