Thursday, May 29

Footy Show fall out
Channel Nine to 'rest' Newman
Channel Nine has directed former Geelong player John (Sam) Newman to take a break from television after the furore over his treatment of women on The Footy Show. Newman has also been told to attend counselling for his recent behaviour, which included manhandling a lingerie-clad mannequin he dressed as The Age's chief football writer, Caroline Wilson on April 3rd.

His behaviour prompted a group of the AFL's most influential women to complain to Nine boss David Gyngell and call for the cast of The Footy Show to receive counselling.

The 61-year-old Newman responded by calling the women "liars and hypocrites" and saying that women "served very little purpose" in football.

A report in The Age says: One of the signatories of the letter to Gyngell, Western Bulldogs board member Susan Alberti, is suing Nine, Newman and the show's co-host Garry Lyon for defamation over the remarks.

Nine executive director Jeff Browne told the Herald Sun that Nine should not have allowed Newman to return to television so soon after prostate surgery. He also broke an ankle while lifting weights earlier this month.

"In order to allow Sam to return to full health without the stress of having to perform on live television each week, I have directed him to take a break from The Footy Show," he said.

"As a component of this rehabilitation, I have arranged for Sam to undergo counselling to address, with professional assistance, the behaviour and issues that have attended what I now believe to be his premature return to the program."

The Australian reports: With ratings dropping in the weeks following the incident, the ANZ bank pulled advertising from The Footy Show timeslot and a major sponsor of the show, mobile phone retailer Crazy John's, threatened to follow.

Newman, along with former host and friend Eddie McGuire, was an original member of the long-running program and once had a burgeoning media profile, on Nine and on commercial radio. Although the network did not sack him, it appears his commercial broadcasting career is at an end, with rival networks unlikely to touch the tarnished star.

Two years ago, Newman was sacked as a commentator by Triple M Radio for being "too negative" towards the modern game. The station's match-day ratings went on to top the Melbourne market.

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Looking ahead to Round 10
l Venue performances for all matches ... more

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l Head, neck and PCL injuries down
Groin, hamstring rates up
The number of head, neck and posterior-cruciate injuries may have decreased, but the AFL has much work to do before it can say the same thing about groin and hamstring complaints.

Jon Pierik reports in the Herald Sun: While the AFL's 2007 Injury Report reveals the League had experienced success in minimising some key sreas of worry. there had been a disturbing increased in others.

Figures show there was an average of seven hamstring injuries a club last year, up from 4.5 in 2002, while each club had an average of four groin complaints, up from less than three in 2003.

l Barry Hall on track to return in Round 12
Sydney coach Paul Roos expects spearhead Barry Hall to return from injury and suspension for the round 12 AFL clash with St Kilda at the SCG on June 14.

Hall, 31, injured his wrist during the round four clash with West Coast in which he was handed a seven-match suspension for punching Eagles defender Brent Staker in the face. Roos said Hall had been training with his cast on and will have a pin removed from his wrist in a minor operation on Monday.

Stab Kicks ...
n more to come ...

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l Footy Works updates – available
Round 8 updates are the most recent to be posted on May 23rd
Recommended: also download – Footy Works Grand Final 2005 Data File
Please direct software questions to Sorensen Technologies

The ultimate fan site
where passionate supporters gather!

Worth noting ...
n Martin Windsor-Black's *Full Picture* – more
n Tribunal 2008 – more
n NAB Cup 2008 Match Review and details – more
n Traded, Retired, Delisted, Acquired – more
n 2007 financial forecasts and results – more
n Footystats Classifieds – more

Wednesday, May 28

AFL Tribunal – MRP – Round 9
Jarrad Waite cops one week
Reprimand leaves Sam Mitchell free to play
Carlton defender Jarrad Waite will miss Saturday night's game against Geelong after the AFL found him guilty of striking Fremantle's Chris Mayne at Docklands on Saturday.

Fox Sports reports: The big Blue argued he made high contact accidentally after he jumped in the air trying to block Mayne's handball, and that his momentum carried him into the young Docker.

The tribunal jury ruled that Waite's conduct was negligent and that his actions constituted a strike.

The offence carried only 80 demerit points but his 93.75 carry-over points took him over the one-game threshold.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hawthorn accepted the early plea and a reprimand on Sam Mitchell's booking for tripping Melbourne's Simon Buckley at the MCG on Sunday.

