Thursday, May 1

Free agency issue on AFL backburner
The AFL have put the concept of free agency on the backburner while they assess whether some tinkering with the system will make it easier for players to switch clubs.

The AFL Players' Association (AFLPA) has made a concerted push for a limited form of free agency to be introduced.

AFLPA chief executive Brendon Gale warned recently that if the concept was not introduced soon aggrieved players or their agents might take the AFL to court.

But the league has ruled out introducing the concept in time for this year's post-season and refused to guarantee it would ever be brought in.

Announcing a raft of more minor changes, the AFL said they had given a commitment to continue negotiations with the association, "with a view to reaching an agreement" by the end of this year.

But league football operations manager Adrian Anderson said that did not necessarily mean it would eventually introduce the concept.

The new rules introduced for this year's draft onwards are:

A player who is not contracted on or before October 31 will now be eligible to nominate for that year's national draft.

Players who have not yet made their AFL debut, but may previously have been on a senior or rookie list, will now be eligible to be listed as mature-age rookies.
The removal of the rules restricting clubs to a maximum of five players traded out in a single year and the maximum of three players involved in a single player-trade.

In addition, from 2009 onwards, the eligibility age for the national draft will increase by four months, so that the player must turn 18 on or before December 31 in the year of that draft.

Anderson said the change allowing players to nominate for the November national draft if they were not contracted by October 31 was expected to significantly increase freedom for players to switch clubs.

Previously, uncontracted players had to wait until the later, and smaller, pre-season draft.

The AFL wanted to view the effects of that change, before considering whether free agency was warranted.

Fears have been expressed previously that such a move would make the pre-season draft redundant, but Anderson said it would be retained at least for this year – Yahoo Sport

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Looking ahead to Round 7
l Venue performances for all matches ... more

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l International Rules set to return
The MCG is expecting to play host to the revived international rules concept on October 31 — a hybrid game played between Australian and Irish teams with new rules aimed at reducing the violence seen in the past.

Samantha Lane reports in The Age: While the AFL is yet to stipulate whether it will play more than one Test, it has checked ground availability with the MCC and received a positive response.

The Gaelic Athletic Association, which withdrew from the series in a state of fury within an hour of the completion of the last, violent, Test in Dublin in 2006, has since held a series of talks with the AFL. Both organisations left talks in Dubai in February feeling positive about rekindling the relationship and, on March 17, GAA chiefs voted in favour of travelling to Australia to help celebrate the AFL's 150th year.

Rule changes that will encourage more sporting encounters, while retaining the physicality, have been the central talking point. "The majority of the discussions have been around that," AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said yesterday. "And if we decide to go ahead there will be certain (rule) changes with certain things that we'll announce, which include how the series is to be played."

A tri-series involving another country would not be considered until 2010 at the earliest, but the plan for 2009 is that the Australian team travels to Ireland to help the GAA celebrate its centenary.

l Crowd figures – interesting parallels
Footystats devotee Leonard Colquhoun e-mailed yesterday something he spied in the crowd figures at two recent matches at Subiaco Oval –

This sent Martin Windsor-Black down the search path and he has found quite a number of parallels – more ...

Stab Kicks ...
n AFL Tasmania is about to sign off on the model for its new statewide football league. The organisation's initial proposal has changed considerably after lengthy discussions with clubs. The plan to have new teams representing regions has been scrapped and the final model is likely to include at least eight existing teams. Each will also field an underage side – Yahoo! Sport

n Mark Robinson revealed in the Herald Sun that St Kilda's Fraser Gehrig has to overcome another major hurdle to resurrect his flagging AFL career. Both 32-year-old hands of Gehrig are very arthritic and sore, affecting his ball handling.

n Sydney are set to recall ruckman Peter Everitt and discard out of form forward Nick Davis for Sunday's AFL clash with the unbeaten Western Bulldogs. Everitt, who hasn't played a senior game this season because of knee trouble, has played in the reserves for the last two games. Paul Roos revealed former Geelong forward Henry Playfair was in line to make his Swans debut, probably at the expense of Davis.

n Greg Denham reports in The Australian: Umpires director Jeff Gieschen issued a strong warning to players, particularly those who perform tagging roles, to stop using illegal tactics on opponents. Gieschen said he was only reiterating previous directives to umpires to be aware and on the lookout for illegal tactics. The issue came to a head last weekend when some of the game's best midfielders, including Geelong's Gary Ablett, Carlton captain Chris Judd and West Coast's Daniel Kerr, were continually mauled and unfairly treated off the ball by their opposition.

