Monday's Questions and Answers (21.09.2026)

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Mark Duffield (0:14)

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SPEAKER_1 (0:16)

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Mark Duffield (1:00)

Yeah, it's Questions and Answers. That is the Pissed Idiots, and I'll bet there was a few of them wandering around the streets of Freemantle late on Friday night. Paul Heath.

SPEAKER_4 (1:07)

They were all very charming, all very good fellows, and yeah, we were all having a good time. Greg from Indari was first off the ranks, saying, Duff, after watching Saturday's game, if we play our first half like we did against Sydney, it's game over by half time.

Mark Duffield (1:19)

So, don't underestimate the difference of playing at the SCG and playing at the MCG. It's a completely different game. And I've lauded Dean Cox, and he did a wonderful job, but what he did is he set up a team to play at the SCG. So the ones that were brought in were fast, and they were prepared to play fanatical football when they didn't have the football. And that created great difficulties for Freemantle for two and a half quarters, and then eventually they wore them down and wore them out. And then took over the game. So I would be very careful about suggesting that Freemantle played absolutely poorly. Sometimes you play as well as the opposition lets you play, and under the compressed circumstances that you play under at the SCG.

It's not...

I wouldn't say Freemantle were great. I wouldn't say they handled the pressure in a great fashion. But I do think the Grand Final will be played under completely different circumstances. I expect Freemantle to look a lot closer to their best at the MCG than they did for two quarters at the SCG.

SPEAKER_4 (2:23)

Definitely. James saying, Hey Duff, I know a lovely lady who is on the docker-focker, but hasn't got a ticket. Any advice on how to get one?

Mark Duffield (2:30)

Mate, if I knew, I'd probably be telling all the relatives.

SPEAKER_4 (2:35)

Yeah, it's tough. Yep.

I've seen people that were in, that had the right classification for the ballot and stuff like that. They've missed out as well. So, it's tough, but that's what happens when only 18,000, I think, tickets go to the club.

Mark Duffield (2:49)

18,000, yeah. There will be some floating around later in the week. This is the nature of Grand Final Week. I picked up one at the Grand Final Parade one year, and my sister had just rung me, and her husband was wanting to come to Melbourne. She'd been able to get him a good flight. He was a North Melbourne supporter. It was 1998

She asked me what were the chances of getting a ticket were, and I said, virtually zero. And then five seconds later, a journalist, Fiona Darmody, who was also from Western Australia, came up to me and said, I have to fly back to WA tonight. Do you know anyone who wants a ticket?

SPEAKER_4 (3:24)

Yeah, I do.

Mark Duffield (3:26)

Just like that. Easy as that. So you can get lucky, or you can face a week of hopes being dashed and then miss out.

SPEAKER_4 (3:35)

Yeah, but if we're here, if any, we will be sure to pass on. And Chris from Hammond Park saying, Bang on Duff, I don't think I've ever seen a club playing a grand final get pulled apart by the general media so much. Tracy, no good in finals. Reid, horrible, backline susceptible, can't kick straight. Only won three quarters or final series, and is still playing in a grand final. We're in a grand final. Anything can happen, says Chris.

Mark Duffield (3:54)

Yeah, look, they're going to have to be at their very best. Now, you could argue that they haven't been at their very best for most of this September. They were pretty good against Geelong. They had to be to win that game. And if you look at, they've only won three of 12 They drew one quarter.