Whateley - Tuesday | Full Show (04.08.26)
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Why is the AFL criticizing clubs for mass resting players before wildcard finals?
It's Gerard Waitley. Thanks for listening to the podcast. In this episode, the debates around the mass resting of players heading into wildcard finals, our leadership portfolio with Luke Hodge, John Longmire with the release of his autobiography, Sam Edmund with the latest footy news, Across the Divide with Andrew Voss, and Debbie Lee reflecting on the success of the AFLW International. You can get in touch at any time. Waitley at sen.com.au. Thanks for listening. Enjoy.
Tuesday morning. This is your town.
This is your station. This is Waitley. Good morning. The AFL never quite knew how to handle the mass resting of players at the end of the home and away season. The tactics of Ross Lyon and Brad Scott confounded them and annoyed them disproportionately. And progressively headquarters tied itself in knots. Something that standard practice encodes from the NFL to the NRL bothered the AFL to such an extent that it implemented the dreadful pre-finals bye. The rationale for that week off heading into September morphed into all sorts of difference. things. One year, it was about clear air for the beginning of the AFLW season. By last year, it was that so all eight finalists had a level playing field from which to attack the games of greatest consequence.
That's now altered drastically under the final 10. with six teams getting a bye while four are condemned to play continuously. It's why Chris Fagan says you can't win the flag from the wildcard positions. Not only do you have to win five games in a row, you have to beat a sequence of teams who have enjoyed the benefit of a break. So we're back to square one and the reality of manufacturing your own break for your player group through management or resting. Having told us on Thursday night that this hadn't been spoken of at the AFL, Greg Swan sent the memo to clubs late yesterday, cautioning against the practice and warning clubs their selection would be scrutinised. As it was more than a decade ago, the strategy's wrong.
Clubs have every right to choose their team and manage their list however they choose at the climax of the home and away season. The AFL's introduced a handicap system to the final series. Coaches have every right to navigate that as they see fit. This isn't about the top six teams. They get the buy. So don't... fall for the wrong argument. It's not about Fremantle who have the minor premiership locked away. It's the wrong example. It's about four teams in the wildcard positions who have vowed not to make up the numbers. Should Collingwood reach round 24 locked into a wildcard berth knowing that it will play in Melbourne? Craig McRae not only has the right to rest his key players, I would say he is duty bound to.
Leave all the veterans out and freshen up the stars. McRae believes in match play. He will set his team up to try to win five matches in a row and secure the flag. And that's actually what the AFL needs. Total belief from a coach that you can run the table from any position. McRae has no obligation to exhaust his stocks in a game that carries no consequence. The AFL always had this the wrong way around. It's not about round 24. It's about the finals. We want teams ready to perform in the heightened environment of September, not spent forces who will be cannon fodder for the rested and ready. Remember the bit about having all teams primed and ready for an equal tilt at the Premiership? Or was that just a one-year fad?
Rule 29 should be used to govern what happens in-game. A team must play on its merits and not tank between the sirens. But it should have no scope whatsoever when it comes to selection.
I think the main consideration for the teams who might be certain to play a wildcard game going into that round is the fact that the six teams above the seventh have all got a week off. So I'm sure within the ranks of the teams and the certainties, you're processing who needs a week off. Long season, who's pushing on. We've just had Noughts and Cody come out of the game, not because we wanted them to, but it would have been too hard for them to play over in Perth.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why is the AFL criticizing clubs for mass resting players before wildcard finals?
0:00–7:58
2
How do coaches and club leaders justify resting players in round 24?
7:58–23:35
3
What does John Longmire reveal about his playing career and autobiography?
23:35–24:28
4
What leadership lessons does Luke Hodge draw about coaching and team preparation?
24:28–1:01:42
5
How did clubs and the AFL react to the mass resting and Rule 29 controversy?
1:01:42–1:03:36
6
What happened with Lachie Neale visiting Collingwood and why did it cause tension?
1:03:36–1:07:53
7
Which historical examples show teams resting players before finals and how did the AFL respond?
1:07:53–1:18:28
8
How did the Australia v Ireland women's exhibition at North Sydney Oval shape AFLW rep footy plans?
1:18:28–1:53:14
Speakers
8 identifiedMore from Whateley
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