Hey, Legends, working back to the Mason cock Show. We do have the season finale today, and what do we do We get back to the legends that are you listening now? We put it out on the socials questions you want to hear? What are you dying to get? Answered from us? And we're gonna go through all that, plus a bit of a season review of everything that's going on. There's a lot in this episode and some
good little funny talking points too, that's for sure. So settle in because we start now, Hey, Legends, working back to the Mason cock Show. This is actually the season finale, everyone, so settle in. We are going to give back, Yes, give back to you, the fans of people that make this thing possible today, the footy fan questions. Yes, this one is purely dedicated to you. So without further ado, let's smash this out.
Ah, get a mice in my head. It said I'm too sick.
Goodbye. Now.
I don't know if that's enough to get a copyright claim or whatever, but YouTube. Let's jump straight into the fan questions. There's plenty of them. Loved getting them. Thank you to everyone that's sending a fan question. Legends and we jump off the top because we got the hard hitting questions everyone wants to know. One's from Adrian Addie. What size bed do you sleep in?
I get this all the time. Actually, California King, I think is the American terminology, but here it's called like a super king.
That's a big boy.
Actually I want it on like the Footy show, and it's like a temper. It's like a ten twenty thousand dollars better or something ridiculous. It doesn't fit in any other room, Like it is so big. It just like you think about the gaps of the room, like walking on the side of like the bed. You have to shimmy sideways to get past the bed. That's how big it is. It's absurd. Well, I love it because I just like lay starfish fully, just like out cold, and none of my extreme these text touched the edge.
That's wolde.
Yeah, I don't want to get into the King single. Is that longer or wider or like you know, if you're starting at King single.
Obviously I don't have a single bed single.
I don't know about that.
The beds get longer, yeah, you.
Do, like the super I think whenever you put super in front of it gets longer. King is longer though than.
The twin, so you need the longer beds.
I'm all about the length baby length. The bed were starting a bit weird thing.
To ava.
Forbes wants to know what's your biggest takeaway from the season, So we're bringing it back.
We're on the footy rails now.
One of the craziest things I think this season. Obviously everyone knows how close the competition was, with like a Freeman went from the top to making outside the eight. For us, you know, it was, oh, we'd love to be in the top eight and we've all be playing finals right now. But realistically, I think the biggest takeaway was just how close the competition is. Yeah, you look at teams like Hawthorn that was down at the bottom of lader A lot of people predicted them not to
be anywhere near the eight. They're in the eight and playing really well at the back end of the season. And you look at us, we tied two games, could have won one of those. We're in finals, you know, and we lost. We didn't lose. We tied both of them, which very rare, i'd probably say, in the season, and
that kind of almost cost Us Finals. So it is such a thing about the little margins of people being healthy at the right times and the right kind of momentum and confidence at the right time at the end of the season, and there's so many things I have to go your way to win the whole thing. I think it made myself appreciate just how lucky we were last year goat times to have everything fall in place the way it did.
Yeah, everything has to go perfectly for you to be able to make it. You had a rollercoaster end to the season last year, but it all came together just in the perfect way, just to get you across the line. This one was a real head scratcher because it's a good point. And I don't know how to pronounce the name because it's right on Arion NATCHI Yeah, I'm pretty sure.
I know.
If you have a game at seven forty seven forty start, what time do you eat dinner?
I do a later to lunch at like one or two, and then we won't eat till after the game. So you do kind of your carbloading the day before you eat a big meal. Yeah, you do that kind of Yeah day my kind of situation, I start two days before, I start with my lunch, my dinner, and then the next day lunch, dinner, and then game day obviously you have breakfast and then lunch, and then you have your dinner after the game. So if you don't want to have too much in your system and be running around heavy.
But you got to think game is seven forty, you're probably not having dinner till ten thirty eleven. Yeah, and you get like this little wrap after the game or something like that that probably doesn't fill you up after expending that much energy, and then you kind of have to get maybe Guzman or something like that on the way home.
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Don't mind it. That's a single box, pretty game. Yeah.
Did you ever have the usher the ice cream that they used to make. It's a throwback and they got rid of it. It was like the ice cream they used to make it had they had the Golden Gay time they had like Aureos or whatever. That crush it was the mcflurry machine broke its basically like a mcflurry, but it just ship all over it.
Anyway, We digress.
That's have you ever like getting into footy you've been in it tenish years, you would have had times where you've completely stuffed up your run into games.
Like your food situation. Are they just so on you about it?
I mean I've I've had stuff that I've eaten that probably hasn't settled well. Yeah, definitely, And that's kind of made me have a very bland pregame meals and stuff in that sense, So why everyone goes just like rice and chicken, it's like it's blands. It can get you put your own spices and stuff on it. But like I think one of the biggest things that make you feel like you're on on the day is your sleep.
Your sleep pattern in the night before. You have to get to get that right to be I think just like focus, Like sometimes you don't have good sleep, you get a bit of a blurred mind, whereas you have good sleeping it before and it's a lot easier said
than dunks. You had the anxiety of the game and everything else you can imagine, like Grand Final, like last year with the Grand Final shoot, I don't think I would have slept much side before everything I was going through my head so you got to understand like you're probably not having the best prep whenever it's an exciting adrenaline rush game coming up. So that's probably the biggest thing in the lead up that's important, is making sure you get your sleep.
