{"id":41194,"date":"2025-08-03T20:56:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T20:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/41194\/"},"modified":"2025-08-03T20:56:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T20:56:06","slug":"afl-2025-round-21-talking-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/41194\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL 2025, Round 21 Talking Points"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Carlton is staring down \u201cone of the great fumbles\u201d with a favourite son, but his reported next club is struggling with its most recent big-name recruit.<\/p>\n<p>Plus the quiet rule change an AFL great couldn\u2019t help but notice, the brilliant Crows coaching move and much more.<\/p>\n<p>The big issues from Round 21 of the 2025 AFL season analysed in foxfooty.com.au\u2019s Talking Points!<\/p>\n<p>FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? <a href=\"https:\/\/kayosports.com.au\/?pg=afl&amp;extcamp=fsaeditoriallinkafl-edt-fsp-lnk-awr-grc-afl-kyo&amp;channel=fsa&amp;campaign=fsacontra&amp;voucher=\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>WHAT&#8217;S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018NEVER TREATED HIM RIGHT\u2019: BLUES FACING \u2018ONE OF THE GREAT FUMBLES\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The idea of a Silvagni wearing anything other than navy blue already sounds wrong.<\/p>\n<p>But black and white? That\u2019s just unthinkable.<\/p>\n<p>And so there\u2019s, understandably, a bit of emotion involved as Carlton\u2019s Jack Silvagni heavily considers a move away from Princes Park.<\/p>\n<p>Collingwood coach Craig McRae confirmed last week he has met with Silvagni while the defender-needy Western Bulldogs have also been linked with the versatile 27-year-old.<\/p>\n<p>But the sheer fact McRae was willing to speak about Silvagni \u201csurprised\u201d Silvagni\u2019s coach, and McRae\u2019s former premiership teammate, Michael Voss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere I sit very much is respecting the privacy of the player. I guess it\u2019s not for me to announce something like that on behalf of someone, because they\u2019re the ones that have got to walk back into the locker room,\u201d Voss said on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t speak to how other coaches will go about that, but what I can say is how we would go about it \u2013 and I guess in that instance, we\u2019d choose not to make that sort of announcement. I don\u2019t feel like that\u2019s our role to do that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile I didn\u2019t necessarily read all the headlines around Oscar (Allen), I believe he came under a fair bit of heat \u2013 and I think that\u2019s probably a very good reason why we just temper the reason to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question from Fox Footy expert David King was whether Carlton had the right to be upset about Silvagni considering his options.<\/p>\n<p>Kingy slams Blues over Silvagni saga | 02:03<\/p>\n<p>Both the Blues and Magpies are believed to be offering four-year deals at around $650,000 a season &#8211; which will be around or just over the average AFL wage in those seasons &#8211; so it\u2019s not about cash. It\u2019s about which club the third-generation Blue thinks is best for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just think Carlton should just worry about what they can control. They had this player at their disposal for a long period of time, they\u2019ve never treated him the way he should\u2019ve been treated,\u201d King said on Fox Footy. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow he\u2019s a chance to leave, they\u2019re upset that another coach is talking about him positively? This is one of the great fumbles, it really is.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJack Silvagni should never be leaving Carlton. The Silvagni name means so much at Carlton, it shouldn\u2019t even be a discussion piece. He should\u2019ve had a role to play in this team. There\u2019s multiple teams coming for him now, so Carlton can be upset with other teams, but this is on them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asked if it reflected poorly on the Blues, King said: \u201cOne hundred per cent it does. \u2018Vossy\u2019 can say what he likes, but if it meant getting that player to my club and I\u2019m Craig McRae, I\u2019m having the first date \u2013 and a second and third \u2013 until he comes to my club.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silvagni is an unrestricted free agent and Carlton cannot stop him from joining the Magpies if he wants to.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey (the Pies) are telling their ageing players: \u2018We bring in players like Jack Silvagni on $650,000 a year for four years, it prolongs your career because it keeps us in the window\u2019,\u201d the Herald Sun\u2019s Jon Ralph said on Fox Footy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo the likes of (Scott) Pendlebury, (Steele) Sidebottom and (Jeremy) Howe are absolutely happy to accept those bottom-dollar deals, (Brody) Mihocek is holding out for a two-year deal on better money and Darcy Cameron something similar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSilvagni passed his Pies medical, they\u2019re really happy with his body even though he only averages 12 games a year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pragmatic McRae not worried despite loss | 08:11<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean everyone at Collingwood is thrilled, because with Silvagni added onto their tight salary cap, several other premiership stars could either be forced out or forced to accept less money to stay. The likes of Mihocek and Cameron could depart while Jamie Elliott is still seeking a larger offer.