The guilty plea makes Mitchell ineligible for the Brownlow where he was third favourite for this year's award. His demerit points were reduced to 93.75, leaving him clear to lead the Hawks against the Bulldogs in Launceston on Saturday.

In other cases, Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich and Nathan Jones (Melbourne) both pleaded guilty to making contact with field umpires and accepted $1,950 fines.

Charges and verdicts from Round 9:

CARLTON v FREMANTLE
l Jarrad Waite (Car) was cited by the MRP with a Level One striking charge against Chris Mayne (Fre) in Q4. While the incident drew only 80 points, 97.75 carry-over points boosts his tally to 173.75, meaning a one-match ban with an early plea. Carlton sought the adjudication of the Tribunal. Waite unsuccessfully argued his case on Tuesday when the Tribunal found the action negligent and suspended Waite for one match.
l Matthew Pavlich (Fre) was cited by the MRP with making negligent contact with umpire Gary Fila. Pavlich admitted guilt and accepted the MRP fine of $1950.

MELBOURNE v HAWTHORN
l Sam Mitchell (Haw) was cited by the MRP for a Level Two tripping offence against Simon Buckley (Mel) in Q3. Mitchell through an early plea reduced his 125 demerit points to 93.75 by admitting guilt of the offence and accepting a reprimand from the MRP.
l Nathan Jones (Mel) was cited by the MRP with making negligent contact with a field umpire (??). Jones admitted guilt and accepted the MRP fine of $1950.

l Back-flip likely on interchange rules
Caroline Wilson in The Age forecasts the AFL is set for an embarrassing back flip over its complex changes to the player interchange system.

The Age believes that executive-level talks at the competition's headquarters yesterday have resulted in the decision to dump a key element of the new system only two weeks after it was introduced.

The AFL's football operations boss, Adrian Anderson, is believed to have taken the in-principle decision to remove the most controversial element of the new procedure where an interchange steward must provide the numbers of the players coming on and off the field before the exchange is made.

While the decision is not yet final, the AFL met late yesterday with statisticians Champion Data, the group that will again record the interchanges and provide the resources informing the game's governing body as to how long players have spent on and off the playing arena ... more – AFL about-face over interchange

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l Cancer claims Mick Nolan
Mick Nolan, a genial giant who became one of the most popular players in the history of North Melbourne, died in Brisbane last night after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 59.

Paul Daffey reports in The Age: Nolan was a ruckman who had an unusual combination of bulk and subtlety. With a playing weight of more than 120 kilograms, his stomach hung over his shorts. But his deft tapwork to rover Barry Cable played a significant part in the success of the glamorous teams at Arden Street in the 1970s.

Nolan's appeal was his lack of glamour. He was earthy and smiling, and lumbered with good grace his nickname "the Galloping Gasometer". The nickname was derived from the gasometer that stood across from the North Melbourne footy ground at Arden Street.

Stab Kicks ...
n *Worth repeating* – a generous Crikey reader has been kind enough to send a copy of Jeff Wall's take on the current state of some NRL Sydney clubs and what may happen if the AFL wins ownership of the Olympic Stadium at Homebush – more ... AFL is quietly doing its homework on the NRL

n Essendon's 26-year-old No.1 ruckman David Hille has signed a new two-year contract. He has played 133 games for the Bombers since being taken with pick No.40 in the 1999 national draft.

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Tuesday, May 27

Match Review Panel – Round 9
Jarrad Waite and Sam Mitchell face suspension
Carlton could face the reigning premiers this Saturday night minus Jarrad Waite, with the important key position player facing a one-match suspension for striking Fremantle's Chris Mayne.

The AFL webpage reports: Waite, 25, has been charged with a level one striking offence for his clash with the young Docker during Saturday's match at Docklands. The Match Review Panel on Monday handed the forward-defender 80 demerit points for his action.

A total of 97.75 carry-over points from within the last 12 months pushes Waite over the one-match ban threshold, which cannot be reduced to less than 100 points even with an early plea.

Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell has escaped suspension for tripping Melbourne's Simon Buckley, and has been offered a reprimand and 93.75 points with an early guilty plea.

If the Hawks choose to take the MRP finding to the tribunal, they will risk having the midfielder suspended for one match as the initial offence has drawn a total of 125 demerit points and a one-week sanction.

In other MRP news, Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich has been fined $1950 with an early plea for making negligent contact with umpire Gary Fila, while Melbourne's Nathan Jones has been awarded the same penalty for a similar offence against umpire Matthew James.

