The Lunchtime Catch Up
Turns out Essendon know how to play the game
Hey guys, this is Andy McGraw here, you're listening to the Lunch Line podcast. [MUSIC] Now the call well on the trophy, time for fumble, back to Callwell on the Menzies. Bumbers on fire. >> He's getting really involved, he goes to battle. Jackie Strick had put out the extra satellite battle, and he's down from 60. Sam Durham hasn't seen a moment like this in his life. Picked up in the mid-season draft two years ago. >> Can he handle a moment? [MUSIC] >> Welcome back to the Lunch Line catch up podcast. The Lunch Line catch up podcast is two blokes that have known each other forever. They catch up most days in the Melbourne CBD for lunch. Talk everything else in a footy club, happy 150th Andy McGraw. My name is Grant and with me is Scott. >> Hello everyone, good to be back. Well, it's a good news show. So look, it's obviously Carlton, Collingwood. You hear the games you want to beat? >> Hawthorne, Carlton, Collingwood, and Dreamtime basically. >> Absolutely. >> And look to have the whole year and say we play Collingwood twice and they didn't beat us once, is a fantastic result. Look, it's a fantastic result because we're 10, 5, and 1. So to have two, for the Eastern Football Club to have played 16 games and only lost five of those is- >> Just, I wonder if people stopped to think about that for a second man. Like that's from where we were last year, it's huge. >> Yeah, it's a really, really pleasing result. And we all heard the Collwell interview and the Langford interview and they're talking about after the loss last week. And they're pretty brave and said, no, we're not doing what we did last year. This is going to be different. And there was a few, is this lip service and what's going on? And look, obviously from quarter time onwards, the guys took over the game and played just fantastic football and all credit to them. It was just a brilliant effort and I have to say after the top of the show, it was led by I think the best captain this year in the AFL. >> Close enough to the best player, close enough. >> And it was one of the most inspiring games I've seen from a captain and I actually mentioned the words and I didn't think I'd mention this for a while. But I mentioned to a younger person and I said, we'll see this game. This is what a number five used to do for us when I was growing up. >> Agree, agree. >> Yeah, we'll be cool, but yeah. >> When he would not let the side lose. And Merit played just in an exceptional leaders game. And what's 15, 16 score evolvements. >> Defensive acts, the whole thing. >> Great vision from Channel 7 and there's quite a few shows that have shown it. It's just how hard he ran behind the scenes to interrupt contests, to make sure guys were picked up, to run defensively, to tackle hard. He had a few really nice rundown tackles that kind of affected the kicks. So I wanted to make sure right off the top of the show that Zach Merit's a kind of guy. Bit like Ridley and those sort of guys, you go, that's just them. But I didn't feel like this week. I felt like that was a guy that took this game very personal, did not like the last month of footy. Not that they were playing overly bad. But was not going to let this club just disintegrate into nothing again. And yeah, he was an absolute inspiration as a member and fan just watching on. And look, the whole team played well, so I'm not doing that. >> But the likes of Caldwell would have been inspired. >> Yeah, his leadership, and if there's an interview, you should check out Sam Durham. Sorry, no, sorry, it was Dersma. Xavier Dersma was interviewed and they asked him about Merit. And he was just glowing. He said, look, I've only obviously only knew to the club. But he's the best I've seen in my time of a leader and getting me to inspire to do what he's doing. And he was just in glowing terms of the effect that he's having on the group. And he said, I've never seen a leader as much as he has. Dictate how he wants to group to play by him doing it himself. He said, there's nothing he would ask me to do that he doesn't do himself. And he goes, and that's the epitome of perfect leadership. And yeah, it was just a look, a great result for the football club overall. Great planning from Brad Scott. And sometimes I always got to stop them thinking, go, give the coaching group their Jews, it was their planning on the two day courses. Again, Jonesy on the wing had a really dominant effect. They went to the one rock, they brought Caddy in. Everything they seemed to touch actually turned out to be a really good strategic move. So credit to them and the game plan that they did a very uncontested feel. They wanted to handle through the Collingwood sort of manic press and worked really, really well. So good planning, great team effort. Yeah, it's good to see the Essen football club just represent themselves that way. The media was on the verge of going to town on us because it was that one more loss I reckon they were gone. And we just... Because it's easy. Copy for them, it's column inches, it's clicks, they love that Essen is winning, but they also bloody love if Essen loses, right? So it's either way they don't mind. Yeah, so you know, the whole week they'll kind of, you know, they're waiting for the big four like Essen, this is the week, they must stand up, they must stand up. Well, we actually did. Well popped on you guys, we did. And credit to them, look, it doesn't get any easier and, you know, Scott said after the game, you know, I think it was one of the plays that Scott said you got 20 minutes to celebrate boys because we've got Melbourne next week and we're right on the job and that's how he coaches. Mate, yeah. The YouTube clip says it all for mine, the YouTube clip, everybody knows which one I'm talking about, old mate said it doesn't get much better than that champion. It really doesn't to beat Collingwood anywhere at any time for any reason to beat those guys. He's great. But it's the way we did it. Draper was, I rewatched the game and I wonder whether or not Draper was that influential. He was, he was mobile, he took marks, he was, he was up and about as a Ruckman. Now, drapes needs, I'm not sure why drapes is trying to spike everything into next Thursday, just willy-nilly. I would love to see, there's been a couple of times on the, there was one in particular where he sort of ran around the back at a center bounce, he ran around the back of Cameron and sort of jumped up and tapped it directly to Durham, who was on his way out of the square. I think it might have been Shield. But he put a hand on Cameron's shoulder to help himself up a little bit and got caught for it. We'd love to see a little more of that rather than just the blind whacking it in any sort of direction. But he was up and about, like you said, Caddy is just, there's no pressure on the kid to kick five every game, we don't really need him to kick five every game. So he's just learning and presenting really well and he, of course he looks good. Everybody can see it from a mile away. So I too want to call out, I reckon it wasn't super duper bloody mega-level strategy, but they had to address, they cost, they did, they had to address getting more away from the ball, they did that as well. And then players like, Macai just, yeah, Macai had like a shaky start in the first quarter and I was like, everybody had a shaky start on the first quarter. True. True. But boy, his last three quarters, he was absolutely fantastic. The one grab, the one grab marks, when he's accepting like