Thursday, November 8

Cousins returns to Australia
Expected to continue rehabilitation in Sydney

Ben Cousins flew into Sydney with his father Bryan yesterday morning.

Last Thursday Bryan said the 2005 Brownlow medallist was preparing to check into drug rehabilitation in Malibu.

But after being informed that the AFL Commission would decide his footballing fate on November 19, Ben Cousins returned to Australia.

It is believed Cousins will continue his rehabilitation in Sydney.

West Coast sacked him last month after he was arrested for alleged drugs possession and refusing to comply with a police-ordered drug assessment. The drugs possession charge was later dropped.

l Mokbel judge heads AFL probe into West Coast
The judge who sentenced Tony Mokbel to 12 years behind bars in the drug lord's absence will head a probe into the affairs of West Coast.

The West Australian reports former Supreme Court judge Justice Bill Gillard, QC, was announced as the chief investigator on the day that disgraced former Eagles captain Ben Cousins made a surprise return to Australia.

Gillard is no stranger to controversy. On March 17 last year he refused a prosecution plea to revoke Mokbel's bail. Two days later, Mokbel vanished.

AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick said Gillard had the power to request meetings and documentation from West Coast or other AFL staff and players, including Chris Judd.

The Eagles promised to co-operate with the investigation yesterday – more

Justice Gillard has been asked among other things to:

n Give consideration to the culture and behaviour of the club's players;
n Make an assessment of the effectiveness of strategies and programs implemented by the club since April 29 to change the culture and behaviour of the club's players:
n Make an assessment of the effectiveness of the club's corporate governance and of the commission between its board, senior management and players, in addressing issues of player conduct;
n Make an assessment of the effectiveness of the club's player leadership group and its role and level of authority since April 29, in so far as those matters are relevant to the investigation.

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Briefly ...
n Oz-Wide, Premiers, Medals, Media Awards  – more
n 2007 Club Champions, Best & Fairest awards – more

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Wednesday, November 7

l George Grljusich dies, aged 68
Veteran sports broadcaster George Grljusich died in St John of God Hospital in Perth early on Tuesday morning. He was 68.

Early in October Grljusich had been diagnosed with advanced lung and bone cancer. A heavy smoker, he had been a fixture in West Australian radio and television for nearly 50 years.

ABC Sport Online and The West Australian reported his death comes just a matter of weeks after he made his final broadcast on 6PR on October 17.

George began his broadcasting career in 1960. During that time he commentated on 93 sports and broadcast at six Olympic Games.

A passionate follower of Australian football and harness racing, Grljusich was still playing for the South Fremantle Football Club when he began his career.

During his 47 years in sports broadcasting he built a reputation as a raconteur with a tendency to cut off any talkback callers he did not agree with.

However, he was admired by his colleagues for his meticulous approach to his work.

Grljusich's call of Ben Johnson's world record 100 metres sprint at the 1988 Seoul Olympics is regarded as one of the best of all time.

He spoke 53 words and nine sentences in just under 10 seconds.

Grljusich held a law degree and once dabbled in politics, once standing for the state seat of Cockburn in 1977.

His left the ABC to join commercial radio at 6PR in 1996.

He was to have been inducted into the WA Football Hall of Fame next week at a testimonial dinner. WA Football Commission chairman Neale Fong said George had filmed an acceptance speech last week, but the induction may be delayed until next year.

Grljusich's funeral will held at St Patrick's Basilica in Fremantle at a date to be announced.

l Scott Thompson booked for dangerous driving
Adelaide's Scott Thompson has been charged with dangerous driving over a car accident on the weekend. The 24-year-old's car ploughed into a tree on Saturday night, allegedly while doing burn-outs in front of friends. He polled the most votes (18) for the Crows in this year's Brownlow and had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the club captaincy.

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Briefly ...
n Oz-Wide, Premiers, Medals, Media Awards  – more
n 2007 Club Champions, Best & Fairest awards – more
n Retirements, delistings, traded – more

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Tuesday, November 6

l Blues take Lappin in coaching role
The just-retired Matthew Lappin doesn't need to look for fresh fields, after his appointment as Carlton's assistant development coach.

The 31-year-old played 251 AFL games for St Kilda and Carlton between 1994 and this year (StK 55, 1994-98; Car 196, 1999-2007).

The Herald Sun reports: "As well as imparting his football knowledge Matthew will also work with the players in their important role in Carlton's community program in 2008," general manager football operations, Steven Icke, said yesterday.

