SANFL votes down Power-Port Magpies merger

Port Adelaide's proposed merger with their debt-stricken local affiliate club the Port Adelaide Magpies is all but dead after the SANFL directors voted unanimously against the move on Tuesday.

Yahoo! Sport reports the Power had proposed to merge with the Magpies, who they were forced to separate from upon entering the AFL in 1997, in order to save the SANFL club from financial strangulation.

However they found strong opposition to the gambit from other SANFL clubs plus crosstown AFL rivals Adelaide Crows and in a meeting at Football Park the directors of the local clubs chose to block the proposal.

"The eight League Directors, excluding Port Adelaide, voted against the motion to remove the restrictions," an SANFL spokesperson said.

"The Directors are sympathetic to the Magpies' current position and wish to reiterate that the basis of their recommendation was not about denying the clubs continuation in the SANFL competition.

"The Magpies' proposed model, in the view of the League Directors, would not provide a sustainable and competitive club on or off the field.

"The financial plans presented by both clubs to the League Directors for consideration did not contain a compelling business case to raise confidence for any improvement in finances over the next three years."

It is widely assumed the failure of a merger between the two clubs would spell the end of the Magpies, while also not helping the still parlous financial state of the Power.

The SANFL commission is due to meet on Wednesday morning to review the decision of the league directors and reserves the right to diverge from the recommendation made by the directors.

"The Commission has indicated its desire to give this matter its full and due consideration," the spokesperson said.

"The Commission will hold a special meeting tomorrow morning and the Executive Commissioner will advise the public of the final decision."



The Advertiser – Port Magpies doomed – more ...



Carlton: Mars joins Hyundai as major sponsor
Carlton has gone some way toward putting a summer of discontent behind it with the signing of Mars to a multi-million dollar sponsorship deal that will see the confectionary giant's name appear on the club's guernsey for the next three seasons.

Jason Phelan on the AFL webpage noted that Mars joins Hyundai as the club's joint naming-rights sponsor following the departure of Tourism Malaysia with its logo to appear on the front of the jumper for away games and the back for home fixtures.

Chief executive Greg Swann at the newly opened training facility at Princes Park expressed his hope that the announcement of the sponsorship deal would prove to be a turning point for the 2010 season.
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Mars and Carlton go back quite a bit as Footystats Diary recorded in 1997's 3rd round played between the Blues and Adelaide at Princes Park – The Navy Blues in their 1,995th League game, became the Pale Blues and received $250,000 for the trouble in sponsorship for a new M&M blue-coloured sweet—the white logo on a mid-blue background was unchanged but the familiar white numbers were replaced by black ones.

We start off with the Crows, but in the coming fortnight we will cover all 16 clubs on The Success Tables over the past decade –   ADELAIDE, 2000-09   ADELAIDE, 2005-09 versus W L D % of success   versus W L D % of success Rch 12 1 – 92.3   NM 7 – – 100.0 Car 11 3 – 78.6   Car 7 – – 100.0 Syd 11 3 – 78.6   Syd 6 – – 100.0 NM 11 4 – 73.3   Rch 5 1 – 83.3 Mel 10 4 – 71.4   Ess 6 2 – 75.0 Fre 11 7 – 61.1   PA 8 3 – 72.7 Haw 9 6 – 60.0   Mel 5 2 – 71.4 Ess 8 6 – 57.1   Fre 6 3 – 66.7 WB 9 7 – 56.3   Haw 5 3 – 62.5 PA 10 11 – 47.6   WB 5 4 – 55.6 WCE 8 10 – 44.4   Col 6 5 – 54.5 StK 6 8 – 42.9   Bri 3 3 – 50.0 Gee 6 9 – 40.0   WCE 3 7 – 30.0 Col 7 12 – 36.8   StK 2 5 – 28.6 Bri 5 10 – 33.3   Gee 1 6 – 14.3 TOTAL 134 101 – 57.0   TOTAL 75 44 – 63.0

Radio and TV line-ups for the season
Melbourne's Herald Sun detailed the line-up of football personalities we can expect to cover the NAB Cup and the 2010 premiership season –