I wonder if Pendall still has anxiety sleeps before it's just like going out there for the seven thousandth time. This one from Grandma Fraser. We loved Grandma. Do you want to walk the Kokoda track?
Wow?
Kakoda tracks?
That's something I didn't know existed before I came here. Yeah, I didn't know anything about it, but I would love to. Yeah, it'd be cool. I think it'd be pretty cool. I think it's I love the anxact kind of spirit here and everything that comes with it, and that's such an important, you know, moment in the history of that. So yeah,
i'd love to do the Kokoda track. I don't know if they do like a thing where I look at other tracks, you know, like to Machi Pichu and the Inca Trail, and they get like a person or a donkey or something like that kind of carries the bag. Do you take a donkey and then you kind of like just walk with a lighter pack. That's the way I would want to do the track. I'm not carrying literally two weeks worth of food and everything on my back.
I've got some other animal doing that for me, and I can just enjoy the view of the atmosphere and take in the history that is I think that's the way I'd want to do it. Is that cheating probably just.
Take how can carry backpacks? He's all good ankle rehab. This one's a good one, but it might be a bit of a stumper. On short notice from Melsey, what is the best unknown story from twenty twenty four? So something that you can let us all know about now that you couldn't during the season because it's all hush hush secrets.
I can tell you a personal one that I knew about and so obviously I had a big injury in the middle of the year, torn mcl broken rib, concussion, broken cheekbone in that instant. Also see me tore my a cl Oh what no one knew about it?
That's wild.
So I was playing on that for the back half of the year, but we decided as a team not to say anything to the public just because people would comment about it. And things of whether I should get surgery and things along that line. So we made the decision it was best for myself to keep that secret. And you know, we've got to the point now we'll go in the off season and be healed up by the time we get back. But yeah, that's an unknown story that no one knew about. You didn't even know that.
No, that's pretty wild, and it was Yeah, it's probably a fair assumption that you did everything in that car.
Yeah, it was like people looked at him like, dude, that should be a torn acl And in my mind I was like, what it was.
Yeah, you did the full James Brown splits. Ah, that's wild. Well, well done to get through that, because now you have an excuse why you couldn't kick it forty meters.
Yeah, I was My goal kicking definitely took a bit of a hit towards the back end of the year for a good reason. Oh yeah, that's a good one.
That is a good one. Thanks for the question, Melse. This one from stephie d favorite game you played this year. Let's we know that the Anzac day, the moments, the occasions, they're all good.
They're good.
So but like something outside of that, like a nice win and close come from behind or anything like that.
Always good to beat Carlton. That first game when we beat Carleton. That was also Nicks coming out of the stoppage kicking and winning goal, like just going absolutely nuts. That was unreal. I think that's probably the topper than the Brisbane game recently, Like yeah, you know, getting that one point win, kicking three goals in like four minutes. I think those are the two that stick out the most heartbreaking games. You look at the Sydney game. Ye,
Sydney game very much a heartbreak game. Knowing what was on the line at that time and a few calls, it just didn't go your way and it cost us the game and other people on their team Isacin You just stood up in a pivotal moment, just killed it. So yeah, those are probably the polar opposites of good games and bad games, and so those are the ones that come to mind right away.
There's always a few freaking good ones in there. If you play for the Pies. That was great. The nicknames one. I was at a wedding and everyone was watching it on the dance floor at the wedding and it was victory was sweet. Let's jump into the next one, breed would you say anyway?
Anyway?
I'm getting these all run right. Yeah, that's a good one. What's your favorite off field pastime outside of fishing?
I'll give you this. Actually how many people know this, but I do have breathwork once a week now. So there's a place called Breathouse, is it Nathan Freeman as a pot owner in it. You used to play at the Pies and they've got a couple here in Melbourne. So once a week I go and do kind of like a meditative breathwork class there, and I've really enjoyed that. It's kind of a good time to get away from technology, put the phone away and just kind of really simplistically
breathe in the conscious way. And it's kind of been a nice like meditation for me to get away from the stresses of AFL. So I highly recommend it for anyone else wants to try it. But that's not much changed that I haven't done previously that I've enjoyed. And if Field like kind of I don't know, experiences of life, you know.
I've spoken to him about it before and I think in my head meditation and breath work. I thought that would like the same thing, but like breath work is a bit more conscious, right, it's telling you to breathe and bath, but at.
The same time you get this like high, kind of tingly feeling from it. Yeah. This kind of makes no sense from saying, oh, you're just breathing, but like the way you do it, the breath holds, and you know they talk about like whim half. You know, it does kind of these things, and yeah, it's all guided someone. They're kind of telling you like three seconds and three
seconds out and doing it kind of with you. And yeah, you get this kind of euphoric feeling from it, which is pretty cool if you you know, fully lean into it. You have to. It's like meditation, right. You can't just be like, oh, I'm going to have to do this like now. You have to fully like kind of give yourself up to it to get the full experience from it.
Yeah, I need the guide because I can't. There's terrible things happen inside my head.
