More Harley Hype, Is Shorter Games The Answer, Does Luke Parker Deserve Six Weeks? | Footy Talk AFL

Abbey Holmes, David Zaharakis and Jack Heverin are intrigued by the moving parts to this weekend’s fixture with 5 of the games having implications on the top half of the ladder. 

Over 150 players are on the injury list at the moment, is there a correlation between the length of games and injuries? Abbey poses the question and takes a deep dive into it.

Plus, Harley hype, what more can you say… 
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ah nice to be with you for Wednesday’s edition of footy talk of course it’s done a little bit differently on a Wednesday we look at the world from a players’s point of view we give you the insights into what it’s like to be behind the headlines and what is actually going on and being spoken being spoken about at clubl I’m Jack Hein always nice to see Abby Holmes she’s the queen of Channel 7 she can now paint a deck she can renovate a house you’re unreal oh mate it’s been a very busy few weeks in the Holmes Brooksby household but uh we’re getting there and we know there is always so many I guess hot topics and news to chat about on a Wednesday so excited to be in here with you renovator’s Delight David zarus the man the machine good to see you good to see you jack how you going excellent what’s the latest fitness program for you I’m off to America next Wednesday uh to go to balar balar Colorado uh and to do a half ironment over there so I’m looking forward to getting over there and get some sun because it is quite cold train in the morning in 5° at 5:00 a.m. at the moment so absolute madness madness madness do you know what is funny before before zacha started on his Iron Man Journey 400 a.m. was unheard of for this guy where 6 a.m. was unheard of 6 a.m. was unheard of and now all of a sudden I check him out on zacker 11 go hit him up on Instagram and he is running laps and bloody cycling 100 million kilometers at like 4:00 a.m. 5: a.m. it’s crazy I re when I when I played footy I got up at 700 I was always we started at 8 at the footy club and I did not know a time that existed before 7:00 that was my time I had to get up at 7:00 a.m. and I thought that was early and then now it’s just 4:30 on The Daily easy money for you interesting how the mind changes let’s start our Wednesday show with our thoughts of the week we’re sort of in hump day so we’ve had a bit of a chance to take in what’s gone on in the week so far ABS well mine comes off the back of Craig McCrae yesterday and speaking about the injury plague that has hit the AFL League wide right so I think what is it pies have 14 unavailable this week Richmond leads the way they’ve got 18 players unavailable through injury um Carlton have 14 unavailable as well St K are only the two so that’s the other end of the spectrum probably a bit worrying they’re not going well got two um but Craig’s comments around this is something that we probably do need to address there’s 159 injuries um League wide like that that is a fair chunk of the competition and what is it is it scheduling is it the the length of games is it I don’t know the times of games some clubs are hit obviously more than others but is it your high performance team that you need to address this with or what is it because 159 League wide that’s too many yeah I was I don’t want to give too much away but I was talking to a club doctor recently about um this and the AFL has changed so much in the last 20 years where it’s so much more explosive than what it used to be and back in the old day it was a 21-day hamstring you’d come back and cuz it was a bit of a not slow game but it was more of a onepac style of football now with athletes with strength and engine coach the game is so explosive that the old 21-day hamstring or 28 day quarter and all that the players coming back on that time frame you are so much more susceptible nowadays to reoccurrence and reinjury um I know clubs now are basically scanning twice like twice so at the start of the injury and then basically when they come back um The Players almost ready to play again um purely the fact that the demands of footy right now are so high so whether you do need to adjust potentially the game time or more rotations on the bench or five or six players on the bench whatever it may be but I just know the demands in that time frame have changed from all right 21 days are up get the player back out there and ready to play it is now um I think we need to look at those traditional time frames of injuries do they need to be expanded a bit more because yeah you got players coming back and just exploding straight away especially in training all that especially with cars quads hammies uh injuries are require a f bit of time on the sil and a bit of rehab I don’t know that’s just the thought that club do was saying has changed so much Y and we’re seeing more games more weeks more rounds as they start to evolve do we need to look at list sizes again do we need to go back to adding an extra two or three