Lappin will continue his playing career with Carlton's VFL affiliate team the Northern Bullants, where he will assist Bullants playing coach David Teague.

l Geelong's David Johnson escapes conviction
Geelong defender David Johnson was yesterday given a slap on the wrist by a magistrate after he pleaded guilty to being drunk and resisting police on grand final eve.

Johnson, 26, was ordered to pay $600 to the Geelong Court Fund but escaped without conviction.

Rebecca Tucker reports in The Geelong Advertiser the Geelong Magistrates' Court heard the football club had already fined Johnson $2000 for the early morning events in central Geelong on Friday, September 28, which led to him being charged with three counts of resist police and one of being drunk in a public place.

Magistrate Ron Saines heard that while Johnson was prepared to write letters of apology to the three policemen involved and that he was embarrassed and remorseful for his actions, a stronger penalty was required as a matter of general deterrence to the Geelong community, which was over-burdened by drunken and anti-social behaviour.

He offered Johnson a guilty finding without conviction, providing he be of good behaviour for the next six months, which the player accepted.

l Game is over for Whitnall
The Herald Sun forecasts an imminent announcement is expected that will end the career of Lance Whitnall.

Mark Robinson reports Whitnall had hoped recent knee surgery would enable him to continue his career and nominate for the December 11 pre-season draft.

However the results of the surgery indicated Whitnall's knee had deteriorated to the extent that he would barely be able to train once a week if he wanted to continue, and if a club picked him up.

The 2007 Carlton captain was sacked by the club because of fears his knee wouldn't stand up to another season.

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Briefly ...
n Oz-Wide, Premiers, Medals, Media Awards  – more
n 2007 Club Champions, Best & Fairest awards – more
n Retirements, delistings, traded – more

n While various Kangaroo groups continue their discussions of how to address the AFL demand of Gold Coast relocation, among changes which have been agreed to is the addition of gold piping around the sleeves of the playing guernsey when the Kangas play at Carrara and the Gabba.

Regardless of the decision of *where or there* – the Kangas are contracted to play at least seven more matches at Carrara in the next two seasons.

n West Coast discard Ashley Sampi started pre-season training with Melbourne in the hope of reviving his 78-game career (2002-05). The 23-year-old has been given no guarantees by the Demons but if he sheds some 5-6kg he should begin to attract interest. He turns 24 on January 12.

n Sydney defender Jared Crouch successfully completed the New York Marathon on Sunday afternoon, New York time. Crouch completed the 42.2 kilometre race in just under six hours. Running for the Heart Foundation, Crouch with 39,084 other runners carried with him memories of his former trainer and friend, Wally Jackson, who died of a heart attack on the sideline of a Sydney-Kangaroos game in 2004.

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Monday, November 5

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Briefly ...
n Oz-Wide, Premiers, Medals, Media Awards  – more
n 2007 Club Champions, Best & Fairest awards – more
n Retirements, delistings, traded – more

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Saturday, November 3

Bringing the game into disrepute
Is Ben Cousins guilty of conduct unbecoming?
Notice to appear before Commission on November 19

Ben Cousins' substance abuse problem may stop him from playing serious football again, but the AFL may have made a formality of that, after yesterday charging the former Eagles captain, premiership player and Brownlow medallist with bringing the game into disrepute.

Cousins has been summoned to appear before the AFL Commission to justify his recent behaviour and explain why he should not be guilty of the offence that could lead to him being suspended, fined or permanently deregistered.

Michael Gleeson reports in The Age: The hearing before the commission is set down for November 19 at AFL House. Cousins at that time is expected to be undergoing drug rehabilitation at a clinic in the US. The AFL has said he would be entitled to appear by video link or to be represented by counsel.

A Perth magistrate recently adjourned a hearing of a charge of refusing to take a blood test against Cousins while he sought the drug treatment.

Cousins was sacked by the Eagles after he was charged by police with possession of an illegal substance and refusing a blood test. The possession charge was dropped later – more

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l Cricket Australia introduces "two strikes" policy
Cricket Australia through chief executive James Sutherland and Australian Cricketers Association chief executive Paul Marsh announced Friday the introduction of a "two strikes" drug policy which parallels the NRL and differs to the AFL's "three strikes" – CA's policy gives suspended fines and bans on the first offence, naming the player testing positive on the second offence and specifies a three-year ban from international, domestic or club cricket for a third positive test and the possibility of lifetime bans on the third offence.

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The SCG adds three metres
The $70 million redevelopment of Yabba's Hill and Doug Walters Stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground will also add three metres in length to the playing area.

