AFL season likely to grow

Andrew Demetriou is looking at several ways to extend the season. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

THE AFL will consider breaking a long-standing tradition and extending the season as soon as next year in a bold bid to attack the "free hits" it gives rival codes which start earlier.

Chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the league had looked at a number of options which would allow it to bring Round 1 forward, including starting the season overseas.

Live HQ: Western Bulldogs v Brisbane Lions

He also said clubs could play more than 22 games in an extended season with extra byes and had canvassed the possible changes with club captains.

"(We could) start the season up north earlier, use Etihad Stadium earlier – because it's not a cricket ground – use Subiaco earlier, (and) I can't rule out the possibility of playing overseas," he told SEN.

"It could possibly include a variation of the length of the season."

The mooted dramatic change would almost certainly spell an end to the NAB Cup in its current form, with Demetriou confirming the pre-season competition could be massively downgraded next year.

"Whether you need four hit-outs or two against other teams and maybe they play an intra-club, I think that's got some merit," he said.

The NRL, Super 15s and A-League are all in full swing by the first week of March, dominating media attention in the two northern states.

The MCG is currently off-limits to the AFL until the end of the Sheffield Shield cricket season.

Demetriou revealed the first game in South Australia next year would be a Showdown at the refurbished 50,000-seat Adelaide Oval but said it would not open the season.

A Saturday twilight opener is preferred by local officials to ensure a smooth opener.

- with Michelangelo Rucci

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Corey to miss Hawks clash

Geelong veteran Joel Corey will sit out Monday's clash against Hawthorn. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

GEELONG veteran Joel Corey will sit out the Cats' Easter Monday blockbuster against Hawthorn after an interrupted pre-season.

As revealed in the Panic Room yesterday, Corey is expected to be eased back into the Cats' best 22 following minor setbacks in his preparation.

Meanwhile, Hawthorn is set to unleash young gun Jed Anderson in Monday's clash at the MCG.

The Northern Territory local has been named on the interchange bench alongside Shave Savage, Liam Shiels and defender Ryan Schoenmakers.

Former Olympics aspirant Mark Blicavs will lead the Cats' short-handed rucks division with Trent West starting on the pine.

HAWTHORN

B: J.Gibson, B.Lake, B.Guerra
HB: G.Birchall, B.Stratton, S.Burgoyne
C: I.Smith, S.Mitchell, B.Hill
HF: C.Rioli, L.Franklin, L.Breust
F: J.Gunston, J.Roughead, P.Puopolo
Foll: D.Hale, B.Sewell, J.Lewis
Int: J.Anderson, S.Savage, L.Shiels, R.Schoenmakers
Emerg: M.Bailey, K.Cheney, J.Simpkin

GEELONG

B: J.Rivers, T.Lonergan, C.Enright
HB: T.Hunt, H.Taylor, T.Varcoe
C: A.Mackie, P.Chapman, M.Stokes
HF: J.Murdoch, S.Motlop, B.Smedts
F: J.Podsiadly, T.Hawkins, M.Duncan
Foll: M.Blicavs, J.Selwood, J.Bartel
Int: T.West, J.Caddy, A.Christensen, G.Horlin-Smith
Emerg: J.Corey, J.Walker, J.Stringer

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dogs maul Lions by 68 points

The Western Bulldogs have smashed pre-season premiers Brisbane in a stunning round-one upset.

Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney praises his players fight after narrow win over Hawthorn.

Western Bulldogs recruits Nick Lower, Koby Stevens, Brett Goodes and Tom Young sing the song with gusto. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

Lions defender Matt Maguire leaves the field with ice wrapped around his leg. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

SOMETIMES a long wait can be well rewarded.

If scriptwriters were searching for a theme for the Western Bulldogs' 68-point mauling of NAB Cup champions the Brisbane Lions in an extraordinarily one-sided Round 1 clash at Etihad Stadium, it wouldn't have been hard to locate it.