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l Footy Works updates – now available
Round 5 updates are now available
Please direct software questions to Sorensen Technologies

The ultimate fan site
where passionate supporters gather!

Worth noting ...
n NAB Cup 2008 Match Review and details – more
n Tribunal 2008 – more
n Traded, Retired, Delisted, Acquired – more
n 2007 financial forecasts and results – more
n Footystats Classifieds – more

Wednesday, April 30

MRP, Tribunal – Round 6
l Kerr takes three weeks; Josh Carr three games
West Coast midfielder Daniel Kerr will miss the next three matches for headbutting the Western Bulldogs' Scott West on Saturday.

ABC News Online reported Kerr opted not to contest the charge and will miss the club's home clashes against Carlton and Adelaide and the Gold Coast encounter with the Kangaroos. He was also fined $900 for wrestling Bulldog Dylan Addison.

The suspension is another massive blow for the 2006 premiers, who have lost their past five games and sit second-from-bottom of the AFL ladder.

Adam Hunter will be out for six weeks with bone bruising he sustained against the Bulldogs.

Team-mate Brent Staker was cited for striking Robert Murphy but escaped with a reprimand.

Fremantle's Josh Carr will also sit out three games after opting not to contest a charge of kneeing Geelong's Gary Ablett. He will miss clashes with Melbourne (away), Western Bulldogs (home) and Carlton (away).

Hawthorn's Ben McGlynn accepted a reprimanded for striking while Essendon's Kyle Reimers and Collingwood's Dale Thomas were fined for wrestling with each other – both were fined $900..

Dylan Addison was also fined $900 for wrestling with Kerr.

Sydney's Luke Ablett was fined $1,950 for making negligent contact with umpire Michael Avon during Q3 on Sunday.
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The tribunal on Tuesday night heard the case against Port Adelaide's Chad Cornes charged with a Level Two striking offence to St Kilda's Jason Blake.

Cornes was found guilty and was suspended for one match.

The AFL website details: Given he is set to miss three or four games anyway (with a broken right ring finger), the suspension for Sunday's game against Essendon is inconsequential.

And after serving the one-game ban, he will be left with only 25 carryover points, meaning he will be much better off if he is found guilty of another offence within the next 12 months.

Cornes is now ineligible to win this year's Brownlow Medal, but that would have been the case even if he submitted an early guilty plea, as the striking offence was worth more than 100 demerit points.

The only downside for Cornes out of his tribunal visit is that the one-match ban carries a 10 per cent penalty loading if he commits another offence within the next three years.

Charges and results from Round 6 –

COLLINGWOOD v ESSENDON
l Courtney Johns (Ess) for rough play on Scott Pendlebury (Col) by umpire Brett Rosebury in Q1. Charge was withdrawn.
l Kyle Reimers (Ess) and Dale Thomas (Col) were cited for wrestling in Q3. Both players accepted the MRP ruling and the $900 fine imposed on each player.

FREMANTLE v GEELONG
Josh Carr (Fre) reported for kneeing Gary Ablett (Gee) by umpire Dean Margetts in Q2. The MRP assessed the incident as a four-game suspension reduced to three matches with an early plea. Carr pleaded guilty and accepted the MRP penalty.

CARLTON v ADELAIDE
Darren Pfeiffer (Car) for rough play on Graham Johncock (Ade) by umpire Chris Kamolins in Q4. Charge was withdrawn.

WEST.B'DOGS v WEST COAST
l Brent Staker (WCE) reported for striking Robert Murphy (WB) in Q1. The MRP assessed the incident and reprimanded Staker. He accepted the MRP ruling and 70.31 points toward his future record.
l Daniel Kerr (WCE) was cited for headbutting Scott West (WB) in Q2. The MRP assessed the incident as a four-game suspension reduced to three matches with an early plea. West Coast did not challenge the MRP penalty and accepted the three-game suspension on Kerr.
l Daniel Kerr (WCE) and Dylan Addison (WB) were cited for wrestling in Q3. Both players accepted the MRP ruling and the $900 fine imposed on each player.

