Chapter 1: What were the highlights of the Demons vs. Tigers match?
The award-winning Crunch Time. Little smile, little salute. That's what I do. Just when you need me to do stuff, I can do some stuff. This is for number four. And the checker. And the applause. You love coming to the footy to watch guys like Cozzy Pickett turn it on. It's been the only real big highlight of the night. They sort themselves out. Fritch has got it.
So Fritch now kicks in the Cozzy Pickett direction. He has declined! And he's taken a specky! He's taken a specky!
Chapter 2: How did Kozzy Pickett's performance impact the game?
Oh, Cozzy! Magnificent! Kicks to centre, half forward. Oh, that got the blood flowing. How good was that? That's mark of the year.
I just marvel at what he can do. But when you look back at, if you look at players, some have got strength in one area and then, you know, they get by in others. Cos he's... The complete package, yeah, I've played with and I've coached a lot of really, really good players over the journey, but Cosi's as unique as all of those and right up there.
The exceptional exploits of Cosi Pickett define Anzac Eve, confirming his rise to the elite midfielders of the game and furthering Melbourne's MCG dominance. From 45, I think he touched the mound on the marked fingers.
Massive grab, but it was touched on the way through and he's hurt himself. He's on the deck. He went down head first and they might have to stop play here.
Chapter 3: What challenges are the Richmond Tigers facing this season?
That was a shocking fall. It's about as landing as I've ever seen. Yeah, I reckon you're right. My message to them was just we're here to support you. We're here to look for the next best version of ourselves and whether that's next week or in six weeks time, who knows. But we've just got to deal with the injury toll.
We've just got to encourage and help the boys believe that they're good enough to be in a win. We're some Bulldogs too. The Bulldogs in free fall as the grip of injury tightens. How does Luke Beveridge hold his team together to avoid a season imploding? You just cannot possibly come to the conclusion that is about care.
And in some ways, like I'll be really honest, it's felt like a bordering on bullying. That's the way. Sorry, you've spoken, I'll speak.
Chapter 4: How is Melbourne's injury management affecting their performance?
So rather than show compassion and empathy through a really difficult situation, we are being really judgmental with knowing little facts without understanding history and background. And we've drawn our own outcomes. And we can't judge that in a binary way. It's complex. It's situational.
And a combative Michael Voss mans the fort for an under-sieged Carlton, while the league's judicial system has its worst week in modern times. This is the Anzac Day edition of Crunch Time. Crunch Time brought to you by Ford. Don't miss the Ford Ranger Bi-Turbo Runout and Azito. Azito brushless power tools built to work. Azito, do you. It is a glorious day in Melbourne.
Perfect for the dawn service. Beautiful for the march through the streets of our veterans and for the gathering at the MCG that is to come. It is a blessed afternoon, that is for sure.
Chapter 5: What strategies did the coaches implement during the match?
Gerard Waitley with you. Adam Simpson is with me on Crunch Time.
Hello, Simmo. Good morning, Gerard. Yeah, big day for the Simpson family too. It's my daughter's birthday today. So a lot's happened over the years. I've sort of missed it every year. Yes. And she's over to Victoria this morning. So she'll be heading to the ā apparently the London Tavern's going to be doing a bit today. So ā and she's looking for a birthday drink as well. So ā
Yeah, and what a great day. I've never been to Anzac Day.
Chapter 6: How does the holding the ball rule affect game outcomes?
I got the pleasure today to call the game with you, and I've never been to an Anzac Day game. I've either been playing or coaching interstate, so I can't wait to embrace the whole day.
The half hour leading up to the opening siren is beyond compare, so you're looking for something special. Tom Morrow? Ross is with us. Hello to you, Tom. Hello, Gerard. Hello, Simo. Happy birthday to your daughter. Yes, Sally, yeah. London Tavern's a great spot. She's a listener, avid listener. A crunch timer, is she? She's a crunch timer.
She's a critique.
Chapter 7: What are the implications of player contracts in the current season?
She's not a fireballer. She's a crunch timer. It's been a heavy news week, Gerard, hasn't it? Yes. With tribunal debacles and controversies and statements that have been all over the place. The AFL not happy with... the appeals board chair. And then some really unfortunate injuries. Aaron Norton gets away really luckily a couple of nights ago with what looked like a shocking neck or head injury.
And then last night, Jai Cully as well. And then Richmond's injury list. We'll add to that this morning as well. And then we have just the perennial holding the ball debate, which is rich. And we'll get to that. We'll get to that.
Chapter 8: What insights can we gain from the coaching styles discussed?
We can fix that in 10 seconds. I look forward to it. If that's done, could you just get it done then? And Cozzy Pickett last night was the defining act. It was... Richmond tried their absolute darndest. It was fairly predictable, but... But Cozzy Pickett with his four goals and his best of field turn was just brilliant to watch.
Does it justify the contract he got? When was the contract? Was it last year? Or the start of this year? I can't remember, but it was a long one. And a lot's happened since then with contracts and the tenures and the money. But to do what he's done now, he's just... They saw the evolution before we did, I think, Melbourne. And not necessarily the coach, but the list management.
And we all thought there's talent there, but I didn't think it was going to be this high end and this repeatable. And what he's done now in the midfield, he's had six clearances, six inside 50s, kicks his four goals. He knows how to win a contest and knows how to accumulate as well. And no one can catch him. Once he gets the ball, it's corral.
I think that's probably what you're saying to your ā if you're trying to coach against, it's just force him to kick it, not take two bounces and kick it. Yeah, exceptional last night and he'll have an off quarter or off half, but he always has at least one to two quarters where it's electric and it puts him in the top bracket in the competition.
So he signed midway through last year, $1.4 million a year it was, $12.5 million in total, locked into the end of 2034 at a time when I think most of us thought he might be looking to go to either Adelaide or Perth. It's cheap now, isn't it? What's he worth now? $1.4 million a year. Sounds cheap, based on the way he's playing. I can't believe you're saying that.
It was the contract of an elite midfielder, not a small forward. That's right. And that was the shift. And Melbourne has lived its end of the bargain by giving him the midfield minutes. He's up beyond 80% now. Yeah. And he has evolved into... I mean, he is in the conversation with Nick Dacos and Marcus Bontempelli.
Yeah, he is right now. I mean, part of the conversation for those guys is they sustain it. They've been doing it for a while. So... You know, in the bracket of this year, he's in top five. And, you know, I suppose you can't really let him live in that space, regardless of his performances, until he's done it for several years in a row. So he's still got a bit of work to do.
But just, I heard someone mention today, is the Brandlow in, you know, if he did the Brandlow tomorrow, does he, where is he?
Top four? Well, they've won five games, Melbourne. And in most of those wins, apart from last week, he's been excellent.
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