Time On: Dane Swan hits back at Nick Riewoldt’s ‘Rat Pack’ criticism
Dane Swan has hit back at the St Kilda great’s criticism of the ‘Rat Pack’ questioning “what the f*** would Nick Riewoldt know about Nathan Buckley being a coach?”
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Time On is your wrap-up of all the footy media gossip and banter.
Collingwood legend Dane Swan has hit back at Nick Riewoldt’s comments linking criticism of former coach Nathan Buckley to the ‘Rat Pack’.
Swan, a member of the group along with the likes of Dale Thomas, Heath Shaw, Alan Didak and Ben Johnson, said Riewoldt would have “no idea”.
“The ‘Rat Pack’ hang it on everyone not just Bucks,’’ Swan said on his podcast, Hump Day with Swanny and Friends.
“With all due respect what the f … would Nick Riewoldt know about Nathan Buckley being a coach?
“I don’t know if he’s having a go at us … the ‘Rat Pack’ beat him in a grand final. Heath Shaw’s smother, one of the main leaders, smothered him and he cost them the granny.
Unless Bucks has fed him that, how would he know.”
Swan added: “I have no doubt Bucks would be a better coach now than what he was when he first started because he’s learnt.”
Riewoldt had endorsed Buckley to be the coach of the new Tasmanian side while speaking on the Footy Talk podcast.
“The reason he gets a bit of a bad rap as coach is because of a certain segment of Collingwood players that like to hang it on him from time to time, the ‘Rat Pack’, they like to hang it on Bucks,” Riewoldt said.
“(But he) would be a great acquisition: (a) football person, a big personality and he’s very well-balanced as a person.”
Thomas and Shaw also spoke about it on the next Footy Talk podcast.
“That’s got nothing to do with the reason why he gets a bad rap as a coach, (it’s) because his record wasn’t that good as coach for most of the time,’’ Shaw said.
Thomas said: “I think the general public believes they (the ‘Rat Pack’) don’t like him because he’s not Mick Malthouse. But also because we thought there was an opportunity … to be in contention for three or five years like the Tigers. A lot of things have to go right, we all know that, but we thought we were in a window so a lot of frustration and talk since about it is on the back of that rather than making it a personal agenda.”
Carey back on invite list
Wayne Carey was blocked from attending the NSW Hall of Fame dinner earlier this month, but the footy great is back on the AFL invite list.
Carey, who was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2010, has received correspondence from the AFL to attend the induction night in Melbourne on June 18.
All members of the Hall of Fame are welcome.
League boss Andrew Dillon intervened at the 11th hour when Carey was due attend the gala in Sydney where he was to be elevated as a legend.
It was the same week the AFL launched a league-wide domestic violence campaign to create awareness and to spread the message that violence against women is completely unacceptable.
With Carey’s controversial and chequered history it was deemed to be a terrible look.
But a week, or two, is a long time in footy.
Carey is said to be keen to attend and join many other inductees on the night when Jason Dunstall will be elevated as the 32nd legend.
Carey’s podcast, The Truth Hurts, is due to return on Monday after a month long absence due to an impasse with producers.
Brown preparing for ‘Notorious’ trip
Jonathan Brown is heading to Dublin this week to interview UFC champion Conor McGregor.
Brown said he got the call up from Fox Sports last week.
“(Have) you ever been to Ireland before, I said no,’’ Brown said on Browny’s podcast.
“We need you to go and interview McGregor.
“They’ve got a bar up the front of the Emirates plane. I’ve got maybe half an hour, I’m going to take an AFL ball over. He said he played footy as a kid ... that’s soccer.”
Fox Footy commentator Brown will head off on Thursday.
McGregor is making his comeback against Michael Chandler in UFC 303 taking place on June 29 in Las Vegas. McGregor vs. Chandler headlines the event with a five-round, non-title welterweight bout.
“The Notorious” McGregor, who has turned his hand to acting, is the biggest mainstream star MMA has ever produced and has not fought since suffering a broken leg in his July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier.
Brown’s co-host Campbell Brown said: “That is a bucket list moment.”
Buckley baulks at Tassie quip
Could Nathan Buckley be eyeing a move south to become the inaugural coach of the AFL’s 19th team, the Tasmania Devils?
The former Collingwood coach refused to rule out putting his hand up as a candidate when pressed by Kane Cornes on their SEN breakfast show.
It would mark his first return to the coaches’ box since his departure from Collingwood in 2021.
“Do you want to be the next coach of Tassie?” Cornes asked.
Buckley replied but refused to address the question directly.
