AFL Record Round 9 2023

INSIDE GAME PREVIEW AND STATS

HOW TO

BUILD A FOOTY CLUB

LESSONS LEARNED FROM AFL EXPANSION

OF THE

THIS WEEK’S COVERS

ONE WEEK TIME

News from in and around the AFL

TIME TO SHRUG OFF THE BLUES

ASHLEY BROWNE

We might have gone the early call on Carlton. Following their 108-point thrashing of West Coast in round eight, we opined last week that the “easy kill” of the Eagles might be the start of the Blues’ push into late September.

Then came last Friday night on their home deck in front of 45,000 expectant fans at Marvel Stadium.

After an even first quarter against the Brisbane Lions, Carlton kicked 1.4 in the middle two quarters en route to a 26-point defeat.

Blues fans began streaming towards the exits before the final quarter had even started.

Carlton remains in the eight, albeit just.

And it has endured a week in which its midfield has been slammed for its lack of speed and a game-plan that is below-par.

Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said of the Blues on SEN 1116 this week: “The picture is that Carlton’s game is taken away from them too easily by the opposition and Carlton don’t spend enough time taking the opposition’s game away from them.

EDITOR’S LETTER MICHAEL LOVETT

u It feels like the AFL has had a fairly good past few weeks with some massive announcements about the future direction of the game and a strong stance on racist behaviour.

The appointment of Andrew Dillon as the AFL’s new chief executive was followed just a few days later with the rubber stamping of a team from Tasmania to join the competition in 2028.

“They think they’re going to win it on talent, they think they’re going to win it on ability, and they’ve got every right to given what they’ve got at their disposal and they are handling some loss of personnel at the moment, but they don’t work hard enough at taking the opposition’s game away.”

It is a damning assessment, but also a widely-shared view of a club that has been rebuilding, telling us seemingly forever that they’re coming and that we know what they’re cooking.

Talkback radio exploded over the weekend with Carlton fans venting their frustration and their mood was not helped with midfielder Adam Cerra’s puzzling admission this week that “I don’t see it as a failure,” when asked what another year out of the finals would mean for the Blues, who have not figured in September since 2013.

Dillon was the right man for the top job and by the time he takes over in October he will have plenty on his plate.

The momentum of the Tasmanian announcement will continue to roll on and as senior writer ASHLEY BROWNE opines this week, the AFL –and Tasmania – will need to heed lessons from previous expansion teams.

Of course, it will be nothing like the near-comical situation of the Brisbane Bears back in 1986 who were given a bunch of cast-offs to start their journey in the big time.

Racism is an issue that won’t go away and more needs to be done – not just in an AFL sense but across the wider football and sporting community.

It means no club is under more pressure this weekend than the Blues as they return to Marvel Stadium on Saturday night to face the Western Bulldogs.

The Dogs are the opposite of Carlton.

They started the season slowly, but have won five of their past six games. They are settled at both ends of the ground and Marcus Bontempelli is in career-best form.

The Blues are built to play finals in 2023 and Saturday night will be the acid test.

Lose again and the doubts will become very real and the commentary even louder.

The round starts on Friday night and features a double-header because of Mother’s Day.

It starts with Richmond and Geelong at the MCG.

And because we were sucked in by the Blues after their mauling

We applaud the League’s decision to hand lifetime bans to nine fans who have been called out either by fellow spectators, police or security in 2023.

It is clear the AFL wants to educate these people and perhaps give them a second chance – but only if they reflect on their actions and change their racist views.

UNDER THE PUMP: Carlton faces another huge test against the Bulldogs this week.

Lose again and the doubts will become very real

We stick up for him and we give it back to them

JOSH

DAICOS ON THE TACTICS TEAMS ARE USING ON HIS BROTHER NICK

of the Eagles, we’re not yet ready to claim that the Tigers have turned the corner after beating West Coast by 46 points at the MCG last week.

There were some encouraging signs, especially the form of recruit Tim Taranto and bellwether midfielder Dion Prestia, but Friday night will be instructive.

If the Tigers are still capable of a finals run – and coach Damien Hardwick is insistent that they are – they’ll find a way to overcome Geelong, which has looked great with five straight wins after a 0-3 start to the season.

Patrick Dangerfield has been in wonderful form for the Cats, but will miss with a hamstring injury, as will Brad Close through suspension, but this game will come down to how the undermanned Tiger defence can

handle the Jeremy Cameron-Tom Hawkins partnership.