to the list or you I know we’ve spoken about it a bit on this show should you be able to pick up anyone at any time out of the vfl or the SFL or something like that well you look at Richmond in you know isolation here they’re almost hitting top up territory aren’t they and you know they’re getting to the point where they potentially have 23 available and that is it so so maybe we could look at I guess expanding list sizes just to have a few more options on the list I don’t know but are you are you available wer you a topup player for Melbourne oh well yeah the old phone call yeah yeah I’ll do that no worries um are you are you a fan of potentially having less rotations to try and slow the game down um so it’s less high speed and just more open Flow um because I know that’s been spoken about as potentially uh causing less injuries because the game’s a lot slower and players and more that or we don’t want a slower game it’s exciting like it’s electric you want you want the excitement and I don’t know just the speed that is the game of AFL football I think that’s what makes it so great so I certainly don’t want it to slow down so potentially maybe two minutes I know that 80 minutes has been thrown around potentially that’s another what 8 minutes of playing time 15 minutes out in the ground less uh and then hopefully the same am I cuz I know AFL obviously with more teams they’re going to end up playing 25 26 27 28 games in the future that’s why I ask about the list there more games coming but do we have we’re going to have two more teams yeah I don’t think the talent pool is good enough in Australia yet to have bigger list sizes and now another two so 90 more players are going to be on the list plus then if you add on more could be 150 players I don’t think the talent pool’s there yet but it is yeah it’s kind UND in the NFL that we kind of have to work out but look at what’s happening with the aflw right they’ve gone from eight teams through to 18 teams quite quickly and exactly right the the talent hasn’t necessarily been there as they’ve expanded but it catches up it certainly does so I don’t know it’s something that the afo will be looking at it’s a deep thought of the week to start from you it’s a good one I can tell you’ve been marinating on that one for a couple of days Zack what about you uh my thought of the week is the AFL has evolved and the work life balance has evolved so much that now players are missing games through family functions um I know Ed langon on the weekend with his sister’s wedding uh Mr game um I know it got brought in when wer coached esan uh we were able to and I wouldn’t say we weren’t able to before that but it was more openly spoken about yep if you have a family function you can either miss a training session main training session or a couple days in preseason whatever I don’t think we had players that Miss games but I knew it was coming in that more work life balance or family balance that if you had a function on you could definitely miss a part of your football schedule um I don’t know when you were playing ABS was it was it similar to that look I think and just to add on to this this wasn’t his sister’s wedding down the road this was his sister’s wedding in London too so an overseas trip which extends the travel time and whatnot this certainly would have been something that Ed langon went to the club as soon as you know he got the invite from his sister as soon as the date was floated and said I need to be here I you know I know as a player like you do sacrifice you miss 21st you miss 18th you miss weddings yep you miss family functions that’s just something that you do um and you sacrifice when your world is being an athlete but I would never I would put my hand up straight away right now and say I would never miss my sister’s wedding totally yep so good on Ed Ed langon he’s obviously worked through this with the football club um and been given the time off to go over there and be there and I I would never no matter what my role is no matter um you know what part of the Season I’m in I would never miss my sister’s wedding yep well it’s like with the players with their wives having a baby and OB they got to make um where they missed on everyone has their own personal uh preferences on that I remember when I it was um wish was one of First Years um Luke shy had his engagement party over in um Perth and obviously John coached him and um I said I’m going to go over there and for his engagement party and I was missing a crucial Saturday preseason session wish was more than happy to to do it and said yeah mate like one of your best friends go over there and enjoy that and then just come back and train but isn’t it funny that even the way you just said that then Mr crucial Saturday session yeah like in the scheme of Life how crucial is one session this is where things are changing you’re right and this is um it’s that thought process in the head yes one session or or one game in the concept of of 23 24 games of the year isn’t relevant and you know that Ed Langdon