Thursday, November 15

Suggested move to Gold Coast
AFL finally deliver a proposal to the Kangaroos

Fox Sports carries the AAP report that the AFL has finally given the Kangaroos an official written proposal to relocate to the Gold Coast.

The league confirmed senior AFL executive Gillon McLachlan met with the Kangaroos' Gold Coast sub-committee yesterday and presented the relocation offer.

It comes 15 days after the league initially set the club a 30-day deadline to decide whether to head north or remain in Melbourne.

The Kanga board is now set to consider the proposal, as well as a plan from proponents of keeping the club in Melbourne on how it could survive by staying put.

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l Ben Cousins aims to continue footy career
l Awarded further $2000 in costs on bungled charge
Yahoo! Sports reports embattled AFL star Ben Cousins has surfaced in Sydney, saying the dropping of all police charges against him may help save his football career when he fronts the AFL Commission next Monday.

Cousins' whereabouts have been unknown since he returned last week from the United States, where he was reported to have gone on a five-day cocaine bender.

His reappearance coincided with the formal dropping of the second of two charges which ended his career with the West Coast Eagles.

The Perth Magistrates Court awarded Cousins $2,000 in costs after authorities on Tuesday announced they were dropping a charge of refusing to take a driver drug test.

Tracked down in the Sydney beachside suburb of Manly, Cousins on Wednesday said he was still keen to play football again.

Dressed in a white T-shirt, baseball cap and dark glasses, Cousins told a Nine Network reporter he had "never felt better".

Asked whether the dropping of charges would help him when he faces the AFL Commission charged with bringing the game into disrepute, Cousins said: "I don't think it'll hurt."

Asked if playing again was his ultimate dream, he replied: "Absolutely".

The driver assessment charge was the second to be dropped by West Australian police, who were forced to apologise to the Brownlow medallist and admit they had bungled the case.

Cousins' lawyer Shane Brennan says he believes his client is keen to return to playing football as early as next year. "I believe so, but that is a matter for him, his management and people closer to him," Mr Brennan told the Nine Network.

"It's up to him, of course. Next week, he fronts the AFL Commission and that outcome will be known soon thereafter, no doubt."

The AFL Commission charged Cousins on November 2, a day after his father Bryan Cousins denied reports his son was missing in Los Angeles, where he was apparently undergoing drug rehabilitation. A week later, the Nine Network reported Cousins had been hospitalised in the US after a five-day cocaine binge.

West Coast assistant coach Peter Sumich said that despite the fallout for the club over the six-time All Australian's drug addiction, Cousins still had some backing from players.

"I just hope he is all right. Personally, I think he will (play) down the track sometime. But that is up to him and his father," Sumich said.

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

n A worthy piece by Rohan Connolly for your attention from The Age – Deacon Blue a work of art – more

n Teams from all continents will gather in Melbourne for the tri-annual International Cup of Australian Football to be held from August 27 through September 5. Ireland won the inaugural cup in 2002 and New Zealand took home the 2005 cup when 11 nations competed – Footygoss

n The Brisbane Lions reported a profit of $1.133m for the year ending October 31.
n 2007 financial forecasts and results – more

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Wednesday, November 14

Another embarrassing WA blunder
Police apologise to Cousins as charges dropped

Police in Perth have apologised to fallen AFL star Ben Cousins after a bungle forced them to drop a charge that he failed to take a driver drug test.

Police admit they made a mistake charging Cousins and have now dropped all charges laid when he was pulled over for driving erratically in Perth on October 16.

But the West Coast club stood by its decision to sack Cousins the day after he was charged, and says it won't be changing its mind.

"This development does not change the club position or the decision made to terminate Ben's contract because of repeated and serious breaches of his agreement with the club," an Eagles statement said.

Cousins, 29, was sacked after being charged with refusing to take a driver drug test and with possessing a prohibited drug, diazepam, otherwise known as Valium. The drug charge has already been dropped.

Cousins was the first person to be charged under new WA drug driver laws, which came into effect on October 12.

Announcing the dropping of the drug test charge, police admitted the wrong officer had tried to test the controversial player.

West Australian Police Minister John Kobelke said Cousins had got off on a technicality, but admitted it was not a good look for police and the legislation could be amended.

Assistant Commissioner John McRoberts said arresting officers had "got it wrong" because they misunderstood the new legislation.

