AFL Captains Q&A: SuperCoach, grand final entertainment and ‘sexy’ scoreboards among other tough questions
As you put the finishing touches on your SuperCoach team for 2022, here’s who the skippers of the AFL’s Victorian clubs say you can’t leave out — a few will surprise.
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There’s some big issues brewing in the game. But this Q&A isn’t the place for those. We put the AFL skippers under the grill on a wide range of topics — including Covid, Grand Final entertainment, mullets and SuperCoach.
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Do you believe we can get through this season seamlessly?
Patrick Cripps: Yep – seems society and the game has adapted really well to the Covid situation this year
Rory Sloane: There will always be a couple of little challenges but hopefully there are some restrictions eased, more so from a community and whole of country point of view, it would be nice to see everyone reconnect and have their lives back in a sense.
Jack Ziebell: I do. Whether you can field a team or not is going to be a different story. We’ve got the changes to the list sizes. But I’m very hopeful that we can get back to normal very quickly.
Marcus Bontempelli: Depends what your idea of seamlessly is. We’re going to miss players here and there, staff as well. We’re going to have to manage it at different points. But I do feel like it’ll be a more seamless year than previous. But who knows.
Max Gawn: I’ve said yes three years in a row. May as well again. Gill has a way of convincing everyone that what he says is right, and he’s convinced me. Football’s going to be fun this year.
Tom Jonas: I think there’ll be hiccups but I don’t anticipate any fixture changes. I think there might be some squad depth tested and potentially a top-up player or two to various teams, but I think for the most part we’ll be all right.
Who would be your ultimate GF entertainment?
Patrick Cripps: Kanye West
Ben McEvoy: I’m into country music, but not that. Maybe Australian — I’m thinking Jimmy Barnes.
Sloane: The Foo Fighters would be unbelievable. Otherwise the Super Bowl nailed it this year – Mary J Blige, Eminem, Dr Dre and 50 Cent
Marcus Bontempelli: Someone like Coldplay. I’ve seen them live and thought they were amazing.
Max Gawn: Vanessa Amorosi. Absolutely Everybody. Probably Adele.
Jack Steele: I’d love to see a big Australian act play — maybe a Peking Duk, or Kid Laroi.
Scott Pendlebury: I don’t know music to save myself. I listen to podcasts.
Jonas: I’d love Paul Kelly at a night grand final. I think the way they do it in the Superbowl is unreal. If he rolled out a couple of classics – and he’s obviously got some tracks about footy – they’d be going off.
Dyson Heppell: Rufus Du Sol would be epic.
Dylan Grimes: I grew up listening to Blink 182 and The Offspring. I’d love to bring a bit of that back.
Jack Ziebell: The Superbowl (Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J Blige) — that was pretty good, wasn’t it?
Joel Selwood: Coldplay for me. I’m a big fan.
What are your thoughts on the “sexy” scoreboards?
Gawn: I’m not a millennial — I don’t think I’m the people that it’s supposed to be pleasing. It might be hard if you’re kicking for goal.
Steele: I’m pretty happen with them, to be honest. With the lights, it was a great change that Marvel needed. It brightens the place up and makes it more exciting.
Bontempelli: They look pretty good. No doubt you’ll catch a number of players caught watching for too long, which I’ve been guilty of in the past.
If Gill threw you the keys to AFL House, what would be the first thing you would do?
Sloane: A team in Tassie would go well, and an emphasis on umpiring every game like a grand final.
Jonas: He does a great job, Gil, but I wouldn’t mind rotating the grand final. I also I wouldn’t mind seeing a Tassie team. Being a footy state it’d be great to have a team down there. Maybe don’t call them the Jack Jumpers.
Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok for you? Who is the TikTok B&F at your club?
McEvoy: MSN Messenger when I was in high school? I’ve got an Instagram account, but that’s the extent of it. I hear CJ (Changkuoth Jiath) is the man on TikTok, apparently.
Ziebell: I don’t do half of those things. I do look at Instagram now and again and get my news from Twitter. If there is a TikTok champion, I don’t even know who has an account.