Yeah I had, I had, I brought you a friend of mine and Clint stand Away came to it and he'd just been to Paris and then went straight from Parisch of Sydney to do the weekend show and then comes to Melbourne. He's been wanting to do it with
me for a long time. So it comes in there on the Tuesday and we you know, we go into the class and there's him an empty spot for you know, Matt, and then two cute girls to the right of us, and I'm like, well said you dog me and going you're gonna put me on that mat right, You're gonna put me in the middle there. You have to talk to the person next year. They opens a conversation up right. So I was like to shake brother to shake. Clint appreciate that, so he SAIDs there. We go through the
meditative thing about three quarters away through. I'm sitting there and it goes hold your breath goes super quiet, instructor goes quiet, music goes quiet. Everyone's just hushed. And next to me, I just hear this.
He's full, just snorted, woke himself up, heels hit the floor, shakes the whole fucking shot and he's just gone on and then he just kind of goes it, just kind of laughs because he knows what he's doing. Five or six people around him start laughing. We're all just trying to just calm, meditative state. He's just embarrassed the heck out of himself. It was one of the funniest things
I've ever heard. And it was just like, as soon as the class finish, I couldn't have seen him getting out there quicker.
He was bolting for the door. See later.
That's so rough.
That's funny. Would you recommend it?
Would you do they do ie gazing I was talking about. I'm trying to get down there to I gaze with me, where you just stare into each other's soul for like an hour, just looking right into each other's eyes.
That's interesting, that's a real love. I don't know. I feel like that's maybe start with your partner.
I wouldn't mind saying it.
Off season plans US trip talk about that from Chelsea.
Uh trip. So I'll fly back September three, I go back to the US and then the fifth I'll fly to Croatia seven day crews there, fly to Malan after that, let Coma for three days, then go up to the Dolomites in Italy, do some hiking, high out to training, then over to Munich. Do October first and then the Barron Munich. Game is what the plan is. Fly back from my brother to Austin, spend a month in training in Austin, do a few trips up to Dallas to the mom and dad. USAFL is in Austin this year,
so shout out to them. The AFL A competition over there. They did the national competition in Austin, so I'll be an ambassador for that. Get to go a roll around, you know, spread the game over there and spread the words be cool. And then yeah, I've got a family trip. I think out to New Mexico November seventh. I'll be back to fourteenth, jeez.
And then you be going on and you train for two weeks and then you go on another holiday. That's it, right, Ciga. Of these players, let's get into our personal life stuff. This is where it always gets good. And this one's heavy off the top. So this one's from Heaves Smith. Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Jeez? Probably playing Game three ninety nine, Just go I got to know three years in me. Yeah, in five years time. I love to be in the media in some capacity. I'm not sure what it's going to be. I'd love to promote the game overseas and do that through the AFL in some way, shape or form. Not sure how it all pan out, and love the radio gig, love the podcast gig. So love that kind of side
of it. And I think I've also essentially done my coaching accreditation too, so be kind of a unique thing to do a part time job helping out, you know, I think these young kids are coming through the system. Myself never played football before, had to learn the game
from scratch. I think there's a lot of value in, you know, being able to teach these people who may have transferred from basketball or something else and haven't played AFL for a long time and some of the skill sets and the things I learned throughout my career and be able to help the next generation in that sense. So hopefully that's a possibility. I'm not sure what clubs out there listening, but if you are and five years, i'd be interested.
One day, we're going to see five years someone come through this two hundred and twelve cent till in five years. Well, I'm mainly focused on my business. I'm sure I have outside things that I want to do.
You want to run a marathon, I'd love to see you run a marathon the next five years. Can we can we lock this in? Yeah?
Well, I was talking to Mace off air and I accidentally almost ran a sub twenty minute five k just crazy, which yeah.
And it was.
I thought I was going slow, but I was in the zone with my headphones on. And I've always been half blessed with like just like my legs don't get sore and my lungs don't burn, so I'm not quick, but I can just like run.
But beers are my problem.
Are definitely they.
Always get me. But yeah, I feel like I can. I know I can run a half marathon. I've done it a couple of times where I just go and run it, whereas yeah, a full marathon is that's a lot of mentals like yeah, raw Dog, imagine raw Dog and marathon, no music, no nothing, You're just out there, just raw Do.
Shorts throw me back to the Budgies? Yeah, yeah, I don't know.
That would be a great challenge. I want the business to just keep growing. I want to hopefully buy like a studio and like a bit more space and do custom sets and grow the podcasting side. And it's all growing very quickly, so that's it's yeah, it's fun. Business is fun and.
Hell at the same time, your own business.
Let's jump into Mike bees question. Biggest off field accomplishment.