3AW
Brian Taylor, Shane Healy, Robert Walls, Tim Lane, Graeme Bond, Dennis Cometti, Leigh Matthews, Matthew Richardson, Scott Cummings, Tony Leonard, Shane McInnes, David King, Rohan Connolly, Nick Butler, Tony Shaw, Bruce Eva.
ABC 774
Gerard Whately, Drew Morphett, Dan Lonergan, Adam White, Kelli Underwood, David Parkin, Mark Maclure, Stan Alves, Austin Jones, Peter Schwab.
SEN
Anthony Hudson, Matt Granland, Wayne Schwass, Kevin Bartlett, Andrew Mahar, Matthew Lloyd, Dermott Brereton, David Schwarz, Terry Wallace, Scott Lucas, Shane Wakelin, Daniel Harford, Nathan Thompson, Francis Leach, Brett Phillips, Robert Shaw, Tiffany Cherry, Anthony Koutoufides.
Triple M
Garry Lyon, James Brayshaw, Rex Hunt, Jason Dunstall, Billy Brownless, Damian Barrett, Danny Frawley, Dr Peter Larkins, Luke Darcy, Shane Crawford, Stephen Quartermain, Hamish McLachlan, Mark Stevens, Michael Christian, Michael Roberts, Nathan Brown, Barry Denner.
Channel 7
Bruce McAvaney, Dennis Cometti, Tom Harley, Leigh Matthews, Tim Watson, David Schwarz, Matthew Richardson.
Channel 10+One HD
Stephen Quartermain, Malcolm Blight, Robert Walls, Michael Christian, Anthony Hudson, Kelli Underwood, Luke Darcy, Matthew Lloyd, Tim Lane, Andrew Maher, Mark Howard.
Fox Sports
Dwayne Russell, Brian Taylor, Matthew Campbell, James Hird, Gerard Healy, Jason Dunstall, Alastair Lynch, Glenn Jakovich, Tony Shaw, Danny Frawley, Rohan Smith, David Parkin, Leigh Colbert, Liam Pickering.
AFL Live
Sandy Roberts, Craig Hutchinson, Billy Brownless, Danny Frawley, Wayne Schwass, Nathan Thompson, Peter Daicos, Rex Hunt, Liam Pickering.

Drug trafficking charges
Geelong ban Stokes from playing AFL until May

Geelong forward Mathew Stokes will not play football until at least round eight after his recent arrest for possession and trafficking cocaine, with the club handing down its sanctions on Monday afternoon.

Stokes was arrested and charged last week. He received bail and will appear in court on March 12.

But the Cats have imposed their own penalties on the 2007 premiership player after a meeting of the leadership group last week.

Luke Holmesby on the AFL website details the many conditions placed on Stokes are:

He is suspended from consideration for selection in the club’s AFL team until round eight, 2010. The suspension will be served in the following manner:

Until round one, Stokes can train at the club only when no other players are present.
From round one to round four of the AFL season, Stokes can train with the club’s VFL listed players only.
From round five to round seven of the AFL season, Stokes can train with the VFL squad and will be eligible to play in the VFL.
From round eight, Stokes will be eligible to train with the full squad and for selection in the club’s AFL team.
Stokes will be fined $5000, the maximum sanction under the AFL player’s code of conduct.
Between now and round four of the AFL season, Stokes is to find full-time employment and conduct any training out of working hours.
Stokes is to establish a relationship with a drug-related community program and assist with that program on an ongoing basis.
The Cats have also been advised to not make further comment pending the outcome of the legal proceedings.

NAB Cup: Boundary umpires will award frees
Boundary umpires will have limited power to pay free kicks in the NAB Cup as the AFL tries to crack down on holding at stoppages when the pre-season competition starts in Perth on Friday.

It is the most striking of four rule changes that the league will introduce for this year's NAB Cup.

Roger Vaughan explains in Yahoo! Sport: The AFL wants the boundary umpires to act as back-up for the field umpires at ball-ups around the ground.

"This issue of holding at stoppages is one that coaches and clubs have brought up with us," said AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson.

There will be three other rule trials during the Cup:

The player, not the umpire, will decide whether the advantage rule applies. If a free is paid and a player wants to play on, that will be his call and so his responsibility.

If a player tries to drag the ball under an opponent to milk a holding the ball decision, he can now receive the penalty instead.

The "no-go" zone immediately behind an umpire when he bounces or throws the ball up now applies around the ground. Previously, it was only for the centre bounce.

There are no plans to introduce the four new rules for this year's premiership season.
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NAB Cup: same format to remain in season 2011
The AFL remains committed to its pre-season competition in its current format until at least the end of the current broadcast deal, in 2011. The inclusion of the new Gold Coast team will present challenges to next year's fixturing, Adrian Anderson said on Monday, but nothing insurmountable – The Age, more ...

