Laird signs with Bulldogs for another year

Updated September 28, 2012 14:53:03

Central District chief executive Kris Grant said he was sure Roy Laird could return the club to the top of the SANFL.

The seven-time premiership coach has agreed to a coaching deal for another year with the northern Adelaide club.

Grant says Laird is the right man to lead the Bulldogs' revival after the team missed the Grand Final for the first time since 1999.

"It's going to be a new ball game for us, the list is going to change quite a bit, we're going to freshen all that up," he said.

"Obviously footy has changed over the period and Roy as a tactician is very, very, very good in that area and he'll be looking at new sort of ways and maybe tweaking our game plan."

Tags: sanfl, adelaide-5000, sa

First posted September 28, 2012 14:34:29

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Cats' Menzel suffers another knee injury

Updated June 02, 2012 22:58:13

Highly-rated Geelong youngster Daniel Menzel is facing another knee reconstruction in another devastating setback to his AFL career.

The 20-year-old forward was making his comeback on Saturday after needing the same surgery last September.

Menzel was playing for Geelong's VFL side at Kardinia Park against North Ballarat when he went down in the third term.

It was costly VFL match for the Cats - Allen Christensen, who was returning from a calf muscle injury, was also taken to hospital when he was concussed in the final term.

Menzel had to be stretchered from the field after his injury.

Cats football manager Neil Balme said the club was 90 per cent sure Menzel had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Menzel suffered the same injury in his right knee during last September's qualifying final against Hawthorn.

He will undergo scans to confirm the injury.

If Menzel needs a reconstruction, his football season is over.

"We're not over-optimistic about it, we'll wait and see what happens," Balme told SEN.

"He's a very young man and they get them right nowadays.

"We have to take the positive view and say that will be good, but right now I think it will be very hard to convince him of that optimistic view of things."

Balme said Menzel had started the game well and kicked a couple of goals.

The Cats football manager said Menzel had made an outstanding play immediately before he was injured.

"I saw him - he went for the ball very quickly and picked up a fabulous half-volley and gave off a handball," Balme said.

"I followed the ball then and the next thing, something was down.

"I haven't seen the replay, but I don't think there was any other player involved - it wasn't someone falling over him.

"He was full pace, half-volley, off the ground, quick give - he was ready to play, don't worry about that."

Menzel continues a rash of ACL ruptures so far this season, which now extends to around a dozen.

It is not uncommon for a footballer to suffer more than one ACL rupture, but it is unusually shocking luck to suffer the same injury in his first comeback game following a knee reconstruction.

"Maybe it says that he has ACLs that are not that strong - or my feeling is he's that powerful, maybe he has to work harder than others," Balme said.

"The whole physics of it, I wonder what that means."

Menzel has played 20 games since his 2010 debut and was enjoying strong form last year before he missed out on Geelong's premiership because of the reconstruction.

Former Cats star Cameron Mooney said if Menzel can return to full fitness for an extended period, he is capable of winning a Brownlow Medal.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, geelong-3220, vic, australia

First posted June 02, 2012 22:58:13

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Famous football family mourns another champion

By Lisa Mosley

Updated May 03, 2012 16:31:16

Northern Territory and Western Australian football identity Sebastian "Sibby" Rioli has died.

He was 57.

He died at Royal Darwin Hospital this morning after suffering a heart attack.

Mr Rioli played for the South Fremantle Football Club during the 1970s.

He was the brother of the late VFL and Territory football star Maurice Rioli, who died in 2010 while celebrating Christmas with his family.

"Sibby" Rioli is survived by his wife and six children, and his son Ben plays for the Territory Thunder team, which competes in the NEAFL.

A member of his wider family, Cyril Rioli, now plays with AFL club Hawthorn.

Another relative, Dean Rioli, played for Essendon.

Tags: death, australian-football-league, darwin-0800, south-fremantle-6162, melbourne-3000

First posted May 03, 2012 16:31:16

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It was just another game: Lyon

Updated April 21, 2012 12:32:44

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says he took no extra satisfaction out of the Dockers posting a 13-point victory over his former side St Kilda at Docklands on Friday night.

While the 14.8 (92) to 11.13 (79) win will be a bitter pill to swallow for Saints fans still angry over Lyon's decision to walk out on the club last September, Lyon says he has moved on from the drama and is more intent on building the Dockers' self-belief.

The Dockers traded three goals each with the Saints in the last quarter to hold on for a tense victory before Saints fans booed and hissed at Lyon as he walked onto the field to celebrate with his players.