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AFL admits interchange blunder
l Official "thought he saw" player go onto the field
The AFL has clarified Saturday night's embarrassing interchange blunder, saying an official thought he saw a West Coast player go onto the field too early.

It was assumed that West Coast were given the wrong penalty for a minor indiscretion, when second-gamer Ryan Davis stepped out of the interchange holding pen too early.

Fox Sports reports: The Eagles should have only received a $5,000 fine, but instead Adelaide were paid a free kick and a 50m penalty, which led to a goal.

The gift goal was the first penalty paid under the league's controversial changes to their interchange rules.

AFL umpires director Jeff Gieschen also revealed the interchange steward responsible for the mistake would be "dropped" this week.

"It was quite simply just a basic human error ... I'm disappointed, we're all disappointed, obviously West Coast would be disappointed, but probably no one is more disappointed than our interchange steward himself," Gieschen said.

"He was quite adamant at the time that he thought he saw the player step over the boundary line and onto the field of play.

"Our field umpire went with him and just checked, our emergency field umpire said 'are you 100 per cent certain this is to be a free kick'?

"He said 'yes, he stepped onto the field of play'."

The free and 50m penalty only applied if a team is found to have 19 men on the field.

Gieschen said the steward immediately realised his mistake once he saw a replay of the incident.

"Unfortunately, the replays have showed differently and as soon as he was made aware of it and we showed him the replay, he apologised," Gieschen said.

"Hopefully we all learn a lesson from this and one of the first things we'll do is cut this bit of vision and fire it around to all our interchange stewards and we'll certainly fire it around to all the umpires.

"(We'll) just reinforce to everybody what the exact situation is with that one."
__________

Michael Gleeson pertinently comments in The Age:
The AFL trialled capping the number of interchanges in the pre-season because it disliked the idea of high rotations. The move was met with scorn by the clubs. Under the guise of preserving the integrity of the game, it is seeking a back-door means on the clubs' use of the bench to achieve the same end ... more

l Score mix-up from opening round emerges
Something that bemused commentators and statophiles during the opening match of this premiership season has finally been explained.

Mark Stevens of the Herald Sun has the story ...

Outdated AFL procedures face fresh scrutiny after revelations of a potentially damaging scoring blunder. The Herald Sun has learned both goal umpires were dropped after a scoring mix-up in the Round 1 clash between Richmond and Carlton.

A behind was incorrectly credited to Richmond on the MCG scoreboard at some stage in the second quarter. Goal umpires Mark Harrison and Steve Stirling confirmed the scoreboard was correct at halftime and again at the last change, failing to detect the error.

It meant the score was wrong on the MCG scoreboard for the entire second half of the game.

Broadcaster Channel 10 sensed a mistake had been made, with boundary-rider Andrew Maher constantly raising the issue during the coverage.

It is understood Ten contacted the AFL in search of answers as the game went on – more ... Scrutiny after point blunder

l Geelong's thrashing: could have been worse ...
Footystats contributor Michael Rogers notes Geelong's round 9 loss to Collingwood was one of the worst by a team sitting on top of the ladder, but not the worst. This table shows the 7 greater defeats suffered by first placed and what happened to them and their conquerors at the end of the season.

Stab Kicks ...
n West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett who has held the top role since 1999, has agreed to a new three-year deal with the club. The Eagles have also announced that SGIO and Hungry Jack's have extended their long-standing partnerships with the club.

n Crowds for Round 9 totalled 331,733, taking the progressive total to 2,811,409 at an average of 39,047 per game – see Attendances 2008 ...

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Monday, May 26

FROM THE ROUND

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

COLLINGWOOD v GEELONG
l close to a parallel – at half-time the Pies led the Cats by 51 points – in 2006 in Round 8 at the MCG, it was 59 points difference 12.3 to 2.4, with Collingwood that night (May 20) winning by 102 points ...
l Collingwood's 86-point win is their 4th-best of 214 games versus the Cats; only 102pts in 2006, 97pts in 1945 and 89pts in 1902 are better ...
l also close to a parallel – TIM LANE noted on ABC 774 that in 1953 it was Collingwood who severed the string of Geelong's 23-straight victories – on Friday night it was the end of 12 successive wins by the Cats from last year's R22 ...
l the Magpies had 13 goalkickers for the match; an equal best by Collingwood – last time 1990-R16-SCG v Sydney – see Goals-most ...
l 50th DALE THOMAS (Collingwood, 2006-08) who in Q4 kicked Collingwood's 19th of the night and a contender for goal of the year...

