The ESPN Footy Podcast

This week, we dissect each of the Opening Round games, with a reason to be worried for a few teams. Plus, Nick vs. Nas unpacked, crazy stats for Christian Petracca and Ed Richards, and how teams are using the '23rd man'.

Join Matt Walsh, Jarryd Barca, and Champion Data's Christian Joly on the ESPN Footy Podcast.
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It's our first show of the year, and we're unveiling the new stats Champion Data will be capturing in 2026. Plus, our bold preseason calls, teams we're 'bullish and bearish' on, and Jake counts down his 10 players ahead of the new season.

Join Matt Walsh, Jake Michaels, and Champion Data's Christian Joly on the ESPN Footy Podcast.

00:00 - Intro

02:25 - Something we noticed from preseason

08:30 - What's new at Champion Data

22:15 - 'Bullish and bearish'

39:37 - Bold calls and predictions

53:00 - Jake's 10 best players for 2026

1:05:28 - Justified hype or hyperbole?

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ESPN's AFL Draft expert Jasper Chellappah joins the team to take a look at the 2025 draft crop. We take a look at each club's draft hand, and preview all the big prospects ahead of the big day. Wanna hear about the top prospects? Listen to the analysis on Richmond, West Coast, Essendon, and Melbourne!

Join Matt Walsh, Jake Michaels, and Jasper Chellappah on the ESPN Footy Podcast.

00:00 Intro

07:19 Adelaide

12:40 Brisbane

16:15 Carlton

20:50 Collingwood

24:12 Essendon

30:10 Fremantle

34:30 Geelong

38:14 Gold Coast

42:16 GWS

45:09 Hawthorn

50:40 Melbourne

54:21 North Melbourne

56:50 Port Adelaide

58:46 Richmond

01:03:30 St Kilda

01:05:45 Sydney

01:08:27 West Coast

01:15:08 Western Bulldogs

01:19:00 Bolters/conclusion
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Brisbane have gone back-to-back! We analyse how the Lions ran away with the 2025 Grand Final, discuss the Norm Smith Medal voting, look at what went wrong for Geelong, and give Lachie Neale some very big praise ... PLUS a whole lot more!

Join Matt Walsh, Jake Michaels, and Champion Data's Christian Joly on the ESPN Footy Podcast.
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On this week’s episode, JB and Coxy go head-to-head on whether umpires should keep control of Brownlow Medal voting after a string of controversial results from Monday night. They also look back on Collingwood’s prelim loss, including Mason’s fiery run-in with Dayne Zorko that ended in a $5,000 fine for the Lions veteran. Plus, the boys dive into some key player stats ahead of the Grand Final, debate whether Jaidyn Stephenson deserves another AFL lifeline, and call out why this year’s mark and goal of the year were underwhelming.
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