that, it's, it changes the whole feel of the defensive six. It releases Ridley, it just has a whole different feel. So he was, you know, he obviously was second in the coaches' votes. So, you know, probably I would have had another guy just ahead in a certain Jai Colwell. I'm lucky. I'm lucky. Colwell and coaches' votes are not the friendliest part of this year, but look, no, but seriously, Colwell, Colwell had a better game than Macai. Sorry. Colwell had a better if Zach Merritt had a perfect game. Colwell would have been BOG every day of the week. Colwell was absolutely fantastic. Good luck. And it's, you know. Love you Benny though. That's back to back 30 plus disposals and, and he's getting his eight online clearances and he is, he is really in a late form. And we've got something to really go on there. Oh, he's handed down like that. He means, he meant Durham. And they obviously Durham had a different kind of role because he had that kind of, that half mine run with role. Yeah. But to get 25 himself and still be so damaging, but not allowed to be damaging as well. Yeah. I mean, I was thinking about it when I watched the game the second time, I reckon he had a, you know, probably like in a top four game, but because he only had 25, which is only 25, obviously that's still good. But because he actually nullified so much, he's, you know, obviously the most important player at Collingwoods made him close to Interfecture. Even though he had 31 touches to be, to just be jump on him as soon as he gets the ball and, and that made him his efficiency only be 42%, which was the lowest on the ground. You know, for him to do that, then he'd get the ball himself and attack. He was really, I mean, I will say this, this show feels like a repeat, but the Colbo and Durham year is, is insane and, but it's been needed. It's been needed with, with Zack and Parrish, like Parrish being out and she'll not being in the side. Poor Zack, when he gets tagged and there's nobody else there to run with him, our midfield looks, that looks less dangerous, but when you've got Caldwell stepping up, there could have been BOG without Zack on the ground. It makes people having to play Caldwell that makes people have to worry about Durham, it just makes Zack's life so much easier to have those blokes as genuine offensive threats. Yeah, and look, I, I know Colbo don't like to tag and I mid-field a bet. She, after about the end of the, after the end of the second quarter, mate, you'd figure you might want to. You might want to put on Merritt, I think he had 10 screw-emovments to up-ties. Yeah. You might want to go, hey, he's having a bit of an info. I think there was a couple of replays that I saw too that the commentators were saying, good Lord, Zack Merritt's just hanging off the back of a pack, just by himself. That's one of the top three players in the comp at the moment, you can't have him wide open. But thanks very much for doing that. And yeah, I mean, he's just as dangerous with ball and hand as Nick Dacos. Yes, without a doubt. He's an elite kick, which is why you get that screw-emovments, you know, so just strange run. But yeah, I will take it every day of the week, if anyone, any other coaches, you know, Simon Goodwin, if you, if you can hear this, I recommend not, not tag tag, because it's just not worth your time. It's sure he gets the ball affair, but he does bugger all with it. Don't worry about, don't worry about Zack, mate, just put all of your time into Jake Kelly. That's the guy. Look out. See, it's just all your time into- You can go Perkins, that'd be great. Tag Perco out of the game. I mean, sorry guys, but sorry, Perco. But yeah, put all your time into Perkins and or just go and put all your time into Aaron Davie. Not Aaron or Elwin either. In these, even if he's in the reserves, he's a talisman. So, look, yeah, it's, so look at a terrific win by the guys, really does position themselves. They're right, they're right at an interesting stage of the year, because what have they got? Seven or eight games left? I think seven maybe. And they got Melbourne this week with no Patroco, no Max Gorn. If you- What's this, Gruddy? Hey, Scruddy. What's this? That's the- What's that, mate? That's a big opportunity. Absolutely. Look, you know, I think most of us in our Heart of Hearts when we had this three-week stretch just said, you know, we'll probably even take one, like, you know, because it, we're obviously very, we're not favorites for most of them. So, if they can get two out of this three and you'd see the draw, like we have after the D's for the next five games or home games. And again, they're like Free-O and people like that. Free-O Gold Coast, Saints and Crows. We nibble. Yeah, so, yeah, so it's, it's, yeah, it's, it's an interesting stage in the year. I'll just say that. I think, like, a win over Melbourne would actually mean we would have to stop and thinking going, where can this football club finish on the way around the end of year? Hang on a second. Yes. So, and then look, I don't think that the club get enough credit for this in the whole, you know, talk about Esther's and this isn't like they've just crept into top four. They've been top four now since round nine. So this has been, this has been going on for a long time that this team has been in the top four. And the Fancied Carltons and the Fancied Collingwoods and the Fancied Melbournes and all of these people, like Sydney, Sydney, that's fine, but they haven't, they haven't performed. Like Collingwood, they haven't performed. Yeah. Well, okay, fine. But he's fine. Everybody above us. Let's just take it that way. But, I mean, Carlton have dropped a game and they shouldn't have dropped a game. Yeah, but they've been up and down. Up and down. That's what I'm saying. There's no, there's been no, but Essen and has, we've lost a couple in a row too. So that's fine. But we've been, we've been able to stay where we are because we won games like that against Collingwood. Yeah. And, and look, you know, apart from Sydney, we're equal for the fewest amount of losses of any side outside of Sydney. So Carlton's lost five, Essen's lost five, and Freeo's lost five. And remember, we played the majority of those games away early. So yeah, and, and yeah, that's what we did actually have some injuries with, with Riddleys and parishes and draperies and all that sort of thing. So, yeah, it's, that's, I mean, even seeing the injury report tonight and you're like, parishes back in two weeks, and you're like, this is like a very healthy list right when you want them to be healthy. We had no injuries again, Touchwood. We're going to be putting out our best side again. And, and look after the break, there's one player I wanted to talk about. We talked about parish and the importance of parish because we needed a four man mid rotation. Well, in the short term, what we did get is that in the influx of a certain player, which I think we all know. So we'll talk about that after the break. I love this thing, nice work. [Music] Come back to the lunchtime catch up podcast that might have been a bit early. You probably didn't hear majority of that, but that's okay. Now, Scotty, who are we talking about here? Yeah. So, I mean, as Dylan Schill obviously had been playing really well in the VFL, especially the two weeks prior. Last couple of weeks, yeah. There was, you know, probably people heard it in my voice and especially his last, that last VFL game went, oh, that's, that's the Dylan Schill, I know. That's the Dylan Schill. That's the movement. That was his power through