Wow, it's a a general there's a lot of those. I think just as a whole. Like people you know in Australia don't want you to pump yourself up and things like that, but I think I like my experience and you know, the order to get you more, you reflect on it and what you've kind of been through and how you've handled it and what's where it's kind
of made you as a person. I think, like over, I'm pretty proud of myself for what I've been able to do here, not only from on field stuff, but also to live away from family, create your own life here, you know, make some incredible friendships and stuff like That's not easy, especially the older you get. So I think for myself, I'll look back on the whole is something I'm quite proud of and as an off field accomplishment of just doing that and get citizenship here and things
along those lines. That doesn't it doesn't happen very often. It's a very few and farm between a lot of people. Come over from overseas and they go back home and things like that, and they've stuck out for so long and be able to you know, not probably be looked at as one of those that goes home all the time and misses home in that sense, you know, it's
like I've fully committed to this place. I think that's probably the one I look back on and holistically say, you know, that's something I'm extremely proud of as an accomplishment in life, to say, no matter when this finishes up and you know, who knows where my life's going to take me, I'll look back on my time here
and be like that was pretty cool. Yeah, not many people. Well, no one has the exact same story as you, and you did it your way totally different to anyone else, and a cop criticism along the way and is what it is. But I know there'll never be another Mason Cox in this world. Yeah, which is pretty cool to.
Say, Yeah, you've done heaps. She's definitely recognized all around Australia alone Melbourne and coming over at twenty four. Like there's people that will never solo travel for like two weeks in their life, let alone move over here and do everything that you've done, which.
Is pretty crazy mine.
I think I've just become a better person over time, which is just I used to be more, believe it or not, of a bitter, twisted prick and just hated people and just work flat out, which I still do.
I'm just slowly finding calmness and patience, which is patience if most of my clients here swallow, But yeah, it's yeah, I feel comfortable, which is like, I feel like being comfortable with yourself is like such a journey to get to that point, especially heading through your twenties twenty suck, but getting to your thirties, you think it's going to
just click, and it doesn't. But yeah, now at the position where I am, feel so much more comfortable with who you are, and it just makes life just that bit easier. It makes the whole thing a lot easier, less stressful, for sure. Let's jump into Zach Matthews, and this is along the lines of a lot of what we got, So I'm just reading out this one and we'll group it into one. It says, surely one of you is going to get a girlfriend this summer.
It's not that hard, Zach says, Yeah, Zach.
Ladies, ladies Jesus keeping them all. Yeah, I mean we'd love to. Don't get me wrong.
You're going over to freaking like Italy and traveling and you're going through the mountains.
You're only going to be there for four days.
That's a rough one to put on the Tinder profile in town for four days.
I need a two of guys relationship out of it.
Yeah, the donkey on the Concada trail. You might bring it back, afraid o. Maeah, Yeah, we'd love to. I think we always kind of joke about trying to find a podcam. I do think probably our work situations is not sometimes you know, a good environment for a girlfriend to be involved in this.
Book better too much, I reckon.
I've been on the best role that I've been on, like it, and it's only been two months of like work life balance, making sure I get out, keeping the weekends as free as I can, doing stuff, going on dates.
Yeah, but the thing is, we get a girlfriend, it's just going to be way less entertaining. Yeah. Yeah, it did not to say that getting a girlfriend's doll, but I think, like I think there's just way better stories that happen whenever you're single because people are shocked by some of the stuff that's out there, and you know what happens. They as a person that has a girlfriend or boyfriend, go, I feel a lot better about.
My relationship appreciated.
Yeah, because he is having an absolutely terrible time. It's not great.
Yeah, I think I was telling you I don't and then it was too close to the time. But yeah, I was like telling the hairdresser about all my dates and when she spun me around to the back. There was a guy that was like, mane, you should write a book like shock it. There was a girl head butted me in the face on one of my dates, like before I took a break, like fools, head butted
me in the chin. It's so hard that I bit my lip and she's scared you for a long No, that was what I had a good run there, so but no, I am getting better, like getting out there, going on a few dates. I don't get nervous anymore, which is I think that's a great sign going out there, not having the pre anxiety and not having to be like, oh, I have a beer or two just to like before I head off, just to loosen up a bit. I'm
enjoying the process more. I like, I like going out and eating and stuff and like, so I look forward to that. And then it's like, well, someone's going to be in the realm of a ballpark of like good communications.
And you'll find out very quickly I want you. Yeah, you usually know on a date in the first five to ten minutes.
Yeah, so like I don't know about you, but my like the structure of it is like date ones, the vibe check and you get that real quick. So that's a coffee or a drink, so like you get in, you can have a chat. Obviously, it can go for longer if you have drinks and it ends up bleeding into four hours or whatever. Happy days. But if it's not great, you can get out of there.
Oh I actually drove.
I have a commitment after Yeah, well you know, they just texted me out. I've got to run here in like fifteen minutes. So I just want to give your heads up.
And I feel like everyone's on board with that.
Like you can be having a good date and still say that and be like, look, I don't want this to drag out.
Yeah yeah, but if yeah, the vibe and then something that the second date is a bit more locked in. So it's like you go out, you eat or whatever a commitment you trap there, go be halfway through your.
Panini and be like I'm going see it.
Oh gosh, Yeah, we'll get there, eventually get there. We will take feedback on board.
Yeah, we're gonna have some updates like next episode back, but we have we put it out there, heartwarming stories. We wanted to hear them, and we got some good ones back. Dan Mixtaye coming back from his ACL was yeah, quite amazing what he's being able to do in a short time. Miss the last game with a bit of soreness, but you can see straight away what he does to the structure of the team coming back in.
