Five questions ahead of AFL documentary Making Their Mark

Kieran Francis

Five questions ahead of AFL documentary Making Their Mark image

In one of the most unprecedented seasons in AFL history across 2020, Amazon Prime's docu-series Making Their Mark promises to shed light as the game was thrown into turmoil due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The production is a seven-part documentary following players, coaches and executives across six AFL teams, including Nic Naitanui (West Coast player), Stuart Dew (Gold Coast coach), Stephen Coniglio (GWS captain), Eddie Betts (Carlton player), Rory Sloane (Adelaide captain) and the senior leadership at Richmond, featuring Damien Hardwick (coach), Brendon Gale, (CEO) and Peggy O'Neal (president).

Ahead of the documentary's release on March 12 (you can watch the trailer below), Sporting News poses the questions we would like answered.

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How did Richmond's senior leadership deal with hub tension and controversies?

Richmond's 2020 season ended in the ultimate triumph - the AFL premiership - with the Tigers winning their third flag in the past four seasons.

But the road to glory was littered with tension and controversy as the coronavirus pandemic and life in hubs caused tension in relationships among powerbrokers at the club.

From the perspective of the Tigers senior leadership, including Hardwick, Gale and O'Neal, it will be interesting to see how they dealt with the issues arising in the club's Gold Coast hub.

Not long after Richmond integrated within their hub, Brooke Cotchin - the wife of Tigers captain Trent - was caught up in a violation of the AFL's strict COVID-19 rules when she attended a day spa.

The incident caused controversy and tension within the Tigers camp, with the Cotchin's reportedly threatening to leave the Richmond hub.

This wasn't the last COVID issue to affect Richmond with youngsters Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones involved in a fight outside a strip club in Surfers Paradise toward the end of the season.

Both players breached COVID rules including taking an Uber, visiting a non-approved venue and becoming involved in an altercation which saw them each suspended for 10 matches and the Tigers fined $100,000.

It has also emerged that Hardwick's relationship with his wife Danielle ended during Richmond's time in the Gold Coast hub, while there was vision of player Mabior Chol being groped by team-mates after a win.

Despite all the issues and tension, Richmond's players shut out the noise to go on to win the 2020 AFL premiership.

It will be fascinating to see how the senior Richmond leaders deal with all the controversy on their way to winning the ultimate prize.

Hardwick Cotchin Richmond 2020

After signing a mega-contract and becoming GWS captain, what happened to Stephen Coniglio?

Stephen Coniglio endured the worst season of his AFL career in 2020 with the 27-year-old averaging 21.1 disposals - his lowest tally since 2013, albeit with the shorter quarters.

The gun midfielder had become the Giants captain at the end of 2019 after signing a seven-year, million-dollar-a-year contract that would keep him in western Sydney for life.

However, the West Australian-born star failed to get anywhere near his best form and was even dropped from the team for the round 17 clash against Melbourne - a match the Giants desperately needed to win to help secure a finals berth and eventually lost by five points.

Despite being among the flag favourites at the start of the season, GWS missed the finals after being thrashed by St Kilda in the final round of the season.

How did first-time captain Coniglio cope with the pressure of being the team's leader? How did it affect his personal game? How did he feel when he was axed from the team?

The documentary will certainly answer several questions and shed light on the Giants' underwhelming season.

Stephen Coniglio

What was it like for Eddie Betts dealing with racist comments?

Racism is a prevalent issue across Australia and worldwide currently, and the reaction and feelings of Carlton and Indigenous star Eddie Betts to discriminatory comments made toward to him will be compelling viewing.

Betts, who famously had a banana thrown at him while playing for Adelaide in 2016, called out a fan who crudely depicted him as a monkey on social media during the 2020 season.

Despite being a multicultural country, Australia has significant problems with racist behaviour and the tribulations of such a revered athlete like Betts because of such comments will shed light on the issue.

Aside from the racism issues, Betts returned to Carlton in 2020 but struggled to have a significant impact on the field during club's failed finals charge.

However, coach David Teague explained the 34-year-old's positive impact with Carlton's youngsters off-the-field, which will be an element of the documentary that will be intriguing to see.

Eddie Betts Carlton

How did Adelaide captain Rory Sloane cope with the club's challenge and his personal struggles? 

Adelaide's decline since reaching the 2017 Grand Final has been well-documented but their path reached rock-bottom in 2020 as the club won their first wooden spoon.

In his first year as captain, respected Crows midfielder Rory Sloane had to deal with the club enduring their worst season ever in the national competition, while also enduring his own injury issues.

A fractured hand saw Sloane miss six matches in the middle of Adelaide's season and it looked as if the South Australians might go winless through the season.

However, Sloane returned for the final six matches of the season to help spearhead the Crows to three wins against Hawthorn, Carlton and GWS - with the club gaining confidence and discovering several new youngsters.

The trials and tribulations of a first-year captain going through the ultimate decline of a great club, while also dealing with his own problems, will be must-see production.

Taylor Walker Rory Sloane

What did Stuart Dew do to help young gun Matthew Rowell through his complicated first year of football?

Gold Coast's number one draft pick Matt Rowell took the competition by storm in the first four matches of the 2020 season.

The 19-year-old dominated in the Suns midfield and picked up an extraordinary nine Brownlow votes before he was struck down by a season-ending shoulder injury in his fifth game.

Despite Rowell's inability to play, Dew recognised the leadership potential in the talented midfielder and he employed the Victorian as an assistant coach for the rest of the season.

Dew's overall nurturing of Gold Coast's young list, including Rowell, will be fascinating to watch as he attempts to turn a basket-case club into a finals and premiership contender.

Matt Rowell Gold Coast

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis Photo

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.