Geelong would favour the NRL-style warm-up after kicking nine out of the first 10 goals in Thursday night's 25-point win over Collingwood at the MCG.
Both clubs embraced a revamped pre-game routine, significantly altering the traditional schedule. The coin toss was held in the rooms 90 minutes before the opening bounce, while a light show and smoke effects headlined the entertainment before Geelong and Collingwood emerged just minutes before the first centre bounce.
Collingwood, inspired by rival codes, introduced the innovation to Geelong in a bid to explore new ways to improve the fan experience.
Running out to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 2000s hit Heads Will Roll, the Pies were hopeful the change would result in success. Unfortunately, it didn't.
"That's outcome-driven," McRae said.
"Our processes (we're fine). You reckon the light show made (an impact)? It must've gotten in our eyes for centre bounce. You can make excuses. We don't make excuses about anything. The Cats were just better than us in major parts of the game.
"We don't make excuses, running out at a different time. We had guys sick during the week. No excuses. You turn up, and you play."
Tonight's coin toss looks a little different, moving inside earlier to allow for a new pre-game sequence 👀 pic.twitter.com/QjljEoFgTM
— AFL (@AFL) July 30, 2026
Defender Harry Perryman injured his hamstring in the second quarter, and was ruled out of the game, while observers would notice the Pies struggling to find the groove of the game until late in the first half.
McRae was encouraged by the club's decision to trial something new, albeit it may not have worked on the scoreboard.
And it's something Collingwood should persist with, as long as the fans enjoy it.
"I didn't get to see it all," McRae said.
"Ask the fans. I walked out; it's different. I don't know if there was a better energy. We're in the entertainment business. I know Leigh Matthews used to say that all the time. We've got to entertain.
"Whether it's how we start the game, pre-game, I don't know. I like to explore things. I said before the game, the old adage of 'this is the way we've always done it'. As soon as we say that, I think, we should change that. That's pretty boring. Why would we do the same things all the time?
"I live in a growth mindset. I know Jarrod Wade (high-performance boss) is the same. We want to continue to grow and explore. I watched the State of Origin game out here, and it just looked like a great spectacle when the players run out (just before the start of the match).
"The NRL are doing a great job around certain things, and we can learn a lot from other sports, and if this is a version of it, I'm not sure. If the fans hate it, then we won't do it.
"But the high-performance nature of it is minimal as far as I'm aware. We'll see what the fans say."
