McRae Dismisses Carlton Links and Personal Rumours
Collingwood’s premiership-winning coach, Craig McRae, has unequivocally shut down speculation linking him to the Carlton Football Club, labelling the rumours as “not true” and “doesn’t make sense.” The highly-regarded coach fronted the media to directly address reports that have surfaced, while also touching on baseless claims regarding his personal life.
Collingwood premiership coach Craig McRae has swiftly rejected any links to Carlton.
McRae, who recently extended his contract with the Magpies, expressed his bewilderment at the unfounded rumours. “Geez, I’m caught up in a lot of things at the moment,” he stated. “I’ve got a contract here. I’ve just extended it, thankfully enough. And my best mate works there. It’s not real. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
The whispers linking McRae to Ikon Park emerged following uncertainty surrounding Michael Voss’s coaching future at Carlton at the end of last year. This period coincided with the arrival of new CEO Graham Wright at the Blues. Notably, Wright played a pivotal role in securing McRae’s services for Collingwood at the conclusion of 2021, following the departure of long-serving coach Nathan Buckley.
Addressing Personal Speculation
Beyond the professional speculation, McRae also took the opportunity to firmly refute rumours circulating about his personal life. Speaking ahead of his 100th game at the helm of the Magpies, he emphasised the falsity of these claims.
“There’s a lot of things that aren’t true and I’ve addressed that,” McRae confirmed. “It’s a crazy world we live in at time. It’s become a little bit annoying. It was nice to get on the front foot and really nice to have support from people who know my values and morals. I’m really comfortable in my values and morals, and what people say about me, I can’t control.”
He elaborated on the unsettling nature of such gossip, explaining how he sometimes encounters these unfounded narratives. “I hear things, and go, ‘what’s going on here?’ This is factual, it was 10 seconds of a 30 minute meeting. It was just addressing the world we’re in.”
McRae drew a parallel between the on-field dynamics of football and the off-field media landscape. “There’s heroes and villains. Wins and losses. And we’re all caught up in that. We play the game, which is kicks, marks and handballs. And this is the other game. And sometimes that other game tries to get involved in our kicks, marks and handballs, which we try to educate our players around, and maybe I was a living example.”
Team News and Injury Updates
Looking ahead to Collingwood’s upcoming clash against St Kilda on Sunday, McRae confirmed that the team will not be introducing any debutants. However, he did provide an update on player movements, announcing that former Swan Jack Buller will be pulling on the black and white for the first time.
McRae also indicated that Oscar Steene and Joel Cochran were very close to earning their senior debuts, highlighting their strong performances in the lead-up.
In terms of injuries, the Magpies will be without captain Darcy Moore for the weekend’s fixture due to a calf complaint. Despite this setback, Moore is expected to be fit and available for selection in Round 1. Jeremy Howe, also nursing a calf issue, is likely to return to the field following the club’s Round 2 bye.
