Wednesday, August 6

Collingwood suspends trio over drink-driving lies

Collingwood has suspended Heath Shaw and Alan Didak for the rest of the season after lying about a drink-driving incident from the weekend.

ABC Sport Online reports: Management at the high profile AFL club says the suspensions include both the home-and-away portion of the season and potential finals matches following an extensive investigation.

It's understood Heath Shaw had a blood alcohol reading three times the legal limit after hitting a parked car in Kew on Sunday.

Shaw originally denied Didak was also in the car, but the club now says he was.

As a repeat offender, Didak has been fined $5000, while the original fine of $10,000 to Heath Shaw has been reinforced.

Meanwhile Shaw's brother Rhyce, who was already injured was also found to have been drinking over the weekend, and has been suspended for two matches and fined $5,000.

Collingwood CEO Gary Pert said the club would not sweep the matter under the carpet and Collingwood's reputation as an honest organisation was worth more than a premiership.

"When you have two of your key players looking the president, the coach, their own team mates in the eyes and actually lying to them...it really destroys the essence of the club," he said.

A statement from the club says all three players will continue to train with the team.
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l How Eddie's golden boys shot the president
Worth reading – Caroline Wilson, The Age – more ...

AFL Tribunal – Round 18
Chairman calls  for update of tackle rules
Darren Milburn charge reduced to one-game
Steven Browne acquitted
AFL tribunal chairman David Jones wants the league to introduce a specific "spear tackle" offence after Geelong veteran Darren Milburn exploited a legal grey area to have a suspension downgraded on Tuesday night.

Milburn risked a three-match ban by taking his rough conduct charge to the tribunal but had that reduced to one game.

The defender pleaded guilty to pinning the arms of Richmond youngster Shane Edwards in a tackle and slamming him into the turf during Saturday night's match at Docklands.

The original charge was graded as high contact, based on the fact that Edwards' head crashed into the ground, resulting in him being assisted from the field and treated for concussion.

But Milburn's advocate Peter Murdoch QC successfully argued that it should have been graded as body contact, as that was where Milburn grabbed the Tigers player.

The AFL's rules governing reportable offences do not specify whether contact refers to that between offender and victim, or contact between the victim and another object such as the ground.

In a rare step, Jones spent several minutes deliberating before instructing the jury to use contact between the two players as the relevant factor.

It meant they had no choice but to downgrade the offence, reducing the length of the suspension.

But Jones said as this was the first case of its kind under the AFL's current tribunal system, the rules needed some attention.

"This case in my mind illustrates the need for the AFL to consider, when they do their review of the rules at the end of the year, introducing a specific offence for contact of this nature," Jones said.

"This has been done with respect to front-on contact and with respect to head-high contact and in my view that was very appropriate.

"There is a need for a specific offence that takes into account a dangerous tackle, or a throw tackle, or as it is called in rugby league, a spear tackle, but that is a matter for the AFL."

As well as a 25 per cent points reduction for his guilty plea, the one-game ban included a further 25 per cent reduction for Milburn's previous clean record.

It means he will miss only Friday night's match against bottom-placed Melbourne.

Earlier, Carlton youngster Steven Browne was cleared of a rough conduct charge, saving him from a four-week suspension. Browne was charged over a collision with Adelaide forward Jason Porplyzia during their match at Football Park on Saturday, which left the Crows player with bruising to the brain.

The contact occurred after Porplyzia was pushed into Browne's path by another Carlton player, Bret Thornton.

The tribunal jury took only about two minutes to deliberate, before agreeing with Browne's argument that his collision with Porplyzia was accidental, rather than an act of negligence – The Age.

ADELAIDE v CARLTON
l Steven Browne (Car) was charged with a Level Four rough conduct offence against Jason Porplyzia (Ade) in Q2.
The incident was assessed as negligent conduct (one point), severe impact (four points) and high contact (two points). This is a total of seven activation points, resulting in a classification of a Level Four offence, drawing 425 demerit points and a four-match sanction. He has no existing good or bad record. An early plea reduces the penalty by 25 per cent to 318.75 points and a three-match suspension.
Carlton sought the adjudication of the Tribunal. On Tuesday the Tribunal found the action was accidental, rather than an act of negligence and acquitted Browne.
l Ivan Maric (Ade) and Simon Wiggins (Car) were charged with wrestling each other in Q1.
A first offence for wrestling is a $1200 sanction. An early plea reduces the penalty by 25 per cent to a $900 sanction.
Both Maric and Wiggins admitted guilt and the MRP penalty of a $900 fine.

