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Supporting Collingwood would be a last resort for most rival supporters. But, this inspiring story involving coach Craig McRae might change your mind about the Magpies.

Craig McRae might have saved Shane Harris‘s life.

He certainly revitalized it.
In 2016 Harris, Richmond’s VFL property steward, was overweight and unmotivated and McRae was the Tigers’ new VFL coach.
So McRae would meet Harris at 4.45pm to walk laps of Punt Rd for an hour before training.
They would talk footy, team selection and life. At first it was one or two laps and Harris‘s legs and body would ache for days afterwards.
Three years later and they were powering through 10-12 laps.
“In 2019 walking those laps with him I lost 50kg,” Harris, 59, said this week.
“It was four sizes in shirts. I felt amazing. Whatever he gets out of football he deserves.”

Life is different for Harris thanks to McRae. He is happier and he is healthier.
“(McRae) just got me out of my shell and motivated me,” Harris said.
“It mentally got me going again. I’ve always said he’s my hero and my idol.
“I can’t thank him enough. Really, I can’t thank him enough.”
Everywhere McRae goes he makes people feel special. He is authentic, polite and a damn good football coach.

When McRae‘s AFL360 interview ended last week ‘Fly’ didn’t fly out of the Fox Footy studios.

Instead, he looked every cameraman in the eye and shook their hand before departing.

This year McRae, 48, has offered that same respect to several journalists after press conferences.

It might sound simple, but in that moment McRae makes you feel important. If that’s the media’s vibe, imagine how his own players must feel?

Probably like they want to play desperately for him. Like they don’t want to let him down. Like they will fight for every second until the siren sounds.

McRae and his Magpies have emerged as the story of the season. From 17th to fourth, this magic carpet ride has swept up football supporters of all clubs.
They’ve won 11 games by 11 points or less and they practice close finishes at the end of their training sessions.
They pretend there’s two minutes to go and ingrain how to play in various scenarios.
There’s a lot of yellow and black about the black and white game plan, too, as Tiger Jack Graham told the Herald Sun after the clubs faced off in round 8.“It was Richmond v Richmond, really, the way ‘Fly’ (Craig McRae) and ‘Leppa’ (Justin Leppitsch) coach,“ Graham said.

“How they move the ball with the corridor, we wanted to own it but they wanted to defend it and vice-versa.”

McRae recounted this week how he played Shakira‘s 2005 hit ’Hips Don’t Lie’ when showing a series of edits to his players where their hips were not in line with the goals.
At the Tigers, McCrae gifted his own 2019 VFL premiership medal to Jake Aarts, who missed the grand final through suspension.
It was a private Luke Beveridge-Bob Murphy moment between a coach and his devastated player.
Aarts has credited McRae with connecting Richmond — both the VFL and AFL programs and players and staff.
“It’s probably the biggest reason why we were so successful, both at AFL and VFL level, through Fly’s (McCrae) connection,” Aarts said last year.
One player coached by McCrae at the Tigers said: “It doesn’t matter if you’re the toilet cleaner or the reigning best-and-fairest – he treats everyone the same“.
Another said it felt like McRae was only coaching him – and not a long list of VFL and AFL players – such was his care factor.

When you mix McCrae‘s teaching tricks with his emotional bond it becomes clearer why you have to play every minute to beat his miraculous Magpies.
McRae‘s media bites are brilliant because they are so real. There’s countless examples.
When Jack Ginnivan became a human headline at the start of the season, McRae said: “To be honest I don’t care if he’s got Pink hair as long as he keeps playing his role and putting pressure on and getting under the opposition’s skin. There’s a role for that within the rules”.
Three weeks later and Ginnivan was the Anzac Day medallist, the teenager torching Essendon with five goals in front of 84,205 screaming fans.
When the Tigers beat the Magpies, McRae said: “I said to the players, I feel we are eight rounds in and it‘s eight dates into a relationship. (Richmond) are more like married with three kids”.