is doing everything that he possibly can whilst he’s away from the four walls of the football club you know you’ve got to how how long’s the flight to London 18 18 hour flight right so he’s up and down the corridor walking he’s got compression on he’s getting off the plane he’s stretching he’s he’s doing a running session he is absolutely you know 100% that he is doing everything right yes um and you know it is it’s funny because Dale Thomas our great friend is wandering the corridors here in the studio Jack you pose the question to him what do you think Mick molt house would have said to you um you know 10 years ago 15 years ago if you wanted to go to your sister’s wedding in London and D turned around and said oh he would have said I’ll help you I’ll buy you a oneway ticket don’t come back but times have changed so much there’s so much more emphasis on the mental health of players than the the work life balance aspect of AFL football and and life yep um while AFL is important and sport is important it is not everything and I think society and especially players are realizing that and clubs are realizing that that it isn’t everything so yes what we do and we get paid well to do but sport is not everything in life and we’re seeing in other sports Mitch Marsh went home from a recent Australian tour because his his grandma or Grandpa forgive me for not knowing but a relative pass so he went back funeral I’m not that happened either isely evolving what is your thought of the week I don’t want to spend too long on this because he it doesn’t deserve to spend long on it but Taran Thomas is is in the news again that’s in front of uh police and that will play out I’m always a believer in innocent until proven guilty so I won’t put him out there and and just suggest that he is already guilty but I’ll let that play out what I’m saying now is as an industry that includes us everyone I know the AFL put the state out yest yesterday to say that until such time that the investigation has finished that they won’t be giving him a permit to play Australian rules at any level I’m saying now as an industry we need to put that him aside and let that play out no more who would Taran Thomas fit best no more this club’s interested in all that sort of stuff he he needs to be left alone full stop and and I say that again with the with the knowledge that you’ve got to let these things play out but I’m sure that these articles about Which club would Taran Thomas fit best they click well and they they might listen well but for now he needs to be put aside and and I don’t think any more Spotlight needs to be shined on him in any form of positive light I 110% agree with you and we within you know the IFL industry and and the media landscape we have a responsibility as well with a number of you know issues within society and once again we’re not going to comment on Taran Thomas here because it is um a legal matter but you know domestic violence violence against women anything in that roomm is something that we need to Stamp Out we’ve got to put our foot down and here is a player who has been given a number of opportunities um he’s been given education um processes to try and work around certain aspects of his life and if this has been another mistake made then 100% and it has been quite frustrating um over the last few weeks to to hear the conversation and the language around Taran Thomas just being able to potentially walk back into the AFL system as a as a you know a woman myself and this is something that I’m really passionate about but I I know that people change and people make mistakes and and we evolve as humans each and every day but if this is something that he’s gone back and and done again then absolutely there there should be zero more conversation about this person this player re-entering the ifo system yeah who he plays for is not more important or above the outcome and the process what happens here so we need to stop uh what you said stop talking about stop asking coaches in press conferences do you think we fit stop writing articles because that is not more important than letting the process happen and and then whatever outcome happens there because there are people involved here um there’s um all sorts sorts of legal matters whatever but football is not more important than that going on and that needs to come down to everybody doesn’t it and media as you just said press conferences journalists going there just just stop asking those questions until this matter does play out y then you can ask as many questions you want after that but not before and I just want to reiterate innocent till proving guilty I’m such a believer in that and you know you only have to look back to the the alist Clarks and Chris Fagen situation that a lot of people put them out on on the on the dryer before anything it even played out so let those in charge take care of those things but in the meantime let that play out and he stays over there and no more to be said about it from from here been a heavy show to start with it it doesn’t