ABLETT SET TO MISS AGAIN
Geelong superstar Gary Ablett is no certainty to return to the Cats' line-up for the clash against Richmond on Saturday and the club says it will take no risks with the Brownlow Medal favourite, reports The Age. Brownlow betting has tightened up considerably in recent weeks, with Brent Harvey ($3.50), Jimmy Bartel ($5.50) and Adam Cooney ($6.50) all closing on Ablett ($2.75) in the eyes of punters. Another Geelong star, Paul Chapman, has been ruled out for at least the next fortnight with a slight hamstring tear, but even if Ablett does spend this week on the sidelines with an ankle injury, the reigning premier still expects to welcome back Darren Milburn, Cameron Ling and probably David Wojcinski.
GOODES GOES MISSING AT CRUCIAL TIME
Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes is set to miss several matches with a mystery groin ailment as Sydney coach Paul Roos admitted his hobbled star should not have played last weekend, reports The Age. Roos revealed yesterday that Goodes could miss "two or three weeks" as the AFL club attempted to unravel the nature and extent of the injury that has affected him for the past fortnight. Goodes struggled in his side's narrow win over Carlton two weeks ago, then was ineffective in the loss to Adelaide last Saturday night. But the Swans could regain defenders Leo Barry and Nick Malceski from injury — Malceski a late withdrawal for three successive matches with a calf problem.
EADE RELISHES ‘GRUNT’ WORK
Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade is relishing the prospect of Sunday's clash with Sydney as his team tries to recapture the hardness that has gone missing since its mid-season break, reports The Age. The Bulldogs have lost their past two games to Geelong and Carlton, and posted an uninspiring win against Melbourne the week before. A common denominator in all those performances has been the Bulldogs' failure to win the contested-possession count, a cornerstone of their dramatic improvement this season. The Dogs won contested ball in 10 of their first 13 games, but have lost out the past four games straight. In Sunday's loss to Carlton, the Blues won the hard balls 20 more times, the Bulldogs' worst result in any game this season. But Eade said yesterday that Sunday's game in Canberra against the Swans, a close-in, physical side, was the perfect opportunity for the Bulldogs to rediscover their grunt. "We're going to have to revisit that because it needs to be a focus point," Eade said. "This week, we're coming up against a team that is very good at it, so I'm glad we're playing them for that reason.”
TIME TO MOVE: MARCH
Having bridged the gap from chaos to modernity, Richmond felt it had outgrown Greg Miller as the person to lead its football department, reports The Age. Miller had been the right person for the right job at the right time, but the time, the job and the club had changed, Richmond president Gary March said yesterday, explaining the rationale for dismissing the affable football operations manager. The club resolved that having accepted the need for change, it should act sharply so as to not miss the boat on candidates, given the range of rival clubs with executive vacancies. "Football has changed dramatically over the last few years. All the key decisions made around football are made in October," March said. "We felt that once we made the decision, we needed a new person to come into the organisation, that we wanted that person in the chair to be part of those decision-making processes. All those football decisions are made by the football department and the head of football, they are not made by the board.”
MCMANUS TO RETIRE
Fremantle coach Mark Harvey has described retiring veteran Shaun McManus as "chapter one" of the club's history book after the 32-year-old announced Sunday's western derby encounter against West Coast would be his 228th and final AFL match, reports The Age. Harvey said McManus, an inaugural Docker and regarded by many to be the club's favourite son, was a rock during troubled times and one of Fremantle's most inspirational players. "When you look back at Fremantle and its inception, the place needed someone to stand up and Shaun's done that for 14 years now," Harvey said. "When you coach Shaun, quite often I go to him to invigorate the team, and that's a fantastic trait to have. When they write the history books of Fremantle, Shaun will be chapter one of where it begun, and that's how I see Shaun. He will be missed because he brings the group together, and this footy club has had to be brought together over 14 years for various reasons." McManus, who fought back from two knee reconstructions early in his career, said he finalised his plans to retire after a chat with Harvey a few weeks ago. "It's going to be an emotional day but a great celebration," he said. "I really believe I've put my heart and soul into being a member of this football club.”