GEELONG v RICHMOND
Darren Milburn (Gee) was charged with a Level Four offence for engaging in rough conduct against Shane Edwards (Rch) in Q3.
The incident was assessed as reckless conduct (two points), high impact (three points) and high contact (two points). This is a total of seven activation points, resulting in a classification of a Level Four offence, drawing 425 demerit points and a four-match sanction. He has an existing five-year good record, which reduces the penalty by 25 per cent to 318.75 points and a three-match sanction. An early plea reduces the penalty by 25 per cent to 239.06 points and a two-match sanction.
Geelong sought the adjudication of the Tribunal. On Tuesday, as AFL's rules governing reportable offences do not specify whether contact refers to that between offender and victim, or contact between the victim and another object such as the ground, chairman David Jones deliberated before instructing the jury to use contact between the two players as the relevant factor. This left the jury with no alternative other than to downgrade the offence to a one-match suspension. As a 25 per cent points reduction for his guilty plea, the one-game ban included a further 25 per cent reduction for Milburn's previous clean record.

FREMANTLE v WEST COAST
Jeff Farmer (Fre) was charged with a Level Two striking offence against Mark Nicoski (WC) in Q3.
The incident was assessed as reckless conduct (two points), low impact (one point) and high contact (two points). This is a total of five activation points, resulting in a classification of a Level Two offence, drawing 125 demerit points and a one-match sanction. He has an existing bad record of eight matches suspended within the last three years, increasing the penalty by 50 per cent to 187.50 points and a one-match sanction. An early plea reduces the penalty by 25 per cent to 140.63 points and a one-match sanction.
In summary, Farmer's poor record means that his one-game sanction cannot be reduced, even with an early plea.
Farmer accepted guilt and the MRP penalty of a one-match suspension.

Other Round 18 incidents assessed by the MRP –
l Contact between Matthew Scarlett (Gee) and Chris Newman (Rch) in Q4. On the vision from behind the goals, Newman was between Scarlett and the ball carrier until the very last moment when contact is made. Scarlett bumps Newman in the chest. No high contact was made. The contact was therefore not unreasonable in the circumstances and not reportable. No further action was taken.
l Contact between Craig Bolton (Syd) and umpire Matthew Nicholls in Q2. Bolton was attempting to close in on his immediate opponent, when the umpire runs in front of him. The Sydney player is not able to avoid contact, and the contact was considered accidental. No further action was taken.
Contact between Barry Hall (Syd) and Lindsay Gilbee (WB) in Q3. Hall runs in to contest the ball. He placed his open left hand on Gilbee's shoulder and the same hand then makes high contact to Gilbee. Hall's action was considered a push and no further action was taken.
l Contact between Brendon Goddard (StK) and Nick Salter (PA) in Q2. Goddard had his eyes on the ball until the last moment, when he realised his team mate would mark the ball. He then attempted to pull out of the contest. Goddard's shoulder did make high contact with Salter, but it was considered accidental and that the St Kilda player was trying to avoid significant contact. No further action was taken.
l Contact between Lenny Hayes (StK) and Nick Lower (PA) in Q3. Hayes moved in to contest with the ball with both hands down in an attempt to gain possession of the ball. At the last moment, Lower tapped the ball, preventing Hayes from gaining possession. It was the view of the MRP that Hayes had no realistic alternative way to contest the ball. No further action was taken.
l Contact between Jacob Surjan (PA) and Robert Harvey (StK) in Q3. Surjan tackled Harvey when the St Kilda player was in possession of the ball. Surjan pulls Harvey around in the tackle and Harvey kicks the ball just before going to ground. Given there was one action in the tackle and that Harvey had possession of the ball for most of the tackle, it was deemed a legal tackle and not a reportable offence. No further action was taken.

l Port hero Michael Wilson retires
Port Adelaide premiership defender Michael Wilson has announced his retirement from AFL football after playing 192 games.