There is a clear bottom three in the AFL – Hawthorn, North Melbourne and the Eagles – so it is hard to judge what winning form against them means.

Fremantle kicked 18.9. (117) last Saturday night – its highest score since 2019. But it came against the hapless Hawks at home, so the jury is still out as to whether the Dockers have turned the corner.

They travel to the SCG to meet Sydney, which has lost its past three and seems to be in freefall.

The trend for badly-beaten grand finalists to struggle the following season seems to have afflicted the Swans as well.

Essendon’s bright start to the season has faded with three successive defeats – but the Bombers have lost few admirers in

AFL Rising Star

MATTAES PHILLIPOU ST KILDA

An excellent start to his career with St Kilda has earned Mattaes Phillipou the round eight nomination for the AFL Rising Star Award.

He has averaged 14 disposals, three marks and two inside 50s for the third-placed Saints who have a 6-2 record. He has also kicked six goals, including three in round two against the Western Bulldogs.

Against North Melbourne last Sunday, the 18-year-old had 13 disposals, six marks, and four tackles in St Kilda’s 30-point win.

Phillipou was the 10th selection at the 2022 NAB AFL Draft from Woodville West-Torrens.

Essendon’s bright start to the season has faded

that time. They were away to Port Adelaide last Sunday and are on the road again just six days later, facing the Lions at the Gabba.

Brisbane is a formidable force at home, but Essendon is playing with spirit and pluck and will be no pushover.

For those not sitting down to Mother’s Day lunch, the first of Sunday’s two games is a beauty. Adelaide should have beaten Collingwood and then got some looks against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium last week.

The Crows host the Saints, who rise or fall to the level of their opponent, but invariably get the win. They kicked 8.16 against the Kangaroos last week, but still won by 30 points.

Ross Lyon’s men will need to straighten up to get past the Crows.

He played his junior football at PHOS Camden – the original club of Brayden Maynard (Collingwood), Will Day (Hawthorn) and Ryan Burton (Port Adelaide)

His father Sam Phillipou played 106 games and kicked 180 goals with Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFL. He also played three AFL games with the Western Bulldogs in 1995 and 44 with Port Adelaide Magpies.

Phillipou joins Mitch Owens as the second St Kilda player to be nominated in 2023.

ASHLEY BROWNE

LIONS SHARING THE LOAD

LAURENCE ROSEN

As the 2023 season continues to unfold, Brisbane is emerging as one of the key contenders.

The Lions took another step forward last season, winning two finals but ultimately falling short of making the Grand Final.

But after eight rounds this season, Chris Fagan’s side has shown they’re made of tougher stuff and are playing with an added verve.

Much of that success has stemmed from their recruits, while there has been a pleasing level of natural improvement.

Jack Payne has cemented himself as a key cog of Brisbane’s defence, taking the best forward each week and allowing fellow defenders Harris Andrews and Conor McKenna to play a more attacking game and excel as a result.

Then there’s the off-season additions, led by Josh Dunkley who played his best game for the Lions in their 26-point win over Carlton last week.

Fagan said Dunkley’s 33-diposal, 13-tackle and 11-mark game was one of the great individual performances he has seen.

“I’ve got to say it is one of the great games I’ve ever seen,” Fagan said.

“If you weigh it all up, he played on (Patrick) Cripps all night, he had 33 touches, he had 13 tackles and he kept Cripps to a quiet game.

“I would have settled for Cripps having a quiet game, to be honest with you. Josh’s influence on the contest was exceptional.

“His leadership since he got to the club has been outstanding. He is happy to roll his sleeves up and do a role for the team.

“He sets a great example to everyone in that regard; he studied Cripps all week and Josh did one of the really great offensive and defensive performances, I reckon.”

With another big game to come this Saturday night against Essendon back in the home comforts of the Gabba, the Lions are humming and are giving the football world plenty to think about as we tick into the next phase of the season.

HUMMING ALONG: Defender Jack Payne (above) has cemented himself in the Lions’ defence, while Josh Dunkley (below) has proven a fine recruit.

It is one of the great games I’ve ever seen

LIONS COACH CHRIS FAGAN ON JOSH DUNKLEY’S PERFORMANCE LAST WEEK

AFL BANS RACIST FANS

The AFL has announced that people found to be responsible of vilification within the sport will receive a lifetime ban from AFL matches.

Nine bans have been issued so far in the 2023 season, with five more still being investigated.

Before the start of the season, three-year bans were in place for individuals who have been found guilty of racist behaviour at AFL matches.

