Here follows the AFL news list for this week.

1 PROGRAM OF MATCHES (all times are local) 

Round One (All times are local)

Thursday March 20

Geelong Cats v Adelaide Crows at Simonds Stadium, 7.10pm

Friday March 21

North Melbourne v Essendon at Etihad Stadium, 7.50pm

Saturday March 22

Hawthorn v Brisbane Lions at Aurora Stadium, 4.40pm

St Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, 7.40pm

Sunday March 23

West Coast v Western Bulldogs at Patersons Stadium, 4.40pm

2 IMPENDING MILESTONES

Club Record Games – Dustin Fletcher, Essendon. Dustin is due to play his 379th game in round one, breaking the previous mark of 378 games held by Simon Madden. This will also take him to outright fourth position in VFL/AFL history, behind only Michael Tuck (426 games) Kevin Bartlett (403 games) and Robert Harvey (383 games).

AFL Life Membership – Dean Cox, West Coast. Dean will qualify for AFL Life Membership with his 300th official game since his debut in 2001, comprising 273 premiership matches, 25 pre-season games and one State of Origin match.

Most Club Games – Nick Riewoldt, St Kilda. Nick is due to play his 260th game since his debut in 2001, taking him level with Nick Dal Santo in eighth spot in the club’s history. The most games in St Kilda history are Robert Harvey (383 games, 1988-2008), Nathan Burke (323 games, 1987-2003), Stewart Loewe (321 games, 1986-2002), Barry Breen (300 games, 1965-82), Lenny Hayes (277 games, 1999-current), Stephen Milne (275 games, 2001-current), Gary Colling (265 games, 1968-81), Nick Dal Santo (260 games, 2002-current), Nick Riewoldt (259 games, 2001 - current), Kevin Neale (256 games, 1965-77).

250 games – Jimmy Bartel, Geelong Cats

250 games – Robert Murphy, Western Bulldogs

150 games – Paddy Ryder, Essendon

100 games – Lachlan Hansen, North Melbourne

100 games – Eric Mackenzie, West Coast

50 games – Jake Carlisle, Essendon

Most Games, Family of Brothers – Selwood Brothers. The Selwood brothers (Adam, Troy, Joel and Scott) are due to reach a combined tally of 534 games, taking them past the Coventry brothers and into fifth spot in VFL/AFL history for the most games by a family of brothers. The most games by brothers are Daniher (752 games comprising 313 games for Terry, 82 for Neale, 233 for Tony and 124 for Chris), Madden (710 games comprising 378 games for Simon and 332 for Justin), Morwood (611 games comprising 170 games for Paul, 229 for Tony and 212 for Shane), Nankervis (578 games comprising 325 games for Ian and 253 for Bruce), Coventry (533 games comprising 227 games for Syd and 306 for Gordon), Selwood (532 games comprising 187 games for Adam, 75 games for Troy, 160 games for Joel and 110 games for Scott), Cornes (524 games comprising 255 games for Chad and 269 games for Kane), Richardson (518 games comprising 277 games for Wayne and 241 games for Max), Ablett (515 games comprising 229 games for Geoff, 38 for Kevin and 248 for Gary senior), Wakelin (513 games comprising 252 games for Shane and 261 for Darryl).

Most Seasons Played – Dustin Fletcher, Essendon. Dustin, having made his senior debut in 1993, will become the first man in VFL/AFL history to play a match in 22 separate seasons with his first game in the 2014 season.

Most Seasons Played – Brent Harvey, North Melbourne. Brent Harvey will play a 19th season in 2014, making him the 11th player in VFL/AFL history to play 19 or more seasons. The most seasons in the game’s history are Dustin Fletcher (22, Essendon), Robert Harvey (21, St Kilda), Michael Tuck (20, Hawthorn), Ted Whitten (20, Footscray), Jack Dyer (19, Richmond), Dick Reynolds (19, Essendon), Kevin Bartlett (19, Richmond), Simon Madden (19, Essendon), Roger Merrett (19, Essendon and Brisbane Bears), Paul Salmon (19, Essendon and Hawthorn.

3 TRIBUNAL MATCH REVIEW PROCESS

The expected process for the 2014 AFL Season under the AFL Match Review system is that the AFL will issue a media release late on the Monday after each round detailing the penalties to be offered to players for incidents from that round of matches, or the reasons why no further action was to be taken.