Well, whenever Brodie Markscheck went out too, it was almost so much more important than he came back. You know, December did an ACL, you know, didn't play in the Grand File to the pre limit like PCL. I think it was just had a tough runt, had a very
tough run. I think like everyone saw how already worked in the gym every single day and it's not easy to be doing that with you know, such a long injury, not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and when he came back, it was such a confidence booster for us and a you know, just a spirit lifter more than anything, to say, hey, this guy's put in the work, like let's you know, let's do this for him, Like let's win some games
for him. And you know, he was he was massive in the back end of the year, and I know he didn't play in the last game, so he had a bit of awareness. I think it was, but incredible
the man's resilience throughout the year. That was I think you talk about highlights of the year, like that one was the one that just sticks out instantly in my mind of just someone who's been through a bit of mud, been through a bit of you know shit, if I'm being honest with you, and then you know, coming back, you just you feel so happy for him and his family and everyone else that's involved to be able to have that moment.
And a bit of a throwback Lucky Sullivan's first game when he came on, kicked that goal and everyone got around him.
Yeah, snap on Carlton game.
Yeah, it's a pretty amazing moment.
The great story, yeah too.
And what about Jake Waterman, His season, his couple of seasons really, but he's just for how he's how tall he is. I I guess i'd put it as like a key forward Oscar Allen going down early and then him being like the.
Main man one out.
He had a pretty amazing season. Now this one we can all get around beating Carlton twice. Yeah, I love that big fan under heartwarmings.
There's someone I wild say his name. There's someone in the media that once told me, I said, if you don't make finals, your best beat Carlton twice. It's like finals obviously important, right right under that beating Carlton.
Twice, it's just because yeah, you can have it over them, like Carlton made finals, Yeah, but didn't beat Collingwood.
That's it.
That's good to say.
I think we're I think we're winning in the total overall. I don't know, I'll have to ask.
Let's jump into Matt Gwealfie's painted nails. That was that was a special one.
Yeah, I think that one. You talk about Dyson Happle his retirement stuff and you know the people he got involved to. That was a beautiful kind of experience. I think for everyone to be able to see in one of those feel good stories that get to put out into the media and you wish there was more of them. You wish you could see all the different things that players do for people, because there's so many things. But yeah,
Gwthy's painted nails like that was pretty cool. I think was it the Good Friday Appeal game or was it I know they went to the hospital and he said he'd do the celebration and all that, and that was a beautiful moment for sure.
That was so good, And yeah, it's good.
Sally Pendaal's game four hundred getting the win pretty wild.
I think he always you look at four hundred, Yeah, winning after the sign essentially, you know, Carlson didn't didn't make the kick after the sign. I guess it's the best way to put it. But you look at that game four hundred, such a milestone, sixth person I think ever in the NFL history to do it. Obviously, it's one on the calendar you kind of circle and go, okay, like let's you know, like we're looking forward to this one.
And then the fact that it fell against Carlton tight game, like important game, so cool to see him and his family kind of get the lotted so they deserve throughout the week because it's not just him making it to four hundred. It's his wife, his kids, his parents, like everyone else that's involved, his brothers, his whole family. It was cool to have them involved for the week and really just kind of pay homage to what he's been able to accomplish most disposals ever by any player in
the AFL. You know, we talk about players that you talk, you know, ten years after you retire, like you talk about how you played with him. He'll be one of those nick ta cross him, like all these guys that you Travis Cloak and Swany and all these people you tell stories about for the rest of your life. He's made such an incredible impact on so many people. It's great whenever he played four hundred to really kind of show the respect he deserved.
Yeah, it is a good point.
Shout out to Alex who's put up with him for four hundred odd games. That's he would have been. That's a loving wife preak at times. I imagine with his he's gonna just he's like zero skinfold skin fair.
Imagine how much shit you would have to.
Eat every morning He's waking up just at the crack of dog you're trying to sleep in the kids are hooting.
And holl arod, you would have no wiggle room on his regime of like fitness and health and all that crap. Anyway, shout out to Alex. We move over to the Clangers of the Year. We had a few people send in one and one was the man that you just mentioned not long ago, Mitch McGovern's miss.
Yeah, that's tough. I feel for him. He's also had a won his one off his boot and after the Sirens, so he drew. He drew. Sorry, just felt like a win, I feel like at that time. But yeah, yeah, that's going to be tough to tough Phil. So I will say credit to Carlton's teammates. They all got around immediately after he kicked out. They're all kind of helping.
Did you know it's not on him, it's on the team. They shouldn't have been in that position, but fortunately didn't take the opportunity. Let's jump to the top. We just talked about this last episode. But the bottle chucker, what the heck man can't be chucking?
What a doing? Man? What are you doing? This isn't like a European Soccer League's flares going all that stuff. This is it. This is a sophisticated gang all right here, can't be doing that, can't be doing that. I think it's the fact that like, like I'm more I mean, I'm pissed obviously about the whole situation, but like throwing anything on the field is unacceptable, and then like hitting an umpire that's a goal umpire, like you know, like the fact that it was that situation just made it
even more infuriating to me. People that, you know, just do it because they love it. Yeah, you know, I think there's devid road. Can you imagine the nicest guy always has a smile, gives the fingers, pistols, gives the fans that they want. Can you imagine if the bottle is throwing to them, Oh, you'd be lived.