A full-time dedicated employee, sitting within the AFL Integrity Unit, will be appointed to investigate racism and vilification cases at both the elite and community levels of the game.

AFL executive general manager inclusion and social policy Tanya Hosch said the AFL was committed to addressing racism and the increase in penalty was an appropriate punishment for the behaviour.

“We have been clear, there is absolutely no place for this behaviour in our sport or in society in general and we want people to know that if they behave in this way, they are not welcome at the footy again,” she said.

“The work will not stop in this space and having a full-time resource committed to investigating incidents is going to assist greatly in our response at all levels of the game.”

Hosch said identifying offenders both at matches and online was difficult but investigative work continued to be a priority.

“It can be very difficult to find these people, but on numerous occasions our Integrity officers have identified perpetrators and passed information to the police,” she said.

“There is more work to be done, especially in the online space, and we will continue to work with Australia’s eSafety Commissioner to put in place preventative strategies for online abuse, remove abusive posts and act against perpetrators.”

Any person placed on a lifetime ban has the ability to formally apply for an official review of that ban after a minimum five years.

“The implementation of an indefinite ban for individuals with the chance to apply for a review after five years is because we believe people can reflect and take the opportunity to change their racist views,” Hosch said.

“Our main aim is to prevent these acts ever happening and we believe education and the opportunity to influence their understanding is a key component to that, so if people are willing to be educated, we would be happy to consider their return to the footy.”

The AFL has also implemented a range of initiatives to prevent and manage vilification in community football around Australia.

With a key focus on more education at grassroots and community level, every community coach renewing their accreditation for the 2023 season must complete an online course which highlights the harm caused by vilification and discrimination.

The module features personal accounts from Hawthorn’s Chad Wingard, Carlton’s Darcy Vescio and ex-Richmond player Bachar Houli about the impact of being vilified, as well as input from community coaches.

About 18,000 community coaches across the country have taken the course, which also outlines the benefits of making clubs more inclusive and welcoming.

The course is freely available to all football participants, not just coaches, through the AFL’s Learning platform (visit afl.androgogic.com.au).

“We’ve already had great feedback from community coaches about the new education module, with many commenting that it has significantly improved their understanding of vilification and its harmful impacts,’’ Hosch said.

The education initiatives are part of a series of measures which increase anti-vilification support and resources to the thousands of community clubs across the country.

The AFL has also improved processes for managing complaints of vilification at the community level. These changes encourage people to come forward after incidents and aim to ensure more positive outcomes for those who have been offended.

From this season, leagues across Australia have access to an AFL-appointed panel of expert conciliators to help manage and resolve incidents of racist and other abuse in community football.

A number of successful conciliations have already been held with agreed outcomes including match suspensions, apologies and directions to complete education courses.

BANS

MCG

ISSUED IN 2023

• 18-year-old man – reported by patrons to police

• 42-year-old man – reported by patrons to staff

• 6 8-year-old man – reported by patrons to staff

• 7 2-year-old man – reported by patrons to staff

SCG

• 2 0 and 25-year-old men – reported to police (same incident)

ADELAIDE OVAL

• 2 3-year-old man – reported by patrons to security

MARVEL STADIUM

• 5 9-year-old man – reported by patron via online portal

UTAS STADIUM

• 3 6-year-old man – reported by patrons to police

IT STOPS WITH ME: Jamarra Ugle-Hagan responds to a racist attack he received on social media.

There is absolutely no place for this behaviour in our sport or in society in general

THE AFL’S TANYA HOSCH

CHAMPIONS DESERVE OUR RESPECT

BRENDAN RHODES

The right of paying football supporters to behave however they want was back on the agenda after Collingwood fans signalled out Sydney champion Lance Franklin for incessant booing during the Magpies’ 29-point win at the MCG last Sunday.

Franklin and Swans teammate Tom Papley were booed by supporters every time they touched the ball, starting a debate that has raged all week, with most saying it was not on.

Collingwood condemned their actions and urged them to show respect in a public apology signed by CEO Craig Kelly, coach Craig McRae and captain Darcy Moore.

“The club does not support booing, particularly champions of the game,” they said on Monday.

“Yesterday was the first time we played the Swans at the MCG in a decade – it provided an opportunity to respect a champion of the game and we fell short.

“‘Buddy’ is a great of Australian Football – what he has achieved on the field over a long period of time demands a high level of respect.”

Legendary Collingwood player and former coach Nathan Buckley also called out the fans who felt the need to attack an all-time great of the game.

