This is the most memorable scene in its entirety.

I don't know about you blokes, but I can't bear losing a game like that.

Look, fantastic effort.

But what does a fantastic effort mean? It doesn't get us anything.

We don't get diddly-swiped.

We don't get a point.

They don't give us something just for getting close.

Why did it happen?

I know you played at Hawthorne, you're at Camberwell, but as a kid growing up, you know, did you have brothers, sisters? You know, where was the early influences for Aussie Rules? So...

Aussie rules was just, for me, my dad played the game, but not at the highest of levels or anything like that.

Good local levels, but I was just always fascinated with it.

Loved all the characters of the game, sort of back in the late 60s, sort of early 70s was my go, and yeah.

I kept an eye on everything.

I kept an eye on the waffle, kept an eye on what was happening in the sand pool back in those days.

I was just fascinated by the whole lot of it.

So

I know you played at Hawthorne, you're at Camberwell, but as a kid growing up, you know, did you have brothers, sisters? You know, where was the early influences for Aussie Rules? So...

Aussie Rules was just, for me, my dad played the game, but not at the highest of levels or anything like that.

Good local levels, but I was just always fascinated with it.

Loved all the characters of the game, sort of back in the late 60s, sort of early 70s was my go, and yeah.

I kept an eye on everything.

I kept an eye on the waffle, kept an eye on what was happening in the sand pool back in those days.

I was just fascinated by the whole lot of it.

So

Was

it one season? It was one season.

Look, the rules back then were crazy.

Hawthorne had me by contract.

There was a clause.

No one had legal people looking after them.

No one had managers back in those days.

Yeah, that's

Was

it one season? It was one season.

The rules back then were crazy.

Hawthorne had me by contract.

There was a clause.

No one had legal people looking after them.

No one had managers back in those days.

Yep.

Yep.

And now, coming ninth, and we saw pies this year, but blues in tenths, it's now a thing of beauty, where back then it was disdain.

It was like, yeah, ninthsmen, and the Tiger fans were actually sick of just being the laughingstock of the competition.

So I did this little article with Glenn McFarlane in the paper, and it was just about... how I think from a coaching point of view, but from a whole club point of view, the positivity of ninth and tenth and the wildcard round is a really good thing.

So I get this phone call from Pointsbet.

They do a lot around sport and unexpected moments.

And they sort of said, would you like to join us in having a little bit of fun, a little bit of tongue-in-cheek, and have a little bit of a crack at... setting up a situation where we have a lawyer in place and we try to sue the AFL for changing the rules and stopping us for having all those opportunities of extra finals and maybe a chance to go on and win a flag, maybe a chance for me to keep the job.

Was there a little bit of sting in the tail when you did it? Well,

Yeah.

But I just think, uh, how different the world is with a wildcard in there and, uh, yeah, you look at overseas sports and, uh, but everything i-in overseas sports where you get to this situation where you have winning seasons, coaches are, are actually judged.

Like if you're a ten-year coach and you've had seven winning seasons, that's a pretty good record where we've never had anything like that.

And you, you look at our great coaches, I mean, Clarko's on fifty-three percent.

Uh, Sammy Mitchell, uh, early days on fifty-two.

Uh, Dimma Hardwick fifty-five percent.

Uh, Chris Scott and Geelong are way out i-in front, you know, on the, you know, sort of mid to high, uh, sixties.

You know, now with the game being put into motion as much as possible, d- firstly, do you like it, and is there something that we could be doing better?

Was it an ad or is there a little bit of seriousness behind it?

Well, look, I think for all those Tiger fans out there, look, they've probably recovered now.

They've got their three flags in the bag, so they're all okay now.

But let's go back in the day.

From 1998, there were six occasions that the Tigers finished ninth.

And now, coming 9th, and we saw pies this year, but blues in 10th, it's now a thing of beauty, where back then it was disdain.

It was like, yeah, Knightsmen.

Was there a little bit of sting in the tail when you did it? Well,

You'd be into about your 24th year in a row coaching.

Well, just...

I mean, look, for anyone that's out there listening, if anyone actually did take it seriously...

I wrote an article just last week.

Well, I didn't write the article.

Glenn McFarlane was the one who wrote the article.

But I did an article with Glenn just about how I think the whole thing has helped coaches.

But what do you make of them? Do you see some vulnerability with Frio?

You'd be into about your 24th year in a row coaching.

Well, just...

I mean, look, for anyone that's out there listening, if anyone actually did take it seriously...

I wrote an article just last week.

Well, I didn't write the article.

Glenn McFarlane was the one who wrote the article.

But I did an article with Glenn just about how I think the whole thing has helped coaches.

But what do you make of them? Do you see some vulnerability in what, with Frio?