Latest news with #Essendon
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Footy great Matthew Lloyd drops hint he could make a major career switch and leave broadcasting
Footy great Matthew Lloyd has left the door ajar for a possible move into coaching. But the broadcaster appears, at present, reluctant to leave his role with Channel Nine, with the 47-year-old admitting he would hate to have to regularly leave his young family behind if he was jetting around Australia as an AFL coach. Lloyd is revered as one of the greatest goal kickers to have played the sport with the Bombers star returning a whopping 926 majors across 270 AFL appearances. He won three Coleman Medals during his career and guided Essendon to the 2000 Premiership. The Melbourne-born full-forward would go on to retire in 2009, despite the club having offered the goalkicker a contract extension. After hanging up the boots, Lloyd would be appointed to an assistant coaching role at the Australian Institute of Sport - AFL Academy in September 2009 alongside Michael O'Loughlin. "You never say never." 👀 Lloydy on whether he would ever entertain joining the AFL coaching ranks. #9AFLSFS | Catch up on 9Now and Youtube 🖥️ — Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) June 1, 2025 While he had been a weekly panellist on Fox Footy's White Line Fever show during his playing career, Lloyd stepped up his media work in 2009, after his retirement, working on Network Ten and writing for The Age. That was when his media career took off, signing with Network Ten as an AFL expert and commentator before moving over to Nine in 2012. It was here that he appeared to be set on pursuing a career in media having told The Advocate that a potential career in coaching perhaps wasn't on the cards. 'There's definitely something within me that makes me want to coach but at the moment I can't give 100% to it, so it will have to wait,' he said back in 2011. But that may have changed with the Footy Show panellist now appearing to be open to a career switch away from the TV studio. Lloyd was pressed by Tony Jones over whether he would ever 'entertain' an offer to take up a coaching role in the AFL. At first, he appeared hesitant. 'Ah,' Lloyd said to the Footy Show before pausing. 'I do love coaching. But I love the balance that I've got currently - but I do love to coach.' Jones continued to press: 'If a club was to come to you initially with an assistant coaching role...' Lloyd replied: 'It would just depend on who it was with and all those sorts of things. But it's "no" at this point in time but I'm still young enough, but you never know.' Damien Barrett then joked: 'Teej [Jones], we know there is one language he listens too... the dollar!' Lloyd laughed at the joke as Barrett continued: 'I think coaches are on an average of about $150,000... I reckon if they went to $400,000 or $500,000 for Llordo, as a senior assistant, you might get a conversation going. Is that the right number?' 'It was bang on Damo,' Lloyd said laughing. Lloyd is married to childhood sweetheart Lisa-Marie Caparello. The pair have three children, Jaeda, Kira, and Jacob. But while Lloyd didn't completely rule out the move but added he would have to think about his family if the opportunity arose. Asked if he was ruling out a move into coaching, the former Essendon captain said: 'You never say never... you never say never.
Sydney Morning Herald
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘It's fun': The AFL superstar with an old-school hobby
He's one of the AFL's star midfielders, but off the field, Essendon captain Zach Merrett has an old-school hobby. Since childhood, he has collected AFL player cards, and still does, when he's not racking up possessions during Bombers games. As a guest at the Hobby Hangout XL Trading Card Show on Sunday, Merrett signed player cards for rapt fans. One of Merrett's treasured pieces is a 1954 card depicting his great-uncle, Collingwood premiership player Thorold Merrett. Merrett said there was 'no way' he would sell it, but otherwise it was 'fun' to find cards he'd sought, and 'always exciting' to find a random gem. First in line to have Merrett sign the card that marked his 2016 Essendon best-and-fairest award was James Vincent, 34, of Sydenham, an AFL card collector since childhood. 'It's awesome to meet the person who's on the card and get their autograph,' Vincent said. Proving analogue pastimes are not dead, more than 5000 people attended the Hobby Hangout XL event at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton. It had 185 stalls – double the number at last year's event at Melbourne Pavilion. Co-organiser Tiffany Spurway said popular pieces on Sunday included Pokémon and NBA basketball cards and items featuring the Labubu monster character.
