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AFL Central - September 2008

Cross named Bulldogs' best

September 30th 2008 21:57
WESTERN BULLDOGS midfielder Daniel Cross has capped off an impressive season by winning the club’s best-and-fairest award.

Cross won his first Charles Sutton Medal with 191 votes to finish 24 clear of Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney (167), with fellow midfielder Matthew Boyd (163) in third.

All-Australian defender Dale Morris (149) was fourth and Daniel Giansiracusa (132) rounded out the top five.

Western Bulldogs captain Brad Jonhson said Cross’ work ethic has helped him ‘become one of the elite midfielders in the competition'.

"When he first started you weren't sure whether he would make it. He had to do a lot of work on his skills," Johnson said.


"His determination and drive is just massive and that's why he's become one of the elite midfielders in the competition because of the way he prepares and developed himself as a player."

"He'll certainly play 200 for this club and will be up there as one of our best midfielders and in the league as well. I'm glad he didn't leave. The opportunity at the start was tough for him and that's why he was super motivated and keen to cement his spot in the side. His work rate's enormous and he is getting the rewards for that now which is great to see."

Cross also won the newly-named Scott West Award for the most courageous player and the Bruce Wilkinson Award as the best player voted by the trainers.

In other awards, Morris won the Match Committee Award, Callan Ward was named Best First Year Player and Jarrod Harbrow was named the Most Promising Player.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


McGregor calls it quits

September 30th 2008 05:20
ADELAIDE utility Ken McGregor has announced his retirement from AFL football.

The 27-year-old, who played 152 games for Adelaide, was contracted for next season but has reached a settlement with the Crows.

McGregor said he felt the time was right for him to move on.

"You know I'm being realistic where I'm at and where the club's at and I think at this time, I think the club's better off with other people in there," he said.

"I'm probably better off moving in a different direction as well, so it's been a tough year for me, I just felt it would have been hard just going through the motions and having to tread water for another year and I don't think that's the right thing to do."


McGregor intends play on with Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFL.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Adelaide Crows
   


Mitchell cleared

September 29th 2008 05:19
HAWTHORN premiership captain Sam Mitchell is free to play in round one next season after being cleared of making front-on contact with Geelong's Gary Ablett Jnr in Saturday's grand final.

The match review panel ruled that the contact with Ablett was caused by Cats' tagger Cameron Ling pushing Mitchell into the contest.

The panel also said the 25-year-old had turned his body to lessen the severity of any contact and that contact between Mitchell's forearm and Ablett's head was seen as self-protection by the Hawks' captain.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


We believed: Clarkson

September 27th 2008 17:42
HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson said his team had 'an inner belief' going into Saturday’s grand final against Geelong.

The Cats had won 42 of their past 44 matches but were denied back-to-back premierships by a gutsy Hawthorn side that prevailed by 26 points.

Clarkson said after the game that his side’s record against Geelong in recent times had given the playing group of lot of confidence going into the premiership decider.

"Our form against them (Geelong) despite our lower ladder position and Geelong's dominance over the past two years has been quite good," he said.

"In 2006 we beat them twice and last year we won the one (and only) game in Tasmania by four points and it was such a great battle in Round 17 (when the Hawks lost by just 11 points)."

"So the players had an inner belief that despite Geelong's outstanding form as a side that if we played our best footy we could stack up well against them because we match up well against the Cats generally."

Despite winning the flag, Clarkson said the Cats were still the league’s benchmark team.

"I suppose the whole competition will look at us that way now because everyone always judges the premiers in that manner," he said.

"But I still expect Geelong will continue to be a dominant side next year."

"And while we got the victory today it could have been a different result and I wouldn't suggest for one minute that that (win) elevates us above Geelong because we still respect them enormously."

"They are still a more experienced group than us and we still think we have to chase them in terms of improving our performance in the couple of years ahead."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


Crawford unsure about future

September 27th 2008 17:31
HAWTHORN veteran Shane Crawford says he will decide in the next month whether he will play on next season.

The 34-year-old admitted he was unsure about his future and said he was just focused on enjoying Saturday’s grand final win over Geelong at this stage.

"I'll answer that in a few weeks because I don't know," Crawford said when asked if he would play on next year.

"I need to enjoy the moment and then just reflect and work out what the club wants to do as well. It's a great feeling, why wouldn't you want to do it again."

"I'm sure as the night goes on and in the next few days it will really sink in what's just happened."

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said he would leave the decision up to Crawford.

"It's up to Crawf whether he goes on. We don't have to make that decision for the next three or four weeks," Clarkson said.

"If he does decide to retire there couldn't be abetter way for him to go out, but he's such a resilient player and so professional in the way that he prepares he could go on."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


Forwards let us down: Thompson

September 27th 2008 17:20
GEELONG coach Mark Thompson says poor kicking in front of goal was to blame for the Cats' 26-point loss to Hawthorn in Saturday's grand final.

The Cats went inside their forward 50 on 62 occasions to Hawthorn's 43 and won the clearances 41-27 but they failed to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal, booting a wasteful 11.23.

Thompson said the Cats forwards badly let down the work of their defenders and midfielders.

"Our defence was fantastic, our midfield reasonable but to score just 11 goals from 62 opportunities (inside 50) is just not good enough," Thompson said.

"We just didn't make the most of our opportunities."

He also admitted that he felt sorry for Gary Ablett Jnr, who was Geelong’s best with 34 possessions and two goals.

"He (Ablett) just looked like he wanted to win so much, I just wish he'd had a few friends (team-mates) in that frame of mind," Thompson said.

Thompson dismissed suggestions that his side had 'choked' under the pressure of being expected to win successive flags after such a dominant season and vowed his team will hit back hard next season.

"Our guys will bounce back - we're taking it hard and I don't think you'd want us to take it any other way," Thompson said.

"I'm already really determined just to go back and smash them in 2009.”

"The fact is, this group is better than just winning one premiership and that's the challenge now."


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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Hawks upset Cats

September 27th 2008 08:14
HAWTHORN has denied Geelong back-to-back premierships with a 26-point win in the grand final at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

The Hawks managed to scrounge three goals to keep themselves alive at the main break before taking control in the second half, slamming on 10 goals to five to prevail 18.7 (115) to 11.23 (89)

The win is a fitting reward for Hawthorn veteran Shane Crawford, who has taken 17 AFL seasons and 305 matches to finally win a flag.

The result was even more meritorious considering the Hawks lost key defender Trent Croad to a foot injury in the second term while midfielder Clinton Young injured his ankle in the third quarter.

Norm Smith Medallist Luke Hodge led a rock-solid defence with 28 possessions and one goal. Brad Sewell was a busy contributor in the middle with 27 disposals while Stuart Dew was influential with 19 touches and two goals.

For Geelong, Gary Ablett Jnr led from the front with a game-high 34 disposals and two goals while Matthew Scarlett restricted Lance Franklin to just two goals.

The Cats, who led by just one point after an entertaining first term, won the bulk of the football in the second quarter but they failed to make the most of their chances in front of goal, booting a wasteful 1.9.

Geelong had 35 more possessions to half-time, 12 more forward entries and 18 scoring shots to just 11 for the Hawks but trailed by three points at the main break.

Ablett ended a run of 11 straight behinds for the Cats when he goaled at the six-minute mark before Franklin booted his first to give the Hawks back the lead.

Hodge then slotted one home from 55m out before Dew blew the game wide open.

The former Port Adelaide star kicked two goals and set one up for impressive youngster Cyril Rioli as the margin blew out to 29 points.

The Cats hit back with two late goals from Darren Milburn and Steve Johnson to remain within striking distance heading into the final change, with the Hawks holding a 17-point advantage.

The Hawks got the crucial first goal of the final term when Franklin kicked his second at the 12-minute mark before skipper Sam Mitchell secured Hawthorn’s first flag in 17 years with a major two minutes later.

GEELONG: 5.3. 6.12, 9.18, 11.23 (89)
HAWTHORN: 5.2, 8.3, 14.5, 18.7 (115)
GOALS: Geelong: Mooney 2, Rooke 2, Ablett 2, Lonergan 2, Chapman, Milburn, S Johnson
Hawthorn: Williams 3, Rioli 2, Dew 2, Franklin 2, Roughead 2, Hodge, Bateman, Ellis, Brown, Young, Mitchell, Ladson
BEST:
Geelong: Ablett, Selwood, Ling, S Johnson, Enright, Scarlett
Hawthorn: Hodge, Crawford, Ellis, Sewell, Dew, Guerra, Rioli
INJURIES: Geelong: Harley (concussion)
Hawthorn: Croad (foot), Young (ankle)
UMPIRES: Ryan, McLaren, Vozzo
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
CROWD: 100,072 at MCG
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


Lack of match fitness cost Cat

September 26th 2008 06:52
GEELONG coach Mark Thompson says a lack of match fitness cost hard-running defender David Wojincscki a tilt at back-to-back flags.

Wojinscki, who has played just one game since round 15 due to an Achilles injury, will miss Saturday’s grand final against Hawthorn after being forced to make way for Paul Chapman.

The 28-year-old’s hopes of a last-minute reprieve appear to be slim with Thompson saying that the Cats were a 90 per cent chance of starting as selected.

"(We) leave the 10 percent because you've got to leave some chance for people to get sick overnight or a right back," Thompson said.

Thompson said a fit Wojcinski was worthy of being in the Cats' best 22.

"Everyone in the room knows that and everybody that knows Geelong knows that," he said.

Thompson also said Wojinscki took his axing on the chin.

"[Wojcinski took the news] as good as he could of, he turned up today and he's talked to all the boys.

"He really desperately wants the club to win, he's a great Geelong person and as I said he's very unlucky and we all feel for him.

"He knows the club is bigger than the individual and he's still part - not the part that he probably wants - but he's still part of the club."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Hawks won't be overawed: Mitchell

September 26th 2008 06:35
HAWTHORN won’t be overawed by the occasion of its first grand final in 17 years when it takes on Geelong at the MCG on Saturday, according to skipper Sam Mitchell.

The Hawks have just one player- former Port star Stuart Dew in 2004 - who has previously played in a grand final.

Speaking at the final press conference ahead of the premiership decider, Mitchell said Hawthorn has enjoyed the entire week leading into the grand final.

"It's been a great week, we have really enjoyed the whole experience and everyone we have spoken to has said the same thing - take it all in and enjoy it but make sure you focus on your game and that is what we have been doing," Mitchell said.

The Hawks will go in as underdogs against Geelong but Mitchell says his side has given itself every opportunity of securing its first flag since 1991.

"We have been in the top two sides in the competition all year and we have given ourselves every opportunity with our preparation by finishing in the top four then having a win (in the qualifying final) and having the week off and then having a good
win (against St Kilda in the preliminary final) last week."

"So we will have no excuses if we are not good enough."


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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


AFL Grand Final teams

September 25th 2008 07:29
FINALS WEEK FOUR

GEELONG v HAWTHORN
2008 AFL Grand Final,
Saturday, 2:30pm AEST, MCG

GEELONG
B: Harley, Scarlett, Hunt
HB: Milburn, Taylor, Mackie,
C: Selwood, Ling, Enright
HF: Bartel, Mooney, S.Johnson
F: Stokes, Lonergan, Chapman
FOLL: Ottens, Ablett, Corey
I/C: Blake, Rooke, Kelly, Varcoe
EMG: Wojcinski, Gamble, Byrnes
IN: Chapman
OUT: Wojcinski

HAWTHORN
B: Gilham, Croad, Guerra
HB: Ladson, Hodge, Birchall
C: Lewis, Mitchell, Bateman
HF: Rioli, Franklin, Osborne
F: Williams, Roughead, Brown
FOLL: Campbell, Sewell, Crawford
I/C: Dew, Ellis, Renouf, Young
EMG: Murphy, Taylor, Tuck
NO CHANGE

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News
   


Kerr wants to stay an Eagle

September 25th 2008 06:59
WEST COAST midfielder Daniel Kerr has expressed a strong desire to remain with the club for the rest of his career.

In recent weeks there has been strong suggestion that Kerr would be headed to a Melbourne-based club in October’s trade period.

But Kerr said on Perth radio station 6PR on Thursday that he wanted to finish his career at the Eagles and that he thought both parties could come to an agreement by as soon as next week.

"In a perfect world my (preference) would be to play my career out as an Eagle," Kerr said.

"And that's probably why I'm seeking a longer term deal because I just wanna not have to think about contracts probably for the rest of my career."

"I'd imagine they would have been getting it done within the next week or so and hopefully I can come out and say that it's all over and we're gonna stay with the Eagles and finish my career."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, West Coast Eagles
   


Ray quits Dogs

September 25th 2008 05:03
FARREN Ray has advised the Western Bulldogs that he wants to continue his AFL career with another club.

The Bulldogs released a media statement on Thursday which said that following meetings with his management and the club, 'Ray has indicated that he would like to be considered for a trade during the upcoming AFL Trade week in October'.

"The Western Bulldogs consider Ray a required player for 2009," the statement said.

"However the club is prepared to consider a trade that is equitable for both Ray and the Western Bulldogs."

Ray, who was selected with the number four pick in the 2003 draft, has played 75 games for the Bulldogs.

The 22-year-old was dropped after the club's qualifying final loss to Hawthorn and was unable to force his way back into the line-up for the preliminary final against Geelong.

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Goddard, Hill accept

September 24th 2008 23:08
ST KILDA utility Brendon Goddard and Western Bulldogs youngster Josh Hill are both free to play in the opening round of the 2009 AFL season after accepting reprimands.

Goddard pleaded guilty to striking Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell while Hill admitted to making forceful front-on contact to Geelong's Andrew Mackie.

Both players have had 93.75 points added to their future record.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News
   


West has future in coaching: Eade

September 24th 2008 07:55
WESTERN BULLDOGS coach Rodney Eade believes axed midfielder Scott West has a future in coaching.

Eade, who broke the news to West that he would not be a required player in 2009, said the 33-year-old has the attributes to make it as a coach.

"He's got as good a football brain as I've met. And he's got a great ability to impart that knowledge to people as well," Eade said.

"I think he'll obviously have time to think about what he wants to do in footy. But I've got no doubt there's a coaching career waiting for him."

Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson said West had taught him many things when he assumed the captaincy in 2006.

"He basically, I think in my eyes, captained this club in a way. He offered me so much in the guidance he gave me and the experience and the knowledge to put forward to this group was just huge," Johnson said.

"His knowledge of the game is just enormous, it's massive."

"Certainly not a job interview today but I think that's definitely his calling in the future. He's got plenty to offer this game for the rest of his life his career speaks for itself."

West, who hasn’t ruled out continuing his career at another AFL club, said coaching was an option.

"As you get older I think you think about the game more," he said.

“As you get older you start to about ways that you can improve other players around you and two how the style or game plan can evolve around the team we've got."

"It's something that I've thought about more later in my career."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Star Dog says goodbye

September 24th 2008 07:54
SCOTT West has made an emotional farewell after being dumped by the Western Bulldogs.

West was told by coach Rodney Eade and the match committee on Tuesday that he was no longer a required player due to the club’s focus on developing youth.

The 33-year-old said his initial feeling when broken the news by Eade was one of sadness and a 'little bit of anger' as he believed he could still play AFL football.

Eade said telling West that his services were no longer required was the hardest thing he has ever had to do as a coach.

“Yeah, it’s the toughest, there’s no doubt, because I think I’ve got a pretty good relationship with Scott,” Eade said.

“We’ve worked well together and he has supported me as a coach.

"Certainly as a coach you need the support of the senior players and I think we've got a good relationship off the field as well, but to be able to look him in the eye and actually do that was tough.

"You're charged with what you think is best for the football club to go forward, and you make those decisions, and they're not taken lightly.

"It's extra hard when you've got such a super champion, and he's been a great player for this club.

"But as I said, you've got to make those hard decisions at some stage."

Bulldogs captain Brad Johnson said West’s leadership will be sorely missed.

"In regards to leadership he basically... well I think in my eyes... captained this club in a way because he offered me so much," he said.

"The experience and the knowledge to put forward to this group was just huge and the support that I received from him was just enormous and it's going to be missed without a doubt."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Cats ready for anything

September 24th 2008 06:06
GEELONG is ready for anything Hawthorn will throw at them in Saturday’s grand final at the MCG, according to defender Darren Milburn.

Milburn said the Cats won’t be affected by any niggling tactics.

"I think our boys like winning the contested ball, that is all we will be trying to do - go after the footy and try to win that," he said.

"We always try to back ourselves and it will be no different on the weekend."

Milburn also dismissed suggestions that the game will be a repeat of the fiery 1989 grand final between the two clubs.

"I think it will be a pretty fiery first five minutes or so but then it will be just a normal game," he said.

"You can't read too much into what happened 20 years ago - it's different footy now to what it was then."

Despite going into the grand final as heavy favourites, Milburn does not believe there as much pressure on the club heading into this year’s grand final as they was last year against Port Adelaide when Geelong was attempting to end a 44 year premiership drought.

"There is probably less pressure from outside (the club) but we are going to still have the pressure we put on ourselves but hopefully we can deal with that and we get the win we want."

"(But) I am just as confident as last year - we have been playing some pretty good football and there is no reason why we shouldn't go into the game confident."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Barry gets another year

September 23rd 2008 21:39
SYDNEY defender Leo Barry has ended speculation that he was going to retire by agreeing to a final one-year contract with the club.

The 234-game veteran said he was looking forward to next season and believed he could still make a contribution to the team.

"I am excited about playing another year, given it is my last season I will go out and enjoy each game," Barry said.

"It was an easy decision in the end because I believe I can still make a contribution to the team. We have a good side but I understand it is going to be a bit of a transition year for some of the senior players."

Sydney coach Paul Roos said Barry will play an important role in helping develop the club’s young defenders.

"We are pleased Leo has agreed to one final year with the Sydney Swans and we still see him in our best 22 going into season 2009."

"Equally, we feel that Leo can help us as a senior player in helping develop our young defenders with an eye to the future in what is becoming a transition period for the club."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Sydney Swans
   


West's career over

September 23rd 2008 10:43
THE career of Western Bulldogs champion Scott West is over after the club decided not offer him a contract for next year.

The match committee and coach Rodney Eade made the decision on Tuesday afternoon that
West will no longer remain as a required player due to the club's focus on developing youth.

West enjoyed a stellar career for the Dogs, playing 324 games in 16 seasons with the club.

He won a club record seven best and fairest awards and polled a staggering 175 Brownlow votes.

The 33-year-old struggled this year with knee complications which restricted him to just four matches.

Eade said it is ‘devastating’ that West couldn’t bow out on in better fashion.

"Westy has been an integral part of our leadership group and it has been devastating to see someone who has played so many years with minimal injuries to finish his career in such frustrating way," Eade said.

"He is regarded as one of our all time great players and we hope to honour him in the coming months the way a club legend should be honoured
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Magpies delist trio

September 23rd 2008 08:08
THE departures have continued at Collingwood with veteran Brodie Holland, Chris Egan and Sam Iles all being delisted by the club.

The delistings follow the retirements of Scott Burns, Shane Wakelin and Ryan Lonie.

Holland played 155 with the Magpies and Fremantle over 11 season but managed just one appearance for the Pies in 2008.

The 28-year-old has not given up hope of continuing his AFL career elsewhere

Egan was recruited by Collingwood with the No.10 pick in the 2004 draft. He played a total of 27 games in his four seasons with the Pies while Iles came to the Magpies via the pre-season draft and managed to play seven games during his three years at the club.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Collingwood Magpies
   


Thompson confident Chapman will play

September 23rd 2008 05:16
GEELONG coach Mark Thompson is confident that Paul Chapman will prove his fitness for Saturday’s grand final against Hawthorn.

Speaking at Skilled Stadium on Tuesday, Thompson said that Chapman, who has been sidelined since the opening week of the finals with a hamstring strain, simply needs to get through the club's main training session on Wednesday.

Thompson refused to reveal which player is most likely to drop out of the side but said he has already effectively decided who it would be.

"There's only one," Thompson said.