PIES ESCAPE SUSPENSION
Escapes from possible suspension by Alan Didak and Leon Davis yesterday ensured a positive start to what shapes as Collingwood's season-defining week, reports The Herald Sun. Forwards Didak and Davis are free to play against Hawthorn on Friday night after match-day reports were overturned during the AFL's video review. The match review panel decided Didak's high contact to Essendon's Henry Slattery was a pushing motion rather than a strike and the impact was below that required to be a reportable offence. A similar jumper-grabbing incident forced St Kilda big man Justin Koschitzke to miss Saturday's game against West Coast in Perth after he accepted a one-game ban for striking Hawthorn's Michael Osborne. Davis's front-on contact to Bomber Jobe Watson was deemed to be not forceful, a requirement of the bump law introduced this season.
FOX, SCHWAB IN RACE
Melbourne will have its choice of administrators Stuart Fox and Cameron Schwab after both expressed interest in the Demons chief executive position, reports The Herald Sun. The Demons hope to hire a replacement for Paul McNamee well before the finals begin, with headhunting firm The Slade Group soon to present the Melbourne board with a shortlist. It will include Geelong chief operating officer Fox and former Fremantle chief executive Schwab, as well as one or two more names from within the football industry. Fox was the beaten favourite in late March this year when then chairman Paul Gardner preferred marketing ability to industry know-how. Last week Fox was still unsure if he would apply for the Demons job - as was Schwab - but both have confirmed they will take part in interviews.
CATS KEEP TEAM TOGETHER
Geelong is on the verge of re-signing the last of its back-room brains trust, as it methodically completes new player contracts, reports The Herald Sun. The club will soon sign up defensive coach Brenton Sanderson, the only member of the coaching panel not secured for 2009. The Cats' 2001 best-and-fairest winner is highly rated within the club for his role with the rock-steady defensive six. Geelong has all but completed player signings, with star forward Paul Chapman the last priority signing from the 22 players the club had out of contract this year. Coach Mark Thompson is out of contract at the end of next season, but chief executive Brian Cook will wait until the start of next year to start contract talks. Cook has repeatedly stated he would love Thompson to stay at Skilled Stadium past his current contract, but Thompson is yet to commit. While Thompson has won plaudits for his coaching style, the support staff of Sanderson, Ken Hinkley, Brendon McCartney and VFL coach Leigh Tudor have been continually lauded by the Geelong players.
EAGLES SIGN TWO
West Coast has re-signed Quinten Lynch and Matt Rosa but the club is refusing to reveal the length of the new signings, reports The Herald Sun. A club spokesman said it was not "club policy" to reveal the length of the new contracts and even refused to detail when the duo's current contracts expired. Lynch has been one of the Eagles' most consistent performers this season playing in a variety of roles, including back-up ruckman, leading forward and midfielder. The 25-year-old, who booted 65 goals in 2006 and 52 last year, has kicked just 19 goals in 17 matches this season. But what he has lacked in goal-scoring nous he has made up with his ball-winning ability.
HUDGHTON PROBLEMS
St Kilda's Max Hudghton is likely to spend more time on the sidelines after he aggravated an existing calf problem on Saturday in Perth, reports The Herald Sun. Hudghton went into the match with some soreness in the left lower leg and developed more problems during the first quarter, forcing him to sit out the game after playing only 11 per cent of match time. “Max may have been annoyed to hear that some media commentators suggested that calf injuries are more associated with older players near the end of their careers, but don't write yourself off just yet, Max, as there is hope,” writes Dr Peter Larkins. “What is true is that this type of injury does seem to plague older players and fans may recall that James Hird, James Clement and Wayne Carey all experienced recurring calf problems late in their careers.”
