Power skipper Dom Cassisi told Corbin Middlemas and the Grandstand team that the club's second halves this season have been poor and their effort after half-time against West Coast at Subiaco Oval on Sunday afternoon was encouraging despite missing out on the four points.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia
Monday, June 20, 2011
Interview: Dom Cassisi
Published:Sunday, June 19, 2011 7:55 AESTExpires:Saturday, September 17, 2011 7:55 AEST
Coby's back
Coby Graeber was thrilled to be back playing footy for Mitta United's Under 14's team on the weekend.
Mitta played Chiltern on their home ground on Saturday.
15-year-old Coby is able to play in the age category till the end of the season after the Tallangatta and District Football League adopted a by-law during the week.
Rules say players must go up an age division after turning 15.
Mitta United applied for special consideration for Coby who has a disability known as DAMP, deficits in attention, motor control and perceptual abilities.
The Graeber's say they have been overwhelmed by support for Coby and hope the ruling will help other young people in similar situations.
The final score was Chiltern 5 6 36 to Mitta United 4 9 33.
Demons down the Dockers
Published:Sunday, June 19, 2011 7:18 AESTExpires:Saturday, September 17, 2011 7:18 AEST
Fremantle did little to challenge Melbourne with the Demons storming to a 149-60 victory.
Tags: australian-football-league, melbourne-3000Buddy booked in Hawks stroll
Updated June 18, 2011 18:55:00 Hawthorn has made it six wins in its last seven matches with a predictable 71-point belting of lowly Gold Coast at York Park in Launceston.
The Hawks consolidated their spot in the AFL's top four with the 19.15 (129) to 8.1 (58) cakewalk, but will be sweating on the booking of spearhead Lance Franklin for elbowing Maverick Weller in the face.
For once the bulk of the goalkicking was not left to Franklin (three), with Shane Savage kicking four goals and amassing 33 disposals in a breakthrough performance.
Rookie Luke Breust also tallied four majors, while Sam Mitchell was best on ground with 38 touches.
Captain Gary Ablett had 33 disposals and Tom Lynch kicked three goals for the outclassed visitors.
Franklin had his usual eventful day, taking a superb mark and spraying his shots at goal for a return of 3.4.
But he could be in trouble after he was reported by field umpire Scott Jeffery in the third quarter for striking Weller.
The Hawks' star forward had just taken the mark of the game and then kicked out on the full from 50m.
Seconds later, Weller took possession in defence and Franklin met him high with either his upper arm or elbow, leaving the youngster dazed.
Losing Franklin would be a massive blow for the Hawks, particularly given they are already without number two key forward Jarryd Roughead for the rest of the season.
Roughead needed surgery during the week for an Achilles tendon injury.
Immediately after the final siren, Franklin was asked on Network Ten if he was confident of being available for Friday night's game against Essendon.
"Yeah definitely, I think there was nothing in it really, so we'll see what happens," he said.
It is now up to Monday's match review panel to rule on the incident.
"I can't say anything, he's been reported, we'll just have to wait and see," coach Alastair Clarkson said.
"He's a pretty important player for us, the big 'Bud', but these things happen in footy and we'll see what the outcome of the tribunal is throughout the week."
If the panel upholds the charge, Franklin will probably miss more than one game because he has a poor record, which would mean a loading on his penalty.
He missed three separate games last year through suspension.
The Hawks tore the game open in the third term, kicking 6.2 to only five behinds for a 50-point lead at the final change.
Hawks' small forward Cyril Rioli lit up the game after half-time, capitalising on a Suns' turnover to goal in the first minute of the third term.
He kicked two for the third quarter and also set up Savage for a goal on the three-quarter time siren with a bullet-like pass.
Gold Coast did not kick a goal from 14 minutes into the second term until four minutes into the final quarter.
The Suns were spirited early, kicking the first goal of the game and matching Hawthorn throughout the first quarter.
Ablett made a blistering start with 11 disposals for the quarter, the most on the ground.
The Suns trailed by seven points at the first change and managed to stay in the game, despite the Hawks dominating the start of the second term.
The Suns kicked a goal against the run of play midway through the quarter to reduce the margin to three points.
But Savage's second goal and a booming shot from Franklin a couple of minutes later meant the Hawks had a 17-point break at half-time.
Suns coach Guy McKenna was pleased with his team's start, but again the AFL newcomers eventually ran out of steam against bigger and better opposition.
"I probably see it with one red eye and one yellow eye, but that's probably as good as we can play for that amount of (time) and stand up against these bigger sides and older sides," he said.
Ryan Schoenmakers was a late withdrawal after he suffered a foot injury at Thursday training, meaning the Hawks made five forced changes for the match.
Jordan Lisle took his place in the team.
Hawks: 19.15 (129) - L Breust 4, S Savage 4, L Franklin 3, C Rioli 2, I Smith 2, D Hale, L Hodge, M Osborne, M Suckling
Suns: 8.10 (58) - T Lynch 3, J Brennan 2, D Gorringe, M Weller, S Day
-ABC/AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, qld, carrara-4211, tas, launceston-7250, vic, hawthorn-3122 First posted June 18, 2011 16:55:00Chapman battles with Jones
Paul Chapman of the Cats is tackled by Clinton Jones of the Saints during the round 13 AFL match between the St Kilda Saints and the Geelong Cats at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 18, 2011 in Melbourne.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, geelong-3220, st-kilda-3182Izzy happier in attack
Roos rise to Bombers challenge
Updated June 18, 2011 17:36:00 North Melbourne picked up a third straight victory and piled a fourth consecutive loss on Essendon with a thrilling 21-point win at Docklands on Saturday.
The Kangaroos, who had lost four games by 14 points or less previously this season, were made to endure another nail-biting final quarter, despite leading by as much as 31 points during the second term.
But North's composure came to the fore against an undermanned Essendon, kicking the last four goals of the contest to prevail 17. 9 (111) to 12.18 (90).
The win moved North Melbourne into ninth spot on 20 points and just half a win below the Bombers, who are desperately clinging on to the top eight.
The Roos led from the time captain Brent Harvey kicked the opening goal of the match, 16 seconds in, until the Bombers hit the front 12 minutes into the last term.
It was a gutsy effort by Essendon to work its way back into the game after it frittered away chances with 1.8 in the first quarter, then lost Heath Hocking to injury in the second and Cale Hooker in the third.
Despite those setbacks, the Bombers looked a strong chance to snatch a comeback win when they kicked three of the last four goals of the third term and the first two of the last to move six points clear.
But after Jake Melksham goaled to give the Bombers the lead, they did not score again for the rest of the match.
North Melbourne kicked the last 4.3 of the game, big man Drew Petrie (three goals) capping the win with a sensational snap from the pocket close to full-time after receiving a Harvey handball.
"The cream rises to the top in those situations," North coach Brad Scott said.
"A couple of Brent Harvey's efforts when the game was on the line and Daniel Wells' ability to go back with the flight of the ball and mark the ball in crucial contests (were important).
"They're really showing the way for our young players ... in terms of exactly how you've got to perform when the heat's on in a close game."
Lindsay Thomas shrugged off some poor performances of late to finish with a tally of four goals for North.
Earlier, midfielders Wells and Harvey were excellent as the Kangaroos kicked the first five goals of the match, with Sam Wright kicking two in the first term and another early in the second.
Essendon scored eight behinds before Paddy Ryder kicked his side's first goal after the quarter-time siren.
The Kangaroos stretched their lead with three quick goals early in the second quarter, including a slick snap to Wells to move 31 points clear.
Poor ball use
But the Bombers lifted in the midfield and with Michael Hurley (four goals) providing a good attacking target, they turned the match into a tense contest.
Bombers coach James Hird rued a terrible start by his side, who conceded the first five goals and scored 0.8 before they kicked their first goal, after the quarter-time siren.
He said the injuries hurt their chances.
But he also blamed poor ball use, a constant throughout Essendon's losing streak.
"That to me is the one thing we need to do, is use the ball better," Hird said.
"We're getting our hands on the ball and we need to use it better going forward."
But he said despite the hype over the club's strong season start, they had never viewed themselves as more than a developing team.