I reckon it's like.
Throwers in general, because obviously it's that was a hard shot to hit. He hits the umpire. I still feel like it should be the same punishment if it misses the umpire, like unfortunately it causes the incident. But like, just don't throw stuff, don't throw stuff out in the field. I don't like people that throw stuff out in the field in general, don't litter while we're on it.
Yeah, that's like litter is anyway.
That's an absolute clanger. The bloke that said Umpiring has been the best it's ever been, oh dill still, that one just annoyed me because it's clearly it wasn't. And at the time, it was like coming out every week to say that they stuffed up another thing.
Just a learning moment. It was a learning moment for him on side.
God damn.
I think it was just like the timing and then what transpired over the next few weeks of you know, calls that people were you know, very opinionated about it just didn't go down with the fans well. And I think with Empire you can't like make a statement like that in general because like it's you know, it's going to get dissected so much by the media, so you kind of have to give a bit of a you know, just a bit of it and even say, look, Umpire's
doing the best, They're doing exactly what they can. We're proud of what they're doing. Yeah, And that's that's kind of like the way to go about it it.
I'd like them to come out and be like, look, we're not making their job any easier. We keep changing the goalpost for him.
It's it's one of the hardest capers man. I can't. I would never in my lifetime think, you know, being an umpire is easy, just sir, like, yeah, it's such an opinionated game. You're ever going to make everyone happy. The best you can do is just not even be noticed. Like it's like it's a crazy thing, but yeah it was. You know, it's a learning experience. It's a learning experience for everyone.
You know.
I've said some stupid things in my past too.
Na the West Australian, Now that's a good one because they went super hard on Adam Simpson when he was wrapping up at the West Coast and basically said like see a Simo, as like they were kicking him out the door.
Such a bad taste in my mouth or where that was handled, all the all the l's on the front page and stuff like you gotta be better than that. Yeah. I do love. I do love the way you clap back though in the press conference. Yeah, I was live in that. Yeah, I think there's not many coaches do it. But whenever you don't have the coaching gig game or I can say whatever I want. I give my honest
opinion because I'm not like held to the club standards anymore. Yeah, like it was so good and the fact that all the media people were like clapping over like laughing too, and you would have felt like you were just on your own on an island if you were that person.
That all the players in the room to back him up. But the West Australian like the it's not that Northern Territory, you know, the Northern Territory has their paper and they come out with like funny puns and ship that's funny. Like people can get around that. It's not punching down on anyone or like kicking them while they're down or I love it anyway. Jesse Hogan stopping his teammate from kicking a girl.
Man that was gold that it reminded me of Pendle's kid after running through the banner and just absolutely launched the ball into Crispy's head from five meters out from Gold. Oh, it was absolutely hilarious. Yeah, that's that's that's definitely a clanger. You can't be give it to Jesse go just learn win the lear Win, the Coleman. You got to know the Colemans in the back of his head.
Just give it to you, Give it to the bloke that kicked it, not to Jesse Hoakan.
I'm giving to the block that kicked it. Give it to your star. You're up by probably a hundred anyway.
I don't mind it.
And then obviously the clanger of the year is free I losing in the last round of port to just drop finals. Didn't want to play finals apparently, Ah wow, s this is the I now got months until anyway, this is the wrap before we go. We've we've put it out there for people. Mark of the year, Goal of the year, Brownlow winner. What's yours?
I want to go, Bobby Hill Mark of the year. Yeah, I'm going to go Goal of the year.
Not as obvious, is it, But I think there's.
Not one that really stands. I mean, I always obviously bias insense of myself of Nick de Costs two bounces, shoving off someone kicking one on the rhine. Yeah, that kind of like gets me up and about. But it's I think there's, like, you know, there's a few.
Had the ghost game, the Nick Dakos one, with that one two back forward kick the goal.
But you're lost.
So I don't know. I don't know who's going to win Goldie Year. That's up for debate. There hasn't been like a obvious just like Eddie bats shimmy, shimmy, two people. I can break out a tackle snap kind of goal. Yeah, that kind of comes to mind. But that's gonna be interesting. One Brown though. I'm hoping Nick day Cass. Yeah, I'll say if it's not him, but to Pelly.
Okay, that would be nice to see win it.
Yeah, I think he deserves it.
I'm going to go Bobby Mark because he did the little extra float in there the landing, yeah, and then he landed and on his feet but it looked cool. And then I'm going to give it to Harley Reid out of the middle.
Yeah he did. I do remember that was unreal the middle and drilling the girl that was sick.
Uh.
And then give him the best first year player surely, Yeah.
We can do it.
We don't count suspensions in the Mason cock Show.
I forgot that. Oh my god, you spend it in San.
Darcy, got suspend it.
So go to someone I probably don't know.
It's like Carlton making the finals. Did you you lost?
But anyway, yeah, I hardly reads the best player the first year, Sam Darcy's close second seven goals already Jesus and then Brownlow Yeah good point. Ah. I think like Locky Near, he was good late, but they were not great early. So that's the only thing that kills me. And if they're going to be more mindful of Nick Dacos this year after you know, it's normally their lag period, it's like a year later they give them more votes. But he would have won it last year if it wasn't for the injuries.