“Your team is the toast of the town, and they’re handling themselves on and off the field with class and poise,” he said on SEN.

“Let’s try and fall into line on the other side of the fence – at best, (the booing) was a begrudging acknowledgment of the sustained brilliance Franklin has brought against Collingwood, and at worst, it’s ignorance and bigotry.”

The jeering of Franklin followed Swans fans booing injured Magpie forward Jack Ginnivan in round 22 last year when he appeared on the big screen.

Buckley said he hoped Magpie fans would get the chance to redeem themselves.

“If we get another chance, I hope Collingwood fans who aren’t ignorant (or) bigots –because there will be some booing – stand up and applaud every time he gets a touch and try and drown that out,” he said.

“That’s exactly what the stars of the game and his status in the game deserves.

“We were gifted an opportunity to celebrate this undisputed champion and a section of the faithful chose to denigrate – I don’t think we took the opportunity to do the right thing.”

The Swans called the booing disrespectful to a champion of the game in the first time Magpie supporters had seen him play in Melbourne for 10 years.

“Lance is a champion and his contribution to the AFL should be celebrated and respected,” Sydney’s statement said.

“Fans are the lifeblood of our game and have the right to cheer loudly at the football.

“But booing isn’t a right –it’s offensive – and players should not be subjected to it in their workplace.

“We have been here before and sadly it seems some people have not learned from the past.”

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said: “Lance Franklin is not only one

of the greatest Australian Rules football players of all time but a generational athlete who has and continues to captivate the nation with his skill, his ability, and his leadership.

“The sixth player ever to kick 1000 goals, Buddy has delivered our game and our fans some of the most memorable moments in football history.

“All players have the right to be treated respectfully on-field.

“We want everyone to go to a game and express themselves, the passion for the contest and the voice of the crowd is what sets our competition apart, however, we don’t accept excessive booing as part of our game.

“(Port Adelaide’s) Jason Horne-Francis (who has also been subjected to booing this year) is an emerging star of our game, Lance Franklin is an all-time great (and) our view applies equally to both.

“In fact, no player should be targeted in that way.

“We should never take the champions for granted – players like Buddy are the best of our game and regardless of who you barrack for we should continue to celebrate all the champions accordingly.”

DISRESPECTFUL:

Collingwood supporters jeered Lance Franklin last Sunday, leading to Magpies captain Darcy Moore (below) and his club issuing an apology.

We were gifted an opportunity to celebrate this undisputed champion

FORMER MAGPIE GREAT NATHAN BUCKLEY

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LEARNING THE LESSONS OF EXPANSION

ASHLEY BROWNE

Following last week’s momentous decision to award Tasmania the 19th AFL licence, talk among the locals has changed from “what if” to “what’s next”.

Right now, all that exists of the Tasmanian AFL team is a signed contract between the state government and the AFL.

But things will start to flesh out quickly as a board of directors and an interim senior management team is put in place.

Over the next few years, key decisions will be made and each time the ripple of excitement

will feel stronger as the men’s team’s 2028 debut season draws nearer.

But before they get the whiteboard out in Hobart it is worth revisiting AFL expansion before now.

The old 12-team VFL expanded to 14 teams in 1987 when West Coast and the Brisbane Bears entered the competition, became 15 when Adelaide was admitted to what is now the AFL in 1991, 16 in 1995 when Fremantle came along and remained at that number in 1997 when Port

Adelaide came in to replace Fitzroy, which merged with the Bears to become the Lions.

Gold Coast made it a 17-team competition in 2011 and the inclusion of the GWS Giants 12 months later completed the AFL’s expansion. Until now.

So as Tasmania starts to take shape, it is timely to look at what the expansion clubs did right and what they might have wished they could revisit in their first few years in the AFL.

There are a few lessons on how to start an AFL team from scratch.

Note: For the purpose of this story, we are counting Sydney as a relocated club even though the Swans encountered all sorts of difficulties once they moved from South Melbourne to become the League’s first non-Victorian team in 1982.

DREAM COME TRUE: Tasmania will finally join the AFL in 2028 after more than 30 years of lobbying and countless knockbacks.

THE COACH

u The longest-serving expansion club coaches were Guy McKenna, Gerard Neesham and Graham Cornes, who each held their held their jobs for four full seasons.

McKenna was a first-time coach who might have led the Suns to the finals in 2014 if superstar Gary Ablett hadn’t busted his shoulder in round 16, but he was sacked at the end of the season.

Neesham and Cornes were considered the best coaches at state league level when they landed their AFL gigs.

