THE RETURN of real footy meant the month ended with a bang – some great games, some less than stellar despite record crowds, and an injury to Ben Cousins that probably will keep him out until May.
But there were any number of issues to keep us occupied until the footy arrived.
Stadium contracts were a big talking point. James Brayshaw had a good crack at the current deals; AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said the league could build its own stadium; the AFL slammed the MCC; Victorian clubs threatened to move games interstate (the AFL agrees with the clubs) – while the MCG was revealed as the worst venue for returns to clubs.
In a similar vein, Port Adelaide wanted a handout because of their stadium deal and denied they were about to move to Tassie – despite the SANFL saying they Port were crying wolf. And the AFL warned of looming changes to the special distribution policy and flagged reduced spending.
Meanwhile, afl.com.au surveyed the 16 league coaches, and the results were illuminating. Expansion worried many, while the Cats were judged most likely to win flag and Gary Ablett the competition’s best. Coaches also thought the season was the wrong length, a night grand final was a bad idea, the hands-in-the-back rule should go, and the rolling zone was here to stay.
On rule changes – Kane Cornes wanted the rushed behind rule to continue, John Worsfold queried a bad decision, afl.com.au columnist Leigh Matthews thought the rule an improvement, and Brett Ratten agreed.
The captains were likewise queried and voted on issues – even new Port skipper Dom Cassisi, who was not the coach’s choice for the job.
Despite the economic climate, the Gold Coast was granted a conditional licence and the plans for West Sydney affirmed – although Tassie remained on the outer. A Kazakh bellydance delivered a second major sponsor for the Dees.
A new AFL policy targeted off-field conduct - the league will have the power to refer a serious off-field incident directly to the tribunal under their long-awaited individual conduct policy.
Back on the field, the Cats smashed the Pies in the NAB Cup final, with Joel Selwood winning the Michael Tuck Medal.
Middle of the pack teams were thinking flags – Richmond and Collingwood in particular. The Dogs and the Roos were thanking bushfire volunteers while all the clubs pitched in to help in the wake of February’s fires.
The rolling zone was everywhere – Rocket worried it was changing footy forever, Matthew Knights wasn’t interested in it, Woosha said it wouldn’t be an issue, while the Neil Craig called for calm.
On the injury list – perennial discussion point Jesse Smith went from playing in two weeks to ruled out of two games to out for two months. Essendon’s Scott Gumbleton is out for half the season, along with Beau Waters and Josh Hunt, who opted for traditional knee surgery. Hunt’s skipper Tom Harley is not far off, while Polly is still a way away from the AFL, despite his return to footy.
And as the real stuff kicked off with Carlton’s big win over Richmond and the Cats’ grand final revenge, there was a series of heartwarming moments.
Wayne Carey was welcomed back to North, Dean Cox welcomed himself back into his own Toyota AFL Dream Team, and St Kilda welcomed Michael Nettlefold as its new CEO.
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The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