breaking tackles. He was using the ball well and making good decisions. That's a guy that clearly looks like he should be playing in the NFL. It was closer to the Dylan Schill of early last year if people do remember that he was actually very dynamic at that point when he was all healthy. And so, look, I was, I was wrapped to see him picked in the side. I generally did feel with 81,000 and Collingwood that he may need a half to just get up to speed. And that kind of felt like how it came out to play, right? And look, just a side note, by the way, when you do actually see stats, he only played 64% of the game, so yeah, so he was in the bottom three or four. So that's obviously just to climatize him probably to see your footy and not get him gassed out too quickly. But consider all that his second half and look even to a bigger point. His last quarter when we actually needed someone to be with Merritt, step up, get us winners some footy. Yeah, what, that 12 disposals and two or three clearances. He was just a fantastic effort. He let the whole side and tackles 22 pressure acts. It was just a great sight to see Dylan Schill at his best. And I've always been a defender that when at his best, he's actually a very, very good required player. And that full man rotation that we suddenly got seemed a heck of a lot more deadly because everyone, people could take a little bit more extra breaks. You weren't missing out, you were getting those center clearances. I think he had still had six clearances. So you weren't missing out on the next level and unfortunately, we'll talk about it maybe later. Let's be honest, recently Archie hasn't just been able to support those other three as much as we would like to. He's just a bit down on confidence. So Schill coming in and instantly making that impact, really for me, for the next movement going forward with the D's and the crows, I'm a lot more confident going to games with that four man rotation and all those guys in form. It's a real weapon for us actually. And with Caldwell sort of stepping up to be the two IC behind, like, taking the parish role behind Merritt and Durham supporting and he could be the next best possession getter behind Merritt as well at any stage. Having Dylan Schill there is like having a top 10 draft pick just jump straight and experience top 10 draft pick, jump straight back into your side who, when he got the ball, especially in that last quarter, I went, who's that? Oh, that's that's, that's, that's Dylan Schill. Like out of nowhere, taking sidesteps and powering out of packs and stuff. Like you said, it's, it's Zach leading the pack. It's, Joe Caldwell coming right up behind him going, this is, I'm playing some of the best footy of my career, Durham doing defensive acts and getting his hands on the ball and being strong as well. And then all of a sudden just a very, very, very good player on his day at number four. So that, that rotation, I agree what you're saying. That rotation is, is very, very important. And especially to look, blessed setters, man setters is a different kind of player, but he can, he can work into there as well. And we've got Sardis coming through. We've got Benny Hobbs who can work in there and, and Perk on his day, he was doing okay, but not over the last two to two to three weeks. So to have Dylan Schill come back in, it's a massive in for us. And do you reckon he stays in now? Oh, who's like, no, but meaning like, is there any chance that he gets dropped again? Like, because. Yeah. Um, it, it would be, it would be amusing to me just in a warp side if there was no injuries the next two weeks and parishes will read now. I think Parrish will probably play a VFL game. I know that's not what we used to that, but he's miss, so there's, there's, sometimes when you miss so much football, you go just, even your best player, no offense to parish, but not desperate for it yet. Like it's just like, just, just get, I'd rather see you come in, get your hands on the ball. Yeah. It's like Schill, no, obviously not to that length, but Schill's come in when he's ready. Like so, and so he can make it a immediate impact. Uh, I caught feeling Parrish might get the same, that one or two weeks and just, I don't mind two weeks, um, yeah, get your hands on the ball. And then you can, you can play a couple of weeks, you know, you can play then three weeks in the seniors and your finals ready. Um, uh, look, it is a juggling game. There's no doubt about it. Like if Schill's on fire, it is an interesting juggling game adding Parrish into that. Oh, I want that. I want Parrish. Yeah, yeah. I want that Parrish. Yeah. It's just, you know, I mean, it may be a case of, okay, a Schill instead of Heidi, you know, that kind of thing. Yeah. Something. Yeah, yeah. Perkins Schill again. Somebody Parrish walked. Yeah. Obviously, Schill has to keep up that form. That's just no doubt there. But one thing I will say about Schill, uh, that I really, really appreciate it. And I thought, look, hang on, Hudd, I thought he was doing this earlier last year. So I think it's not been just some recent thing. There was moments in that game where he had the opportunity of Old Schill to just put the ball in the boot and just kick it along just, but this game, I thought he just took that extra step, saw it a handle and have gone a better position and just did the right play. Like he was doing the right play a lot. And that's, you know, I saw it in the VFL the week before. I thought where he just, he was going to boot it long and then just readjusted it, saw, and just took that extra step because he's got the speed to run a little bit later. He's got an extra meter. So he's using it. And I saw I thought the best thing I think for most SNF fans, seeing that is Schill was thinking through the game really, really well. And so he's, he's like, I can't even remember, honestly, I'd have to watch it. I can't remember any turnover or claim or obvious, I think he was really, really quite efficient. Yeah. And so that was the pleasing part. So yeah, it's the Draper and the combination of those four, you're right on drapes. It's funny. I've had this debate all week. So a lot of people had him in their votes and they asked me why I didn't. And so I said my five votes. And honestly, I still think and I, I encourage you to watch the game again. And I, but just focus on the, the, when there's a stoppage bounce or, or, you know, or anything like that, or a throw up or an in bounce throw in. He still was hitting it to the wrong spots. And I don't know if that's that midfield, but he was just whacking it in, and it didn't feel like there was a process. So I, I'm not going to go totally negative because he had a, actually quite a big impact on the game. So, and he, it was better around marking was better around the contest, kick the really and really important goal. So obviously I thought he was closed, but for us to go to the next stage, we need our ruckman to still have a better ruck craft and coordinate with our mids better. Yeah. He went to 60 ruck contests, he had eight hit outs to advantage out of his, I forget how many was, it was around 30 kind of hit outs, but he just needs to go to that next 14, 15 hit outs to advantage. Just to give our guys a bit better, it's still a bit random for me, either trying to take the ball out of the rack or he'll double, double hand it into a man's land. So that's just, I don't want to sound too negative. I just say, I would just want the club to be better and better and better, and that's the way I see it. Just an extra growth for