"I'm offering Mr Cousins an unreserved apology," Mr McRoberts said.

However he refused to accept any responsibility for Cousins' sacking or the potential loss to his reputation.

"In terms of what happened to Mr Cousins after the charge, what happened to him in respect to the AFL or the West Coast Eagles is something that you would have to put to him or those respective organisations," Mr McRoberts said – Yahoo! Sport
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The Age: Cousins team ready to fight
Although his mental state remains unpredictable, Ben Cousins will fight to return to football next season in the belief that a one-year suspension by the AFL effectively would end his career, given his age and condition.

Caroline Wilson reports in The Age believes Cousins wants to keep his options open as he and his support team consider their defence against a charge brought by the AFL that he had brought the game into disrepute. The charge will be heard by the AFL Commission on Monday.

A police charge against Cousins of refusing a blood test was dropped on a technicality yesterday. While Cousins' team – which includes his father, Bryan, manager Ricky Nixon and lawyers headed by David Grace, QC – was treating the backflip as a victory of sorts, there was still no certainty that Cousins will face the commission in person. Nixon refused to comment last night as the AFL confirmed the hearing would continue.

Cousins is deciding whether to take legal action against police and the Eagles.

The prevailing view was that Cousins should face both the commission and the media, admit to his addiction and plead for another chance to rehabilitate himself. With only three weeks between the hearing and Cousins' last chance to nominate for the pre-season draft, his career is in the balance.

The commission remains determined to put the disrepute charge to Cousins despite the West Australian police's bungling, which West Coast said yesterday would not alter the club's decision to terminate his contract – more

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l AFLPA launches Madden Medal to honour retirees
The AFL Players' Association has announced a new initiative with the inaugural Madden Medal set to be presented on December 13 in Melbourne to one of the recently retired greats.

Named after former Essendon and Carlton champions Simon and Justin Madden, the recipient will be a retiree who has maintained an outstanding contribution in all aspects of the game.

The Madden Medal will be an annual reward with retired stars James Hird, Nathan Buckley, Mark Ricciuto, Glenn Archer, Anthony Koutoufides and Chris Grant all chances to take out the honour.

l Scott Welsh splits from Adelaide
After protracted contract negotiations fell apart, stylish forward Scott Welsh has departed the Crows after eight seasons and 129 matches.

Welsh was offered a one-year deal at the Crows without incentives that he had requested and after weeks of speculation, the 28-year-old has decided to register for the AFL preseason draft.

Welsh’s departure will enable the Crows to recruit another player to their list, either via the national or preseason drafts.

Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs are among those interested in Welsh who has kicked 300 goals in a career that began with the Kangaroos in 1996. However, Welsh has got to get past Richmond and Carlton with the first picks – Footygoss

l Kangaroo decision unlikely before Christmas
Courtney Walsh reports in The Australian: A decision on whether the Kangaroos will relocate to the Gold Coast could drag on until at least Christmas, with chief executive Rick Aylett warning the club's board would not be rushed into a move.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou gave the Kangaroos an ultimatum to relocate to the Gold Coast by 2010 or face the prospect that a 17th side would be brought into the competition, saying that talks would continue until the end of this month.

But the AFL is yet to issue the Kangaroos with a full relocation proposal – that will occur later this week – while Aylett is also awaiting a report that will detail whether the club can survive in Melbourne.

In a letter to the Kangaroos' members, Aylett said the delay in receiving the two proposals rendered impossible any hope of a decision by the end of the month on the Kangaroos' future.

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

n Fox Sports report a Geelong fan has been left with a disastrous permanent reminder of his AFL side's premiership triumph after a Thai tattooist inscribed his arm with the words "Gay Premiers 2007".

He told Southern Cross Radio that instead of "Day Premiers 2007" as he wanted, hardcore Cats fan Neville found his message hopelessly lost in translation on a recent holiday to Phuket.

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Tuesday, November 13

l Seven added to training lists
Friday's Diary (see below) listed 61 players given permission to train with AFL clubs.

These were added to yesterday with seven further names:
Collingwood: Ryan Colbert (Old Xaverians); Michael Griffiths (East Fremantle); James Wall (St Kilda rookie).
Hawthorn: Adam Jacobucci (Northern Bullants); Lukas Markovic (Box Hill).
Kangaroos: Jarrod Bannister (Northern Bullants); James Wilson (St George).

