Bulldogs set to play in NZ
Hot on the heels of Jeff Kennett's call last weekend that the AFL should look to New Zealand when it next chooses to expand, The Australian reports the Western Bulldogs plan to play a home game there within two years.

The report said the Bulldogs have had New Zealand on their radar for the past two years, recently departed chief executive Campbell Rose having in 2009 put a proposal to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key - a personal friend - for the Bulldogs to play two home games in Wellington for $1 million.

While next year's rugby World Cup means it is unlikely the Bulldogs will play games in Wellington in 2012, new chief executive Simon Garlick told The Australian the Dogs were focused on making it happen in 2013. The paper said Basin Reserve was the most likely venue.

If the Bulldogs' plan gets the green light, their games in Wellington would be the first to be played outside Australia for premiership points.

No doubt this would be exciting, but you've got to wonder what the locals would make of it.

If there are concerns about what sort of crowds the AFL will attract in the rugby league heartland of western Sydney, can we expect any better in New Zealand?

Remember, over the ditch rugby union is like a religion and the All Blacks are worshipped like deities?

Still, it's just two games a year we're talking about. Besides, half of New Zealand has lived in Australia at some point of time so a decent amount of them must already be indoctrinated into Aussie Rules.


Footy department spending cap
Former Port Adelaide captain Warren Tredrea has become a regular columnist with The Advertiser in his first year out of the game.

In those columns, he has quickly shown he is both thoughtful and provocative.

On Thursday, he argued the AFL should introduce a luxury tax to ensure richer clubs do not get an unfair advantage through their ability to invest far greater amounts in their football departments than their poorer cousins.

Tredrea said US sporting bodies such as the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball had imposed a surcharge on teams that exceeded set team payroll caps, the proceeds of which were then distributed to those competition's have-nots.

Tredrea then put forward his own proposal: the AFL should put a cap on football department spending, which did not limit clubs' spending but dictated any monies spent over that amount would be 'taxed' at 25 per cent.

At the very least, it's an interesting argument.

If the AFL decided something had to be done to control football department spending - and that's a whole other debate - Tredrea's proposal seems to offer something to everyone.

The rich are not restricted by an arbitrary spending cap and the poorer clubs get a kick-back. Not a bad idea, Tredders.

Fan alarm at gambling's growth
Following its front-page story on Wednesday about former Melbourne player Daniel Ward's battle with a gambling addition, the Herald Sun reported a national survey showed fans were alarmed at gambling's increasing prominence in sport.

According to the tabloid, the survey conducted by Daymark Community Monitor found three quarters of its respondents did not want any more promotion of sports gambling while 37 per cent were "concerned or very concerned" about its rapid growth.

The Herald Sun then turned the spotlight onto the AFL's arrangements with betting agencies. It said Betfair and Tabcorp pay the AFL "at least $2 million a year" under promotional deals, more than 20 other betting agencies paid it five per cent of their AFL profits, and nine of the 10 Victorian clubs have sponsorship deals with betting agencies.

But you only have to look at the live odds updates on stadium scoreboards or your TV screen to appreciate just how closely intertwined the AFL and gambling have become in recent years.

However, there is another side to those relationships.

AFL media relations manager Patrick Keane told the paper the League's arrangements with betting agencies allowed it access to their betting records, which meant they could stamp out players, coaches and officials betting on games.

That way it could safeguard the integrity of the game, Keane said.

You only have to look at the recent betting scandals that have shaken the NRL to know this is not mere spin.

In short
Collingwood 1958 premiership captain Murray Weideman told the Herald Sun the current Magpies side was the best he had seen and was capable of winning three premierships in a row.

The Age contends the kick-in from defence is now the hardest kick in football and looks at each team's kick-in specialist.

Former Adelaide Crow ruckman Rhett Biglands says he has it on "pretty good authority" Crows forward Taylor Walker has agreed to join GWS in 2012, The Advertiser reports.

The nine WAFL clubs have unanimously voted against expanding the competition to include reserves teams from West Coast and Fremantle, The West Australian reports.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.