By Michael Gleeson, Damien Ractliffe and Jon Pierik
In today’s AFL Briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- Re-signed Bomber Mason Redman was ready to walk out on Essendon 12 months ago
- Collingwood coach Craig McRae has backed Tom Mitchell in to have a telling impact at the season’s pointy end
- Max King is making significant progress from what was initially feared to be a season-ending shoulder injury
A year ago Mason Redman was ready to walk out on the Bombers. Riven by conflicts and uncertainty, if he was not contracted he’d have left the club.
As a measure of the cultural change at Essendon in 12 months Redman has not only turned down free agency and a big approach from Adelaide and re-signed long term, he has also declared Brad Scott the best coach he has ever had and likely to be the next Essendon premiership coach.
A week might be a long time in football, but a year is a lifetime in the career of an AFL player.
“It was probably a good thing I was out of contract this year because like I said last year I probably wouldn’t have stayed,” he told The Age.
Mason Redman.Credit: Getty Images
He admitted he considered asking for a trade last year but wanted to give the new regime a chance.
“It did cross my mind to ask for a trade last year because of how things were, but with change coming I didn’t want to rush into anything. I think it is in my nature to give someone the benefit of the doubt and give it a chance to change,” he said.
“But it was probably lucky I wasn’t out of contract last year because I don’t think I’d have still been here.”
He said it was a divided and distracted environment with “too many people pulling in different directions”.
A year on and Redman is now is back in love with Essendon, and he says Brad Scott is the best senior coach he has ever had and thinks he will be the next Essendon premiership coach.
The subtle changes at Essendon were almost instantaneous from the moment Craig Vozzo was appointed CEO and Scott named the new head coach.
“The club’s in a very different place than what it was last year,” Redman said. “And lucky I wasn’t in a position to make a decision last year, and I’m glad that I wasn’t because the direction the club’s going now is something that I really believe in.
“I think everything from the top down you probably don’t notice this as a young player, everything from the top down feels like it’s focused towards football.
“I really trust the guys in the head roles in the football club now and (president) Dave (Barham) for the gumption to make the decisions he made last year.
“It doesn’t seem as though there’s as many distractions this year, our sole focus is to play football and win games. Obviously that translates to on the field.”
Scott said the re-signing was a tangible validation of the intangible change that had happened at the club.
“Actions speak much louder than words anyone can stand there and talk about your club and what you are trying to do,” Scott said.
The Essendon coach agreed it sent a message to the AFL industry and players in the marketplace about Essendon’s appeal as a place to be, which is a vastly different image to this time last year.
“I think it does,” Scott said. “Essendon is a great club ... Seeing it internally we have had challenges over the last period of time, everyone knows that, but we are trying to build something here ... and the fact our players can see that is encouraging, and players do talk to one another, so I think the fact that Mason has spoken so glowingly about the path going forward holds us in good stead.”
Essendon’s focus now shifts to re-signing midfielder Darcy Parish, who is a free agent at year’s end.
“I’d love for him to finish his career (here) and to play the rest of my career alongside him as well,” Redman said.
Essendon have lost four of their last five games to have slipped to 11th and face a battle to regain a place in the eight.
They play Sydney on Saturday night with Jordan Ridley joining other key players Sam Draper and Dylan Shiel on the sidelines.
Key forward Sam Weideman was thrown to defence in the VFL last week after being dropped from the seniors and he could now shape as a replacement to fill the Ridley void in the backline.
Jack Henry of the Cats and Sam Weideman of the Bombers.Credit: AFL Photos
“He played really well in defence given he has probably played about a half of footy in his life in defence. He has got a lot of attributes that suit playing as a key defender,” Scott said, adding he was “certainly an option” to come in for Ridley.
To that end Weideman might even end up playing on Buddy Franklin in what could be his last game in Melbourne.
Fellow defender Redman said he was considering asking the goal kicking legend to swap jumpers at the end of the game.
“I made my debut against him – not that he would remember that – and I don’t know if you can do it any more at the end of the game but it has crossed my mind to ask for his jumper. It’s cool to even play against someone like that who just transcends the game. I was watching when he kicked his 1000th goal and I would love to have played that game just to be part of it. A part of history.”
Jake Stringer will be assessed before Essendon decide whether to rest him. Stringer has been passed medically fit to play but it was a matter of whether “he can display the attributes he has got which is strength, power and speed”, Scott said.
Exciting recruit Elijah Tsatas who has battled injury since being taken at pick No.5 in last year’s draft was also very close to making his debut, Scott said.
- Michael Gleeson
McRae declares Mitchell ‘integral’ to team despite sub snub
Collingwood coach Craig McRae has doubled down in his support of Tom Mitchell, declaring the Brownlow Medallist a vital piece in their premiership tilt.
As the AFL declared general public reserved seating had sold out ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster against Carlton at the MCG, McRae said he spoke to Mitchell on Tuesday and reaffirmed the former Swan and Hawk’s importance to what they’re doing. This coming amid external conjecture over Mitchell’s position in the Magpies’ best 23 after being subbed out of the win over Port Adelaide.
Craig McRae won’t look too far ahead yet.Credit: Getty Images
“I had a good chat to Tom yesterday and won’t share all the details of that conversation, other than to say he’s an integral part of what we’re doing,” McRae said.