Let's do like a.
Little wrap the season in retrospect looking back. Obviously not you know, happy, not content with not making the finals coming off a Grand Final.
Just how hard was the season personally?
But then how hard did you find the whole thing coming back from the prelim loss the year before?
Yeah, and going again.
I think the early start was not a deal. But obviously there's other teams that had to do it too. I'm I wasn't really a massive fan of the Round zero experience. We'll be interesting to see if they keep it for next year, but I think the shorter kind of time frame with that, and the teams you're probably wanting to play in Round zero, probably the teams that went further in finals, you know. So I think that was kind of a frustrating kind of thing to deal with.
I guys like less less off season. Obviously you want Maximin's off season the rest. So that was interesting start. We probably as a team didn't start the way we wanted to with a few losses on the on the books, but you know they had they had the injury of the big injury of our cheek bone and knee and ribs and concussion, and that knocked me about for a long time. So it was the first kind of his
first concussion I've ever had. And I think that whole process of going through it, like we've always been quite strict of saying like we need to look after players' health and mental health and concussions and all this stuff, and I think that almost made me just double down on it now.
Yea.
It took me for four or five weeks whoever it was, to just kind of get back to normality. And you see the friends that played football, you see kind of how that's affected them. You know, you talk about Nathan Murphy and you talk about Josh Carmichael who retired from our team. Because it can cush in you, you realize how important it is for us to recognize and be able to, I guess, try to get this thing as
early as possible. And myself going through that this year I think was a real realization point for me of just the impact you can kind of have on you and that kind of that threw me around for quite a bit. So the rehab of that was quite tough.
I will say the knee. One interesting thing I'll take a positive out of it was it was cool to see every single week a new accomplishment, right, So, I mean, it first happens, you can't even like bend it at all, second week you can bend it to you know, closer to forty five, and then the next week better, and the next week better, and it was like every week you could see a major accomplishment that you were being
able to do. So that was kind of a pause the thing I think through that time of you know, the darkness of rehab and doing things on your own and all that, like that was kind of a cool moment for me to say, you can see an improvement and a short amount of period that you probably don't see very often in your career now.
And it's yeah, it's different to all your other injuries when you talk about like your spleen is the unknown, your eyes or the unknown, like, yeah, it's at least an injury that you people have had, they how to rehab region it's proper.
Yeah. Yeah, So that was interesting. And then you come back towards the end of the year and you have this kind of like, hey, we need to make finals, and we need to do it now, you know, like times running out, so the pressure was on. I think we performed pretty well over the last little chunk when we all got back, So for me, I was pretty proud of myself to get back out there with you know, the things that were going on and being able to sort it. But I think overall, like mentally, it was
a Yeah, it was a tough year at times. Not always the easiest whenever you don't make finals, especially with the expectations of after last year, not always easy. But you look back and you say, look, it's it's just it's a I filled a swallow, but you have to and at the end of the day, you take it as motivation for the next year, and you go, okay, like, you know, these are things maybe we didn't do as well as we'd like, and yeah, this is room for improvement.
And yeah, like I've said before, it's not going to be the same faces every year, So you know, I'm sure we'll get some new faces. I'll come in and hopefully be able to help us out try to get back to where we were. But overall, the oh the year you wish you'd be playing finals. You know, not to say that it's a oh or nothing kind of thing. Obviously, there's a lot of success in the year and a lot of things that you are proud about, But overall, I think you're the one they will stick out for you.
Eternity is going on twenty twenty four. We didn't make finals. Yeah, and that's the statement everyone will say, and that's yeah, that's just the truth. You've got to be able to take it.
So where does the improvement come from for next year?
Yeah, I hopefully we have a bit more consistency with the group with injuries and everything else. There's a lot of stuff along that line, and yeah, hopefully that's kind of one of the main things for us I think is just being able to have a team that's played together for an extended period and hopefully has had success together, you know, winning games, and that puts you in a really good stance for finals and allows you to go
on a bit of a run. So that's the one thing I look at and I go, I hope that we can have that next year. Obviously it's out of our control, but hopefully we can do that, which allows for more consistency, which allows for us to kind of feel confidence with the people who are playing with and you know, feel like we'rell on the same page in that sense during the back end of the year, hopefully with wins under a belt.
What do you think you need?
Obviously Jordy comes back, gets back in there with Nick, you got some pretty good midfield talent, got some good wing talent.
So is it more getting just.
Your key pillars back up for you, get Brodie back, you get Dan out there more often, got some good small forwards, and then maybe shore up defense a bit.
With obviously Murph going out.
We had quite a few tolls kind of go down this year, so we lacked height probably for a decent chunk of the season. Good for me to realize that something we locked. But you know, Nathan Murphy going out, I think we'll have to probably fill a key back role because we only you know, they essentially have Jeremy how Darcy Moore, Billy Frampton are kind of like the big bigs that play back, and so we'll probably have to find another one to help kind of those stocks.
