Tippett nominates for preseason draft

Updated November 28, 2012 11:54:52

Kurt Tippett has removed himself from the Adelaide players' list and nominated himself for next week's AFL preseason draft.

Tippett, along with members of the Crows management, will face an AFL Commission on Friday on charges of tampering with the draft and breaching the salary cap.

The highly-rated forward, who is tipped to receive a ban at the hearing, is already looking beyond this and preparing for the next stage of his career.

The AFL released a statement explaining that Tippett will be given until Monday, following Friday's hearing, to register his financial terms for the preseason draft.

"Tippett has been given permission by the AFL to have an extension to lodge set financial terms as a Category 1 player for his remuneration with the AFL next week, " the statement said.

The preseason draft takes place on December 11 and the Greater Western Sydney Giants - who have targeted Tippett - have the first pick.

Tippett, who wants to move to the Sydney Swans, will now not be able to join any club as a free agent and is likely to put a large figure on his head in an attempt to dissuade the Giants from selecting him.

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, adelaide-5000

First posted November 28, 2012 11:49:27

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AFL stiffens preseason penalties

Updated November 21, 2012 16:37:20

AFL players must now serve any suspensions earned in the preseason cup during the regular season as part of a league crackdown on offences and penalties.

The AFL will also introduce two new charges to stop players crashing into opponents below the knees.

Forceful contact below the knees and sliding feet-first into a contest now fall under the category of rough conduct.

The changes mean if a player is suspended because of an incident in the opening week of the preseason cup, he can play for the rest of the lead-up competition.

But he will then have to serve his penalty from round one of the home-and-away season.

The AFL states the change was made "to ensure consistency and to provide a sufficient deterrent for players not to offend".

The league also announced on Wednesday:

It will be tougher for a player to qualify for a good record, which means a 25 per cent discount on any tribunal penalty, with the requirement for clean slate increasing from five to six years;An increase in the penalty points for stomping, making the offence as serious as kicking.And if a defendant in a tribunal hearing makes a claim against another player, "that player must be notified and have the opportunity to appear and be heard on the case as a matter of fairness".

While the changes largely mean stricter penalties and guidelines, the AFL also relaxed the definition of a bad record loading.

A player now qualifies for a bad record, which means a tougher penalty, if he has been suspended for two or more games over the previous two years.

The AFL said it relaxed the bad record definition "to reflect the fact it was felt three years is too long for a player to hold onto a 'bad record' for committing a single offence".

Players sliding feet-first into contests became a hot topic this season, particularly after Sydney speedster Gary Rohan suffered a broken leg.

North Melbourne forward Lindsay Thomas was reported for sliding into Rohan, but the case was thrown out on appeal.

Sydney co-captain Adam Goodes was also suspended for sliding into Port Adelaide defender Jacob Surjan.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, australia

First posted November 21, 2012 16:37:20

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Crows come good in preseason final

Updated March 17, 2012 23:33:13

Days after being scolded for wearing just boxer shorts in a country pub, Bernie Vince inspired Adelaide to claim the AFL preseason cup with a 34-point win over West Coast.

The Crows prevailed 2.10.17 (95) to 2.5.13 (61) in Saturday night's preseason final at Football Park, with the Eagles losing the game and also veteran Mark Nicoski to injury.

Nicoski tore a hamstring in the first quarter and will likely miss three weeks action, while Adelaide's Vince made amends for his headline-grabbing antics.

Vince was forced to buy 60 double passes for the preseason decider, and given a deferred suspension, for what Crows' hierarchy dubbed another silly episode last Sunday.

The Crows' playmaker was dressed only in boxer shorts in a country pub when he helped his cricket club celebrate its premiership.

After being disciplined by the Crows, Vince responded on-field to gather a game-high 29 disposals to win the Michael Tuck medal.

"He was outstanding," new coach Brenton Sanderson said.

"You could tell he was wound up."

Sanderson said the preseason cup was a "nice reward" for the Crows' perfect preseason of five wins from five matches.

"We have a very young group so there are going to be some ups and downs," he said.

"But what this gives is a bit of confidence that we can match it with the better sides."

West Coast coach John Worsfold said his side's overall preseason was a success.

"We were a bit disappointed with the way we played tonight but I think we have achieved what we wanted to," he said.

Adelaide key forward Taylor Walker kicked a super goal and two regulation majors while on-ballers Scott Thompson and Patrick Dangerfield were also prominent.

West Coast relied heavily on the tireless ball gathering of Matthew Priddis but, despite Nic Naitanui's ruck dominance, could not find a multiple goalkicker in a final played before 27,376 spectators.

Adelaide claimed its second preseason title after withstanding a late challenge from the Eagles, who are yet to win the cup.

After Walker kicked all his goals and set up another in a game-turning purple-patch, the Crows held a 31-point lead midway through the third quarter.

But West Coast rallied and, when newcomer Gerrick Weedon goaled within a minute of the last term, the visitors were just 12 points down.