Sam that I would love Goldie or whatever, just to help develop him on this. Sammy, yeah. And how the art of tap ruckman can still get us into another level. Speaking of growth for the club, I know we've said it before and I think it's, it's plainly obvious what's happening, but Harry Jones, I was, we've said it again, like last week, we said it the week before, he, he didn't take it, him being a presence out there marking on a wing. Every time I see him out there, it's kind of a master stroke in that every time I see him out there taking those marks, he's taken them on midfielders. Yeah. Like they're trying to cover him with a, with a short guy and that's cool because the player will get to him, but Harry knows how to take a mark and he gets his, he gets his hands up there and he takes big grabs because there's not five people piling into the back of him in the forward line to take the grab. He's just got to take that good, strong grabout on the wing. And then he's, he's busting his bum a few times I saw her against Colliwood to, to kick the ball. He's field kicking is quite good. Yeah, it is. Set shots at the moment, ain't real special, but his field kicking is very good. But then he's making himself known inside forward 50 years of target as well. So I, I wonder if that was a like, like a master, somebody came up with this incredible idea or was it just, we'll just keep trying, keep Harry in the side or something like that and try him there. And it's been a fluke. Yeah. It's, it's an interesting move. Isn't it? I was like, when I first saw it, I went off. What are we doing? I went, oh, but to my surprise, it was working really well. And I did probably don't Scott, you know, he does have one of his greatest gifts is running. Yeah. So that, you know, it does lend itself better, but it's a tough position to play and he's not getting beaten on the other direction, but he's not getting beat and work is just as pleasant. Yeah. He's not getting beaten, beaten by that quicker wingman going back the other way, which could be an issue, but he's spending, he's getting up and ground up and down the ground really well. And now him and Dersman seem to compliment each other in a way. Very nice. Thanks for coming. Very different style wingman on either side, but how weird is it? One running forward. So he's taking his short midfield forward and Harry to be a threat in the air. And Dersman's got a more running back to be, how about the back? That's great. It just works out well. But how's that? We had almost an all Australian wingman in Nick Martin, who was just on his way to being all Australian wingman. And then we decided to just chuck him down the back, back of the all Australian position as a wing, who's one of the hardest play, hardest position to play, bugging you down back you go. And we just managed to, to peel one off in Jonesy, who's presenting and making a really good option if you need that, that cut out kick wide. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's a very nice addition. Yeah. It's, it's, yeah, I think it surprised many fans, probably because I reckon the best man, but he's just, he like, it feels like he likes the freedom of running around and just, it's his game. It's his natural game. So, yeah, it looks, you know, it looks really, really effective. So, yeah, it's a, I, I. Now, I want to get, for the next player that I want to sort of, it's a bit of a, it's a bit of a yes and a bit of a no, sort of going on with this player, and I want to get your opinion. Peter Wright. Oh, yeah. Well, either couple of goals, look, he had two goals last week, he had two goals this week. He helps out the rack. Um, look, I think we all saw that he wasn't blessed with decision making when he had space in the ball. No. I mean, there were moments where we were streaming down and he just had to make the right call or the right skill and didn't do it. And, uh, look, he'll learn from that. I haven't won't, won't be the first Ruckman style height player I've seen that and do that. But, um, yeah, look, he's in that category of not setting the world on fire, but not, but not underperforming either. Like, I thought the previous week he was quite good. I thought Gold Coast, he was quite good. And I thought, you know, he's still, he's, it was a big kick that, that one on near the boundary line to almost be the sealer in the last quarter. That's exceptionally straight. Like he's very pinpoint. I was, I thought he was going to go around the corner. Yeah. Like, but to, that was an exceptional kick under pressure. Um, so, uh, look, there's been obviously calls for him to, from some fans that maybe I'm off. I just don't see it because they've, the strategy, I just don't, I'm not, I'm not seeing it as, as negative as maybe others do. I still see, you know, I don't know what the else, the eruption is because, you know, it's, if they're going to go with one Ruckman, then they need a backup Ruck. So he has to play, um, like, and don't tell me Nick Cox, now that Cox did okay for five minutes, but we're talking for half an hour of the game. Yeah, that's, that's it. Um, that's not going to cut it, um, so bigger Ruckman ago, you know, going to absolutely smash him. So, um, so you, look, you need him, and if he can do that, if you look, if he can get better around the ground, obviously that would be nice, um, but if he's going to keep kicking those two goals and how about in the Ruck, he's, he's, he's going to play a role for Scott that he's, that he's fine with at the moment. Um, just, yeah, so I, he'll also think he, he, he squares us up. He makes, he gives us a target to kick, do all of those things. He's not kicking five a game and he's not going to eventually bother the Coleman or anything like that, but he's still a very handy player to have in his side because he requires a very good defender and he's mobile and he does what he does. He helps Katie get the third defender. Absolutely. So there's a flow on effect with everything he does. So look, there's two guys I want to mention and look at how they got mentioned after the game. Um, one celebrated, he's one 50th and the guy next to him Kelly. So McGraw and Kelly, right, Shields and Bobby Hill was obviously going to be a big part of this game. Um, uh, and could we stop, especially Hill, I mean, especially Hill, um, I, I do like Shields, but he just hasn't produced the same for me as with free age. So I, I get that, but we needed to stop their two main forwards. Cause when they do that, help to scale to things with Collingwood, it's their small forwards that really seem to be a beneficial beneficiary of it. And Bobby Hill, especially, I, but I really, really like, I love watching Bobby Hill play. It's a really special play. I hate to go with the passion, but he can play and he has improved. I've got to give the kids and he has seriously improved. Oh, yeah. He's incredible this year. So I thought McGraw and Kelly's, um, roles were really, really pivotal in us winning this game. So I don't want to, I'm, this is one I go, I don't care what their stats say. They had a massive role to play in asset and football club winning this game. They both played it to an exceptional standard. And I loved it. McGraw did that and he's won 50th. I still will say that I think he's having a better year than he gets credit for probably on social media. I still think you'll find that out on Kriton night and where he's at. It's not sexy. It's the back line. It's not sexy. It's not killing. Yeah. Cause he takes the game on. He can be prone, like other guys who take the game