Clarkson urged to ‘bring back... punching holes’, AFL great wants send-off rule after Nash hit

One footy champion believes North Melbourne players ‘fear nothing’ from their coach. Plus, there’s been a renewed push for a red card system. Here’s what you missed on TV on Monday night.

Easter Monday delivered a belter of a game at the MCG, but it wasn’t the only talking point on the television shows last night.

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson was urged to get angry, there were renewed calls for the AFL to implement a send-off rule and one panellist got political.

Here’s everything you missed on TV last night.

‘Clarko, go down swinging’

Agenda Setters

He appears to have mellowed in recent years, but North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has been urged to get angry again.

St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt said the Kangaroos’ poor defensive accountability was a reflection of their coaches’ attitude and it had to change — quickly.

North Melbourne conceded 153 points against Carlton on Good Friday, making for the 11th time the side has coughed up 100-plus points across its past 13 games.

“They’re good players, but they’re good players playing like they fear nothing from the senior coach,” Riewoldt said of the Kangaroos’ playing list.

“They don’t fear repercussions from the senior coach for ordinary efforts, particularly defensively, so the wagons are circling. The noise is getting louder. If you’re gonna go down, Clarko, go down swinging. Bring back the punching holes in the wall of (the) coaches’ box — the way you did it when you were winning premierships at Hawthorn. I think he’s got that in him. He’s got that hard edge in him. I think he’s got to bring it back.”

Clarkson famously punched a hole in the wall of his MCG coaching box during a match against Collingwood in 2012.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson famously put his fist through a wall at the MCG in 2012.

Time for the send-off rule?

On the Couch

One of footy’s most respected voices has renewed his push for the AFL to implement a send-off rule in the wake of an incident during the Easter Monday match.

Hawthorn legend Leigh Matthews said it was unfair that the Hawks were able to continue with an extra player available after midfielder Conor Nash caught Geelong forward Gryan Miers high with a swinging right arm midway through the third quarter.

Miers was concussed in the incident, with Nash being reported.

“This is the exact incident, you only see a handful a year, where there should be a send-off rule,” Matthews said.

“Because, Geelong have lost Miers concussed, so they’re one man down, and of course Nash stays on the ground. I just think there has to be a system in place for an incident like this. It’s obvious that he’s reported and he’s going to get suspended, but it’s an evening up the numbers thing for me.

“Geelong have only got 22 players to be active and Hawthorn have got 23.

“I know it’s got its complexities (a send-off rule), but this will happen in a Grand Final one day and if it happens in a Grand Final – this exact incident – I bet you the send-off rule will be seriously considered.”

Leigh Matthews has called for a send-off rule after Gryan Miers was concussed in an incident on Monday. Picture: Michael Klein

Caro gets political, again

Agenda Setters

Not for the first time this year, Caroline Wilson and Nick Riewoldt have got into a political debate on what is supposed to be a footy panel show.

This time it was over Wilson calling out Gold Coast Suns coach Damien Hardwick for his weekend drive-by on Victorian premier Jacinta Allan.

“Damien, politics aside, you were out of line on Saturday night,” Wilson said.

It wasn’t quite politics aside, given Wilson went on to spruik Labor government funding of a facility which had nothing to do her point that Allan was right to comment on Noah Balta’s assault charges.

“Even Gold Coast officials, some of them, were perplexed when you had a crack at Jacinta Allan, the Victorian premier, over her comments about Noah Balta. And you were wrong,” Wilson lectured Hardwick.

“I would have thought that law and order was in the remit of every state premier, particularly one whose government has committed $15 million to the Punt Rd rebuild in the name of community.

“Damien, so many people outside of footy were critical of the Balta selection and the premier was simply answering a question.”

Responding to Wilson, Riewoldt fairly pointed to the Victorian government’s poor record on law and order.

“You can understand the angle that he was coming from … in that Jacinta Allan’s been soft as butter on crime in the state for a long time,” Riewoldt said.

“That’s what he was angling at.”

How far can the Cats go?

AFL360

Geelong is humming at 4-2 and Garry Lyon believes there are many more wins to come this season.

“They are as suited to the way footy is going as anyone,” Lyon said of the Cats.

“They’re an athletically blessed football side. They cover the ground from one end to the other.

“As this game wore on, they got a little bit vulnerable and were able to get opened up by Hawthorn in the back half of this game.

“But in terms of how they’re coached and how they’re deployed, they are as well suited as anyone.”

Lyon’s only concern about the Cats is at the defensive end, including key defender Sam De Koning’s form.

“The one concern was the back half and De Koning’s performance on Gunston … that was just deplorable, really, the way he played him,” Lyon said.

Gunston finished with 3.1 from 16 disposals and eight marks against the Cats.

Geelong faces Carlton at the MCG on Sunday.

Bailey Smith helped Geelong to another win on Monday. Picture: Michael Klein

Lloydy’s most ‘bizarre trade’

Footy Classified

It was a trade that raised eyebrows during last year’s national draft and is looking a little worse now.

North Melbourne had rated key position swingman Matt Whitlock highly and paid a significant price to secure him last November.

The Kangaroos traded back into the draft to secure pick 27 from Richmond and grab Whitlock.

They were also handed a future second-round pick from the Tigers as part of the deal, but gave up their own first-round pick for 2025.

That selection currently sits at pick three, with North Melbourne sitting 16th on the ladder with a 1-5 record.

“Some will say they tried to get inventive last year, but to me it’s one of the more bizarre trade outs I’ve seen,” Essendon great Matthew Lloyd said.

“Matt Whitlock, (I) hope he has a wonderful career at North Melbourne, but he was overlooked 26 times by other clubs, but they’ve given up a top-three pick (this) year.”

Left-field ruck option for Bombers?

Agenda Setters

The Roos’ Marks segment didn’t miss, with Essendon having been firmly in Nick Riewoldt’s sights.

Two Bombers received grades which would barely see you scrape through school, after Brad Scott’s side only just beat West Coast by two points on Friday night.

But there was an interesting suggestion among the whacks, with a role change proposed for struggling key defender Ben McKay.

“His season so far is a D-minus,” Riewoldt said of McKay.

“He’s an absolute liability down back. They almost dropped this game, the Bombers. You’ve lost your ruckman — play him in the ruck now where you have to compete rather than a 37-year-old Todd Goldstein.”

Essendon has lost its two first-choice ruckman to injury over the past two weeks in Sam Draper and Nick Bryan.

McKay measures 202cm and has only rated average among key defenders for intercepts, spoils and one-on-one contests this season.

Riewoldt also marked forward Jade Gresham a ‘D’ after he was subbed off against the Eagles having had “no impact” on the game.
“I wonder whether at 27 (years old) he is going to figure it out,” Riewoldt posed.

Nick Riewoldt has suggested Essendon defender Ben McKay be moved into the ruck as he struggles for form. Picture: Getty Images

Originally published as Clarkson urged to ‘bring back... punching holes’, AFL great wants send-off rule after Nash hit