‘Devastating’: Hawthorn’s apology to Rioli should be a starting point

This week on the Real Footy podcast, Michael Gleeson, Michael Gleeson and Greg Baum discuss Cyril Rioli’s experiences at Hawthorn and racism in the AFL.

The panel makes the case that not only should there be a review initiated at Hawthorn, but other clubs should do the same; this is an entire AFL problem. Aside from the scrutiny of Hawthorn management, there were damning comments made by an unnamed player and reported by The Age that speak to an endemic problem. And this is all revealed a year on from Collingwood’s Do Better report, from which the response from other clubs at the time was deafening silence.

There is more to play out with this story, including questions about how much money Hawthorn were spending on cultural awareness during Rioli’s time at the club and where that money went.

On the field, Hawthorn were one of a few teams that lost but wouldn’t be feeling too bad about their performances this weekend. Despite getting jumped early by the Blues, the Hawks’ comeback was impressive, while there was plenty to like for Collingwood even in defeat, and Essendon, despite being 0-3, have improved since being thrashed in round one.

It was a different story for Port Adelaide, however. Three straight losses to start the season, the most recent a Showdown defeat after the siren, has put enormous heat on coach Ken Hinkley. Is this his last year in the role?

The panel also talks about Jeremy Cameron’s performance against the Pies. Can he help the Cats to another finals series, despite a less than perfect defence? So far this season we’ve seen that you only need to break even around the rest of the ground if you have good forwards to kick to.

The Tigers lost again, and while you never write Richmond off, there are some worrying signs. Though there were some exciting individual performances against the Saints, there’s a lack of urgency and pressure and the midfield is below par at the moment. Would you rather be the Bulldogs at 1-2, or the Tigers?

And Emma Kearney joins the podcast to look back at the weekend’s preliminary finals and preview the grand final. Can Adelaide win it again, or will Melbourne take out their first premiership?

Plus, the advertisement against expansion put on by GWS and Gold Coast, a verdict on the stand rule, David Noble’s scathing assessment of his team’s performance against Brisbane and more.

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