on to an obvious turnover. Yeah. He looks more visually like, Oh, um, but he, he's, you know, I, I, I always am more lenient to guys who take the game on, um, because they're obviously going to take, make more chance to make a mistake, but they're probably following the coach's orders today. That's your role is to get past the lines, take the game on, take more dangerous skid if you can, uh, and get us a score. So I, yeah, that, that were fantastic. So those two are just sensational and you know, I can't, even Laverde's role on my check, you know, you didn't much see much of Laverde, but you hardly sort of bugger all of a lot. Yeah. And that's what you want. And my check was there. Most dangerous. Now I know he got injured in the third or fourth, um, but up to that point, he was in the fourth, wasn't it? Yeah. So after that point, he had that one kind of luckiest goal and that was it and we completely closed him out. So, uh, the back six did their role. Rids still was actually quite good. It was a better game from Rids, it was the obvious one big massive clank. Yeah. I'll try and forget, but there was better signs of Rids than there was in the previous weeks. Do you know the other thing I was thinking about that with regards to what we said about Macai taking grabs down there, one grabs and getting votes and that sort of stuff? He really is taking a lot of those intercept marks now that used to be Rids, like Rids was the guy taking eight to 10 intercept marks a game and it's Macai doing it now. So I just think Rids has had a great game and I think he's what he needs to do for us in the S and the back line is changing a little bit because Macai's down there with his big bucket hands taking grabs and it's, you know, we've been saying this on the show, it does feel like it's taken them a few weeks to get to know each other because they haven't played much football together at all, like Rids came on very late. So it did feel that way, it felt like, I think we all saw it, that there was a little bit disjointed when, you know, there's a high ball coming in, you're very, very nervous about what was going on, it felt like the last, especially the second half, there was a much better understanding of Raymond's role and Macai's role and Ridley's role and McGraw's role and Kelly's role and Verdi's role, it just had a bit more and obviously that helps up the field with the merit's pressure and everyone's pressure, so credit to that, but it was showing better signs of us getting back to a better system again and it's why, you know, this will be the next conversation and this is a hard conversation to have is ooh, after that game, it did feel like, oh, let's run that team out again. Now, the problem is two guys were managed, yeah, heaps and golly. Now, before the game, Gia is on radio and saying, yeah, Gobstein's playing next week. Now that's before the game and now you've got what happened in the game and now you've got Max Gordon. Oh, it's just about to say, I think you'll find that's because they're going to be up against Max Gordon. Yeah, yeah, and Carlton didn't take, didn't mid mention, even though they won by one point cut, they did mention probably next time they'll take two Ruckmen against Gordon, they just made probably made a mistake. So I reckon Esther may have thought that as well, like you need like 100% proper Ruck tank on Gordon. I mean, it says a lot for Max Gordon, doesn't it? That does. It really does actually. But look, I know it's a difficult question to ask that one. If you ask them of me straight, if it was parish, there was available, it was rested and he comes back in next week, I want parish in that side. Two influential, two good, incredibly good footballer, right? If there's no Max Gordon this week, I don't know that you need Goldie, if I'm honest, I don't think you do, unless you're going to run a lot of plays through those two guys and you're going to try and dominate with two Ruckmen. But now here's the one, mate, heps, I love you like I love Smarties. You're not getting in that side, mate. It's a tough one, it is, you know, people know me, I'm the biggest defender of heps. It's not that easy, it's not. There's nobody that made a mistake that needs to come out of that side. Now, potentially Perkins needs a rest, right? Perkins needs to get some hands on the ball because he's down on confidence and he's not the kind of footballer that we know he could be. So maybe he comes out, but you're going to have to shuffle some people to get per-- Yeah, the hard part, if you did have a rest for Perkins, is the high half forward role. It's not an easy one to replace. And I don't think that'd want to reshuffle too much, just allow heps to come in to move guys around. And I also don't want to see him replaced with like Sardis or something like that, who's been getting 30 touches in the VFL playing in the midfield and then asking him to do a high half forward thing again or some hybrid thing. But honestly, hang on, I'd probably put Al and Davey and just say, "Just give us pressure, give us," I mean, he played a really good VFL game, he kicked a couple of goals. But I was one of the people that he didn't get the ball much, I actually liked him in some parts of the game when he was playing early in the year because I thought the perceived pressure that he had actually added to this team's speed. Now, I think Scott, my gut feel is a Scott, it's probably more thinking internally, "I've got to try and get Archie off and about here." And maybe he'll get him to play through it. That's my gut feel, is it? I think he'll be very hard for him to drop Archie, I just feel like he lives Archie. There are certain players that are play through it in the AFL kind of players, especially when you're winning, there's players that don't get dropped because you're the only player that's not really performing. I mean, obviously, Langford, you had three quite weeks, right, and you're not even conceiving the idea. Not for a split second. Yeah, yeah. So that's just reality, it's just, now Perkins is on the edge of that. But I think they would have been disappointed with his verse quarter for sure. I mean, he was on Chris and just did, he almost like, it was like a video type of what not to do. Let him get gold, Si, let him the whole thing. And if you watch the channel seven, half-time call, you see vision of inside the changing rooms and you can see Gia visibly not happy with Archie. So that's the interesting part is like, if you're going to put him in the VFL, I think the instruction would be, you've actually, it's not just even just leather poisoning. It's the role we want you to play and we want to see you do it, like whether it's minding a guy, whether it's physical and a contest, whether it's being on the right side of a stoppage, how you handle all those little stages in a game that we need you to be. Look, the other half is that he looks void of all confidence. So I've never seen him like he's one of my, I reckon he's honestly one of the best marking midfielders we've got as far as hands. So to see him drop that mark was just really strange to see. And some of his kicking was, you know, and that's his other strength. So and his lapses in concentration and the working. And so he was very reactive. It felt like his confidence, it's in his head at the moment. You've got to unlock that. If it was me, I'd put him in front of a television with highlights of Sam Durham. Sam Durham's got a really good mix at the moment of ensuring that he minds and understands his defensive obligations, but also when