They said it – Mike Sheahan Play on at your peril

Leave the game alone, they cry. Year after year. Why? Inaction on flawed rules is no better than change for change's sake. The AFL's Laws Committee has hit the mark with its amendment to one of the scourges of the modern game, the advantage rule. More precisely, the implementation of the advantage rule. The onus has been shifted from the officiating umpire to the player in position to exploit any advantage – more ...

Geelong have appointed pioneering football administrator and corporate lawyer Diana Taylor to their board. Fox Sports reports Taylor was the first woman appointed to the VFL tribunal and the first woman to lead a senior men's Melbourne metropolitan football competition. She also created the Women's Football Foundation in 2007, aimed at promoting the role of women in football. Born and raised in Geelong, Taylor replaces former club great Doug Wade, who has retired from his position on the Cats board.

Western Bulldogs captain Brad Johnson (349 games, 1994-2009) is managing a lingering achilles injury but is expected to play late in the NAB Cup. Jon Ralph notes in Melbourne's Herald Sun that Johnson pulled up sore after a heavy training session late last month, and is being nursed to ensure he is injury free in Round 1 of the premiership season

Lifelong Fitzroy supporters have provided documentation the Brisbane Lions believe will scuttle a Supreme Court bid to ban the club's controversial new logo. Brisbane's defence includes a photographic timeline that documents the various logos used by Fitzroy on jumpers, team blazers and supporters' merchandise during the club's 113-year history. Andrew Hamilton reports in The Courier Mail: The Lions will lodge their defence against Fitzroy's legal assault with the Supreme Court this week. They will also seek surety that battling Fitzroy can cover Brisbane's legal costs if its challenge is unsuccessful – more ... NEW   OLD

Will the SANFL retain AFL licences?
Crucial meeting to decide Port Adelaide's future

The AFL licenses of the Crows and the Power could be headed out of the SANFL's control, pending the outcome of a crucial meeting tomorrow night to determine the future of the Port Adelaide Magpies.

The club – which bills itself as the most successful football club in Australia – has laboured under the weight of a financial crisis over the past 12 months, and will have its future decided at a SANFL extraordinary meeting at Football Park.

Michelangelo Rucci reports in Melbourne's Herald Sun: AFL club Port Adelaide and the Magpies have put forward a final business model for a proposed merger, with SANFL voting believed to be divided 4-4 if the Magpies and the affiliated league directors are denied their votes.

The Power will present the plan to the SANFL Commission and league delegates tomorrow night. Should it be rejected, the Magpies will be condemned to a farcical 140th and final season in the SANFL – more ...

Barry Hall steps out with Bulldogs
Jordan Bannister makes his debut with the whistle
New recruit Barry Hall kicked two goals and kept his aggression controlled in an impressive debut for his new AFL club Western Bulldogs on Saturday.

While the focus was on Hall, umpiring newcomer Jordan Bannister had his first hitout as an official. After being delisted by Carlton at the end of the 2009 season (67 games, 2001-09), he made the rare switch and took up the whistle. The reception from former opponents was overwhelmingly positive.

Former Sydney firebrand Hall used the intra-club practice match to show exactly what he is capable of bringing to the club which threw him a career lifeline.

The 32-year-old booted two goals from set shots, took four marks and unleashed a huge, legal bump which ironed out defender Lindsay Gilbee in the perfect display of controlled aggression.

Hall's every move was cheered by a crowd of more than 2,000 at the Bulldogs' Whitten Oval headquarters, and coach Rodney Eade was pleased with his star signing's contribution – AFL webpage and Fox Sports

Low crowds prompt VFL and TAC finals rethink
Poor crowds at the VFL and TAC Cup grand finals in recent seasons have prompted AFL Victoria to change the scheduling back to the Sunday before the AFL grand final.

Brent Diamond reports in The Age: The VFL has averaged about 13,000 to its grand finals over the past three seasons with its move from Princes Park to Docklands Stadium in 2008 not attracting the numbers it had hoped for.

Last season, it trialled both grand finals on AFL grand final eve.

AFL Victoria chief executive Peter Schwab was hopeful that changing the VFL and TAC Cup grand finals to the Sunday of AFL preliminary final week would help the football world focus more on the other two tiers of football.

In recent seasons, the AFL has scheduled its preliminary finals on a Friday and Saturday night, which left the Sunday as an AFL-free day – more ...