Wilson was a member of the Power's inaugural squad in 1997 and won the AFL's rising star award for that year. He subsequently battled through a succession of injuries, including multiple shoulder and knee reconstructions.

For his efforts to play through those injuries he has been dubbed the "heart and soul" of Port Adelaide.

Wilson played in the Power's 2004 premiership side but missed last year's grand final after he snapped an Achilles tendon in the preliminary final.

This year Wilson struggled to recaptured his old form and he knew his time was up when he suffered a knee injury at training a month ago.

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Michael Rogers
l Is it time for a new ladder?
With the fact that Essendon's recent good form has only gained it one place on the ladder (13th-12th) thoughts about a way of reflecting true form on the ladder so that the most currently competitive would play in the finals.

We thought that this might be of interest to Footystats readers – more ...

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Stab Kicks ...
n The memory of our veteran statsman Bruce Kennedy quickly ticked over to provide the answer that may have been raised by our "for those who remember" piece – the alpha symbols had a regular placement –
AB = Waverley match
CD = Princes Park match
EF = Junction/Moorabbin match
GH = MCG match
KN = Lake Oval match
RS = Kardinia Park match

The rest were scattered.

n MWB has spotted that Carlton is pressing toward their first season of drawing one million through the gate in the H+A series, emulation the old foe Collingwood – check out *The Full Picture* after Round 18 ...

n For *Footy Works* devotees, the update for Round 18 has been posted ...

n There's always another story ...


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Tuesday, August 5

Disciplinary action by Collingwood expected
Alan Didak emerges as Heath Shaw passenger

Collingwood defender Heath Shaw faces disciplinary action for lying to the club after he denied team-mate Alan Didak was a passenger in his car during a drink driving incident.

Yahoo! Sport reports: Shaw was charged with drink driving following a car accident in the Melbourne suburb of Kew on Sunday night, but avoided suspension from the club and was scheduled to play in this weekend's match against St Kilda.

Shaw dismissed suggestions at a televised press conference on Monday that Didak had been a passenger in his car, but club investigations have since revealed Didak was in fact in the car at the time of the accident.

A Collingwood statement said Shaw's sanctions for the drink driving incident would be reviewed immediately, while Didak could also face disciplinary action for lying to the club.

"Given the club has now found their information to be false, it strikes at the principles of honesty and integrity that the Collingwood Football Club is built on," the statement read.

Sportal reports: The fact that Didak lied about the events of Sunday night could spell the end of his career with the Magpies, given the stipulations in his contract.

Collingwood originally decided against a suspension on Shaw, but given this recent discovery the club will review the incident again and a decision will be made on Tuesday.

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MRP – Round 18
l Heavy tackle spells trouble for Darren Milburn
Slamming opponents' heads into the turf in tackles is a clear no-go zone in the AFL after Geelong's Darren Milburn was hit with a four-game suspension on Monday by the AFL's Match Review Panel.

Milburn's heavy tackle on Richmond's Shane Edwards, when he pinned the Tiger's arms and drove him into the Docklands turf last Saturday night in the third quarter after the ball spilled free, earned one of the heaviest suspensions of the season, although the Cat can halve the penalty with a guilty plea.

Yahoo! Sport reports: However the practice became murky, after a similar tackle laid by Port Adelaide's Jacob Surjan, on St Kilda's Robert Harvey in the third quarter on Sunday, was given the all-clear despite the veteran Saint needing assistance to leave the ground.

Edwards needed assistance after being crunched, and the panel assessed Milburn's tackle as reckless, of high contact and high impact, which drew seven activation points and 425 demerit points.

The All-Australian backman, one of the stars of the Cats' premiership win last season, has a good record over the past five years which reduces the penalty by 25 per cent, and a guilty plea would drop the sanction by a further 25 per cent, to two games.

Geelong have until Tuesday to inform the AFL whether they accept the penalty or want the Tribunal to adjudicate the charge on Tuesday night.

Surjan's tackle on Harvey was assessed by the panel, but it ruled that the Port player's tackle was legitimate because he slung the Saint while he was kicking the ball.