The clubs and players then have until 11am on the Tuesday morning to decide whether to accept the penalty on offer, or whether they wish to contest the charge at a Tribunal hearing, to usually be held on the Tuesday night. The AFL will formally detail all instances on the Tuesday of whether cases will proceed to the Tribunal or not.

The following player was reported from the weekend’s matches:

Andrew Walker, Carlton, reported by umpire Nick Foot for engaging in rough conduct against Angus Monfries, Port Adelaide, during the fourth quarter of the Round One match between Carlton and Port Adelaide, played at Etihad Stadium on Sunday March 16, 2014.

4 TRIBUNAL HEARING LOCATION

The AFL Tribunal is held in the AFL media room on Level LB2 at Etihad Stadium. The AFL wishes to advise that all media covering the Tribunal hearings at Etihad Stadium need to park in the B2 car park (entry off the Bourke St extension) and report to the Etihad Stadium security office to gain admittance via the internal ring road. There will be no access via AFL House to any AFL Tribunal hearing through the season, as our offices will have closed by 6pm each day.

5 AFL INJURY LIST

The AFL wishes to advise the following recent changes have been made to the long-term injury list:

Collingwood - Placed Matthew Scharenberg on the long-term injury list and upgraded Jack Frost from the rookie list as his replacement.

Geelong Cats – Placed Allen Christensen on the long-term injury list, with no replacement named at this stage.

Geelong Cats - Placed Daniel Menzel on the long-term injury list, with no replacement named at this stage.

Geelong Cats – Placed Nathan Vardy on the long-term injury list and upgraded Mark Blicavs from the rookie list as his replacement.

Gold Coast Suns – Placed Zac Smith on the long-term injury list and upgraded Andrew Boston from the rookie list as his replacement.

Port Adelaide - Placed Jarrad Redden on the long-term injury list and upgraded Brent Renouf from the rookie list as his replacement.

6 CURRENTLY SUSPENDED PLAYERS

The AFL wishes to advise the players that have completed and currently serving MRP suspensions across the competition are as follows:

Completed:

Nick Suban, Fremantle. One match. One match served in 2014 from the Grand Final.

Currently Suspended (for the premiership season):

Patrick McGinnity, West Coast. One match. One match to serve in 2014 from the NAB Challenge.

Lenny Hayes, St Kilda, One match. One match to serve in 2014 from the NAB Challenge.

Maverick Weller, St Kilda. One match. One match to serve in 2014 from the NAB Challenge.

Cyril Rioli, Hawthorn. One match. One match to serve in 2014 from the Grand Final.

Leigh Montagna, St Kilda. One match to serve at start of 2014 season. One match from round 23.

Jake Melksham, Essendon. Two matches to serve at start of 2014 season. Two matches from round 23.

Brian Lake, Hawthorn. Three matches. Three matches to serve in 2014 from the Grand Final.

7 UPGRADE OF NOMINATED ROOKIES TO SENIOR LIST

The AFL wishes to advise the following list changes have been made in the pre-season period under the AFL player rules regarding Nominated Rookie Players. Under the Nominated Rookie Rule, a club is eligible to nominate a rookie player who can play during the premiership season and finals series if a club has 38 players on its list (not including veteran players) and it satisfies the Total Player Payments requirements.

Carlton – Jaryd Cachia.

Carlton – Heath Scotland.

Collingwood – Ben Hudson.

Richmond – Matt Thomas.

Richmond – Orren Stephenson.

8 PROMOTION TO AFL SENIOR UMPIRING LIST

The AFL wishes to advise that rookie umpire Rob O’Gorman has been promoted to the AFL senior list after trialling through the 2014 pre-season period. O’Gorman, 28, was originally recruited from the VAFA before umpiring in the VFL since 2007. AFL Umpiring Coach Hayden Kennedy said O’Gorman had won the final spot on the list due to the quality of his decision-making during the NAB Challenge matches he had umpired and it was expected he would now make his senior AFL debut in the coming weeks.