Just ask the Bulldogs' players - and their long-suffering fans - who have waited and waited to finally win a match for premiership points again.

Before today, the last time it had happened was way back in Round 12 last season and what followed was a miserable streak of 11 losses that had doomsayers fearing what 2013 might hold in store for Brendan McCartney's team.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores and stats

Yet what the Bulldogs served up at their first offering for this year offered hope for the present, as much as the future, and it showed some vindication of the path on which McCartney is offering up for his young side.

Given the wait the Western Bulldogs had experienced, you could understand why they looked so elated at the final siren, given they were missing their captain Matthew Boyd, and were coming up against the form side of the pre-season competition.

But the simple equation was that the Bulldogs wanted it more. And the Lions were desperately disappointing.

There were stories of reward for effort and redemption for reward everywhere you looked for the Bulldogs, and you could understand why some of the players in the winning side celebrated long and hard on the final siren.
 
Just ask Brett Goodes who finally made his AFL debut at the ripe age of 29, and performed so well that it's almost an indictment on the competition that he was forced to wait so long.

He might do something that his brother Adam couldn't do - win a Brownlow Medal vote in his first game. Adam had to wait until his third season to poll votes off the umpires.

Goodes was outstanding off the half-back line - something which allowed acting captain Robert Murphy the chance to play forward - and he used the ball like a wily veteran that he is in age terms, but not in terms of AFL games played.

Just ask Dale Morris, who played his first game in Bulldogs colours in a home-and-away match in 595 days after a career-threatening broken leg, and who importantly got through the match with confidence in his game and in his leg.

He attacked the ball hard when he went anywhere near it, and led the backline, offering up confidence and support to key defender Jordan Roughead, who outpointed Jonathan Brown.

Just ask Nick Lower, who this time last year was struggling to adapt to life under Ross Lyon at Fremantle.

Lower completely shut-out Michael Tuck medallist Daniel Rich, restricting him to an almost inexplicable eight possessions.

He was a worthy inclusion to the Bulldogs' midfield that overwhelmed a much-hyped Lions engine room that looked as flat as the look on coach Michael Voss' face.

Lower worked well with ruckman Will Minson, who played one of his best games for the club, and the likes of Ryan Griffen, Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis.

Just ask Koby Stevens and Tom Young, who were bit players for their respective clubs West Coast and
Collingwood last season, but who slotted nicely into McCartney's team to suggest they might play nice roles this season.

And maybe ask Adam Cooney, who started the week in hospital due to an infection to his troublesome right knee, but finished it singing the Bulldogs' theme song for the first time since Round 12 last year.

Brisbane was nothing like the team that won the NAB Cup only a few weeks ago.

They were denied the ball early by the ferocious Bulldogs and nothing seemed to go right for them.

The Dogs now face Fremantle next Saturday, while Brisbane finally returns to the Gabba to meet Adelaide on the same day.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Saints have no excuses: Watters

St Kilda coach Scott Watters offers up no excuses for the Saints poor display against Gold Coast. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

A DOWNCAST St Kilda coach Scott Watters said the Saints had nobody to blame but themselves despite being below full-strength.

"Look, 22 players played. We are not going to make any excuses,'' he said.

"Half a game, you are certainly never satisfied but we controlled the ball well in the second quarter and really our efficiency for large portions of the game outside of that wasn't where it needed to be.

"One goal-five, one-goal-seven in a couple of quarters, multiple inside 50 entries without really being composed. So efficiency certainly hurt us."

Watters said Armitage's prolonged time on the bench in the third term due to bad cramps impacted on rotations and "robbed us of a little midfield grunt.''

Ablett burns Saints

"They finished the game with more running. In trying conditions early in the season, you need your compete midfield up and going and for a portion there we were vulnerable...we probably thought when we were short of rotations in the third quarter it would have an impact,'' he said.