After the Magpies’ only real poor performance for the season, a 48-point loss to the Western Bulldogs under the Friday night nights, McRae texted his assistants on Sunday and decided to drill into the positives rather than dwell on what went horribly wrong.
Bingo. They won their next 11 games, becoming just the second Collingwood team in 57 years to get on such a roll.

Last week McRae offered up a windscreen wiper analogy to his troops when Carlton led by four goals at the final change.
“I’m really big on, to use this windscreen wiper analogy, moving things to the side,” McRae said.
“A lot of stuff was out of our control in the third quarter. I thought the rub of the green sort of went their way with decisions that were maybe not there.
“Oh well, that happens, wipe it away, stay present, move on. It was a bit of removing what was and then let’s get our eyes on hey, this is what we do, let’s be really aggressive with our ball movement and see what happens.”

Footy legend Leigh Matthews, who coached McRae at Brisbane, loved its simplicity.

““I just was really taken with that analogy,” Matthews said.

“ You can’t be too complicated with players. It was a fantastic choice of words.”
Was going to post this story yesterday also. What an amazing human Fly is. :hearteyes:
 

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The Tiggies board is in uproar about harsh treatment from the media. "It was consensual", "She didn't complain" - sounds a little familiar?

Regardless of one's opinion on each incident, I just want the treatment to be the same.

De Goey was crucified and I would argue Martin's video is "worse" than De Goey's. De Goey was even later shown flirting with the woman in his video. The woman herself came out and said there was no issue with the incident on her end.

So I would argue Martin should cop it worse than De Goey, but let's be real...he won't.

I'm more curious about who leaked it and why now?

If this video is from 2017, why now? Richmond played finals in 2018, 2019 and 2020. So why leak it now? Is it really from 2017?
 
I had a conversation with a work colleague 2 days ago where she was saying she cannot go out anywhere, shops, nightclubs, bars, public transport etc without someone going up to her and hitting on her and that groping happened a lot too. She then told me that this is the same with every one of her female friends. It opened my eyes a bit cos I never realised it was that bad.

The media bringing up this video right now is actually an indictment on the media because they are using it for clicks before the finals, but its also an opportunity to point out that this type of behaviour is just not on. It wont happen because of who the person who groped is.
 
Regardless of one's opinion on each incident, I just want the treatment to be the same.

De Goey was crucified and I would argue Martin's video is "worse" than De Goey's. De Goey was even later shown flirting with the woman in his video. The woman herself came out and said there was no issue with the incident on her end.

So I would argue Martin should cop it worse than De Goey, but let's be real...he won't.

I'm more curious about who leaked it and why now?

If this video is from 2017, why now? Richmond played finals in 2018, 2019 and 2020. So why leak it now? Is it really from 2017?
Maybe a club outside Melbourne trying to convince him that this city is an AFL fishbowl leaked it.
 
This is infinitely worse than JDG's tug on a bikini top , but I'd be guessing it won't garner near as much attention. Either way it's pathetic how the so called "news" media has been reduced to holding on to stuff like this to use when they need it or to stalk the Insta profiles of JDG's mates while he is away. They even did it to one of their own (Tom Morris) earlier in the year.

I honestly don't understand the world right now with the need to be outraged about something every 5 mins and pander to the latest new term that must be used to avoid offence. Personally I just admit that I don't understand it and keep my mouth shut for the most part , but the media are loving every minute of it as it's a neverending supply of food for their smorgasbord of sensationalism.
 

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To be consistent I thought JDG was unjustly stitched up by the media for a consentual act. I also feel Dusty should not be smashed for a consentual act FIVE years ago. However I am certain the media beat up will be orders of magnitude lower because he does not play for Collingwood.
 
This is infinitely worse than JDG's tug on a bikini top , but I'd be guessing it won't garner near as much attention. Either way it's pathetic how the so called "news" media has been reduced to holding on to stuff like this to use when they need it or to stalk the Insta profiles of JDG's mates while he is away. They even did it to one of their own (Tom Morris) earlier in the year.

I honestly don't understand the world right now with the need to be outraged about something every 5 mins and pander to the latest new term that must be used to avoid offence. Personally I just admit that I don't understand it and keep my mouth shut for the most part , but the media are loving every minute of it as it's a neverending supply of food for their smorgasbord of sensationalism.