get much lighter because Luke Parker went to the vfl tribunal last night and has received a heavy heavy sanction to the tune of six weeks wow it’s a big number and it’s going to take Luke Parker to round 18 before he’s available for senior selection things have just gone from pretty bad to to much worse for lukee Parker because you look at the Sydney Swans they are flying at the moment sitting two games clear on top of the ladder um he of course broke his hand was it arm broke his arm in the preseason is Back available playing vfl footy because what that Sydney Midfield group is doing there is no place for him at the moment um so to think that he was working his way back into form um getting his match Fitness up in the vfl um you know horse long M come out and say he’s itching at the bit to play senior footy he doesn’t want to be running around in the vfl who does when you’re on an AFL list um but now to think that he is out of contention for six weeks you’ve got to think as well swans still have their Captain to come back in too in Callum Mills very very soon which is exciting you don’t want to be going out of this side side at the moment and you look at Robbie Fox with his um you know shoulder injury on the weekend this team is flying I was sitting there on the boundary on the weekend thinking which of the other 17 sides in the competition has what it takes to combat this team at the moment number one offense number one defense what their Midfield is doing but from an internal point of view you don’t want to fall out of that side and now for for Luke Parker out for six weeks he then needs to build you know back into that MCH match Fitness and and essentially start again um heartbreaking for him but when you look at I guess the incident in isolation I don’t think 6 weeks was there he certainly needed to get a ban I I would have probably thought maybe three to four yeah I I Luke I just want to put out there first Luke is not a dirty player abely absolutely but he does not take a backward step in being physical to the opposition whether that’s sorry verbally or physically he goes to the opposition that’s how I played against him you always knew or had to be aware of where L was around a contest because you knew he could be bump you whatever I still think looking at the incident in isolation he didn’t need to do what he did um that’s me personally looking at the player was trailing the play and Luke’s chosen to step across the line and bump him and when you do decide to bump like that with that much force you’re then responsible for the outcome of the play and the players what broken cheekbone eye socket jaw it’s not great heavy concussion heavy concussion so Luke had chose in that moment that he had a duty to care duty of care and he chose that moment to do that and be physical which fine be physical but then the outcome was you’ve destroyed the player’s face um and it doesn’t look great so I think well yeah you said three to anywhere from 3 45 I think I think the six is potentially Justified just purely for the fact he didn’t need to do it stepped across line and the outcome was brutal so let me pose this question to you then as I say round 18 is when he’s going to be next available let’s say that he has one or two in the vfl just to get himself going again so we’re at finals time yep Sydney coaching group are in a big room and they’re looking at their first final they’re probably going to have a double Chance by that stage does Luke Parker’s magnet get moved into this senior side because he is the sort of guy that you would just go to war with regardless of how much or how little he’s played Sydney have played in 23 of the last 28 final series that is remarkable Luke Parker is one of the most experienced campaigners um that you could have on an AFL list so it’s quite I guess comforting isn’t it for the Sydney coaching group to know that um they’ve got Luke Parker waiting in the wings should you know obviously they be in a really strong position still come final time but once again it comes down to injuries first and foremost at the swans if they cop any over the next what 10 weeks or so 11 weeks um but imagine having Luke Parker as your sub if I was picking a team imagine if my if you asked me to pick a team for a final based purely on players that you’d go to war with yeah he’d be one of the first I’d pick every day of the week absolutely but it is like it’s quite remarkable what this Midfield group is doing so you cannot question that um someone’s going to be very stiff at the end of the year if they make that there’s so many heartbreaking stories when finals roll around L little little C or something but every team you’re right every team has a heartbreak story and it seems like we’re tracking that way towards Sydney where yeah Luke Parker will miss majority of the season but how do you pick against him uh in a finals campaign um whether it’s a prelim qualify final whatever it is but I I agree with both of you I don’t think you not pick him I think you have to um purely for the how