Crows receive additional charges

Updated November 14, 2012 12:19:35

Adelaide is facing further charges from the AFL over illegal payments made to Kurt Tippett over the course of his recently expired three-year contract with the Crows.

The Crows and Tippett were already set to face a hearing beginning on November 19 over allegations of draft tampering and breaking AFL rules on player payments.

Now the Crows, its chief executive Steven Trigg and football operations manager Phil Harper have been charged with breaking rule 17 relating to total player payments - believed to be in reference to the reported extra $200,000 the player took home outside of his contract from 2009.

"In accordance with AFL Player Rule 17, which relates to the enforcement of the AFL Draft and Total Player Payments, I have today issued a further three charges," AFL's general manager of football operations, Adrian Anderson said.

"The Adelaide Crows Football Club, Adelaide Crows Chief Executive Officer Steven Trigg and Adelaide Crows General Manager Football Operations Phil Harper have each been charged once as follows:

"Contrary to Rule 17 of the Rules, between September 2009 and October 2012, you engaged in conduct in breach of the Total Player Payments provisions in the Rules."

This is the first charge Harper has received over the scandal.

In total, Trigg faces a total of three charges, while Tippett and former Crows general manager of football operations John Reid will answer to two charges.

Adelaide released a statement saying it understood the extra charges and looks forward to representing its case on Monday.

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

First posted November 14, 2012 10:59:13

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Swans still set on Tippett

Updated October 27, 2012 10:11:38

Sydney chief executive Andrew Ireland says the club still intends to bring Kurt Tippett to the Swans for the 2013 season.

The AFL released a statement after the end of the three-week trade period that Tippett would not be able to be able to be traded while it investigates claims of an $200,000 payment to the forward when he re-signed with Adelaide three years ago.

Tippett will be allowed to nominate for the AFL Draft pending the result of the current investigation.

Despite speculation that Tippett may face a ban, Ireland says the Swans remain committed to trying to bring him to the side.

"Once Kurt nominated the Swans as his preferred club, we entered the trade period with the intention of securing a suitable trade," Ireland said.

"Our position on Kurt has not changed, and pending the outcome of the AFL's current investigation, we remain committed to recruiting Kurt for the 2013 season."

The Swans concluded the trade period with five draft selections inside the top 70.

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, sydney-2000, adelaide-5000

First posted October 26, 2012 19:27:15

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Magpies to give Hudson fourth AFL home

Updated November 26, 2012 14:33:12

Collingwood plans to pluck veteran ruckman Ben Hudson out of a short-lived AFL retirement for the second straight year.

The Magpies have signed the 33-year-old, 161-gamer as a ruck coach, but also want to add him as a back-up ruckman through the December 11 rookie draft.

The Magpies will be Hudson's fourth club after getting picked as a mature-aged recruit when Adelaide first drafted him in 2003.

But it will provide handy insurance for Collingwood.

Having cut Cameron Wood and Jonathon Ceglar, the club only has the untried 208cm Jarrod Witts and newly-drafted Brodie Grundy to support 31-year-old number one ruckman Darren Jolly.

Football director Geoff Walsh said Hudson would be beneficial as both a mentor to the youngsters and as Jolly's support act.

"Ben will work closely with our young ruckmen and we think, with his experience and example, he will be outstanding in that role," Walsh said.

"But we have also committed to selecting Ben in the rookie draft if he nominates because we think he can also offer strong support to Darren Jolly as the two young boys mature."

Hudson played 55 games for the Crows from 2004-07 and a further 88 for the Western Bulldogs from 2008-11 before initially retiring.

Brisbane lured him out of retirement to provide support for Matthew Leuenberger, after ex-Lions big man Mitch Clark was poached by Melbourne.

With Leuenberger succumbing to a season-ending Achilles injury in round three, Hudson proved to be of huge value for the Lions, playing 18 matches, before retiring for the second time in October.

Hudson is expected to join Collingwood on Tuesday and take part in its training camp which starts next week at altitude in Utah.

AAP

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

First posted November 26, 2012 13:59:27

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Midfielders set to dominate AFL draft

Updated November 20, 2012 22:10:51

Talent isn't the only reason midfielders are tipped to flood the early stages of Thursday night's AFL national draft.

In three of the past five years, a ruckman or key forward has filled the number one spot, most recently Greater Western Sydney's Jonathon Patton last year.