9 CHANGE TO AFL CONTACT POINT FOR MEDIA DURING APRIL 2014

The AFL wishes to advise that media manager Patrick Keane will be away on long-service leave through April 2014. The primary contact point for media through this period will be James Tonkin – james.tonkin@afl.com.au – and he can be reached on 03 9643 1819 or 0413 432 775/

10 2014 NAB AFL UNDER 18S CHAMPIONSHIPS FIXTURE

Please find attached the fixture for the 2014 NAB AFL Under 18s Championships:

Sunday May 18

Vic Country v Vic Metro at Visy Park, 11am

Saturday May 24

SA v WA at AAMI Stadium, 12pm

Saturday May 31

WA v Vic Metro at Medibank Stadium, 11am

Sunday June 1

SA v Vic Country at AAMI Stadium, 11.30am

Saturday June 7

WA v SA at Medibank Stadium, 11am

Sunday June 8

Vic Metro v Vic Country at Visy Park, 11am

Saturday June 14

SA v Vic Metro at AAMI Stadium, 11am

Sunday June 15

WA v Vic Country at Fremantle Oval, 11am

Saturday June 21

Tas v Qld at Blacktown International Sports Park, 10.30am

NSW/ACT v NT at Blacktown International Sports Park, 12.50pm

Friday June 27

Vic Metro v WA at Simonds Stadium, 12.35pm

Vic Country v SA at Simonds Stadium, 2.35pm

Saturday June 28

NT v Qld at Visy Park, 12pm

NSW/ACT v Tas at Visy Park, 2.15pm

Wednesday July 2

Qld v NSW/ACT at Etihad Stadium, 3.35pm

Vic Country v WA at Etihad Stadium, 5.35pm

Thursday July 3

NT v Tas at Simonds Stadium, 11am

Vic Metro v SA at Simonds Stadium, 1.15pm

11 2014 NAB AFL UNDER 16S CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURE

Please find attached the fixture for the 2014 NAB AFL Under 16s Championships:

Saturday July 5

SA v Vic Country at Metricon Stadium, 10.20am

Vic Metro v WA at Metricon Stadium, 1pm

Sunday July 6

South Pacific v World at Broadbeach, 9am

Tas v Qld at Broadbeach, 11am

NSW/ACT v NT at Broadbeach, 1.20pm

WA NW v Boomerangs at Broadbeach, 3.40pm

Tuesday July 8

WA v Vic Country at Metricon Stadium, 11am

SA v Vic Metro at Metricon Stadium, 1.10pm

Wednesday July 9

South Pacific v WA NW at Broadbeach, 9am

World v Boomerangs at Broadbeach, 11am

Qld v NSW/ACT at Southport, 1.30pm

NT v Tas at Southport, 3.30pm

Friday July 11

WA v WA at Southport, 9.45am

Vic Country v Vic Metro at Southport, 11.45am

Saturday July 12

WA NW v World at Metricon 2, 9.30am

Boomerangs v South Pacific at Metricon 2, 11.30am

Tas v NSW/ACT at Metricon Stadium, 11.30am

NT v Qld at Metricon Stadium, 1.30pm

12 GOLD COAST SUNS EXPANSION COMPENSATION PICKS

As a reminder to all media, the AFL wishes to advise the following Gold Coast Suns’ expansion compensation picks MUST be used at this year’s 2014 NAB AFL Draft. Expansion picks were able to be activated and used in any of the five drafts in the period 2010-2014 and the following three still-unused selections must therefore be used this year.

Gold Coast Suns, round one selection. Received from the Geelong Cats (compensation for the loss of Gary Ablett) in a trade in 2012.

GWS Giants, end round one selection. Received from the Brisbane Lions (compensation for the loss of Jared Brennan) via a trade to the GC Suns in 2010 and then a trade to the GWS Giants in 2012.

Gold Coast Suns, round three selection. Received from Collingwood (compensation for the loss of Josh Fraser) via a trade to West Coast in 2010 and then a trade to the GC Suns in 2013.

Clubs are able to trade these selections during the 2014 AFL Exchange Period.

13 2014 AFL KEY DATES

Please find attached the key dates for the 2014 season around club list requirements, Gillette AFL Trade Period and the NAB AFL Draft Process:

Friday 1 August by 2pm  - Draft Eligible Academy Player Nominations Lodged.

Friday 3 October - Gillette AFL Restricted Free Agency Offer and Unrestricted Free Agency Period Commences.

Friday 3 October by 2pm - Gillette AFL Father-Son Bidding Nominations; Academy Bidding Nominations lodged with AFL.

Monday 6 October 10am - Father/Son & Academy Players Bidding Meeting;  Gillette AFL Trade Period Commences.

Monday 13 October at 5pm - Close of Gillette AFL Restricted Free Agency Offer and Unrestricted Free Agency Period.