physical he is I know we’re speaking about he bump whatever but how physical he can be he’s experiencing the finals what he drives from that team but someone will be very stiff plenty more to come here on footy talk on the other side of this there are 5050 games littered across round 11 we’re going to talk about a couple of those and yes Abby wants to talk about Harley Reed that’s all coming up on footy talk of course if you’re listening on Spotify hit the Bell to be notified when we drop a new episode great to have you with us on foot talk if you want to get involved with us it is a very very easy thing to do you can send us a message on Instagram at footy talkpod David zaharakis Abby Holmes and Jack Hein for your Wednesday Edition 5050 games all across this round and it starts tomorrow night with the Bulldogs and the swans this is a very good round of footy on paper isn’t it round 11 already can you believe it the second week of said Doug Nichols indigenous round of course dream time at the G is on Saturday night which we’re all so excited for but it all kicks off tomorrow night at Marvel stadium and this is the biggest of the big tests for the Western bulldogs for season 2024 um none other than Sydney Swans the top of the the ladder of course but they need to show us tomorrow night what they’re capable of the dogs they’ve got such a talented list across the board and there’s no bigger test in the game but we they’ve had such an inconsistent season they’re starting to find the groove the dogs and I just think tomorrow we just need to see exactly what they’re capable of we do and I love Sam Dary by the way watching 287 he’s brilliant he is brilliant and yeah watch him for the next 10 to 15 years um but you’re right like the doggies now have won two in a row great win go up to Sydney beat the Giants who obviously are struggling but beat the Giants now you come back to your home deck Marvel on a Thursday night put on a show that’s what we want to see CU yes Sydney are flying they’re they’re going we know they’re going to turn up and play great footy Western wogs you need to turn up and play great footy but that’s why I reckon this is such a great round especially kicking off with this because you got the doggies at home against uh Sydney that’s a genuine 5050 I believe y then we’ve got fro cinwood you spoke about the amount of injuries that con would have but they turn up and playing close games every time they play couple of debutants too couple of debutants then you got car Goos Goos need to win away from home they need to win away from home to prove to everyone in the AFL landscape they’re there jalong Jerry West two very struggling teams at the moment Jan could lose four in a row a month ago this would have been the best game of the round by a long way changed exactly and then on and then your boy on uh on Sunday afternoon which I thinking game West Coast well I’m an Adelaide girl as we all know here at footy talk so I hope that Harley Reed has an absolute stinker on the but based on what we’ve seen from him across you know the start of his career Jay Clark actually I said I’m obsessed with Harley Reed he said how obsessed I am Nick Carter Backstreet Boy kind of you know throughout my early years obsessed with h re come on AB luckily your taste has improved since Nick Carter Jesus christs know this at but he’ll get home and there will be a Harley Reed poster he is a beautiful man K by the way he’s a beautiful man but my question I want to ask you guys is Harley Reed tonight Channel 7 is on talking footy which is very exciting because I think everybody across the football World in Australia will have a question that they want to pose to this young kid so my question to you guys if you had a one-on-one sit down with Harley Reed what would be the number one question that you would pose to him I’ve got so many right but my the one that most people would probably want to know and what a lot of West Coast Fans and supporters would want to know how committed are you to the West Coast Eagles are you thinking I want to be a one Club player I want to be here for the next 15 16 17 years and I want to drive greatness I want to bring us back from the brink um and I want to ultimately Captain the club I don’t know I want to win a flag with the club yeah um or there was an interview with him ABC and he did openly and honestly speak about being homesick I’ve never lived out of home I missed my sister’s birthday I spent my birthday on my own over in Perth and I love how I love him for doing that like I love him for actually speaking his truth um so what question would you ask Harley Reed what I would be what driving force behind your decision to stay or what do you need from us West Coast as in West Coast asking this what do you need from us to help you to stay and remain in Perth for the next 10 to 15 years so yes home we all know he’s going to be homesick so that’s going to be yeah are you homesick yes uh do you want to see your family yes but what what can West Coast do to keep you at that club for the