Hurley was one of the big positives out of the afternoon after recently returned from injury, while key defender Tayte Pears also impressed in his first game since round 13 last year.
Hird was hopeful Hocking would not miss any games, but Hooker faces three weeks out.
North have some concerns, with ruckman Todd Goldstein needing scans, after rolling his ankle and also on report for an alleged strike, while defender Luke Delaney could face scrutiny over the clash which felled Hocking.
Kangaroos: 17.9 (111) - L Thomas 4, C Pedersen 3, D Petrie 3, S Wright 3, B Harvey, D Wells, M Firrito, R Bastinac.
Bombers: 12.18 (90) - M Hurley 4, A Monfries 3, B Stanton, J Melksham, M Hibberd, P Ryder, S Crameri.
-ABC/AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, essendon-3040, north-melbourne-3051 First posted June 18, 2011 17:11:00Suns' plane diverted to Hobart
Published:Friday, June 17, 2011 7:24 AESTExpires:Thursday, September 15, 2011 7:24 AEST
The Gold Coast Suns had a dramatic arrival in Tasmania as their Launceston bound flight was diverted to Hobart because of a faulty sensor.
Tags: australian-football-league, launceston-7250WA defeats persistent Queenslanders
Expires:Friday, September 16, 2011 7:19
Western Australia has held on in a close State League match against Queensland to win 113-107.
Tags: wafl, wa, perth-6000Interview: Dominic Baker
Published:Saturday, June 18, 2011 4:36 AESTExpires:Friday, September 16, 2011 4:36 AEST
AFL Tasmania chairman Dominic Baker told Grandstand's Drew Morphett and Peter Walsh the organisation and the state is elated with the deal that will bring North Melbourne to play two games a year at Bellerive Oval.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaThe Sunday Inquisition: Round 13
Published:Sunday, June 19, 2011 2:06 AESTExpires:Saturday, September 17, 2011 2:06 AEST
The Sunday Inquisition sat in session during round 13 of the AFL with Grandstand's Gerard Whateley being joined by Stan Alves and Scott Gullan.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaNahas attempts to mark in front of McGrath
Robin Nahas of the Tigers attempts to marks in front of Ashley McGrath of the Lions during the round 13 AFL match at the Gabba on June 18, 2011.
Tags: sport, australian-football-leagueInterview: David Swallow
Published:Saturday, June 18, 2011 5:33 AESTExpires:Friday, September 16, 2011 5:33 AEST
North Melbourne midfielder Andrew Swallow told Grandstand's Matt Clinch and Chris Grant that the Kangaroos knew Essendon was going to rebound hard from a loss to Fremantle in their Docklands clash but the Roos fought back and eventually took the chocolates on Saturday afternoon.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaFranklin spills it under pressure
Lance Franklin of the Hawks drops a mark under pressure from Nathan Bock of the Suns during the round 13 AFL match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Gold Coast Suns on June 18, 2011 in Launceston.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, qld, carrara-4211, tas, launceston-7250, vic, hawthorn-3122Interview: Nathan Fyfe
Published:Sunday, June 19, 2011 4:23 AESTExpires:Saturday, September 17, 2011 4:23 AEST
Dockers forward Nathan Fyfe told Adam White and the Grandstand team that Fremantle could not use the loss of David Mundy to injury as an excuse for its 89-point thrashing at the hands of the Demons at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaGiants facing tough times
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Green takes one on the chest for Demons
Brad Green of the Demons marks during the round 13 AFL match between the Melbourne Demons and the Fremantle Dockers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 19, 2011.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, melbourne-3000, wa, fremantle-6160AFL pay debate drags on
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Murphy beats Jetta to the ball
Marc Murphy of the Blues beats Lewis Jetta of the Swans to the ball during the round 13 AFL match at Docklands stadium June 19, 2011. The Blues won by 34 points.
Tags: sport, australian-football-leagueCraig tells Crows fans to hang on
Posted June 18, 2011 12:06:00 Adelaide coach Neil Craig has told the club's fans to hang on for a scary ride as the Crows try to rebuild their side into being finals contenders.
The Crows opened up like world-beaters in their round 13 AFL clash with Western Bulldogs at Docklands on Friday night, kicking six goals to grab a 22-point lead at quarter-time.
However Craig's inexperienced side made a variety of skill and concentration errors to score only four goals after quarter-time, losing 14.16 (100) to 10.10 (70).
It was Adelaide's ninth loss from 12 games this season, increasing the pressure on the 55-year-old mentor to hold his job for 2012.
Craig said the Crows became loose around the stoppages and showed the type of inconsistency that can plague a young side.
"It's an exciting challenge to build this team but it will be scary for our supporters for a period of time," Craig said.
The Crows coach said half his side had yet to play 40 games.
"It's not an excuse, but you've got to understand what those guys are going through," he said.
"Their capacity to sustain an effort is not there yet. They're not capable yet, not for four quarters. After a period of time, the work-rate just becomes too great.
"It's an inexperienced team that I think is showing some really good signs.
"The positive is for me I saw some really high-level football in the first quarter. That means this group can do it.
"Let's see it maybe for a full game. That's what we're going to push towards ... because it will come.
"The sooner we can uphold our end of the bargain as a playing group and as a coaching group, and keep pushing them hard and improve their performances, the more joy we can bring them (fans)."
Craig led the Crows to the finals in his first five full seasons as coach before Adelaide fell to 11th spot in 2010. He said he was facing a new type of challenge with stars like Brett Burton and Simon Goodwin now retired.
Asked if fans of the two-time premiers could cope with the lack of success during a rebuilding phase, Craig said bluntly: "they are going to have to".
Craig said he could not put a time-frame on when the Crows would be a finals force again.
"I don't know. It's a new experience for me at this level to coach this profile of a group (with a lot of inexperienced players)," he said.
Craig said onballer Rory Sloane suffered a corked thigh but had battled on well and should be fit to play against competition leaders Geelong at Kardinia Park next Saturday.
- AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, sa, adelaide-5000, vic, fitzroy-3065State comp results and video highlights
Posted June 19, 2011 12:36:00 Click on the video links to see all the highlights from the ABC TV Grandstand Games of the Week in the VFL, TSL, SANFL and WAFL
VFL Round 12
TV Game - Geelong v Northern Bullants
Geelong 15.7(97) def.by Northern Bullants 15.12(102)
Other Games
Saturday June 18
Williamstown 19.13(127) def. Franktson 7.11(53)
North Ballarat 8.7(55) def. by Port Melbourne 18.11(119)
Sunday June 19
Casey v Coburg, Casey Fields, 2pm
Bendigo v Box Hill, Windy Hill, 2pm
Bye: Collingwood, Sandringham, Werribee
TSL Round 9
TV Game - Clarence v Glenorchy
Clarence 15.21(111) def. Glenorchy 10.5(65)
Other Games
Saturday June 18
Hobart 9.9(63) def. by North Launceston 13.13(91)
Burnie 13.11(89) def. Lauderdale 9.3(57)
Sunday June 19
South Launceston v Devonport, Youngtown Memorial Oval, 1pm
Launceston v North Hobart, Windsor Park, 2pm
SANFL Round 12
ABC TV Games of the Week - Sturt v West Adelaide
Sturt 16.10(106) def. West Adelaide 7.6(48)
Other Games
Saturday June 18
Norwood 22.12(144) def. South Adelaide 10.8(68)
Central District 22.11(143) def. Glenelg 6.14(50)
Bye: Port Adelaide, Eagles, North Adelaide
WAFL State Game
ABC TV Game of the Week - WAFL v Queensland
WAFL 16.17(113) def. Queensland 16.11(107)
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, sanfl, wafl, victorian-football-league-vflInterview: Jordie McKenzie
Published:Sunday, June 19, 2011 4:21 AESTExpires:Saturday, September 17, 2011 4:21 AEST
Demons midfielder Jordie McKenzie told Adam White and the Grandstand team that Melbourne put in a true four-quarter effort to pull out an 89-point shellacking of Fremantle at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaBlues too good for Swans
Published:Sunday, June 19, 2011 7:16 AESTExpires:Saturday, September 17, 2011 7:16 AEST
Carlton put in a dominant performance to beat the Sydney Swans 100-66.