NORTH MELB v SYDNEY
Luke Ablett (Syd) was cited for making negligent contact with umpire Michael Avon during Q3. The player admitted guilt and accepted the MRP fine of $1950.

HAWTHORN v RICHMOND
Ben McGlynn (Haw) was cited for striking Matthew White (Rch) in Q1. The player accepted a reprimand by the MRP and 93.75 points towards his future record.

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Stab Kicks ...
n The official crowds for Round 6 have been released and there is a slight adjustment to those previously published – the Saturday night figure at Football Park is now 20,517 – not *20,507* ... which increase the total for the round to 315,944 and the progressive to 1,927,073.

Alterations to the files will proceed and will be updated ...

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Tuesday, April 29

Match Review Panel – Round 6
Daniel Kerr and Josh Carr facing suspensions
The AFL's Match Review Panel on Monday assessed West Coast player Daniel Kerr's head-butt to the jaw of Western Bulldogs veteran Scott West as intentional, high contact and of medium impact from Sunday's match at Docklands.

Yahoo! Sport reports that combined with a penalty loading for Kerr's string of previous offences, it means the star Eagle can accept a three-game ban if he pleads guilty to the charge, or risk five matches by contesting the case.

West Coast are weighing up whether to risk a five-match AFL suspension for elite midfielder Daniel Kerr by fighting a head-butting charge.

The likely ban for Kerr is another severe blow to an Eagles side which is experiencing a woeful run of form, with five bad losses in succession.

It comes on top of some injury woes with the club learning young midfielder Shannon Hurn will be out for up to six weeks with a leg fracture, while defender Adam Hunter (knee) could also be facing a stint on the sidelines.

Fremantle midfielder Josh Carr is also facing a significant spell on the sidelines, over a charge of kneeing Geelong star Gary Ablett.

Kerr and Carr were not helped by their poor tribunal records, with both being handed a 40 per cent penalty increase, as well as carryover points.

The Dockers, who have a history of contesting charges at the tribunal, were also uncertain whether Carr would visit the tribunal on Tuesday night or take his medicine.

The feisty on-baller can accept a three-game ban over his knee to the thigh of Ablett at a centre bounce, or risk a four-match suspension if he fights the charge.

No other player faces a suspension after last weekend's matches.

l Hawthorn honour John Kennedy
Former Hawthorn coach John Kennedy will tower over the club's future training sessions after a three-metre high statue was unveiled on Monday overlooking the oval at their Waverley Park headquarters.

Kennedy was a four-time best and fairest winner in his 164 games with the club between 1950-59.

But he is best known for coaching the club to three premierships, including the Hawks' first in 1961 and was later named coach of the club's team of the century.

His teams became known as Kennedy's Commandoes because of their hard-nosed approach to the game, inspired by his booming voice and stirring speeches.

"The statue highlights the high regard in which John Kennedy is held by the large Hawthorn family, and the placement of the statue, overlooking our training oval, will be a true inspiration for current and future players as they pursue our premiership dreams," Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett said.

The bronze statue was donated by club director Geoff Harris and his wife Sue and was sculpted by artist Louis Laumen.

Laumen's previous work includes statues of Leigh Matthews, Betty Cuthbert, Sir Donald Bradman and Ron Barassi that adorn the MCG concourse – Yahoo! Sport

l Scans confirm Bombers lose Davey for season
Pacy Essendon small forward Alwyn Davey will miss the rest of the season after scans confirmed he must have a full knee reconstruction. Davey injured his right knee during a routine training drill last Thursday.

He will have surgery next week and move to rehabilitation which takes about 10-12 months. It is hoped Davey will be ready by round one next year – Fox Sports

Martin Windsor-Black
l Around and about ...
We all know that the attendance at the MCG on Anzac Day for the Collingwood v Essendon game was reported as 88,999.

Many may have been wondering where the ONE spectator was to make it an even 89,000.

I think the ONE must have gone to the MCG on the Saturday instead to boost Carlton's attendance figures.