Jano Gibson reports in The Age while the length is extended to 152 metres, ensuring the 50-metre arc and centre square marking no longer intersect, it will not be enough to rid the ground's title of the shortest in the AFL competition.

The SCG has hosted 300 games of our national code of football since Fitzroy played Collingwood on May 23, 1903. As the Sydney Swans since 1982 the red and white colours of the club have been carried in 288 matches – before the move to Sydney, the 133-year-old club (formed in June 19, 1874) also played at the SCG as South Melbourne against Collingwood in 1981.

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Briefly ...
n Oz-Wide, Premiers, Medals, Media Awards  – more
n 2007 Club Champions, Best & Fairest awards – more
n Retirements, delistings, traded – more
 

n The Age notes Essendon captain and Brownlow medallist James Hird was the most recent person charged under the rule Cousins faces. Hird was booked after making derisive comments about an umpire. Hird was fined for his rating on The Footy Show of umpire Scott McLaren's duties in the 2004 Round 2 Essendon-St Kilda match as "quite disgraceful". The fine of $20,000 was voluntarily made by Hird and he also undertook to assist the profile of umpires and umpiring for the next three years. Essendon FC were also fined $5000 on the basis Hird was a representative of the club when he made his offensive comments.

n Richmond has secured a new two-year sponsorship deal with Dick Smith Electronics.

n Essendon has appointed Ray Gunston as a club director. He is chief financial officer of Tattersalls and has been a member of the Bombers for 25 years.
 

n AFL Tasmania has outlined its plans for the future of state football for the next four years, which hopes by 2011 there will be five strategic development areas with AFL Tasmania forming an alliance with the Hawthorn Football Club being central to the structure.

ABC Sport Online reports the plan also calls for the retention of the Tasmanian Devils in the VFL competition for three years.

A new State Football League would come into being in 2009 and this would be underpinned by the regional community club based competitions. There would also be regional-based junior football competitions incorporating Auskick for pre-teenage children.

n Former Brisbane player Shaun Hart will run as a Family First candidate for the Senate at the forthcoming Federal election.

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The rule under which Ben Cousins was charged

The AFL webpage detailed the rule under which Cousins has been charged.

AFL Player Rule 1.6 and Regulations 1.6:
Where the Commission is of the opinion that a person has contravened the provisions of the Memorandum or Articles of Association or the AFL Regulations or the AFL Player Rules or has been involved in conduct which is unbecoming or likely to prejudice the interests or reputation of the AFL or to bring the game of football into disrepute, the Commission may deal with any such matter in such manner as the Commission in their absolute discretion think fit and without limiting their power they may:

(a) refer any matter to the Tribunal or other body or person appointed by the Commission;
(b) appoint any person to inquire into any matter;
(c) conduct their own disciplinary inquiry into any matter; and/or
(d) impose a monetary sanction as provided in these Regulations/Player Rules.

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Friday, November 2

Largest ever fine for Trade Practices breach
l Visy group and Richard Pratt fined $36 million
The Federal Court on Friday fined packaging group Visy and owner Richard Pratt a record $36 million over a price-fixing ring it ran with rival company Amcor.

Blair Speedy reported for The Australian: Judge Peter Heerey said the two companies arrangement to force up the price of cardboard boxes between 2000 and 2004 was the most serious cartel case to come before the court since price fixing was made illegal more than 30 years ago.

While the fine was the largest ever levied against a company for a breach of the Trade Practices Act, Judge Heerey called for the introduction of criminal penalties so that cartel operators could be jailed.

Former Visy chief executive Harry Debney was fined $1.5 million for his role in organising the cartel, while former Visy Board general manager Rod Carroll was fined $500,000 for his role in executing the scam.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Graeme Samuel hailed the decision, which followed a settlement deal between Visy and the regulator. “It was a premeditated fraud on Australian consumers,” Mr Samuel said.

Mr Samuel also renewed his calls for the introduction of criminal penalties for cartel participants, as the government promised to introduce more than two years ago.

Companies that fell victim to the cartel are seeking up to $820 million in compensation from Visy and Amcor in two separate legal actions still before the courts.

Mr Pratt is also president of the Carlton Football Club.

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Kangaroos have 29 days left to decide
l Hybrid Gold Coast plan rejected – the reasons
The AFL last night moved to clarify its position following the Kangaroos’ decision to reject a proposed relocation to the Gold Coast from 2010.