Tags: australian-football-league, melbourne-3000Geelong defeat St Kilda
Geelong takes win over Saints
Published:Sunday, June 19, 2011 7:20 AESTExpires:Saturday, September 17, 2011 7:20 AEST
Geelong took advantage of a depleted St Kilda side to win 100-72.
Tags: australian-football-league, geelong-3220, melbourne-3000Harvey celebrates a goal against the Bombers
Kangaroos captain Brent Harvey celebrates a goal within the first minute of the round 13 AFL match against Essendon at Docklands on June 18, 2011.
Tags: sport, australian-football-leagueInterview: Tyrone Vickery
Published:Saturday, June 18, 2011 10:44 AESTExpires:Friday, September 16, 2011 10:44 AEST
Richmond ruckman Tyrone Vickery told Alister Nicholson and the Grandstand team that the Tigers came into their round 13 win at the Gabba with a lot of respect for a Brisbane side with a strong mix of veteran players and young talent.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaTigers finish fast to claw Lions
Updated June 18, 2011 22:57:00 Richmond responded to a pair of disappointing defeats with a 31-point triumph over the struggling Lions at the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday night.
The Lions led by 23 points after an explosive start before the Tigers awoke form their slumber, arresting some poor goal kicking to post a much-needed 18.17 (125) to 14.10 (94) victory.
Young midfielder Dustin Martin booted five goals and had 22 disposals in another brilliant performance with Tyrone Vickery chipping in with four goals of his own.
Trent Cotchin was equally influential with his 30 possessions as Richmond was able to keep Lions skipper Jonathan Brown to just four scoring shots and only two goals.
Brown's second major put Brisbane within four points halfway through the final term but the Tigers responded emphatically with the next five majors to ice the contest.
Lively Tigers forward Jack Riewoldt was kept to two majors by Matt Maguire.
Brisbane kicked the first four goals of the game and, while the Tigers rallied to lead at half-time, they could not shrug off the Lions until deep into the last term.
Twice Richmond was on the verge of amassing a match-winning lead only to see the Lions fight back and threaten to steal the game.
Determined Brisbane midfielders Jack Redden, Simon Black and Tom Rockliff kept their side within striking distance, although Richmond's forwards were not helping their own cause.
By three-quarter time, 10 of Richmond's 13 behinds had been scored from set shots, most of them very gettable, well inside 50m.
Redden was also enforcer, applying some big hits while also getting physical with with several Tigers including Daniel Jackson and Shane Edwards.
The aggressive tone was set before the opening bounce, when both midfield brigades started wrestling in an entertaining sideshow to the main act.
The turning point in the last quarter occurred when Chris Newman brought Lions skipper Brown to his knees with a heavy tackle inside 50m and then, moments later, when Black was streaming through the middle, Robert Nahas stopped him in his tracks.
From that point onwards, the Tigers rattled off five of the last seven majors to seal the match.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick praised Martin for his five-goal return and the game-turning tackles of Nahas and Newman.
"It's amazing when the simple things are done well, you get the result you want," he said.
"It puts us back in the hunt (for the top eight).
"He (Martin) uses the ball well and I couldn't believe it when I saw he kicked five goals."
Lions coach Michael Voss said they had their chances to win and, in the end, could not counter-attack when it mattered most, like they had done on two previous occasions during the game.
"We certainly had our ascendancy in different parts of the game," he said.
"You have to make the most of them because you do have momentum in games.
"What we weren't able to do, we couldn't hold that wall and counter attack likewise."
He said key forward Mitchell Clark would miss at least one match after spraining an ankle, while nimble forward Todd Banfield suffered a hamstring injury.
"It's not a break, but it will certainly keep him (Clark) out for next week," he said.
The match was also a stop-start affair with 54 free kicks being awarded, 32 by half-time, which would normally be around the end-of-game statistic.
-ABC/AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, qld, brisbane-4000, vic, richmond-3121 First posted June 18, 2011 22:09:00Saturday Night Spin
Published:Saturday, June 18, 2011 8:04 AESTExpires:Friday, September 16, 2011 8:04 AEST
Matt Clinch and Adam Rozenbachs take an alternative look at the AFL landscape.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaEagles continue home dominance
Updated June 19, 2011 19:50:00 West Coast notched up a fifth straight home win to the tune of 22 points on Sunday, but was made to work all the way by a determined Port Adelaide side.
The Eagles were always in control of the contest, taking a 33-point lead into half-time before seeing off a Power rally to claim a 15.20 (110) to 13.10 (88) triumph that consolidated their place in the top eight.
Port got the margin back to 14 points early in the third term and again back to 17 in the fourth quarter before West Coast settled with the next two goals.
The Eagles' eighth win of the season moved them into fifth spot on the table, with their top-four hopes to be put to the test next Sunday against third-placed Carlton at Docklands.
Mark LeCras was at his elusive best in the Eagles forward line with 4.3 while Josh Kennedy and Shannon Hurn, who was brilliant across half-back with 25 touches and seven inside-50s, booted three goals apiece.
Daniel Kerr continued his tremendous form out of the middle with 27 touches amongst an impressive all-round performance by the Eagles midfield.
Matthew Priddis, Matthew Rosa, Tom Swift, Luke Shuey and Scott Selwood all totalled 20-plus possessions.
Travis Boak kicked three goals for Port Adelaide with Danyle Pearce, Kane Cornes and returning captain Domenic Cassisi the markers in an encouraging display on the road.
Regardless, Port Adelaide (2-10) remains near the foot of the table and faces a tough test next week against rejuvenated North Melbourne at Football Park.
West Coast was inaccurate early but two opportunistic goals from LeCras ensured the home side took a 15-point lead into quarter time.
The margin stretched to 30 when Hurn booted a 58-metre monster and Adam Selwood kicked truly from the boundary, but Port Adelaide hit back through Boak and Pearce to stay within touch midway through the quarter.
However, Kennedy's hard work ensured West Coast as 33 points ahead by half-time, with the former Blue crashing a pack to create a goal for LeCras before kicking one himself.
Port Adelaide launched a ferocious charge early in the third quarter, booting three goals within four minutes to close the margin to just 14 points, with Simon Phillips' dribbling goal the best of the lot.
But West Coast managed to steady, with Hurn's 63m bomb ensuring the margin was 23 points at the final change.
The game looked over when goals to Brad Ebert and Scott Selwood stretched the margin to 35 points, only for three quick goals to the Power to open up the match again.
But it was to be the last hurrah for Port, as West Coast regained the ascendancy through the middle to close out the win.
Eagles: 15.20 (110) - M LeCras 4, J Kennedy 3, S Hurn 3, A Selwood, B Ebert, M Priddis, N Naitanui, S Selwood.
Power: 13.10 (88) -T Boak 3, C O'Shea, D Pearce, D Stewart, H Hartlett, J Schulz, J Trentgrove, J Westhoff, R Gray, S Phillips, T Logan.
-ABC/AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, sa, port-adelaide-5015, wa, perth-6000 First posted June 19, 2011 19:38:00Interview: Luke Hodge
Published:Saturday, June 18, 2011 5:00 AESTExpires:Friday, September 16, 2011 5:00 AEST
Hawthorn skipper Luke Hodge told Grandstand's Drew Morphett, Peter Walsh and Nick Probert that the Hawks' improvement this season can be attributed largely to the success their young talent is displaying after they defeated Gold Coast by 71.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaDemons crush travel-sick Dockers
Updated June 19, 2011 17:47:00 Melbourne's roller-coaster season continued on Sunday, rising to a new high with a sparkling 89-point dismantling of Fremantle at the MCG.
The Demons were embarrassed in their marquee clash against Collingwood last Monday but rebounded emphatically with a 177-point turnaround in the 22.17 (149) to 8.12 (60) cakewalk.
The four points unbelievably moved Melbourne into ninth position, level with next week's opponents the Tigers, and below eight-placed Essendon by virtue of slim percentage only.
Skipper Brad Green booted five goals, much-maligned top draft pick Jack Watts was outstanding with three goals and 24 telling possessions, and young midfielders Tom Scully and Jordie McKenzie also starred.
The Dees moved plenty of numbers behind the ball against Collingwood but as a result had nothing to kick to up forward when they won possession in defence.
