Wednesday's Questions and Answers (10.06.2026)

**Mark Duffield** (0:04)
We've got time in the first hour for some questions and answers. Of course, in the second hour, we've got Duff and the Doctor and Dr. Sean Gorman coming in to join me in the studio. And we'll be talking to Peter Matera, who is on his way home from the Hall of Fame dinner last night, one of the great nights on the AFL calendar. Paul Heath is with me in the studio.

**Paul Heath** (0:25)
Morning, Duff. Great question off the top here from John. It might be actually John Worsfold that sent it in. But is Worsfold the greatest Eagles captain?

**Mark Duffield** (0:32)
That did occur to me.

**Paul Heath** (0:33)
Yeah.

**Mark Duffield** (0:34)
Yes, he is.

**Paul Heath** (0:34)
Yeah.

**Mark Duffield** (0:35)
Yes. In a word, yes, his longevity. So he took over, I think, for the first semifinal against Melbourne.

**Paul Heath** (0:44)
Right.

**Mark Duffield** (0:45)
Steve Malaxos had led the team into the drawn grand final against Collingwood and then the replay of that drawn grand final because they didn't play extra time back in those days. And then Stava was controversially left out of the team for the first semifinal against Melbourne, and Wisher became the leader and stayed the leader until his retirement at the end of 1998 He was a standard bearer.
He was tough, mean, definitely mean.
And he was, yeah, he was their greatest leader. Chan and Hearn had his moments. And obviously, you know, Ben Cousins was captain for a few years, and Chris Judd was the Premiership captain in 2006 But, and Darren Glass, I thought, was a very good leader as well. But yeah, worst fold is the captain.

**Paul Heath** (1:40)
Did he have a classic opponent in that way that, you know, Wayne Carey and Glenn Jacobich would always match up on each other? Did he have someone that was out at another club that he'd always sort of line up with?

**Mark Duffield** (1:49)
No one wanted to play on Wusher. He did play on Gary Ablett Sr. in the 1992 Grand Final when Gary Ablett Sr. was still playing as a half forward.

**Paul Heath** (1:59)
Right.

**Mark Duffield** (2:00)
And that was a good matchup because you knew that while Ablett had his moments in that game, worst fold was going to make him earn all of his kicks, which he did. And then after that, it was hard to find matchups for him because he beefed himself up to be a strong and tough player.

**Paul Heath** (2:22)
Okay.

**Mark Duffield** (2:22)
And he kind of, I think he probably cut a few years off his career as a result of that because he had a few injuries and he lost a bit of speed. And then it was hard to find good matchups for him. But that was kind of the way he played. It was the team first. What does the team need? Okay, the team needs a really strong physical player. So that's what I'm going to be. And that's why he was able to make the All-Australian team as a teenager in 1988 He got big and strong and really, really tough.
And yeah, he was outstanding.

**Paul Heath** (2:57)
Abir is saying, Australian cricket is in a lot of trouble. The fact we couldn't even bowl Bangladesh out is a worry. I think we're in for a world of hurt over the next five years.

**Mark Duffield** (3:05)
I was trying to figure out when I was looking at that game, I was thinking, what's the biggest problem here? Is it our batting, and clearly the top order is just a debacle, or is it the fact that they were able to make eight for 284 against our bowlers? Yeah. And that, in a 50 over ODI on the subcontinent, that's always going to be a challenging target.
So, and look, our bowling, so Stark, Cummins, Hazelwood, all well into their 30s. So that's a problem. We're going to have to find young Quicks. It annoys me that every time there is a young Quick coming through, they take him out of his state program and get him trailing around with the national team for a little while. And invariably, they don't develop well, and invariably, they end up being injured.

**Paul Heath** (3:57)
Stress them out too much. Yeah.

**Mark Duffield** (3:58)
It happened to Lance Morris.
Marley Beardman developed a bit of a back issue when he went over there as well. Let them stay with their state coaches who know them. Let them stay with the strength and conditioning coaches who know their bodies, and just let them take wickets at first class level and come through the system that way. I would have thought that's common sense. Instead of thinking, oh, well, we're the national team and we're the national coaches, and therefore, we know more, so therefore, they will develop better if they're with us. No, they won't. And recent history says they won't. And recent history says you've actually damaged the progress of some young fast bowlers by taking them into that system.