"We were probably unable to finish out the game as we would have liked. Some of our midfielders were pretty taxed.

"I don't want to throw these up as excuses. They are the facts. They (Gold Coast) finished the game well.

"The effort was strong from the players, efficiency was poor. You need both.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores and stats

"The players will be stung by that. They'll work hard to rectify it.

"You lose a game on the back of that and that hurts. So that's where it sits.''

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Roos' tall trio ready to cause trouble

Drew Petrie, Robbie Tarrant and Lachie Hansen of the Kangaroos form the three talls to take on Collingwood. Picture: Mark Dadswell. Source: News Limited

THEY might be different characters off the field - but as a collective, Drew Petrie, Robbie Tarrant and Lachlan Hansen created more than a few headaches for defences last season.

The Kangaroos' trio of tall forwards hope to do more of the same today at Etihad Stadium against Collingwood.

Amid the myriad reasons for North Melbourne's fight back in the second half of last year, the decision to stick with three 196cm-plus forwards in the same team cannot be underestimated.

Firrito confident Roos can rise

Kangaroos forward coach Brett Allison believed it was a vital piece in the jigsaw puzzle that saw the club overcome a bad start to qualify for its first final since 2008.

"Playing three big forwards was something we had in mind from the start of last season, but unfortunately Lachie Hansen was injured and suspended in the reserves," Allison said.

"It took us a long time to see it in action. But when we tried it, it seemed to work and we think it was a key factor in helping us turn our season around."

North Melbourne was sitting 12th when Petrie, Tarrant and Hansen all played in attack against Adelaide in Round 13, for the first time last year.

It was the start of nine wins from the last 12 games, lifting the Roos into the finals before an elimination final wipe-out against West Coast.

One of those was against the Magpies in Round 21, when Petrie and Tarrant kicked three goals and Hansen two in the five-goal win.

"It has been a pretty good weapon," Petrie said of the three-pronged tall attack. "We managed to make opposition defences play three talls and when they haven't, we have been able to get on top of them."

The three Roos forwards kicked an accurate total of 102 goals and 38 behinds last year - Petrie 58.18, Tarrant 23.16 and Hansen 20.4.

In their 12 games as a trio last year, they booted a total of 76.21.

"Lachie is laid-back and relaxed and is a real character," Allison said. "Robbie is far more serious about his footy and is very focused.

"Drewie is probably in between the two of them.

"They are all different and maybe that's why it worked so well."

Petrie, 30, has been a star for the Kangaroos since his 2001 debut, but his 2010 season was ruined by a foot injury.

His past two seasons have yielded 106 goals and he has been in near career-best form.

"He takes a lot of pressure off Lachie and I," Tarrant said. "As much as we want the ball, you don't mind it when the mids kick it long to the big fellow.

"He is an awesome leader down there and is a very selfless player."

Tarrant, almost 24, endured four shoulder reconstructions early in his career. His 16 games last season was the sort of return that most North fans hoped for.

"Taz works his backside off," Hansen said. Added Petrie: "Taz had so many shoulder problems and he played as a defender for a while just to get some game time. But he showed last year that he has really grown as a player."

Hansen, 24, and a one-time No.3 draft pick, spent time alternating between attack and defence, but seems to have found his right home.

"Lachie is a strong mark and is athletic, which means he is a tough player to match up on," Petrie said.

The three forwards hope to stretch some more opposition defences this year, starting with Collingwood today.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fury over Hayes sliding free kick

Lenny Hayes, pictured here at training, was pinged for sliding despite not taking out the legs of his opponent. Picture: Chris Eastman Source: Herald Sun

WHEN St Kilda champion Lenny Hayes was pinged for sliding into an opponent's knees last night it was as if the AFL had shot Bambi.

Social media was abuzz with fans condemning the league's controversial new rule that penalises players who slide in and make contact with an opponent below the knees.