“Tassie is a beautiful state, isn’t it?” Buckley answered.
“Beautiful countryside. It’s at one with nature. There’s a lot that Tassie has going for it.”
Cornes persisted: “So, is that a yes?”.
Buckley wouldn’t budge. “Still plenty to go under the bridge, I would’ve thought.
“Maybe you need to have more than a CEO to make decisions.”
Tasmania earlier this month announced the signing of Richmond boss Brendon Gale as its inaugural CEO.
Living the ‘dreamtime’ in Monaco
It’s been months since we’ve heard Hamish McLachlan’s commentary but it was good to see a glimpse of him living it up overseas at the weekend.
McLachlan was captured in a social media post by snowboarding champion Scotty James watching the Dreamtime game while soaking up the rays and the F1 action in a trackside villa in Monaco.
James is a massive Essendon fan but also the brother-in-law of Canadian Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll, so it’s not surprising he had the best seats in the house at the luxury French Riviera destination.
“He’s happy,’’ McLachlan says in the video as the group is surrounded by yachts and everything amazing in Monaco.
McLachlan and his family moved to France at the end of last year.
He returned to host the Magic Millions in January and be part of Channel 7’s footy commentary team for opening, first and second rounds.
He will also return for Brownlow and Grand Final duties.
‘Brutal couple of days’: Draper back behind mic
Essendon ruckman Sam Draper was back behind the microphone, saying he’d learnt his lesson after hitting the headlines for his comments about the Bulldogs.
Draper returned to the 200 Plus podcast he co-hosts with Nick Butler and Charlie Comben.
He’d taken a few weeks off after saying some players would be requesting trades if Luke Beveridge remained as coach.
“It was a pretty brutal couple of days to be honest,’’ Draper said.
“Good thing in the footy world, it moves on quickly. It was also shit because I wasn’t playing as well but I’m feeling much better now.
“I don’t really mind too much about the media going off with it, that’s fine … it was more so the club were disappointed with me and weren’t happy with me. That was the shit thing, and also my parents. It’s been a good learning for me and the whole AFL landscape, what's OK and what’s not to say. If someone from another team else was talking about my team and my coach like that I’d be pissed off … so I definitely learn from it.”
Draper said he’d reached out directly to Beveridge but wouldn’t change his own style too much in future.
“I did reach out to him … but I think he was pretty similar to me and keen to move and everyone stop talking about it,’’ he said.
“The club said they don’t want me to be different, just rein it in a bit.”
Snag in Brayshaw’s wedding plans
Fremantle star Andy Brayshaw has admitted he’s had to change the date of his wedding to accommodate uncle James Brayshaw and his cricket commentary commitments.
Brayshaw is marrying his long-time partner Lizzie Stock.
“There might be a little bit of truth to it: he has to call the Test and that comes in front of my wedding apparently,’’ Andy said on Triple M’s Saturday Rub.
James said: “This is a smart young operator, decides to have his wedding during the Boxing Day Test. Where do you reckon I’m gonna be?”
Brayshaw has moved his nuptials in Swan Valley to early November next year.
First rule of commentating: Don’t go the early crow
Gerard Whateley didn’t learn from Campbell Brown’s mistake and went the early crow on Friday night.
After Bobby Hill kicked a goal to put Collingwood 25 points up against Fremantle, Whateley tempted fate and said on the AFL Nation broadcast: “This has been a magnificent win for Collingwood”.
It amused Brown who the week before had called the Hawks home against Port Adelaide with 43 seconds left, only for them to get beaten by a point.
“Who the hell would declare a winner before the final siren???,’’ Brown responded on X.
Dusty proves he’s still got it
Everyone fell back in love with Dusty after his efforts in the Dreamtime match on Saturday night.
Commentator Dale Thomas hit out at “weak” comments surrounding the Richmond champion last week and no one was happier when Dustin Martin turned back the clock.
“That’s why, when you line up and you pile into champions and you want to be the first to cut them down … and they come out here on the biggest of stages,’’ Thomas said on Triple M.
He jumped up out of his chair and signalled “up yours” around the ground and to neighbouring commentary boxes.
“See ya later, shove a bit of that in your piper and smoke it.”
Martin, 32, is just two games away from his 300th match.
Watson clue sets tongues wagging in footy-media guessing game
Tim Watson has suggested another Channel 9 star wants to follow Kane Cornes move to a rival network, starting a guessing game in footy media circles.
‘Happiest day of our lives’: Pies star and partner engaged
Collingwood premiership star Josh Daicos and his model partner Annalise Dalins are celebrating after getting engaged in Greece.