to release them and to go attack the ball, right? Perfect comment. He's attacking when he needs to, he's defending when he needs to. I think that's a, that's a good role model for Sam. And I think also too, you could, you could keep him in the AFL and just say, watch what Sammy's doing. That's what you need to do. There's the vision that we want you to do. He's got to, he's getting it really well. Can't talk to him about it. I think there's, everybody knows there's one, maybe two more gears in, in Archie Perkins. So I just, yeah, I don't think you'll see it at Williamstown in the VFR. And on a funny note, how hard would it be behind you to play four minutes? What do you do? He goes straight onto the wing and gets three touches with his like two minutes. And everyone did the target. Everyone did the target. Yeah. I was like credit to him. I mean, I know that sounds funny, but it's very much a skill to be switched on that quickly. But was there an injury that required four minutes of a sub? Is there seriously? I look, Hank, I thought he actually should have came under three quarter time. Same. I thought, I, and I wouldn't have bothered me if it was caddy. Like I said this on our Patreon show, caddy, you know, you watch him in the VFL. You can see in the last quarter, he's just, he's working on his fitness. The way S is in, for people who don't know, the way S is in do drafted players, they only give them half a preseason. So a lot of the sessions, they actually sit out. So I'm not sure if people realize that. They're not as fit as the other players. They don't want to, they're doing this lately because they don't want to, I think there's a sense they don't want to break their bodies too early. Yeah. They're still growing. Yeah. It's like greedy. They've probably put too much load on it. So I was actually thinking caddy even in the third quarter, I was like, knowing what I know and going, like, probably can't run out of full game. And also too, we were going to be defensive, right? Yeah. We had the lead. We were going to be defensive. We know bloody Collinwood comes back at that last 15 minutes of a for Paul. So I understand why you need to see the pressure. You need to run. There you go. I thought that we're just going to put Nikon directly into the back 50 and just be a loose man to do anything you possibly can. Four minutes? Like, seriously, what are you going to do in for your three possessions? But what are you going to do in four minutes? But yeah, it does actually do the, the, the sub very, very well. I'll give him credit for that. Can you answer me this? If he is the side, he named the sub, he sat on the bench the whole game and they didn't use the sub at all full stuff. He still has one game. He gets credited for a game of a for football. Okay. Cool. Yeah. Yeah. So, because I think that's, that's the only reason why I thought I don't know there's something to do with high knees, games or something that he didn't want to just waste an opportunity to sit there. Well, what had happened is that Collinwood suddenly kicked some very late goals and I really didn't think he realized that it was our run that was just stopping a little bit. And again, knowing Collinwood, they could probably kick to a three and four minutes. Yeah. It wasn't a bit nerve-wracking the last five minutes. Oh, I just, okay. We're more, what we'll get, because we're the start, the last quarter. I was so wrapped that we took the game on, like we didn't go into our shell. I loved the mental approach of the first 10 minutes of the first quarter. And we got it to the last, we got it to, sorry, the last quarter. We got it to what? 30, almost 35. I was one stage. I mean, Luke, you looked at each other when we went that's safe, 35 is enough. That's bloody 12. It was 12, man, wow, man, oh, no, no, no, no, no. And we're looking at each other at like a buck 40 left on it. I honestly did think that they probably should have been attacking him about five more minutes than where they were chipping it too early and it played into Collinwood's hands a bit too early. And Collinwood, a manic in those, like they turn up the gear, right? And it ends up, especially when you're doing that kind of chipping around in the backline. And you deep in the back, like if your chip goes back inside 50, then it's got to come out with side 50, you just tailor made for a mistake and it happened a couple of times. And down to 12 down forwards, it was like a buck 40 or a buck 35 left on the, on the clock. I'm saying to Scotty going, come on, Tony, if you were draw, I'm just going to go. I just, I would lose my mind, but and they held a nerve and they actually played really well. They agree and everybody knew Connie was going to come back. So 30 odd points is fine. And we got up to where we need to be on a team like that. They came back because it's what they do freakishly, but we held on and that's the part that counts, right? Is that we did what we needed to do. And it's just nice to see us up on contested footy, up on clear answers, up on disposals, up on marks, up on inside 50 tackles, you know, up well up on tackles overall. So, you know, seven more scoring shots. It was our game. We were the best. We were the better team. We beat that side. We beat that side properly. So, you know, to for it to happen, really, it was probably about 10 minutes into the second quarter. We just click into another gear and then it was almost like almost 50, 60 minutes of good football. Question without notice, speaking of the time before those 50 to 60 minutes of football, jumping on the negative side of the fence just for a little wheeze midge. What the hell was the first quarter? So, now, Jack Crisp's three. Fine. One, you went at him, he pinched, he got two, you went dang, you want to get on the right side of him? Three, you went, oh crap, but you knew he wasn't going to kick four, five and six, right? Because they were going to jump on him. But, mate, that lack of defense coming outside 50 or the set up for the shots. Yeah, they're all live with the shots. I hate that, man. I don't know. So hard, it was a 50 odd point turnaround in the end. We've got to work so hard that it's like they forget that Collingwood are going to come out of the back line really quick with kick-ins and stuff like that. They were running outside 50 and kicking it deep. Not once, like twice, three, four times they did it, and we have to, that sort of lapse of concentration or perceived lapse of concentration, that can really, really hurt us. Yeah, it wasn't the best first quarter, structurally, we're all over the place and just didn't have our, and look, that's why I give them a lot of credit, because I reckon that's not easy to do with in-game to readjust and then get your game going. Yeah. And you're going going for like two and a half quarters, you know, so. And I would love to have heard what, and it might have been a rocket. It might have just been, hey, guys, lift your defensive game. Yeah, I did say that he was quite calm and just said, you know, basically said you're not doing your structures. What we told you, if you do that, that won't happen. If you do that, you'll get back into the game. Yeah, fine. So he seems to be very controlled, very calm with the guys. So, and look, it was important because obviously with the previous week, when I did drop their bundle, obviously the unpiring that whole thing, you know, but we dropped our bundle mentally and that wasn't good enough to be able to, you know, Scott was more focused on that part more than anything, there was a mental