Midfielder Jordie McKenzie said that changed against the Dockers due to a combination of a better forward structure with Steph Martin, Jack Watts and Brad Green and an improved work rate by all players.
"We worked a lot harder to push forward and give options rather than have to bomb away to one-on-twos and two-on-threes," McKenzie told Grandstand.
"Steph and Greeny were pivotal in that, they kept working hard and giving us options up forward which made it a lot easier."
Fremantle, are already without several key players, remained in the top eight but is sinking into the cluster of teams gathering at the fringe following its loss.
Already without several key players going into the match, the Dockers have new injury woes to contend with after losing key defender Antoni Grover and tagger Ryan Crowley during the match.
Grover was taken off late in the second quarter with a leg injury, while Crowley hurt his back in the third term.
But the Dockers were bleeding before their departures - found wanting in the first term as the Demons came out fighting to establish a 31-point quarter-time lead.
GWS target Scully was hugely influential with 11 touches in the term, while Green bounced back from a poor display against Collingwood with two goals for the quarter.
The Dockers wound back the lead in the second term to just 19 points, though they never really looked convincing in doing so.
The Demons eventually pushed the lead out to 25 points by half-time.
Then Watts imposed himself on the game in the third term with nine touches and a goal.
Melbourne booted 12 goals to two in the second half as the undermanned Dockers tired badly and the Demons dominated in every aspect.
The only bright spot for Fremantle was an excellent return from midfielder Michael Barlow after 12 months recovering following a badly broken leg.
Barlow finished with 25 possessions and battled hard along with on-baller Nat Fyfe in a well beaten side.
Fyfe was not offering up the Dockers' shocking injury list as an excuse but said cool heads were missed on the MCG.
"Experience more than anything can settle everyone down and knowing what to do when they get on top of us," he said.
"We weren't really able to rectify that today quickly enough and the scoreboard spoke for itself."
Demons: 22.17 (149) - B Green 5, J Watts 3, S Martin 3, J Howe 2, L Jurrah 2, C Sylvia, D Nicholson, J Frawley, J Trengove, M Gawn, N Jones, R Petterd.
Dockers: 8.12 (60) - M Johnson 3, C Mayne 2, C Pearce, L McPharlin, M Pavlich.
-ABC/AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, melbourne-3000, wa, fremantle-6160 First posted June 19, 2011 16:03:00Interview: Harry Taylor
Published:Sunday, June 19, 2011 2:17 AESTExpires:Saturday, September 17, 2011 2:17 AEST
Geelong defender Harry Taylor told Gerard Whateley and the Sunday Inquisition team that the Cats were a bit flat early on in their win over St Kilda but the Cameron Ling and Paul Chapman stood up in the midfield when they were needed.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaBig salary predicted for Tom Scully
Swans no match for Blues
Updated June 19, 2011 19:00:00 Carlton put in a complete performance to outmuscle Sydney by 34 points at Docklands on Sunday and continue its ever-improving season.
The Blues made it nine wins from 10 games, piling on 6.4 to 0.1 in the third term to lay the platform for the comfortable 15.10 (100) to 10.6 (66) victory.
The four points again moved Brett Ratten's side back into third spot on 38 points, ahead of the Hawks.
Fifth-placed Sydney had only lost one of its last six matches but was no match for Carlton's speed and power.
The Swans' four losses have come against all of the top-four sides.
Blues ruckman Matthew Kreuzer continued to shine in just his second game back from a serious knee injury, accumulating 24 disposals, two goals and 13 hit-outs.
Fellow number-one draft picks Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs were tremendous in the clinches and across half-back respectively.
Murphy, Kreuzer, Andrew Walker, Jeff Garlett and David Ellard kicked two goals each for the Blues while Adam Goodes and Kieren Jack booted two apiece for the Swans.
Ratten said veteran Heath Scotland as well as Murphy were giving the Blues a lot of bite through midfield along with Chris Yarran's drive off half-back.
"Our third quarter was just outstanding the way we just applied pressure around the ball," Ratten said.
"I thought the heat on the footy was something that we created turnovers (from) and opportunities to go forward.
"Our third quarter was just a beauty to look back on. That's exactly how you put pressure on the ball carrier or the man."
As they always do, the Swans fought to the final siren, kicking six goals to two in the last term, with Josh Kennedy and Ryan O'Keefe leading the way.
Ratten said the Blues tried to get a bit too cute with their ball use in the last quarter.
"We didn't play the basics as we did in the third quarter," he said.
Craig Bird did a solid job tagging Carlton skipper Chris Judd, but the champion still provided his usual sparks of brilliance.
"They were all over us so they were able to share the load really well," Swans coach John Longmire said of Carlton's spread of contributors.
Mistakes punished
Sydney kicked the first three goals of the game but the Blues booted four in a row to claim a seven-point advantage at quarter-time.
Led by midfielder Murphy (29 possessions), the home side continued on its merry way in the second term as it added another three goals to lead by 26 points at the 19-minute mark.
The Swans finally ended Carlton's seven-goal streak two minutes later when Nick Malceski poked one through from the goalsquare.
But Ben McGlynn and Malceski both missed simple chances as the Blues took a 19-point lead into half-time.
Sydney found new ways to butcher goal-scoring opportunities early in the third quarter as Jude Bolton ran unattended to the goal-square only to see Sam Reid kick it over his head for a behind from 45 metres out.
The Blues capitalised on a series of turnovers in defence from the Swans as Carlton kicked away to a 61-point lead at three-quarter time.
Sydney ruckman Shane Mumford attempted to lift his side with a bone-crunching tackle on Ellard at the start of the last quarter.
Ellard left the field with concussion after his head was slammed into the turf and Mumford could face scrutiny from the match review panel.
Blues ruckman Shaun Hampson will have scans on a possible posterior-cruciate ligament knee injury.
Ratten said he hoped to regain key forward Jarrad Waite from a hamstring injury in the next week or two.
Carlton hosts West Coast next Sunday at Docklands while the Swans play defending premier Collingwood at Sydney's Olympic stadium on Saturday.
Blues: 15.10 (100) - A Walker 2, D Ellard 2, J Garlett 2, M Kreuzer 2, M Murphy 2, B Gibbs, C Judd, C Yarran, L Henderson, M Robinson.
Swans: 10.6 (66) - A Goodes 2, K Jack 2, B McGlynn, C Bird, J Bolton, L Jetta, N Malceski, R Shaw.
-ABC/AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, nsw, sydney-2000, vic, carlton-3053 First posted June 19, 2011 17:00:00Weekend Half Time
The show which aired 19/06/2011Download audio
(duration: 54:49; filesize: 24.9)
(duration: 54:49; filesize: 24.9)
Presented by Cameron Green and Sacha Mirzabegian
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Bradshaw announces retirement
Updated June 17, 2011 18:02:00 The fairytale ending Daniel Bradshaw sought was crushed by reality, as uncertainty and the relentless grind of repeated rehabilitation prompted the injury-plagued Sydney forward to announce his retirement on Friday.
By any standards, the 32-year-old Bradshaw enjoyed a successful career, winning the 2001 and 2003 premierships with Brisbane.
He headed their goalkicking list in three seasons, despite his career crossing over at different times with legendary Lions' forwards Jonathan Brown and Alastair Lynch and remains nine goals ahead of the former as Brisbane's all-time leading goalkicker.
Chronic knee problems marred his one-and-a-half season stint with Sydney, preventing him from playing at all in 2011, though he bagged a creditable 28 goals from his nine 2010 appearances for the Swans.
He said the knee felt good going into round one but realised there might be a problem as he experienced pain when he tried to ramp up his training.
Described as a superstar and true legend of the game by Sydney coach John Longmire, Bradshaw pulled the plug a few weeks after undergoing another bout of surgery.
"The pain is still there, so I guess at some point you've got to stop banging your head against a brick wall and just move forward and look forward to life after footy," Bradshaw told reporters on Friday.
"At the end of the day I've lost a fair bit of confidence in the knee and I don't really think I'm going to get back to the way I want to play.
"I don't really want to be out there playing at 80 per cent, it's obviously not good for myself and it's not good for the team.
"The knee is not quite right and the rehab and the uncertainty of it all, I've just pretty much had enough at the end of the day."
