Trends with Marc McGowan - an AFL podcast

The fascination about how the AFL's new 6-6-6 starting positions would impact the game is now too often replaced by simplistic analysis about there being only a slight uptick in scoring from centre bounces. Instead, there needs to be a more educated discussion on what's happening and how clubs are adapting. This week's guest Brett Munro is a former club opposition analyst who works in the AFL's game analysis team, giving him a great perspective on the 6-6-6 debate.

Goalkicking is a constant source of frustration within clubs, in the media, and in the outer with the fans. Players are fitter and stronger than ever, but goalkicking accuracy continues to slowly decline. So what's the issue? There is no better man to answer that question than goalkicking guru David Wheadon, a man who has worked at six AFL clubs and alongside the likes of Tom Hafey, Kevin Sheedy, David Parkin and Ross Lyon.

Collingwood's unlikely run to the 2018 AFL Grand Final was documented in countless stories last year, but one piece of the puzzle is perhaps less known. Leroy Lobo worked for near on a decade in high performance at AFL clubs and understands what needs to go right off the field to implement the tactics on it. Leroy lifts the lid on the Pies' training overhaul and explains just how amazing Tom Scully's earlier-than-expected return is. Plus, what is the stat you need to know in the Telstra tracker?

At first inspection Luke Chambers might identify as your garden-variety AFL nuffie. He's an avid Hawthorn fan and tweets up a storm during every AFL round. But what many people may not know is that Luke spent nine years at 3 different AFL clubs, sharing a coaches box with the likes of Alastair Clarkson, James Hird, Mark Thompson and Simon Goodwin. In this week's podcast he shares the highs and lows of his time as an opposition and game analyst at the highest level.

We're five rounds into a revamped version of Australian Football at the highest level, complete with new rules and different conditions. The numbers tell us something's changed, but how much should we really be reading into them? AFL Coaching Innovation & Education Manager David Rath joins the show to help us understand what's happening on the field each weekend, and explain some of the footy terms that many fans may not understand.

Football 30 years ago was unrecognisable compared to the game we know and love today. It's why this week's guest Alan McConnell can offer a rare perspective on the evolution of the game. From being Fitzroy's last senior coach, to overseeing the AIS-AFL Academy, and now serving as GWS director of coaching and AFLW coach, McConnell has seen it all.

Marc McGowan is joined by former AFL player and leading player manager Marty Pask to draw back the curtain on how the league's biggest trades really go down, discuss his coaching aspirations and share his thoughts on how the game has changed since his playing days.

Marc McGowan is joined by St Kilda Senior Analyst Darren O'Shaughnessy to discuss how he and his team help the coaches look beyond the scoreboard to detect problems and trends on the field as they happen.

On the first episode of Trends, Marc McGowan is joined by AFL Coaching Innovation & Education Manager David Rath and AFL Umpiring & Game Analysis Lead Brett Munro to discuss the significant changes made to the AFL rules in season 2019, and what caught their eye in round one.

Marc McGowan brings you weekly analysis of the game, its strategies and complexities. An AFL podcast