SEN Breakfast
'Game was being destroyed by coaches' | Tim responds to Bevo'srant (30.04.26)
29 Apr 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Breakfast with Gary and Tim. The good oil for Cobra mistake. Australia's most awarded extra virgin olive oil. Grown, harvested and first cold pressed in northern Victoria.
Great to have you with us. It is a Thursday. We're off tonight. MCG, 7.30, Hawks and the Pies. Away we go. And I'll tell you, I'm worried about our storm too. Gee whizzy. I want to get your thoughts on that at some stage. I think the storm's passed. We've got a big show for you. Dyson Heppel to join us. Sammy Edmund. Billy Gowles will be a great chat. George is here. He's ready to go.
He's pumped. The wine industry needs his... Excuse me. Need a shot in the arm. But just stand by because the whist's got some steam coming out of his ears. Thank you for all the very nice messages coming through. Appreciate it about the show. And that wouldn't be Cain that takes through that, did he? He said how much he loves our show.
No.
He hasn't? It wouldn't be him. It's not the corn? No, it wouldn't be him. That's not his number. We appreciate it, Cain. Thanks for your great support as well. It's very nice of you.
I want to play you something. I want to play you this from yesterday. No, no, no sting. Whisper words of wisdom.
There you go. Whisper words of wisdom.
This is what Luke Beveridge had to say yesterday about the game of AFL football.
Because we've tried to create more goals in the game, we've turned the game into this ridiculous game of ping pong because we want money from broadcasts because there's more ads during the goals. It can't all just be about revenue. It's got to be about the beauty and the nature of the game. So that's me off my soapbox.
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Chapter 2: What prompted Luke Beveridge's rant about the state of AFL?
We had to. How often were we talking about the fact that there wasn't a highlight being produced week in, week out with our game? Because everybody, 36 players were in one part of the ground. They couldn't move the ball. But has it gone too far? Maybe it has. I just said it's not perfect, okay? The game is not perfect today.
But for anybody out there to not believe that some of these changes had to be made, you weren't watching the game for a long period of time. And I'm sure the broadcasters don't mind the fact that there's been more goals scored and they can insert some more ads. I'm sure they're not concerned about that. But it wasn't of their doing. They didn't drive the change in the game.
The change of the game and the change in the game was driven by by the people that were concerned about the state of the game.
And let me back you up here. This is Greg Swan last night on AFL 360.
It's just interesting with the game at the moment. So everything's talking about, I mean, effectively, they're saying the place has fallen apart. But, you know, the game, we think, is going as well as it's ever gone. Like, you know, there's, as far as, like, the scoring, the flow, the lack of stoppages... So this time last year, there'd been 27 scores of 100.
This year, there's been 47 scores of 100. And we want that. We want free-flowing, high-scoring games where we can get it.
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Chapter 3: How have coaches influenced the changes in AFL rules?
Obviously, that's occasionally going to lead to a blowout. But from the game itself, I think it looks better.
So there you go. The game's opened up. Scores are flowing again. To your point, when we were bogged down, I think those grand finals through that period were 56 to 66 or something like that.
Chapter 4: What criticisms did Tim Watson have regarding the coaching strategies?
Go back and have a look at the football that was being played back then.
No, I remember it being as a commentary. Go back. We were sitting there going to games and going... the ball would get bounced, and within 10 minutes, they would have adopted their defensive stances, their floods, their behind the ball, and then you just watched it. 100%. And there was nothing happening. So I support you in that. It has been freed up.
It's just trying to find... And we're never going to get everyone happy about everything.
And we still have to try and find the right balance. And the thing that you showed Swanee last night with that ridiculous penalty that was paid against Miller because he didn't stand the mark, that shouldn't exist in the game. That shouldn't exist in the game.
And I didn't necessarily love the whole stand thing, but it has improved the game as a spectacle because it's opened up that space for the players to be able to kick the ball to. And the movement around the contest. Yeah.
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Chapter 5: What impact did defensive strategies have on the game of AFL?
Look, it's not perfect. It will never be perfect. As I said before, I went back and watched the 1963 game at Windy Hill between Hawthorne and Essendon yesterday for a quarter, and you would be blown away by how poor the game was and how people accepted it back in those days. Can't just take an exception to that.