"It's obviously sad the way it's ended ... you'd like to have that fairytale, but it doesn't always turn out that way."
While he did not leave Brisbane on the best of terms after Lions' coach and former team-mate Michael Voss offered him as trade bait, Bradshaw's reflections on his time at the club were overwhelmingly positive.
"I'm fine with all that now, Brisbane have given me a lot in terms of what I've been able to achieve there and I've got a lot of good mates there, so there's no ill feeling there at all," Bradshaw said.
Not surprisingly, Bradshaw nominated his two premierships at Brisbane as his career highlights.
"If someone had said to me 16 years ago I was going to play over 200 games and play for as long as I did and be a part of two premierships, I probably would have laughed at them, it's obviously something I'll look back on and be really proud of," Bradshaw said.
He was optimistic Sydney had the personnel to prosper up forward, with young centre half forward Sam Reid winning this week's Rising Star nomination.
Bradshaw planned to return home to Wodonga and investigate some business opportunities in his immediate post-AFL life.
-AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, sydney-2000, brisbane-4000 First posted June 17, 2011 11:00:00Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN
ESPN began as an outrageous gamble with a lineup that included Australian Rules Football, rodeo, and a rinky-dinky clip show called Sports Center. Today the empire stretches far beyond television into radio, magazines, mobile phones,the internet, video games and more, while ESPN's personalities have become global superstars to rival the sports icons they cover. Chris Berman, Robin Roberts, Keith Olbermann, Hannah Storm, Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Stuart Scott, Erin Andrews, Mike Ditka, Bob Knight, and scores of others speak openly about the games, shows, scandals, gambling addictions, bitter rivalries, and sudden suspensions that make up the network's soaring and stormy history. The result is a wild, smart, effervescent story of triumph, genius, ego, and the rise of an empire unlike any television had ever seen.Price: $27.99
Dogs leave Crows in the mire
By James MaasdorpUpdated June 17, 2011 22:44:00 The Western Bulldogs continued Adelaide's wretched run of form, breaking their own four-match losing streak with a 30-point win at Docklands on Friday night.
Daniel Giansiracusa (four goals) and Justin Sherman (three) linked up to produce a third-quarter purple patch up front, ensuring a 14.16 (100) to 10.10 (70) win that keeps the Bulldogs' fanciful hopes of a top-eight finish alive.
The result heaps even more pressure on Adelaide coach Neil Craig, as the club counts the cost of a fifth consecutive loss and a losing streak in Melbourne that stretches back to 2009.
The Crows enjoyed a fantastic first term in which some of their season's best footy was on display, racing to to a 6.2 (38) to 2.4 (16) lead thanks to Kurt Tippett's two goal flash.
But the Bulldogs clawed their way back in the second quarter through Giansiracusa and Sherman, before the two combined again in the third term to score three goals in as many minutes to forge an 11-point lead.
The Dogs looked untroubled for the rest of the match with the Crows looking to have run out of gas from its first-half efforts.
The Bulldogs kicked four goals to Adelaide's one in the final period to cap Robert Murphy's 200th AFL appearance with a win.
Murphy, who gobbled up six marks and 26 disposals, lauded his side's response to the Crow's first-quarter showing.
But he warned the hard work starts now if the Dogs are to rescue their season.
"It is a relief, everyone knows we've been under the pump and we haven't been playing great footy at all," he told Grandstand.
"To start off the way we did was also a worry, so for the guys to turn that around was really pleasing and by the end of the game we were running away with it.
"The position we've got ourselves into with our poor form, we really can't look too far ahead, we certainly don't have that luxury at the moment.
"Tonight was do-or-die. We'll assess it during the week and hopefully we can get on a roll - that's the aim, to start winning games, get a few guys back healthy and challenge the better sides because for the early part of the year we weren't able to do that."
Adelaide's Chris Knights had been subbed off during the half-time break with reported concussion and replaced by substitute Chris Schmidt, but the fresh legs made little difference as the Dogs proceeded to gain the upper hand in midfield.
Murphy's long kick inside 50 found Giansiracusa who nailed his fourth goal, before Sherman fired two home in three game-winning minutes after the long change.
It was a completely different story in the first quarter which saw the Crows flying early with a slick three-goal spree in the opening exchanges, before the Bulldogs responded through Ryan Griffen and Murphy, goalling in his landmark game.
Kurt Tippett, himself a pre-game doubt before scans cleared him of an injured shoulder, looked to be dominating up front as he helped himself to two goals for Adelaide.
The Bulldogs clawed back some ground with two majors in the second period. Those goals set the agenda for the rest of the match as the hosts opened the scoring in all subsequent quarters.
Pressure on the ball was at its most evident for the Dogs when Ed Barlow forced a big blunder from Ricky Henderson on the goal-line, charging down the defender's kick just metres from the posts to keep his side snapping at Adelaide's heels.
Bulldogs: 16.14 (100) - D Giansiracusa 4, J Sherman 3, R Griffen 2, E Barlow, E Wood, L Dahlhaus, R Murphy, W Minson
Crows: 10.10 (70) - K Tippett 3, A Otten, B Vince, C Knights, C Schmidt, M Wright, R Sloane, S McKernan
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, sa, adelaide-5000, vic, fitzroy-3065 First posted June 17, 2011 22:18:00Saturday, June 18, 2011
Interview: Robert Murphy
Published:Friday, June 17, 2011 10:43 AESTExpires:Thursday, September 15, 2011 10:43 AEST
Bulldogs defender Robert Murphy told Tim Hodges and the Grandstand team that it was relieving for his side to snap their four-game losing streak, especially on the night of his 200th AFL game, against Adelaide at Docklands on Friday night.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaBradshaw announces AFL retirement
Published:Friday, June 17, 2011 7:22 AESTExpires:Thursday, September 15, 2011 7:22 AEST
Sydney Swans forward Daniel Bradshaw has retired after suffering from a chronic knee injury.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, nsw, sydney-2000Maynard guilty of drug, firearms offences
Published:Thursday, June 16, 2011 7:19 AESTExpires:Wednesday, September 14, 2011 7:19 AEST
Former Tasmanian footballer and coach Justin Richard Maynard has been convicted of drug trafficking.
Tags: courts-and-trials, australian-football-league, drug-offences, tas, brighton-7030, hobart-7000, rokeby-7019Tigers upbeat ahead of road trip
Posted June 17, 2011 14:48:00 Richmond coach Damien Hardwick says the fact the Tigers has not played in Melbourne, or won a match, in almost four weeks has not dampened their spirits.
The Tigers play Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday night, after losing interstate matches to Port Adelaide and Sydney, either side of a bye, in the past three rounds.
Their travel time was increased when they had to catch a bus back from Sydney on Monday, after a flight cancellation.
But Hardwick says nothing seemed to hurt the positive mood of his young squad.
"The one thing about our group and (captain) Chris Newman's a real leader in this, is the enthusiasm in our group can never be questioned," he said.
"We've had a couple of narrow losses in the last couple of weeks, but we feel we're just a smidgen away from turning that around.
"Our guys are really well driven, they're enthusiastic and they're ready to play, looking forward to a great challenge Saturday night."
Hardwick says the 11th-placed Tigers regarded the fixture with the 15th-placed Lions as one they should win.
They beat the Lions by 26 points at the MCG less than two months ago.
"They're probably the games we expect to win," Hardwick said.
"From a talent point of view, we're both very young sides, young developing sides.
"But we're encouraged by our performances over probably the last month.
"We think we're quite capable of winning the game."
The Tigers are yet to win outside Victoria this season.
- AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, richmond-3121The Drum - Friday 17 June
Published:Friday, June 17, 2011 6:05 AESTExpires:Thursday, September 15, 2011 6:05 AEST
Steve Cannane hosts a discussion panel program with Inside Football columnist Rhys Muldoon, ABC News 24 reporter Amanda Shalala and SEN Radio presenter Francis Leach.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, coaching, cricket, rugby-union, sports-organisations, tennis, ice-hockey, unrest-conflict-and-war, state-of-origin, sports-injuries, australiaHird drops five players for Roos clash
Updated June 16, 2011 18:51:00 Essendon coach James Hird has dropped five players including three of his former team-mates in a savage response to the club's three-game losing streak.