Looking at Carlton's crowd's this season.
2008-R1-MCG(n) – Car 11.13-79 v Rch 17.7-109 by 30pts - 72551
2008-R2-Dok(n) – StK 19.11-125 v Car 12.13-85 by 40pts - 43396
2008-R3-MCG(n) – Ess 23.12-150 v Car 21.8-134 by 16pts - 64388
2008-R4-MCG – Car 17.9-111 v Col 13.10-88 by 23pts - 77873
2008-R5-MCG – Mel 9.14-68 v Car 15.11-101 by 33pts - 44759
2008-R6-MCG – Car 11.15-81 v Ade 16.15-111 by 30pts - 41033

These add up to a total of 344,001.

So that explains where the missing spectator was on Friday – they might have gone to the MCG a day later by mistake.
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Fremantle remains the only current club not to have recorded a draw. All other 17 clubs of the VFL-AFL have at least one draw. Fremantle have had 14 one-point finishes and before Friday's draw with Geelong their most recent by "the closest possible margin" was in 2005 at York Park against St Kilda.
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This weekend will be Carlton's 2,250th game. If they defeat West Coast, then the Eagles will fall below Essendon on the all time ladder. West Coast have a match ratio of 58.04%. Essendon's is 58.03%. Likewise with Adelaide (52.74%) and Geelong (52.65%).
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Stab Kicks ...
n The Melbourne Sunday Herald Sun pointed up that TV timing of breaks between goals had blown out to 48 seconds in recent weeks with umpires forced to wait in the centre of the ground for the flashing lights to restart play. The AFL is expected to raise the issue in its ongoing discussions with broadcasters – Fox Sports

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Monday, April 28

*The Stats that Matter* – *Match Review* ... more u The season in scores and results – Stats Update 2008

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Stab Kicks ...
n Published crowds for the weekend were over the 300,000 mark for the 43rd time – five of the first six rounds have been so. The 315,844 for the eight matches of Round 6 lifts the progressive count of attendances to 1,927,073 – subject to AFL verification – see Attendances 2008 ...

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Sunday, April 27

Round 6 – ANZAC Round
Crows run away from Blues in second half
Bulldogs crush West Coast by 10 goals
Port too slick for St Kilda
Lions give the Demons another thumping
North Melb and Sydney draw
Hawks survive strong Richmond challenge

*The Stats that Matter* – *Match Review* ... more u The season in scores and results – Stats Update 2008

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l Michael Voss confirms interest in Gold Coast job
Michael Voss has confirmed to Network Ten he had told the Gold Coast consortium he was interested in coaching the prospective team in its debut season.

Fox Sports report Voss, who captained the Brisbane Lions to their three premierships before he retired at the end of the 2006 season, wants to coach and moved a step closer to becoming the public face of any AFL presence on the Gold Coast.

South-east Queensland and western Sydney are the two areas favoured to be granted AFL team licences as part of the AFL's desire to expand into new markets in 2011-2012.

Voss confirmed he had spoken with the Gold Coast consortium, and sounded out the potential licensee about some of the key questions.

He said he wanted to coach and considered the Gold Coast option as a potential step into the career.

Stab Kicks ...
n At the sixth round, life for most has become interesting and brings the update of the files showing the Longest Winning Sequences and the Longest Losing Sequences – let's start with Geelong, W-L-D, club-by-club – links to all other clubs are on each page. You'll find the links each day in the right-hand sidebar ... jog me, if I've forgotten to update them – remember, the art of Footystats, is knowing where to find it ...

n Ben Cubby commenting yesterday in the Sydney Morning Herald about the low NRL crowd of 21,596 at Homebush on Anzac Day noted: Collingwood, announced it had broken the record for club membership in Victoria, with 41,256 paid-up fans.

The biggest Sydney rugby league club, the Sydney Bulldogs, has a membership target of 10,000 by 2020.

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Saturday, April 26

Round 6 – Anzac Day
Magpies by 12 goals; Cats home by a point
Anzac Day proved Collingwood can be really offensive, but the 73-point demolition of Essendon at the MCG proved the Magpies have the scoring prowess to turn games in short, damaging bursts.

Collingwood drew on their blend of strong-marking forwards, expert crumbers and creativity across half-forward to smash the Bombers.

This fixture has usually been an arm wrestle – typified by the epic draw of 1995 – but Friday afternoon's crowd of 88,999 saw Collingwood flex their muscle.