Geelong superstar Gary Ablett is no certainty to return to the Cats' line-up for the clash against Richmond on Saturday and the club says it will take no risks with the Brownlow Medal favourite, reports The Age. Brownlow betting has tightened up considerably in recent weeks, with Brent Harvey ($3.50), Jimmy Bartel ($5.50) and Adam Cooney ($6.50) all closing on Ablett ($2.75) in the eyes of punters. Another Geelong star, Paul Chapman, has been ruled out for at least the next fortnight with a slight hamstring tear, but even if Ablett does spend this week on the sidelines with an ankle injury, the reigning premier still expects to welcome back Darren Milburn, Cameron Ling and probably David Wojcinski.
GOODES GOES MISSING AT CRUCIAL TIME
Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes is set to miss several matches with a mystery groin ailment as Sydney coach Paul Roos admitted his hobbled star should not have played last weekend, reports The Age. Roos revealed yesterday that Goodes could miss "two or three weeks" as the AFL club attempted to unravel the nature and extent of the injury that has affected him for the past fortnight. Goodes struggled in his side's narrow win over Carlton two weeks ago, then was ineffective in the loss to Adelaide last Saturday night. But the Swans could regain defenders Leo Barry and Nick Malceski from injury — Malceski a late withdrawal for three successive matches with a calf problem.
EADE RELISHES ‘GRUNT’ WORK
Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade is relishing the prospect of Sunday's clash with Sydney as his team tries to recapture the hardness that has gone missing since its mid-season break, reports The Age. The Bulldogs have lost their past two games to Geelong and Carlton, and posted an uninspiring win against Melbourne the week before. A common denominator in all those performances has been the Bulldogs' failure to win the contested-possession count, a cornerstone of their dramatic improvement this season. The Dogs won contested ball in 10 of their first 13 games, but have lost out the past four games straight. In Sunday's loss to Carlton, the Blues won the hard balls 20 more times, the Bulldogs' worst result in any game this season. But Eade said yesterday that Sunday's game in Canberra against the Swans, a close-in, physical side, was the perfect opportunity for the Bulldogs to rediscover their grunt. "We're going to have to revisit that because it needs to be a focus point," Eade said. "This week, we're coming up against a team that is very good at it, so I'm glad we're playing them for that reason.”
TIME TO MOVE: MARCH
Having bridged the gap from chaos to modernity, Richmond felt it had outgrown Greg Miller as the person to lead its football department, reports The Age. Miller had been the right person for the right job at the right time, but the time, the job and the club had changed, Richmond president Gary March said yesterday, explaining the rationale for dismissing the affable football operations manager. The club resolved that having accepted the need for change, it should act sharply so as to not miss the boat on candidates, given the range of rival clubs with executive vacancies. "Football has changed dramatically over the last few years. All the key decisions made around football are made in October," March said. "We felt that once we made the decision, we needed a new person to come into the organisation, that we wanted that person in the chair to be part of those decision-making processes. All those football decisions are made by the football department and the head of football, they are not made by the board.”
MCMANUS TO RETIRE
Fremantle coach Mark Harvey has described retiring veteran Shaun McManus as "chapter one" of the club's history book after the 32-year-old announced Sunday's western derby encounter against West Coast would be his 228th and final AFL match, reports The Age. Harvey said McManus, an inaugural Docker and regarded by many to be the club's favourite son, was a rock during troubled times and one of Fremantle's most inspirational players. "When you look back at Fremantle and its inception, the place needed someone to stand up and Shaun's done that for 14 years now," Harvey said. "When you coach Shaun, quite often I go to him to invigorate the team, and that's a fantastic trait to have. When they write the history books of Fremantle, Shaun will be chapter one of where it begun, and that's how I see Shaun. He will be missed because he brings the group together, and this footy club has had to be brought together over 14 years for various reasons." McManus, who fought back from two knee reconstructions early in his career, said he finalised his plans to retire after a chat with Harvey a few weeks ago. "It's going to be an emotional day but a great celebration," he said. "I really believe I've put my heart and soul into being a member of this football club.”
