This week on the Real Footy podcast, Caroline Wilson and Greg Baum join Damien Ractliffe to discuss Carlton and how much we can read into their first loss of the season.
Was it a matter of being unprepared for the Crows, who were fired up to open Gather Round at home? Or is there a larger issue for the Blues to be concerned about? The midfield lacks pace and the stats show just how much pressure Adelaide put them under. And are they too reliant on Curnow and McKay? Will talent be enough to get them through, once they get the confidence of a few more games under their belt?
Meanwhile, Adelaide are ticking all the boxes so far this season and have been building since Matthew Nicks took over as coach. The Crows’ forward line is versatile and full of threats. Are they genuine finals contenders in 2023, or have a run of games at home played a part in their early season form?
Meanwhile, the Tigers look like a club at the crossroads. Trent Cotchin struggling, and was subbed out in as bad a loss Richmond have had in years. The next Shane Edwards, or David Astbury, don’t seem to be on the horizon, and the end is near for some of their other premiership greats. Is this the end of an era for the Tigers? Or can they make finals in 2023?
The inaugural Gather Round was held in South Australia and will be there again going forward. But should there have been more of an industry-wide discussion before the decision was made for the next three years? Why is the game being promoted in a state that is already parochial about football – are there other states where the game needs to be grown? Could women’s footy feature in a state of origin format at next year’s Gather Round?
The Pies have lost even more of their tall stocks with injuries to Nathan Murphy and Dan McStay, and the Bombers could be missing a big name too, in Zach Merrett, when the two teams meet on Anzac Day next week. How much will Collingwood’s ruck woes play into the result? Can Essendon keep their red-hot form going?
Plus, what has changed in the 30 years since Nicky Winmar’s famous stand against racism at Victoria Park, the issues at GWS despite the round five win over Hawthorn, upheaval coming at the Suns and much more.
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