<\/p>\n<p>But, given the Pies\u2019 sudden defensive question marks, adding Silvagni to a backline still missing the medically-retired Nathan Murphy could be worth the squeeze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe (Silvagni) would love what he\u2019s seeing. He\u2019d love to play for Collingwood,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowe on one side, Silvagni on the other, both kick on either foot beautifully \u2013 they\u2019re as good with the ball coming in in term of intercepting as they are with it going the other way on counterpunch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTen goals from defensive half tonight (in the loss to Brisbane) is not them. They need their kickers and the guys who can intercept and get the game going the other way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>PIES\u2019 \u2018ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM\u2019 AS STAR RECRUIT \u2018NOT THE PLAYER THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GETTING\u2019<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s an \u201celephant in the room\u201d at Collingwood. And it revolves around its star recruit Dan Houston. <\/p>\n<p>Houston has been below is brilliant, dual All-Australian best in the black and white stripes after arriving last off-season to add another weapon across half-back in Craig McRae\u2019s side. <\/p>\n<p>But it hasn\u2019t been the smoothest transition to a more balanced, system Magpies defence after he was largely Port\u2019s designated kicker and quarterback.<\/p>\n<p>The 28-year old has averaged 16.5 disposals, 3.7 marks and 2.9 rebound 50s in 16 games this year \u2014 his lowest returns since his second AFL season in 2018 \u2014 while his 2025 has also been disrupted by suspension and injury.<\/p>\n<p>It included Houston being largely a non-factor in Saturday night\u2019s loss to Brisbane, registering only 11 disposals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe elephant in the room, to be blunt, at Collingwood, is Dan Houston,\u201d chief Herald Sun reporter Jay Clark said on Fox Footy. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe really hasn\u2019t had a lot of impact across the season and tonight was pretty quiet again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morris kicks 6 as Lions down Pies | 02:26<\/p>\n<p>Collingwood\u2019s dominant form throughout the season in many ways papered over the cracks of Houston being down on his best. <\/p>\n<p>But now that McRae\u2019s troops have dropped three of their last four games, it\u2019s hard to ignore Houston hasn\u2019t been the player they brought in at the expense of John Noble, Joe Richards and a first-round pick in that mega trade. <\/p>\n<p>Tigers champion Jack Riewoldt went so far to say Houston wasn\u2019t playing at a best 23 level now that Collingwood has gotten back to near fill strength. Not that Riewoldt thinks Houston would actually get dropped. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Dan Houston at, at the moment?,\u201d Tigers champion Jack Riewoldt said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s not the player that Collingwood thought they were going to get; that attacking half-backer that could roll up into the midfield and be that damaging, prodigious kick. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know whether he\u2019s there, week one of the finals, at the moment. He\u2019s not playing to a standard \u2026 he doesn\u2019t fit into the Collingwood mould. I think they\u2019ll play him, but I don\u2019t know whether he\u2019s in their best 23. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m worried about how he fits into their mould. And we\u2019ve seen this with Lachie Schultz, so maybe it does take time for Dan Houston.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riewoldt thinks the gun recruit is struggling to \u201cgel to the style\u201d McRae wants his side to play, suggesting Houston could benefit from getting moved to the wing or in the midfield.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDan Houston is a run and gun defender, and at the moment, Collingwood are the long-down-the-line side that generate their speed through pretty straight ball movement,\u201d Riewoldt added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI see Dan Houston as a line-breaker, and that\u2019s what we saw at Port Adelaide \u2014 a multiple All-Australian. He\u2019s the change-of-direction player that takes it from one side (of the ground) to the other.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe he needs to go to the wing or on-ball. Maybe he\u2019s that player that can roll next to Nick Daicos. We\u2019ve seen Josh Daicos go in the middle and give them a different look. Maybe it\u2019s time to pull the Dan Houston cord and get him into the middle of the ground to give them that running power and prodigious kicking centre-forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s clearly low on confidence at the moment. I think there was a piece of play late (against Brisbane) where just handballed just to get it out of his own hands \u2014 and I look at that as someone who should want to get the ball 25 times. Every time there is a Collingwood mark, I would love to see Dan Houston just getting past, handball receive, demanding the footy. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not seeing that, at the moment. It\u2019s like a ticking time bomb when it gets in his hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Day ruled out for rest of 2025 season | 01:33<\/p>\n<p>Kangaroos legend David King thinks Houston should remain at half-back and that \u201cyou start with challenging the player to be better\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t see him playing anywhere else. He\u2019s a half-backer. They know what they\u2019ve bought, they just need to challenge him to be better, and get involved more. I think he waits for the game to come to him,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s had a poor season. You\u2019re there to do more than just kick the ball out. That\u2019s not really a high-level function. I\u2019d like to see him get his speed up and going, I\u2019d love to see his GPS. Is he doing the kilometres in game that are going to bring 25 touches?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A CONTENTIOUS RULE MIGHT\u2019VE QUIETLY BEEN \u2018REDEFINED\u2019\u2026 KEY BACKS ARE NOW \u2018ON NOTICE\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Gerard Healy could hardly believe his eyes on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>No pundit has campaigned harder for a stricter interpretation of the push in the back rule than Fox Footy expert Healy.<\/p>\n<p>And during the Melbourne-West Coast clash at Marvel Stadium, the Brownlow Medallist claimed there was a notable and, from his perspective, pleasing change to how the rule was officiated.<\/p>\n<p>The first signs came late in the first quarter when Eagles ruck Bailey Williams was penalised for a push in the back on the goalline against Max Gawn.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGerard will be happy with that,\u201d Fox Footy analyst Jordan Lewis promptly quipped while Healy was sitting next to him in the commentary box.<\/p>\n<p>Healy replied: \u201cI\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s coincidence, but ever since Greg Swann has been in the chair, the push in the back would appear to have become a rule again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Ross is right&#8217; on push in the back rule | 01:50<\/p>\n<p>A quarter later, Demon Bayley Fritsch was awarded a push in the back free kick after receiving contact from Harry Edwards, leading to a Melbourne major.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, I feel for the youngster (Edwards), because he\u2019s been watching footy like the rest of us and they haven\u2019t been paying it for five years,\u201d Healy cheekily said.<\/p>\n<p>Then in the third term, Edwards and teammate Rhett Bazzo were both penalised for back pushes on Harry Petty and Jacob van Rooyen respectively, with the two Demons players subsequently converting their set-shots.<\/p>\n<p>By this time, all of Lewis, Healy and Saints great Leigh Montagna were convinced there\u2019d been an interpretation tweak.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll key defenders are on notice now,\u201d Montagna told Fox Footy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t mind it, but the interpretation change this late in the season \u2026 The players are so used to being able to do that, it\u2019s hard to change habits in-season,\u201d he said<\/p>\n<p>Healy, however, said he was \u201chopeful it wasn\u2019t an outlier\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reality is for too long, this has been interpreted as \u2018holding your ground\u2019: van Rooyen is in the contest then out of the contest because of the push,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if you take the front spot, you\u2019re entitled for protection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Healy, 24 hours later, was on deck for Fox Footy\u2019s broadcast of the St Kilda-North Melbourne clash at Marvel Stadium, declaring that it \u201clooked like the push in the back had been redefined and brought back a dozen years\u201d on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>The former Swans and Demons star then asked Saints coach Ross Lyon whether he\u2019d experienced similar frustrations with the rule in recent times.<\/p>\n<p>Lyon told Fox Footy: \u201cI\u2019ve been struggling to get my head around the rule and I was a slow mover to it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe played GWS Gather Round and we got monstered. Our forwards just \u2026 and I was like \u2018they\u2019re in the back\u2019. But \u2018no you can shove as hard as you want in the back \u2013 as long as it\u2019s low \u2013 and you mark or spoil the ball\u2019. I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s advantageous and encourages people to play in front and attack the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ross jokes about Saints fans&#8217; NAS signs | 09:15<\/p>\n<p>Lyon\u2019s claim caught Healy somewhat off-guard, but said the premise of his point was correct.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d have to double check with what Ross is saying because you\u2019re not allowed to push, bump or block in a marking contest \u2013 unless you get back to the ball \u2013 but you\u2019re not allowed to push in the back full stop,\u201d Healy said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure where or how Ross has got that information, but we will be clarifying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I do know is that Ross is right: There\u2019s no point playing in front at the present time \u2013 or there hasn\u2019t been until this weekend \u2013 because you just get shoved out. Yet on Saturday, it was like it was a different rule \u2013 and it was the right rule. It was if you play in front you get protection from the push in the back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhether Greg Swann has had a say, I don\u2019t know. But something changed (on Saturday) and the whole world was there to see it. It was in Sydney again (on Saturday) night and it filtered through pretty quickly as there was no incidents in the Collingwood-Brisbane game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s hope that\u2019s the way it\u2019s going to be interpreted, get back to hands in the back and get back to \u2026 the bloke who dares play in front, give him the reward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2018CULTURE OVER EVERYTHING\u2019: BLITZ THAT SUMS UP NICKS\u2019 PLAN FOR CROWS RISE<\/p>\n<p>The art of coaching, hey?