“The game, itself – we felt we had to get the ball to the outside and transition. We hadn’t done that for three quarters, so we had to give up a little bit at stoppage to do that. He’s an integral part of what we’re doing, and we’re in this position because of Tom.
“We got him to the club to be a first-possession clearance player who puts a lot of pressure on if he doesn’t get it. That’s what he’s here to do, and we want him to play to his strengths and get him back doing that stuff.”
The Magpies are in a fortunate position, two games clear atop the ladder, and have just 11 games of experience on their injury list after Fin Macrae injured his thumb, with Will Hoskin-Elliott overcoming a hand fracture to make himself available for selection.
But McRae says he won’t experiment with the team for the sake of experimenting, despite having Billy Frampton, Ash Johnson and Jack Ginnivan waiting in the wings.
“We’re a work in progress – we’re not finished,” he said.
“We’ll find little opportunities to play a different mix; we might play a bit taller or a bit smaller. We’ll see what that looks like. That’s certainly something we’ll discuss at match committee this week.
“I will say, we’ll pick a team that we think will win on that day. We’re not having an eye for the future just now. We’ll concentrate on this week, this week’s Carlton, and we’ll find the best 23 to take them on.”
Craig McRae says any selection headaches will be limited to this week.Credit: Getty Images
Josh Daicos, Bobby Hill and Isaac Quaynor did not train on Wednesday due to illness, but McRae said they were all expected to be fine for Friday night when the AFL expects more than 80,000 to be at the MCG.
“All general public reserved seat tickets are sold for Friday night’s match up. We are expecting a big crowd of 80,000 plus with any upside determined on club member reserved seat show rates and MCC walk ups on the night,” AFL spokesman Jay Allen said.
“Tickets requests have been as high as any game this season and we encourage any reserve seat member who can’t attend to pass on to someone who can go.”
As for commentary that the Magpies need to play a better forward-half game to win the premiership, McRae disputed the raw statistics.
Fox Footy analyst Leigh Montagna said last week that Collingwood ranked first in the competition for scores from their back half, but 11th for scores from their forward half, qualifying his commentary by saying 18 of the past 20 premiers have won the flag by being top six from forward-half scores.
Montagna doubled-down on Sunday night after Port Adelaide dominated the territory game for large chunks of Saturday’s blockbuster, but McRae said he was not concerned with the statistic.
“I’ve seen the narrative around that, the historic nature of front-half premierships versus we’re bucking a trend if you like,” he said.
“It’s interesting. If you break it down, there are so many different variables to that. The game is played whether you lose clearance or centre bounce, but what about the games when we’ve played without a ruck, or without key forwards?
“We’ve played three or four games without a ruck, so you don’t kick it down the line, and you can’t get territory, so I think if you look deeper, there’s more to that stat.
“We bounce really well from the back half, it’s a great strength of us. Would we like to get more territory and to hold it in? I think we’re pretty good at that. We’ve just got to make sure we get a balance of both.”
- Damien Ractliffe and Jon Pierik
Saints forwards eye return but surgery for Howard
Max King could return to action as soon as next week but Dougal Howard will undergo surgery on a fractured wrist as St Kilda seek to cement their top-eight spot in a tough run home.
King has missed two matches with a shoulder injury that coach Ross Lyon initially thought would end his star forward’s season.
Seb Ross, Max King and Zaine Cordy look on during a tough night for the Saints against Melbourne back in round 17.Credit: AFL Photos
The 23-year-old had an arthroscopy on the troublesome shoulder, avoiding a reconstruction, and was expected to be sidelined for four weeks.
But Lyon said King has since taken steps forward on the training track.
The 202-centimetre spearhead won’t play against Hawthorn on Sunday but is pushing to make a direct return to the senior side against Carlton in round 21.
“He’s an outside chance for next week,” Lyon told reporters on Wednesday.
“He’s progressing really well ... he’s doing a bit of joining in early [with] football stuff.”
Howard fractured his left scaphoid during last week’s scrappy eight-point win over North Melbourne and will undergo surgery on Thursday, with the Saints yet to put a timeline on his recovery.
The picture is clearer for tall forward Tim Membrey, who will make his comeback from a knee injury in the reserves this week.
The experienced goal-kicker has not played since round nine.
“He’s had long-term rehab, he’s progressing beautifully,” Lyon said.
“It’s been significant not having him and Max nearly all year and we’ve been really a tender age in our front half.
“We’re excited where Tim’s got himself to ... he’s worked really hard.”
Membrey and King combined for 86 goals under former coach Brett Ratten last year but injuries have prevented them from featuring in the same team this season.
“If we can get them back at the pointy end, that would be nice,” Lyon said.
Zaine Cordy (concussion) and Jack Hayes (hamstring) are available for selection against Hawthorn.
St Kilda will start favourites but Lyon is wary of an “elite” Hawks midfield, led by James Worpel and rising star Jai Newcombe.
On paper, there are tougher tests ahead for the Saints in the run home.
They face fellow finals hopefuls Carlton, Richmond and Geelong, as well as top-four outfit Brisbane, over the final month of the home-and-away season.
- AAP
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