THE OFF-SEASON may have just started but the imminent release of next season's fixture at least gives footy fans something to look forward to.
According to the Herald Sun, some of the highlights awaiting us next season include: a stand-alone season opener between the Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney; a "Ross Lyon grudge match" between Fremantle and Lyon's former club St Kilda in Melbourne in the first month of the season; and two clashes between 2011 Grand finalists Geelong and Collingwood.
As revealed on AFL.com.au on Wednesday, the 2012 home and away season will be played over 23 rounds, with 'multi-bye' rounds of six games held in rounds 11-13 to give six teams a bye in each of those weeks. The Grand Final will also return to its traditional spot on the last Saturday in September.
Greater Western Sydney's entry as the competition's eighth non-Victorian team means all Victorian clubs will play a minimum of five matches on the road.
The AFL will release the official 2012 fixture on Friday, October 28.
Hawks' presidential challenge
Hawthorn had hoped its presidential baton would be passed seamlessly from the outgoing Jeff Kennett to his anointed successor Andrew Newbold at the club's December election.
The Hawks had considered another board member, Flight Centre founder Geoff Harris, as Kennett's replacement, but in August its board formally ratified Newbold, a former partner at commercial law firm Herbert Geer.
However, this planned baton change may not proceed as smoothly as the Hawks had envisaged. At least not if former Hawks president Geoff Lord is able to garner significant support between now and the election.
The Age reports Lord has nominated for the presidency, a post he held from 1993-95, at the urging of "influential figures" who are unhappy the club has won just one premiership since 1991.
"The board have done an outstanding job off the field," Lord said. "Financially, the club is strong and in good shape, but one premiership in 20 years is not what I would call acceptable."
But Lord told The Age he would only contest the election if he received public and member support.
Nonetheless, he said his backers included "heaps" of former players, with those from his era wanting a president with "a bit of profile".
As a prominent businessman - he founded golf course and fitness centre operator Belgravia Group - and the former chairman of A-League club Melbourne Victory, Lord certainly has a bigger profile than Newbold.
But the Hawks knew that in Newbold they would be getting a lower-profile president, especially in the wake of Kennett's colourful reign. That's a course they were content with. And one that Newbold and Kennett reiterated they have no intention of diverting from.
Newbold told The Age he was disappointed the Hawks now faced the prospect of a costly election, but stressed he would be "fighting bloody hard to win it".
Newbold said "very powerful Hawthorn people" such as board member Jason Dunstall and former president Ian Dicker would campaign heavily for him - and against the need for a contested election - in the coming weeks.
"Stability is the key ingredient of success in any club or organisation and we have had that at Hawthorn," Newbold said.
Kennett told 3AW Newbold, 47, represented the "next generation" of leadership at Hawthorn.
"While we appreciate Geoff [Lord] offering, to be honest we have got to keep building rather than looking back to the past," Kennett said.
Given the way the Hawks have short-circuited similar rebel challenges in the past, we expect they will resolve this matter well before December, with Newbold to be elected president unopposed.
Port puts its trust in outside intelligence
One of the most concerning aspects of Port Adelaide's dismal 2011 season was the extent to which its coaching structure lagged behind the rest of the competition.
With a senior assistant, Dean Laidley, who was commuting back and forth from Melbourne, and just two other assistants (Jason Cripps and Garry Hocking) and two development coaches (Daniel Healy and Matthew Nicks), senior coach Matthew Primus' support team was dwarfed by those in place at powerhouse clubs such as Collingwood and Essendon.
Bridging this gap - with the help of funding received under the AFL's recently released equalisation policy - has been one of the Power's major priorities this season.
Initially, the Power's search for suitable candidates centred around attracting coaches with senior AFL experience or extensive experience as an AFL assistant. Names such as former Melbourne coach Dean Bailey and then-Collingwood assistant and now-St Kilda coach Scott Watters were raised.
However, when Port unveiled three additions to its assistant team on Wednesday none exactly fitted that bill.
Granted Port premiership midfielder Josh Carr and Crows premiership ruckman Shaun Rehn, who will assume responsibility for the Power midfield, are big names in Adelaide. But Carr has no AFL coaching experience and Rehn seemed to have turned his back on a promising coaching career when he finished up as an assistant coach at the Brisbane Lions at the end of 2007.
The Power's other coaching new boy, Brad Gotch, who will take control of their defence, has extensive coaching experience, but has combined AFL assistant and development duties at Collingwood, the Western Bulldogs and, over the past two seasons, Melbourne with senior VFL coaching roles.
Recently appointed Power chief executive Keith Thomas told The Advertiser the change in the Power's hiring strategy had been prompted by discussions with Sydney Swans premiership coach Paul Roos, a former Fitzroy teammate of Thomas'.
"Halfway through the process we had that model in mind with people of senior AFL coaching experience," Thomas said of the club's search that began in July.
"In meeting with Paul Roos, he said don't get hung up on people who are coaching in the AFL. Get people who will bring football intelligence to the group, people who work well in a team, people you can trust."
In Carr, Rehn and Gotch, the Power appear to have delivered on Roos' brief. And, with the club still planning to hire additional development coaches to support Healy and Nicks, Primus now appears to have the support he needs to plot a Power resurgence.
Urquhart will get another chance
One way or another Gavin Urquhart will be at an AFL club next season.
The explosive half-back was delisted by North Melbourne on Monday despite being contracted - reportedly to the tune of at least $300,000 - for 2012.
However, The Age's Jake Niall reports that North has agreed to re-draft Urquhart as a rookie in the event he is overlooked by opposition clubs in the upcoming national, pre-season and rookie drafts.
Urquhart's chances of finding a new home in those drafts won't be hurt by North's commitment to pay the bulk of his 2012 contract if he's taken by another club. Niall wrote that any opposition club that drafts Urquhart would only have to fork out "the bargain-basement minimum wage".
Despite delisting Urquhart to create room on their list for recent trade acquisition Will Sierakowski from Hawthorn, it seems the Kangaroos have not completely given up on Urquhart.
According to Niall, the 41-game player's promising start to his AFL career - which was highlighted by his nomination for the 2008 NAB AFL Rising Star award - had stalled partly because of his "apparent lack of urgency and fitness".
But Niall wrote that North still hoped Urquhart could overcome those issues and deliver on the promise he showed in his first two seasons, 2008 and 2009.
If Urquhart can do this, and if he does it at North, he will be just the player the Roos need. Quick and a penetrating kick, if he can find a way to win more of the ball, he offers North the polish coach Brad Scott was crying out for most of this season.
In short
St Kilda chief executive Michael Nettlefold says the Saints will not stand in Robert Harvey's way if the club great asks to be released from his assistant coaching contract to join Nathan Buckley's new Collingwood coaching team, The Age reports.
Some Essendon players described last year's pre-season as the toughest of their careers, but Bombers coach James Hird is determined to up the ante again this summer, the Herald Sun reports.
After two years out of Collingwood, football and Australia, Irishman Marty Clarke has returned to the Westpac Centre determined to excel in the game he loves, The Age reports.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