<\/p>\n<p>Last round, Adam Kingsley delivered an almighty half-time spray to Giants players. It led to a bonkers nine-goal third-quarter blitz against Sydney and a 79-point turnaround.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday night, after his Crows had conceded the first five goals of their match against Hawthorn, Matthew Nicks delivered anything but a spray. Instead, he calmly gathered the troops and took the opportunity to, in the Adelaide coach\u2019s own words, \u201ceyeball each other and take a deep breath\u201d without flare.<\/p>\n<p>The result? A breathtaking second quarter by the Crows, who slammed on 6.6 while keeping Hawthorn scoreless. Adelaide would then see enough another Hawthorn surge in the second half to run out 14-point winners, putting the club in an excellent spot to finish inside the top two.<\/p>\n<p>Down 26&#8230; No Problem for Crows | 03:06<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople have spoken glowingly about Adam Kingsley delivering a spray that brought GWS back. There are different ways to do it,\u201d Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall told Fox Footy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is just the other end of the spectrum, a bit of calmness saying: \u2018Guys hang on, we\u2019re not switched on, we haven\u2019t done the things that have made us a good team. Let\u2019s get back to doing what we know works.\u2019 They did that in the second term and got back on top.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nicks joked to Fox Footy post-game he was \u201cnice and calm\u201d in the coaches box during the first quarter. In reality, he would\u2019ve loved to have called a timeout.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were hanging in until quarter-time and we were playing against a very good side who, if you give them momentum and energy, they\u2019re as good as any,\u201d Nicks said post-match.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were just screaming out for that quarter-time break, more so to come together and eyeball each other and take a deep breath.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Skipper Jordan Dawson \u2013 who was instrumental in the Crows flipping the script in the second quarter, lauded his coach\u2019s composure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe haven\u2019t had too many quarters like that this year. He was really calm, really measured, just \u2018back to our process, keep trusting each other in our roles\u2019 \u2014 which we\u2019ve been doing awesome the whole year, but we went away from that and we got a little bit too sucked into the contest,\u201d Dawson told Fox Footy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnbelievable to turn it around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dawson also pointed to \u201cthe maturity of the group\u201d being key to the Crows\u2019 surge. <\/p>\n<p>Nicks hails maturity in finals atmos | 10:46<\/p>\n<p>That maturity has been orchestrated by Nicks, who\u2019s \u201cbuilt relationships and values culture over everything\u201d, according to Adelaide legend Mark Ricciuto.<\/p>\n<p>Nicks believes \u201cgetting the right people to our footy club is one of our strengths at this club\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBack in 2020 when we won the wooden spoon \u2013 and it was challenging for everyone \u2013 we said \u2018just give us time, because we want to get this right\u2019. Then we get the right people around,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReal high-end characters like Jordan Dawson \u2026 bring in Murray Davis, have Michael Godden \u2013 superstar of South Australian footy \u2013 in amongst our group, bring in the players we have like (James) Peatling and (Isaac) Cumming, (Alex) Neal-Bullen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can just look at them in a break and just know \u2018we can turn this around\u2019. It\u2019s never guaranteed, but we did it tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The patience has paid off.<\/p>\n<p>Nicks in his first three seasons at the club led the Crows to just 18 wins from 60 games. This year, with three home and away rounds left, they\u2019ve notched 15 wins and are well placed to earn a home qualifying final.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s clear the Crows haven\u2019t lost belief in Nicks \u2013 and vice versa.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople get frustrated, supporters get impatient \u2026 but it takes a long time to turn around things,\u201d Dunstall said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re down at the wrong end of the table, to then get yourself in a position to win flags \u2013 you don\u2019t do that overnight, you don\u2019t do it in 12 months.