PIES ESCAPE SUSPENSION
Escapes from possible suspension by Alan Didak and Leon Davis yesterday ensured a positive start to what shapes as Collingwood's season-defining week, reports The Herald Sun. Forwards Didak and Davis are free to play against Hawthorn on Friday night after match-day reports were overturned during the AFL's video review. The match review panel decided Didak's high contact to Essendon's Henry Slattery was a pushing motion rather than a strike and the impact was below that required to be a reportable offence. A similar jumper-grabbing incident forced St Kilda big man Justin Koschitzke to miss Saturday's game against West Coast in Perth after he accepted a one-game ban for striking Hawthorn's Michael Osborne. Davis's front-on contact to Bomber Jobe Watson was deemed to be not forceful, a requirement of the bump law introduced this season.
FOX, SCHWAB IN RACE
Melbourne will have its choice of administrators Stuart Fox and Cameron Schwab after both expressed interest in the Demons chief executive position, reports The Herald Sun. The Demons hope to hire a replacement for Paul McNamee well before the finals begin, with headhunting firm The Slade Group soon to present the Melbourne board with a shortlist. It will include Geelong chief operating officer Fox and former Fremantle chief executive Schwab, as well as one or two more names from within the football industry. Fox was the beaten favourite in late March this year when then chairman Paul Gardner preferred marketing ability to industry know-how. Last week Fox was still unsure if he would apply for the Demons job - as was Schwab - but both have confirmed they will take part in interviews.
CATS KEEP TEAM TOGETHER
Geelong is on the verge of re-signing the last of its back-room brains trust, as it methodically completes new player contracts, reports The Herald Sun. The club will soon sign up defensive coach Brenton Sanderson, the only member of the coaching panel not secured for 2009. The Cats' 2001 best-and-fairest winner is highly rated within the club for his role with the rock-steady defensive six. Geelong has all but completed player signings, with star forward Paul Chapman the last priority signing from the 22 players the club had out of contract this year. Coach Mark Thompson is out of contract at the end of next season, but chief executive Brian Cook will wait until the start of next year to start contract talks. Cook has repeatedly stated he would love Thompson to stay at Skilled Stadium past his current contract, but Thompson is yet to commit. While Thompson has won plaudits for his coaching style, the support staff of Sanderson, Ken Hinkley, Brendon McCartney and VFL coach Leigh Tudor have been continually lauded by the Geelong players.
EAGLES SIGN TWO
West Coast has re-signed Quinten Lynch and Matt Rosa but the club is refusing to reveal the length of the new signings, reports The Herald Sun. A club spokesman said it was not "club policy" to reveal the length of the new contracts and even refused to detail when the duo's current contracts expired. Lynch has been one of the Eagles' most consistent performers this season playing in a variety of roles, including back-up ruckman, leading forward and midfielder. The 25-year-old, who booted 65 goals in 2006 and 52 last year, has kicked just 19 goals in 17 matches this season. But what he has lacked in goal-scoring nous he has made up with his ball-winning ability.
HUDGHTON PROBLEMS
St Kilda's Max Hudghton is likely to spend more time on the sidelines after he aggravated an existing calf problem on Saturday in Perth, reports The Herald Sun. Hudghton went into the match with some soreness in the left lower leg and developed more problems during the first quarter, forcing him to sit out the game after playing only 11 per cent of match time. “Max may have been annoyed to hear that some media commentators suggested that calf injuries are more associated with older players near the end of their careers, but don't write yourself off just yet, Max, as there is hope,” writes Dr Peter Larkins. “What is true is that this type of injury does seem to plague older players and fans may recall that James Hird, James Clement and Wayne Carey all experienced recurring calf problems late in their careers.”