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l Josh Fraser captures new three-year deal
Collingwood's 202cm ruckman Josh Fraser has inked a new three-year deal with the club. The 25-year-old of 156 games (2000-07) is being touted as the captain in waiting to fill the boots of Nathan Buckley – an announcement not expected until the start of the new premiership season.

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

n The Kangaroos have sealed a two-year affiliate deal with VFL club Werribee.

n Mike Sheahan in the Herald Sun noted the multi-national car maker, Hyundai, committed to Carlton yesterday as joint major sponsor (with Optus) for three years, for about $5 million.

n Chris Judd will wear the number 5 jumper at Carlton; the one vacated by Josh Kennedy; the player that went to the Eagles and cleared the way for Judd to become a Blue.

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Monday, November 12

Big changes to pathway program
Under 16 focus as eight new academies formed
TAC Cup moved aside as youth takes spotlight

The AFL will establish eight new junior academies, replace the TAC Cup grand final with two national under-16 finals on the MCG on grand final day and completely revamp the under-18 championships as part of a raft of changes to the elite underage pathway program.

The Age reported on Sunday that recruiters will be able to assess second-division draft prospects against first-division sides under the new under-18 program, which will become a six-week series played in several states. Mark Ricciuto and Luke Darcy have accepted coaching roles with both the national AIS-AFL Academy and the new state-based programs.

Emma Quayle submits the TAC Cup grand final – played on the MCG on grand final day since the competition began in 1992 – will be moved to Docklands Stadium, possibly on the Friday of grand final week, and the ground will host the mid-week national under-18 finals during the AFL's split round.

The changes mean the championships will start with a qualifying tournament in May between the four division-two sides – Tasmania, the Northern Territory, Queensland and NSW-ACT – with the top two teams to play against Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia and Western Australia when they meet the following month. The games will be staggered over a six-week period, played in Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, and feature as many AFL curtain-raisers as possible.

The national under-16 championships will be moved in full to the Gold Coast in late July, see each of the 200-odd players undergo fitness assessments, and conclude with the two MCG games – first and second-division finals.

From there, 30 players will be offered scholarships to the AIS-AFL Academy, pushing the start of that program back several weeks, while up to 40 players will join each of the new academies, aligned to the eight national underage teams – more

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l Paul Licuria to set up Pies' VFL side
The recently retired Paul Licuria has accepted an offer to join Collingwood's administration team. He will work closely with Pie CEO Geoff Walsh, and be responsible for setting up Collingwood's stand-alone team for competition in the VFL.

Licuria retired in September at 29, after struggling with injuries and finishing playing at VFL level. Including two seasons (1997-98) of 10 games with Sydney, he had a further 182 with Collingwood (1999-2007) for a total of 192 matches.

Licuria will finish a Masters of Business Administration in around 18 months, he is a trained pilot and a member of the AFL Players' Association charity board that is raising money to construct a facility in Melbourne's CBD for homeless youth.

l Melbourne cast out the Demons
Melbourne intends to distance itself from the traditional Demons logo. The club will focus instead on the name *Melbournefc*, without reference to the Demons, the nickname which has endured since the 1930s.

The Sunday Herald Sun noted the club's new and close links to China – a country that has an aversion to demons – is the reason for the demise of the Demon in club merchandising. Club gear at AFL shops no longer carries merchandise with references to the Demons.

The club is launching a new logo with Melbourne's Lord Mayor John So on Friday.

l Services for George Grljusich
George Grljusich handpicked 16 of his closest friends to be his pallbearers at today's service – Ron Adams, Bill Spanbrook, John Gerovich, Bob Maumill, Paul Murray, Declan Kelly, Dennis Novak, Fred Kersley, Albert Papalazaros, Brad Hardie, Colin Mills, Alan Marks, Lawrie Sumich, Glen Jakovich, Billy Massoud and Peter Keenan.

The funeral of the legendary sports broadcaster will follow Grljusich's every wish, after he planned it in detail before his death. His coffin will be draped in an Australian flag.

Eulogies will be delivered by Jane Grljusich, Liberal MP and former sports journalist John McGrath, lawyer Terry O'Connor QC, journalist Murray and radio icon Maumill.

Today's service will begin at 10.15am at St Patrick's Basilica in Fremantle. At 11.45am a service will be held at the Fremantle Cemetery crematorium.

Radio 6PR will broadcast the church service.