The media make money because large sections of the population are fascinated by it. The media is outraged because there are a percentage of people who are outraged and they buy newspapers or click on websites.
 
Genetics clearly didn’t hurt.
But the secret to the Daicos brothers’ sublime skills is helium.


The Daicos kids, Maddie, now 30, and Collingwood guns Josh and Nick, would as children play with balloons to improve their ball-handling.

It was the idea of their father; Magpie legend Peter, whose own talent with the Sherrin has few peers.

The ball-handling genius of Peter Daicos was passed on to sons Josh and Nick at a young age.

The ball-handling genius of Peter Daicos was passed on to sons Josh and Nick at a young age.
“He thought if we could control a [balloon] for touch, it would teach us the touch aspect of controlling a ball softly,” Josh Daicos says.

“Caress the balloon when you’re grabbing it, be really delicate. The harder you touch it, the more it’s going to go anywhere. We spent a bit of time in our living room just with balloons.

“You’d come over to our house and there’d just be balloons everywhere, or occasionally even newspaper rolled up into a footy and we’d be kicking that through doors.”

Peter was always looking for ways to help nurture his kids’ finesse.

“Dad had a few different things when we were growing up. Whether it was always handling a bigger sized football from a young age, or the balloon or even kicking little objects, it basically taught you touch and to focus a little bit harder on what you were doing,” Josh says.

“We were kids until 16 honestly. All it took was one of us to be having a few shots through the hallway and then all three of us would be lining up and having a few competitions.”

[PLAYERCARD]Josh Daicos[/PLAYERCARD] has had a breakout year in 2022 that was rewarded with selection in the All-Australian squad. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Josh Daicos has had a breakout year in 2022 that was rewarded with selection in the All-Australian squad. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
Having a gun father-son selection is a bit of a cheat code in the AFL. In the form of the Daicos brothers, Collingwood has two. Josh, taken at pick 57 in 2016, was a slightly slower burn, but he has developed into one of the league’s pre-eminent wingmen, named in this year’s All-Australian squad. And while he plays a blue-collar role, he does it with shades of the class of his dad, winning goal of the year in 2020 and a chance to claim the crown again this year. His 2022 nomination had all the hallmarks of the family name: An underground handball to himself under pressure on the wing, a parry to create space, a couple of bounces and then a clinical snap finish.

And yet he’s probably not even the better of the brothers. Nick, playing at halfback, won the Rising Star award in his debut season and has the hallmarks of a future superstar.

Robust defender Brayden Maynard is at the peak of his powers, but says he has already learnt plenty from the junior Daicos.

“Him coming in early days, when he hadn’t been drafted yet, there was a lot of talk, and I kind of didn’t know what he was capable of,” Maynard says of Nick’s stint training with the Pies before he’d been drafted.

Nick Daicos’ debut season resulted in a runaway win in the AFL NAB Rising Star Award. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Nick Daicos’ debut season resulted in a runaway win in the AFL NAB Rising Star Award. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images
“For him to have an impact like he has, it’s a credit to him, credit to the work he’s put in, he’s such a good guy, he absolutely loves being around the boys.

“He has a lot of experience, which might sound a bit funny, because he’s only been in the game one year, but he knows a lot about football that I didn’t know. He’s actually teaching me how to become a better footballer, and I’m teaching him how to become a better footballer. That’s the environment we’re creating.”

The Daicos kids are spaced out age-wise. Josh at 23 is seven years younger than his sister, while Nick is 19.

Josh had been barracking for a brother, and Colleen Daicos duly delivered.

“I was pleading to mum and dad for a boy, and thank God they did! I remember when he was born putting all my toys around him, little did I know the special bond that we would have growing up, and how much of an influence we would have on each other’s lives,” Josh says.

Two future AFL players under the same roof carries the threat of fisticuffs. But Josh says they are pals, and never rivals.