"He would have some idea and everybody knows where they are going."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


AFL names GF umpires

September 23rd 2008 02:16
AFL director of umpiring Jeff Gieschen announced on Tuesday that Scott McLaren, Michael Vozzo and Shaun Ryan will officiate the 2008 Grand Final on Saturday between Geelong and Hawthorn.

All-Australian umpire Brett Rosebury was not selected for the year's biggest match and instead will take his place on the interchange as an emergency.

Gieschen said that Rosebury missed out as he hadn't umpired as well during the finals series as he had in the regular season.

McLaren, who will bounce the ball at the start of the match, will be officiating in his fifth grand final while Vozzo and Ryan will be making their second and first appearances respectively in a grand final.






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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News
   


Cooney wins Brownlow

September 22nd 2008 22:07
WESTERN BULLDOGS midfielder Adam Cooney has become the first number one draft pick ever to win the Brownlow Medal after narrowly beating Brisbane midfielder Simon Black, hot favourite Gary Ablett Jnr and Richmond veteran Matthew Richardson in a thrilling count on Monday night.

Cooney, the number one pick in the 2003 national draft, polled 24 votes to beat Black by one vote with Ablett and Richardson a further vote back on 22 votes.

Black led for most of the count with Cooney not snatching the lead until he polled three votes in round 21 after gathering 28 disposals against Essendon.

However the votes dried up for Black in the second half of the season, with the 2002 Brownlow medallist not polling again after collecting three in the round 16 win over West Coast.

Black held a four vote lead at that stage and was four votes clear with just three rounds remaining.

Richardson got within one vote of Black when he polled three votes in round 20 against Hawthorn but failed to poll in the last two games while Ablett paid the price for missing four games through injury.

The 22-year-old said the win was unexpected.

"I haven't really prepared anything because I wasn't expecting this," Cooney said upon accepting his medal.

"I didn't really give myself any chance at all."

Cooney admitted he wasn’t in the best shape when he first arrived at the club.

"I wasn't in the best shape when I first came over - my skin folds nearly topped 100 which is reasonably large for a young lad - so I had a little bit of work to do and my fitness wasn't up to standard."

"I wasn't strong enough either and I didn't think it (playing in the AFL) was as hard as it was I suppose."

Cooney suffered from osteitis pubis which affected his 2007 season but has benefited from getting a full pre-season under his belt this year.

"It was probably my first pre-season since my first year I got to the club (ahead of the 2004 season) and that has made a massive difference," he said.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Cats not worried about Hawks' tactics

September 22nd 2008 09:59
GEELONG skipper Tom Harley says any attempt by Hawthorn to rough-up the Cats in Saturday’s grand final will most like backfire.

When asked how the Cats would respond if the Hawks got physical, Harley said: "We think we're a pretty level-headed sort of group and pretty experienced and … physically I think we can handle that".

"It's happened a lot this year, and I'm not sure that the results have necessarily gone the way of the clubs that have tried that."

"We've got some competitive players and hard players that like to play the game hard and tough but also fair."

"I wouldn't have thought that too many of them would be taking a backward step."

Harley also said the Cats would not be targeting the injured ribs of Hawthorn vice-captain Luke Hodge.

“I would not have thought so. He is going to have a Hawthorn jumper on like 21 other blokes out there,” he said.

“They are the opposition and you go out there to play them hard and fair and play the ball.”

Meanwhile, Harley dismissed suggestions that Geelong’s edge in finals experience would give it a significant advantage.

"We went into the Grand Final last year without any grand-final experience, and it didn't seem to deter us too much," he said.

"I think it's a little bit overrated, perhaps."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Williams free to play in GF

September 22nd 2008 05:22
HAWTHORN has received a major boost ahead of Saturday’s grand final against Geelong with classy forward Mark Williams escaping punishment from the match review panel for his hit on St Kilda defender Max Hudghton.

It was the view of the panel that contact was to Hudghton's back and not to the head/neck region.

The umpire in control of the play paid an immediate free kick, which was seen as the appropriate penalty.

In other tribunal news, Hawthorn ruckman Robert Campbell was cleared over his bump on St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt.

The panel ruled that the contact was not forceful enough to constitute a report.

Jordan Lewis was cleared over an altercation with David Armitage as was Lenny Hayes for his hit on Hawthorn vice-captain, with the panel ruling the contact in both incidents was not forceful enough to constitute a report.

St Kilda’s Brendon Goddard can accept a reprimand and 93.75 towards his future record by entering an early guilty plea for striking Hawthorn’s Sam Mitchell.

Western Bulldogs youngster Josh Hill was charged with a level one bumping or making forceful contact from front-on offence against Andrew Mackie and can also accept a reprimand and 93.75 points towards his future record with an early plea.

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


Burns calls it quits

September 22nd 2008 01:54
COLLINGWOOD skipper Scott Burns has announced his retirement from AFL football.

The 264-game veteran admitted that his body could no longer cope with the rigours of modern football.

"I pretty much knew mid-year that I was done, body-wise. So it hasn't been a terribly hard decision to make over the last week or so," Burns said.

"There were a few things structurally, just back and neck and hip which you notice as you get older and I just knew I was really close to completely stopping.”

"I didn't want to go to the well once too often."

"This time next year you could have a detrimental effect on the team and the players if you're not quite up to it and I felt that it's pretty good timing now to get out."

Burns also said his decision to pull out of the side for the club's semi-final loss to St Kilda with a calf strain was he right one.

"The best thing for me was the Saturday morning when I was messing around with my young son on the bed and I felt it," Burns said.

"I remember seeing Rhyce Shaw running around like a headless chook at training and looking really good and I would have been going into that game hoping that the boys would have covered for me."

"You just can’t go into a final feeling that way."

"I would have loved to have played one more but it was not to be."

Burns is expected to take up an assistant coaching role next season with Geelong and Carlton reportedly interested in securing his services.

"I love the industry and I would love to stay involved," Burns said.

"I've kept quiet really in terms of making contact with too many people, but now I've officially retired it's a matter of sitting down and discussing things and finding out where we go from here."

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse said Burns’ career would have a lasting effect on the club.

"'Burnsy' has left a footprint on this football club - one of hardness, one of fairness and, I think, one of durability, because he's not the biggest player" Malthouse said.

"That footprint will be looked at, studied and hopefully taken up by some of the younger players that are going to be in our leadership group next year."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Collingwood Magpies
   


Loss unnaceptable, says Harvey

September 21st 2008 02:19
RETIRED St Kilda champion Robert Harvey described the Saints’ preliminary final loss to Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday night as 'unacceptable'.

The 54-point loss to the Hawks means Harvey ends his career with the unwanted record of having played the most games in AFL history - 383 - without winning an AFL premiership.

The 34-year-old said it was not the way he wanted to go out.

"I never really expected in my final game that I would be looking forward to that final siren but that was the case," he said.

"We just didn't put our best foot forward but we are a better side than that."

"We have come a long way as a club and it's a great credit to the group to bounce back from we were halfway through the season (struggling to make the eight) but it was unacceptable today."

Harvey said the loss will help drive the club towards bigger and better things next season and that he is confident the Saints can eventually break a premiership drought stretching back to 1966.

"I know this (loss) won't be swept under the carpet and I know there will be some hungry boys here next year," he said.

"The future is in good hands but we have got to find a few more (quality players) so the draft becomes important in the next few years."

Harvey also thanked the club and the Saints fans for all they had done for him during his 21-year career.

"All this attention never sat comfortably with me but I appreciate everything the club has done for me and I have enjoyed every minute of it," he said.

"I appreciate the way the fans have treated me over the last 21 years and over the last 12 months they have just been exceptional."

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said Harvey’s standing in the game shouldn’t be affected by the fact that he didn’t win a premiership.

"He is only one item short (of having the perfect football resume) but that doesn't make him a lesser player," Lyon said.

"People don't understand his mental strength and to see the relentless nature of his preparation to play each week is to understand what made Robert great."

"And that is the legacy he has left at our club and he will always remain a role model at our club."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Hodge will play: Clarkson

September 21st 2008 00:44
HAWTHORN vice-captain will play in Saturday’s grand final against Geelong despite coughing up blood during the Hawks’ convincing win over St Kilda in the second preliminary final at the MCG on Saturday night, according to coach Alastair Clarkson.

Hodge copped a heavy knock late in the first term and then another early in the second term which forced him to leave the field briefly.

In between those two knocks, Hodge was coughing up blood at quarter-time yet played out the game as the Hawks cruised to a comfortable 54-point win.

Clarkson said despite the potentially serious nature of Hodge's injury, there was no way the 24-year-old will miss next Saturday’s decider against the Cats.

"I dare say because he (Hodge) is such a tough bugger and because he was able to finish the game he will be OK (for next week)," Clarkson said.

"I don't need to get any scans - he will play no matter what - and you would need to put him in handcuffs to stop him playing next week I reckon."

Hodge also downplayed the seriousness of his injury.

"There was just a little bit (of blood), not too much, but that is all right," he said.

"It was just a normal knock you get in football and I think you are making a bigger deal out of it than what it was and everyone cops them in a game."

"The first couple of minutes after it (both knocks) I thought this is not good but once I went off and had a drink and a bit of a breather there was no problems."

Meanwhile, Clarkson said there were no concerns over the fitness of star forward Lance Franklin, who hurt his hand in the first term and also left the field for treatment before playing out the game.

"He has had a grumbling hand for a while and at different stages he gets punched on it or marks the ball in an incorrect fashion and he just jars it a little bit but he will be fine," Clarkson said
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


Hawks to meet Cats

September 20th 2008 12:35
HAWTHORN has set up a blockbuster grand final clash against Geelong with a 54-point demolition of St Kilda in the second preliminary final at the MCG on Saturday night.

The Hawks dominated after quarter-time, slamming on 14 goals to seven to cruise to a convincing 18.10 (118) to 9.10 (64) victory.

Some of the gloss was taken off the win with stars Lance Franklin and Luke Hodge injured in the first term.

Franklin went off with a hand injury while Hodge was coughing up blood at quarter-time after being on the receiving of two heavy knocks.

Both were able to come back on but will no doubt be closely monitored this week

For St Kilda, the loss means the premiership dream is over for veteran Robert Harvey, who will end his career with the unwanted record of having played the most games in AFL history - 383 - without winning an AFL premiership.

Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell led from the front with a game-high 33 possessions while Jordan Lewis and Brad Sewell were equally influential with 27 disposals apiece.

Mark Williams and Jarryd Roughead benefited from plenty of quality supply from the midfield, booting five and four goals respectively.

Chance Bateman restricted Nick Dal Santo to just 15 possessions while Stephen Gilham and Trent Croad kept Justin Koschitzke and Nick Riewoldt quiet.

Brendon Goddard (33 possessions) tried hard all night for the Saints while Max Hudghton did a superb blanketing job on Franklin, restricting the Hawthorn superstar to just one goal.

The Saints started brightly, booting the first two goals of the contest through Adam Schneider and Sam Fisher but the rest of the term belonged to Hawthorn as they slammed on the last four goals of the quarter to take a took a 13-point lead into the first change.

The Hawks took control of the midfield in the second term and piled on seven goals to one to take a commanding 47-point lead into the main break.

Riewoldt booted three goals in a five-minute burst in the third term but the Hawks remained well and truly in control, taking a match-winning 49-point lead into the final change.

HAWTHORN: 4.4, 11.5, 15.8, 18.10 (118)
ST KILDA: 2.3, 3.6, 7.7, 9.10 (64)
GOALS: Hawthorn: Williams 5, Roughead 4, Rioli 2, Young 2, Osborne, Crawford, Bateman, Brown, Sewell
St Kilda: Riewoldt 3, S Fisher 2, Schneider, Fiora, Montagna, Milne
BEST: Hawthorn: Lewis, Mitchell, Young, Williams, Sewell, Crawford, Croad, Birchall, Bateman, Roughead, Guerra
St Kilda: Hudghton, Goddard, S Fisher, R Clarke
INJURIES: Hawthorn: Nil
St Kilda: Nil
UMPIRES: Kennedy, Rosebury, McLaren
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Hawthorn: Murphy replaced in selected side by Gilham
St Kilda: Ball (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Fiora
CROWD: 77,002 at MCG

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


Ball a late withdrawal

September 20th 2008 09:03
ST KILDA has suffered a major blow ahead of Saturday night’s second preliminary final against Hawthorn at the MCG with midfielder Luke Ball a late withdrawal.

It is the second week in a row the Saints have named their former skipper only to see him be a late withdrawal on game day.

Ball, who has not played since injuring his hamstring in round 18, has been replaced in the Saints’ side by Aaron Fiora.

The Hawks also made a late change with young defender Thomas Murphy replaced by Stephen Gilham.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


MacDonald charged

September 20th 2008 07:36
BRISBANE LIONS defender Joel Macdonald has been charged with committing a public nuisance following an incident in Brisbane in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The Lions released a statement saying "the club is making enquiries to fully understand the incident and will make no further comment on the matter at this stage."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Brisbane Lions
   


Close enough not good enough: Eade

September 20th 2008 00:27
WESTERN BULLDOGS coach Rodney Eade admitted his side has made 'quantum strides forward' but said close enough is not good enough.

Speaking after the Bulldogs’ 29-point loss to Geelong in the first preliminary final at the MCG, Eade said the club had improved significantly both on and off the field after a season which saw it leap from 13th to third.

But Eade warned the leap into the top two would be just as hard as anything the club had achieved in 2008.

"I think the main lesson is there are fruits of your labour if you do work hard enough and I think the extension of that is close enough is not good enough," Eade siad.

"We've had a quantum leap this year in position on the ladder, 13th to third, but third to second or third to first is equally as big a step."

Eade said his side had showed plenty of character to bounce back from the disappointing loss to Hawthorn in the first week of the finals.

"A lot of people wrote us off two weeks ago and we showed last week and this week that there's a fair of spirit within the group," he said.

Eade also said the pain of Friday night’s loss will help drive the club towards bigger and better things next season.

"I've got no doubt that this group will probably stew over that this summer. Like last summer we'll come back with a focus of making those extra steps forward," he said.

"There's no givens in this game. It's an uncompromising game. It's a tough competition, there's no guarantees we'll be back in this position again next year so we've got to make sure that it happens."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Varcoe will play

September 19th 2008 22:40
GEELONG coach Mark Thompson has declared small forward Travis Varcoe a certain starter for next Saturday’s Grand Final.

With forward Paul Chapman rated a 90 per cent chance by Thompson to return from a hamstring injury, the 20-year-old had been considered the player most likely to make way.

But Thompson said Varcoe, who collected 18 possessions and booted one goal in the Cats’ 29-point win over the Western Bulldogs in the first preliminary final at the MCG on Friday night, had done enough to retain his place in the side.


"Travis Varcoe is in the team. He hasn't played himself out. That was the best game he's played," said Thompson.

"I don't mean to be smarty but I was very happy with his game."

"I'll state it publicly. If he stays fit and doesn't get a virus he'll play next week."

Thompson also suggested that hard-running defender David Wojcinski and midfielder James Kelly, who both had 18 possessions in their first match back from injury, would remain in the side.

"Wojcinski did enough, kicked a goal and won enough of the ball to say he'd probably stay in," he said.

"And good to have Kelly back. Glad that he's got the run and Wojcinski's got the run they needed before the Grand Final."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Cats into grand final

September 19th 2008 13:06
GEELONG is one win away from securing back-to-back premierships after defeating the Western Bulldogs by 29 points in the first preliminary final at the MCG on Friday night.

The Cats were challenged all night by the brave Bulldogs, eventually prevailing 12.11 (83) to 7.12 (54)

The Dogs had their chances to win the match but they failed to make the most of their opportunities front of goal, booting a wasteful 2.7 in the second half.

James Bartel and Joel Selwood were valuable contributors in the middle for Geelong with 27 and 24 possessions respectively while Andrew Mackie was damaging off half-back with a team-high 30 disposals.

Joel Corey was influential with 28 touches while Cameron Ling did a superb blanketing job on Adam Cooney, restricting the Bulldogs star to just 16 possessions.

For the Bulldogs, Daniel Cross (32 possessions) tried hard all night while Lindsay Gilbee generated plenty of run from defence with 25 disposals.

The Dogs led by 11 points at the 20-minute mark of the first term after Jason Akermanis slotted one home from an acute angle in the left pocket but the Cats piled on three goals in a five-minute burst to take a six-point lead into the first change.

The Cats took control of the midfield in the second term and kicked three goals to one to extend their advantage to 21 points at the main break,

The Bulldogs got themselves back into the contest in the third term by applying immense pressure all over the ground and winning the contested football.

Two goals in three minutes from Jarrod Harbrow reduced the deficit to just 15 points and the Dogs should have been closer but they failed to convert in front of goal with Nathan Eagleton, Mitch Hahn and Will Minson all missing gettable opportunities.

The Dogs were made to pay for their wastefulness with Cameron Mooney kicking truly to give the Cats a handy 18-point break heading into the final change.

Matthew Boyd and Minson both missed early shots before Max Rooke kicked a controversial goal at the 11-minute mark.

Rooke crashed into Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson, spilling the ball free, then received a handball from Tom Lonergan before snapping truly from 20 metres out to give the Cats a 22-point lead.

Despite the fact that Johnson was left writhing in pain at centre half-back, the umpire ruled that he had not been unfairly impeded by Rooke in the marking contest.

Steve Johnson then put the result well and truly beyond doubt with the last goal of the match at the 22-minute mark.

GEELONG: 5.3, 8.8, 10.9, 12.11 (83)
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 4.3, 5.5, 7.9, 7.12 (54)
GOALS: Geelong: S.Johnson 2, Rooke 2, Bartel, Harley, Varcoe, Wojcinski, Ottens, Stokes, Mooney, Lonergan
Western Bulldogs: Higgins 2, Harbrow 2, Eagleton, Johnson, Akermanis
BEST: Geelong: Mackie, Ling, Harley, Corey, Selwood, Bartel
Western Bulldogs: Cross, Harbrow, Gilbee, Hargrave, Lake, Murphy, Callan
INJURIES: Geelong: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Giansiracusa (elbow)
REPORTS: Hill (Western Bulldogs) by umpire Vozzo in the third quarter for making head-high contact with Mackie
CHANGES: Nil
UMPIRES: Vozzo, McBurney, Ryan
CROWD: 70,140 at the MCG

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Saints fined for breach

September 19th 2008 11:50
ST KILDA has been fined $5000 for having 23 players on the field during the warm-up before the start of last Saturday night's first semi-final against Collingwood at the MCG.

The Saints ordered emergency Shane Birss to warm up when midfielder Lenny Hayes experienced back spasms in the rooms before the match.

Under AFL rules a club may not have an emergency player join the warm-up after final team sheets have been lodged with the AFL and the opposition club.

AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said the league accepted that the Saints had not deliberately tried to manipulate the rules.

But he said they had still breached the AFL Player Regulations by not informing the AFL or the Magpies of Birss’ involvement in the on-field warm up.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Barry offered another year

September 19th 2008 11:39
VETERN Sydney defender Leo Barry has been offered a one-year contract extension.

Sydney coach Paul Roos said on Friday said the club accepted Barry to accept the offer.

"We spoke to Leo yesterday and we’re waiting to hear back from him as to whether he’s happy to keep going, as I think he will be," Roos said.

"We’re just waiting for feedback from him."

Barry, who made his debut in round 22, 1995, is the second longest-serving player on the Swans' list with 234 senior appearances.

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Sydney Swans
   


Thompson calls it quits

September 19th 2008 11:34
NORTH MELBOURNE forward Nathan Thompson has announced his retirement from AFL football.

Thompson admitted the decision to retire was a difficult one but said he believed it was in his and the club’s best interests for him to call it quits.

"During discussions with Dean (Laidley) and Donald (McDonald) it became clear that I would have limited opportunities to play senior football next year," Thompson said.

"While I was initially keen to play on, I felt that stepping aside would be the best thing to do for myself, my family and the club."

"The future success of the club is very important to me, and I want to ensure that the young players on our list get the opportunity to play senior football."

"I would like to thank my wife Libby, my children and my family. I am looking forward to the next phase of my life, which will hopefully still involve football.

