00:00:00
Speaker 1: It's the Code AFL Show.

00:00:01
Speaker 2: Josh Barnes is hit with Ed Burke and j Clark and we're going to get straight into it.

00:00:05
Speaker 1: Jay.

00:00:05
Speaker 2: We're starting seemilarly, as we always do these days with Essendon. A big story from Scotty Gallen this week that Dean Solomon is the preferred candidate of Andrew Welsh. We've already had some issues with the process and James Hurd sort of over running it.

00:00:17
Speaker 1: Now Dean Solomon seems we overrunning it. What's going on in essen what's the latest?

00:00:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, fascinating situation.

00:00:22
Speaker 4: Great story from Scotty g So he's basically said that the president's best mate, one of them is the front runner for the Essenon job. If he is the preferred candidate, then he must be the front runner for the bomber's job.

00:00:38
Speaker 1: Now.

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Speaker 4: I would like to think that Eston fans would want there to be more a process than a captain's peak of a best mate. So I think Sally, you know, has got to work some magic over the back half of the season.

00:00:53
Speaker 3: They've got to put performances on.

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Speaker 4: The field that would suggest that he should be the man to take it over full time.

00:00:58
Speaker 3: I think they're going to.

00:00:59
Speaker 4: Have to run some sort of proper process with a number of candidates. I think heard he's still waiting by his phone. I don't think he's got the call yet, so that still hasn't happened. But yeah, if Dean Solomon is the front runner for that gig, you think he's still got a bit of work to do.

00:01:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, And it's a small stample size, but they're averaging fifty seven points a game under Solomon three games. That's worse than Richmond for the lost in the entire league if that was over the whole season.

00:01:23
Speaker 1: So they've been not very good under him.

00:01:25
Speaker 2: The five point loss had last week is the closest of his six losses as an interim coach. Went back to Gold Coast as well, the only time it's less than five goals. He doesn't have a great track record. Wild Ethendon pick.

00:01:34
Speaker 5: Him as a Gold Coast went that high scoring under him either, although the Wills had really fallen off at that point in the Sun's season when he was caretaking coach. It looks like it has been a stemle the bleeding approach to kind of picking up Essendon. They're trying to work on that defense of the whole ground. It's probably made the games that they've played him look a little dour and a little slow moving so far. There was a bit of that flavor under Brad Scott just before the end of his tenure as well, and it's how they beat Melbourne in gather Round. So I think we'll expect more of that from us at the end of the until the end of the season. But playing that brand of footy it isn't the best audition for the job you would have thought.

00:02:06
Speaker 4: I think it's going to be looking at a more of a structural piece with its coaching search. Like when Brad Scott was in charge, he was very much as an autocratic structure.

00:02:16
Speaker 3: He was the big dog, wasn't he.

00:02:17
Speaker 4: I think in terms of this next coach, they'd be looking broadly at a coaching group. So it's like, right, if someonmon's the man or someone's a man, you know, can they bring in Ken Hinckley above or to assist as a director. Then can they go and get the best emerging senior assistant like a Corey en Right or a Jamie Graham. I think they'd be looking at at a flatter structure and more of a trium for it, or more a beefed up group rather than just one man. So I don't think they'll be looking at this as sort of a single person. I'll be thinking they'll be looking at more as a broad spectrum and who are the people they can bring in broadly to help lead this footy team up the ladder, because there's still a couple of years to more pain, wasn't it. I mean, this is not going to turn around overnight, so it still could be a couple of It could be a difficult tour three years ahead. I mean the Sullivan Rabies and Dyson Sharps, they've once they've played sixty seventy games, that's when we can see more uplift and under the Hawthorne model, you know, see Mitchell had a what was it, Route sixty six, a sixty six game plan, So three seasons away potentially.

00:03:14
Speaker 2: If they have to do all that work around a new senior coach. Is that denigrating him as a coach from the outset.

00:03:21
Speaker 3: As in Solomon?

00:03:22
Speaker 1: Yeah?

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Speaker 4: No, I just think it's recognition that in the AFL these days, it's silly to think that.

00:03:26
Speaker 3: One man's going to fix all your problems.

00:03:28
Speaker 4: I think we see there's so much resource and support need across an AFL club, So I think they'd be looking at the experience.

00:03:36
Speaker 3: I mean under Brad Scott, who were the assistants.

00:03:38
Speaker 4: Daniel jensu Accuser left and then they had to get someone from their board in Solomon and then Ben Jacobs still relatively new, although Brad Scott was a big fan. So I think they need more experience in acumen generally speaking across.