League adds slight increase to admission prices
Adult general admission tickets for the 2010 Toyota AFL premiership season have risen by $1 over 2009 prices, with marginal increases to concession, junior and family tickets.

Adult admission prices are now $20 from $19 in 2009, with concession $12 from $11.50, junior $2.50 ($2.20) and family $40 ($38).

The increase in junior prices from $2.20 to $2.50 represents the first rise for this ticket since 2001.

AFL marketing and commercial operations manager Paul Waldren on Friday said the AFL had kept all price increases to a minimum to ensure all fans had the opportunity to attend as many matches as possible during the home-and-away season.

The base general admission price for the AFL season is set by the AFL and then Stadiums+home clubs set any reserved seat premiums, ticketing fees or associated transport or ground levies.

The opening match of the premiership season is between Richmond and Carlton at the MCG on March 25 – AFL webpage

Port Adelaide revamp their leadership group
Port Adelaide have reappointed Domenic Cassisi as captain and made ruckman Dean Brogan and back pocket Jacob Surjan vice-captains in a dramatic streamlining of their leadership group.

Last year, Chad and Kane Cornes were among an eight-man leadership group but have been overlooked for official roles this year. Port finished 10th on the ladder last season with nine wins from 22 games.

Yahoo! Sport reported Friday – Port coach Mark Williams said the reduced structure came after discussions with his sister and former national lacrosse player Jenny Williams, and former Australian women's basketball coach Jan Stirling. The women are overseeing Port's leadership program.

Williams said the call to reduce the leadership group to three was made "after looking through the personality profiling and the general mix of our group".

Port's 2009 leadership group included Shaun Burgoyne, who Williams wanted as captain but was over-ruled by a board which appointed Cassisi. Burgoyne has since departed for Hawthorn after 157 games with the Power (2002-09).

Surjan was not even in last year's eight-strong leadership group which also included Brogan, the Cornes brothers, Daniel Motlop, Steven Salopek and Brendon Lade, who has retired.

Malthouse questions Riewoldt's jibe on Luke Ball
Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse has hit back at St Kilda and their captain Nick Riewoldt over Luke Ball's transfer between the clubs.

Yahoo! Sport reported Malthouse said he had a lot of respect for Riewoldt, but has questioned why the Saints skipper made his comments earlier this week about Ball.

Riewoldt said on Tuesday, it was "disappointing" Ball left the Saints and said the midfielder had knocked back a contract before going to the Magpies.

On Friday, Malthouse countered by suggesting that Ball knew he was not wanted any more at the Saints.

After the Saints and Collingwood failed to reach a trade deal on Ball, he went to the Magpies in the national draft – more ...

Cats' leadership group hear out Stokes version
Mathew Stokes has poured his heart out to teammates at a secret meeting yesterday.
 
Scott Gullan reports in Melbourne's Herald-Sun that less than 24 hours after he was charged with trafficking and possessing cocaine, the 2007 premiership player was summoned to a meeting with the Cats leadership group to explain his version of the sorry tale which threatens to end his career.

Recommendations to the Geelong board may relieve the situation – more ...

AFLPA asks League to rectify Lovett dispute
The AFL Players Association has urged the AFL to intervene in Andrew Lovett's dispute with St Kilda.

Samantha Lane in The Age understands that in a meeting between AFLPA chief executive Matt Finnis and the AFL's Adrian Anderson yesterday, Finnis told the league's operations boss that a circuit-breaker was needed in the delicate matter that is in the hands of lawyers. Lovett, who is the subject of a police investigation into a sexual assault allegation, wants to resume training with his teammates, but has been stood aside by the club and told to train on his own – more ...

Cat facing life time ban
Geelong suspend Mathew Stokes indefinitely
Stokes admits to buying cocaine for a friend

Geelong premiership player Mathew Stokes told police he bought one gram of cocaine for a friend, it was revealed in court on Wednesday when he faced charges of trafficking and possessing the drug.

Yahoo! Sport reports Stokes was charged following raids on several Geelong homes last Friday in which police seized more than $3000 cash believed to be the proceeds of crime and about $50,000 worth of drugs from the properties.

Five other men have also been charged.

Stokes appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court which heard that he told police he bought the cocaine for $500 from one of his co-accused.

Geelong have suspended Stokes pending the outcome of a hearing listed for March 12.

Andrea Petrie reports in The Age: Stokes could be banned from playing AFL for life after he was charged with trafficking and possessing one gram of cocaine as part of a four-month police investigation.