The 30-year-old made his debut for North Melbourne in 2005 after being traded from Hawthorn where he played 119 games.

He went on to play 60 matches for the Kangaroos and was the club's leading goal kicker in 2005 and 2006.

North Melbourne football operations chief Donald McDonald said Thompson made a major contribution during his four years at the club.

"Thommo made an impact as soon as he came to the club. He has been a leader on the field and has provided a focal point for us up forward over a number of years," McDonald said.

"He has made a really positive impact off the field as well."

"His knowledge and experience has been invaluable for our young forwards, and he has made a great contribution to their development."

"The determination and professionalism he showed to overcome setbacks in his career set a great example for his team mates."

North Melbourne chief executive Eugene Arocca paid tribute to Thompson and said the club will continue to support him.

"Nathan's professionalism and dedication to the club have been evident throughout this process," he said.

"While his playing career has come to an end, he will remain an important part of the club. We will support him fully as he makes the transition to life after football."



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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Kangaroos
   


Lions axe Copeland

September 19th 2008 11:21
BRISBANE has cut dual premiership player Robert Copeland and Chris Schmidt from its playing list.

Copeland played 143 matches and was a member of the 2001 and 2003 premiership sides.

Schmidt played two senior matches after being drafted from West Adelaide with pick 34 in the 2006 national draft.

The latest delistings follow the Lions' announcement on Thursday that Wayde Mills and rookie Haydn Kiel would not be offered new contracts.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Brisbane Lions
   


Key Hawks declared fit

September 19th 2008 02:44
HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson expects key defender Trent Croad and midfielder Chance Bateman to line up against St Kilda in Saturday night’s preliminary final at the MCG.

Croad, who injured his foot in the Hawthorns’qualifying final win over the Western Bulldogs two weeks ago and Bateman, who rolled his ankle earlier in the week, took part in the club's brief training session at Waverley on Friday morning.

Before training Clarkson said he expected both to play.

"They would need to have a hiccup not to play, so we're expecting them to be right to play," he said.

"If they have a hiccup this morning then they won't (play)."

Clarkson also said vice-captain Luke Hodge will line up against the Saints despite undergoing scans on his foot.

"That's no drama and we would be quite pleased if everyone read into that that he wasn't going to play," Clarkson said.

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


I want to stay: Didak

September 18th 2008 23:50
COLLINGWOOD forward Alan Didak has publicly apologised for his involvement in a car crash with teammate Heath Shaw and said he wants to stay at the club.

Speaking on Channel Nine’s The Footy Show, Didak said he regrets lying to president Eddie McGuire about the incident early last month which followed a heavy drinking session.

"I'm sorry to the supporters, my family, the club and Eddie," Didak said.

"It’s to say, 'look, I stuffed up and I'm sorry."

Didak, who was suspended by the club for the remainder of the season, said he wants to remain a Magpie.

"I think I deserve to stay," he said.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to stay on and be a part of Collingwood for the rest of my career."

“I've really thought about how much I want to be at Collingwood and how much I really want to stay and be a part of the future.”
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Collingwood Magpies
   


New deal for McKinley

September 18th 2008 08:59
WEST COAST has strengthened its on-field future with the re-signing of promising forward Ben McKinley.

McKinley was one of the few shining lights in a horror season for the Eagles, booting 42 goals in 18 games.

The 21-year-old also earned a NAB Rising Star nomination and finished sixth in overall voting.

West Coast’s general manager of football operations Steve Woodhouse said McKinley is an integral part of the club’s future.

"Ben enjoyed an outstanding year to be our leading goal-kicker and we believe he is an important part of our future," Woodhouse said.

"To do that in his first full season of senior football was a terrific achievement and something on which we believe he can build."

The Eagles didn't reveal any of the details of McKinley's new deal.
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Finals teams week three

September 18th 2008 07:34
FINALS WEEK THREE

Friday, September 19
First PF, Geelong v Western Bulldogs at the MCG, 7.40pm AEST

Saturday, September 20
Second PF, Hawthorn v St Kilda at the MCG, 7pm AEST

First Preliminary Final
GEELONG v WESTERN BULLDOGS
GEELONG
B: Tom Harley, Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt
HB: Darren Milburn, Harry Taylor, Corey Enright
C: Jimmy Bartel, Joel Selwood, Cameron Ling
HF: Steve Johnson, Cameron Mooney, James Kelly
F: Travis Varcoe, Tom Lonergan, Mathew Stokes
Foll: Brad Ottens, Joel Corey, Gary Ablett
I/C: David Wojcinski, Mark Blake, Andrew Mackie, Max Rooke
EMG: David Johnson, Shannon Byrnes, Ryan Gamble

In: Kelly, Wojcinski
Out: Paul Chapman (hamstring), Brent Prismall (knee)

WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Dale Morris, Brian Lake, Tim Callan
HB: Lindsay Gilbee, Stephen Tiller, Ryan Hargrave
C: Josh Hill, Matthew Boyd, Daniel Cross
HF: Robert Murphy, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Jason Akermanis, Will Minson, Scott Welsh
Foll: Ben Hudson, Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney
I/C: Nathan Eagleton, Daniel Giansiracusa, Jarrod Harbrow, Shaun Higgins
EMG: Andrejs Everitt, Farren Ray, Callan Ward
NO CHANGE

Second Preliminary Final
HAWTHORN v ST KILDA
HAWTHORN
B: Brent Guerra, Trent Croad, Thomas Murphy
HB: Grant Birchall, Luke Hodge, Rick Ladson
C: Chance Bateman, Sam Mitchell, Jordan Lewis
HF: Michael Osborne, Lance Franklin, Campbell Brown
F: Mark Williams, Jarryd Roughead, Cyril Rioli
Foll: Robert Campbell, Brad Sewell, Shane Crawford
I/C: Stuart Dew, Xavier Ellis, Brent Renouf, Clinton Young
EMG: Stephen Gilham, Jarryd Morton, Travis Tuck

In: Ellis
Out: Cameron Stokes (hamstring tightness)

ST KILDA
B: Jason Blake, Max Hudghton, Brendon Goddard
HB: Sam Gilbert, Sam Fisher, Jason Gram
C: Clint Jones, Nick Dal Santo, Robert Harvey
HF: James Gwilt, Nick Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna
F: Stephen Milne, Justin Koschitzke, Luke Ball
Foll: Steven King, Lenny Hayes, Adam Schneider
I/C: David Armitage, Andrew McQualter, Raphael Clarke, Robert Eddy
EMG: Michael Gardiner, Shane Birss, Aaron Fiora

In: Ball
Out: Jarryd Allen


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Davey re-signs

September 18th 2008 06:47
ESSENDON speedstar Alywn Davey has signed a new two-year deal which will see him remain at the club until at least the end of the 2010 season.

The 24-year-old was taken by the Bombers in the third round of the 2006 national draft but has been restricted to 19 matches in two seasons due to injuries.

Essendon team manager David Calthorpe said Davey will play an important role when he returns from a serious knee injury.

"He may have been forgotten in some respects because of the development that we have seen from our younger guys this year but he will certainly make an impact when he returns," Calthorpe said.

“He is a significant re-signing and should take some pressure off our small developing forwards next season.”

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Essendon Bombers
   


Cooney right to go: Eade

September 18th 2008 03:47
WESTERN BULLDOGS midfielder Adam Cooney will play in Friday night’s preliminary final against Geelong at the MCG, according to coach Rodney Eade.

Cooney missed a training session earlier this week because of illness and knee soreness but returned to the club on Wednesday.

“(He is) very well. He'll be right, 100 per cent,” Eade said.

“He was here yesterday and had a bit of a jog yesterday, and he'll have another run this afternoon.''
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Deledio named Richmond's best

September 17th 2008 23:22
RICHMOND midfielder Brett Deledio has capped off an impressive season by winning the club’s best-and-fairest award on Wednesday night.

Deledio won the Jack Dyer Medal with a total of 250 votes to beat fellow midfielder Shane Tuck by seven votes.

Matthew Richardson finished third with 223 votes while vice-captain Chris Newman (186 votes) and much-improved full-back Kelvin Moore (176 votes) finished in fourth and fifth place respectively.

The 21-year-old averaged 24.4 disposals per game as well as seven marks and kicked 28 goals in 2008.

Deledio is Richmond’s youngest Jack Dyer medallist since current Essendon coach Matthew Knights won the award as a 20-year-old in 1990.

In other awards, Matthew White won the Tigers most improved player award , Trent Cotchin was named the club’s best first-year player while Newman took out the Francis Bourke Award as Richmond’s most courageous player.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Richmond Tigers
   


Bickley back at Crows

September 17th 2008 23:15
DUAL Adelaide premiership captain Mark Bickley has rejoined the club as an assistant coach for the next two seasons.

Bickley played 272 games for Adelaide from 1991 to 2003 and captained the Crows from 1997-2000.

The 39-year-old will finish his employment with Channel 9 at the end of his contract in November.

"I have really enjoyed my time at Channel 9, however I have decided that football is my passion and I want to be involved at the highest level and fortunately for me I am able to return to my Club to pursue that passion," he said.

Adelaide coach Neil Craig said Bickley’s experience will prove to be invaluable.

"Mark's wealth of experience and football knowledge, coupled with his qualities as a person, will be a great asset to the Club. Mark has played in the midfield and in defence and this gives the Club great flexibility in the coaching roles," Craig said.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Adelaide Crows
   


Magpies call it quits

September 17th 2008 06:41
COLLINGWOOD veteran Shane Wakelin and Ryan Lonie have announced their retirement from AFL football.

Wakelin, who played the last of his 158 games for the Magpies on Saturday night in the semi-final loss to the Saints at the MCG, said he will miss the week-to-week routine of being an AFL footballer.

"I’ll miss being around the change rooms and the week-to-week routine more than anything," Wakelin said.

"But I think that hour before the game, the excitement before the game, I will probably miss that the most."

"The build-up, the mental preparation, the excitement and the train trip into the game - I used to really enjoy that."

"I have always planned for my future. I have done a hell of a lot of study and I have been planning for my retirement for the last two years."

"I will sit down with my wife and make a decision on which way I want to go."

The 34-year-old played 94 games with St Kilda before crossing to Collingwood in exchange for the 49th pick in the 2000 national draft.

He played in the 2002 and 2003 grand finals and finished in the top five twice in the Copeland Trophy voting, including a fourth-placing in 2002.

Meanwhile, Lonie has called it quits after 123 games in eight seasons.

He played in the 2002 and 2003 grand finals and reached the 100-game milestone in just his sixth season.

But the 25-year-old was cut down by injuries late in his career, managing just five matches in 2007 and 2008.

Lonie said he felt the time was right to move on to the next chapter of his life.

"I’ve been thinking about it for a little while," Lonie said.

"I dislocated my shoulder in the middle of the year, and obviously had a bit of time to think about it from there, and just decided that I’ve had enough of playing."

"I thought it was the right time to move on and do something else with my life."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Collingwood Magpies
   


Richardson joins Bombers

September 17th 2008 05:33
COLLINGWOOD development manager Alan Richardson has joined Essendon as an assistant coach.

Richardson, who will start in his new role next month, said the opportunity to get back into coaching was very attractive.

"I have always had massive respect for Essendon with the success they have had and the success they demand," Richardson said.

"I believe the Essendon group is going in the right direction and I want to play a role assisting Matthew Knights and the other coaches in further developing the list."

"Having achieved what I set out to achieve at Collingwood with setting up their academy, now is a good time for a change and I am very excited by this new opportunity."

Essendon chief operating officer Travis Auld said Richardson will be a valuable addition to the club.

"Alan has built up a considerable reputation for his work with young footballers through his time at Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs," Auld said.

"Whilst Alan will have the normal responsibilities of an assistant coach, he will also be of great assistance to Ashley Prescott and Adrian Hickmott in further consolidating our player development program.

The appointment of Richardson follows Tuesday’s announcement that Adelaide assistant coach Paul Hamilton will join Essendon in the new position of football operations manager.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Essendon Bombers
   


Mundy, Murphy re-sign

September 17th 2008 05:06
FREMANTLE utility David Mundy and forward Ryan Murphy have signed contract extensions which will see them remain with the club until at least the end of the 2010 season.

Mundy said the major overhaul of the club’s list this season played a role in his decision to stay with the Dockers.

"I’m excited about the opportunities at the club in 2009 and beyond," he said.

"With the retirement of so many senior players there will be a lot of opportunity for guys such as Aaron Sandilands and myself to step-up into leadership roles."

Mundy, who has not missed a game since making his debut in round six, 2005, had been linked with a move back to Victoria with Hawthorn and Richmond reportedly interested in securing his services.

Fremantle chief executive Steve Rosich said Mundy and his management had always indicated that he would wait until the end of the season before considering a contract extension.

"There has been a lot of unnecessary and unfounded speculation in the media about David's intentions," he said.

"We have always been comfortable with David's decision to review his contract at season's end."

"Once David had resolved the terms and conditions of his contract it took only 24 hours to reach a final position with his management."

Murphy played nine games for Fremantle in 2008 and said he was looking forward to greater opportunities next season.

"In terms of team goals and my personal goals there will be an opportunity to have a really good crack," he said.

"There are a lot of good signs at the club. Our level of competitiveness towards the end of the season when we won four out of last seven games gives me great confidence about what lays ahead for the club."


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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Fremantle Dockers
   


Chapman ruled out

September 17th 2008 01:21
GEELONG forward Paul Chapman will miss Friday night’s preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG with a hamstring injury.

Chapman requires another week to overcome a hamstring strain sustained in the Cats' qualifying final win over St Kilda last Sunday week.

Scans did not reveal a tear but the club has opted not to risk Chapman given his history of soft-tussue injuries.

Meanwhile, midfielder James Kelly, who hasn’t played since round 20 because of a quad injury faces a fitness test.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Saints find new home

September 17th 2008 01:02
ST KILDA has abandoned plans to shift its training base from Moorabbin to Frankston because of cost blowouts and instead will call Seaford home from 2010.

The proposed $11m training and administration development at Belvedere Park will include an MCG-sized oval, gymnasium, rehabilitation pool, meeting rooms, lecture theatre and an indoor sports hall.

The project will be funded by the State Government ($3.45m), Frankston City Council ($3m), AFL ($2.55m) and the St Kilda Football Club ($1.43m, plus all additional costs).

St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser said the new facility would not only benefit the club but the entire community.

"While the process has taken longer than we had hoped, the club has a duty of care to its members and we sought advice on all available options," Fraser said.

"Belvedere Park not only provides us with a foundation upon which to build a state-of-the-art training facility, but it also allows us to create a sporting precinct for the entire community to use."

The oval will be available as a training venue for the Dandenong Stingrays and a game day venue for local junior competitions.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Ball no certainty to play

September 16th 2008 05:55
ST KILDA may not risk midfielder Luke Ball in Saturday night’s second preliminary final against Hawthorn at the MCG, according to coach Ross Lyon.

The Saints are concerned at Ball's lack of recent match fitness given the 24-year-old has not played since injuring his hamstring against Port Adelaide in round 18.

Lyon said that Ball was progressing well but admitted that there was still a long process to go through.

"He is ticking the boxes, he will train tonight, he will train Thursday and then if he keeps ticking the boxes, the medical team will make a call (on his fitness)," Lyon said.

"Then the player will make a call and then myself and the match committee will make a call (on whether to play him) so we have got a little bit to go through."

Lyon said whether Ball has recovered from his hamstring injury was not the only issue that would determine whether he makes his comeback on Saturday night.

"We weigh all that up and make a decision on probabilities," Lyon said.
"If it's beneficial for the team we will play him but on probabilities if we think it's not (beneficial) then we won't play him."

Meanwhile, former West Coast Eagles ruckman Michael Gardiner’s chances of earning a recall are slim despite his recent impressive form in the VFL.

Lyon said the fact that Justin Koschitzke had his rough conduct charge thrown out by the match review panel during the week all but ended Gardiner’s chances of breaking into the team.

"He has had a few games under his belt (in the VFL) and obviously with Justin Koschitzke on report, he (Gardiner) as a ruckman was under consideration."

"But the odds of (a senior return) have probably lessened a bit for Michael once Justin got off."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Bateman a chance to miss

September 16th 2008 05:19
HAWTHORN could be without midfielder Chance Bateman for Saturday night's preliminary final against St Kilda at the MCG.

Bateman injured his ankle at training on Tuesday and left the track immediately.

The 27-year-old did not reappear and will be assessed over the next few days but Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell was confident Bateman would play against the Saints.

"I think he will be OK. He rolled his ankle, came off and had it re-strapped (but) there is no point going back out there and re-aggravating it," Mitchell said at Waverley Park.

"He will be assessed over the next couple of days, but I think he'll be OK."

"He started the session and then just went over on the ankle a little bit, but he'll be OK I think."

Key defender Trent Croad also failed to train but Mitchell said he too would be right to play.

"He's done everything right so far, he'll probably do a fitness test on Thursday, so we've still got a few days up our sleeves. Thankfully we had the week off, but he's looking pretty good," he said.

"He's got that Kiwi blood he tells us all about with quick healing powers and all that sort of stuff. 'H2-Bro' I think he calls it. He wasn't training, but he'll be OK."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


Cooney will play: Cameron

September 16th 2008 02:30
WESTERN BULLDOGS midfielder Adam Cooney will play against Geelong in Friday night’s preliminary final at the MCG, according to assistant coach Leon Cameron.

Cooney was a no-show at Monday night's All-Australian presentation and missed this morning’s training session with a virus.

The 22-year-old is also nursing a minor knee injury but Cameron said he will be fit to play against the Cats.

"He'll be playing on Friday night, 100 percent guaranteed," he said.

"He's got a little bit of patella tendonitis but four or five players in each club have that and he'll be fine."

"He'll be training later on in the week and he'll be playing on Friday."


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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Judd named AA skipper

September 15th 2008 21:53
CARLTON skipper Chris Judd has capped off a stunning first season with the Blues by being named captain of the All-Australian team on Monday night.

Judd was named skipper of the team which was dominated by Geelong players for the second year running.

The Cats had seven players named in this year's team after having nine players named last season.

Eleven of the 16 clubs had players named with Melbourne, Essendon, Brisbane, Port Adelaide and Sydney the teams that did not have a representative in this year’s team.

Surprisingly, Fremantle which finished the season in 14th position - had two players named in the team with skipper Matthew Pavlich named for the sixth time in seven season while ruckman ruckman Aaron Sandilands was named as the back-up ruckman on the interchange bench to West Coast's Dean Cox - who was named in the team for the fourth year in a row.

2008 All-Australian team:
B: Dale Morris (W Bulldogs), Matthew Scarlett (Geelong), Tom Harley (Geelong - vice-captain)
HB: Luke Hodge (Hawthorn), Nathan Bock (Adelaide), Sam Fisher (St Kilda)
C: Jimmy Bartel (Geelong), Joel Corey (Geelong), Adam Cooney (W Bulldogs)
HF: Steve Johnson (Geelong), Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda), Brent Harvey (North Melb)
F: Brendan Fevola (Carlton), Lance Franklin (Hawthorn), Paul Medhurst (Collingwood)
Rucks: Dean Cox (West Coast), Chris Judd (Carlton - captain), Gary Ablett (Geelong).
Interchange: Corey Enright (Geelong), Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle), Matthew Richardson (Richmond), Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle)
The All Australian selection panel is: Andrew Demetriou (chairman), Adrian Anderson, Rod Austin, Kevin Bartlett, Mark Bickley, Gerard Healy, Glen Jakovich, Robert Walls.




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Brittain joins Lions

September 15th 2008 07:18
FORMER Carlton coach Wayne Brittain has joined the Brisbane Lions as an assistant coach.

Brittain accepted an assistant's role under Robert Walls with the then Brisbane Bears in 1994 before joining Carlton as an assistant coach in 1996,

Queensland-born Brittain succeeded David Parkin as the Blues' senior coach in 2001 and led the club to the finals in his first season but was replaced by Denis Pagan a year later after a disappointing finish to the 2002 season.

He then spent two seasons at Richmond under Danny Frawley before returning to Queensland at the end of 2004 to coach the Zillmere Eagles.