Thursday 16 October - Gillette AFL Restricted Free Agency Matching Offer Three-Day Period Ends

Friday 17 October at 2pm - Gillette AFL Trade Period Closes.

Friday 31 October by 2pm - List Lodgement (1); Rookie Promotion to Primary List; Retained 2nd & 3rd Year Rookies; Scholarship Players; Alternate Talent Player Nominations, TPP Estimates.

Saturday 1 November - Gillette AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (1) Commences.

Wednesday 12 November - Gillette AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (1) Closes; Out of Contract Listed AFL Primary List Players Draft Nomination Form and Player Request for Removal from List Form Lodged with AFL; New or Expired (after 3 years) Draft Nomination Form Lodgement.

Thursday 13 November by 2pm - List Lodgement (2).

Friday 14 November - Gillette AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (2) Commences.

Wednesday 19 November  - Delisted Primary List Draft Nomination Form Lodgement; Non–Retained Rookie Players Draft Nomination Form Lodgement; Players Not Registered or Played for Three years Rookie Nomination. Gillette AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (2) Closes.

Monday 24 November – SUBJECT TO CONFIRMATION - NAB AFL Draft Selection Meeting (Gold Coast Convention Centre).

Tuesday November 25 – Gillette AFL Delisted Free Agency Period (3) Commences.

Wednesday 26 November - Gillette AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (3) Concludes

Wednesday November 26 by 2pm - AFL Club List Lodgement (3) and TPP Estimates.

International Players Inclusion on Rookie List Form; Scholarship Players Rookie List Form Lodged; Father-Son and Academy Pre-Selected Rookie Nominations.

Friday 28 November - NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting (11am, Telstra Webex); Notification of Pre-Selected Rookies Nominated on Monday November 25 if not selected in the Pre-Season Draft (11.05am); NAB AFL Rookie Draft Selection Meeting (11.10am, Telstra Webex).

Monday 1 December – Final Club List Lodgement.

Friday 12 December by 2pm - International Players Inclusion on Rookie List.

14 AFL INTERCHANGE CAP – IN-MATCH TRACKING OF ROTATION NUMBERS

The AFL has introduced an interchange cap at all matches in the 2014 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. The AFL Commission has determined that a cap of 120 interchanges per match will apply for Seasons 2014 and 2015.  The AFL will be electronically counting interchange numbers through all matches with the information relayed in real-time to clubs, media and the football public via Champion Data's normal statistical service. All media should note that any interchanges made at quarter breaks and due to the blood rule will not counted. An interchange as a result of a substitution, stretcher, concussion or other medical assessment will also not be counted, with that player not allowed back on the field for 20 minutes (and in the case of the substituted player, not at all). All media should note that AFL Interchange Officials have been instructed to count all interchange rotations during the match, with the scenarios listed above (where a player is not counted) subsequently recorded. All media should note that this will mean the interchange count will decrease by one on some occasions during matches. For example, where a team activates their substitute, the substituted player will be counted when leaving the field of play and, subsequent to that, the count will be decrease by one when the AFL Interchange Official is formally notified of the substitute. 

15 2014 LAWS OF THE GAME – INSTRUCTION DVD  

The 2014 Laws of the Game video is also now available on the AFL site for any interested media to view: http://www.afl.com.au/afl-hq/laws-of-the-game.

16 MEDIA ENTRY TO THE MCG

The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) wishes to advise all media working at matches at the MCG they should enter the ground through Gate 3, unless they have underground parking for particular matches. Access control at the ground does not allow entry at Gate 2, for AFL accreditation passes. Further, the MCC also wishes to advise that any equipment being taken up to the host radio boxes or television broadcast boxes should be taken up via goods lift 8, and not the patron lifts 5-7.

17 MEDIA ENTRY TO ETIHAD STADIUM, PRIOR TO PUBLIC GATE TIMES / COLLECTION OF AFL RECORDS

All media who require entry to Etihad Stadium before public gates are open can do the following: Media may enter via Gate 9 from Level B3 (carpark) and Level 1 (concourse) one and a half hours prior to gate entry time. There will be a staff member at each entry point who will check AFL accreditation and will grant access to the Corporate Suites Level where they can access the Press Box, Radio Boxes and TV Broadcast area. A match day AFL record can be collected (one per person) from the customer service staff on the corporate suites level.

Ends

Patrick Keane