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

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Saturday, November 10

Troubled times for Eagles
Cousins' LA cocaine binge
West Coast launches its own independent inquiry

The emergency early morning call to the Hermosa Beach Police Department last week described a 29-year-old man "on cocaine not acting right". Later, the caller added, the man "has been on cocaine for the past five days".

The caller was Susie Ela, a computer software sales manager. The man on the cocaine binge was Ben Cousins, the wayward former West Coast Eagles captain and star player, accused by his coach of sabotaging the reigning AFL premiers' season, and the centre of an unprecedented judicial inquiry into the troubled club.

Gerard Wright reporting from Los Angeles for The Sydney Morning Herald has confirmed that Cousins was admitted to the Little Company of Mary hospital, in the adjoining suburb of Torrance, soon after the emergency call. Cousins remained at the hospital for two days before being discharged on Friday, November 2.

It is believed Cousins's father Bryan then flew to Los Angeles to bring his son back to Australia. They flew out of Los Angeles on Sunday night, arriving in Sydney on Tuesday morning. From there, Cousins is believed to have been taken to Canberra to stay with family friends. His father arrived back in Perth alone yesterday afternoon.

This sequence of events appears to confirm speculation last week that Cousins had "gone missing" in Los Angeles, en route to what was supposed to be another round of treatment for a drug habit that has been variously described as addiction to ice, a form of methamphetamine, or cocaine.

This is the first time his now notorious drug habit has been specifically identified.

Cousins faces an AFL charge of bringing the game into disrepute in Melbourne on November 19, which will decide whether he can enter the draft for next season.

It had been reported that Cousins was returning to Los Angeles to resume treatment for drug addiction at Summit Centres, in Malibu. Cousins had spent much of April at the centre, before returning to resume playing with the West Coast Eagles in June.

Neither Bryan Cousins, nor a spokesman for the centre, said anything to contradict this, but instead stepped carefully around the explosive situation.

Last Thursday, with his son in hospital in Los Angeles, Bryan Cousins said: "He's in an appropriate facility". Earlier this week, Summit's executive director, Clyde Steele, said Cousins had spent Saturday and Sunday there, "being evaluated by our clinical director".

Mr Steele also appeared to parse the truth when he added, "At no time did he [Cousins] make an appointment that he missed. At no time did he fail to check in."

Cousins was widely assumed to be on his way to sobering up when he left Perth on October 25 for his next rehab stint here. This was near the end of an eventful month, which included being the last person to see former teammate Chris Mainwaring alive before the Eagles' premiership player died of a suspected drug overdose, aged 41, and then an incident with a hired car in the holiday resort town of Broome.

Instead, according to a Nine News report in Perth last night, Cousins spent two nights in Sydney, staying with childhood friend Fabian Quaid at his beachside apartment, as well as socialising with former Eagles teammate, Michael Gardiner. Cousins flew out of Sydney on Saturday afternoon. The 15-hour flight put him in Los Angeles early on Saturday morning local time, where he was met by two women and driven off in a Mercedes convertible. One of the women was later identified as Susie Ela.

Ms Ela appears to have hosted Cousins for the best part of the following week at her home in Hermosa Beach. The two-storey home is in a row of near identical townhouses about 400 metres from Hermosa Beach's popular pier and beachfront.

Her emergency 911 call was logged at 5.12:59am. It described Cousins as "not acting right, is conscious and breathing". She told the operator Cousins had been on cocaine for the previous five days. She said he was "not being violent, is just scared".

There was no answer to a call at Ms Ela's home yesterday.
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n Craig O'Donoghue in The West Australian reports: The AFL may be rocked by more damaging revelations from within West Coast as a result of the unprecedented reviews being conducted by the league and the club, Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett warned yesterday.

Nisbett's warning came as it was revealed that former captain Ben Cousins had been hospitalised for two days during his recent trip to Los Angeles, ostensibly for drug rehabilitation, after a female companion (Susie Ela) called emergency services and reported that Cousins needed aid after a five-day cocaine binge.

New West Coast chairman Mark Barnaba yesterday unveiled the Eagles' appointment of former West Australian deputy premier Hendy Cowan and KPMG chairman of partners Steve Scudamore to lead an independent inquiry into the club.

The plan was announced only two days after the AFL announced that retired Victorian Supreme Court judge William Gillard, QC, would conduct a review for the league, but Barnaba said West Coast's board had finalised its investigation plan on Monday.