The Age
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘It's fun': The AFL superstar with an old-school hobby
He's one of the AFL's star midfielders, but off the field, Essendon captain Zach Merrett has an old-school hobby. Since childhood, he has collected AFL player cards, and still does, when he's not racking up possessions during Bombers games. As a guest at the Hobby Hangout XL Trading Card Show on Sunday, Merrett signed player cards for rapt fans. One of Merrett's treasured pieces is a 1954 card depicting his great-uncle, Collingwood premiership player Thorold Merrett. Merrett said there was 'no way' he would sell it, but otherwise it was 'fun' to find cards he'd sought, and 'always exciting' to find a random gem. First in line to have Merrett sign the card that marked his 2016 Essendon best-and-fairest award was James Vincent, 34, of Sydenham, an AFL card collector since childhood. 'It's awesome to meet the person who's on the card and get their autograph,' Vincent said. Proving analogue pastimes are not dead, more than 5000 people attended the Hobby Hangout XL event at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton. It had 185 stalls – double the number at last year's event at Melbourne Pavilion. Co-organiser Tiffany Spurway said popular pieces on Sunday included Pokémon and NBA basketball cards and items featuring the Labubu monster character.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan wants Hugh McCluggage to be recognised for his brilliant efforts
Lions coach Chris Fagan has called for Brisbane's 'silent assassin' Hugh McCluggage to be rewarded with All-Australian selection after another superb display at the Gabba on Thursday night. McCluggage produced a best-on-ground performance with a career-high 41 disposals, including five score assists and 11 score involvements, in Brisbane's 18-point win over Essendon. 'Hughy McCluggage's game was huge,' Fagan said. 'He goes about it in a quiet manner but he's effective, a silent assassin out there.' McCluggage, 27, has made four All-Australian squads but is yet to make the final team in his eight previous AFL seasons. 'I hope at some point in time he wins an All-Australian guernsey because he's been such a consistent player for us for the last six years. The first couple of years he was developing. 'He's one of those fellows who is forever trying to improve. He's probably worked harder on the pressure defensive side of his game, both to get his body stronger but also to get involved more in that. 'That's a part of his game that's grown, and he's always been really good with the ball.' McCluggage's influence was critical on Thursday night as the Lions were forced to dig deep after Essendon fought back from being 32 points down at quarter time to take the lead eight minutes into the final quarter. 'At this time of the year, you're just happy to get the wins,' Fagan said. 'We did what we had to do when they got in front. There was good composure in the group just to build the ball up and to get scores. 'I like that about us. In AFL footy, every game is tough. In the end, we fought it out really well, showed good composure, and we'll take a little bit of confidence from that.' 'Confidence' is also building in Kai Lohmann, who kicked three goals on Thursday after failing to boot a major in his previous six appearances this season. 'He turned the corner last week (against Hawthorn). He got his pressure game back last week, and I reckon it was there again (against Essendon) and he got a little bit of a scoreboard reward,' Fagan said of the premiership-winning forward. 'I'm just hoping for him that he gets some confidence from that because it has been difficult for him. 'He set a high bar for himself last year, he's been injured a lot (this season). It looked like he was injured early in the game (on Thursday night). 'He hobbled off, but he was all good, and he helped us win the game.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Essendon coach Brad Scott leaves Brisbane a happy man after leading reigning premiers in final quarter
Essendon coach Brad Scott says the Bombers took a 'huge step forward' at the Gabba on Thursday night despite an 18-point loss to Brisbane that defied pre-game thoughts of doom and gloom for his injury-ravaged club. Scott lauded superstar draftee Nate Caddy, declaring his two-goal effort against the Lions was the 'best game he's played' and left the Gabba happy in the wake of defeat. Trailing by 32 points at quarter-time, the undermanned Bombers clawed their way into the contest and hit the front in the final quarter. However, the Lions regrouped, kicking the final three goals of the game to win 13.12 (90) to 11.6 (72). 'They were dominant clearly to start the game and jumped us, but I thought we wrestled our way back into the contest really well,' Scott said. 'It wasn't as if I felt like we let it slip. We fought our way back in, got back in front, and they responded as good teams do.' Scott was proud of his young team's 'fight' and 'exuberance'. 'It was a huge step forward for us in terms of everything – character, fight, effort, contest, the exuberance of youth, young players who don't use that as an excuse,' he said. 'We have expectations. We think those players that we selected are capable and that's been our message to them, and they held up their end of the bargain. 'There were a number of critical contests where our players stood up, but to Brisbane's credit, they're a good side, and when challenged, they respond. 'We were able to defend reasonably well but not well enough over the course of the game to be considered a top-tier side, but if you're going to test out your defence, playing against Brisbane at the Gabba is a good way to do that. 'The foundation of the game is the contest, and I think that that stood up fairly well tonight.' The Bombers also stood up well in attack, particularly in the third quarter when Caddy kicked a contender for goal of the season during an impressive burst that gave the Bombers hope of causing an upset. 'That's the best game I've seen him play and not just because of the goal over his head,' Scott said of Caddy. 'He's going to learn that he's capable of challenging the best key defenders (Harris Andrews) in the competition. 'He's just a really impressive athlete, and he can do things that others can't. 'There's not many 19-year-olds who can, when Peter Wright's in the ruck and Todd Goldstein's having a well-earned rest, he's holding up, you know, a forward line. 'I can't recall too many 19-year-olds doing that. He's been terrific for us, and we still think there's so much upside, so clearly we're excited.'