Gawn: I’m a Twitter man. I follow a sport that has no coverage — cycling. I have to go to niche Twitter to find it. I think Trent Rivers has been caught a few times doing some TikTok videos.
Grimes: I’m a very reluctant Instagrammer. I’m not too good at the social media stuff. Stacky is pretty good on TikTok, but there’s a few private profiles too.
What’s one trend among young players you just can’t get around?
McEvoy: I just look around and go ‘I can’t wait for them to regret these haircuts’ down the track.
Bontempelli: The phones, full stop. Just how much they’re on them.
Jonas: Just all the Tiktoking and they wear really baggy jeans with New Balance sneakers, kind of like their dads as well. I don’t mind the mullet but my days are gone.
Steele: When you go out, some of them have a bumbag or satchel-type thing, which I don’t understand. What’s wrong with your pocket?
Selwood: The headbands. A few of our guys get really honest feedback about the headbands that are going around.
Heppell: Probably some of the stupid things you see on TikTok and some of the dances they do.
What’s your signature dish, and where did you learn it?
McEvoy: I do like a bolognese. None of us cook traditional Italian, though. My wife says my chicken green curry is the best one.
Ziebell: I love cooking a roast pork. I’ve mastered the art of the crackle, and learned it through trial and error.
Bontempelli: Every night before a game, I cook a chicken and mushroom risotto. It’s been my staple for six or seven years now — my godmother Ag taught it to me. I’ve just carried it on ever since.
Gawn: I like cooking with fire — bit of open fire. Steaks and stuff. It’s fun.
Steele: My sister is a vegetarian and she recently introduced me to a vegetarian curry, which I thought I would hate but I’m loving it. I’ve cooked it a few times since and it’s probably the best thing I’ve cooked.
Pendlebury: A chicken and mushroom risotto is my pre-game, that I’ve mastered over 17 years.
Sloane: I love just a nice bit of fish and a good salad, my wife had taught me how to make a salad a bit more interesting and jazz it up a bit.
Heppell: A chilli con carne — mum taught me how to make it when I was a little tacker.
Grimes: I do a pumpkin lasagne with my wife (Elisha) — it’s her recipe and we really enjoy it.
Selwood: I’m OK on the barbecue, but Brit lets me look after the meat and she looks after the rest.
Who’s looming as the 2022 coach’s pet?
Pendlebury: Jamie Elliott. They were academy coach and student and that’s just grown. Both small forwards who love goals.
Steele: Ben Paton. Ratts loves Patto, and he was out last year. He’s back and Ratts is pretty happy with it.
Bontempelli: Laitham Vandermeer is in the box seat. He’s had a lot of mentions. Short odds.
Gawn: Jack Viney has had it for eight years. I don’t think he’s giving it up any time soon.
Who’s the SuperCoach must-pick at your club?
Cripps: Sam Walsh
McEvoy: James Sicily. Football should be excited at Sicily is back.
Ziebell: Anyone who picks Jason Horne-Francis for the price, will score very well.
Bontempelli: Jack Macrae
Gawn: Present company excluded, of course. Jake Bowey.
Steele: Brad Hill.
Pendlebury: Brodie Grundy.
Heppell: Zach Merrett.
Grimes: A smoky — Tom Browne.
Selwood: Tyson Stengle or Jeremy Cameron
Sloane: Laird and Crouch are the two.
If you don’t win the flag, who will?
Cripps: Brisbane
McEvoy: She’s wide open, but I was really impressed with Richmond last week
Ziebell: It’s hard to go past Melbourne.
Bontempelli: We just played them — I like the Lions.
Gawn: The Doggies. Richmond. Doggies. Richmond.
Steele: Brisbane.
Pendlebury: Brisbane.
Heppell: Port Adelaide
Grimes: Bulldogs. Every footy fan loves watching Bont play and what he’s been able to do with his group is tremendous.
Jonas: Brisbane Lions.
Selwood: I used to say St Kilda because Jarryn Geary was here (at captains day) and is one of my best mates. Looking at Bont — the Dogs will be a pretty good side to beat.
Sloane: Bulldogs will be tough to beat this year
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