“Definitely not. From a young age, we’ve been more huggers than fighters. We’ve always just wanted the best for one another and would do anything to see each other do well and get better. We push each other on and love working together, almost as a little team,” Josh says.

Peter Daicos celebrates an amazing goal in the 1990 Qualifying Final, one of many in a career full of highlights.

Peter Daicos celebrates an amazing goal in the 1990 Qualifying Final, one of many in a career full of highlights.
While Nick has waltzed into the AFL like a 200-game veteran, Josh played just 17 senior games across his first three seasons.

He was a fringe player for the Pies’ 2018 grand final run, missing selection for the decider in what was a bittersweet experience.

“It’s really tough. You’re obviously so proud of your teammates and everything they’ve achieved, but individually definitely feel like you’re not fulfilling your goals or getting what you want out of it,” Josh says.

“I had so many teammates that were playing really good football, and I just loved being a part of it. But at the same time you look at this year, you just can’t wait to play in front of 85-90,000 and compete against the top teams.

“You get to see the build-up, whether it’s at training, or the hype around the club.”

[PLAYERCARD]Josh Daicos[/PLAYERCARD] celebrates the stirring Magpies win against Melbourne at the MCG. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Josh Daicos celebrates the stirring Magpies win against Melbourne at the MCG. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
He says there has been so single reason for his growth as a player in recent seasons.

“I think it’s an accumulation of work from day one really under Nathan [Buckley].

“[Former assistant coach] Garry Hocking was awesome for me early on, he was probably the coach that really helped me and really gave me a lot of confidence. And now obviously under Fly [Craig McRae], been awesome, fresh set of ideas and really motivates you to get better every single day. He preaches a winner’s mindset, which has really helped all of us boys grow and get better, and play as a team.”

Josh says the 17th-place finish of 2021 spurred the Pies on ahead of this season, where they have defied expectations to make the top four.

“We definitely underachieved as a club last year. We definitely weren’t happy and a fire burned in the stomach this year to go and improve and to not have that feeling again. It’s been awesome to see the fresh faces at the club, new ideas and the boys have really relished what they’ve brought, and implemented that into our game plan. ”
 
I've got that book. Had it since it came out, wish I could get him to sign it.

Late to this convo but that was the first footy book I ever read as a kid. Pete was wonderful (as always) on the Front Bar and that episode was a joy to watch as a Collingwood supporter.
 
Brayden Maynard was bullied as a lad.
Overweight and hampered by a lisp, Maynard was easy pickings for the bully boys at school in Adelaide.

He wasn’t a fighter then, that would come later in life, but if he was, the bullies might’ve copped a punch to the mouth.

Instead, what Maynard did was harness his fury and release it on the sporting field.

He’d bottle that hurt and anger felt in the schoolyard and punish whoever came his way in sport, and thus was born a combative figure who, when he grew up, would become the spirit animal of the Collingwood football team.

Maynard wasn’t quite sure about the spirit animal illustration — which, in certain spiritual traditions or cultures, spirit animal refers to a spirit which helps guide or protect a person on a journey — yet it describes him perfectly.

“Since I was a young, fat little kid playing sport, I was the most competitive ever. I never wanted to lose and I literally did anything I could to win,’’ Maynard said.

“I was a bigger body when I was younger. I got bullied a bit at school for my shape and size and the way I played footy … I was an angry, competitive bloke and it’s still embedded in me now. Yeah, at school, I wasn’t really treated well.’’

However, sport, particularly footy, welcomed him.

“I played with anger. I loved playing footy, loved playing basketball, played tennis, played cricket, and even though tennis and cricket are non-contact sports, I somehow would find a way to compete and bring my anger out in other ways,” he said.

Right until he was drafted out of Sandringham Dragons — his family moved to Melbourne — Maynard was a hothead.

“In my TAC Cup years, I was suspended a couple of times for being angry and doing stupid shit,’’ he said.

In one game, playing at Trevor Barker Oval, Maynard was chasing an opponent when another opponent ran in to block. Instead of meeting the player shoulder to shoulder, at the last second Maynard lifted his elbow and flushed the player in the head.