Hayes was nabbed after pouncing on the loose ball, his head and shoulders merely brushing, but not moving, the legs of Gold Coast defender Matthew Shaw, during the second quarter of the hotly contested clash at Metricon Stadium.

The decision against the 264-game veteran battering ram prompted calls of ''what more could he do'' from the Fox Footy commentary team which included Brian Taylor, Matthew Richardson and Geelong premiership captain Cameron Ling.

Ling's premiership teammate David Wojcinski joined the chorus of fans disturbed by the umpire's ruling.

The AFL banned sliding - contact below the knees - in a bid to improve player safety following a sickening collision between North Melbourne goalsneak Lindsay Thomas and Sydney forward Gary Rohan last year.

Rohan had his leg snapped when Thomas slid over a sodden SCG turf.

Others to vent their frustrations on Twitter said:

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Reality hits Voss after Lions flogging

The Western Bulldogs have smashed pre-season premiers Brisbane in a stunning round-one upset.

Lions coach Michael Voss walks out to his players after their loss. Picture: George Salpigtidis. Source: Herald Sun

THE BRISBANE Lions looked like a team with a massive NAB Cup hangover when they lost by 68 points to the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium yesterday.

The listless Lions failed to score in the opening quarter, conceding six goals before Brent Moloney opened their account early in the second quarter.

Coach Michael Voss said his team had been "side-swiped", dropping the intensity it displayed throughout the pre-season.

Full match report and more

"It shows you Round 1, the season itself, it's brutal and you can never take your eye off the ball," Voss said.
"We have to make sure that every contest we come to, we're absolutely 100 per cent ready for, physically and mentally.

"What happened in pre-season was a reward, but once that happens it's gone."

Voss said the Dogs, who went into the match as one of the tips for the wooden spoon, deserved "complete credit to the way they went about it".

"They kept us under pressure for the whole (game). We couldn't win it at the contest and our centre-square bounce was a major issue.

"We couldn't get the ball back off them, either.

The Lions may also lose a couple of players ahead of Saturday's match against Adelaide. Defender Matt Maguire limped off early in the third term with a sore left shin, the same leg he broke in 2007.

Minutes later Pearce Hanley was reported for rough conduct when he clattered into Daniel Giansiracusa in a clumsy attempt to spoil.

Brisbane's biggest names were unusually quiet. Daniel Rich, who won the Michael Tuck Medal as the best afield in the pre-season grand final, was kept to just eight disposals by Bulldogs tagger Nick Lower and had no influence on the game. Co-captain Jonathan Brown (one goal) was well held by young full-back Jordan Roughead.

Tom Rockliff was the Lions' only clear winner, while Moloney and small defender Mitch Golby tried hard.

The Bulldogs had winners all over the ground, led by captain Bob Murphy, ruckman Will Minson, Daniel Giansiracusa and Ryan Griffen. Arguably the standout performance came from 29-year-old debutant Brett Goodes, who this time last year was working as the club's player development officer.

"We're pretty proud of Brett the person, to be honest, what he offers our club on and off the field has just been terrific," Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney said.

Goodes, the younger brother of Swans champion Adam Goodes, had 24 possessions and said he felt he belonged at AFL level.

He said he believed AFL clubs had made a mistake by not drafting him before now.

"I was probably ready at the age of 22-23," Goodes said. "Before that I don't think I was, I was probably lazy and didn't work hard."

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

All power to Hinkley, an overlooked gem

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser

IN an ever-growing AFL world of corporate governance, Ken Hinkley was something of an anachronism, blessed with footy smarts but lacking the polish necessary when presenting before new-aged coaching sub-committees.

And so the half-back flanker with a natural attacking mindset was consistently overlooked for roles to the point where it seemed his dream may have vanished.

But with Hinkley, who played 121 games with Geelong between 1989 and 1995, there was always the fact he could coach. His record after he went back to his roots to begin coaching says so.

