Collingwood Magpies senior coach Craig McRae has taken decisive action to confront two separate waves of off-season speculation concerning both his personal life and professional future. The premiership-winning coach found himself at the center of unfounded rumors regarding his marriage stability during the break, prompting him to address the matter directly with his playing squad.
Club Chief Executive Craig Kelly previously condemned the personal allegations as “false and unfair” toward McRae’s family. During his weekly media briefing on Friday, McRae elaborated on his decision to briefly discuss the situation with players, describing it as “about 10 seconds of a 30-minute meeting” focused on navigating the modern media landscape.
“I am really comfortable in my values and morals and what people say about me, I can’t control,” McRae stated. “It’s become a little bit annoying and it was nice to get on the front foot and really nice to have support in my values and morals.”
The coach emphatically denied recent speculation linking him to Carlton’s coaching position, following reports that the Blues had sounded him out as a potential replacement for Michael Voss. “That’s not true,” McRae responded. “I have got a contract here, I have just extended thankfully enough and my best mate works there. That’s not… it doesn’t make any sense to me.”
McRae revealed he and his wife have “never been happier” and dismissed any notion of pursuing action against online rumor mongers. The personal speculation emerged following the highly publicized separation of Brisbane Lions co-captain Lachie Neale and his wife Jules earlier this year, though McRae’s situation appears entirely unrelated.