“I got suspended for a week and I was shattered. I missed the following week, and from then I started to learn about my anger towards the game. I’ve learnt, as I’ve been in the elite system, to become more controlled but still be able to compete and be that fierce competitor,” he said.

WHY DO YOU LOVE BRAYDEN MAYNARD?​

BEAU McCREERY
“He’s unreal. Most breaks we get to each other and especially before the game we get to each other. We both know what we bring to the table, so we get pretty excited by each other. If he lays a massive tackle, I always try to get to him and him to me. His brute force and pressure down back is elite. He’s so strong, powerful and fast. I hate training on him to be honest. He’s a different cat around the club for sure, ask anyone. Him and Darcy Cameron, they both do strange, funny things. His music in the gym is filthy.’’
JOSH DAICOS
“What you see is what you get, he’s a beast. He’ll always have your back. I love him on my side of the ground. I know if I’m getting an absolute touch up, I know Brayden is coming in. I don’t even have to call him, he’s already sprinting over.’’
JEREMY HOWE
“Because he’s the ultimate competitor. If you’re going to be picking a team, he’s the first to be picked. Look at the way he plays. You stand taller, you feel confident and he’s one guy you want to get behind because he leads from the front. Everyone hugs each other pre-game and everyone gives a firm hug, but he gives you the softest hug and brings it in tight, and he’s like, ‘Let’s go.’ It’s a soft touch but he’s an animal on the field.’’
BRODY MIHOCEK
“Just the ultimate competitor. He’s one bloke, as a forward, you don’t want to play on in the trial games or even at training. He is similar to me, just banged up all the time, he just keeps going. He’s awesome to play with, I just love him.’’


“Yeah, I hurt him that day. And as soon as I did it, I went straight to him and picked him up and checked if he was all right. I knew what I did was bad, yeah, it wasn’t great.’’

It’s a paradox in behaviour. He belted his opponent and then helped him.

Fast forward eight years and in round 23 this season, in the heat of combat, Maynard gave Carlton captain Patrick Cripps a reassuring pat to make sure he was OK.

“I’m big on sportsmanship and respect,’’ Maynard said. “I go by the mantra, ‘Respect All and Fear None’. If I see someone on the deck, be it the opposition or my teammate, I like to pick them up. Sometimes over the years I’ve been told to let the opposition get themselves up, but that’s not what I’m about.’’

That unusual behaviour stemmed from when he played for Our Lady of Grace in Adelaide in years 4 and 5. He was coached then by his uncle, Rod Campbell.

“Fun fact, I played with John Noble in that team and now I’m playing with him at Collingwood,’’ Maynard said.

“But what my uncle drilled into us from a young age was sportsmanship, respect and trying your hardest, respecting umpires obviously, respecting the opposition and I feel to this day I’m still living up to those words. And I feel that’s shaped me into the footballer I am today on and off the field.’’
BUCKS TAUGHT ME TO BE YOUR BEST VERSION

Maynard wasn’t always so balanced or mature.

He was a hothead on the field when he was drafted and draft notes, he said, described him as a bit of a “rat bag’’ off it. “That was all true,’’ he said.

“I played footy but mates were everything to me, and going out and having fun was more important. And I put most things on social media and everyone could see it.’’

Consequently, in his first season, 2015, he was summoned to a leaders’ meeting.

“They laid down the law,’’ he said. “They said your mates are going down one path, and I could either go with them or choose my own path and become a professional footballer.’’

He chose the latter, but didn’t abandon his mates, either. While once they might have led him astray, they now keep him planted.

“I still hang with my friends,’’ he said. “I feel like my friends and mates keep me in line, and I love my social side, but I’ve definitely reigned it in over the years.’’

Asked what he hopes his teammates say of him, Maynard said: “I love competing. I love being the best version of myself. That’s something Bucks (Nathan Buckley) used to always say, just be the best version of yourself. I’m a loveable, caring teammate. I want team success. I love to protect my teammates in any situation that comes about. I just hope that’s what they see in me, just an animal on field, someone who never gives up and who never wants to lose and someone who protects their teammates.’’