Carlton may challenge a four-match penalty imposed on young midfielder Steven Browne, who was reported for engaging in rough conduct in the second quarter against Adelaide's Jason Porplyzia at Football Park on Saturday. Porplyzia suffered bruising to a small area of his brain after he bounced off Carlton's Bret Thornton and into the path of Browne, and the contact again popped out the Crow's loose shoulder.

The panel assessed Browne's contact as negligent conduct, severe impact and high contact, which drew seven activation points and 425 demerit points. Carlton can reduce that to three games with a guilty plea.

Fremantle's Jeff Farmer was charged with a level-two striking offence against West Coast's Mark Nicoski in the third quarter at Subiaco Oval on Sunday, and his poor record – 19 games suspended from 15 reports provided little leeway. Farmer pleaded guilty and accepted the charge last night. The suspension arrives at a time where speculation is that the Dockers will not renew Farmer's contract.

Carlton's Simon Wiggins and Adelaide's Ivan Maric were both charged with wrestling each other in the first quarter. They can expect $900 fines.

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Stab Kicks ...
n Some e-mails on Monday noted the appearance of "for those who remember" – the alphabetical letters that appeared on scoreboards for nigh on 90 years after they first recorded scores from other grounds starting at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1909. There was the note that always accompanied the chart in the Footy Record of the day – "watch the varying positions of R and S discs on the board".

The design used was copied from the round 1 issue of the Football Record, March 27-31, 1997. I believe the feature disappeared around 1997 as communications of the day delivered the scores from *around the grounds* more than a pocket pencil provided. I will be happy if anyone can correct me.

n Bruce Kennedy observes that Round 18 delivered –
3 x 8pt results, and 2 x 8ptx2 (ie 16 pts) – MWB gave us the background to these margin parallels last week when we had three 24-point results on the Sunday in Round 17.

n Michael Rogers notes Port Adelaide's loss in R18 has resulted in 2008 being their worst performance at this stage of any season. The previous low at R18 was in 2000, with 5 wins and 1 draw.

n Ben Cousins has started the long road back by training with WAFL club Perth at Lathlain Park. Perth coach Simon Eastaugh said Cousins, who is serving a 12-month AFL suspension for bringing the game into disrepute, had committed to training with the WAFL outfit three nights a week as the former Eagles skipper aims to keep his AFL career alive – Fox Sports

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Monday, August 4

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Stab Kicks ...
n Crowds for the 18th round of 276,170 (subject to audit) took total attendances of 144 games to 5,452,212 ... round 18 breakdown in *Match Review* ...

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Sunday, August 3

Bulldogs consign Sydney to shaky territory
Tardy Saints just survive against Port youngsters
Freo are emphatic derby winners over Eagles

Round 18
Lloyd kicks 8.1; Bombers win tight call over Dees
Crows take the points against Carlton
Geelong swamp Richmond
North in another great fightback clip Brisbane

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

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Saturday, August 2

Round 18
Hawks overpower Magpies by nine goals

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

Collingwood 8.14-62
Hawthorn 17.14-116

Collingwood's AFL finals hopes took another hit as a Hawthorn side fuelled by Sam Mitchell and Lance Franklin handed them their third straight loss, a nine-goal defeat at the MCG in front of 58,307 spectators..

Yahoo! Sport reported: The Hawks, coming off two straight losses, blitzed the Magpies with three goals in the opening seven minutes on their way to outscoring them six goals to one in the first term and Collingwood never really recovered.

After trailing by as much as 39 points early in the second quarter, the Magpies were at one stage able to close to within 10 points early in the second half.

But Hawthorn kicked the final three goals of the third quarter, then blew the Magpies away in the final term, with Franklin kicking the last three goals of the match to cap an eight-goal haul.

The loss left the Magpies, who started the night in sixth place, with a 9+9 record, and in danger of slipping out of the top eight by the end of the weekend if results of other matches go against them.

Captain Sam Mitchell was magnificent in the midfield for the Hawks, setting his side up with his early work in the packs, with the Magpies barely touching the ball in the opening few minutes.

The skipper was able to roam the ground, gathering telling kicks throughout the night, to ensure the supply to the Hawthorn forwards never dropped off.

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse had predicted in the lead-up to the match that if Hawks tall forwards Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead were allowed enough of the ball they could "monster" his side and so it proved.