Barnaba promised both review teams "unfettered and unconstrained access" to the club and promised he would implement all of Cowan's and Scudamore's recommendations after receiving their report in March.

He said as much of the report would be made public as possible; Nisbett admitted that this pledge could lead to the uncovering of several skeletons that had been kept secret.
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n Yahoo! Sport reported Saturday morning that Ben Cousins may face criminal charges in the US after the drug binge that left him unconscious and hospitalised in Los Angeles for three days.

Cousins' female companion in Los Angeles, Susie Ela, who frantically called an ambulance for the disgraced AFL star, could also face scrutiny from US authorities.

Sergeant Paul Wolcott of the Hermosa Beach Police Department, south of Los Angeles, said the case remained open and further enquiries may take place.

"I would say there is the potential for a follow-up," Sgt Wolcott told AAP – more
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n West Coast on Friday appointed All-Australian defender Darren Glass as its new captain. He replaces Chris Judd who has transferred to play with Carlton.

Over eight seasons, Glass has played 145 AFL games for the Eagles and enjoyed an outstanding season this year winning the club champion award.

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

n The exhibition game to be played in Los Angeles between Geelong and Richmond as part of next year's Australia Day celebrations has been cancelled due to a funding shortfall of some $100,000 of the expected costs of about $1 million.

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Friday, November 9

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l Review of Bulldog operations impacts on Eade
Patrick Smith in The Australian (Nov 8th) assessed the review of operations conducted by the Western Bulldogs.

When president David Smorgon ordered a complete review of the football department there was a whiff that they might not even be coach Rodney Eade's team come the new season.

More than 50 people were interviewed and the ramifications have been vast and emphatic. What distressed the Bulldog board more than anything else was the undeniable fact that the only part of the Bulldogs not making progress was the football department.

Over the past five years the club had driven revenue up $12million to $28m. A loss of $3.5m has been turned around to $550,000 profit this season. Attendance has jumped from 18,000 in 2002 to 28,000 this year. Merchandising sales have increased by more than $1m. The club is now asset-strong. Everything goes forward, except the football department which has fallen dramatically off the pace.

Smorgon thinks that success has not been sustainable because the club defaults to its old culture. As soon as winning becomes more difficult and the on-field challenges rise, then the football department becomes selfish and individuals work for themselves and not as a team.

The review found some explanations for that. While it found fault with Eade, the board did not think his sacking necessary. But the coach's title of head of football will disappear, as will many of his administrative duties.

The inquiry found that Eade's role within the club was too wide-ranging. That it was impossible for one man to be in control of all the various facets that now make football so competitive. Rehabilitation, pre-season training, fitness regimes, sports science, recruiting as well as preparation for game day.

It also found there was a disconnect between the football department and club management. The relationship between chief executive Campbell Rose and Eade appears to have been frosty at best. The review found Eade needed to improve his communication and transparency. It was also identified that the dialogue between Eade and his assistants was not as good as it should have been.

Smorgon said that there had been robust discussions on these matters between Eade and the board and that areas of improvement had been identified. When you eyeball people you get solutions, Smorgon said.

He said that the club had been prepared to give the football department its head but that a return on its investment was required. Over the past three years more than $2m more was pumped into the football spend and every request from the coaching team had been agreed to. But for all of that the team was less than successful in 2007.

Core values went missing, is the way Smorgon put it. He cited communication, transparency and respect for others.

So the club will appoint a general manager of football who will adopt the club's values and take over the administrative duties with which Eade struggled. The coach will be answerable to the football manager and the football manager will report to Rose. As well, the chief executive will become more involved with the football department to ensure its operation is consistent with all other departments – more

l Cousins spends time at The Sydney Clinic
l QC heads defence to AFL charges on November 19
West Coast's Ben Cousins checked into the exclusive Sydney Clinic for 48 hours of drug rehabilitation as he passed through the city on his way home to Perth, the Herald Sun reports.

The Sydney Clinic costs about $500 a day.

The clinic's other celebrity clients have included the late stockbroker Rene Rivkin, Antonia Kidman's ex-husband Angus Hawley and former Supreme Court judge Jeff Shaw.

Cousins checked into the elite clinic near Bronte Beach on Wednesday and is expected to fly to Perth today with his father Bryan.