00:03:51
Speaker 3: That whole group.

00:03:53
Speaker 2: You said some fans would want to process. Otherwise we're just going to get a captain speak which we could be headed out anyway.

00:03:58
Speaker 1: Why do you think they need something like a process if they may have already made up their mind.

00:04:02
Speaker 3: I think they need to compare some candidates.

00:04:04
Speaker 4: So I think James Hurt is someone that the estin football club really should speak to because I mean, I think the theory is because he hasn't coached, you know, his own team in such a long time, he's a bit out of the game.

00:04:16
Speaker 3: We'll go down and sit down and speak to him.

00:04:17
Speaker 4: I think get a thorough understanding of what his motivations are, where he's at, what his plans would be, who he would bring and then you know, can you speak and get in front of John long Moira as well and the best young assistant coaches, Like I think you need a really broad and deep understanding of who is available, who is out there, And that's essentially what we're seeing the process Carlton run through.

00:04:40
Speaker 3: You know, they're trying to gather the.

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Speaker 4: Six the best, six to eight best sort of coaching candidates, and they'd be trying to get a thorough understanding of what they think, how they operate, you know, who is the next Craig McCrae.

00:04:50
Speaker 3: So Aston though it.

00:04:52
Speaker 4: Does seem like I don't know, I just don't know that anyone's really confident about what's going to happen in the red and black situation.

00:04:58
Speaker 5: Old question whether they had a full understand ending of who was actually out there when they replaced Yance or Accuser. It seemed like it was like, oh, well, we'll just have to move the n Solomon off the board.

00:05:07
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:05:07
Speaker 5: In the coach again, I think that's already had a bit of an itel. What could happen during the season.

00:05:11
Speaker 4: Was it an act of desperation or did you think that Andrew Welsh might have thought that even back then he could be the senior coach.

00:05:17
Speaker 1: I think.

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Speaker 5: I think maybe they didn't look as hard for a senior assistant from around the tracks as they route. Well potentially, but maybe they just thought Dan Solmon's ready to return to coaching. It'd be great to have him on the planet.

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Speaker 3: He's a very popular figure inside that footing club.

00:05:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, you mentioned Carlton, which is an interesting in comparison. They dumped their coach basically two weeks beforehand. They're winning now and then things are looking a lot brighter at Carlton, and there's no noise coming out of there at all at the moment, even though they're supposedly two weeks ahead in their process.

00:05:44
Speaker 1: We're not hearing a thing out of Carlton.

00:05:46
Speaker 2: So what does you say about Essen and that we're still talking about and we're still questioning where we're talking about a potentially chambollot process.

00:05:52
Speaker 1: It hasn't even begun yet. Well where's this club at?

00:05:54
Speaker 4: I think we're just waiting for some more clarity. So Carlton the provides some information around what doing. So we've got a line of sight there, but I don't really think we have a you know, they haven't come forward with any information, and that could really happen over the next Over the next seven days, they providing more information about that process, so we all look forward to that, and yeah, it's kind of interesting to see what route they go down, particularly in regards to John longmo who's seemingly sitting out one out, one back at this point.

00:06:24
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'd be cautious with the S and one.

00:06:26
Speaker 2: Just as you said, it's two years probably of losing at least before you start picking up.

00:06:30
Speaker 1: And that's where.

00:06:30
Speaker 2: You've got to be worried if you're the coach, if you go what five and thirty five in your first two seasons, and you might not survive.

00:06:36
Speaker 4: So I'll flip it to would essenon appeal Do you think to John longmoy we know he's on one eye on the tazzy job as well with potentially some of the politics that everyone talks about, you know, is that would the bomb's job appealed to him? Do you think up to both of.

00:06:49
Speaker 2: You, I wouldn't imagine it would appeal to a retread coach. If that makes sense. You're probably going back thinking either Cha's manual is going to turn very quickly or you can turn a club very quickly. I just don't how you can turn us and in that quickly and you're not probably playing finals for two three years. So it's a long long road when you've already done it before.

00:07:08
Speaker 5: I think Tazzi is still potentially alonger road. I don't know if it's going to be as easy as the jump that we saw JWS have after four years. Don't know if it's going to be as quick as.

00:07:17
Speaker 3: That wants to quick jump. The AFL wants them to be more competitive. Whether they can or not will be interesting.

00:07:23
Speaker 1: Yeah, from one powerhouse to another.

00:07:25
Speaker 2: Let's look at Collingwood another great Scotty gun story last week about where they're at, where their list building is at.