CARLTON v FREMANTLE
l in their fourth successive game the Dockers led at three-quarter time only to be overtaken and beaten – FRANCIS LEACH on SEN noted the last time this occurred was by St Kilda in 1940 – see below ...
l for the first time in nine meetings, the Blues defeated Fremantle – first win since 2001-R16 at Princes Park ...

PORT ADELAIDE v SYDNEY
l the Swans opened with 8.1-49, their best Q1 versus Port and their best start of the season ...
l in their 999th VFL-AFL victory the Swans posted their fourth successive win over Port ...
l 150th RYAN O'KEEFE (Sydney, 2000-08) ...
l 50th TROY CHAPLIN (Port Adelaide, 2004-08) ...
l 200th career game BRETT KIRK (Sydney, 1999-2008) – 180 premiership games, 15 pre-season, 1 State, 4 International ...
l 200th consecutive game ADAM GOODES (Sydney) sequence began 1999-Round 22 ...

ESSENDON v RICHMOND
l Essendon conceded 21 unanswered goals – the last 13 of the match against Sydney at the SCG in Round 8 and the first eight versus Richmond at the MCG before Dons' captain MATTHEW LLOYD kicked Essendon's first 12 minutes into Q2 ...
l Essendon's MATTHEW LLOYD passed 850 career goals in game 239 ...

WEST COAST v ADELAIDE
l Q4, 8 mins: First free-kick penalty under interchange rules given to Adelaide's IVAN MARIC when West Coast second-gamer RYAN DAVIS illegally crossed the yellow line of the holding pen as debutant TIM HOULIHAN left the ground. Maric goaled from in front 40m out ...
By Sunday, the AFL had red faces and were forced to admit a serious blunder that there should have been no free kick and no free goal for Adelaide on Saturday night. At the most, West Coast had made a *minor indiscretion* and should have been fined $5000.
l Adelaide's 5.17 follows a few other *bad Crow days* — BRUCE KENNEDY says arguably its equal third of their most inaccurate on record:
2004-R18-FP – Ade 5.19 v Kan 5.12 – difference 14
1993-R20-FP – Ade 13.27 v Mel 6.10 – 14
2008-R9-Su – WCE 14.13 v Ade 5.17 – 12
1993-2SF-P – Car 13.8 v Ade 8.20 (10 behinds were rushed) – 12
l 200th DAVID WIRRPANDA (West Coast, 1996-2008) ...

BRISBANE v ST KILDA
l with his sixth goal in Q4, DANIEL BRADSHAW (Brisbane) reached 400 career goals in game 189 ...
l 200th STEVEN KING (7 StK 2008; 193 Gee 1996-2007) ...
l 150th STEPHEN MILNE (St Kilda, 2001-08 ...
l 50th JOEL MACDONALD (Brisbane, 2004-08) ...
l 148th match by NIGEL LAPPIN (Brisbane) at the Gabba, the equal of former teammate MICHAEL VOSS ...

MELBOURNE v HAWTHORN
l Hawthorn won their opening nine matches for the first time – topping the first eight wins of 2001 – the record run for the club is 12-straight in 1961 ...
l in the 149th meeting with Melbourne the Hawks notched their 799th League win – Hawthorn just shade the Demons with 75 wins and 74 losses – the pair have never played a draw ...
l 200th career game BEN HOLLAND (65 Mel 2004-07; 125 Rch 1996-2003) – 190 premiership games, 10 pre-season ...

WEST.B'DOGS v NORTH MELB
l at the 143rd meeting the pair drew level, each with 70 wins, 3 draws ...
l no other new match records were noted ...
l 250th BRENT HARVEY (North Melb, 1996-2008) ...
l 50th WILL MINSON (West.B'dogs, 2004-08) ...

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Sunday, May 25

Dockers fail again after leading at last change
Sydney pip Port in a real scrap at Footy Park
Tigers too good; Dons recover in second half
Eagles roast the Crows with 50 point win
Brisbane climb to 7th; smashing win over Saints
Hawks win record 9-straight over gallant Demons
Kangaroos pip Bulldogs by three points

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

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Saturday, May 24

Round 9
Magpies irresistibly triumph over the Cats

Collingwood have stunned AFL reigning premiers Geelong, smashing them by 86 points with a brutal and brilliant team performance on Friday night at the MCG before a crowd of 78,206.