It was the Dockers' first win in Melbourne for almost two years and broke an eight-match losing streak against the Saints.

"I've moved on. Both players groups had," Lyon said.

"I used the term the sideshow. It was emotionally a tough night in some ways.

"I take no joy out of beating St Kilda Football Club other than getting the four points."

Lyon praised the role played by Ryan Crowley on key Saints midfielder Nick Dal Santo (18 possessions) and Adam McPhee's effort to hold dangerous small forward Stephen Milne to one goal and nine disposals.

"Adam ... did a good job on an incredibly dangerous player," Lyon said.

"Ryan Crowley, he's dog hungry. He really needed to work hard on one of their better ball-users.

"We're a work in progress. Good teams win interstate and we're aiming to be a good team."

Lyon says it will be a huge challenge for his side against Carlton on Friday night in Perth, although the Dockers are set to be boosted by the return of star utility Nat Fyfe.

Fyfe was a late withdrawal from the Saints encounter after his shoulder popped out during last week's win over Brisbane.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, melbourne-3000, fremantle-6160

First posted April 21, 2012 12:06:17

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Power record another loss

Updated December 13, 2011 07:54:22

Port Adelaide has recorded another loss of more than $3 million as the club continues to struggle on and off the field.

The Power reported a consolidated operating profit of $887,981, but that was after financial assistance from the SANFL worth more than $4 million.

Their loss was $3.16 million, which was an improvement on last year's $3.69 million result in the red.

Power president Brett Duncanson says the club needs more improvement in match day and sponsorship revenues.

"We suffered in 2011 through lower-than-expected AFL home ground crowds, which were impacted on by some scheduling issues together with our teams on-field results," he said in a statement.

"It highlights the need for our members and supporters to get along to our home games and support the team and at the same time help our clubs bottom line."

The SANFL help included a $2.05 million grant, held over from last year, and $2 million made available through a loan to the SA Football Commission from the AFL.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, port-adelaide-5015

First posted December 12, 2011 17:52:05

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Scott wants another flag with Cats

Updated October 07, 2011 00:00:50

Geelong coach Chris Scott wants to extend the AFL club's greatest era further, despite the ongoing challenge of managing its ageing team.

The first-year coach was given a rousing reception as he took to the stage on Thursday night at the club's "Carji" Greeves Medal best and fairest evening.

Corey Enright was named Geelong's best for the second time with 150 votes, ahead of Joel Corey (143) and Norm Smith medallist Jimmy Bartel (142).

It was the closest count in club history, with only 16 votes separating first and 10th place.

Last Saturday, Scott led the Cats to their third premiership in five years, despite the significant challenges that the club has faced over the last year.

Along with several key players either turning 30 or nearing that age, 12 months ago the Cats also lost Gary Ablett to Gold Coast.

Scott proved a spectacular success after the departure of Mark Thompson a year ago to Essendon.

"I don't want to talk about the future too much, except to say I think we know what we're going to get from our guys," Scott said in his speech at the awards dinner.

"We know our playing group is going to be questioned again in the next 12 months and those questions are real and we shouldn't argue with them.

"But you know what? It is possible to do it again."

Scott also promised the Cats fans that the players remained committed.

"I guarantee none of our players will get ahead of themselves ... but if they do, they will have to answer to Matty Scarlett, Corey Enright and those guys," he said.

Cats fans have revelled in the speculation that the team would go into decline this season, but Scott said those concerns remained real.

"As I've said a number of times, I feel incredibly privileged and humbled to be not only a part of the Geelong footy club, but to have been given the opportunity to coach such a fine group of players," he said.

"Twelve months ago we had some huge challenges in front of us - some questions were raised about the playing group that to this day I still think were extremely valid.

"Those questions are still going to be significant into the next 12-month period, but there's one thing for sure - our players won't give up, they don't listen to what's said about them outside the club, good or bad."

Scott paid special tribute to veterans Cameron Mooney and Darren Milburn.

Mooney has retired and Milburn is soon expected to announce he will also end his fine playing career.

"One of the most emotional moments of Saturday was seeing 'Dash' and 'Moons' after the game," Scott said.

"Those guys have made an amazing contribution to our football club."

Captain Cameron Ling also retired on Wednesday and Scott thanked him, calling him "my confidant".

Mooney won the coach's award and also shared with Joel Selwood the newly-named Tom Harley Award, which honours the players who best demonstrate the values of the team and club.