00:07:29
Speaker 1: What was your big shakeaway from that? Jane, where do you think Collywood?

00:07:32
Speaker 5: Oh?

00:07:32
Speaker 4: I just find the situation around Nick day KOs and the list really interesting. So we know that they're really keen on locking Neil and potentially looking at their key.

00:07:40
Speaker 3: Forward options as well.

00:07:41
Speaker 4: Collingwood need to be competitive, well, Nick da KOs is there if they're not, If they are bottom four team and are looking at rebuilding, I just don't think that Nick day KOs would be keen on staying and that deal is going to expire in a couple of years. So I think, well, Nick da KOs is there. They need to be staying in the premiership window and I think colling would feel like the big club they are. They can continue to attract the free agents and potentially the other mature age players. It can help be a Geelong essentially and keep them up there without having to go back down. Because once you do go back down, it can take a long time to come up and we've seen that.

00:08:22
Speaker 3: So I reckon the magpiles would be looking at that route and just thinking we don't want to do that.

00:08:26
Speaker 4: So Nick Daikos, I think is pretty central to it all because Tasmania is one club and others.

00:08:31
Speaker 3: You know, was it a gold Coast, would it be a Hawthorn. We'll try and knock on that door.

00:08:35
Speaker 2: So you think a guy with obviously the stature in the name, he's already won a premiership, would get feat that itchy if Collingwood starts falling out of the flag window.

00:08:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I think so.

00:08:44
Speaker 4: I mean, I think Nick is an incredibly competitive person who wants to have team success and win premierships. He's arguably the best player in the comp or certainly one of the top couple. I mean, if Colin would have going to rebuild from the situation they're at, how long does that wipe him out for these are the prime years of his career. Yeah, I don't think he's going into Justin Leaperch's office and saying, hey, we should hit the draft.

00:09:03
Speaker 3: For the next four or five years.

00:09:05
Speaker 4: He's saying, how do we get Zach Butter's how do we get Matt Rau? So if you miss out on the Zach Butter sweepstakes, does that put you in a really strong position to go for route next year if the Suns continue to struggle. So I think Das wants to win games and win flakes.

00:09:19
Speaker 1: That realistic, ed.

00:09:19
Speaker 2: I mean, he could play for twenty years and he wants to be Everyone wants to be Joel Sale and have been played contention for fifteen to sixen years. But it's not that possible at most clubs to stay up for that long. He has to have some patience, doesn't he.

00:09:31
Speaker 1: Sure?

00:09:32
Speaker 5: I think the one thing I would be thinking if I was him, looking at the least Builders, well they can get Locky New or they can go for Matt row a year after. But they don't get a quality key forward in in the next year or two, then I don't think things can really turn for them. So they really need to make sure they do get Ben King or get Joela Marty or Hayden McLean from Sydney. I feel like on that front they have to be really proactive.

00:09:53
Speaker 4: I think they're a club you can have it both ways. They can keep the top draft picks, as Craig Kelly's been saying, and appeal to the free agents, so then you sort of get both.

00:10:02
Speaker 3: Licks of that ice cream. And that's what we've seen Geelong do in recent years as well.

00:10:05
Speaker 2: Yeah, they have to be in that free agent market because they don't have anything to trade really, especially if they're holding that first round pick, then they don't have really anything to give up. If those mystical theories about Jed Walter are there, because Sons aren't going to accept anything less than high picks for him.

00:10:18
Speaker 3: Well, that's the thing.

00:10:19
Speaker 4: I don't know how the Welter thing works at Collingwood because they've been so adamant we're going to keep our pick, so he's going to cost them at least one early one. So is it more Joel of Maarti or someone like that who's a free agent they can give for nothing.

00:10:32
Speaker 1: Huge game for them against its weekend. Where are they this year? Jay?

00:10:36
Speaker 2: Do you think can they give it a shake in the top ten? Are they just a middle of the road type.

00:10:40
Speaker 3: It's fascinating.

00:10:40
Speaker 4: I mean they've certainly shown against some of the quality teams that can still be competitive, but it relies heavily on that defense. They're not a high scoring team. They need to suffocate other teams and against the best sides. You know, earlier in this season they can I think broadly speed.

00:10:56
Speaker 3: I mean they weren't. I didn't have him in the top ten at the start of the year.

