A recent Australian Football League (AFL) encounter has sparked unexpected media attention for Collingwood Magpies head coach Craig McRae, after a brief off-hand exchange with former club star Brodie Grundy — now a leading player with the Sydney Swans — during last week’s match between the two sides became a talking point among football pundits.
During the game, which ended in a loss for Collingwood, McRae was positioned along the team’s interchange boundary when he handed the match ball back to Grundy and shared a short personal comment with the ruckman. The exact content of that exchange has not been released to the public, and Grundy did not respond publicly or visibly to McRae in the moments after the comment was made.
Despite the low-key nature of the interaction, it has reignited long-running discussion around McRae’s choice to coach from the active boundary line, a coaching style that first drew public scrutiny after a similar on-field exchange with Greater Western Sydney tagger Toby Bedford during the opening round of the 2024 season.
Speaking to reporters this week, McRae said he was taken aback by the intense line of questioning from media about the Grundy interaction. While he refused to disclose the specific wording of his comment, he repeatedly emphasized that the exchange was completely harmless. “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 told reporters.
The coach noted that he built a close professional relationship with Grundy during his time at Collingwood, and said he holds the current Sydney star in high regard, adding that there was nothing inappropriate about the quick comment on game day. “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,” he said. “It was nothing untoward, at an appropriate time I will be able to tell you what I said.”
McRae also doubled down on his preference for coaching from the boundary line, arguing that the position lets him build a closer connection with his on-field players and generates greater energy for the entire team. Addressing concerns that the comment may have offended Grundy, McRae said he was open to reaching out directly to the Swans star to clear up any misunderstanding, adding that he prioritizes maintaining positive relationships with former players who have moved on to other clubs.
“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,” McRae 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. I just want to respect the position I am in and I don’t think I take things for granted on that.”
In addition to addressing the exchange with Grundy, McRae provided an injury and availability update for Collingwood’s upcoming round of matches. The club will receive a significant boost this week, with key starters Darcy Moore, Darcy Cameron, Pat Lipinski and Tim Membrey all cleared to return to selection. However, exciting winger Bobby Hill remains unavailable, as he waits for the birth of his first child.
McRae confirmed that Hill is highly unlikely to feature in this weekend’s match, and said a return later in the season remains the expected outcome. “It’s probably unlikely, we’ve got some news brewing but we can’t say at the moment,” he 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.”
Grundy, who left Collingwood to join Sydney, claimed the best-on-ground medal for his performance during last Friday’s win over his former side.