"I was never going to win the best and fairest, but I always desperately wanted to win this award," Mooney said of the Harley award.

"The fact the players vote on it makes it extra special."

Daniel Menzel was named this year's best young player and Selwood was named the club's community champion for his work outside the game.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, geelong-3220, vic, australia

First posted October 06, 2011 23:38:01

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Brown 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-states

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Crows under pressure after another poor performance

Adelaide's topsy turvey season has hit a new low, losing at home to the bottom team at Footy Park by 40 points.

Despite leading by 11 points at the first change, Adelaide were outclassed and outmuscled by a much more desperate Lions team, who kicked 14 goals to 5 after quarter time to win for just the second time this season.

The win continued the Lions AFL recovery since Jonathan Brown's return to the side

Brisbane were dominant throughout the 15.11 (101) to 8.13 (61) win after a shaky first quarter, outplaying their hosts in the midfield skirmishes while their defence easily outmarked all comers, thanks to inspired performances from Daniel Merritt (11 marks, 17 disposals) and Mitch Clark.

Clark ran the show with 22 touches and two goals while Ashley McGrath (four goals), Todd Banfield (three) and Bryce Retzlaff (two) made hay in front of goal in the Adelaide sun.

The win is Brisbane's second on the trot as the Lions continue to rediscover their form after Brown returned from a facial injury lay-off in last week's win over the Kangaroos.

It lifts Brisbane off the bottom of the ladder, having a better for-and-against than Queensland rival Gold Coast, while the Crows remain in 13th spot.

FINAL SCORE

Brisbane: 15.11 (101) - A McGrath 4, T Banfield 3, B Retzlaff 2, M Clark 2, D Rich, J O'Brien, L Power, T Collier

Adelaide: 8.13 (61) - B Smith, C Knights, M Wright, N van Berlo, P Dangerfield, R Henderson, S Jacobs, T Walker

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Swans win another tight one

Posted May 29, 2011 07:37:00

So many numbers went against Sydney in its AFL clash against North Melbourne on Saturday, except for the one that counts most.

The masters of the arm wrestle again held their nerve in a frenetic last term at Docklands, beating the Kangaroos by one point.

After Ben McGlynn kicked his third goal to put the Swans ahead, there was no score for the last 10 minutes of the match as Sydney held on 10.12 (72) to 9.17 (71).

Apart from more scoring shots, North also won contested possessions 155-132, clearances 40-30 and inside 50s 53-48.

The other crucial statistic is that after 10 rounds, Sydney has three wins and a draw by a combined margin of 14 points.

The Kangaroos have now lost four games by a total of 28 points.

Sydney is in the top eight with five wins, while North are languishing in the bottom four with seven losses.

"There is a whole pack of teams in the middle rungs of the ladder and sometimes you need to win some of those close ones," Swans coach John Longmire said.

"We can be better ... we can be a lot more consistent over the period of four quarters.

"Sometimes you just have to dig in - they had a lot of inside 50s in the last quarter, they might have had 18 or something like that, and I thought defensively we withstood that pressure pretty well.

"That was a really pleasing sign."

Just as the Swans showed the toughness and poise that have earned them universal respect for so long, North again paid for skill errors.

It is becoming a constant refrain from coach Brad Scott that they must use the ball better and that the improvement will take time.

As he noted, if a team wins inside 50s, contested possessions and clearances, it should win the game.

North started superbly, kicking the first three goals of the game inside 10 minutes.

Had Lindsay Thomas converted a simple set shot, they would have been 4.2 to no score.

But his goalkicking yips continued - Thomas now has 10.22 for the season - and Sydney quickly goalled shortly after.

North only kicked another six goals for the match as the Swans steadily worked their way into the match.

"We've got to keep working and working and working," Scott said.

"I'm really confident the players have the capabilities, they perform really well in those areas at training, but when the pressure comes on we are not quite good enough at the moment."

Swans key defender Heath Grundy was best afield with his superb work on Drew Petrie, who was dangerous early, while Rhyce Shaw shut down Brent Harvey.

Sydney substitute Lewis Jetta also gave his team much-needed run when he came on in the last term and laid a crucial tackle on Petrie late in the match.

North key defender Scott Thompson was his team's best and he kicked two goals in the second term - bringing his career tally to three.

Michael Firrito will come under video scrutiny for a late challenge on McGlynn in the third term that gifted Sydney a 50m penalty and goal.

- AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, nsw, sydney-2000, vic, melbourne-3000

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