The two big men finished with 12 goals between them against an inexperienced Magpies defence.

l Leigh Colbert rejects West Coast offer
Former Geelong and North Melbourne defender Leigh Colbert has rejected an approach from West Coast to join the club's revamped AFL coaching staff next season.

Colbert, who worked part-time for the club last year, informed the Eagles he has decided to concentrate on his fledgling career as a pilot and media commentator.

l Channel Nine defends Newman's sex slur
Channel Nine has again had to defend John "Sam" Newman after calls to rein him in over another sexually degrading remark the former footballer directed at a female parliamentarian.

Dan Silkstone reports in The Age: Newman was yesterday forced to apologise to Tasmanian Economic Development Minister Paula Wriedt over a comment he made on Thursday's AFL Footy Show.

After footage was aired of Ms Wriedt commenting on confectioner Mars' $4 million sponsorship backing a Tasmanian bid for an AFL team, Newman said: "It's worthy of coming on her."

When other panellists responded, he said it was a slip of the tongue and he had meant to say it would be worthwhile for Ms Wriedt to come on the show as a guest.

Ms Wriedt accepted Newman's apology, but slammed his comments as offensive – more ...

l Crows fined $20,000 for breach of TPP rules
A breach of the AFL's player payment rules has cost Adelaide a $20,000 fine. Half the fine is suspended until October 31 next year and the AFL says the penalty relates to “arrangements between a player and associates of the club”.

Fox News reports: Adelaide football manager John Reid said the un-named player, who does not have a manager, did not inform the Crows of the financial agreement.

In a statement, the league said Adelaide had voluntarily disclosed the breaches as soon as they were discovered.

“The AFL's Investigations Manager Ken Wood found that the club had failed to lodge arrangements between a player and associates of the club within the required timeframes, as required by the Total Player Payment (TPP) rules,” the league added.

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Friday, August 1

Round 18 team selections
Josh Fraser in among four Magpie changes
Shane Crawford and Stuart Dew return for Hawks

Collingwood have welcomed back ruckman Josh Fraser among four changes as they seek to arrest their flagging form in Friday night's crunch AFL match against Hawthorn at the MCG.

Yahoo! Sport reports: The Hawks, out to break their own two-match losing streak, have also been significantly boosted, regaining former skipper Shane Crawford and injury-prone superboot Stuart Dew.

The Magpies, on the verge of the top four a fortnight ago, could drop out of the eight if they lose to the Hawks, after defeats to North Melbourne and Essendon in the past two rounds.

Fraser spent the past two rounds playing in the VFL before satisfying club medical staff he was ready to ruck again.

Also coming in for the Pies were Ryan Lonie, for what will be his first senior game of the year after a series of soft tissue injuries, and youngsters Tyson Goldsack and Alan Toovey.

Ruckman Cameron Wood was dropped to make way for Fraser, along with midfielder Ben Johnson, while pacy running player Rhyce Shaw was forced out by a back injury and veteran defender Shane Wakelin will be rested.

Wakelin's absence leaves Collingwood with an inexperienced defence to take on the talented Hawthorn attack, which includes star talls Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead.

Crawford returns after two weeks on the sidelines battling knee tendonitis, while Dew has missed the past four games with a hamstring injury. The Hawks were forced to omit Michael Osborne (corked buttock) and dropped Travis Tuck.

Essendon and Melbourne have both lost key forwards for Saturday's MCG meeting. The Bombers will be without Scott Lucas (back), replaced by Andrew Lovett, who returns from a club-imposed suspension, while the Demons will be missing Brad Miller (hamstring).

Melbourne also dumped youngsters Nathan Jones and Michael Newton, with Brad Green, Austin Wonaeamirri and Paul Wheatley all back from injury.

Top-placed Geelong regained tagger Cameron Ling – from the facial fracture inflicted by Fremantle's Dean Solomon in round 15 – and defender Darren Milburn, from illness, for Saturday night's match against Richmond at Docklands. But the Cats, still without Gary Ablett and David Wojcinski, have lost dangerous half-forward Paul Chapman (hamstring).

The Tigers named an unchanged side, after last weekend's thrilling win over Brisbane.