Hinkley returned to the Hampden league, moving from Mortlake to his hometown of Camperdown before his coaching odyssey took him to Melbourne, Geelong, Gold Coast and now Adelaide.

Hinkley came close, very close, to being appointed at clubs such as Richmond, Geelong and St Kilda, while watching Melbourne appoint his former teammate in Mark Neeld and seeing fellow Geelong assistants Brenton Sanderson and Brendan McCartney get senior coaching jobs at Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs.

It had to have hurt because Hinkley is said to combine a strong self-belief with high competitive levels: "I dropped him to the seconds once where he dominated and remember asking him how he liked the game. He just said I never want to play in the seconds again, and he didn't," Blight said.

"Would I have said he was one of the Geelong players likely to coach? Probably not at that time."

Paul Couch, a teammate of Hinkley for seven seasons at Geelong, said it took a while before he realised Hinkley had the coaching smarts. "As a player I found him reasonably uncommunicative and looked at blokes like Liam Pickering and 'Hock' (Steven Hocking) as the budding coaches," Couch said.

"But I happened to be at two Grand Finals where Kenny was coaching, Camperdown in the late 1990s and Bell Park in Geelong a few years later.

"Both times, he seemed to be in total control on the day, making the right moves. He won them those games."

Geelong premiership captain Cameron Ling never doubted Hinkley's ability to coach in the AFL but was worried it wouldn't happen.

"When 'Bomber' (Mark Thompson) left Geelong, I was barracking for Kenny and 'Sando' (Sanderson) to get the job and of course as it turned out Brian Cook and company made the right decision in Chris Scott," Ling said. "During my time, Ken was really good at getting the most out of a few of those players who could be slightly high maintenance.

"Plus, he saw the game really well and was ahead of the trends.

"He will be successful at Port just as long as he gets time. He will encourage his players to take some risks but because they are young there will be mistakes, so they have to have patience."

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jack wins Kirk medal in Bridge Battle

The Sydney Swans have maintained their unbeaten record against cross-town rivals the GWS Giants with a gritty 30-point win at ANZ Stadium.

Sydney co-captain Kieren Jack won the Brett Kirk Medal for his best on ground effort of three goals and 25 disposals. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph

WHEN it was time for a Sydney Swans leader to step up last night, co-captain Kieren Jack was the man.

It was also fitting that a Sydney boy born and bred took out the Brett Kirk medal as the best player in the "Battle of the Bridge", showing how far the code has come in this city.

LIVE HQ: SuperCoach scores and stats

"It was good to lead the boys out for the first time, that was something that meant a lot," Jack said.

"There are some really good people in there, some really good players I respect. To lead them out was something I'll always remember."

To claim the award named in honour of his former teammate and one of the Swans' most celebrated players was

an added bonus.

"I respect the bloke enormously and he's a player I tried to model my game on," Jack said.

It wasn't pretty, but the premiers did what they needed to as they got the better of a much-improved GWS Giants in the season-opener.

"The first game of the season you want to get off to a good start and we did," Swans coach John Longmire said.

"If we knew we would take a 30-point win before coming here tonight, I would have taken it."

Norm Smith medallist from last year's grand final, Ryan O'Keefe, gave Jack a run for his money as best on ground, shutting down Giants youngster Toby Greene.

O'Keefe kept Greene to 11 possessions while chalking up 27 touches himself.

The Swans led at every change, with a four-goals-to-nil opening quarter setting up the victory.

Grand final hero Mike Pyke celebrated the birth of his first child just eight days ago with the opening goal.

Fellow ruckman Shane Mumford was unstoppable as he took three contested marks in front of goal but could only convert one of them.

The Giants' Jonathon Patton and Jeremy Cameron didn't bother the stats sheet in the first quarter but made up for it in the second when they helped their side wrestle the lead back at one point.

Patton's two goals were eye-catching, the first coming from a 55m bomb and the second with a strong mark on the lead.