Brittain, who will be working with the Lions’ midfield, said his vast experience will help first-time coach Michael Voss.

“It’ll be looking after the midfield sort of first-up, which is busy enough now with all the rotations and that going on, so I’ll have my hands full,” he said.

“But I suppose it’s just to add a little bit of experience to the coaching panel.

“I’ve sort of been around for a little while, not just at the top level but I’ve coached for a long, long time.”

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Brisbane Lions
   


Croad set to face Saints

September 15th 2008 06:57
HAWTHORN has received a major boost ahead of Saturday night’s second preliminary final against St Kilda at the MCG with key defender Trent Croad declared a virtual certain starter.

Croad suffered a foot injury during the Hawks' qualifying-final win over the Bulldogs but Hawthorn football operations manager Mark Evans said on Monday that the 28-year-old was set to play against the Saints.

"He could have played last weekend (had the Hawks played instead of having the weekend off)," Evans said.

"He was running towards the end of last week and he has pulled up fine."

The Hawks are also confident fellow defender Campbell Brown will play despite dislocating his thumb in the first week of the finals while Stephen Gilham looks set to return after he was a late withdrawal from the qualifying-final victory over the Bulldogs due to a virus.

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


Cats better prepared: Thompson

September 15th 2008 06:49
GEELONG coach Mark Thompson believes his side is better prepared for Friday night’s preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs than they were for last year’s preliminary final against Collingwood.

Thompson said he went too easy on the Cats in the week immediately following last year's big qualifying final win over North Melbourne.

"We were all about recovery, and this time around we recovered them post-game but we've actually lifted the intensity a bit more than we did last year," he said.

"This week we're in game mode and we came back yesterday and trained and we're in a normal preparation week now."

Thompson also said the experience gained during last year's premiership campaign would prove to be invaluable.

"This time last year going into a preliminary final there was a lot of unanswered questions and, sure, there's a lot of unanswered questions now," he said.

"But we're feeling that we've been and lived through that experience and we're better for it and that's probably the only advantage we have going into this week.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Chapman no certainty

September 15th 2008 05:02
GEELONG forward Paul Chapman is no certainty to play in Friday night’s first preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG, according to coach Mark Thompson.

Chapman has been under a cloud since retiring to the bench early with hamstring soreness in the Cats' qualifying-final win over St Kilda last Sunday week.

Thompson said Chapman will need to take part in Tuesday's closed training session at Skilled Stadium and complete Thursday's open session to be considered for selection.

"He trained really well yesterday, he trained hard, fast and kicked the ball and ran at top speed," Thompson said.

"He's got a few boxes to tick yet, but he's certainly on his way."

Thompson said the club won’t be taking any risks with Chapman.

"We have to make the right decision for sure," Thompson said.

"He had an injury about five weeks ago and it's not that he's torn anything now but it's in the same area."

"We have to make a responsible decision that we put a team out there that can play four quarters of footy and we don't want to be a player down at quarter time."

Thompson also said that midfielder James Kelly was a '95 percent' chance of playing after having missed three matches with a quad injury.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Kosi free to play

September 15th 2008 04:04
ST KILDA has received a major boost ahead of Saturday night’s second preliminary final against Hawthorn at the MCG with utility Justin Koschitzke cleared of his rough conduct charge by the AFL match review panel on Monday.

Koschitzke was reported during the second term of the Saints' 34-point semi-final win over Collingwood on Saturday night after throwing Collingwood veteran Shane Wakelin to the ground following a tackle.

The match review panel ruled that Koschitzke had not thrown Wakelin to the ground in a separate action but rather his tackle was all in the one motion.

The panel also ruled that Koschitzke could not have been aware that the ball was out of bounds when he completed the tackle and that Wakelin had already disposed of the ball during the tackle.

In other tribunal news, the match day report against Sydney veteran Leo Barry for striking Western Bulldogs' forward Shaun Higgins during Friday night's semi-final at the MCG was thrown out.

The panel ruled that Barry had been trying to intercept the ball when he made accidental contact to Higgins.

Western Bulldogs defender Ryan Hargrave is free to play in Friday night's preliminary final against Geelong after being looked at but cleared of a second quarter incident involving Sydney forward Ryan O'Keefe.

The panel ruled that Hargrave had made a legitimate attempt to spoil while his teammate Scott Welsh was cleared over a clash involving Swans' defender Lewis Roberts-Thomson.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Pies run out of puff: Malthouse

September 13th 2008 23:50
COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse believes his side simply ran out of puff in going down to St Kilda by 34 points in the first semi-final at the MCG on Saturday night.

The Magpies had to travel three times in the past five weeks and while Malthouse refused to use it as an excuse he said it was a reasonable explanation for his side’s poor performance against the Saints.

"It's been a long year for a lot of our players and I just sensed at quarter time that almost every element of our indicators were down," Malthouse said.

"We just didn't seem to have that energy … and I thought a few of our senior players just never got near their best."

"If you're off marginally, the scoreline is what it was."

Malthouse said skipper Scott Burns, who was a late withdrawal, pulled up sore after training on Friday morning from the corked calf which had kept him sidelined for matches against Fremantle and Adelaide.

"It was his call in the end," Malthouse said.

"The player has got to feel comfortable and he wasn't - you can't play a player who doesn't feel he can get through the game."

Malthouse said Simon Prestigiacomo, who was also a late withdrawal with a shoulder injury sustained against the Crows last weekend, was 'always going to struggle' to play and confirmed that key forward Travis Cloke had been suffering from a virus.

Asked whether Prestigiacomo and Shane Wakelin would be required next year, Malthouse said: "I think one should go on, just to give us some support."

"We'll talk to both players and see how they feel about it."

"Both might say they want to go on and both might say we want to give it away."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Collingwood Magpies
   


Hayes almost missed

September 13th 2008 21:51
ST KILDA came within seconds of going into Saturday night’s cut-throat semi-final against Collingwood at the MCG without midfielder Lenny Hayes, according to coach Ross Lyon.

Lyon said Hayes went into 'severe spasm' after warming up and emergency Shane Birss was told that he would be playing before Hayes was declared fit to start literally minutes from the opening bounce.

"There was no subterfuge, there was no intention to deceive - it was a legitimate stressful situation and Lenny virtually wasn't going to play," Lyon said.

"I was in the box and I said 'Birssy, you're playing'."

"Birss was going to start on-ball, that's how late it happened and how serious it was."

Hayes collected 22 possessions in the Saints’ 34-point win which sees them progress through to a preliminary final against Hawthorn at the MCG next Saturday night.

Fellow midfielder Luke Ball, who has been sidelined since tearing a hamstring against Port Adelaide in round 18, was a late withdrawal from the clash against the Pies.

Ball will have missed seven weeks of football by the time the Saints face the Hawks but Lyon said the 24-year-old's extended stint on the sidelines wouldn't prevent him from being selected.

"A Luke Ball in five and six minute bursts would be pretty hard to contain, I would imagine," Lyon said.

Meanwhile, veteran forward Fraser Gehrig has confirmed that this season will be his last.

Gehrig was re-drafted by the Saints in last year’s national draft but hasn’t played since round eight because of his arthritic hands.

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Saints march into preliminary final

September 13th 2008 13:47
ST KILDA is one step closer to appearing in its first grand final since 1997 after downing Collingwood by 34 points in the first semi-final at the MCG on Saturday night.

The Saints’ 17.4 (106) to 9.18 (72) victory means they will now face Hawthorn in a preliminary final at the MCG next Saturday night.

St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt starred with 20 possessions, 15 marks and five goals while Stephen Milne and Justin Joschitzke chimed in wiith three goals apiece.

Nick Dal Santo was influential in the middle with a game-high 32 possessions while Jason Blake did a superb blanketing job on Travis Cloke, restricting the Collingwood forward to just one goal and six possessions.

The win was soured somewhat for the Saints with Koschitzke reported for slinging Magpie veteran Shane Wakelin to the ground in the second term.

Both teams were hit by late withdrawals - Scott Burns and Simon Prestigiacomo for the Pies and Luke Ball for St Kilda

Riewoldt stamped his authority on the contest in the opening term, collecting seven possessions, four marks and booting three of his side’s four goals to help the Saints to a three-point lead at the first change.

The Magpies started the second term brightly with Tyson Goldsack smothering Brendon Goddard's casual handball from half-back and banging it through from 30m out to put the Pies back in front.

But their joy was short-lived as the Saints piled on the next four goals of the match to take a 14-point lead into the main break.

Collingwood had their chances to be in front at half-time but they were wasteful in front of goal - they finished the first half with seven straight behinds.

The Saints broke the game open in the third term, slamming on six goals to one to take a match-winning 40-point advantage into the final change.

Collingwood booted four goals to win the final term but the damage had already been done.

ST KILDA: 4.1, 8.1, 14.2, 17.4 (106)
COLLINGWOOD: 3.4, 4.11, 5.16, 9.18 (72)
GOALS: St Kilda: Riewoldt 5, Milne 3, Koschitzke 3, Gram 2, Gwilt, Schneider, McQualter, Dal Santo
Collingwood: Anthony, Swan, Lockyer, Goldsack, Cloke, Medhurst, Clarke, Brown, McCarthy
BEST: St Kilda: Riewoldt, Fisher, Dal Santo, Gram, R.Clarke, Blake
Collingwood: Swan, Shaw, Pendlebury, Davis
INJURIES: St Kilda: Allen (hip)
Collingwood: Nil
REPORTS: Justin Koschitzke (St Kilda) reported by umpire McLaren for rough play on Shane Wakelin (Collingwood) in the second quarter
CHANGES: Scott Burns (calf) and Simon Prestigiacomo (shoulder) replaced in Collingwood's selected side by Rhyce Shaw and Shane Wakelin; Luke Ball (hamstring) replaced in St Kilda's selected side by Jarryd Allen
UMPIRES: Kennedy, Rosebury, McLaren
CROWD: 76,707 at the MCG
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Everitt calls it quits

September 13th 2008 00:28
THE career of Sydney ruckman Peter Everitt came to an end following the Swans’ 37-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in the second semi-final at the MCG on Friday night.

An emotional Everitt told the Swans players after the game that he would retire.

The 34-year-old’s retirement is the second at the Swans with defender Ben Mathews announcing his exit from the game last week.

The 291-game veteran spent just two years with the Swans after playing 180 games with St Kilda and then 72 for the Hawks but said he would like to remain involved with the club.

"I was honoured to come up here (to Sydney) and have a couple of years with the Swans," he said.

“It didn't finish the way we would like but I wouldn't change it for the world and hopefully I can stay involved with the Swans in the future."

Sydney coach Paul Roos said Everitt gave his all during his short stint at the club.

"We thanked him for his effort in Sydney and we couldn't have been happier with him," Roos said.

"He has been outstanding for our club and for a guy to come here at that age and embrace our footy club the way he did was terrific."

Roos admitted his side let themselves down on Friday night through poor kicking in front of goal and said the Swans needed more midfielders if they hoped to become a legitimate premiership contender.

"Coming up against a team you knew was going to bounce back after last week, we had to take our chances," he said.

"We didn't take our chances early to put scoreboard pressure on them and then their belief grew."

"And we also knew that with a six day break compared to their seven day break, we had to maintain a gap on them when we were playing well because we knew they were going to come at us and when they did come at us in that third quarter we just weren't able to run with them."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Sydney Swans
   


Dogs showed character: Eade

September 12th 2008 22:41
WESTERN Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade said his side showed tremendous character in rebounding from last week's 51-point mauling at the hands of Hawthorn in the qualifying final to defeat Sydney by 37 points in the second semi-final at the MCG on Friday night.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Eade said the result showed that the Dogs deserved to be in the top four despite a recent run of six losses in eight games

"Obviously we didn't play very well last week and it was very disappointing, and people were circling and even some of our supporters jumped off a bit, which was also disappointing," he said.

"I think they showed character with the way they played and being able to not let last week's result engulf them, and with a lack of finals experience, to be able to do what they did and bounce back like they did.

The Bulldogs will now meet reigning premiers Geelong in a preliminary final next weekend - a team that has won 41 of its past 43 matches and thrashed the Dogs by 61 points in their only meeting this year.

But Eade said it's not a fait accompli that the Cats will make the grand final.

"Anything can happen in a two-horse race. You can't beat them if you're not there," he said.

"We'll go in with, and rightfully so, no one picking us, and that's fine because they're a great team.

"But anything can happen and there will be no pressure on us from that aspect.

"We've just got to play our way and back ourselves."
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Dogs end Sydney's season

September 12th 2008 13:39
THE Western Bulldogs have booked a preliminary final showdown with Geelong with a 37-point win over Sydney in the second semi-final at the MCG on Friday night.

The Bulldogs dominated after an even first half, booting 10 goals to four to win 16.10 (106) to 9.15 (69).

The Swans were outclassed in the second half by a Bulldogs side that was quicker and harder at the football.

Matthew Boyd was prolific in the middle with a game-high 33 possessions, Lindsay Gilbee generated plenty of run from defence with 28 touches while Ryan Griffen was damaging with 20 possessions and one goal.

Dale Morris did a superb blanketing job on Sydney star Adam Goodes, restricting the dual Brownlow medallist to just ten disposals and one goal while Ryan Hargrave kept Swans forward Ryan O’Keefe goalless.

Barry Hall played a lone hand up forward for the Sydney, booting four of his side’s nine goals while Brett Kirk (22 possessions) tried hard all night.

Two goals apiece were kicked in a first term that failed to reach any great heights with both sides reluctant to take any risks.

The Dogs hit the front when Shaun Higgins kicked the first goal of the second term and they looked set to extend their lead out to 11 points when Higgins lined up for his second in three minutes.

But an interchange breach by Tim Callan resulted in a turnover and a shot on goal for Tadhg Kennelly.

Kennelly failed to convert but the Swans grabbed the lead a minute later when Hall kicked truly from directly in front before Lewis Roberts-Thomson slotted one home to give Sydney a nine-point lead.

The Dogs responded with three of the last four goals, including two in the final three minutes to take a four-point lead into the main break.

The Bulldogs took control in the third term, piling on five unanswered goals to open up a commanding lead.

The Swans had their chances but failed to capitalise in front of goal, booting six straight behinds.

Hall had a chance to redeem himself after he gave up chasing Brian Lake, who kicked a running goal but his set shot sprayed wide.

It proved to be a costly miss with Griffen banging one home after three bounces to blow the margin out to 29 points.

Will Minson then kicked truly after Jarrad McVeigh hit the post from 25m out to give the Dogs a 32-point lead heading into the final change.

The Swans closed to within 25 points early in the final term thanks to Hall but the Dogs had all the answers, slamming on three goals in four minutes to seal just the club’s 12th finals victory in their history.

WESTERN BULLDOGS: 2.3, 6.5, 11.9, 16.10 (106)
SYDNEY: 2.4, 5.7, 5.13, 9.15 (69)
GOALS: Bulldogs: Murphy 3, Welsh 2, Hill 2, Eagleton 2, Hahn, Higgins, Lake, Griffen, Minson, Johnson, Akermanis.
Sydney: Hall 4, Jolly, Roberts-Thomson, Goodes, Crouch, Bevan
BEST: Bulldogs: Boyd, Gilbee, Griffen, Morris, Murphy, Hargrave, Hill, Hahn
Sydney: Hall, Kennelly, Kirk, C Bolton, Bevan
INJURIES: Bulldogs: Higgins (winded)
Sydney: Veszpremi (concussion)
UMPIRES: Vozzo, McBurney, Ryan
REPORTS: Barry (Sydney) reported by field umpire Ryan for striking Higgins (Bulldogs) in the final quarter
CHANGES: Nil
CROWD: 42,731 at MCG

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Roos fined for bet

September 12th 2008 05:54
NORTH MELBOURNE has been handed a suspended fine of $50,000 for club director Ron Joseph's placement of two bets worth a total of $300 on the club during last year's finals series.

Joseph’s bet on the Kangaroos to defeat Geelong in a qualifying final breached AFL rules which prohibit all club staff and officials from gambling on matches.

North Melbourne chief executive Eugene Arocca said in a statement that the club accepted the penalty and had addressed the issue.

"Ron and the club have cooperated fully with the AFL investigation into this matter and we accept their findings," Arocca said.

"At the time of placing the bets Ron had not been fully informed of the AFL gambling policy."

"We have since put measures in place to ensure that all club directors, officials, and players are acutely aware of their obligations under the rule."

Joseph said that he regretted the impact of his actions on the club.

"I accept that by placing the bets I broke the AFL gambling regulations and understand the position that puts the club in," Joseph said.

"I regret any embarrassment or distraction I may have caused."

The AFL will also address the North Melbourne players and officials to explain the anti-gambling regulations in full detail.
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Cloke right to go: Burns

September 12th 2008 03:40
COLLINGWOOD skipper Scott Burns has dismissed suggestions that key forward Travis Cloke is suffering from glandular fever.

Queries about the 21-year-old’s fitness were prompted by his non-appearance at the club’s main training session on Wednesday.

But Burns said Cloke, who took part in a light training session on Friday ahead of Saturday night’s cut-throat semi-final against St Kilda at the MCG, was right to go.

"It was just a matter of freshening him up and getting his legs right," Burns said.

"We want him to be light-legged when we start tomorrow night - that was the main reason."

"He trained today and looked pretty good and he's certainly in touch with his body and … what he needs to do to play a good
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Collingwood Magpies
   


Judd named Blues' best

September 11th 2008 22:18
CARLTON skipper Chris Judd has won the Blues' best-and-fairest-award in his first year with the club.

Judd, who won two club champion awards with West Coast, won the John Nicholls Medal from classy young midfielder Marc Murphy and spearhead Brendan Fevola.

The former Eagles captain polled 472 votes with Murphy on 417 while Fevola finished with 373 votes.

In other awards, last year's No.1 draft pick Matthew Kruezer was the best first year player while Andrew Carrazzo took out best clubman.

Meanwhile, utility Jarrad Waite has signed a new three-year deal while Jordan Russell and Joe Anderson have re-signed for a further two years.

Carlton best and fairest:
Chris Judd (472 votes), Marc Murphy (417), Brendan Fevola (373), Andrew Carrazzo (310), Bryce Gibbs (288), Nick Stevens (287), Jarrad Waite (267), Kade Simpson (202), Heath Scotland (201), Bret Thornton 197.
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Finals teams week two

September 11th 2008 09:53
FINALS WEEK TWO

Friday, September 12
Second SF, Western Bulldogs v Sydney Swans at the MCG, 7.50pm AEST

Saturday, September 13
First SF, St Kilda v Collingwood at the MCG, 7.30pm AEST

Second Semi-Final
WESTERN BULLDOGS v SYDNEY SWANS
WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Dale Morris, Brian Lake, Tim Callan
HB: Lindsay Gilbee, Ryan Hargrave, Jason Akermanis
C: Nathan Eagleton, Matthew Boyd, Daniel Cross
HF: Robert Murphy, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Josh Hill, Will Minson, Scott Welsh
Foll: Ben Hudson, Adam Cooney, Ryan Griffen
I/C: Jarrod Harbrow, Shaun Higgins, Daniel Giansiracusa, Stephen Tiller
EMG: Andrejs Everitt, Farren Ray, Callan Ward

In: Tiller
Out: Farren Ray

SYDNEY SWANS
B: Leo Barry, Craig Bolton, Martin Mattner
HB: Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Ted Richards, Tadhg Kennelly
C: Paul Bevan, Jarrad McVeigh, Nick Malceski
HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Adam Goodes, Jarred Moore
F: Darren Jolly, Barry Hall, Jared Crouch
Foll: Peter Everitt, Brett Kirk, Jude Bolton
I/C: Luke Ablett, Amon Buchanan, Kieren Jack, Patrick Veszpremi
EMG: Craig Bird, Ryan Brabazon, Heath Grundy
NO CHANGE

First Semi-Final
ST KILDA v COLLINGWOOD
ST KILDA
B: Jason Blake, Max Hudghton, Brendon Goddard
HB: Sam Gilbert, Sam Fisher, Jason Gram
C: Clint Jones, Nick Dal Santo, Robert Harvey
HF: James Gwilt, Nick Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna
F: Stephen Milne, Justin Koschitzke, Luke Ball
Foll: Steven King, Lenny Hayes, Adam Schneider
I/C: David Armitage, Andrew McQualter, Raphael Clarke, Robert Eddy
EMG: Jarryd Allen, Shane Birss, Jack Steven

In: Ball, Armitage
Out: Xavier Clarke, Charlie Gardiner

COLLINGWOOD
B: Simon Prestigiacomo, Nathan Brown, Tyson Goldsack
HB: Martin Clarke, Nick Maxwell, Harry O’Brien
C: Tarkyn Lockyer, Scott Burns, Shannon Cox
HF: Scott Pendlebury, Travis Cloke, Leon Davis
F: Chris Dawes, Paul Medhurst, John Anthony
Foll: Josh Fraser, Dane Swan, Shane O’Bree
I/C: John McCarthy, Dale Thomas, Chris Bryan, Ryan Cook
EMG: Ben Reid, Rhyce Shaw, Shane Wakelin

In: Burns
Out: Rhyce Shaw


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Eade backs Johnson, Welsh

September 11th 2008 03:32
WESTERN BULLDOGS coach Rodney Eade is confident forwards Brad Johnson and Scott Welsh will return to form in Friday night’s cut-throat semi-final against Sydney at the MCG.