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey worked hard to build a squad, to build a fitness in that squad to develop the gameplan that they think stands in them in good stead. Now we\u2019re finding it\u2019s easily repeatable, it works and they\u2019re getting confidence and belief in each other and what they\u2019re doing. Now they find themselves at the top of the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a team and club that appears to have, on-field at least, very few weaknesses from what we\u2019re seeing. Strong in defence, strong in attack and we know there\u2019s class in the midfield and depth they can rotate through there to great effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dunstall declared there\u2019s \u201cevery reason to think they (the Crows) can go deep into September\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re growing in confidence and belief \u2013 and that\u2019s important, because from where they\u2019ve come from they haven\u2019t had this belief before,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut they\u2019ve committed to the path, they\u2019re seeing the fruits of the labour and it pays handsome dividends. They\u2019ve got great confidence when you look around on each line, they think \u2018gee there are players here that can get us where we need to go\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crows win 6th straight in Hawks thriller | 03:10<\/p>\n<p>20YO NOW A \u2018BONA FIDE STAR\u2019 AS SCARY TRADE REALITY LOOMS<\/p>\n<p>Do the Lions really need Oscar Allen?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the question many Brisbane fans would\u2019ve been asking in the wake of second-year forward Logan Morris\u2019 latest eye-catching display.<\/p>\n<p>Morris, 20, on Saturday night delivered in a mega match-up, booting a career-high 6.0 from 14 disposals and six marks in the Lions\u2019 mighty win over Collingwood at the MCG. It took his season tally to 40.14 from 19 games.<\/p>\n<p>Arguably the most impressive aspect of Morris\u2019 2025 campaign has been the fact that his four best performances in front of goal have all come against finals contenders. Before booting six straight majors against Collingwood, he also booted 5.1 against Geelong, 5.1 against the Giants and 4.0 against the Western Bulldogs.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, the Lions picked this guy up at Pick 31 two years ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis man is starting to become a bona fide star of the game,\u201d triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt told Fox Footy. \u201cHis ability to find space, aerially I don\u2019t think anyone in the competition is as good as him when the ball goes nice and high.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lions coach Chris Fagan was particularly thrilled with Morris\u2019 game against Collingwood seven days after a poor 0.1 from two touches against Gold Coast.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s an outstanding young player,\u201d Fagan told Fox Footy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was really disappointed with his performance last week. He was really harsh on himself in his own review.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike all good players do, they find a way to respond and he stood up tonight. He\u2019s an amazing player for a bloke of his age. To do what he\u2019s done, he was massive for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fagan chuffed after huge win over Pie | 11:04<\/p>\n<p>The Lions all season have been heavily linked to West Coast captain Allen, who\u2019s now widely expected to walk to the Lions as a restricted free agent.<\/p>\n<p>Morris\u2019 brilliant start to his career will almost certainly not deter the Lions from signing Allen. Instead, it\u2019ll give Brisbane an even more dynamic edge forward of centre \u2013 a scary thought considering the Lions are in a great position to go back-to-back this year,<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything\u2019s been made of Joe Daniher, who\u2019s not there this year. We\u2019ve been looking for Sam Day, we\u2019ve been looking at the two-ruck situation, we saw Henry Smith tonight \u2013 the shoes are starting to be filled by Logan Morris,\u201d Riewoldt said.<\/p>\n<p>The Lions now seemed destined for a top-four finish \u2013 one year after their ascension to premiers. The key theme of their 2024 campaign was if you\u2019re skating on thin ice, you may as well dance on it.<\/p>\n<p>Asked what this year\u2019s theme was, Fagan told Fox Footy: \u201cIt varies different weeks, but one we\u2019ve had lately is a bit of \u2018run towards the fire\u2019. You know, teams are coming at us because we won the premiership, well we\u2019ll run straight back at them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love the way we attacked the game tonight, we played some bold footy. It can be an intimidating environment here at the MCG when you\u2019re playing Collingwood and there\u2019s about 70,000 of their fans making a big noise. I thought we were brave tonight \u2026 Every time they came at us, we were able to respond.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re an amazing group of players \u2026 To carry themselves the way that they have this year throughout the season with pressure being on them because we\u2019re the premiership team last year, I reckon we\u2019ve shown great resilience to be honest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHopefully we can keep it going, wins like tonight really boost the confidence and make you believe you can do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Carlton is staring down \u201cone of the great fumbles\u201d with a favourite son, but his reported next club&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41195,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-41194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}