00:10:59
Speaker 4: I had killed up ahead of them, so I didn't have high expectations for them. But you know, on their day, if Dagos takes over with de Goi, Pendlebury is still clearly there. They need Darcy wallback. He's so crucial. We know maynards out. They had had troubles with their injuries in that regard. So Darcy Moore, who hasn't finished top ten and their best in feeros for a couple of years now. He's just absolutely crucial for them to be competitive. But I still give them an outside chance to be able to win.

00:11:30
Speaker 3: A final or two.

00:11:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I think they're probably about where we thought we'd be. We love new segments on the Code AFI Show, and we've got a new one here because at Code Sports this week we're calling out bs in sport all over the place and I'm going to call some bs.

00:11:42
Speaker 1: Let us know yours code sports dot Com do to call some.

00:11:44
Speaker 2: I'm going to start us off, fellas, how on earth were the umpires wearing blue in the North Melbourne West Coast game on the weekend? Makes zero sense? I thought, oh, this is just a one time stuff up.

00:11:53
Speaker 1: I looked it up.

00:11:54
Speaker 2: On the weekend in March twenty twenty three there were complaints about North Melbourne West Coast game where the umpires war and they did the exact same thing, exact same outfits, exact same again.

00:12:03
Speaker 1: I don't know how this is possible. I don't know how you do that. I don't know where the red tops have gone for the umpire. So I'm calling BS on that.

00:12:10
Speaker 5: Did they look at the fixture and go West Coast home game and invent some kick that North Melbourne was going to be wearing, not realizing that it was a North Melbourne hosting situation.

00:12:20
Speaker 2: Well, clearly they couldn't wear the lime green or the yellow because the West Coast were in yellow, so they couldn't clash there.

00:12:25
Speaker 1: But they used to have a lot of different colors.

00:12:27
Speaker 4: For a move. One someone who's made a lot of fashion mistakes myself, and I've got a bit of empathy with the umpires.

00:12:33
Speaker 3: Maybe someone's just out of mere that day. Have they got lost in.

00:12:36
Speaker 1: The washed Yeah? Any bs from you from the weekend?

00:12:40
Speaker 5: Yes, I am calling it. I'm not sure if this is quite how the segment works. Obviously, we're working through it. I'm calling BS on Carson's wild card round chances.

00:12:49
Speaker 1: Oh okay, I'm sorry to Blues fans.

00:12:51
Speaker 5: I think they'll get handed a reality check against GWS this week. The Giants will have steam coming out of their ears after failing to get it done on Sunday afternoon, and I think home games then Carton coming off the bar. It's going to be really difficult for the Blues. They've got a pretty tough run home and there's a bit of quality around them. Back a team like sink Kilda and make the ten and even back in North Melbourne have got a slightly easier run.

00:13:12
Speaker 3: I reckon I agree with you there, Ed.

00:13:14
Speaker 4: I call beas on clubs and senior coaches saying, we definitely will not trade such and such a playo.

00:13:20
Speaker 3: You know.

00:13:21
Speaker 4: Damian Aldvick says, we're definitely not trading Jed Walter or Bailey Humphrey. While I'm as coach well having gone through the Brad Scott experience with Zach Merritt, So this time last year, late last year's apoplectic about the whole trade stories you're writing and will Zach Merritt go. He was going crazy about that. And then he goes on TV and says.

00:13:39
Speaker 3: Oh no, I guess what I wanted to punt into. Can't come on, Brad.

00:13:42
Speaker 4: So I call bs on coaches saying, we definitely don't want to get rid of him because I think the reality at times can be a little bit different.

00:13:49
Speaker 2: You bring a lot to the table, Jane, you bring great seguay. That's a perfect one for us to talk about Gold Coast next and Bailey Humphrey and all that jazz. There you go the Suns in our run home, which will be live on Code Sports As you watch this, Chris Cavanaugh has them missing the top ten this year, slanting out, not playing finals even an expanded one. They were at seven and six in Hardwick's versus in twenty twenty four, eight and five last year and there at seven six again, so there don't seem to be improving. Bailey Humphrey is probably going to make noise about leaving. Ben King still hasn't signed on Jed Walter. We don't know what's going on with him. Jay, what's going on with the Sun?

00:14:19
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean they've been hugely disappointing, haven't they? In their midfield has been extraordinary. The decline when you look at the names on paper, Roley Anderson and Petrarca eighteenth for clearance differential.

00:14:30
Speaker 3: I mean, it's been a.

00:14:30
Speaker 4: Really poor performance and it's almost hart Tigers twenty sixteen.

00:14:34
Speaker 3: So Hardwick's the right man for the job. He's been there.