The eighth-placed Bombers have not won a game since May 14 and face North Melbourne in a crucial round-13 encounter on Saturday at Docklands.
Travis Colyer, Andrew Welsh, Henry Slattery, Alex Browne and David Hille have all been dumped following Essendon's 34-point loss to Fremantle.
Tayte Pears, Brent Stanton, Sam Lonergan, big man Tom Bellchambers and midfield tagger Heath Hocking, back from suspension, come into the side.
First-year coach Hird is yet to settle on his preferred ruck combination.
Bellchambers is back after being dropped in round 11 and replaces 2008 club champion Hille.
Welsh, Slattery and Hille all played alongside Hird at Essendon in 2007.
The 12th-placed Kangaroos have regained defender Nathan Grima and also recalled Sam Wright for Ben Speight and key forward Lachie Hansen, who has concussion.
Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade, who is under fierce pressure to hold his job for the rest of the season, has been boosted by the return of Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney from a knee injury.
The 13th-placed Bulldogs host Adelaide at Docklands on Friday night.
Former All-Australian Lindsay Gilbee is back after being dumped two weeks ago and Jayden Schofield makes his debut.
Adelaide has dropped James Sellar and Brent Reilly is out with a knee injury.
Unbeaten Geelong have recalled wingman David Wojcinski for star midfielder Joel Selwood who has been suspended for four weeks.
The Cats play St Kilda at the MCG on Saturday night where the Saints will regain Jason Blake and champion midfielder Leigh Montagna.
Hawthorn's Brent Guerra, who suffered a perforated ear drum after being struck by Selwood last weekend, will miss Saturday's game in Launceston against Gold Coast.
The injury-hit Hawks have lost big man Jarryd Roughead for the season with a ruptured Achilles, while Clinton Young (hamstring) and ruckman Brent Renouf (internal bruising) have also been left out.
Ruckmen David Hale and Max Bailey are among four inclusions for the Hawks.
Vice-captain Jed Adcock is out of Brisbane's team to play Richmond at the Gabba on Saturday night because of finger surgery.
The Tigers have left out injured duo David Astbury (knee) and Jake Batchelor (general soreness) and omitted Matt White.
Richmond included Luke McGuane, Jayden Post and Jeromey Webberley.
Third-placed Carlton have named utility Ryan Houlihan in a seven-man bench for Sunday's massive clash with Sydney at Docklands.
The fifth-placed Swans regain ruckman Shane Mumford from a knee injury.
Sixth-placed West Coast have omitted Chris Masten for Sunday's home game against Port Adelaide who are set to regain skipper Domenic Cassisi for his first game since round two.
Fremantle midfielder Michael Barlow will play his first AFL game of the year after recovering from a broken leg. The seventh-placed Dockers play Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.
- AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, qld, brisbane-4000, sa, adelaide-5000, vic, essendon-3040, fitzroy-3065, geelong-3220, melbourne-3000, north-melbourne-3051, richmond-3121, st-kilda-3182 First posted June 16, 2011 18:39:00Suns' plane diverts after technical hitch
Updated June 17, 2011 09:41:00 A technical problem caused a mid-air drama and diversion for the Gold Coast Suns' flight to Launceston yesterday.
The Virgin Australia plane was diverted to Hobart and met by firefighters after the pilot reported the problem.
The airline says the incident was not related to the ash cloud from the Chilean volcano which has caused major travel disprutions this week.
Virgin Australia spokeswoman Melissa Thompson says an indicator light flashing in the cockpit forced the diversion.
"The aircraft landed without incident, taxied to the terminal, everyone got off while engineers inspected the aircraft and all of our guests, including the gold Coast Suns, were transferred to Launceston by coach," she said.
Gold Coast Captain, Gary Ablett, tweeted his annoyance at the mid-air drama.
"Was supposed to land in Launceston two hours ago, just landed in Hobart, not a great result".
The Suns play Hawthorn at York Park tomorrow.
Tags: emergency-incidents, australian-football-league, air-transport, qld, southport-4215, tas, hobart-7000, launceston-7250 First posted June 17, 2011 08:55:00Bombers' lapse irrelevant, says Roos
Posted June 17, 2011 15:36:00 North Melbourne coach Brad Scott says Essendon's recent poor form is a non-issue, as the two clubs prepare to clash at Docklands on Saturday.
After an impressive start to the season, the Bombers have slumped to three straight losses and the club wielded the axe on Thursday with five changes.
Scott says the new inclusions mean the Bombers will be a different outfit, but he was quick to add they held "no great fears" for him.
The Kangaroos have made a mid-season recovery, sitting one win outside the top eight and are aiming for their third straight victory.
"In terms of the sides that are around about where we've been, we think we've been really competitive and we've been able to fight in our own weight division," Scott said.
"I think Essendon have been a terrific side so far this year and their form over the last month we've completely disregarded.
"They're going to be a completely different side tomorrow - I think they've got some really good inclusions and I think they're going to be back to their best tomorrow."
Scott says the Kangaroos are at last improving week by week and "if we play the footy we know we're capable of we think we can get the job done".
"Essendon are in the same boat and we've got a lot of respect for them and some of the footy they've produced this year has been outstanding," he said.
"But we think the sides match up fairly evenly. We respect them but at the same time they don't hold any grave fears for us."
According to Scott the ladder in the first half of the year is irrelevant and statistics would agree with him.
The Kangaroos opened with four consecutive losses to be in last spot but with four wins from their past seven matches, have moved to 12th place, while the Bombers are clinging to eighth.
The Bombers lost to Fremantle last week which prompted the match committee to drop ruckman David Hille, Andrew Welsh, Travis Colyer, Henry Slattery and Alex Browne.
Into the side come Tayte Pears, Tom Bellchambers, Brent Stanton, Heath Hocking and Sam Lonergan.
"They've got some really good inclusions," Scott said.
"It is a challenge coming back from Perth there's no doubt about that and they had a pretty challenging match against Fremantle but they've also made five changes and Jobe Watson and (Michael) Hurley came in for their first game last week.
"So I think in the last two weeks they're making about seven changes, which is a fair chunk of their side."
Scott says that despite a recent lift in form, the Kangaroos are still not in a position to challenge any of the top four sides yet.
- AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, north-melbourne-3051Early flight for Power
Expires:Tuesday, September 13, 2011 7:57
Port Adelaide will catch a charter flight to Perth to play against the West Coast Eagles.
Tags: australian-football-league, adelaide-5000Eade, Craig vow to fight for their jobs
Updated June 16, 2011 14:57:00 Besieged coaches Rodney Eade and Neil Craig have vowed to fight for their jobs on the eve of their potentially career-defining AFL encounter.
Eade's Western Bulldogs and Craig's Adelaide Crows meet at Docklands on Friday night with the tenure of both coaches under threat.
The clubs have just three wins each but Eade, whose contract expires at season's end, scotched speculation he would quit if the Bulldogs lost to the Crows.
"I'm going to stick through," Eade said.
"If the club thinks it's better that way (quitting) and you get a tap on the shoulder well, fine, you do what is best for the club.
"But from my point of view I'm here for the long haul."
The Bulldogs, beaten preliminary finalists in the past three seasons, have slid to 13th spot, one position above the under-performing Crows.
Craig says speculation about his future will remain until the Crows consistently won matches.
"I try not to make it a distraction because I can't afford to," Craig said.
"You are not immune to it because you know it's there.
"But you need to develop the tools to keep it at bay so the noise doesn't get in to take your focus away from what you're meant to do."
Preseason, Craig's contract - also due to cease at season's end - was replaced when he was made a member of Adelaide's staff.
Crows chairman Rob Chapman, in rare public comments this week, said Craig had "unequivocal" support of the club's board.
"I don't need to take heart (from Chapman's comments) because I am in constant communication with those guys, that was probably more for outside our club rather than for me," Craig said.
"I haven't got an unconditional job here, I haven't got a job for life.
"I have great trust that the footy club will make the best decision for the footy club in terms of my situation here.
"And I mean that in both ways - if they think I need to continue in this job and I'm happy to do it, they'll tell me that; if they think I need to finish this job for whatever reason, they will tell me that.