Fox Sports reports: The Magpies' fierce tackling set the agenda from the opening bounce and they dominated all but a few minutes of the match.

Travis Cloke kicked four goals, while fellow key forward Anthony Rocca also emphatically answered his critics and defender Marty Clarke was best afield.

The Cats had won 27 of their last 28 matches before tonight, but after several weeks of just doing enough to win, were overwhelmed by a consummate team effort.

It was Geelong's biggest loss since Adelaide beat them by 92 points in round 13, 2006.

While the Magpies were a machine, the Cats floundered under intense pressure.

Midfielder Dale Thomas, one of Collingwood's best, provided the exclamation point of the win with an audacious goal 19 minutes into the final term.

Thomas was under pressure, deep in a forward pocket, when he put the ball on the outside of his right boot and it bounced through to the delight of the Collingwood faithful.

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l Kennett: Demons should relocate to Gold Coast
Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett sent the cat among the pigeons on Friday after suggesting Melbourne should relocate to the Gold Coast.

On Thursday night, Kennett was part of a panel with AFL boss Andrew Demetriou, Collingwood's Eddie McGuire and Western Bulldogs president David Smorgon.

Jon Ralph noted in the Herald Sun: When asked his advice to Demons legend Jim Stynes – considered likely to take over from president Paul Gardner – Kennett was emphatic: "If Jimmy Stynes wants to stand for the presidency at Melbourne, like any young person, I encourage him to give it a go. But my advice to him would be to bite the bullet and establish the Gold Coast Demons because I don't think Melbourne, as it is at the moment, has a long-term future in this code," Kennett told the audience.

"It needs to do something dramatic if it is to get financial support and the consumer and sponsorship support. For team in the last four positions (on the ladder) at the end of the year, it is going to be very, very hard to rebuild within the next 10 years.

"There's not way Andrew (Demetriou) is going to allow any of the weaker clubs to rebuild through the drafting process through the next 10 years. It's almost going to be impossible with what is proposed, so that makes it hard."

On Friday, Demetriou told Melbourne's Fairfax radio station 3AW that the AFL were "not really interested in (an established) team going to the Gold Coast. We've got a bid team up there already.

"We've got people working on the ground and they're interviewing people for coaching positions. It's pretty clear the Gold Coast community wants their own team and a team that is built from the bottom up and that's why we've been talking to clubs about list development and the like."

Across Friday, Melbourne chairman Paul Gardner said his club has never considered relocation and has no plans to do so.

In a statement, Gardner said: "Let me assure you that the views of the Tasmanian Hawks President, Jeff Kennett, are purely his own.

Kennett expressed his viewpoint at length in 3AW's pre-game coverage before Friday night's Collingwood-Geelong match at the MCG.

l Troy Cook wins Nowalenko Award
Former Fremantle and Sydney player Troy Cook has been selected as the second annual winner of the Nowalenko Award.

He follows last year’s inaugural winner of the award, Gilbert McAdam.

The AFL webpage notes: The award, initiated by Essendon and Richmond in conjunction with the AFL, provides recognition for an indigenous person who has contributed significantly to the game and the community.

The award is an extension of the Essendon versus Richmond, Dreamtime at the G event, a key feature of the AFL's Indigenous Round.

Cook’s nomination was submitted by the David Wirrpanda Foundation and the award will be presented at half time of the West Coast v Adelaide match at Subiaco on Saturday night.

The award was judged on two key criteria: contribution to the game and contribution to the community.

The winner was selected by a panel, made up of representatives from the AFL, Essendon, Richmond, AFL SportsReady and the AFL Players’ Association.

David Wirrpanda, Director of the David Wirrpanda Foundation said Troy deserved recognition for his tireless work in establishing and promoting indigenous health programs throughout Western Australia.

The name of the award — Nowalenko (pronounced NO-WARL-ENK-O) — comes from the Woiwurrung language which is the spoken word of the Wurundjeri people, whose traditional land includes the area around the MCG. The word represents a range of characteristics in line with the Nowalenko award winner — success on ground and contribution to club and community.

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Friday, May 23

Round 9 selections
Collingwood names Josh Fraser
Chad Cornes, Michael Wilson return for Port

While Port Adelaide are without the suspended Shaun Burgoyne, they have named Chad Cornes and Michael Wilson for Saturday's AFL home match against Sydney.

