Pies coach's left field tactic ahead of Grundy reunion

Collingwood manager Craig McRae said helium showed his broadside a photograph of Melbourne's Brodie Grundy anterior to the Pies' archetypal gathering with their aged teammate.

Grundy kicked a extremity and had 26 hitouts arsenic the Demons survived a frantic decorativeness to tally retired 8. 18. (66) to 9. 8. (62) winners successful beforehand of implicit 83,000 spectactors astatine the MCG.

The King's Birthday clash was Grundy's archetypal against the nine wherever helium played 177 games and was a two-time champion and fairest winner.

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Following his side's four-point loss, McRae revealed the reasoning down his left-field tactic.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 12: Brodie Grundy of the Demons is congratulated by Alex Neal-Bullen aft kicking a extremity during the circular 13 AFL lucifer betwixt Melbourne Demons and Collingwood Magpies astatine Melbourne Cricket Ground, connected June 12, 2023, successful Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) (Quinn Rooney via Getty Images)

"I said earlier the crippled to the boys … I enactment a photograph of him up and I said, 'We each truly attraction for Brodie. Many of america successful the country person adjacent relationships with him, helium had a large publication to the Collingwood Football Club'," McRae said.

"You marque pugnacious decisions, database management-wise, to what you deliberation is champion for the future.

"We privation him to play good and execute good – conscionable not against us."

Grundy was traded against his volition successful the off-season arsenic the Magpies looked to easiness their wage headdress burden, but was bizarrely booed by Collingwood fans with his opening touch.

Grundy bizarrely booed by Pies fans

However, helium enjoyed the past laugh, kicking a captious extremity successful the 3rd quarter.

"There was a just spot made of it, but successful the extremity there's a batch of respect determination betwixt myself and my ex-teammates," helium told 3AW aft the game.

"It was truly pleasing to get connected the extremity of a win, they've been the benchmark broadside each twelvemonth and I thought our strategy going into the crippled was truly beardown and we executed.

"I had a spot of jitters connected that archetypal acceptable shot. Our starring goalkicker, Bayley Fritsch, helium gets astir maine and helium came retired and said, 'Mate, conscionable constitute yourself', truthful it was bully to footwear it done for sure."

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