It's been a rare year when the top three hasn't included at least one ruckman or tall forward.

But AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan says this year is set to be different, with many midfielders and a few defenders likely to be among the top picks.

"Midfielders and ruckmen have been the most popular number one choice in the 26-year history to date," Sheehan said on Tuesday.

"But there seems to be a swing away from ruckmen. Maybe it will be the midfielders - Jimmy Toumpas, Lachie Whitfield, Jonathan O'Rourke, Oliver Wines - that might be the ones taken early.

"It might be a push towards the midfield."

Whitfield, a 184cm Victorian described by Sheehan as a running machine with a kick like a "tracer bullet" on both feet, is considered a certainty to go number one to GWS, who have the first three picks.

South Australia's Brodie Grundy is rated the one outstanding ruckman in this year's draft group and likely to go in the first round.

But Sheehan said while the many midfielders expected to be taken early this year would warrant their selection on talent, the changing nature of the game also helped their cause.

"That's probably the way the game's gone," he said.

"The midfielder probably plays in eight or 10 spots on the ground.

"They rotate, they come from half-forward to half-back and run through the midfield roles, they're versatile, so that might be the focus."

A glance through some of the big men picked early in the drafts of the past decade might also help explain the focus on midfielders, with the likes of Jack Watts (number one in 2008), Scott Gumbleton, (number two in 2006) and Tim Walsh, (number four in 2002), failing to meet expectations.

Sheehan said with about 70 newcomers expected to be drafted - not counting the 26 picks clubs plan on using to upgrade rookies to their main lists - there were about 45 youngsters considered certain draftees.

For the remaining 25 or so spots it's wide open, with a field of about 150 contenders.

That means even clubs like St Kilda and Sydney, who have no picks inside the top 20 but several inside the top 50, can expect to get good value.

AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, surfers-paradise-4217, melbourne-3000

First posted November 20, 2012 22:10:51

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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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Power beat Bulldogs in London exhibition

Updated November 04, 2012 09:03:32

New coach Ken Hinkley has made a winning start to his time in charge of Port Adelaide with a one-point win in an AFL exhibition match against the Western Bulldogs in London.

Hinkley, who was only appointed to the top job last month, was at the helm as the Power edged out the Bulldogs 14.4 (88) to 13.9 (87) at The Oval cricket ground.

After trailing by six goals in the third quarter, the Power kicked nine majors on the trot before the 'Dogs reclaimed the lead in a see-sawing encounter.

To top off an entertaining evening in south London, Port Adelaide's Brad Ebert kicked the winning goal from the boundary line with only 40 seconds remaining.

Former Essendon forward Angus Monfries made an impact in his first outing for the Power by booting three goals although both teams were far from full strength.

Hinkley was happy for his young players to be on the right side of a scoreline following a forgettable season.

"I said to the players before hand 'you always want to win' it does not matter if it is an exhibition match or anything for us," he said.

"We are a club that needs to learn to win a bit."

Hinkley was an assistant coach at Geelong and the Gold Coast before finally being handed the reins at a club for the first time last month.

"I don't like losing and that is what most of us are about if we are in this game, we like to play to win and we were lucky enough to end up just in front tonight," he said.

"I am not sure whether we knew what we were doing, we have been together for three seconds but the coaching staff told me all along there was some talent here to work with and it is nice to see that."

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, england, port-adelaide-5015, sa, footscray-3011, vic

First posted November 04, 2012 08:45:24

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Saints' Gram charged with breaching order

Updated October 30, 2012 19:43:35

St Kilda footballer Jason Gram has appeared in court charged with four counts of breaching an intervention order.

The 28-year-old was arrested yesterday and spent the night in custody.

The Moorabbin Magistrates Court heard Gram was already on bail after breaching an intervention order in early September.

Police allege that he has since sent a woman 98 text messages and 16 Facebook messages.

They opposed his application for bail, but Gram's lawyer said the messages did not contain any threats and the arrest had been a big wake-up call for him.

Gram was granted bail on the condition that he stop contacting the woman.

He is due to appear in court again next month.

Gram has played 156 games and booted 71 goals since he made his debut in 2003.

Tags: courts-and-trials, australian-football-league, st-kilda-3182, moorabbin-3189

First posted October 30, 2012 16:08:07

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