Johnson and Welsh failed to have an impact in the Bulldogs’ 51-point loss to Hawthorn in last Friday night’s second qualifying final, booting just one goal between them.

Welsh has kicked just four goals in the past five games but Eade the 29-year-old’s experience ensured he remained in the side for this week.

"We spoke about Scott but he kicked five against them (Sydney) the last time (in round 18) and while there has been a game or two since where he hasn't kicked a lot of goals, he has had 17 or 18 possessions playing further up the field but his last two or three games have been down," Eade said.

"But the thing about Scott is he has got finals experience, he is a talented player and he can kick goals and take marks so I think with the way he can play, he would stay in the side."

Eade also admitted that Johnson has struggled in the past fortnight but said he was confident that the Bulldogs skipper would bounce back.

"Brad has been down the last couple of weeks - he copped that bad knock in Adelaide (in round 22) where he had six staples in his head so that affected him and like a lot of us, he was down last week."

"But you can't just point the finger at Brad."

"Brad has got a lot of pride and he has led the team very well this year so I would imagine he would bounce back as well."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Warnock leaves Freo

September 11th 2008 00:53
FREMANTLE ruckman Robert Warnock has informed the club that he wants to return to Victoria for family reasons.

Warnock admitted that it was hard to leave the Dockers and said that his decision was based purely on personal reasons.

"I have enjoyed my time at the club and with the playing group and coaches immensely, so it is a very tough decision to leave," he said.

"I believe that Fremantle is on the right track and has a bright future but this is simply a personal decision to head home to be closer to my family in Melbourne."

"My management will be working proactively with the club to secure the best possible result for Fremantle."

"I would like to thank all Fremantle supporters, the players, coaches, staff and everyone associated with the club for their support."

Melbourne, Carlton and Richmond have expressed interest in the promising 206cm ruckman.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Fremantle Dockers
   


Sinclair calls it quits

September 11th 2008 00:45
NORTH MELBOURNE veteran Jess Sinclair has announced his retirement from AFL football.

The 30-year-old played 50 games for Fremantle before being joining the Kangaroos at the end of the 2000 season, where he went on to play a further 142 games.

Sinclair, who was in tears in the rooms following North’s loss to Sydney in the first elimination final at ANZ Stadium last Saturday night, said after a meeting with coach Dean Laidley and football operations manager Donald McDonald he realised that it was time to call it quits.

“I had a chat to Laids and Donald McDonald yesterday and we decided it was best to pull the pin now and let our youngsters come through and take us in the future,” he said.

"I would like to thank the North Melbourne Football Club for the opportunities I have been given over the past eight years."

"The club has been very supportive through my career - it has been like a second family."

"I wish all of the players, coaches and staff all the very best and look forward to watching the group achieve success in the future."

McDonald said Sinclair had made a great contribution to the club.

"Jess has been a good player for us over a long period of time, which is testament to his commitment and work ethic," McDonald said.

"He is renowned as one of the hardest trainers at the club and his professionalism set a great example to those around him, particularly the younger members of our list."

"Jess should be extremely proud of what he has achieved on and off the field."

"He has been a respected and popular teammate and a valued member of the North Melbourne Football Club."

"We will support him fully as he makes the transition to life after football."

Sinclair believes he still has plenty to offer and will finish the season with North Melbourne's VFL affiliate, Werribee.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Kangaroos
   


Malthouse quashes rumours

September 11th 2008 00:29
COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse has dismissed reports that he has met with Alan Didak to discuss the controversial forward’s future with the club.

It was reported that Didak, who has been suspended by the club for the remainder of the season for lying about his involvement in Heath Shaw's car accident, instigated separate meetings with Malthouse and club president Eddie McGuire to plead his case to remain at Collingwood.

"Whoever wrote it must be imagining it or making it up," Malthouse said on Wednesday.

"I can tell you categorically there's been no meeting with Alan Didak in the past week - he hasn't been at training, he's got the flu."

"So we can put that one to bed, eh?"

Malthouse also said Didak had been excused from training because of the flu and nothing should be read into his failure to take part in the club’s main training session at Gosch's Paddock on Wednesday.

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Collingwood Magpies
   


Burns trains strongly

September 11th 2008 00:23
COLLINGWOOD look set to be bolstered by the return of skipper Scott Burns for Saturday night’s cut-throat semi-final against St Kilda at the MCG.

Burns has been sidelined for the past two matches with a calf strain but trained strongly at the team’s main training session on Wednesday at Gosch's Paddock.

Despite impressing at training, Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse refused to decalre Burns a certain starter.

"He is where we thought he would be so we will now weight it up," he said of Burns.

"I don't think the doctor is as convinced (about Burns' fitness) as you or me and he (Burns) has still got a bit of convincing to do."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Collingwood Magpies
   


Voss makes changes

September 11th 2008 00:18
NEWLY appointed Brisbane coach Michael Voss has made the first changes to his off-field team with assistant coach Paul Hudson and football operations manager Marcus Ashcroft informed that their services are no longer required.

Ashcroft’s position was made redundant after Graeme Allan moved from his current role as football manager - head of recruiting and list management to head up the football department while Hudson’s two-year contract is up and won’t be renewed.

Hudson worked closely with the Lions' forward division and coached the Suncoast Lions reserves.



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Ball buys some time

September 11th 2008 00:05
ST KILDA midfielder Luke Ball will be given until Thursday to prove his fitness for Saturday night’s cut-throat semi-final against Collingwood at the MCG.

Ball has been sidelined for the past five matches with a hamstring tear and is desperate to take on the Magpies.

But St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said the club won’t be risking the 24-year-old if he is not 100 per cent fit.

"We will have a clearer picture after Thursday's main session ... but we won't be taking in anyone that won't be able to compete for the full minutes of the game," Lyon said on Tuesday.

"It's critically important that we get an even team performance."

"He's progressing well and ticking the boxes and if he keeps going then we're going to have to make a decision at the end of Thursday."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Ablett wins AFLPA MVP

September 10th 2008 22:17
GEELONG midfielder Gary Ablett Jnr has capped off a stellar season by winning a second consecutive AFL Players' Association Most Valuable Player award.

Ablett joins Greg Williams, Michael Voss and Wayne Carey as fellow two-time AFLPA MVP winners.

The 24-year-old received 1088 votes, with Hawthorn forward Lance Franklin (718) finishing second, North Melbourne veteran Brent Harvey (440) third, Richmond star Matthew Richardson (148) fourth and Carlton midfielder Chris Judd (140) fifth.

Ablett said it meant a lot to win an award that voted on by his peers.

"This is a massive honour as it is voted on by my peers," Ablett said after receiving the award.

"It means a huge amount to me that the players that I play against each week have voted for me and it is very humbling to win this award."

Ablett also paid tribute to his teammates.

"While this is an individual award, there is no way that I could be in this position without my team-mates and the coaches at Geelong and I want to thank them for everything they have done for me, not only this season but over my time with the club," he said.

Meanwhile, Brisbane Lions forward Jonathan Brown won the Robert Rose most courageous player award, Geelong skipper Tom Harley was voted the competition's best captain while Fremantle youngster and NAB Rising Star winner Rhys Palmer was awarded the best first year player award.

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Dockers re-sign duo

September 10th 2008 22:13
FREMANTLE defenders Scott Thornton and Paul Duffield have signed new two -year deals which will see them remain at the club until at least the end of the 2010 season.

Thornton has rebounded from a disappointing 2006 season in which he managed just five games to become one of the club’s most consistent performers.

Meanwhile, Duffield, who has played just 24 games for the club after being promoted off Fremantle’s rookie list in 2003, has been rewarded for his strong finish to the season.

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Mixed news for Cats

September 10th 2008 21:53
PAUL Chapman looks certain to play in Geelong’s preliminary final clash against either the Bulldogs or Sydney in a fortnight's time.

Chapman has been cleared of any damage to his hamstring after complaining of hamstring soreness during last Sunday’s 58-point win over St Kilda in the first qualifying final.

Meanwhile, scans have confirmed that impressive young midfielder Brent Prismall has suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

Prismall will undergo surgery later this week and is expected to miss most of next season as well.

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Hayes cleared to play

September 10th 2008 21:46
ST KILDA has received a major boost ahead of Saturday’s semi-final against Collingwood at the MCG with midfielder Lenny Hayes cleared of striking by the match review panel on Monday.

Hayes was charged with striking Geelong's Joel Selwood during the St Kilda’s 58-point loss to the Cats in last Sunday's qualifying final.

But the match review panel ruled that Hayes only threw his left arm at Selwood to grab hold of the Cats' youngster rather than to strike him.

The panel deemed contact was accidental as Hayes lost his balance and instinctively threw his left arm at Selwood in an attempt to grab him and stay on his feet.

In other tribunal news, St Kilda small forward Stephen was cleared over a sharp back to the back of Geelong’s Steve Johnson in the third term.

The panel believed the impact of the jab was below that required to be reportable.

Western Bulldogs defender Ryan Hargrave and Hawthorn’s Brent Guerra were also cleared by the match review panel.

Hargrave's contact to Hawthorn midfielder Michael Osborne in the third quarter of last Friday night’s second qualifying final was deemed to be below that required to constitute a reportable offence while Guerra's bump on Shaun Higgins was considered not unreasonable in the circumstances as the force was not excessive.

Adelaide full-back Ben Rutten was cleared over a second quarter collision with Collingwood youngster John McCarthy during the second quarter of last Saturday's elimination final at AAMI Stadium.


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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Saints unclear on Ball availability

September 10th 2008 21:32
ST KILDA midfielder Luke Ball is an uncertain starter for Saturday night’s cut-throat semi-final against Collingwood at the MCG.

Ball has missed the last five matches after injuring his hamstring against Port Adelaide in round 18.

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said Ball would be monitored closely throughout the week.

"We will assess him, he is rehab but honestly I haven't given Luke Ball any thought over the last 48 hours," Lyon said.

"We would love to have him back but we will have to assess him as he works throughout the week and at some point we will declare him fit or unfit and let you know."

Meanwhile, Lyon remained confident that utility Jason Blake will play against the Magpies despite injuring his thumb against Geelong in the first qualifying final last Sunday.

"He came off with a (injured) right thumb, he had a guard on it and just jarred that up a bit," Lyon said.

"He is obviously pretty sore but we are confident he will be fine."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Saints out to regain respect

September 7th 2008 21:36
ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon admitted his team lost 'respect' on Sunday following its 58-point loss to Geelong in the first qualifying final at the MCG.

But Lyon said his side had earned the right to get a second week and that they were determined to regain respect in next week's cut-throat semi-final against Collingwood at the MCG.

"We are not going to throw the baby out with the bath water," Lyon said.

"Over the last ten weeks (before Sunday) we had been number two (in the AFL) for defence and number seven for attack so those numbers are reasonable."

"So we have to learn our lessons, we earned the right to get a second week and we look forward to that."

Lyon said the Saints were outclassed in all areas by the Cats.

"We'd like to be perceived as harder at the ball than that, like to be perceived as being able to defend better than that and compete against the quality teams better than that," he said.

"But we have to look at the reasons why we didn't and go forward next week."

Lyon also admitted his side will go in as underdogs against a Collingwood side that will have an extra day's rest than the Saints.

"We will go in the underdogs and we will have to work hard to get the respect back that we gave up today," he said.

"We get to go away and re-group and earn some respect back and that is the aim."
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Cats crush Saints

September 7th 2008 08:03
GEELONG is one step closer to securing back-to-back flags following their 58-point demolition of St Kilda in the first qualifying final at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.

The Cats' 17.17 (119) to 8.13 (61) victory entitles them to a week off and sees them move into a preliminary final where they will play the winner of next weekend's semi final between the Western Bulldogs and Sydney.

Meanwhile, St Kilda will face Collingwood in a cut-throat semi-final at the MCG on Saturday night.

The win was soured somewhat for the Cats with midfielder Brent Prismall suffering what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the first term.

Gary Ablett Jnr, James Bartel and Joel Corey led a dominant Geelong midfield, racking up 30-plus possessions.

Harry Taylor did a superb blanketing job on Nick Riewoldt, restricting the St Kilda skipper to just nine possessions and one goal while Darren Milburn was damaging in defence with 32 disposals.

Geelong had 11 individual goalkickers for the match - Cameron Mooney and Brad Ottens the most effective with three apiece.

For St Kilda, Sam Fisher (31 possessions) and Lenny Hayes (30 disposals) tried hard all day but they lacked any support.

The Cats led by just 18 points at quarter-time but the gulf in class between the two sides was obvious with Geelong having ten scoring shots to two for the term.

Mooney and Ottens were influential in the first half, booting four of their side's seven goals to help the Cats to a 32-point lead at the main break.

Brendon Goddard kicked St Kilda's fourth goal at the five-minute mark of the third term to reduce the deficit to less than five goals but from thereonin the Cats dominated.

Geelong piled on nine goals to one, including five unanswered after the 24-minute mark to take a match-winning 76-point lead into the final change.

The Saints added some respectability to the scoreboard in the final stanza, booting three goals to one but the damage had already been done.

GEELONG: 3.7, 7.10, 16.15, 17.17 (119)
ST KILDA: 1.1, 3.2, 5.5, 8.13 (61)
GOALS: Geelong: Ottens 3, Mooney 3, Bartel 2, Lonergan 2, Chapman, Ling, Varcoe, S Johnson, Stokes, Ablett, Rooke
St Kilda: Milne 2, Schneider, X Clarke, Montagna, Goddard, Riewoldt, R Clarke
BEST: Geelong: Bartel, Ablett, Taylor, Scarlett, Milburn, Corey, Selwood, Mooney, Ottens
St Kilda: S Fisher, Goddard, Montagna, Gilbert.
INJURIES: Geelong: Prismall (knee)
St Kilda: Blake (wrist)
UMPIRES: Kennedy, Meredith, McInerney
REPORTS:
CHANGES: Nil
CROWD: 71,653 at MCG

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Cornes named Port's best

September 7th 2008 06:59
PORT ADELAIDE midfielder Kane Cornes has become only the second player behind skipper Warren Tredrea to be a multiple winner of the club's best-and-fairest award.

Cornes, who won John Cahill Medal with 135 votes on Saturday night, finished 20 votes ahead of fellow midfielder Domenic Cassisi while small forward Daniel Motlop (99) finished third. Shaun Burgoyne and defender Alipate Carlile rounded out the top five.

Carlile won the Gavin Wanganeen medal for the best player under 21 while Travis Boak won the most improved player award.

In other awards, Cassisi won the best team man and the player-voted Fos Williams Medal, which is based on leadership, selflessness, courage, professionalism, loyalty and sense of humour while Paul Stewart won the best first year player award.

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We have improved: Laidley

September 7th 2008 02:22
NORTH MELBOURNE coach Dean Laidley believes his side has made significant progress this season despite being bundled out in the first week of the finals.

The Roos' 2008 campaign ended on Saturday night when they lost to Sydney by 35 points at ANZ Stadium.

The Kangaroos reached a preliminary final in 2007 but Laidley believes his side has improved this season.

"I actually think, if you're talking about (winning) premierships - and let's face it that's what we're here to do - I would have thought we're closer this year than what we were last year," Laidley said.

"When we walked off after the preliminary final (against Port Adelaide) I thought we were a ways off it but the development over the summer and through the year of the younger guys that I've already spoken about, and with what we've probably got to come into the side ... it's been a real step forward for us."

Laidley admitted his side struggled to find consistency this season.

"We'll sit down and we'll have a review, we've played some pretty good footy at certain stages during the year, other times we were ordinary," he said.

Laidley also said the emergence of several players was a positive to take out of this season.

"(But there) are some really positive signs, the combination of Lindsay (Thomas) and Matty Campbell inside our forward 50's been super and to get nearly 60 goals from them (was pleasing), but their probably last four weeks has been a bit flat," Laidley said.

"Also to find a player like (Gavin) Urquhart, I think David Hale's taken another real step in his career, Ben Ross is in the wings and he probably wouldn't have gone out of the side if he didn't get injured."

"We've certainly found another ruckman in (Todd) Goldstein … and (Lachlan) Hansen came in and did some pretty good things for us, so outside of that side tonight you've probably got five or six kids that we think can have a really big influence next year or continue to have a big influence and you'll have some of those guys turning into men."
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Swans still a force: Roos

September 7th 2008 00:12
SYDNEY coach Paul Roos believes his side is capable of having an impact in September following their 35-point win over the Kangaroos in the second elimination final at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.

The critics have publicly questioned the ability of Sydney to pose a genuine threat in their sixth straight finals campaign but Roos said the win shows that the Swans are capable of making waves.

"I think at least we showed we're a better team than probably what we were given credit for this year, everyone sort of said (we were) too old and too slow and things like that," Roos said.

Roos admitted that his side will face a tough task when they play the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Friday night in a cut-throat semi-final.

"A week's a long time in footy, we've got a tough game next week against the Bulldogs and generally the teams that lose in the first week of the finals come out and play very well the following week so we know it's going to be an enormous challenge," Roos said.

"The Bulldogs have beaten us twice this year already and they've got some very, very good players."

"But I think at least tonight, winning a final with (Patrick) Veszpremi and (Jarred) Moore and (Kieren) Jack and Marty Mattner coming from another club (Adelaide Crows) and obviously some young guys, it was really pleasing."

"We've got good players playing well, hopefully we've pulled up okay, I'm not too sure how the guys have pulled up, a couple cramped late in the game."

"But we've got some players in good form and we're playing well as a team so at least we (now) give ourselves an opportunity."

The Swans trailed at half-time but Roos said he was confident that his side would come away with the win.

"I felt at half-time we were a really good chance to win the game because we were only 10 points down and I thought we had a lot of improvement left at half-time but we needed everyone to dig in."
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Swans overrun Roos

September 6th 2008 13:08
SYDNEY has shown its not a spent force with a 35-point win over the Kangaroos in the second elimination final at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.

The Swans trailed by 10 points at half-time but lifted in the second half, eventually prevailing 17.8 (110) to 11.9 (75).

The win means Sydney will now face the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Friday night in a cut-throat semi-final.

Brett Kirk (23 possessions) was instrumental in the the Swans' second half revival. He received good support from Jarrad McVeigh (25 possessions) and Amon Buchanan (26 disposals) while Barry Hall, Adam Goodes and promising youngster Kieran Jack chimed in with three goals apiece.

For the Kangaroos, Shannon Grant was a busy contributor in his last match with 14 possessions and two goals. Daniel Wells and Brent Harvey were damaging early but went missing after half-time as the Swans took control of the contest.

The Roos started brightly, booting four unanswered goals in the first 20 minutes with Harvey booting two for the term.

Ryan O'Keefe kicked Sydney's only goal of the first term at the 26-minute mark as the Kangaroos took a 14-point lead into quarter-time.