side of that, of that game and the lessons learnt. And so was Zach Merritt, like you could tell he did not want to lose that game. So yeah, so the mental application to understand what happened the previous week and then, and then get, you know, do it against the reigning premiers and win. So yeah, it was just a magical night of magic night. Hey, man, we might go to another quick break. When we come back, we'll, we will wrap up, we'll do the wrap up, we'll talk about some VFL and what we've got next week against the D's. Sounds good. Welcome back to the lunchtime catch-up podcast. Now then, Scotty, you went and saw the VFL. Yeah, it went down to EDU Stadium in Port Melbourne, actually, yeah, I thought it was going to be really cold, but the, nothing but blue sky, sunny sunshine right on my face and it was just a great day watching footy. So obviously coming off two, we won two or three previously to this. So I was going, okay, well, we've got a pretty good team named and you can see the setters and the men'sies and the sawdust and the Hobbs and these guys, you know, I should put in a good performance. So it was a really good professional solid win by the boys and they won't end up by four or five goals in the end, but it was just, yeah, it was, it was a really, really good game overall, but the guys did fantastic and I want to just talk about, we don't talk about him much, but Ben Jacobs dubs, but does, but we, we haven't spoken too much. Archie Roberts played an absolute sensational game. So I think at 32 disposals and a goal, he's really coming on, coming along fantastic and that's along the wing, yeah. Yeah. And look, the, the question I get a lot is like, oh, does he come in, does he come in? I go, look, unfortunately, because the injury list is so, not unfortunate, it's good. Yeah. Look, I don't think he comes in to be blunt. If we had four or five more injuries, he'd definitely be right up there in that dimension. We had a McGraw. We had no Redmond or something like that. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, so, but it's just overall though, it's just pleasing to see his progress. He's such a competitor. I think that's what the club first and foremost will love. He hates to lose. He really is a competitor. So look, that was just really good to watch. Sadness again, I think he had his 30 touches and nine or 10 clearances again. So it was a, it was probably one of his best games of the year. So using the ball better, really. Tracking the club sees it, tracking the club sees that he's performing in the midfield. Oh, sure. Sure. Not as the, not as the sub sort of, yeah, it's, you know, it's a, yeah, well, that's the hotpot is, it's, it's, it's, I feel when you look up at shield and you go dang with the all Australian. Yeah. Look at, at some point you're going to have to work out what your future looks like and what the present looks like and how you want to combine that at selection. Yeah. So, um, you got a Hobsy go because he's just been the forgotten man a little bit Hobsy. Yeah. Like he was okay without starring, again, through the mid yeah, played a bit of everything. Um, but definitely played quite a bit of midfield role. Um, I still find if I'm being negative with Hobs, his competitiveness is outstanding. I still find I get frustrated with his kicking action. Like he must have had about his three kicks smothered and most of it was really just because he took too long to get the ball on the boot in tight traffic. Yeah. So it's just something, I don't know what, you know, just to try and work at. But, uh, Salas to me was the best of the, of the mids. Um, he was so clean with his hands like he's, he's, he's, he's a, he's a bit of a tease in the moment because if he had a, you know, if he had a merit kick, we were talking straight in straight in right in there and, and, and you'd be talking really high caliber because he is a one touch player and they're very hard to find. He doesn't fumble, um, and sees a handball, sees his, sees vision very, sees, sees the game very well. Um, so, you know, there'll be, in some parts of his games, I'll be wrapped with how he's going. And then there's the obvious one. But for the good part is this, this one, it was, he's one of his better games, um, of kicking to advantage and guys taking marks of his kicks. Um, and look, Sadas was really, really strong again, um, kicked a couple of goals. Um, I, I, I sneaky want him in my side as well. Yeah, but that's the beauty of, of, of where we're at, isn't it? Yeah, I mean, it's, you, he's a very handy man. He's very handy when he's, when he's up and about. Yeah, I mean, if Goldie didn't play this week, you may have to play VFL like you, because you need to get, but I imagine if Habes played a VFL game, because it's like the, the no, with no injuries again, it's just, it is a really tough one. I guess. And rightly so. I mean, if you were in that midfield or you're on that bench, how do you get, like, how do you help, how annoyed would you be if you were dropped? Yeah. And we, thankfully again, we, there is the VFL play on Sunday this week against Casey. Um, but we, our games on Sad Day, so all the emergencies again will play. So this is a game where, you know, a heps or a Goldie could all play. Um, um, go down, um, whether they manage them for another week because of their age, I, I guess either way, but Goldie's actually missed quite a bit of footy now. Yeah. Heps probably different. Heps could take two weeks off and it wouldn't matter and just go, just, just have the two weeks off. Um, but yeah, so it was, look, I, the two Davies, both kick two goals each, they were really dangerous. Okay. Good. I thought our one was the better of the two. It was just better around the ground, kicked two really nice goals. Um, Davies, the opportunity to scale. Like it's, when there's a goal, not Jay, then suddenly, sorry, Jaden, that's a bad mistake with me. Um, but yeah, Jaden was, he's more, you know, in the last quarter, just from nothing, just bank gold, you know, just from, you know, just didn't see it, just in, he has that ability to do really special things away. He's not a ball winner. Yes, yet. Like you, you dispose was often under 10, um, but just, he's a very, very dangerous though. He's around the goal. And he has a half a meter of a space is a very, very dangerous footballer, which is good for the long run when he gets his fitness up. Yeah. Um, but yeah. So, um, Haze, you played really well down back. I thought, uh, look, um, almost the forgotten man, Nick Brian was sensational in Iraq. He was probably in the votes for the top three. Okay. Um, all the guys, you know, men to kick two goals is two goals. Two goals. Two goals. Um, sorry. Two goals. I love it. So, uh, yeah, it was, it was just a really good. Um, game and it was great to see a lot of the senior boys down there. Yeah. It was like, yeah, I saw a ball one and all how old and reds and red. Yeah. It's our room and everybody. They half the team was there. So, um, it was really nice to see and so, um, you know, it's a very parochial Port Melbourne crowd. So it was just a really good win. So, uh, I'll tell you what, I must admit, I haven't been down to see many virtual games this year. I must say, um, but I am very intrigued by Archie Roberts. I'm very intrigued because he didn't go super high in the draft, but people like his competitiveness and he's got a half. Yeah. He was, he was the one where to me thought he would be in the twenties, but he got picked 54. Yeah. So, and it was, and it's cross the board where a lot of people had