But Vince then capped his fine performance by setting up team-mate Jason Porplyzia for a goal - the first of four Adelaide majors in a 15-minute burst which sealed their victory.

Adelaide: 2.10.17 (95) - Nine-pointers: M Jaensch, T Walker. Goals: T Walker 2, B Vince, D Mackay, I Callinan, J Petrenko, J Porplyzia, K Tippett, S Jacobs, S Thompson.

West Coast: 2.5.13 (61) - Nine-pointers: J Hill, M Nicoski. Goals: A Hams, G Weedon, J Darling, J Hill, M Priddis.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, adelaide-5000, sa, australia, perth-6000, wa

First posted March 17, 2012 22:45:48

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Saints opt not to pursue preseason points

Updated March 04, 2012 17:31:16

St Kilda says it will not formally request the four points from Saturday night's abandoned AFL preseason game in Wangaratta, despite Essendon admitting the Saints deserve them.

The Bombers failed to make it to the north-east Victorian city, with torrential rains that have hit the region making it impossible for their chartered planes to land on Saturday afternoon.

The Saints had travelled a day earlier by bus and Essendon coach James Hird conceded on Sunday that St Kilda deserved full points, given the side was at the ground and the Bombers were not.

"I can understand why St Kilda want the four points," Hird told reporters, according to the AFL website.

"They are probably theirs, they got to the ground and we didn't.

"No one at Essendon would begrudge St Kilda getting the four points."

Saints coach Scott Watters indicated on Saturday night that his club wanted the AFL to award them maximum points.

"We came here wanting four points and we'll see what happens," Watters said.

"Last time I was at a forfeit was under-12s, and the side that didn't turn up didn't get the points."

The AFL initially released a statement saying the points would be shared, but late on Saturday night issued a revised statement, saying they would hear both clubs' views before making a final decision.

However, the Saints said on Sunday morning they would not be putting forward a formal case.

"The St Kilda Football Club has this morning decided not to formally request the awarding of points," the club said in a statement.

"The club felt it was inappropriate to assess the circumstances surrounding Essendon's non-arrival from Melbourne.

"St Kilda Football Club has resolved that it will accept the final decision of the AFL."

Essendon's travel plans were endorsed by the AFL and Hird said while they had a bus on standby, they had been assured by their airline right up until flight time that flying would not be a problem.

"Both myself and (Essendon player and development manager) Danny Corcoran as we got on the plane asked the pilot 'Are you sure we are going to be OK to get there?' and he said yes," Hird said.

"You can only take the experts' opinion."

Several Bombers were ill as a result of the unpleasant flying conditions, with Hird saying youngster Dyson Heppell was particularly unwell.

"I have never seen him so sick," Hird said.

"Seeing Dyson Heppell's face when he got off the plane and how relieved he was, was a bright moment."

AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, wangaratta-3677, vic, australia

First posted March 04, 2012 11:05:28

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Demons without jumper sponsor for preseason cup

Updated February 24, 2012 11:51:41

Melbourne will start this year's AFL preseason competition without a major sponsor on its jumper.

The Demons have opted to partner with The Reach Foundation, the charity established by former Melbourne president Jim Stynes which aims to help Victoria's disadvantaged youth, for the preseason competition.

"Here was an opportunity where we've come into our pre-season program without a major sponsor on our jumper, and we took our inspiration from FC Barcelona, which for many years had Unicef on the front of their shirt," Demons chief executive Cameron Schwab said.

"So we thought - let's put the Reach logo on our jumper in recognition of the unbelievable work they do with young people. We can wear it proudly, and recognise that the relationship is even more tangible and public than perhaps it's ever been."

Current Melbourne president Don McLardy also worked alongside Stynes at Reach.

Schwab is confident the club will have a playing strip sponsor in time for the start of the season proper.

"We think we're still very much on track with our sponsorship. There's no panic stations," he said.

"We're having some really important and major discussions with our major sponsorship. We weren't prepared to compromise those at such an important time, as part of the long-term growth of the club.

"We're very confident that we can work through and get a very good outcome."

The Demons were in a dire financial position in 2008, but wiped off $5 million in debt in two years under the leadership of Stynes.

AAP

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

First posted February 24, 2012 10:21:35

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Roughead a chance for preseason return

Updated March 09, 2012 11:55:33

Hawthorn key forward Jarryd Roughead may return to playing duties next week.

Roughead missed the second half of last season because of a ruptured Achilles tendon.

His absence was a major blow for the Hawks, who narrowly lost their preliminary final against Collingwood.

Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson says depending on where his side plays next week in the last round of the preseason cup, they may bring Roughead back for a run in the senior side.

But Clarkson adds he remains unsure if Roughead will be ready for round one of the regular season.

"He's progressing really well and we'd be hopeful he would play again pretty soon," Clarkson said.

The Hawks will bring back several big names for Saturday night's preseason match against Melbourne at Docklands.

Lance Franklin, Cyril Rioli and Sam Mitchell are among those who will play against the Demons.

AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, hawthorn-3122, vic, australia

First posted March 09, 2012 11:45:41

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Buckley backs Krakouer's preseason

Updated February 02, 2012 22:02:03

New Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has thrown his weight behind Andrew Krakouer's off-season, saying the forward needed downtime in the wake of his momentous comeback.

Buckley said the plan was for the 28-year-old to be at peak fitness ahead of this year's finals.

His strong support was in response to talk that Krakouer might have needed to work on his fitness after taking a break.

But Buckley said Krakouer's time away from training had been invaluable.

Krakouer was one of the great AFL stories last year, making his comeback with the Magpies after serving a 16-month jail term in WA for assault.

"You can only be up for so long," Buckley said.

"The players still need to be able to fill the tank because by the end of the season, it's empty.

"There's no doubt 'Krak' had been up for a long time and he needed to go away and fill the tank a little bit.

"That off-season was really important for him, just to take stock, and he's on the way back and going well."

Buckley also noted that as soon as competitive ball work had started, Krakouer's competitive instincts had shone through again.

"He is training okay, but he still has a fair bit of work to do," he said.

"We have had some boys on restricted programs with injury - he had a few little concerns.

"We want him to play his best footy at the pointy end of the season because that's when he is going to be most important to us.

"He will have a run around in the NAB Cup and he will be up and about for selection, but he's on his own program.

"As soon as you start ball work and scrimmaging he is phenomenal."

Meanwhile, Buckley has praised two-time All-Australian Alan Didak, saying his preseason had so far been outstanding.

After finishing fourth in the club best-and-fairest two years ago, Didak struggled last season with injury and below-par form.

"He's probably exceeded expectations in many ways - he's had a very consistent pre-season," Buckley said.

"The body is in good nick, the mind is in good nick.

"He's looking forward to probably getting some momentum early in the season to counteract the way last year ended.

"There's no reason at this stage why he shouldn't have the confidence to start the year well, given he's been easily among the top three trainers on the track this pre-season."

Buckley said there was "no reason" why Didak could not return to his 2010 form.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, collingwood-3066, vic, australia

First posted February 02, 2012 22:02:03

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Rutten to miss Crows preseason

Updated January 31, 2012 07:01:46

Adelaide full-back Ben Rutten will miss the AFL preseason competition due to a foot injury, but the club believes he'll be ready for the season proper.

Rutten will have foot surgery this week to relieve plantar fasciitis and is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.

Crows football operations general manager Phil Harper is confident the 28-year-old will be fit in time to play Gold Coast in round one.

"Ben's had some issues with his foot over the preseason," Harper said.

"Recently, it had improved and he was able to resume full training, but unfortunately it flared up again last week and the club medical staff in conjunction with Ben have decided that surgery is now the best option.

"It's not ideal, but given the short period of time in which Chris Knights and Jason Porplyzia were both able to recover from the same surgery we are confident Ben will be right to play in round one of the premiership season."

With key defenders Nathan Bock and Phil Davis leaving Adelaide to join the AFL's two expansion sides, the Crows can ill-afford to lose Rutten, the 2005 All-Australian full-back.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, adelaide-5000, sa

First posted January 30, 2012 20:58:45

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Judd ready for preseason

Updated January 13, 2012 17:15:12

Carlton skipper Chris Judd is ahead of schedule following last month's shoulder surgery and is set to lead the Blues during the preseason AFL competition.

As part of the main training group, Judd took part in all but contact training on Friday, allaying concerns his 2012 season could have been affected by the injury.

The dual Brownlow Medallist looked leaner than ever, perhaps due to his forced focus on running rather than weights.

Team-mate Michael Jamison said the club was pleased with the progress of its star midfielder.

"I think he's well ahead of schedule, even though the surgery was quite minor in the end anyway," Jamison said.

"He'll probably have another couple of weeks with no contact and then be ready to go."

Jamison said Judd would definitely play in the latter stages of the preseason cup.

"To what extent I'm not sure but I would have thought he'll play the last couple of NAB Cup games before round one."

Backline competition

Jamison missed seven weeks towards the end of 2011 with a knee injury before returning for Carlton's final three games, but the defender said he was back to 100 per cent.

"I was limited before Christmas but now we're back, I'm back into full training and full contact so I'm feeling really good."

In his absence forward Lachlan Henderson shifted to defence, where he has remained training over preseason.

Jamison was looking forward to spending more time with him at that end of the ground and said Henderson's flexibility was crucial for the team.

"He did really well last year and he fit in really well so I'd like to play alongside him," he said.

"I think we've got probably 10 guys who can go through those six spots this year so it's going to be a fair bit of competition in the backline."

The 25-year-old said the Blues did not feel they had to change much heading into 2012 and had a good base to to work from.

"We think we identified the areas last year and improved on them in terms of our tackling and contested ball so I don't think we've got any gaping holes this year."

The squad also took a moment during training to raise a cheer for midfielder Andrew Carrazzo who with wife Yvette on Thursday welcomed triplets Grace, Charlotte and Sophia.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, carlton-3053, melbourne-3000, vic

First posted January 13, 2012 12:16:18

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