The Swans should have been closer at the first change but they failed to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal, booting a wasteful 1.5.

Goals to Jack and O'Keefe reduced the deficit to less than a goal but two majors from Grant late in the term ensured the Kangaroos kept their noses in front, taking a 10-point advantage into the main break.

Sydney came out firing in the third term, slamming on four goals in a stunning 11-minute burst to hit the front for the first time in the match.

North got a much needed goal through Nathan Thompson but the Swans hit back through Patrick Vesprezmi and Jack to skip out to a handy break.

The Roos refused to give in and kicked three goals in the last ten minutes with Ed Lower booting two to keep his side within striking distance heading into the final change, with the Swans holding a 14-point lead.

Lower had a chance to get his side even closer early in the final term but he failed to convert from just 30m out.

It proved to be a costly miss with majors from Hall, Jack, Jarrad Moore and Ted Richards putting the result beyond doubt.

SYDNEY: 1.5, 4.6, 12.7, 17.8 (110)
NORTH MELBOURNE: 4.1, 6.4, 10.5, 11.9 (75)
GOALS: Sydney: Hall 3, Jack 3, Goodes 3, O'Keefe 2, Moore 2, McVeigh, Veszpremi, Malceski, Richards,
North Melbourne: Harvey 2, Grant 2, Lower 2, Hale 2, Petrie, Thompson, Sinclair,
BEST: Sydney: McVeigh, O'Keefe, Kirk, Richards, Hall,
North Melbourne: Grant, Harvey, Wells,
INJURIES: Sydney:Nil
North Melbourne: Nil
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Craig Bird (groin) replaced in the Swans' matchday-22 by Patrick Veszpremi. For the Kangaroos, Lachlan Hansen was a late withdrawal with Gavin Urquhart inserted into the starting line-up.
UMPIRES: Vozzo, McBurney, Chamberlain.
CROWD: 19,127 at ANZ Stadium.
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Pies topple Crows

September 6th 2008 08:11
COLLINGWOOD has booked its place in the second week of the finals with an impressive 31-point win over Adelaide in the first elimination final at AAMI Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Magpies dominated after half-time, slamming on 12 goals to five to win 19.11 (125) to 14.10 (94).

The win means Collingwood will play the loser of the first qualifying final between Geelong and St Kilda in a cut-throat semi-final next weekend while Adelaide's 2008 campaign is over.

The Pies had 13 individual goalkickers for the match - impressive youngsters John Anthony and Chris Dawes the most effective with three apiece.

Dane Swan (23 possessions) kept the Magpies in the contest in the first half with two majors while Dale Thomas was lively with 19 disposals and one goal.

Scott Stevens starred for Adelaide with six goals while veteran Andrew McLeod tried hard all day, finishing the match with 19 touches and two goals.

The Magpies stamped their authority on the contest from the opening bounce, winning the contested football and applying immense pressure all over the ground as they slammed on the first three goals to skip out to an early 20-point lead.

Adelaide hit back through Stevens at the 18-minute mark before a major from Tyson Edwards reduced the deficit to 13 points heading into quarter-time.

The Crows came to life in the second term, booting seven of the first eight goals of the quarter with Stevens booting three to help his side to a handy 24-point lead.

But two majors from Swan in time-on ensured the Magpies remained within striking distance heading into the main break, with Adelaide holding a 12-point advantage.

Majors from Nick Maxwell and Anthony levelled the scores in the third term.

The Pies took control from that moment on with goals from Travis Cloke, Rhyce Shaw and Tarkyn Lockyer blowing the margin out to 19 points.

Nathan Bassett gave the Crows a glimmer of hope when he kicked truly but a miraculous snap from Thomas just seconds before the siren gave the Pies a 20-point lead heading into the final change.

Adelaide came out firing in the final term and closed to within seven points thanks to two majors from Stevens.

But the Magpies had all the answers, slamming on the last four goals of the contest to seal a gutsy win.

ADELAIDE: 2.2, 9.6, 11.7, 14.10 (94)
COLLINGWOOD: 4.3, 7.6, 14.9, 19.11 (125)
GOALS: ADELAIDE: Stevens 6, McLeod 2, Edwards, Johncock, Mackay, Maric, Bassett, Gill
COLLINGWOOD: Dawes 3, Anthony 3, Swan 2, Maxwell 2, Cox, Davis, Fraser, Cloke, R.Shaw, Lockyer, Thomas, Clarke, Medhurst
BEST: ADELAIDE: Stevens, Massie, McLeod, Doughty, Shirley, Edwards, Johncock
COLLINGWOOD: Swan, Thomas, Clarke, Davis, Fraser, Dawes, O'Bree, Anthony, Pendlebury
INJURIES: ADELAIDE: Nil
COLLINGWOOD: Prestigiacomo
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
UMPIRES: James, Stevic, McLaren
CROWD: 37,685 at AAMI Stadium.
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Dogs were overawed, says Eade

September 5th 2008 22:24
WESTERN BULLDOGS coach Rodney Eade says his side was overawed by the occasion in Friday night's second qualifying final against Hawthorn at the MCG.

Eade said his side made several uncharacteristic errors in the 51-point loss to the Hawks.

"It looks like we got overawed by the whole occasion which is certainly disappointing," he said.

"I think their pressure was very good, but I think there was a lot of inferred pressure where we made mistakes that we shouldn't have made and it was very disappointing."

"From the club's point of view and the supporters' point of view it was a very poor performance and we need to bounce back next week."

Eade challenged his players to lift for next weekend's semi-final against the winner of Saturday night's clash at ANZ Stadium between Sydney and North Melbourne.

"There's got to be some accountability - our supporters will want that," he said.

"It's not what we stand for and it's not what we're about as a footy club."
"The players have to stand up and be counted."

Meanwhile, Eade said Lindsay Gilbee (corked calf) and Robert Murphy (corked knee) should be right for next week.
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Hawks demolish Dogs

September 5th 2008 13:22
LANCE Franklin has inspired Hawthorn to a convincing 51-point win over the Western Bulldogs in the second qualifying final at the MCG on Friday night.

The Hawks' 18.19 (127) to 11.10 (76) victory means they will jump straight to a preliminary final in two weeks while the Bulldogs advance to a semi-final next weekend where they'll play the winner of Saturday night's elimination final between Sydney and North Melbourne.

The win was soured somewhat for Hawthorn with full-back Trent Croad injured in the second quarter - he took no further part in the match.

Franklin starred with eight goals to take his season tally to 110 while Michael Osborne and Jarryd Roughead were valuable contributors with four and three goals respectively.

Brad Sewell and skipper Sam Mitchell were influential in the middle, racking up 30-plus possessions while Luke Hodge led a rock-solid defence.

Daniel Cross tried hard all night for the Bulldogs, racking up a game-high 39 possessions while Jason Akermanis chimed in with three goals.

The Dogs started brightly, booting two of the first three goals of the match through Brad Johnson and Daniel Giansiracusa but the rest of the term belonged to Hawthorn

With Jordan Lewis, Sewell and Mitchell dominating at the stoppages, the Hawks took control and slammed on the last three goals for the quarter to take a 16-point lead into the first change.

The Hawks broke the game open in the second term, slamming on six goals to take a commanding 44-point lead into the main break.

Franklin did the damage with three for the term while Osborne chimed in with two goals just before half-time.

Majors from Jason Akermanis and Josh Hill in the third term gave the Dogs a glimmer of hope, with the Hawks holding a 32-point advantage.

But Hawthorn had all the answers with two goals in four minutes from Osborne and majors from Roughhead and Franklin blowing the margin out to 58 points.

With the result beyond doubt, the Hawks took their foot off the pedal in the final term to ensure that the remaining 21 made it through to the final siren unscathed.

HAWTHORN: 4.5, 10.12, 15.17, 18.19 (127)
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 2.1, 4.4, 7.7, 11.10 (76)
GOALS: Hawthorn: Franklin 8, Osborne 4, Roughead 3, Brown, Crawford, Lewis
Western Bulldogs: Akermanis 3, Giansiracusa 2, Hill 2, Cooney 2, Johnson, Griffen
BEST: Hawthorn: Franklin, Hodge, Sewell, Lewis, Osborne, Mitchell, Bateman
Western Bulldogs: Cross, Boyd, Giansiracusa, Hill, Lake, Cooney
INJURIES: Hawthorn: Trent Croad
Western Bulldogs: Nil
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Stephen Gilham (virus)replaced by Cameron Stokes in the Hawthorn selected side
UMPIRES: Donlon, Rosebury, S.Ryan
CROWD: 76,703 at the MCG
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Finals teams week one

September 5th 2008 07:38
FINALS WEEK ONE

HAWTHORN v WESTERN BULLDOGS
Second Qualifying Final,
Friday, 7:50pm AEST, MCG
HAWTHORN
B: Gilham, Croad, Guerra
HB: Hodge, Murphy, Birchall
C: Dew, Mitchell, Bateman
HF: Rioli, Osborne, Crawford
F: Franklin, Roughead, Brown
FOLL: Campbell, Lewis, Sewell
I/C: Ladson, Renouf, Williams, Young
EMG: Ellis, Morton, Stokes
IN: Crawford
OUT: Ellis

WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Gilbee, Morris, Callan
HB: Griffen, Lake, Hargrave
C: Eagleton, Boyd, Cross
HF: Murphy, Hahn, Johnson
F: Akermanis, Minson, Welsh
FOLL: Hudson, Cooney, Giansiracusa
I/C: Harbrow, Hill, Higgins, Ray
EMG: Everitt, Skipper, Tiller
IN: Hudson, Ray
OUT: Reid, Skipper

ADELAIDE v COLLINGWOOD
First Elimination Final,
Saturday, 2:00pm CST, AAMI Stadium
ADELAIDE
B: Johncock, Rutten, Bassett
HB: McLeod, Bock, Doughty
C: Symes, Goodwin, Mackay
HF: van Berlo, Stevens, Douglas
F: Tippett, Gill, Vince
FOLL: Maric, Thompson, Edwards
I/C: Moran, Massie, Shirley, Knights
EMG: McGregor, Campbell, Reilly
IN: Moran
OUT: Porplyzia (shoulder)

COLLINGWOOD
B: Prestigiacomo, Brown, Goldsack
HB: Clarke, Maxwell, O'Brien
C: Lockyer, R.Shaw, Cox
HF: Pendlebury, Cloke, Davis
F: Dawes, Medhurst, Anthony
FOLL: Fraser, Swan, O'Bree
I/C: Bryan, McCarthy, Thomas, Cook
EMG: Barham, Macaffer, Egan
IN: Thomas
OUT: Stanley

SYDNEY SWANS v NORTH MELBOURNE
Second Elimination Final
Saturday, 7:30pm AEST, ANZ Stadium
SYDNEY SWANS
B: Barry, Bolton, Mattner
HB: Roberts-Thomson, Richards, Kennelly
C: Crouch, McVeigh, Malceski
HF: R.O'Keefe, Goodes, Moore
F: Buchanan, Hall, Bevan
FOLL: Everitt, Kirk, J.Bolton
I/C: Ablett, Bird, Jack, Jolly
EMG: Brabazon, Grundy, Veszpremi
IN: Goodes, R.O'Keefe
OUT: Grundy, Veszpremi

NORTH MELBOURNE
B: Lower, Gibson, Firrito
HB: Pratt, Hansen, Watt
C: Thomas, Wells, Campbell
HF: Harvey, Hale, Grant
F: Edwards, Thompson, McMahon
FOLL: Petrie, Rawlings, Harris
I/C: Power, Simpson, Sinclair, Harding
EMG: Urquhart, Ross, Brown
IN: Lower, N.Thompson, Sinclair
OUT: McIntosh, Jones, Urquhart

GEELONG v ST KILDA
First Qualifying Final,
Sunday, 2:40pm AEST, MCG
GEELONG
B: Harley, Scarlett, Hunt
HB: Milburn, Mackie, Enright
C: Ling, Bartel, Corey
HF: Stokes, Mooney, S.Johnson
F: Chapman, Lonergan, Varcoe
FOLL: Ottens, Ablett, Selwood
I/C: Blake, Prismall, Taylor, Rooke
EMG: Byrnes, Wojcinski, Gamble
IN: Mackie, Rooke
OUT: Gamble, Byrnes

ST KILDA
B: Blake, Hudghton, R.Clarke
HB: Gilbert, S.Fisher, Gram
C: Jones, Dal Santo, Harvey
HF: Gwilt, Riewoldt, Montagna
F: Schneider, Koschitzke, Milne
FOLL: King, Hayes, Goddard
I/C: McQualter, C.Gardiner, X.Clarke, Eddy
EMG: Steven, Armitage, Birss
IN: McQualter, X.Clarke
OUT: Dempster (knee), Birss
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AFL 2008 retirements and delistings

September 4th 2008 09:46
All the 2008 AFL retirements and delistings as they come to hand.

Adelaide:
Rhett Biglands (retired)
Nathan Bassett (retired)

Brisbane Lions:
Nigel Lappin (retired)

Essendon:
Adam Ramanauskas (retired)
Mal Michael (retired)
Jason Johnson (retired)
Damien Peverill (delisted)
Courtney Johns (delisted)
Andrew Lee (delisted)
Danny Chartres (delisted)
Dean Dick (delisted)

Fremantle:
Shaun McManus (retired)
Matthew Carr (retired)
Peter Bell (retired)
Mark Johnson (retired)
Heath Black (retired)
Jeff Farmer (retired)
Ryley Dunn (delisted)

Melbourne:
David Neitz (retired)
Jeff White (delisted)
Adem Yze (delisted)
Ben Holland (retired)
Isaac Weetra (delisted)
Jace Bode (delisted)

North Melbourne:
Shannon Grant (retired)

Port Adelaide:
Michael Wilson (retired)
Hugh Minson (retired)

Richmond:
Greg Tivendale (retired)

Sydney:
Ben Mathews (retired)

West Coast:
Michael Braun (retired)
Steven Armstrong (delisted)
James Thomson (delisted)
Chad Jones (delisted)
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Finals teams week one

September 4th 2008 08:00
FINALS WEEK ONE

Friday, September 5
Second QF, Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs at the MCG, 7.50pm AEST

Saturday, September 6
First EF, Adelaide v Collingwood at AAMI Stadium, 2pm ACST
Second EF, Sydney Swans v North Melbourne at ANZ Stadium, 7.30pm AEST

Sunday, September 7
First QF, Geelong v St Kilda at the MCG, 2.40pm AEST

Second Qualifying Final
HAWTHORN v WESTERN BULLDOGS
HAWTHORN
B: Stephen Gilham, Trent Croad, Brent Guerra
HB: Grant Birchall, Thomas Murphy, Luke Hodge
C: Stuart Dew, Sam Mitchell, Chance Bateman
HF: Cyril Rioli, Michael Osborne, Shane Crawford
F: Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead, Campbell Brown
Foll: Robert Campbell, Jordan Lewis, Brad Sewell
I/C: Rick Ladson, Brent Renouf, Mark Williams, Clinton Young
EMG: Xavier Ellis, Jarryd Morton, Cameron Stokes
In: Crawford
Out: Xavier Ellis

WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Lindsay Gilbee, Dale Morris, Tim Callan
HB: Ryan Griffen, BrainLake, Ryan Hargrave
C: Nathan Eagleton, Matthew Boyd, Daniel Cross
HF: Robert Murphy, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Jason Akermanis, Will Minson, Scott Welsh
Foll: Ben Hudson, Adam Cooney, Daniel Giansiracusa
I/C: Jarrod Harbrow, Josh Hill, Shaun Higgins, Farren Ray
EMG: Andrejs Everitt, Wayde Skipper, Stephen Tiller
In: Hudson, Ray
Out: Sam Reid, Wayde Skipper

First Elimination Final
ADELAIDE v COLLINGWOOD
ADELAIDE
B: Graham Johncock, Ben Rutten, Nathan Bassett
HB: Andrew McLeod, Nathan Bock, Michael Doughty
C: Brad Symes, Simon Goodwin, David Mackay
HF: Nathan van Berlo, Scott Stevens, Richard Douglas
F: Kurt Tippett, Nick Gill, Bernie Vince
Foll: Ivan Maric, Scott Thompson, Tyson Edwards
I/C: Brad Moran, Kris Massie, Robert Shirley, Chris Knights
EMG: Ken McGregor, Bryce Campbell, Brent Reilly
In: Moran
Out: Jason Porplyzia (shoulder)

COLLINGWOOD
B: Simon Prestigiacomo, Nathan Brown, Tyson Goldsack
HB: Martin Clarke, Nick Maxwell, Heritier O’Brien
C: Tarkyn Lockyer, Rhyce Shaw, Shannon Cox
HF: Scott Pendlebury, Travis Cloke, Leon Davis
F: Chris Dawes, Paul Medhurst, John Anthony
Foll: Josh Fraser, Dane Swan, Shane O’Bree
I/C: John McCarthy, Dale Thomas, Chris Bryan, Ryan Cook
EMG: Jaxson Barham, Brent Macaffer, Chris Egan
In: Thomas
Out: Danny Stanley

Second Elimination Final
SYDNEY SWANS v NORTH MELBOURNE
SYDNEY SWANS
B: Barry, Bolton, Mattner
HB: Roberts-Thomson, Richards, Kennelly
C: Crouch, McVeigh, Malceski
HF: R.O'Keefe, Goodes, Moore
F: Buchanan, Hall, Bevan
FOLL: Everitt, Kirk, J.Bolton
I/C: Ablett, Bird, Jack, Jolly
EMG: Brabazon, Grundy, Veszpremi
IN: Goodes, R.O'Keefe
OUT: Grundy, Veszpremi

NORTH MELBOURNE
B: Ed Lower, Josh Gibson, Michael Firrito
HB: Daniel Pratt, Lachlan Hansen, Shannon Watt
C: Lindsay Thomas, Daniel Wells, Matt Campbell
HF: Brent Harvey, David Hale, Shannon Grant
F: Aaron Edwards, Nathan Thompson, Scott McMahon
Foll: Drew Petrie, Brady Rawlings, Daniel Harris
I/C: Sam Power, Adam Simpson, Jess Sinclair, Leigh Harding
EMG: Gavin Urquhart, Ben Ross, Leigh Brown
In: Lower, N. Thompson, Sinclair
Out: Hamish McIntosh, Corey Jones, Gavin Urquhart

First Qualifying Final
GEELONG v ST KILDA
GEELONG
B: Tom Harley, Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt
HB: Corey Enright, Andrew Mackie, Darren Milburn
C: Cameron Ling, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey
HF: Mathew Stokes, Cameron Mooney , Steve Johnson
F: Paul Chapman, Tom Lonergan, Travis Varcoe
Foll: Brad Ottens, Gary Ablett, Joel Selwood
I/C (from): Mark Blake, Brent Prismall, Ryan Gamble, Harry Taylor, Max Rooke, Shannon Byrnes, David Wojcinski
In: Mackie, Rooke, Wojcinski
Out: -

ST KILDA
B: Jason Blake, Max Hudghton, Raphael Clarke
HB: Sam Gilbert, Sam Fisher, Jason Gram
C: Clint Jones, Nick Dal Santo, Robert Harvey
HF: James Gwilt, Nick Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna
F: Stephen Milne, Justin Koschitzke, Adam Schneider
Foll: Steven King, Lenny Hayes,Brendon Goddard
I/C (from): Shane Birss, Andrew McQualter, Jack Steven, Charlie Gardiner, David Armitage, Xavier Clarke, Robert Eddy
In: McQualter, Steven, Armitage, X. Clarke
Out: Sean Dempster (knee)
New: Jack Steven (Geelong Falcons)
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GC 17 given major concessions

September 4th 2008 07:53
THE Gold Coast has been given every opportunity to succeed when it enters the AFL in 2011 with the league today announcing that GC 17 will have 48 players and nine rookies on its list as well as an additional $1 million in its salary cap compared to the other 16 clubs.

GC 17 will enjoy a list and total player payments advantage over the rest of the competition for four years.

They will be given nine of the first 15 selections in the 2010 national draft, including the first three picks and four of the first five.

The south-east Queensland club will also have the first selection in each round of the draft.