Yahoo! Sport reports: Power coach Mark Williams made no secret of his fury about Burgoyne's suspension and the club could face an AFL fine over the comments. But his mood will be considerably brighter if Cornes and Wilson can prove their fitness on Friday at training.

Cornes, an All-Australian midfielder, has been out since round six with a broken finger, while Wilson, the Power's much-respected veteran defender, suffered an Achilles tendon injury in last year's preliminary final.

The Power left out Adam Thomson, while the Swans recalled Tim Schmidt for injured defender Tadhg Kennelly.

Another big-name inclusion is Collingwood ruckman Josh Fraser, named for Friday night's match against Geelong at the MCG. Fraser suffered a knee injury in the May 10 Hall Of Fame tribute match and was named for fellow ruckman Cameron Wood.

The Cats also changed ruckmen, bringing in Trent West for Shane Mumford, while Matthew Stokes returns in place of Max Rooke.

Carlton's under-manned defence will welcome Bret Thornton for Saturday's game against Fremantle at Docklands. Earlier this week, the Blues expected Thornton to miss at least another week with his knee injury, but he was named along with Shaun Hampson and Jake Edwards.

Cain Ackland was omitted, while Richard Hadley (groin) and Michael Jamison (shoulder) are injured.

The Dockers recalled Antoni Grover and Chris Mayne for injured pair Roger Hayden (lung) and Marcus Drum (hamstring).

Underperforming Essendon have made three unforced changes for Saturday night's match against Richmond at the MCG, dropping Adam Ramanauskas, Mal Michael and Jason Laycock.

Bachar Houli is ill and they named Nathan Lovett-Murray, Adam McPhee, Ricky Dyson and Jobe Watson.

The Tigers brought in Adam Pattison and Jay Schulz for Luke McGuane and Mitch Morton.

West Coast named Tim Houlihan and Beau Wilkes for their senior debuts in Saturday night's home game against Adelaide, leaving out Mark Nicoski and Jaymie Graham. Houlihan is a midfielder, picked up in the 2006 draft, while Wilkes is a key defender who has been on the Eagles' rookie list for four years.

Their debuts will take the number of Eagles senior newcomers this year to seven.

Adelaide named Richard Douglas and Brent Reilly at the expense of Jarrhan Jacky and Luke Jericho.

The Sunday squads featured St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt, who is coming back from a knee injury, and the most famous name in Hawthorn's history.

Josh Kennedy, who will make his debut for the Hawks against Melbourne, is the grandson of club legend John Kennedy and the son of four-time premiership ruckman John Kennedy Jnr.

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l Footy Works – two updates posted
Two updates have been posted for "Footy Works" – the data from last weekend's Round 8 matches and a special download to correct a glitch of the final ladder for season 2005 which was highlighted early this week by Footystats reader Michael Rogers.

The "Footy Works" download page – more ...

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l ANZ withdraws advertising from Footy Show
The Age reports: The ANZ has withdrawn advertising from The Footy Show in an apparent protest against its attitude towards women.

The bank on Wednesday confirmed it had deliberately dissociated itself from one of Australia's highest rating sports shows.

In what is a largely symbolic demand, rather than a costly one for Channel Nine, the ANZ will continue its current commercial agreement with the network but has directed that its ads not be aired during the program.

l 200th for David Wirrpanda; may be his last season
West Coast's David Wirrpanda has given the strongest indication yet that this could be his final season as he prepares for his 200th AFL game this weekend.

Wirrpanda, who was 16 when he arrived at the Eagles in 1996, said his mind was willing but his body was feeling the effects of a long career. "It might be this year, it might be next year. I might be standing here with a microphone with you blokes next year; who knows?" Wirrpanda, 28, said ahead of the clash with Adelaide tomorrow night – Yahoo! Sport

Stab Kicks ...
n A court hearing on Thursday involving former AFL player Wayne Carey was adjourned in the Melbourne Magistrates Court. The case had been scheduled for a mention, but the matter was adjourned and Carey did not appear.

The 36 year old Carey is facing six charges, including three of assaulting police and three of resisting arrest following a confrontation at his Port Melbourne townhouse in January – ABC Sport

n The SANFL on Monday night rejected a Northern Territory proposal to enter a team in the Adelaide competition next year. A press release on Thursday noted the doors would remain open in 2010 should a number of matters be resolved, particularly in relation to finance, player concessions and team competitiveness.

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