Dicko & Paps are back for Episode 97 of The Early Crow, unpacking an enormous weekend of sport — from the AFL Grand Final and NRL Finals to another massive weekend of Australian horse racing. 🐓🔥

🏆 AFL GRAND FINAL

The boys dissect the AFL Grand Final, looking at how the game unfolded, the biggest moments and just how good the contest was.

Was it “Wharfie time” that made the difference? ⚓

The lads break down where things started to fall apart for Fremantle after Brisbane hit the button. Should the Dockers have dropped a spare defender back? Or did the Lions simply move the ball too quickly for Freo to react?

Paps also gives his own perspective on losing AFL Grand Finals, reflecting on the emotions that come with falling just short on the biggest stage and what Fremantle needs to do to rebound from the disappointment.

The boys also go behind the scenes on Paps' own season, including the AFL Preliminary Final, his injury and the surgery he's undergone post-season.

🏉 NRL FINALS

Then it's over to the NRL Finals, where the Panthers and Knights produced another cracking contest.

The boys unpack the Nathan Cleary controversy, with Cleary not starting before coming onto the field and having a major influence on the game.

But despite his impact, the Penrith Panthers couldn't get the job done against Newcastle.

🐓 Then it's onto the Roosters vs Dolphins, with the Roosters finding a way to progress and keep their finals campaign alive.

🐎 EYES ON PONIES

The racing chat kicks off with the Group 1 Golden Rose at Rosehill, where Warwoven produced a huge performance to claim the $1 million three-year-old feature.

Warwoven, trained by Bjorn Baker and ridden by Rachel King, defeated St Gotthard by 3¼ lengths, with Under Focus third

The boys pick apart the race, what it means for the three-year-old spring crop and where these horses could head next.

The lads also go through the Mornington meeting, with a look at some of the horses that caught the eye on the AFL Grand Final Day card.

The meeting featured the R.M. Ansett Classic over 2400m, alongside a strong card of metropolitan-quality racing.

Among the winners was Veyepee, who took out the 1600m Benchmark 84, while Tsarine, Piastri and Savitri were also among the day's winners

And then we get to the performance that had everyone talking...

JIMMYSSTAR. 🚀

The veteran sprinter produced an absolute last-to-first demolition job in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes at Caulfield, charging from the back of the field under Ethan Brown to defeat Extragalactic and Charm Stone

It was Jimmysstar's fourth Group 1 victory and his first win since the CF Orr Stakes, with blinkers added for the Manikato.

The boys break down the performance, whether we've just seen Jimmysstar return to his absolute best and what the win means heading further into the spring.

AFL Grand Final fallout. NRL Finals. Warwoven. Mornington. And Jimmysstar flying from the clouds.

It's all on Episode 97 of The Early Crow Podcast. 🐓🔥

Sit back, relax and tune in.

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The boys break down the big moments from the footy, look ahead to Sydney vs Fremantle at the SCG, and then turn their attention to the ponies with the Run To The Rose and Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes taking centre stage.

🏉 AFL FINALS

The Fremantle Dockers got the job done against Geelong, but was it a case of Geelong being disappointing — or simply being beaten by a better team on the night?

Paps gives his thoughts on the game, including the controversial and incredible Dempsey goal and everything that came with it. 👀

Then it's over to Brisbane vs Adelaide, where the Lions absolutely turned it on to book their spot in the next stage of the finals.

And while Adelaide's season came to an end, the boys pay tribute to Tex Walker following what looks to be the final game of a legendary Adelaide Football Club career. 🫡

🔴⚪ Sydney vs Fremantle

Then we look ahead to Friday night's massive clash:

Sydney Swans 🆚 Fremantle Dockers

📍 SCG
🌡️ 23°C
💨 Light winds
🌙 Friday night football

Could you ask for anything better?

The boys preview the matchup and discuss what Sydney needs to do to keep their September campaign alive.

🐎 EYES ON PONIES

Two elite meetings means plenty to talk about, starting with Flemington and the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes.

🔥 How good is Sheza Alibi?

🤔 What do we do with Streisand?

👀 Is Oliveanotherday a myth — or do we forgive?

📕 And most importantly, which horses are we following out of Flemington?

The boys go through the big performances, horses to follow and what the results could mean as we head deeper into the 2026 Spring Racing Carnival.

Then it's off to Rosehill for the Run To The Rose, with the boys looking closely at Warwoven.

Was the performance good enough to follow going forward?

What did we actually learn from the race?

And which horses could be worth keeping on the radar for their next start?