"And that situation can happen very quickly, they can get a pen and go 'zap' and it can finish tomorrow with minimal disruption and minimal cost to our footy club."
While Craig believes the Crows' poor form makes talk of reaching the finals redundant, Eade says the play-offs for the Bulldogs effectively start on Friday night.
"We have just got to win and if you win, you can roll on to next week, and we're going to try to win as many games as we can," Eade said.
"Even if it's mathematically impossible at any stage not to make the finals, we're still going out to win as many as we can."
- AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, vic, footscray-3011 First posted June 16, 2011 13:43:00Flight delays hamper AFL teams
Published:Wednesday, June 15, 2011 7:23 AESTExpires:Tuesday, September 13, 2011 7:23 AEST
An ash cloud from a Chilean volcano is disrupting the travel plans of AFL teams competing at locations around Australia.
Tags: volcanic-eruption, australian-football-league, travel-health-and-safety, melbourne-3000Suns endure delayed landing
Published:Friday, June 17, 2011 7:22 AESTExpires:Thursday, September 15, 2011 7:22 AEST
The Gold Coast Suns have arrived in Launceston for their clash against the Hawks but not without some difficulty.
Tags: australian-football-league, carrara-4211Demetriou defends player pay offer
Posted June 17, 2011 18:27:00 AFL boss Andrew Demetriou says "disingenuous" public claims are being made about the size of the league's pay offer to its players.
As players prepare for a mass gathering to show their unity in seeking an improved deal, Demetriou's comments continue the public acrimony between the two parties, who remain firmly divided.
The comments came a day after AFL Players Association chief executive Matt Finnis accused the league of "scare-mongering" by linking player claims for a fixed share of AFL revenue to community programs such as Auskick.
AFL chief executive Demetriou denied reports that the league, which recently netted a record $1.253 billion broadcast rights deal for the next five years, was offering players a pay rise of just three per cent per year.
"There's information that's being put about which I think is being a bit cheeky, which says we've only offered three per cent in total player payments. That is completely incorrect, that is completely wrong," Demetriou told Melbourne's 3AW radio on Friday.
"We've offered a framework, we've offered an increase in total player payments, we've offered an increase to rookies, we've offered an increase to the retirement fund and we've offered an increase to create a pool that can reward the better players in the competition.
"That, I can tell you, is absolutely substantially more than three per cent as a total package."
But Demetriou, who said he remained philosophically opposed to the players' claim for a fixed percentage of revenue, which he has previously tagged "lazy", refused to put a figure on the AFL's offer.
"What I'm saying is the three per cent figure that is being bandied about through the media is disingenuous, it's not correct," he said.
The AFLPA refused to comment publicly on the size of the AFL's offer, but denied any suggestion it was misleading players.
"The association has fully analysed everything currently on the table and can say, with absolute confidence, that we are accurately representing that offer when we speak to our members," Finnis said.
It is understood that while the entire package the AFL is offering equates to a more substantial increase, it will include only a three per cent per season rise to total player payments (TPP), the figure used to cap player salaries.
The AFLPA, which says the salary cap has artificially prevented player payments rising in correlation with other AFL spending, is seeking a locked-in 25-27 per cent of AFL revenue to ensure player salaries keep pace with the game's growth.
That amount would incorporate provisions such as an improved retirement fund and better deal for rookie-listed players, as well as a TPP increase of about 10 per cent per year.
The players want a three-year deal, while the AFL wants five years.
While they will not reach agreement by their June 30 deadline, both parties have said strike action is unlikely.
But players will hold a mass meeting in Melbourne next week to show their support for the AFLPA's campaign.
- AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, melbourne-3000Crows and Power: Round 13
With both our local teams hitting the road this week, a lot of South Australian's might be wondering 'why bother?'. Roger Wills and Peter Walsh share their thoughts on the upcoming round...
Will the rested Power have what it takes to face an impressive Eagles outfit when they head to the west (ash could permitting)? With the Crows facing the Western Bulldogs at Docklands on Friday night, Peter and Roger don't have high hopes for either of the SA teams.Listen to the live coverage of Crows v Western Bulldogs at Docklands from 6:35pm Friday and Port v West Coast at Subiaco oval from 4:00pm Sunday on 891 ABC Adelaide, ABC South Australia and Broken Hill and Grandstand Digital 1 in the metro area.
Crows prepare to face Bulldogs
Expires:Wednesday, September 14, 2011 8:10
The Adelaide Crows will be looking to break a run of poor form when they play the Western Bulldogs.
Tags: australian-football-league, adelaide-5000Mumford back for Blues clash
Posted June 17, 2011 19:12:00 Sydney ruckman Shane Mumford will return from a knee injury for Sunday's testing AFL clash with Carlton at Docklands.
Fellow big man Mark Seaby kept his spot, after a strong performance in last round's win over Richmond, with forward Trent Dennis-Lane the player dropped.
Swans coach John Longmire was confident the return of Mumford, alongside Seaby and Lewis Roberts-Thomson, who has helped out in the ruck in Mumford's absence, would not create an imbalance.
"What we are confident in is that the players we have got are really versatile," Longmire said.
The Blues included half-forward Ryan Houlihan for his first game this season, replacing defender Paul Bower.
Fremantle midfielder Michael Barlow will make his long-awaited AFL return, 11 months after badly breaking his leg in round 14 last year to abruptly halt his stunning debut season.
The Dockers will also give elevated rookie-lister Ben Bucovaz an AFL debut against Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.
Midfielder David Mundy (leg) and forward Hayden Ballantyne (hamstring) are out injured.
The Demons regained key defender Colin Garland and recalled forward Ricky Petterd, while losing Neville Jetta (hand) and dropping Michael Evans.
Port Adelaide regained captain Domenic Cassisi for Sunday's Subiaco Oval meeting with West Coast.
It will be the skipper's first game since fracturing his leg in round two.
Daniel Stewart also returns for the Power, with Jacob Stewart and Andrew Moore both dropped.
The Eagles made one change, Tom Swift replacing Chris Masten.
- AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, sydney-2000FootySpeak: Round 12
Published:Thursday, June 16, 2011 6:14 AESTExpires:Wednesday, September 14, 2011 6:14 AEST
Luke Pentony presents the round 12 edition of FootySpeak, a review of the AFL from the perspective of the players.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaBrown suffers another knee injury
Posted June 16, 2011 16:02:00 Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Brown has suffered a second knee injury, this time on a training camp in Arizona.
Brown, who suffered a season-ending ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury earlier in the year, damaged the patella on his other knee during a hike.
There was no further damage to his reconstructed knee.
Brown was one of four Magpies players on the mid-season trip to Arizona.
- AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, collingwood-3066, united-statesMedia Call: Rodney Eade
Published:Thursday, June 16, 2011 2:45 AESTExpires:Wednesday, September 14, 2011 2:45 AEST
Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade says he has no plans to quit before the end of the season.
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australiaPower under pressure to win
Expires:Thursday, September 15, 2011 7:22
Port Adelaide coach Matthew Primus has warned players to improve their form ahead of a clash with the West Coast Eagles in Perth.
Tags: australian-football-league, adelaide-5000Cox re-signs with Eagles
Posted June 17, 2011 12:37:00
West Coast ruckman Dean Cox is set to finish his career with the Eagles after signing with the club for a further two seasons.Cox, a four-times All-Australian, is back in career-best form and says his desire to be a one-club player convinced him to re-sign until the end of 2013.
"It's great to have the contract signed at this stage of the season," he told the Eagles' website.
"I'm excited about the future and want to be a part of what this club is building towards.
"We are getting closer to another serious finals assault and I want to be a part of that with this playing squad.
"I have been here for the whole of my career and I certainly want to finish my playing days with the West Coast Eagles.
"We have a terrific group that has shown great improvement this season and I have no doubt that this is merely the start of the upward swing."
Cox joined the Eagles through the 2001 rookie draft and has since established himself as the greatest ruckman in the club's history.
The 213-match veteran is also playing a crucial role in the development of 21-year-old ruckman Nic Naitanui, who is still raw but improving by the year.
The pair will team up on Sunday to take on Port Adelaide's Dean Brogan at Subiaco Oval.