Well, I'm sorry for anyone to take an exception, but for anyone not to think that the game has moved on and improved as a consequence of all the rule changes that have been made. Actually, back in that day, 1963, at the centre bounce, everybody was allowed to converge on the centre bounce, and then they introduced the diamond and then ultimately the square to try and open it up.
All right. Give us your thoughts. I can't keep up with all these messages that are coming through because the whispers solidify. Good morning. What a whack. Boom. That's the sort of ruthlessness we need at Don's headquarters. Put your coach's hat on. Become on the board, Wisp.
Chapter 6: How did the introduction of new rules change the game dynamics?
Brilliantly said, Whispers. You're a wise and timeless man. Really well said, Tim. You're spot on. Read it out.
Read it out.
You're coaching failure, Watson. Oh, that's true. Spot on-wise, there's so much negativity. It's a great game now. No, I agree with Bevo. It's a hotbed. I think it's a great take. I think it inspires conversation and debate. We've got to continually strive to get the product right, but in the process, we've got to be careful we don't kill it.
Yeah, that is true. That is true. But it was the way the game was coached and set up, and that's what has led us to the changes that we've had to make and the implementations that we've had to make in the game. True. It wasn't the AFL doing ā it wasn't of the AFL's doing. They weren't sending all those players behind the ball. They weren't sending ā
36 players to a stoppage around the ground. That wasn't their doing. It was the defensive mindset of the coaches and how a lot of them were trying to stop the scoring as opposed to coming up with creative ways of inventing scoring. And that's what we're seeing now.
This has been one of the most beautiful things that's happened in the time that I've been observing the game is how now coaches are trying to open up the game and develop scoring opportunities as best they possibly can, as often as they possibly can.
Oh, gee, you've lit a fuse. The temper text is going nuts. Yes, Jake, we did read it out. You had a go at Tim's coaching. Well done. Yeah, good work, Jake. Hope you feel better about yourself, Jake. But it's a great discussion. Morning, boys. Great discussion with Swanee last night. Would like more time for him to be challenged on double up gains, particularly those impacting the derbies.
That's the milkman. Well, yeah, we had that on the agenda, but we... We've got the half-hour stage and the whole show is going to get thrown out of whack. So we wanted to talk about doubleheaders. But Brad's in Blackburn. He has jumped on the open line, 1-300-736-736. Good morning to you, Brad. G'day, Gary. G'day, Whisper. Whisper, I agree with you.
I think the game has gotten ā it's gone away from the game. Like, you go back and look at the olden days and the 80s and the 90s, There was no technology. Let's get back to AFL football. It's not a perfect game. No, it's not. That's true. We probably never will get it perfect, Brad, but that doesn't mean we can't aspire to do it.
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of more goals being scored in AFL?
You're sounding, and this is, I will defend Tim here as an AFL mouthpiece. The wisp might be a couple of things. He's no AFL mouthpiece. You're allowed to have an opinion, you know, and if it doesn't agree with yours, that doesn't necessarily mean that there's a motive on the other side of it. You're allowed to have a passionate opinion, and I admire Tim's wispatorial this morning.
Anthony's in Craigieburn. G'day, Anthony.
Hey, good morning, Gary, Tim. And again, yes, well said, Tim. Agree with 98% of what you say there. Now, the TV rights have moved at 1,000 miles an hour. The broadcasters of the game, full-time radio, full-time TV shows, full-time coaching, full-time medical staff, full-time players.
The topic we seem to be talking about most is the state of the game and the rules and the changes and hard to determine and what's right and what's wrong. We've left the umpires in 1985. How about the game get for real, get serious. Instead of talking to umpires 8 o'clock at night when they come home from their full-time job, let's get the umpires full-time.
That's your first and most important problem.
Good on you, Ant. Now, we'll get back to your point. Razor Ray doesn't necessarily agree, but he doesn't totally disagree with you on full-time umpires. I'll share that with you, but I've got to take a break because Dyson Heppel, Collingwood Membership Day today, he's going to join us next. We'll get back to this, the whistle lit a fire this morning, and it'll be up on our podcast.
It'll be up on our website. You can have a listen to it if you've missed it.
The footy news for Ian Reid Buyer and Vendor Advocates. Ian Reid Vendor Advocates.
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