And of course, we couldn't finish without having a little look into the future...

👀 Is there a $101 futures bet worth having for the weekend?

It's all on Episode 96 of The Early Crow Podcast.

Sit back, relax and tune in. 🐓🔥🐎

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🎙️ The Early Crow Podcast – Ep. 95 | “Momentum”

Paps, Dicko & Pratty are back for Episode 95 of The Early Crow, and after one of the greatest wins in Sydney Swans history, there is plenty to get through this week! 🐓🔥

From a massive weekend of AFL Finals to some outstanding racing performances at Sandown and Randwick, the boys are rolling with plenty of momentum.

Where do we even start?

🦢 AFL – One of Sydney's Greatest Wins

The lads deep dive into the Sydney Swans' incredible AFL Finals win over the Brisbane Lions, with the Bloods producing one of their most memorable performances in recent history.

Paps gives us an inside look at what made the win so special, breaking down the game, the emotion around the group and the performance that helped send the Swans through to a home preliminary final.

And of course, we had to get to the bottom of one of the biggest mysteries of the day...

🎧 What does Justin “The Cruss” McInerney actually do on the bench with those headphones on?!

🏉 AFL Finals – The Rest of the Weekend

The boys also cast their eyes across the other massive games from the AFL Finals weekend.

⚡ The Hawks getting the job done over the Dockers in WA.

🐱 Geelong putting on a clinic in the second half.

🔴🔵 Adelaide stepping up when it mattered to get over the Western Bulldogs.

With September footy heating up, the lads discuss the big performances, key moments and what it all means heading into the next stage of the AFL Finals.

🏇 Eyes On Ponies – Sandown & Randwick

Then, as always, we turn our eyes to the ponies! 👀🐎

It was a massive weekend of Australian racing across Sandown and Randwick, with some serious performances putting themselves firmly on the radar for the spring.

The boys discuss:

🔥 Ka Ying Rising
🌟 Tempted
🐎 My Gladiola
💪 Lindermann

From Group racing performances to spring carnival implications, Paps, Dicko & Pratty break down the horses that impressed them most and what could be next for some of the biggest names in Australian racing.

Sit back, relax, and tune in. 🍻🐎🏉

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We're back with Episode 94 of The Early Crow Podcast, and this week the boys are all about the racing 🐎🔥

The 2026 spring racing season has officially kicked into gear, with the first Group 1 of the season going the way of the brilliant Autumn Glow, who returned with a dominant performance in the Group 1 Winx Stakes at Randwick.

But before we get to the big one, there's plenty to unpack from around the country.

🏆 Eyes On Ponies – Randwick

We kick things off at Sandown, where the boys dissect Saturday's Group 3 Carlyon Stakes (1000m).

Cavalry Girl continued her outstanding run of form, producing a gutsy performance to defeat Bazaball Rewarded and Losesomewinmore. The win was her third straight victory and fourth win from her past five starts, with the Tom Dabernig-trained mare now firmly on the spring radar.

The big question is now: Can Cavalry Girl take the next step into Group 1 company? 👀

She's been earmarked for the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Sandown on September 5, meaning she could be back at the same track and distance in just a couple of weeks.

The boys discuss whether her Carlyon Stakes win was enough to suggest she can measure up against the better sprinters in the 2026 Moir Stakes, as well as throwing out a few black bookers for punters to keep an eye on heading further into the spring.

Then it's all about Royal Randwick and the biggest race of the weekend — the 2026 Group 1 Winx Stakes.

The first Group 1 of the Australian racing season produced the highly anticipated clash between Autumn Glow and Sheza Alibi, with Autumn Glow returning in style for Chris Waller and James McDonald.

Autumn Glow settled beautifully before unleashing her trademark acceleration in the straight, putting the race beyond doubt and defeating Sheza Alibi by 1.39 lengths, with Gringotts running third.

After a dominant first-up win over 1400m, the question now becomes:

Is she now the horse to beat heading towards the Sydney Spring Carnival and The Everest, and where does she fit against the best horses in Australia?

The boys break down her Winx Stakes performance, what we learnt from the Randwick meeting and where Autumn Glow could head next.

🔥 Cavalry Girl. Autumn Glow. The Moir Stakes. The Winx Stakes. The Sydney Spring Carnival.

It's all on the agenda in Episode 94 of The Early Crow Podcast.

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🏇 Eyes On Ponies – Sandown🏆 Eyes On Ponies – Randwick🤔 What's next for Autumn Glow?