League operations manager Adrian Anderson said last night that under the World Anti-Doping Agency code a sportsperson found guilty of trafficking could receive a life ban – more ...

Bradshaw expected to be ready for round one
Sydney's Daniel Bradshaw is still expected to play in the opening round of the premiership season, despite undergoing knee surgery on Wednesday.

Scans revealed cartilage was floating in the forward's knee and the new Swan had an arthroscope to remove the debris.

Bradshaw should resume running again in 2-3 weeks and is on track to make his debut for the Swans in week one.

Sydney will play their first pre-season match against Carlton at Blacktown Olympic Park on Saturday February 20 – Fox Sports

Rule changes for 2010 Rough play, abuse and "staging" to get the boot

The rule changes announced Tuesday (Feb 2nd) effective for the 2010 season bear close scrutiny to cut through the verbiage and gather the meaning. For the record, the voice-track of the informative AFL video on rule changes was helpful in preparing this text presentation. Seven key areas were the focus of decision – 1. Umpire contact 2. Rough Conduct     a) protecting the man on the mark     b) dangerous tackles 3.  Misconduct – Staging 4.  Misconduct – Headbutt 5.  Misconduct – Eye Gouging 6.  Abusive language 7.  Maximum financial sanctions for rookies and primary list players. 1 – UMPIRE CONTACT Negligent Contact Players must be aware of the movement of umpires following a centre bounce, field bounce or in general play. Players must not move into the space directly behind an umpire as he bounces the ball. Financial sanctions for making negligent contact with an umpire has been reduced to $1200 for a first offence. Reckless Umpire Contact A player who makes contact with an umpire after setting up behind him as he bounces or throws the ball up will be considered reckless and subject to a fine of $2600 for a first offence. If the force was high or severe the Match Review Panel would use their discretion to refer the incident to the Tribunal for determination. 2 – ROUGH CONDUCT      a) Protecting the man on the mark Players on the mark are in a vulnerable position and if bumped with excessive force are at risk of injury. Players using excessive force to bump or shepherd a player who is in a vulnerable position will be reported for rough conduct. To encompass this, a further relevant consideration has been added to the AFL Tribunal guidelines for rough conduct – whether the player being bumped is in a vulnerable position or could be.      b) Dangerous tackles Dangerous tackles have the potential to cause serious injury, To protect the ball player the AFL have introduced a new guideline under Rough Conduct. The application of a tackle may be considered rough conduct which is unreasonable in the circumstances. In determining whether the application of a tackle constitutes a Reportable Offence, without limitation, regard may be had to: whether the tackle consists of more than one action, regardless of whether the player being tackled is in possession of the ball; whether the tackle is of an inherently dangerous kind, such as a spear tackle; whether an opponent is slung or driven into the ground with excessive force. 3 – MISCONDUCT – STAGING Staging is a reportable offence as it may, 1) affect umpire decision making; 2) incite a melee; 3) is not in the spirit of the game. The following sanction will apply to players found guilty of staging – 1st offence, written reprimand; 2nd offence $1600 or $1200 with an early plea; 3rd offence $2400 or $1800 with an early plea. If a player is reprimanded for a first offence staging, the reprimand will remain valid for the remainder of his career. 4 – MISCONDUCT – HEADBUTT The charge of "Misconduct – Headbutt, contact with the head including face" has been amended and now reads "Misconduct – Headbutt or contact using head". The points have been increased from Level Three to be more in line with the seriousness of the offence. 5 – MISCONDUCT – EYE GOUGING The charge of "Misconduct–Eye Gouging, Unreasonable and Unnecessary Contact to the Face" has been separated into: a) "Misconduct, eye gouging or unreasonable contact to the eye region" and b) "Misconduct, unreasonable and unnecessary contact to the face". The points for eye gouging or unreasonable and unnecessary contact to the eye region have been increased from Level Two to more in line with the seriousness of the offence, whereas the points for unreasonable and unnecessary contact to the face have not changed. 6 – ABUSIVE LANGUAGE Abuse has resulted in a 25 per cent turn over of umpires at community level. The fine for abusive, insulting, threatening, obscene language has been increased from $1200 for a 1st offence to $2600. This is in line with the need to set a positive example to the broader football community regarding umpire abuse. 7 – FINANCIAL SANCTIONS First and second year primary players, players on minimum wages and rookie list players can be fined a maximum of 50 per cent of their match payment for a first offence fixed financial sanction.