Wallace was wrongly reported to have been sacked after the Tigers slumped to 1-9, but the club scotched that rumour. He then went in to bat for skipper Chris Newman, who was rumoured to have demanded Wallace’s removal – and in the same week got a flat tyre.
On the eve of round 10, in which he celebrated 500 games as a player and coach, Wallace finally confirmed he won’t coach next year. Twenty-four hours later, the Tigers edged Freo for their second win.
Elsewhere, Tarkyn Lockyer defended Pie coach Mick Malthouse, while Daniel Moltop wanted Choco to stay.
The league’s expansion continued apace, with the Gold Coast appointing a CEO and, more importantly, receiving $36m in government funding to redevelop Gold Coast Stadium – news the AFL called ‘the last piece in the jigsaw’.
Western Sydney got a high-performance manager, while the AFL looked overseas – revealing it plans to incorporate teams from Oceania and South Africa into the NAB AFL U16 comp before too long.
While the crop of 17-year-olds likely to end up at the Gold Coast showed their wares, AFL teams moved to lock up their stars. Nick Riewoldt, David Hale, Boomer, Daisy, Heath Shaw, Sam Fisher and Chad Cornes all put pen to paper.
The stadium war continued, with the Roos expressing their fears.
The AFL committed to 10 Victorian teams and joined the SANFL in propping up Port Adelaide, while CEO Andrew Demetriou said the League was again considering footy on Good Friday. Reserves teams are out, but Monday night footy could be in – something supported by coaches Paul Roos and Michael Voss.
Eight new greats were inducted into the Hall of Fame, while Lou Richards refused a lifetime achievement award after a media campaign for his induction. Andrew McLeod passed Mark Ricciuto for the Crows’ games record, while Jason Akermanis passed 300 games.
Onfield, the Cats and the Saints improved to 10-0 – opening a remarkable four-game gap between second and third on the ladder.
Indigenous round took centre stage, with David Wirrpanda saying racial abuse had disappeared and Eddie Betts taking on a fatherly role.
The Tigers got done in the Dreamtime at the ‘G game and in the dying seconds by Port, who also grabbed the Showdown but were ordered into the pool after a smashing at the hands of the Swans. Freo grabbed a Derby win.
The 2009 AFL Injury Report revealed that head and neck injuries are down, but groins are up.
Of the big-name casualties in May, hamstring surgery grounded Richo for 10-12 weeks, but he confirmed that he will be back. Boomer Harvey sat out a bad elbow injury, the result of a ‘chicken-wing’ tackle the AFL said was accidental.
Ben Cousins missed a week (and later found himself the focus of a 'please explain'), while the Lions’ injury list lengthened further with the additions of Joel Patfull and Daniel Merrett.
Gary Ablett’s injury was worse than feared but apparently a blessing in disguise, and appreciated by the Swans. Teammate Brad Ottens had a setback, serial victim Trent Hentschel copped another injury, a couple of high-profile Dees were sidelined, while groin and leg problems felled Luke Hodge and Dustin Fletcher, respectively.
In other news, Port Adelaide had a runner suspended, Darren Creswell copped some praise, AFL doctors copped some scrutiny and a Brownlow-winning doctor passed on.
Roo Aaron Edwards said his decision to turn teetotal was a no-brainer, and will now be on his bike for four years after his drink-driving conviction.
Chris Judd matched Gazza in the Brownlow stakes, Aker and Lethal shared some love, Tunnel defended the Roos’ new clash strip, the NAB AFL U18s kicked off, and footy’s highest-profile Canadian did likewise.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