The AFL webpage details that the club’s board rebuffed the AFL’s proposal at a meeting on Wednesday, but the league’s chief broadcasting and commercial officer, Gillon McLachlan, reiterated the AFL’s intent to have a full-time presence in the growth market, with the Roos given 30 days to consider their options.

“We’ve been talking about this for a long time; we agreed with the Kangaroos that 30 days was enough for the club and the AFL to make the decision,” McLachlan said from AFL House.

“I think, ultimately, it’s not an ultimatum, it’s something we negotiated and agreed with them. It was something mutually agreed because the Kangaroos’ supporters and the club needs certainty, as does the AFL.”

The AFL rejected the hybrid model put forward by the club that would see it continue to play matches on the Gold Coast, but remain based in Melbourne. McLachlan said the annual special distribution (ASD) payments that the club receives were not in danger.

“Their funding is committed through the end of 2009 and I don’t think that’s something that would change,” he said.

“We will continue to support the Kangaroos Football Club; it’s a question of whether, though, that funding is enough to carry them forward if they decide to stay here.

“We think there’s a compelling proposition for the Kangaroos to go to the Gold Coast given the support that we’d be offering, the growth of that market and arrangements put in place. If the board decides it wants to stay in Melbourne that’s absolutely their decision.

“We think that it makes sense for the Kangaroos to go to the Gold Coast, but ultimately it has to make sense to their board.”

McLachlan said if the Roos once again opted to stay in Melbourne then the AFL would move forward with the creation of a 17th club – more

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l Port and Bulldogs add coaches
Two clubs have added to their coaching groups.

John Barnes, the former Essendon and Geelong ruckman, has been appointed ruck and stoppage coach of the Western Bulldogs. Barnsey most recently was a runner and ruck coach at Windy Hill under Kevin Sheedy.

Port Adelaide has finalised its coaching group with Daniel Healy named for the newly created role of development manager. Healy is a former St Kilda (38 games, 1996-99) and Central District player in the SANFL. Tony McGuinness will step up from match-day runner to help Matthew Primus as a part-time midfield coach.

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Briefly ...
n It's a fly speck in history – this is week 600 of Footystats Diary on the Internet.

n I must have been asleep the last few days to miss an important press release which detailed that "OUR BEN COUSINS" was going to check into the Summit Centre at Malibu on Monday ... seems as though there was no one around who told Ben what was expected of him – simple facts are there are dumb broads around and not the two ladies who collected him on his LAX arrival – nice car, pity it wasn't one from a sponsor ...

n It cannot be far away from a time the irascible ABC "Chaser" team will add their peppery lyrics to a 2007 version of "OUR DON BRADMAN" in honour of Ben Cousins ...

n After the stuff-up of the 1980s yielding the valuable Canberra territory from the national code to rugby league, you can bet the AFL will spend millions to make certain they are not playing third fiddle in the Gold Coast market. The NRL Gold Coast Titans have taken the first bite, and the AFL are already playing catch-up after being incredibly stupid by apparently ignoring for years the local favourite, the Southport Sharks. Soccer looms as another immediate competitor. Either the Kangaroos go and unite with Southport or the AFL can kiss their (goals and) behinds goodbye and will always be a second or third cousin in Queensland.

n Talk of a second AFL team in Sydney is fanciful, pie-in-the-sky stuff. Sydney's top man, Richard Colless, in an article in The Age (Nov 2nd) put into perspective how fragile the modest market is – "I think the best test for me was when the Swans played Collingwood, I think in the first final, and we went head-to-head (on television) with rugby league and we just got smashed."

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l Geelong aim for respect to become great
Launching the Cats' new logo and "club values" on Thursday, chief executive Brian Cook said there was a lot Geelong needed to do both on and off the field over an extended period to achieve their aim of being known as an AFL powerhouse.

They won the AFL grand final by a record margin and had the most All Australians in history, but Cook and captain Tom
Harley believe the club is far from achieving greatness.

"I think we could best describe ourselves at the moment as a good club moving towards being great.

"But we need to consistently meet all of our key performance areas, about winning on-field performances, winning premierships, making profits, keeping customers satisfied, having a bigger stadium, getting greater television audiences, greater radio audience coverage, etc, etc."

He said the fact the club only averaged crowds of 21,000 at their home ground meant a planned redevelopment of the venue was vital to their growth.

"We need to get bigger than that to become a great club," he said.

Harley also said consistent on-field success was needed to be known as a great side, comparing the current Geelong side with Brisbane's triple-premiership era from 2001-03.

"We've only won one premiership and we only played in one grand final, they played in four in a row and won three of them, so we're a far cry from that," he said.

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