00:14:37
Speaker 4: They face a crossroads really and how flat would the afl B They've won one final in sixteen years. They finally get a list together that looks like and have you know, genuinely contend or potentially go all the law a and they cough and splotter their way all throughout this season. So it's been really disappointing. The cohesion, the symmetry through the midfield's a problem. And he said, you know eighty percent of our premiership list is here. Well what if they start walking?

00:15:00
Speaker 3: King, etcetera.

00:15:01
Speaker 4: Bailey, Humphrey you mentioned, looks like he wants to get out this blame pool. He maybe gets dropped to the VFL. And as I said, Matt Rowl is the big worry for next year. He did the tour of the clubs last year. It was a close call for him. You know, Western Bulldogs, colored Richmond. So as I said, if you missed the butter sweepstakes, maybe you go well, you definitely go for rout next year. And if some of these big names walk out, then that would be a shattering blow for the Gold Coast Suns. We're hearing that. You know, Ben King's still more likely to stay, but he's a huge worry. They need to get it done on the field and I think dim It needs to stop having a crack at the umpires because that's not there's not in his top hundred problems.

00:15:36
Speaker 3: You know, get your own backyard wrong, I reckon.

00:15:38
Speaker 5: Yeah, even the players on the field are a bit too visibly hung up on the umpiring.

00:15:42
Speaker 2: In particular, was struggling with the umpires. I thought on Friday night, he's his overreactions I think towards the umpires quite regularly. Probably needs to have a look at that, I think. And Bailey Humphrey Edward, what's going on with him? We thought he was a star on the rise and he's flatlining at the moment.

00:15:59
Speaker 5: I think part of it might be that he's midfield minutes have been significantly reduced by Christian Petrarca coming up in the balance of that midfield means you can't go in there as much. But there also must be an element of the burden of expectation now that now that he's being linked to these trades. He met with clubs last year, he got sprung meeting with Melbourne. It seems like maybe he hasn't been able to cope with that spotlight as much so far this season.

00:16:19
Speaker 3: One of the more bizarre situations. I rang his manager that morning. I'm still still he's definitely not going to meet in the other club. He's knockout anywhere, but it's a Gold Coast Craig cabin.

00:16:29
Speaker 4: He said, yeah, He's then locked in and then literally within three hours and then.

00:16:35
Speaker 3: So what just have you seen this photo?

00:16:38
Speaker 4: So it still warned me quite confusing, So yeah, a bit of mixed messages there. I would think he's almost soon a return home to Victoria next year. I think there's and he wants to be closer to family, and he's certainly playing like it. I think Hawthorne is the front runner there. They want merit as well, but we also see, you know, they're still sniffing around Ben King. How they can get those three deals done without giving up anything. He's curious to me, So Mark McKenzie and Seeing Mitchill have to work some magic to get all those done.

00:17:06
Speaker 5: And I'm the das as well regarding Baile Hunter Frest still because they drafted his best mate Tom Matthews, who actually looks pretty handy and has been playing well in THEIRLFI.

00:17:15
Speaker 4: As In terms of destination clubs, how appealing is Melbourne at the moment. You know they've got a great training base which continues to be a problem for them, but they play an exciting game style. Stephen King looks a terrific young coach and you've got cold imagine playing with Cozy Picket or Melbourne ticking a lot of boxes at the moment.

00:17:33
Speaker 1: I think it'd be a fantastic fit at Melburn. I'm not trying to fits there.

00:17:36
Speaker 2: At Hawthorne they have similar forward mid ties, but at Melbourne he'd slot in playing next to Cozy excellently.

00:17:40
Speaker 3: Well that's a question what is he? We just is he midfield? Is he forward?

00:17:45
Speaker 4: It's a difficult position half forward and unless you're producing goals consistently or big possession talents you can get like can be starvation corner at times.

00:17:54
Speaker 2: Yeah, and Buttrakas sort of took that midfold spot almost off him now seeing no set abouts time basically at all Bailey, so he's on the outside looking in there.

00:18:01
Speaker 1: We'll leave it there, gents, but don't forget Jay.

00:18:03
Speaker 2: If you want to read all your fantastic content, we've got an end of financial your sale right now on code Spots. You can get twelve months for just nineteen dollars. That is an absolute bargain when you're reading the Tackle on a Monday morning every week. Can't get any better than that. There will be a link on the show notes to take the most of that deal. Read some of ed stuff as well. Make sure you're watching the Integrity Unit as well. See it's value for money to the nth degree on code Sports. So stick around and make sure you're reading on all that stuff.