him in the twenties. So it wasn't he liked the captain of Halliburay or something or he was, um, he was captain of his, oh, uh, Ed Pascale would kill me right now. Sorry. Yeah. It was like if he's school or whatever it was. Um, it might even have been Vic Metro or something like that. Yeah. Um, but yeah, he's known for his leadership. So, um, yeah, interesting, interesting for mine. Really nice marking hands too, by the way. Yeah. But not, but not super tall. Got to touch of the Massimo sort of size about it. Yeah. I think he's, uh, around one 84, um, so not not small, not small, but just, but, uh, yeah. Um, it's not overly quick. He's just, he looks very controlled. Um, um, but yeah, it's, it surprised me when you watched, when I watched him at draft time and you saw the footage, it looked like a, uh, polished halfback, you know, it's a very uncontested, you know, clean footballer, but it's very different when you watch him live. He's very, um, he talks trash and he gets in, he's very physical, he likes to push and shove. I'll start, I'll start a fight with anyone if I want to. Okay. So I have a question, is he should have one on one, can you stand his, his man? Yeah. He's very blue collar, very blue collar. Okay. So, um, uh, I'm sure that's going to fit into the team ethos that's coming through at the moment. Um, so yeah, I look, he'll play some games eventually, no doubt in my mind. Yeah. Um, so. He's clearly got enough talent. Yeah. And we heard what, um, uh, Robert's sort of him. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, it's, it's really exciting. So look, overall, it was actually a very, very good weekend doesn't get much better than that champion. Uh, it really doesn't, um, pump in Collingwood and then, uh, beating him in the VFL as well. Weekend off. It doesn't get much better than that. We've got the D's this week. Saturday night. Yeah. Saturday night. No max gone. No tracker. No track. Who's still getting him. The poor guys. He's getting an entire body transplant or something or whatever the poor back is getting. What did he have? Did he have? Everything. He's got everything. He's really gone back into hospital this week. Oh, everything. He's got everything. He's like some of the fittest blokes on the planet and dead said he's been in that hospital board times. You can just take a head. So, um, the poor bug, I mean, like I've got nothing against, I'm portraying. Oh, it's a real fight. Yeah. Yeah. Free in player. So I hope he gets wherever he gets well soon. Just not this week. Um, and Maxi gone to the same. Maxi. Maxi gone is one of my favorite players. How do you not like Maxi? He's just a great bloke. Yeah. And exceptional football. Okay. That's, that is, we can't underestimate how big an out that is. Um, Do you reckon Sammy Drake is just going, Oh, oh, baby, Oh, baby, I love you, Maxi. You're a fellow Rockman cartel, but oh, man, he's just going to be not having to worry about a bloke that's the biggest bogan on the face of the planet, but has got a rock brain as good, if not better than goldies. And it's just that it's just a hassle for Sammy Draper that he doesn't have to deal with this week. And he'd be loving it. Yeah. I must admit, I don't know Melbourne's list well enough and I probably should because obviously look Jackson left. He bagging off to a freer. Yeah. So I actually don't know. I have to look at their list again and go and who's the next sometimes I use that big McDonald arrangement that the older bloke, they use him in the way, but anyway. But the D's this week, I've said it before, and we'll say it again, another massive game. It's huge, man. Yeah. We've got to win these. Yeah. Can you take advantage of the situation and I just go, helpful weather, guys, just just go every hour because you don't get, you know, eight day break, they've got six day break. There's everything that says that you should be coming out breathing fire because you have a chance to grab the year by the, you know, what the short and very curly ones and really make people stand up and take those and go okay. That was their three hard games. Hey guys, they're still top four and that's the thing after that you've got to like even the media's got to just put us where we should be in their estimation. So a massive game against the D's Saturday night, we will be there again for the post game reaction show for our Patrons, may not get it done on Saturday night after the game, but it will be done on Sunday just as fast as I can get round to Scotty's house. Patreon.com/lunchtimecatcher for our Patreon listeners. Anybody new to the pod and/or the FB page, we do a Patreon show. It's two extra shows a week. We do a post game reaction show directly, if not directly after the game, if not as soon as we possibly can. And then we do a Thursday night team selection show, Scotty. And just shout out to some people who joined in the last couple of days, Brendan Brown, bomber James, Jack Moore, Ross Ealy, Ben Anderson, Andrew Petts, Martin, Algy, Algy, Algy, Algy, Algy, Algy, Algy, Algy. So yeah, so thank you so much, just for a recent Patreon. Just look at, we can't thank everyone enough who supports the show and look, as soon as you become a member, just reach out to me if you don't know, don't have access to our Discord channel, I'll just send you an invite link. That's a fun place, man, there's a hate, but there's only over 400 people now on Discord. Massive community, they all talk, and then you have, you can name a theme, training and use and VFL and AEW and all that, and you can just talk to your... Absolutely. You talk to them all night. So too, just another thing I found out that's getting a few people on involved in it too, is the FB chats. There's three or four little threads of chats on the FB page, can't check that out as well, because there's some interesting chats on there. A little Benny Bikai, yes or no, and there's a new one which I like a lot, is music. It's sort of AFL, Essendon music, what are you playing when the boys are playing really well? What songs do you chuck on? So I don't mind that at all as well, so check that out on FB. But that's it for the main show. We beat those dirty pies, which I couldn't be happy about. Talk about setting up a weekend, man, that just set up my weekend. I actually... Did you find that, because we are not used to playing Friday night, the set at night, did you have that moment where you ran, "Oh, I've got another day off." I don't say I was funny, like I... That's because I was so happy, man. I'm so used to us playing Saturday night on Sunday, that work is the next day, always round work, and I'm like, "Oh, I've got another day." Mate, I sat down on Sunday, didn't have much on them. I had a leave pass from the message, she was off doing stuff. I set up properly, I made some triple butter popcorn, I got a very lovely Jack Daniels out of the fridge, icy cold, whacked it in my Essendon stubby holder, sat down with my triple-butted popcorn, reclined the seat, and just watched the full game. I didn't touch the remote once, I just watched the whole thing, even the epoxy first quarter. I watched all of that, and just was just on the Sunday, that's the way you finish off a weekend. So, I'm going to ask you, thank you to the Essendon Footy Club for just making our weekend so good. The D's this week Saturday, we will be back on Monday obviously for the main show, and then the Patreon shows after that. So, thank you everybody for listening, we will talk to you guys very soon. Day bombs. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] You