Paul Medhurst beat four opponents in booting six goals to win the Anzac Medal, Travis Cloke rediscovered the form which won last year's best and fairest award and bagged five, and a handful of other Magpies queued up to boot goals.

Even without the injured Anthony Rocca – their leading goal kicker the past two seasons – Collingwood posted the biggest win in this fixture's 14-season history and their biggest victory over Essendon since they won by 147 points in 1971.

Collingwood's win gave them a 7-6 record in this fixture and 3-3 for this season, but the Dons' third successive defeat has them 2-4 and in danger of losing touch.

Geelong mounted two amazing comebacks to finally overcome Fremantle by a single point in the Anzac Day AFL clash at Subiaco Oval on Friday night.

Trailing the Dockers by 39 points in the second quarter and 25 points at the start of the last, the reigning premiers showed they could play hard as well as fast, maintaining their unbeaten 2008 record.

Even after being kept to three points in the third term, Mark Thompson's AFL pacesetters found the will to see off the Dockers' pressure and then raise it, cancelling out Matthew Pavlich's five goals.

And in a breathless finish, the Dockers' skipper – playing his 150th AFL game in a row – could have won a famous victory for his side, but hit the inside of a post with a set shot with 30 seconds left.

In a game befitting the occasion, outstanding efforts from a legion of Dockers, Aaron Sandilands chief among them, were not quite enough to edge out the rampant Cats with three goals each from Cameron Mooney and Steve Johnson keeping their challenge alive.

And rather than the usual suspects of Gary Ablett and Jimmy Bartel it was Joel Selwood with 14 final quarter possessions who helped drag his side over the line.

*The Stats that Matter* – *Match Review* ... more u The season in scores and results – Stats Update 2008

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l Cameron Ling: New consecutive win record of 25
Geelong's Cameron Ling on Friday night at Subiaco established the longest winning streak by an individual playing in 25 consecutive wins by Geelong who have won 25 of its past 26 matches.

Injury caused Ling to miss the only game the Cats lost in the period, against Port Adelaide in Round 21 on August 26 last year. Ling passed five players who had played in 24 successive wins in the AFL.

Teammate Jimmy Bartel has now played in a 24-game streak, after missing last year's round 21 game as well as the following round's match, while young Cat Joel Selwood has strung together 23 wins.

Five players in the game's history notched 24-game streaks.

They are former Carlton skipper Stephen Kernahan who achieved his run between Round 1 1995 and Round 12, 1996, Jason Johnson achieved his between 1999 and 2000 while Paul Barnard and James Hird both achieved the feat between 2000 and 2001 after the Bombers won their first 20 matches to begin the 2000 season. Craig McRae achieved the mark between Round 17, 2000 and Round 4, 2002.

Stab Kicks ...
n Different cities, different passion – The AFL voiced its displeasure that the failure of MCC members to turn up left a raft of empty seats in their enclosure and cost seven to eight thousand football fans the opportunity to see the Anzac Day game which drew 88,999, the 9th biggest non-final crowd to attend the MCG.

In Sydney, the main NRL game was played at Homebush on the same day where (as reader Leonard Colquhoun points out) there was a bare 21,596 to see their match and left 60,000 empty seats.

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Friday, April 25

l Bombers lose Alwyn Davey in ACL training mishap
Essendon suffered a potentially massive blow on the eve of their AFL Anzac Day blockbuster against Collingwood, with Alwyn Davey hurting his knee at training.

The Roger Vaughan report carried on Fox Sports notes publicly the Bombers are saying little about the nature of the injury, but privately they are worried he has damaged the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee and will need a season-ending reconstruction.

In a story posted on the club's website, club football manager David Calthorpe conceded the Bombers are "quite concerned".

"It was an innocuous incident, he was simply doing a running drill and there was no player contact so we are at a loss to explain exactly why it happened," Calthorpe was quoted as saying.

"It's unfair to speculate on what he has done but, based on initial tests, we are quite concerned.

"Further examination on Monday will reveal the full extent of the injury."

The Bombers have endured shocking luck with injuries so far this season and are preparing a report into a spate of hamstring problems.

Key players Scott Lucas (knee) and Mark McVeigh (hamstring) will also miss tomorrow's game, while Scott Gumbleton, Courtenay Dempsey, Leroy Jetta and Sam Lonergan are also out with hamstring injuries.