- AAP
Tags: sport, australian-football-league, perth-6000AFL Preview: Round 13
Two of the struggling teams of the competition have a chance to show what they are made of, when the Bulldogs and the Crows meet in Friday Night football to kick-start Round 13 of the AFL.
After promising much, both teams have just 3 wins for the year and will struggle to make the finals, placing their coaches under enormous pressure.
But the big stage of Friday Night Footy gives them a chance to show the competition they future in bright, and for either team a win is critical to silencing the critics.
Hawthorn travel to Tasmania to host Gold Coast in what will no doubt be cold and trying conditions.
The Hawks have been cursed by injury in recent weeks and, with the finals fast approaching, coming home with no more long term injuries will be just as important as claiming the 4 points.
The Suns welcome back Karmichael Hunt but lose ruckman Zac Smith who will be rested.
It will be a tough ask for the new boys in the competition to match it with one of the more elite clubs, but in what could be a low scoring game anything could happen.
The badly out of form Bombers host a resurgent North Melbourne at Docklands.
Essendon have dropped their past three matches, while the Roos have won their last two, and suddenly these teams appear to be fighting it out for what could be the last spot in the finals come September.
Saturday night Brisbane host Richmond at the Gabba in what is shaping up as one of the closest matches of the round.
Two gun forwards in Riewoldt and Brown will stand at either end of the ground, but it will be the midfield battle that will determine the winner.
St Kilda meets Geelong in another tough encounter at the MCG.
The Cats are in superb form and have yet to lose this season, while the Saints are slowly working their way back into form after a horror start to the year.
These two teams have played some cracking matches in recent years, but it appears on paper that Geelong will be far too good.
Sunday the Dockers fly to the MCG to play Melbourne.
Freo finally won last week without Aaron Sandilands, and they will need to repeat the effort again this week with their ruckman still missing with a toe injury.
The Dees have inconsistent all season, so following that form they should produce a good effort this week after their thrashing by the Pies last Monday.
It shapes as another close match that could go either way.
Carlton has moved to third place on the ladder and are clearly the next best team after the big two in Collingwood and Geelong.
This week they have a big test against the Swans, who have continued to win despite not playing their best footy.
Both teams will feature in the action come finals time, so a win now will give them confidence should they meet again in September.
The final match of the round sees Port Adelaide return from the bye with a trip to Subiaco to play West Coast.
The Eagles have been the big improvers this season and should have no trouble accounting for the Power.
Their match-up earlier in the season saw the Eagles win on the Power's home turf and with Port struggling at the bottom of the ladder it should be a similar result.
Eyre Peninsula football preview: June 18th
Do they make football shorts with a special thermal insert? The reason I ask is that it was minus two degrees in Ceduna early this week. Minus two degrees! I don't need to point out how cold that is for Eyre Peninsula when I'm already shivering into my jacket, scarf and gloves on a 14 degree morning.
Needless to say watch those fingers this weekend!Let's take a look around the grounds to see what's happening in Eyre Peninsula football this weekend.
Great Flinders rolls into game 7 this weekend, or game two of round two. It's what I'm calling the division round where the top three teams take on the bottom three - and with a big gap in between the groups the margins might be wide this weekend.
Saints out: Brad Foster (hamstring - training), Scott Fitzgerald (Bali), Darryl 'Boof' Marshall (unavailable - kicked five goals for Elliston the other week on a clearance)
Saints in: Matt Schramm, Joseph's brother Jason Burgoyne played the last game for the Saints against Ramblers and has been picked for this week.
Eagles out: Kade 'Doof' Dufek, Stephen 'Spoggy' Crettenden (AC joint shoulder/concussion)
Eagles in: Tim Boehm, Jarrod 'Chops' Phillips
Emma reckons: When I spoke to Ron Simpson yesterday he said he was almost at the point when you don't want to answer your phone because you don't want to know who else is injured. I think most coaches know how that feels but when you don't have much depth to dig new players out of, it can be a struggle.
The Eagles are on a good run this season despite losing Spog Crettenden to an AC Joint and concussion injury in the first game of the Mortlock Shield against Eastern Eyre last weekend.
At the end of the day the Eagles have got the Saint's measure and will take the points this weekend - by 5-8 goals.
After the game: the Saint's are holding their end of seeding cut-out with Port Lincoln musician Nick Krieg performing - and it's free.
Cougars out: Ben Finlayson (Bs), Luke Spook Moroney (medial ligament in knee in Mortlock),
Cougars in: Landon Gregory (back from hamstring), Ben Green.
Roos out: Tom Reynolds, Scott Reynolds, Guy Morton (ligaments in ankle - bad), Saxon Kay (and Alistair Stairs Pearce still out injured).
Roos in: Matthew Siviour (First A grade game), Brody Burrows, Travis Beard, Josh Dearman (all up from the colts). There aren't 21 players at the level to play As from within their squad or the Colts, so they'll have to pull another one from the B Grade.
Emma reckons: Cougars are devastated to lose their curly haired son in Spook Moroney to a knee injury which I'm guessing happened in the last game against Port Lincoln in the Mortlock Shield last weekend.
While this injury is bad they've got another in Landon Gregory returning from a bad hamstring injury into the forward so he'll be very handy for them.
Lock on the other hand are still struggling to find 21 players to take to the ground for a match. With three colts up and another to find from the B Grade it's going to be a struggle for them to kick goals today.
Cougars by 10+ goals.
Blues out: Michael 'Maggot' Curtis (hamstring), Luke 'Pardo' Partington (colts), David 'Butts' Butler (away).
Blues in: Jacob 'Gearbox' Cave, Scott Edmonds, Will 'Nanks' Nankivell
Ramblers out: Jim 'Goldie' Holman (baby watch), Scott 'Jock' Blacker, Tom Haarsma, Sam Guidera, possibly George 'Pigdog' Pedler (baby watch)
Ramblers in: Adam Haarsma, Cody 'Skiv' Pilgrim, Craig Fitzgerald, Billy Pilgrim
Emma reckons: I haven't been this excited for a game of football since last year's Grand Final. The idea of the twilight game came about last year and it's a brilliant concept for country football. To play under lights brings a new dimension into the game and the only thing we need to work with us is the weather.
But will the weather be playing along? According to the ABC Eyre Peninsula website weather forecast Friday afternoon it's going to be 18 degrees (down to 11) with WNW winds up to 17 knots in the afternoon and there's fifty per cent chance of between 1-5 mm of rain. Hopefully that falls in the morning.
The Blues A squad had a trial twilight match against the Blues colts last week which was a bit of fun and also great experience in getting used to playing in those conditions.
This weekend Ramblers are producing some more footballers and netballers for the future of their club but with three of their best in Jim Holman and possibly George Pedler out (he says he hopes so), along with the not-breeding-as-far-as-we-know-it Blacker out of the line-up - it's the closest the Blues might get to the black and white in 2011.
Ramblers to win by 3 goals with a nip of port for both sides at half time!
After the game: it's the Blues player's auction - your chance to "buy buy the Blues" footballers and netballers of your choice.
It's game six for Port Lincoln teams this weekend.
Mallee Park Vs Tasman @ Mallee Park
After the game: Kurruru Youth Performing Arts are bringing their show 'Nunga Funny' to the Peckers clubhouse from 7pm. It's a showcase of SA's funniest Aboriginal and Torrest Strait Islanders. It's just $10 for Adults.
Waybacks Vs Lincoln South @ Ravendale
Marble Range Vs Bostons @ Wangary
The red and blue crew are rolling into round eight this weekend.
Ports Vs Rudall @ Port Neill
Kimba Districts Vs Cleve @ Kimba (check out their new clubroom facility).
Cowell has the bye.
Far West kick off game six for the year this weekend.
Ceduna Blues Vs Koonibba @ Ceduna
Thevenard Vs Westies
It's game eight for the Mid West League this weekend.
Elliston Vs Central Eyre @ Elliston
Western Districts Vs Wudinna United @ Minnipa
West Coast Hawks Vs Wirrulla @ Piednippie.
After the game at Piednippie: The Hercules Hawk has spoken, announcing that it's Rubik's Cube night, where people come dressed in all the colours of the 80s toy, but by the end of the night you have to swap clothes to be all the same colour - just like you would attempt with the cube. Get amongst it.
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