You know, we talk about a big ford. Who knows if we'll go and grab one of those. I'm not sure you know you have the likes of Christian Petroc of you know, oh my go, he's the interesting in calling, is always going to throw the callingwood name around, but you just never know what happens. So yeah, it'd be interesting. I mean, if you just sit there and ask me about the Petroka thing, like I think every single player in the AFL would go, yeah, I'd love to have
Christian Petroc on my teable. He's one of the best players of the league. Of course, you're going to say, yeah, So we'll be interested to see how all those kind of trades and everything else kind of pans out over the next little chunk, and you'll be a few new faces next year. But hopefully you know, it helps us win, you know, more games and be able to get to where we want to be as a player.
During the off season, do you watch the trade period with keen interest, thinking who's going to come in, who's gonna.
Once it's settled. Yes, you'll send the messages out, try to catch up with them and things like that. But I think, well, it's speculated. You don't want to like get into it too much.
You know.
It's one of those things where you go, okay, yeah, like until it's actually setting stone in the contract so you've signed it and you're gonna be on our team next year, you probably don't pay attention to it too much because you know how much just smoke is blown, right, Like there's no like legitimacy to all these comments and statements being made by people. They're trying to drum up some story that doesn't exist, you know, and these things.
So you got to take everything with a great, you know, grain of salt, and I don't know, I don't really probably pay attention to it too much until you get back and you kind of meet them. You go kind of like, you know, what are you about? What your character ist? You know, like what do you what is your kind of character and stuff like that, and you kind of see how well you volved with them really, so it'll be interesting see kind of what happens.
It's going to be because you don't have any draft picks, so you're going to have to if you're going to do something that's going to come through the trade period, which is for fans out they're the most exciting period. Draft is so so because it's a you just planting the seed and you've got to wait to see what it grows into. Going through the trade period, you can just go get some bona fide talent, So that'll be great wrapping things up. Obviously what you just said, disappointing season,
but you know, build towards next year. What are you doing for Are you going to watch the Grand Final? Are you going to watch the finals? Are you going to be in Australia? No, you take off when for.
The Gan Final, So Timothy, I'll be back in America, so I probably won't see too many finals. I'll I'll try to watch as much as I can. Obviously I don't think he has an international subscription, but we'll see. I'll watch as much as I can. I think the Grand Final, like, I'll be back in Texas, so I'll definitely try to watch that, but I'll be interested to see kind of how finals pan out because it's really a bit of a crap shoot. Who is going to
win it. There's no clear cut favorite at the moment, so it's going to be an interesting thing for fans to be able to look after. But I think after not making it, you have a little bit of a you know, jealousy towards the time, like the teams are in the eight and you know, sometimes just kind of pushing that aside and just ignoring it sometimes can be good and healthy. So I'll watch a little bit of it if I feel up to it mentally, but if not, I'll just kind of push it aside.
Yeah, it is a good point, and normally it's if there's a team in there that you're like, oh, we beat that and stuff like that. Yeah, the Grand Final, it's like May the Grandfather is going to be interesting because if it is like a port VGWS, it's like Kenny either gets his flag or GWS gets there first.
Like there's a few stories like that throughout it.
But it should be a very exciting final series because there's some competitive teams in there, so I can't wait to see it.
It's going to be great. But yeah, that's that's it from us.
Man, that's us another big year. What do we three that's the end of our third year.
Into the third year.
Well, it's a lot.
I know. I know, we have obviously Finals to go through, but we're going to take a break. We're gonna I'm going to go overseas. You're going to do some more work with the with the company, I know. So a bit of an apology, i'd say to the listeners that want to listen to the podcast throughout the finals campaign, I think we need a bit of a break to be able to reset, a bit of a detox from everything that's going on. That's been a bit of a full on year. So apologies to the fans out there.
I do want to hear for the next four weeks, but for us, I think for our mental health and everything else, we're going to take a bit of a break and look after ourselves as everyone I feel like it's at home should hopefully understand, and if you're in the same position, please do.
It is surprisingly easier to talk about Finals when you're in them.
Yeah it's a lot better. It's a lot more exciting, that's for sure. But massive, massive thank you everyone for understanding that, and appreciate you as always being part of this community and listening in every single week. You're absolute legends and we love and respect the hell out of THEA and we really appreciate all the love you you give to us in return.
Love the support from the fans, and yeah, it's going to be weird not doing it week on week as it always is when we do. You're not you know, normally rap for the year. But it's been a great well, it's been a great year of footy. It's been like wild up and down. You don't know what's coming, what's happening week to week, so many close things, so many big talking points.
But yeah, another massive year for the pod.
Pretty nuts, pretty nuts to wrap it all up, but here we are. Man, wouldn't a pictured of this one day. One day we'll get to it, but no, massive thank you as always to everyone out there listening. I really appreciate the love and support throughout the year and sharing this amazing podcast with some of your friends and family. A massive, massive thank you, so thank you for being an incredible listener, for being a credible audience. Our love
goes to you. Have an amazing final series and we won't talk to you untill probably after Christmas, So have an incredible little holiday period, show some love to the family, spend some quality time with them, and we'll be back hopefully come February and be able to entertain the hell out of you again. Stay safe, Stay safe, Legends speak to you soon. Yeah,