next 15 years that’s right whether that is yep every month fly my family over for for a week whatever it is but what just not business class everyone gets sensitive about to bus CL class but it’s just what do you need from West Coast to enable you to stay there for the next 15 years is there a player that you have seen across your career or even as a as a fan loving the gr going up is there one player that reminds you of or Harley Reed reminds you of well I mean obviously the number one is um Dustin Martin everyone always refers to um I actually think and one of my best mates over there who is a Melbourne born boy who then is now living in Perth Luke shuy old Captain footy Club probably his mentor over there um which I know he’s done a lot of work with him but he’s a perfect example he was kind of that built like Harley love F off fend off around the middle could go forward um Kick a goal obviously want a nor Smith so we know what a good player is I think Harley really attaches himself to Luke um finds out a good one yeah finds out the lifestyle over there what what does he love about Perth I mean obviously Luke met a Perth girl lovely Danny but just really Luke should should and I think he is just under his wing this is what the Perth life can offer you this is what life in wa can offer you and the footy club’s a great footy Club I know it’s a great environment over there but we can really nurture you and bring you in and and I’ve now been here for 15 20 years and he’s he’s never going to leave that’s a really good example that’s what if I was West Coast that’s what I would be doing is trying to find perth’s most eligible girls and and say can we introduce you to someone like that like Luke and Danny and then you’re there long term well he does have a girlfriend in Jasmine dma yes true then go and recruit her get her to play for the West Coast eag simple as that um if I was to ask him one thing it would be I don’t think it’s a question if it’s when he will be the best player in the game yep so I’d ask him that is how long do you think until you are the best player in the game because it’s not an if question for me he’s played seven games and you know it’s it’s not out of the Realms that we’re talking about him as an all Australian Squad member by the end of the year potentially if things keep going the right way how long until you think you’re the best player in the game yeah well yeah I agree with you you’ve seen enough to know now that he will be yeah obviously injuries a side touch would B all that stuff he has shown enough in his first seven or eight games that he’s going to be the best player I mean the things he does is players dream of doing yeah he is special I mean yeah look at your eyes she’s G on ni Carter on again everybody I agree with you he’s just um everyone’s in a of watching him um his highlight real he’s already unbelievable um and the way that he’s he’s um handling the pressure we were all asking the question throughout the preseason he was front page he was back page he was middle page of the West Australian every single day is this kid going to step up and is he going to I guess just take it on or is it going to be overwhelming and is it going to hinder his performance but the way that he has just embraced it and seem like he Lov it oh yeah well you can see um the interview after the game on the weekend he kind of when Kath Lam was asking questions he kind of shy away and he’s still a shy kid and Jake wman was there next him interviewing him it was great cuz he kept trying to like deflect it back to Jake and you could see he’s like got his hands on his collar and then he kind of tucks him away he’s kind of still that nervous energy which I love cuz he’s not an 18 NY old kid who’s the best player in his age group in Australia right now but he’s not an arrogant kid he’s not coming in going yeah I’m this I’m that I want to be this I want to be that you can tell he’s just still that nervous energy around but he just loves footy and loves playing and he’s putting on a show well that’s up that’s it for us I could keep going if you want I’m sure you could uh and is that it for you for a couple of weeks couple weeks yes that’s it for me I’ll be back in June yeah thank you can’t wait unbelievable you’ll be able to track his Zer as well if you’re interested in these Boulder Colorado results you can will you let us know your number I’ll let you know yep I’ll put on my Instagram good uh we’ll be back next week absolutely AB you just have another weekend of domination and renovating and all the things that you do in your life thank you being a cat mom more videos please more back street boys as well Daisy Thomas is back tomorrow heat Shore as well and this could be very very interesting if you thought that Daisy and heer were loose Jacob Gainer who is the giant social media Guru but been behind some of the funniest stuff this year is going to be on the show you got to tune in tomorrow because Lord knows where that thing could go until next time thanks for being with us on footy talk