The new Gold Coast club will also be able to select five Queensland players before each of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 national drafts as well as three Northern Territory players before the 2010 draft.

The AFL says the drafting benefits are necessary because the Gold Coast does not have access to sufficient players in Queensland.

The Gold Coast will also be able to sign 16 uncontracted players as well as being able to trade any of its draft picks from the 2010 draft in a bid to secure experienced players from rival clubs.

Any club that loses a player to the expansion side will be compensated with a draft pick that can be used any time within the next five years.

The order of that draft pick will be determined by the quality of the player that has been lost via a formula which include's the player's age, years of experience and contract ranking (in terms of salary) within his existing club.


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Demons axe pair

September 4th 2008 03:46
MELBOURNE has begun overhauling its playing list by delisting youngsters Isaac Weetra and Jace Bode.

Weetra, who was a fourth round selection in the 2006 National Draft from Port Adelaide in the SANFL, made his AFL debut against Hawthorn in round one this year and played his last game for the club the following week against the Western Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, Bode played nine matches including five this year after being elevated to the senior list from the rookie list at the end of the 2007 season.

The Demons now have six places to fill following the retirements of David Neitz and Ben Holland and the delisting of veteran pair Jeff White and Adem Yze.
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Brown touch and go

September 4th 2008 03:33
HAWTHORN defender Campbell Brown could be a late withdrawal from the Hawks side to take on the Western Bulldogs in Friday night's qualifying final at the MCG, according to coach Alastair Clarkson.

Brown rolled his ankle during the first quarter of the Hawks' win over Carlton last week. He played out the game and finished with three goals but pulled up sore afterwards.

Clarkson said Brown would be given right up until game time to prove his fitness.

"We'll give him every minute that we can," Clarkson said

"He's such an important player to us. When you've got a guy like that who's so resilient and so courageous, I think the injury he's got it will be touch and go whether he'll play."

The 25-year-old failed to train with the rest of the squad at Waverley Park on Thursday but was given a testing workout by the club's medical staff behind closed doors.

"We've done some training inside today and we'll work out over the course of the next day how he responds to that," Clarkson said.

"He needs to be able to change direction and run at speed. We're confident if he's able to do that he'll be able to make a contribution for us."

"He's a pretty professional bloke in the way that he prepares so he'll be doing everything he possibly can to get himself right."

Meanwhile, former skipper Shane Crawford (knee tendonitis) and ruckman Simon Taylor (general soreness) will return this week after being rested against Carlton while classy small forward Mark Williams (corked buttock) trained freely and will also take his place in the side.
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Palmer wins Rising Star

September 3rd 2008 05:49
FREMANTLE midfielder Rhys Palmer has been rewarded for his stellar debut season with the 2008 NAB Rising Star Award.

Palmer topped the vote count with 44 while exciting Hawthorn forward Cyril Rioli finished second with 37 votes.

The 19-year-old received the maximum of five votes from each judge except for AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson who gave him four.

Palmer played 20 matches in 2008 and was Fremantle's leading midfielder, averaging 23 possessions per game.

Richmond's Trent Cotchin finished third with 21 votes, while Carlton ruckman Matthew
Kreuzer (11), Fremantle's Garrick Ibbotson (seven) and West Coast forward Ben McKinley (six) rounded out the top six
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL Opinion, Fremantle Dockers
   


Voss promises to provide passion

September 2nd 2008 22:27
NEWLY appointed Brisbane coach Michael Voss believes his passion and love for the club will make up for his lack of experience.

The three-time premiership captain was appointed despite not having served an apprenticheship as an assistant coach at an AFL club.

But Voss scoffed at suggestions that he was not ready.

"I think I am ready and I will let other people talk about the topic of whether Michael Voss is ready or not," he said.

Despite his lack of experience, Voss said he had to jump at the opportunity to coach the Lions because he could not risk the opportunity not arising again in the future.

Voss, who will meet with the players for the first time on Wednesday said he had no problems coaching many of his former teammates.

"From a relationship side I see that as a strong point rather than a weak point," he said.

"But I am here to get results and the expectations will be the same across the board and I will expect the 38th player on the list to have the same attitude and the same commitment as Jonathan Brown."

"If you treat one player better than another you compromise what you stand for as a team."

"My core principle is all decisions must be made in the interests of the team - that is one thing I learned from Leigh Matthews."

Voss said he was focused on getting the Lions back to being a genuine finals contender.

"My expectation is we will go forward and that is playing finals again," he said.

"The Lions haven't been in the finals for the last four years and we have to find a way to get back into that top echelon."
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Charman cleared

September 2nd 2008 22:15
BRISBANE ruckman Jamie Charman will be able to play in the first home-and-away game of 2009 after being cleared of striking at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night

The Lions successfully argued that contact between Charman and Sydney's Brett Kirk was not of sufficient force to constitute a strike.
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Ablett's career over

September 2nd 2008 10:32
GEELONG forward Nathan Ablett has walked away from AFL football to pursue a career in the building industry.

Ablett was considering a return to football after resuming training with the club's VFL side in early July but an ankle injury sustained playing basketball thwarted his attempt at a comeback.

The 22-year-old told the Geelong leadership group a fortnight ago that he no longer wanted to play football.

Ablett walked out on the Cats in November last year, just two months after kicking three goals in the club's drought-breaking premiership victory over Port Adelaide.

In January he returned to the club to announce he would take a break from AFL football.

Geelong president Frank Costa said the club respected Ablett's decision.

"The club will support the decision because he's been a very good fella for us," Costa said.

"The Ablett name has been very important to the Geelong Football club, we respect that.
"We'd much rather he'd stay and play football for Geelong but we can't force that.

"We're disappointed he is not playing for Geelong. He's got a lot of ability I think he would have been a fantastic footballer for us even this year, if he had of done a full pre-season.

"But that's life, you've got to want it."
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Farmer calls it quits

September 2nd 2008 09:28
FREMANTLE forward Jeff Farmer has drawn the curtain on his 14-year AFL career.

Farmer played 131 games for the Dockers after crossing over from Melbourne at the end of the 2001 season.

The 31-year-old played 249 AFL matches and kicked 483 goals - the latter a record for an indigenous player in the history of the VFL/AFL.

Farmer spoke with coach Mark Harvey and general manager of football operations Chris Bond today and realised that it was time to move on.

“After talking to Mark and Chris today it is clear that the club is moving in a different direction and I have decided after a 14-year career to retire from the AFL,” Farmer said.

“I am grateful and feel privileged to have played for so long at the highest level of the game. I’d like to thank both the Fremantle and Melbourne football clubs for the opportunities they have given me to fulfil my childhood dream."

"Among the things I have really enjoyed throughout my career are the camaraderie of my teammates, the guidance of my coaches and the loyalty and support of fans at Fremantle and Melbourne."

Farmer admitted he will miss playing AFL football but said he was looking forward to the next chapter of his life.

“From being a 17-year-old boy in Tambellup until today, I have known nothing else in my adult working life other than being an AFL footballer.

“It is something that I will sorely miss but having said that I’m looking forward to the next phase of my life.”

Farmer also said he was leaving the club on good terms.

“I will always take a great interest in Fremantle and wish everyone at the club all the very best for the future."

Fremantle chief executive Steve Rosich paid tribute to Farmer and said the club will continue to support him.

“Jeff has made a great contribution to the game throughout his career and has been one of those players who people come to watch at the footy,” he said.

“Jeff has always played an exciting brand of football and been a favourite of members and supporters since he joined Fremantle,"

“The club looks forward to assisting Jeff with his transition from full-time football to the next stage of his career.

“We will work with Jeff and his management to provide an opportunity for Fremantle members and supporters to acknowledge Jeff’s career.”

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Cats dominate All Australian nominations

September 2nd 2008 08:49
GEELONG has been rewarded for its dominant season with ten players named in the squad of 40 for the 2008 All Australian Team.

The defending premiers dominate nominations for the second time after securing nine players in the best 22 last season.

Melbourne and Essendon are the only two clubs not to have any players in the squad of 40, which contains 12 defenders, 12 forwards and 16 midfielders.

The team will be announced on Monday September 15,

The squad members named are as follows:

Defenders
Nathan Bock, Adelaide. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 324 kicks, 159 marks, 158 handballs, averaging 14.7 kicks, 7.2 marks, 7.2 handballs. Two Goals Five Behinds. 11 Clearances, 42 Inside 50m, 79 Rebound 50m.

Corey Enright, Geelong. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 267 kicks, 118 marks, 250 handballs, averaging 12.1 kicks, 5.4 marks, 11.4 handballs. Six Goals Two Behinds. 39 Clearances, 41 Inside 50m, 64 Rebound 50m.

Sam Fisher, St Kilda. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 303 kicks, 192 marks, 193 handballs, averaging 13.8 kicks, 8.7 marks, 8.8 handballs. Three Goals Two Behinds. 18 Clearances, 43 Inside 50m, 73 Rebound 50m.

Tom Harley, Geelong. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 150 kicks, 117 marks, 184 handballs, averaging 6.8 kicks, 5.3 marks, 8.4 handballs. No Goals No Behinds. Four Clearances, 11 Inside 50m, 45 Rebound 50m.

Luke Hodge, Hawthorn. All Australian 2005. 17 games in 2008. 241 kicks, 90 marks, 155 handballs, averaging 14.2 kicks, 5.3 marks, 9.1 handballs. 19 Goals Eight Behinds. 58 Clearances, 73 Inside 50m, 38 Rebound 50m.

Max Hudghton, St Kilda. Never previously selected. 20 games in 2008. 101 kicks, 100 marks, 107 handballs, averaging 5.1 kicks, 5.0 marks, 5.4 handballs. No Goals No Behinds. One Clearance, Five Inside 50m, 39 Rebound 50m.

Luke McPharlin, Fremantle. Never previously selected. 20 games in 2008. 192 kicks, 142 marks, 105 handballs, averaging 9.6 kicks, 7.1 marks, 5.3 handballs. 21 Goals 14 Behinds. Three Clearances, 29 Inside 50m, 44 Rebound 50m.

Andrew Mackie, Geelong. Never previously selected. 18 games in 2008. 256 kicks, 128 marks, 150 handballs, averaging 14.2 kicks, 7.1 marks, 8.3 handballs. 11 Goals Seven Behinds. 11 Clearances, 46 Inside 50m, 46 Rebound 50m.

Darren Milburn, Geelong. All Australian 2007. 19 games in 2008. 204 kicks, 131 marks, 174 handballs, averaging 10.7 kicks, 6.9 marks, 9.2 handballs. Six Goals One Behind. Eight Clearances,30 Inside 50m, 50 Rebound 50m.

Dale Morris, Western Bulldogs. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 137 kicks, 102 marks, 143 handballs, averaging 6.2 kicks, 4.6 marks, 6.5 handballs. No Goals No Behinds. 11 Clearances, 11 Inside 50m, 36 Rebound 50m.

Daniel Pratt, North Melbourne. Never previously selected. 20 games in 2008. 257 kicks, 118 marks, 121 handballs, averaging 12.9 kicks, 5.9 marks, 6.1 handballs. Five Goals Five Behinds. 16 Clearances, 36 Inside 50m, 101 Rebound 50m.

Matthew Scarlett, Geelong. All Australian 2003, 2004, 2007. 19 games in 2008. 178 kicks, 63 marks, 145 handballs, averaging 9.4 kicks, 3.3 marks, 7.6 handballs. No Goals One Behind. Four Clearances, 22 Inside 50m, 57 Rebound 50m.

Forwards
Jonathan Brown, Brisbane Lions. All Australian 2007. 21 games in 2008. 223 kicks, 167 marks, 84 handballs, averaging 10.6 kicks, 8.0 marks, 4.0 handballs. 70 Goals 47 Behinds. Four Clearances, 67 Inside 50m, Zero Rebound 50m.

Daniel Bradshaw, Brisbane Lions. Never previously selected. 20 games in 2008. 166 kicks, 118 marks, 44 handballs, averaging 8.3 kicks, 5.9 marks, 2.2 handballs. 71 Goals 31 Behinds. Three Clearances, 24 Inside 50m, One Rebound 50m.

Brendan Fevola, Carlton. All Australian 2006. 22 games in 2008. 214 kicks, 128 marks, 44 handballs, averaging 9.7 kicks, 5.8 marks, 2.0 handballs. 99 Goals 51 Behinds. Three Clearances, 30 Inside 50m, Two Rebound 50m.

Lance Franklin, Hawthorn. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 281 kicks, 145 marks, 67 handballs, averaging 12.8 kicks, 6.6 marks, 3.0 handballs. 102 Goals 84 Behinds. 13 Clearances, 48 Inside 50m, Seven Rebound 50m.

Brent Harvey, North Melbourne. All Australian 2000, 2005, 2007. 22 games in 2008. 322 kicks, 107 marks, 227 handballs, averaging 14.6 kicks, 4.9 marks, 10.3 handballs. 23 Goals 19 Behinds. 46 Clearances, 102 Inside 50m, 30 Rebound 50m.

Steve Johnson, Geelong. All Australian 2007. 22 games in 2008. 285 kicks, 128 marks, 150 handballs, averaging 13.0 kicks, 5.8 marks, 6.8 handballs. 49 Goals 28 Behinds. 34 Clearances, 93 Inside 50m, 18 Rebound 50m.

Paul Medhurst, Collingwood. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 284 kicks, 165 marks, 62 handballs, averaging 12.9 kicks, 7.5 marks, 2.8 handballs. 48 Goals 22 Behinds. 12 Clearances, 90 Inside 50m, 17 Rebound 50m.

Daniel Motlop, Port Adelaide. Never previously selected. 21 games in 2008. 175 kicks, 88 marks, 46 handballs, averaging 8.3 kicks, 4.2 marks, 2.2 handballs. 57 Goals 19 Behinds. Eight Clearances, 62 Inside 50m, Two Rebound 50m.

Robert Murphy, Western Bulldogs. Never previously selected. 21 games in 2008. 278 kicks, 175 marks, 94 handballs, averaging 13.2 kicks, 8.3 marks, 4.5 handballs. 31 Goals 17 Behinds. Four Clearances, 122 Inside 50m, Nine Rebound 50m.

Ryan O'Keefe, Sydney. Never previously selected. 21 games in 2008. 282 kicks, 100 marks, 142 handballs, averaging 13.4 kicks, 4.8 marks, 6.8 handballs. 21 Goals 25 Behinds. 30 Clearances, 88 Inside 50m, 20 Rebound 50m.

Matthew Pavlich, Fremantle. All Australian 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007. 19 games in 2008. 263 kicks, 138 marks, 83 handballs, averaging 13.8 kicks, 7.3 marks, 4.4 handballs. 67 Goals 35 Behinds. 38 Clearances, 101 Inside 50m, Five Rebound 50m.

Nick Riewoldt, St Kilda. All Australian 2004, 2006. 21 games in 2008. 256 kicks, 211 marks, 113 handballs, averaging 12.2 kicks, 10.0 marks, 5.4 handballs. 56 Goals 39 Behinds. Six Clearances, 52 Inside 50m, Seven Rebound 50m.

Midfielders / Ruckmen
Gary Ablett, Geelong. All Australian 2007. 18 games in 2008. 246 kicks, 84 marks, 262 handballs, averaging 13.7 kicks, 4.7 marks, 14.6 handballs. 23 Goals 22 Behinds. 87 Clearances, 101 Inside 50m, 22 Rebound 50m.

Jimmy Bartel, Geelong. All Australian 2007. 22 games in 2008. 339 kicks, 127 marks, 278 handballs, averaging 15.4 kicks, 5.8 marks, 12.6 handballs. 19 Goals 15 Behinds. 78 Clearances, 89 Inside 50m, 44 Rebound 50m.

Simon Black, Brisbane Lions. All Australian 2001, 2002, 2004. 21 games in 2008. 253 kicks, 61 marks, 286 handballs, averaging 12.0 kicks, 2.9 marks, 13.6 handballs. 10 Goals Nine Behinds. 115 Clearances, 70 Inside 50m, 31 Rebound 50m.

Adam Cooney, Western Bulldogs. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 283 kicks, 84 marks, 297 handballs, averaging 12.9 kicks, 3.8 marks, 13.5 handballs. 21 Goals Six Behinds. 99 Clearances, 68 Inside 50m, 53 Rebound 50m.

Joel Corey, Geelong. All Australian 2007. 22 games in 2008. 304 kicks, 104 marks, 336 handballs, averaging 13.8 kicks, 4.7 marks, 15.3 handballs. Six Goals Five Behinds. 100 Clearances, 104 Inside 50m, 34 Rebound 50m.

Dean Cox, West Coast. All Australian 2005, 2006, 2007. 22 games in 2008. 233 kicks, 125 marks, 253 handballs, averaging 10.6 kicks, 5.7 marks, 11.5 handballs. 571 hit outs averaging 26.0 hit outs. Nine Goals 10 Behinds. 86 Clearances, 61 Inside 50m, 51 Rebound 50m.

Daniel Cross, Western Bulldogs. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 212 kicks, 110 marks, 362 handballs, averaging 9.6 kicks, 5.0 marks, 16.5 handballs. Five Goals Two Behinds. 85 Clearances, 54 Inside 50m, 27 Rebound 50m.

Brett Deledio, Richmond. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 255 kicks, 155 marks, 283 handballs, averaging 11.6 kicks, 7.0 marks, 12.9 handballs. 28 Goals 10 Behinds. 47 Clearances, 91 Inside 50m, 31 Rebound 50m.

Lenny Hayes, St Kilda. All Australian 2003, 2005. 21 games in 2008. 224 kicks, 82 marks, 275 handballs, averaging 10.7 kicks, 3.9 marks, 13.1 handballs. Five Goals 10 Behinds. 115 Clearances, 70 Inside 50m, 32 Rebound 50m.

Chris Judd, Carlton. All Australian 2004, 2006. 21 games in 2008. 250 kicks, 41 marks, 258 handballs, averaging 11.9 kicks, 2.0 marks, 12.3 handballs. 15 Goals Nine Behinds. 103 Clearances, 83 Inside 50m, 29 Rebound 50m.

Brett Kirk, Sydney. All Australian 2004. 22 games in 2008. 235 kicks, 68 marks, 260 handballs, averaging 10.7 kicks, 3.1 marks, 11.8 handballs. Nine Goals 12 Behinds. 109 Clearances, 57 Inside 50m, 26 Rebound 50m.

Sam Mitchell, Hawthorn. Never previously selected. 21 games in 2008. 267 kicks, 79 marks, 324 handballs, averaging 12.7 kicks, 3.8 marks, 15.4 handballs. Three Goals Two Behinds. 122 Clearances, 97 Inside 50m, 29 Rebound 50m.

Drew Petrie, North Melbourne. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 222 kicks, 150 marks, 133 handballs, averaging 10.1 kicks, 6.8 marks, 6.0 handballs. 196 hit outs averaging 8.9 hit outs. 16 Goals 15 Behinds. 37 Clearances, 49 Inside 50m, 48 Rebound 50m.

Matthew Richardson, Richmond. All Australian 1996, 1999. 20 games in 2008. 263 kicks, 222 marks, 102 handballs, averaging 13.2 kicks, 11.1 marks, 5.1 handballs. 48 Goals 30 Behinds. Five Clearances, 46 Inside 50m, 19 Rebound 50m.

Aaron Sandilands, Fremantle. Never previously selected. 22 games in 2008. 122 kicks, 77 marks, 208 handballs, averaging 5.5 kicks, 3.5 marks, 9.5 handballs. 646 hit outs averaging 29.4 hit outs. Eight Goals 11 Behinds. 88 Clearances, 45 Inside 50m, 18 Rebound 50m.

Joel Selwood, Geelong. Never previously selected. 21 games in 2008. 253 kicks, 89 marks, 281 handballs, averaging 12.0 kicks, 4.2 marks, 13.4 handballs. Six Goals Eight Behinds. 73 Clearances, 89 Inside 50m, 32 Rebound 50m.