We're running it back two weeks in a row with Dicko & Paps! 🐓🔥

Episode 93, “Sickies”, is up and about with plenty of AFL, Sydney Swans, horse racing, black bookers and the usual banter.

🦢 AFL

The main footy chat centres around the Sydney Swans' clash with Port Adelaide, with plenty to unpack from the weekend.

Paps runs through Dattoli's impressive performance after earning his opportunity, before the conversation turns to Logan McDonald, aka Big Bruce, and his growing impact on the AFL competition. 💪

The boys also discuss:

🏉 Will Green making his Sydney debut and holding his own against Jordan Sweet in the ruck.

🔥 Charlie Cameron kicking a bag and making his presence felt.

⚡ Jai Serong running amuck on the wing and showing why he's one of Sydney's exciting new recruits.

The lads then cast their eyes across the rest of the competition, looking at the teams sitting around the top of the AFL ladder and which sides could genuinely challenge for the premiership.

🏆 And Paps reveals who he thinks is the toughest team to beat outside of the Swans.

🏇 Eyes On Ponies

The attention then turns to the weekend's racing, with the boys reviewing the action from Caulfield Heath and Randwick.

💨 A deep dive into The Missile Stakes

👀 Angel Capital gets plenty of attention, with the boys asking whether it's time to zig while everyone else is zagging.

📕 And then Dicko goes rogue...

He brings you TWO black bookers from the weekend's racing — one from Queensland and another from Morphettville.

Who are they? You'll have to listen to find out. 👀🐎

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Dicko & Paps are back for another episode of The Early Crow Podcast, covering everything from AFL and the Sydney Swans to horse racing, media life and the ever-changing conditions affecting winter racing.

From a gutsy Swans win and some brutal injuries to life behind the scenes in racing and broadcasting, Episode 92 is packed with plenty of laughs, insights and the usual tangents.

🦢 AFL

The boys break down the Sydney Swans' hard-fought win over St Kilda, discuss a horror run of injuries across the competition and reveal the surprising reason behind the episode title, "Wedges", after Paps was forced to wear shoe wedges inside his brand-new boots.

They also look ahead to what the remainder of the AFL season could hold as clubs begin their run towards September.

🎙️ Behind the Microphone

Paps chats about his growing media commitments, including:

• AFL Special Comments on SEN
• Joining the Channel 7 Racing team
• Life balancing football, media and racing

The spotlight then shifts to Dicko, who discusses:

• Recent appearances on Sky Racing Radio with Dave Stanley
• Spending mornings in the stables with Logan McGill Racing
• Learning the day-to-day preparation of racehorses through The Mailbag Bloodstock

🏇 Eyes On Ponies

The lads dive into one of the biggest talking points in Australian racing right now — how rapidly changing track conditions are affecting horses, trainers and punters.

They discuss:

• Wet tracks turning dry
• Dry tracks becoming rain-affected
• How horses cope with changing surfaces
• What punters should be looking for during winter racing

Whether you're an AFL fan, racing enthusiast or just enjoy a good sports chat with plenty of banter, Episode 92 has you covered.

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WE APOLOGISE FOR DICKO'S AUDIO AT TIMES!

Paps & Dicko are back for another episode of The Early Crow, and as the title suggests, there are plenty of tangents along the way. 🐓🔥

The lads kick things off discussing Tom's injury, the latest timeline for his return, and what his absence means moving forward. They also take a look at how the Sydney Swans have managed to keep themselves firmly in the mix despite a growing injury list that has seen several key players spend time on the sidelines this season. The Bloods continue to find a way, with reinforcements not too far away.

The conversation then shifts north to State of Origin Game 2, with the series heading to the MCG. NSW entered the clash looking to wrap up the series, while Queensland faced a must-win scenario to force a decider. The boys discuss the key match-ups, team changes and where they think the contest will be won and lost.

As always, there’s plenty of racing chat with a look at a few ponies, some betting angles, and even a couple of races watched live during the recording. It’s the usual mix of sport, racing, opinions, stories and the occasional complete derailment.

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We are back this week for some dross for your ear drums!

We waffle on about how the boys are performing on the track (The Swans this is) sitting pretty at the top of the AFL ladder. Then fumble our way through a bit of Life Chat, The State Of Origin game coming up as well as how the one and only Tom Papleys horses are going, as well as how the now lead Jack Dickens stable is going at Mornington.

Sit back and relax, here's 37 minutes of unfiltered entertainment for you this Wednesday afternoon that hopefully doesn't give you Tinnitus.

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18+. Think about what you are really gambling with. For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamlinghelponline.org.au