When Devon Smith slotted a banana kick from the boundary line, GWS had their noses in front by five points.

The Giants' run only served to spark the premiers into action. Jack swooped on some costly mistakes to snap two goals and Pyke marked and goaled to establish a 26-point lead at the long break.

Jack was lucky to get away with an ankle tap his rugby league champion father Garry would have been proud of
as Stephen Coniglio ran into an open goal.

The frustration began to show on Giants young gun Jeremy Cameron who punched the fence in anger and cut his knuckles.

GWS were still well in the match when Liam Sumner goaled and could have been closer when he missed on the run from close range.

A running goal to Adam Treloar closed the gap to 19 points but the Swans steadied again through Sam Reid and Jude Bolton.

The Giants were gallant but didn't have quite enough experience to really threaten the reigning champion.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ablett's Suns burn Saints

A Gary Ablett masterclass has inspired Gold Coast to an upset 13-point win over St Kilda at Metricon Stadium.

Suns skipper Gary Ablett looks downfield for an option. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

GARY Ablett's won the latest battle in his personal war with St Kilda as he guided the Gold Coast to a stunning 13-point upset victory over the Saints at Metricon Stadium.

In grand finals and blockbusters with Geelong, Ablett enjoyed mixed success against the Saints being tagged by Steve Baker or Clint Jones.

Last night, there was no stopping the Suns skipper as he kicked four goals - including three in the final term - and collected 34 disposals, six inside 50s, 19 contested possessions and nine clearances in a magnificent individual display that lifted the Suns to their seventh win in club history and their third-straight success at home.

His fourth and final major was a beauty from an acute angle that appeared to sink the Saints.

But St Kilda closed to within 10 points only for Ablett to help set-up a goal for Luke Russell to keep the gutsy visitors at bay.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores and stats

A Terry Milera goal with two minutes to go reduced the Gold Coast's lead to eight points but Aaron Hall strolled into goal in the dying seconds to seal the gritty win.

It was always going to be an ugly, scrappy affair given the hot and humid conditions that turned the Sherrin into a cake of soap.

Given the Suns do not have the experience or class to put away sides and the Saints were undermanned and under-sized, it made for an even more dour arm-wrestle.

There was never going to be a repeat of the 95 and 92-point thrashings that St Kilda handed the Gold Coast.

The Suns simply do not have the marking power or poise in front of goal to capitalise on their midfield's ball-winning prowess.

Fury over Hayes' sliding free kick

With St Kilda missing the likes of Leigh Montagna, Sam Fisher and Sean Dempster, the Saints were below full-strength and were always going to be vulnerable.

They were often indecisive and indirect and guilty of poor discipline to keep the Suns in the contest.

The Suns led by 11 points at the first change which was a fair indication of the home side's superiority.

The Saints then blitzed the Gold Coast in the second term.

St Kilda kicked five goals in the quarter with Armitage (17 disposals, five inside 50s and four clearances up to halftime) at the forefront for the visitors who restricted the Suns to just two behinds.

St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt celebrates kicking a goal against Gold Coast. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

Skipper Nick Riewoldt booted two goals as the Saints midfield got on top with Jarryn Geary having a game-high 18 touches up until the main break.

The Saints appeared well on their way but the gritty Suns clawed their way back into the contest with three goals after halftime to recuce St Kilda's buffer to just nine points.

Ablett kicked a superb individual goal in the third quarter with a brilliant display of speed and finishing that shone like a beacon in a mistake-riddled term.

The Gold Coast refused to go away and closed the gap to just two points early in the final quarter to set-up a thrilling finish.

Ablett's third goal of the night put the Suns in front with 13 minutes remaining.

Boom teenager Jaeger O'Meara came into the game in the last term with seven touches and finished his first senior AFL match with 12 disposals and one goal.

Geary finished with 28 disposals, Armitage had 26 touches and Jack Steven had 25 touches for the Saints. Milera kicked three goals for the visitors.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More