The Lions made four changes for their crucial clash with North Melbourne on the Gold Coast on Saturday night, dropping Robert Copeland, Tim Notting, Cheynee Stiller and Tom Collier. Into the side came Colm Begley, Rhan Hooper, Albert Proud and first-game key position player Scott Clouston.

The Kangaroos made one change, dropping young ruckman Todd Goldstein, in favour of utility Leigh Brown.

Adelaide also made one change for their crunch encounter with Carlton at Football Park on Saturday, young tall forward Kurt Tippett making way for defender Kris Massie. The Blues' only change was the return of Dennis Armfield, replacing tall forward Adam Hartlett.

Slumping Sydney lost star midfielder Adam Goodes (groin), as well as key forward Henry Playfair (hamstring), for Sunday's Canberra meeting with the Western Bulldogs. But full-back Leo Barry and running defender Nick Malceski returned from injury to their 25-man squad.

The `Dogs, also looking to get back on track after two straight losses, have lost Dylan Addison to a knee injury in the only omission from their squad so far.

St Kilda regained ruckman-forward Justin Koschitzke from suspension, but have lost full-back Max Hudghton (calf) for Sunday's meeting with Port Adelaide at Docklands. The Power's stocks are dwindling, with captain Warren Tredrea (shoulder) and Steven Salopek (Achilles) out for the season and Troy Chaplin (ankle) also sidelined.

Port's focus on the future was signalled by the naming of three untried players – Mitch Farmer, Nick Salter and Ryan Williams – in their squad.

Fremantle and West Coast both regained their captains for Sunday's western derby clash at Subiaco, Matthew Pavlich back from a knee injury and Darren Glass from a thigh problem.

But young Dockers ruckman Robert Warnock will undergo shoulder surgery on Friday and miss the rest of the season.

l Fevola re-signs with Carlton
Protracted contract negotiations between Carlton FC and player Brendan Fevola were completed Thursday when the full-forward renewed his playing arrangements by signing a new deal believed to be worth some $2.1 million for the next three years.

The new deal does not contain a behavioural clause, despite the club warning him on the eve of this season that he would be sacked if he had another alcohol-related misdemeanour when he was caught urinating on a nightclub window in Prahran.

l Fraser Gehrig off long-term injury list
St Kilda forward Fraser Gehrig is off the club's long-term injury list, but remains unlikely to return to AFL action. The 32-year-old veteran of 260 games has not played since round eight.

He battled chronic arthritis in his hand earlier in the year and struggled to find a role in the club's forward set-up, which appeared to lack pace when he was playing.

The club said Gehrig was now training strongly, but remained unlikely to return to the team.

l Clarkson apologises to umpire Schmitt
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson was remaining tight-lipped on Thursday but revealed he had apologised to umpire Justin Schmitt for the post-match comments that landed him in hot water last week.

Clarkson was fined $5000 by the AFL for his tongue-in-cheek remarks after the Hawks' 11-point loss to Geelong on Friday night when he said No.17 had played well.

"He's a good player for the Cats that No.17, wasn't he? He's a ripper," Clarkson said at the time.

With the Cats' Shannon Byrnes not playing, the only No.17 on the field was umpire Schmitt.

l Tassie AFL push gets a $4-million sponsor
The Tasmanian government's unlikely bid to be granted an AFL licence received a major boost with the announcement of a $4 million, three-year sponsorship deal.

Confectionary brand Mars will rename their chocolate bar the *Believe Bar* for the month of September, as part of a deal to become the proposed new club's inaugural major sponsor.

The Tasmanian government has mounted a concerted campaign to be granted their own AFL team, despite the league stating that its priority is to create new teams on the Gold Coast and in western Sydney – Yahoo! Sport

l Five rounds left – background to 8th place race
Regular Footystats reader Christian Brunn lives in the northern part of our planet, in Bielefeld, and to be exact that is in the north-east of Germany in the North Rhine-Westphalia area on the slopes of the Teutoburg Forest.

With only five rounds left of the season, the chart prepared by Christian shows that since the final 8 came into being in 1994 the lowest number of points required to make the last place for the finals was the 40 achieved by Brisbane in 1995 when they won 10 of their 22 matches.

What will be the minimum number of points this season? – more ...

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