AFL Podcast Roundup, Round 13: Former star slams ‘bald-headed flog’ umpire, Roo’s concussion horror

A Coleman Medallist has taken aim at the umpire at the centre of the crowd abuse saga, saying “only a bald-headed flog would actually point to someone in the crowd and say, ‘he called me a bald-headed flog’.”

AFL Round 13 : Essendon v GWS Giants Umpire Matthew Nicholls Picture:Wayne Ludbey

Overwhelmed by the volume of AFL podcasts on offer?

We’ve compiled the podcast moments that made waves among footy fans ahead of Round 13, from one former player’s horror concussion story through to a Coleman Medallist’s huge swipe at an AFL umpire.

FORMER STAR SLAMS ‘BALD-HEADED FLOG’ UMPIRE

Former AFL star Scott Cummings has passionately backed the fan kicked out of Marvel Stadium for yelling at an umpire last weekend, slamming umpire Matthew Nicholls, who reported the abuse after taking offence at being labelled a “bald-headed flog”.

“Only a bald-headed flog would actually point to someone in the crowd and say ‘he called me a bald-headed flog’. He’s just proved by those actions that he’s a bald-headed flog,” the 1999 Coleman Medallist said on the Scotty and Swanny podcast this week.

“He’s going to be busy f**king pointing every time he’s umpiring (from now on). I reckon 50,000 (people) should crawl over the fence and call him a bald-headed flog.”

Umpire Matthew Nicholls has been in the news this week. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Cummings explained that he respected boundaries, but “’bald-headed flog’ doesn’t tick any box in terms of racial vilification, sexual vilification or religious vilification.”

“I’m not sure if I’ve heard a more preposterous situation in football, ever.”

Scotty and Swanny co-host Dane Swan advised the AFL to tread carefully when it comes to policing the behaviour of fans.

“You can piss off the players because they want to get paid. The supporters are the one (group) that you don’t want to piss off,” Swan said.

“They pay our memberships. They make the game go round. If they don’t show up (you’ve got a problem).”

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FORMER ROO’S CONCUSSION HORROR STORY

A former North Melbourne player forced to end his playing career at the age of 26 due to a series of concussions has shared a frightening insight into the effects of serious head knocks.

Leigh Adams played 104 games for the Kangaroos between 2007 and 2014 before five concussions in a 12-month period forced him from the game with depression, memory loss and nausea.

“I battled pretty hard there for a while — (I had) anger management issues … the funny thing is you’re not aware of them. My wife — I’d be quite rude to her, yell at her and not understand why she was getting upset, because that’s just the mindset that you’re in,” Adams told the Trends podcast this week.

“I’ll put my hand up and say my understanding of mental health before I had these concussions was that if you had depression or you had a mental health issue, you’re mentally weak. It’s a really poor attitude to have, but that was just my understanding of mental health before I was diagnosed with depression.”

Leigh Adams was forced to retire at just 26 due to multiple concussions. Picture: Michael Klein.

Adams’s understanding changed as he faced his own challenges, with migraines, short-term memory loss and blurred vision taking their toll.

“I’d spend two or three weeks with the lights off. Anything that was bright would set off headaches, migraines. (It was the same with) loud noises — it felt like being hungover all the time.”

Having sought help, Adams is thankful to be in a much better space a few years later, and is now coaching Coburg in the VFL and managing his depression.

“It took me to go see someone … as a proud man who’d played AFL footy and was a plumber by trade, that’s not what you do — you just hang in there and keep pushing through.

“But it was the best thing I ever did was go talk to someone.

“I’m quite happy to talk to anyone that wants to talk about it.”

CAMPBELL BROWN’S UNLIKELY ESSENDON ALLY

Former Hawthorn enforcer Campbell Brown admits he wasn’t well-liked at Essendon during his playing days, thanks to a feud with Matthew Lloyd and a series of run-ins with Bombers including Jason Winderlich, Nathan Lovett-Murray and Adam McPhee.

But Brown had an unlikely ally throughout his career in Essendon doctor Bruce Reid, who was a family friend.

“I’ve actually gone and seen Doc Bruce Reid leading into games when I wasn’t game to see the Hawthorn physios, because I didn’t want them to know I was injured,” Brown told the SuperFooty Podcast this week.

Reid was happy to treat Brown throughout his career, on one condition.

“As long as it wasn’t two games out from an Essendon game — then he wouldn’t look at me.”

Campbell Brown in one of his many wrestles with Matthew Lloyd.

It’s easy to see why the Bombers didn’t like him.

Brown’s relationship with Reid even saw him bustle through the Essendon change-rooms for some medical treatment immediately after a Bombers loss.

“I was about three weeks out from doing the English Channel swim and I must’ve been over-training because my right shoulder blew up and I needed a cortisone (injection). I got in touch with Bruce and we were trying to work out times. He was busy and I was busy,” Brown explained.

The pair figured out the only way they could get together was at the MCG when Brown was commentating an Essendon game for Triple M.

“So down I’ve gone after the game. Essendon lost, Jobe was injured and there were two or three boys getting treatment, and he (Dr Reid) just pushed them to the side and said ‘nah nah, hang on boys — wait one second’.

“I waltzed in and thought, Jesus he’s looking after me before the Essendon boys.”

ANOTHER TICK FOR GOOD-GUY ROUGHY

Jarryd Roughead may be footy’s most-loved character, so it wasn’t surprising to hear former Bulldogs skipper Bob Murphy say chatting with the four-time premiership champ was the highlight of the 2019 season of his Fox Footy show Bob.

Discussing his half-hour program on the Freedom In A Cage podcast this week, Murphy said 30 minutes with Roughead wasn’t enough.

“That might be an extra long episode, because it was so good.”

BOB has returned for a second season in 2019. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Murphy also revealed Matildas captain Sam Kerr, Aussie basketball great Luc Longley, and comedians Sam Pang and Merrick Ross will feature on the show.

Paul Kelly, “a hero” of Murphy’s, was the guest on the first episode of the season this week.