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Lions chairman backs appointment

September 2nd 2008 08:33
BRISBANE LIONS chairman Tony Kelly has dismissed suggestions that the Lions acted hastily in appointing Michael Voss as coach just a day after the resignation of the club's three-time premiership coach Leigh Matthews.

The three-time premiership captain has no previous coaching experience but has agreed to a three-year deal.

The Lions' swift decision meant Voss quickly had to get out of his two-year deal to serve as an assistant coach at West Coast.

Kelly said on Tuesday that the club had begun discussing the possibility of Voss succeeding Matthews - as early as March - with Matthews' permission.

"The reason it's important to announce that is that people understand this club has carried out a massive due diligence on Michael Voss and that is why we have been able to announce his appointment within 24 hours of Leigh's resignation," Kelly said.

"But that succession plan was unable to be consummated because of a lack of an end date for Leigh,."

"We have been able to move swiftly due to the fact Leigh came to me early in the year to put together a succession plan concept involving Michael," Kelly said.

"The question was when it would happen, how it would happen or could it happen - it was an issue we had to address but we got the chance to address it late Sunday (when Matthews told the club he would resign)."

Kelly said the club was unconcerned by the fact that Voss had not had any coaching experience at an AFL club.

"He has not coached at AFL level but everyone has to start somewhere and we are going to back him all the way," he said.

"I see a lot of the qualities of Leigh Matthews in Michael - a strong manager, whose leadership skills are well documented."

Kelly also said the Lions did not go for Voss just because of his standing in Queensland.

"Michael is coaching the Lions because we believe he will be a good coach," Kelly said.

"The fact he is a big name and the fact he understands the Queensland market and the club are little bonuses but we believe Michael's job is to be the coach."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Brisbane Lions
   


Dogs may alter game plan: Eade

September 2nd 2008 08:04
THE Western Bulldogs may alter their attacking brand of football when they take on Hawthorn in Friday night's qualifying final at the MCG, according to coach Rodney Eade.=

Eade said his players would need to adopt an 'overall defensive mindset' and focus on working without the ball to overcome the Hawks' dominant forward line.

Dale Morris is expected to be given the unenviable task of trying to contain Lance Franklin but Eade said it was important for his side to not become too focused on trying to just stop the Coleman Medallist.

"If you put all your eggs in the one basket and one particular player, others get out of the loop," he said.

Meanwhile, ruckman Ben Hudson is rated a '70-30' chance to return from injury
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Burns set to return

September 2nd 2008 07:58
COLLINGWOOD skipper Scott Burns is a strong chance to return for Saturday's elimination final against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

Burns said he was recovering well from the corked calf which kept him out of last Friday night's shock loss to Fremantle.

"It's really good, it's coming along nicely," Burns said.

"We just step it up from now on but from the history that I've had, I'm really positive."

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse said that Burns and fellow veteran Shane Wakelin, who was rested from the clash against the Dockers, will be given the chance to declare themselves fit to take on the Crows.

But Malthouse said that same opportunity will not be offered to youngsters Sharrod Wellingham (groin) and Dale Thomas (calf) because they don't yet know their bodies as well as Burns and Wakelin know theirs.

"You've got to go with their instincts," said Malthouse of Burns and Wakelin.

"If our medical staff clear him ... then it's up to Scott to say 'I think I can' and if he hesitates, our job is easy."

"If medical clear the player, the player clears himself, then we pick - we don't have it the other way."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Collingwood Magpies
   


Thompson takes swipe at Saints

September 2nd 2008 07:50
GEELONG coach Mark Thompson has taken a swipe at St Kilda ahead of Sunday's qualifying final at the MCG, saying the Saints have been forced to rely on cast-offs from other clubs to achieve success.

Thompson admitted that the Saints have had 'a great year' but said that the club has changed its approach to the development of its list since Ross Lyon replaced Grant Thomas as coach.

"Under Grant they really were a development club," he said.

"They drafted some great young talent but under Ross they have got a few guys in from other clubs and two of them (Steven King and Charlie Gardiner) from our club."

"It's just a different philosophy but we are generally a club that likes to recruit and develop our own people."

Thompson said former Richmond ruckman Brad Ottens was the only member of the Cats' line-up 'that has played a decent amount of games at another club' while St Kilda has former Geelong pair Steven King and Charlie Gardiner on its list and five other players that have played more than 50 games with another club.

Lyon responded to Thompson's comments by saying there was nothing wrong with building a side with players from other clubs.

"There are plenty of different ways to bake the cake and plenty of different ingredients that can go in," he said.

"We are thrilled with the way we have put our list together and we will continue to take draft picks and analyse blokes from other clubs and where we will see fit we will bring them to our club and grow them."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Geelong Cats
   


Hawks will wait on Brown

September 2nd 2008 07:44
HAWTHORN will give Campbell Brown until the last minute to prove his fitness for Friday night's qualifying final against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.

Brown, who turned an ankle in the first 10 minutes of last Saturday night's match against Carlton at Telstra Dome, played out the match but pulled up sore afterwards.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson was confident that Brown would play but said the club won't take any chances if he's not quite right.

"He'll need every minute of the next three or four days to get himself right for this game but, given the resilience of Browny and the way he recovers and the professionalism with which he goes about it, I give him every chance to get up," said Clarkson.

"He didn't think it was too much of a concern, he's just had a bit of swelling since the game."

"That will subside over the next couple of days and it will depend on how much weight he can put through the ankle, but he plays pretty tough so I expect he's a pretty good chance to play."

Meanwhile, Clarskson said classy has recovered from a corked buttocks that forced him to sit out the majority of the final term against the Blues.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Hawthorn Hawks
   


Voss new Lions coach

September 2nd 2008 07:40
MICHAEL Voss has been named as Brisbane's new coach just 24 hours after Leigh Matthews stepped down.

Voss has signed a three-year deal with the Lions and will officially start at the club after completing his current broadcasting commitments with Network Ten for the 2008 AFL finals series.

Voss said he was excited about continuing his career at Brisbane.

"It has been my football club for a long period of time and the fact it’s going to be a part of my future for hopefully a long period of time is something that I’m exceptionally excited about," Voss said.

"From my point of view, I just can’t wait to get started and get stuck into it."

Even when Voss took up an assistant coaching role at West Coast, rather than a head position with the new Gold Coast franchise, the door was always open for the three-time premiership captain to return.

Lions chairman Tony Kelly revealed that Matthews, Voss and the board had been meeting as early as March this year to discuss a succession plan that would kick in after the departure of the head coach.

Voss played 289 games for the Bears and then the Lions and won the Brownlow Medal in 1996.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Brisbane Lions
   


Ball ruled out

September 2nd 2008 07:31
ST KILDA has suffered a major blow ahead of Sunday's qualifying final against reigning premiers and ladder leaders Geelong at the MCG with midfielder Luke Ball ruled out with a recurrence of his injured hamstring.

Ball has missed the past four matches but the club had hoped to regain him for the start of the finals until he re-injured himself on the weekend.

With St Kilda guaranteed to still be alive next week even if they lose to the Cats, coach Ross Lyon says Ball is still a chance to play a part in the finals.

"He has had a hiccup in his rehab so he is ruled out for this week and we will re-start him, aiming to get him up for the week after," Lyon said.

"Luke is an important player, a valued leader, a best and fairest winner and we would love to have him playing but clearly he is not there."

While the loss of Ball is a blow for the Saints, Lyon said he is confident has side can overcome the loss of their former skipper.

"Without him in the previous few weeks we have been able to perform at a level where we have been competitive and that is the aim on Sunday," he said.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, St Kilda Saints
   


Bolton accepts

September 2nd 2008 07:27
SYDNEY midfielder Jude Bolton is free to play in Saturday night's elimination final against North Melbourne at ANZ Stadium after accepting a reprimand for engaging in rough conduct against Brisbane's Albert Proud.

Bolton will carry over 70.31 points into any future charges.

In other tribunal news, Brisbane ruckman Jamie Charman will contest his level two striking offence against Sydney's Brett Kirk at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night.

He has opted to contest the charge in a bid to be available for the opening round of 2009 while Carlton vice-captain Nick Stevens has accepted a one-match ban for striking Hawthorn's Rick Ladson and will miss the first match of next season.

Stevens and Hawthorn midfielder Chance Bateman accepted $900 fines for wrestling each other while Melbourne's Brad Miller and Richmond's Mitch Morton have also accepted $900 fines for wrestling each other.
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Roos seeks clarification on tunnelling

September 2nd 2008 02:34
SYDNEY coach Paul Roos has contacted AFL umpires coach Rowan Sawers to seek assurance match officials have no problem with his side's defensive tactics.

Roos called Sawers after North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley accused Sydney defenders Craig Bolton and Leo Barry of tunnelling – or taking a player's legs out mid-air.

Laidley claimed the Swans used the controversial tactic when the clubs met in round six.

"I thought our key forwards were tunnelled and I thought their arms were taken (out of play)," Laidley said.

"We've spoken to the umpires' department this morning and they acknowledged that they probably missed some stuff.

"We just wanted to make them aware of it, going into this week's game. We've got some key forwards in pretty good form and we want to keep them in good form. We want to give them an opportunity to go and compete for the ball unimpeded."

Roos contacted Sawers to express concerns that Laidley's comments would influence the umpires in Saturday night's elimination final at ANZ Stadium.

"I rang Rowan to clarify what the rule is because tunnelling is such a strange term," Roos said.

"I got clarification as to what the rule is but according to Rowan they don't have any problems with anything specifically that our players do."

"We give away free kicks like every team does in terms of defenders so hopefully 'Hally' gets the free kicks if they're there and if there's a free kick against (Kangaroos forward) David Hale it should be paid as well."

"We don't have a problem with that at all."

"We just expect the game to be umpired as it normally does."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Sydney Swans
   


Dockers lose assistant coach

September 1st 2008 22:10
FREMANTLE assistant coach Peter German has resigned after just two years in the role.

German said a desire to return to Melbourne was behind his decision.

"We've been in WA for nine years now and it's probably the right time to be going back home to Melbourne," he said..

"At this stage I'm unsure of what the future holds but I intend to continue with my career in the football industry."

"I've very much enjoyed my time here at Fremantle and I'm proud of the contribution I've made as midfield coach, particularly given the marked improvement in that aspect of our game in the latter part of the season."

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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Fremantle Dockers
   


Eagles give Voss the all clear

September 1st 2008 08:29
WEST COAST chief executive chief executive Trevor Nisbett confirmed Michael Voss has been approached by the Brisbane Lions to replace Leigh Matthews.

Nisbett said the club would not stand in their assistant coach's way if he was offered a senior role.

"This morning's situation is, Michael is committed to us and I would think that he's got a serious decision to make if Brisbane offer him the senior coaching job," Nisbett said.

"But ... our club certainly won't stand in the way of someone taking a senior job if it in fact (it) is going to be offered to him."

"From our point of view, we're hopeful that he'll still be with us but it's now just a hope rather than we know he's with us."

Nisbett also said Voss had called the club as soon as he was contacted by the Lions.

"He (Voss) actually asked permission, which I think is a real testament to what Michael is like, and I gave him that permission because we are not going to stand in the way of somebody furthering their career if it's a senior position," said Nisbett.

"(But) If I had of said 'no, you can't speak to Brisbane', I'm sure he would have said 'OK, I'm out of the running'."

"What will happen in the next 48 hours we don't really know."

"I think it won't be a case of dragging it out for a long period of time."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, West Coast Eagles
   


Lake free to play

September 1st 2008 07:41
THE Western Bulldogs have received a major boost ahead of Friday night's qualfying final against Hawthorn at the MCG with full-back Brian Lake cleared of making hight contact to Adelaide's Scott Stevens.

The loss of Lake would have put further pressure on a Bulldogs defence that is already missing been Tom Williams due to injury, to contain a red-hot Hawthorn forward line.

The match review panel deemed Lake's contact to Stevens was not a striking action but rather accidental high contact.

In other tribunal news, Geelong small forward Mathew Stokes was cleared of striking West Coast midfielder Chad Fletcher.

It was the view of the panel that Stokes made a legitimate attempt to spoil when he made contact with Fletcher.

Sydney pair Barry Hall and Amon Buchanan were cleared over incidents in the Swans' 61-
point win over Brisbane at the SCG last Satrday night but midfielder Jude Bolton was booked for engaging in rough conduct against Brisbane's Albert Proud.

But he can escape with a reprimand and just 70.31 points towards his future record because of his previous clean record

Meanwhile, Brisbane ruckman Jamie Charman looks set to miss the first game of 2009 after being hit with one-match ban for striking Sydney's Brett Kirk.

Charman's poor record means that he receives the suspension even if he enters an early guilty plea.

Carlton vice-captain Nick Stevens faces a two-match ban for striking Hawthorn's Rick
Ladson but he can reduce it to one with an early guilty plea.

Hawthorn midfielder Chance Bateman and Stevens were fined $1200 apiece for wrestling each other while Melbourne's Brad Miller and Richmond's Mitch Morton were also fined $2,400 and $900 respectively for wrestling.
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I tried to talk him out of it: Kelly

September 1st 2008 07:06
BRISBANE chairman Tony Kelly says he tried to talk Leigh Matthews out of his decision to quit as the club's coach.

Kelly admitted on Monday that he was hoping the four-time premiership coach would change his mind.

"I asked him about 10 times 'are you sure, are you sure?' for my own satisfaction but he was quite positive," Kelly said.

Kelly said Matthews, who led the club to three successive premierships in 2001-03, was the 'complete package'.

"He was the complete package for the Brisbane Lions," he said.

"He was a strong leader, strong on discipline, had a powerful work ethic, was a manager and a teacher and had an insatiable appetite to win."

"He was also fair and honest and he created the environment for the development of our players into a hard-edged premiership combination."

Kelly also said Matthews had made an enormous contribution to the growth of the game in Queensland.

"His contribution to AFL in our developing market of Queensland has been outstanding," he said.

"I know of no other person who is as passionate about his job and the industry he is in - he lives and breathes AFL football and he loved his team and the players but he didn't suffer timid efforts."

Matthews will be awarded life membership of the club at the Lions' best and fairest count in October.

Kelly said the club will hold a board meeting on Monday night to begin discussions as to who should succeed Matthews.

"We need to act quickly and decisively," he said.

"But I am not speculating on any names - today is all about Leigh Matthews - and I'm sure when I pick up the papers tomorrow I will see a list of all the candidates."
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Eade satisfied with build-up

September 1st 2008 06:53
WESTERN BULLDOGS coach Rodney Eade is satisfied that his team is in good order despite losing five of their past seven matches.

Eade said the Bulldogs' nine-point loss to Adelaide at a wet AAMI Stadium last Saturday was a great lead in to the finals series.

"I think even the weather conditions made it even better for us because it made it a bit of a slog," Eade said.

"It certainly tested your physical and your mental approach. And I think our guys answered everything that was asked of the coaching group and I think it was a real big positive for us."

Eade stressed the confidence of the playing group had not been dented by the Bulldogs' recent losses.

"The belief and the confidence has been there; whether we haven't handled that scenario where we've had our spot sewn up so far out, maybe not finishing games off or having a quarter off here or there, maybe that's a lack of concentration," he said.

"But as far as confidence levels, I don't think that's been eroded at all."

"You wouldn't want to lose every game because maybe then you question yourself about getting over the line, but I think with the couple of wins we've had over the past four or five weeks and then with the performance on the weekend, I think it's been pleasing."

Meanwhile, Eade rated ruckman Ben Hudson a 60-40 chance of playing in Friday night's qualifying final against Hawthorn.

"First use of the ball in the centre is certainly paramount in most (games), I think it's more evident in finals games so fingers crossed," Eade said.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Western Bulldogs
   


Brown denies rift

September 1st 2008 05:23
BRISBANE LIONS star Jonathan Brown has dismissed suggestions that he only agreed to remain with the club once he learned that coach Leigh Matthews was quitting.

Brown signed a new four-year deal on the same day that Matthews announced he was quitting with a year remaining on his contract.

The three-time premiership forward said it was merely a coincidence that his staying and Matthews' departure had been announced at the same time.

"I came to terms (with the club) over the weekend," he said.

"It (his new contract) had already been done (before Matthews made his decision to quit) so obviously it had no bearing on it."

Brown admitted he was 'shocked' by Matthews' decision but said life at the club must go on.

"He had 12 months to go on his contract, it's all happened pretty quickly but we get the chance now to celebrate what has been a great career," he said.

"There is also sadness because Leigh has been my only coach and he has been a fantastic mentor and coach and more importantly friend."

"We all there to get on with the job and try to help this footy club succeed."

"I have been around the game long enough now to realise I have to get the best out of myself and that is my job."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Brisbane Lions
   


I didn't want to stay on too long: Matthews

September 1st 2008 05:10
LEIGH Matthews says he quit as Brisbane coach because he didn't want to stay on a year too long.

Matthews, who was still contracted for another year, informed the club on Sunday that he wished to end his 10 years in charge of the club.

Speaking on Monday, Matthews said the time had come for him to quit as coach.

"I always thought I wanted to go a year early rather than a year late," he said.

"There is no right time to go, there is only this time."

Matthews, who will remain in Queensland, didn't rule out coaching again but said he had no future plans.

"I haven't resigned to do anything else and that is what is scary," he said.

Matthews also said the fact his team has failed to make the finals in the past four years played no role in his decision.

"The future prospects of the team have got nothing with where I saw things," he said.

"It's just time for me to move on for my own psyche and for the rejuvenation of this footy club."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Brisbane Lions
   


Brown commits to Lions

September 1st 2008 03:06
BRISBANE star Jonathan Brown has ended months of speculation about his future by signing a new four-year deal with the Lions.

Brown had been involved in contract talks with the club since the middle of the year and as each week passed without a breakthrough, speculation grew that the three-time premiership forward would return to Victoria.

But the 26-year-old said he was in for the long haul and that it was up to him to lead the Lions into a new era.

Brown has played 160 games for Brisbane since making his debut in 2000, but, as a result of injury, only managed to play every game in a season once in his first seven years.

He enjoyed his best season last year, winning his first club best-and-fairest award, his first All-Australian guernsey and the Coleman Medal.

Brown backed up his brilliant 2007 season with 70 goals in 2008 to move to third on Brisbane's all-time goalkicking list with 338
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Brisbane Lions
   


Carlile wins nomination

September 1st 2008 02:22
PORT ADELAIDE defender Alipate Carlile has been rewarded for his role in Port's 76-point win over North Melbourne at the MCG last Saturday with the round 22 NAB Rising Star nomination.

The 21-year-old managed just nine games last season but has stepped up this year following the retirement of Darryl Wakelin, playing all 22 matches.

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams said Carlile, who has played on the likes of Jonathan Brown, Barry Hall and Brendon Fevola, had matured into a reliable key position player.

"Alipate has been an absolute shining light for us this season. He has come in after just a handful of games last year and basically been a straight replacement for a club legend in Darryl Wakelin," Williams said.

"He is a great story, having been born in Fiji, and coming from country Victoria to us and developing so quickly into a reliable defender that the coaching staff now completely trusts with all the big jobs."

"As a full-back you don't always get the accolades, particularly with the team losing a lot of games, but our club and our supporters have noticed him all year, and it's fantastic that NAB and the AFL have also recognised him because he thoroughly deserves it."
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Port Adelaide Power
   


Matthews quits

September 1st 2008 02:04
LEIGH Matthews' reign as Brisbane coach has come to an end after ten years in the job.

Matthews, who made the announcement at a press conference on Monday morning, joined the Lions in 1999, four years after his ten-year tenure at Collingwood ended.

He immediately took the Lions from wooden-spooners to preliminary finalists in the space of 12 months before guiding the club to three straight premierships between 2001 and 2003.

However, the Lions have been unable to make the finals since it reached the last of its four consecutive grand finals in 2004, which it lost to Port Adelaide.

Matthews is one of only seven men to have won four premierships as coach, having broken the Magpies' 32-year premiership drought in 1990.

He also enjoyed a decorated playing career, playing 332 matches and booting 915 goals for Hawthorn between 1969 and 1985.

Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Matthews also won four premiershps with the Hawks.
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Posted By: TonyK - Category: AFL News, Brisbane Lions
   


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