There’s a constant thread there: protecting his teammates.

Maynard is old fashioned when he speaks and certainly is old fashioned in how he plays.

In an era of high half-backs who gather midfield numbers, Maynard is a one-versus-one defender who is a terribly difficult opponent.

He thrives in the combative, body-on-body environment, which reflects a soulful approach to footy.

THE MAYNARD MIX​

⁃ I’m Outta Love - Anastacia
⁃ Hey Hey Hey - (Pop Another Bottle) - Laurent Wery
⁃ Every Day - Eric Prydz
⁃ We Like To Party (The Vengabus) - Vengaboys
⁃ T-Rek - Freakshow
⁃ Flaunt It - TV Rock
⁃ Sexy Chick - David Guetta/Akon
⁃ On A Night Like This - Kylie Minogue
⁃ Just Lose It - Eminem
⁃ My My My - Armand Van Helden
⁃ Better Off Alone - Alice DeeJay


MUSIC MAN WHO HITS THE RIGHT NOTE

At the start of the season, new coach Craig McRae introduced an “I will ...’’ kind of mission statement. It required every player to stand in front of the group clutching his jumper and declare “I will …

“He’s held us accountable for these statements and pretty much what I said was ‘I want to compete my hardest and I want to protect my teammates at all cost’. I feel I’ve been able to do that, I’ve held to my word,’’ Maynard said.

He’s such a unique character.

He’s a headbanger in the gym, where he is in control of the music — the Maynard Mix is attached — and then is a soft talker in the moments before the team walks up the race.

Teammate Jeremy Howe says Maynard has a propensity to go among the group, pull players in tight and virtually whisper in their ears.

“Yeah, I do that,’’ Maynard said. “I feel sometimes pre-game and pre-warm up that I can be really up and about, but then there’s about five minutes there when we’re hugging and I really lock in, and I give my two cents to everyone I hug. And when we run out, that’s when I feel I become an animal again.’’


ARCHER, HODGE COMPARSION

He’s been likened to Shinboner Glenn Archer, which he loves, and in his draft year, was compared to a young Luke Hodge, which he also loves.

“Look, if I was to be compared to anyone it would be to those two,’’ Maynard said.

His recollections of Archer come via the multitude of videos on YouTube he watched growing up. “I’d always google and YouTube AFL best hits and tackles and fights and I’d watch Glenn Archer and Byron Pickett, they were just unbelievable,’’ he said.

“Honestly, I used to get goosebumps watching these hits. And I’d watch the AFL’s best chasedown tackles, Aaron Davey from Melbourne used to always do these amazing chasedown tackles.

“You could call me a bit of a frother in some sense because I love that side of footy. I get a bit of a thrill out of it.’’

ULTIMATE COMPLEMENT: SHADES OF MILLANE

Archer is an admirer. He recalled this week the 2020 elimination final between Collingwood and West Coast when Maynard went head-to-head with Liam Ryan.

“How good was it watching a traditional one-on-one contest for a whole game,’’ Archer said.

“I’ve always kept an eye on him because he was managed by our management group, and I definitely love the way he plays. He’s the type of player who would work in the ’80s and ’90s. He doesn’t shirk an issue, he has a crack and he’s actually very skilful. He’s the complete package.’’

Collingwood premiership captain, Tony Shaw, likened Maynard to Darren Millane.

“I can see the similarities,’’ Shaw said. “I can see an uncompromising, competitive beast that at times, early in his career, he got found out because he didn’t think his way through. But he’s matured with that now.

“He embodies what you want in any player who plays defence. I also love that he has a lot of flexibility. He can go into the middle and play on Cripps like they needed him to do in round 23, he can be a clearance player, he runs with the ball, and he’s got enormous courage, too.

“I never saw Millane shirk the issue. This bloke runs hard at the ball, Millane did, they’re built the same, and maybe Maynard doesn’t jump on heads like Millane did, but, yeah, I love them both.

“You go to war with these blokes and that’s what it’s about.’’

There’s your spirit animal, old and new.
 

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