Davey was among Essendon's best in their Anzac Day loss last year and he is one of the key players in the speed-based game plan of new coach Matthew Knights.

l McDonald and Bruce to lead Melbourne
James McDonald and Cameron Bruce will co-captain Melbourne in the absence of David Neitz.

The Demons placed their full-forward and long-time captain on the AFL long-term injury earlier this week as he struggles to overcome a neck injury.

It means Neitz is out of action for at least eight weeks and he has confirmed he will retire at the end of this season.

But Neitz is determined to play again before he leaves the game.

"The (player) leadership group, in discussion with the coaching staff, strongly agreed that both McDonald and Bruce were the appropriate choices to lead the team over the next eight weeks," the club said in a statement – The Age

l Jimmy Bartel and Cameron Ling re-sign with Cats
Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel and fellow Geelong premiership-winner Cameron Ling have extended their AFL contracts with the Cats.

Geelong has several other premiership stars coming out of contract at the end of the year and will struggle to keep its list together while remaining under the salary cap.

Geelong captain Tom Harley says the ongoing contract negotiations will be tough.

"I don't think too many guys will take pay cuts, it's just they all deserve probably massive pay rises and there's just not the scope to do that," he said.

"It's a massive challenge for the administration of the footy club and you know, as I said if they've taken Jimmy Bartel and Cameron Ling off that list they're certainly chipping away which is fantastic." – Yahoo! Sport

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Hall of Fame
l Nine reports Carey snubbed this year
The Age reports that former North Melbourne player Wayne Carey's off-field behaviour has brought into doubt that he will to be nominated for the AFL Hall of Fame this year.

Carey who retired when he quit Adelaide in 2004 after 28 matches in two years becomes eligible for consideration this season.

North president James Brayshaw said Thursday it will be an "absolute disgrace" if the former Kangaroos champion is not included in the Hall of Fame.

Carey, now 36, the Kanga premiership captain in 1996 and 1999, and regarded by many as one of the all-time greats of the game, is facing assault charges in the United States and also recently confessed to a drug and alcohol problem in a television interview.

But the Nine Network reported Carey was set to be overlooked at the May 8 induction ceremony, because of his off-field behaviour since retiring.

Along with playing record and ability, the criteria for Hall of Fame induction includes integrity, sportsmanship and character.

At this time one out of three may not be enough.

l Bob Ansett to again be saviour in Kangaroo crisis
North Melbourne is again facing a crisis, with its complex shareholder arrangement leaving the Kangaroos in a potentially vulnerable financial position.

Greg Denham reveals in The Australian that despite risking the loss of millions of dollars of AFL financial assistance and interrupting key revenue streams, a meeting at AFL headquarters on Wednesday between members of the executive and major shareholders, failed to resolve the issue.

The meeting, hosted by AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou and legal chief Andrew Dillon, lasted several hours but ended with the future of North Melbourne unresolved.

At the centre of the problem is a minority group of shareholders who have so far refused to release their shares. The renegade group, including former board members Kerry Good, Mark Dawson, Peter Johnstone and Andrew Carter, a past club president, are strong advocates of moving north.

After knocking back a lucrative offer to relocate to the Gold Coast, the Kangaroos, in just under four months, have made giant inroads to remain at their Arden Street headquarters.

But North Melbourne's ability to revert to a membership-driven club, as opposed to its current shareholder-based ownership, is proving a major stumbling block to its progress ... more – Ansett to again be saviour in Roo crisis

Stab Kicks ...
n The *Footy Works* update for Round 5 was posted Thursday evening ...

n A Herald Sun reader wrote to 50/50 – How can Kevin Rudd expect Australians to take the 2020 summit seriously when he held it over a weekend in the footy season? ...

n The Northern Tasmanian Football League (NTFL) is expected to reach a decision on Wednesday at an extraordinary NTFL board meeting to determine what happens if any of the six clubs which make up the League – Burnie, Devonport, Launceston, Northern Bombers, South Launceston or Ulverstone – will join the State proposed comp to start next year. The State league model includes a senior and under 23 competition ...

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GEOFF McCLURE, The Age, Sporting Life, April 24