Collingwood Coach Craig McRae Addresses Personal Comment to Brodie Grundy
Collingwood coach Craig McRae recently found himself in the spotlight after a “personal” comment he made to former Magpie Brodie Grundy during last week’s loss to Sydney. The incident occurred while McRae was coaching from the interchange, and he handed the ball back to Grundy before making a passing remark.
Although the exact nature of the comment has not been disclosed, Grundy did not respond or engage with McRae at the time. This moment has reignited discussions about McRae’s active presence on the boundary line, an issue that first came to light following his exchange with GWS tagger Toby Bedford during the Opening Round.
McRae has remained tight-lipped about what exactly he said to Grundy, but he emphasized that the comment was “nothing untoward.”
“No, I can’t articulate what I said because it was a personal thing. Seriously, it was just a moment in time, we keep moving on,” McRae stated.
“If you have a strong relationship with someone, I don’t see an issue with it – I coached him… I have a really strong relationship (and) great respect for Brodie. It was nothing untoward, at an appropriate time I will be able to tell you what I said.”
McRae also highlighted his passion for coaching from the boundary, explaining that it allows him to connect more deeply with his players.
“I love coaching from the boundary, there’s a real connection to the players there. I feel there’s an energy for me on the boundary line from the team.”
Despite the recent controversy, McRae appears to be handling the situation with grace. He mentioned that he would consider reaching out to Grundy to ensure the comment wasn’t offensive.
“I constantly try and connect with that part of our footy community, when you’re in the game as long as Pendles and other parts, there’s a lot of people,” he said.
“Again, I’ve got great respect for Brodie and Brody Mihocek over here (at Melbourne) and Jack Ginnivan at other clubs. You build relationships that you hope, you go your different ways, but at some stage you’re going to come back and connect somewhere.”
McRae also expressed his commitment to respecting his position within the football community.
“I just want to respect the position I am in and I don’t think I take things for granted on that.”
Team Updates and Player Availability
The Magpies are set to benefit from the return of several key players this week, including Darcy Moore, Darcy Cameron, Pat Lipinski, and Tim Membrey. However, Bobby Hill remains sidelined as he awaits the arrival of his child.
“It’s probably unlikely, we’ve got some news brewing but we can’t say at the moment,” McRae said.
“I will leave that for the appropriate time, it’s probably unlikely Bobby plays this week. That’s a bigger question (if he plays this season), I think at the moment I would hope to think so. We’re just in a position where his partner is expecting a baby really soon.”