Meanwhile, The West Australian and The Age reports high-profile lawyer David Grace, QC, has been chosen to defend Cousins at the AFL Commission hearing on November 19 in relation to charges that he brought the game into disrepute.

The Eagles have ruled out offering their former midfielder any financial assistance as he battles to keep his career alive.

Grace has played a key role in West Coast's legal affairs in recent years, including in two major tribunal cases.

He helped clear midfielder Adam Selwood of sledging Fremantle star Des Headland about a tattoo of his daughter, and got Brownlow medallist Chris Judd cleared of eye-gouging Hawthorn's Campbell Brown.

A former chairman of the Law Institute of Victoria, Grace also worked for St Kilda midfielder Leigh Montagna during rape allegations in 2004, the Gypsy Jokers bikie gang and Fremantle following the disputed match against St Kilda in Launceston last year when umpires failed to hear the siren.

The Eagles worked with industrial relations lawyers when they terminated Cousins' contract and did not seek Grace's counsel on the issue.

He refused to comment about the case yesterday.

l Knights stresses Bombers "will be fit"
Essendon's pre-season campaign continued on Thursday morning with a light hit-out at Princes Park which included a 3.2km time trial when coach Matthew Knights stressed only the fittest players will represent the Bombers from week to week.

A major talking point from the session was focussed around who was absent with Scott Lucas, Andrew Lovett and Nathan Lovett-Murray heading the sick list.

Bombers high performance manager John Quinn explained that Lucas is recovering from an infection to an ankle which had post-season tidy-up work; Lovett-Murray has had a groin operation and Andrew Lovett was unwell.

Big forward Courtney Johns didn't participate either due to a shoulder complaint but Quinn insisted that the prognosis was good for the 22-year-old.

"He's had a bit of a shoulder tidy-up and we're going a bit steady with him and he's probably about three weeks away," Quinn said.

l Permission to train given to 61 players
The League on Thursday announced the list of 61 unlisted players who have been given permission to train with AFL clubs –

Brisbane: Patrick Garner (Brisbane); William Hamill (rookie)
Carlton: Michael Shields (County Cork, Ireland)
Collingwood: Kevin Dyas (County Armagh, Ireland); Daniel Nichols (rookie)
Fremantle: Kepler Bradley (Essendon); Blake Broadhurst (Subiaco); Clayton Collard (Fremantle); Brad Dalziell (East Fremantle); Ryley Dunn (Fremantle); Kyal Horsley (Subiaco); Calib Mourish (Fremantle)
Hawthorn: James Allen (Box Hill); Luke Barker (Box Hill); Nathan Batsanis (Port Adelaide rookie); Brett Collins (rookie); Sam Gibson (rookie); Tom Langford (Port Melbourne); Ben Sharp (West Coast rookie); Callum Urch (Kangaroos)
Kangaroos: David Trotter (Kangaroos)
Melbourne: Daniel Hughes (rookie); Alister Neville (Coburg); Ashley Sampi (West Coast); Jonathan Simpkin (Sydney); Peter Summers (Sandringham); Shane Valenti (Sandringham)
Port Adelaide: Jesse Aish (Norwood); Lachlan Button (Glenelg); Tom Carroll (South Adelaide); Ryan Darling (Sturt); Aaron Day (Glenelg); Sam Fairclough (Woodville West Torrens); Nathan Grima (Central District); Daniel Havelberg (Central District); Matthew Jaensch (Sturt); Luke Jarrad (Woodville West Torrens); Scott Luders (West Adelaide); Alan Obst (Central District); Steve Wenman (West Adelaide)
Richmond: Joe Gazzo (Coburg); Andrew Horne (Coburg); Cam Howat (rookie); Lachlan McKinnon (Essendon rookie); Carl Peterson (Richmond); Darren Pfeiffer (Adelaide); Jarrod Silvester (Coburg)
St Kilda: Rohan Bell (Mt Gravatt); Michael Barlow (Shepparton United); Ben Woods (Riverview)
Sydney: Brendan Murphy (County Carlow, Ireland); Matt O'Dwyer (Sydney); Jake Orreal (no previous club); Sam Rowe (Sydney)
West Coast: Ashley Thornton (rookie); Beau Wilkes (rookie)
Western Bulldogs: Cameron Lockwood (Williamstown); Scott Meyer (Williamstown); Liam Picken (Williamstown); Patrick Rose (Williamstown); Ryan Williams (La Trobe)

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

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