Neesham got the Dockers to within half a game of the finals in 1997, but seven wins and 15th place the next year led to his axing.

Cornes took the Crows to the finals in 1993 and they led Essendon by six goals at half-time of the preliminary final, before the team, basically, choked and he was out of a job 12 months later.

Ron Alexander was replaced as the inaugural coach of West Coast after just one season, while veterans John Cahill and Kevin Sheedy lasted two seasons each at Port Adelaide and GWS respectively.

In the case of Cahill, an icon of the Port Magpies who coached Collingwood for two years in the 1980s, he was always just warming the seat for Mark Williams until the club felt he was ready, and once he took over, the Power became perennial finalists and won the flag in 2004.

Peter Knights lasted 59 games as coach of the Brisbane Bears, but with so much off-field instability, a difficult list build and substandard facilities, it was a tough environment for a first-time coach.

THE LESSON

u First-time coaches need not apply. The AFL wants Tassie to be instantly competitive, so will target off-field leaders with experience and preferably several premierships to their name. The timing could well suit the likes of Chris Scott, John Longmire, Alastair Clarkson or Damien Hardwick.

First-time coaches need not apply

THE LIST

u The Eagles and Crows reaped the benefits of being the first AFL clubs in their respective footy-mad states, so their inaugural squads were effectively West Australian and South Australian state squads, supplemented by a few experienced heads who wanted to return home.

In the case of the Crows, several members of the 1991 squad had resisted previous entreaties to join AFL clubs thanks to a retention fund from the SANFL that made it worth their while to remain at home.

Fremantle’s maiden team featured several of the best local players not already on AFL lists, again boosted by a handful of hardened bodies who chose to come home.

There was a heavy Port Magpies influence on the Power’s list in

THE LESSON

their first season, a handful of other SANFL players not yet in the AFL and some returning Port heroes, headlined by 1993 Brownlow medallist Gavin Wanganeen, who was the inaugural skipper.

Brisbane’s first playing squad was laden with players considered surplus to requirements at other clubs, with Brad Hardie and Mark Williams among the few established players who made the move north in that first season.

Gold Coast and the Giants picked the eyes out of successive drafts with a handful of experienced players around them.

Ablett was the headline act at the Suns, but the Giants were a bit more scientific as they grabbed players such as Phil Davis and Callan Ward in the expectation they would soon reach their prime and become exceptional leaders.

And they were right.

u Pretty much throw out whatever happened before – list management today is unrecognisable from even a decade ago. Tasmania needs a bit of everything and will get it.

There will be some high draft picks over three years, a core of players in their mid-20s with between 70 and 120 games experience and a few older heads looking to finish their career on a high who will be traded in and arrive via free agency.

Tasmanian players will be sought and their path to the new club made reasonably straight forward. Every endeavour will be made for Tasmania to be capable of playing finals from year one.

GRAHAM CORNES

CALLAN WARD AND PHIL DAVIS

GAVIN WANGANEEN

GUY McKENNA

THE PEOPLE

u By any reasonable assessment, the AFL erred in staffing the start-up Suns with too many first-timers. The coach (McKenna), chief executive (Travis Auld) and chairman (John Witheriff) were learning on the job.

The Giants had the heavyweight coaching team of Sheedy and Mark Williams, the wily Graeme ‘Gubby’ Allan heading up the football department and a rising star of the AFL, game development general manager David Matthews as the chief executive. The highly-regarded Craig Lambert was poached from the Brisbane Lions to head up player welfare.

Little wonder they made a preliminary final in their fourth year and a Grand Final in their eighth.

Earlier expansion teams had a sprinkling of veteran football people. Shane O’Sullivan was the footy boss at the Bears. Neil Kerley the same at the Crows. The respected Brian Cunningham was the first chief executive at Port Adelaide.

THE LESSON

u Just as the first coach of Tasmania is likely to be a heavyweight of the caper, expect all the key off-field positions at the club to be filled by similarly capable people. Brendon Gale will be the No. 1 target, if not as the club’s chief executive then as the senior AFL executive with oversight for Tasmania.

Former state Premier Peter Gutwein, who willed this team into existence, has been touted as either the inaugural chairman or chief executive.

Passionate Tasmanians including Jack Riewoldt, Alastair Lynch and Chris Fagan are every chance to be involved in some capacity.

Expect a sprinkling of Tasmanians, but the AFL won’t hesitate to parachute as many capable and well-paid mainlanders to flesh out all the key roles as required.

THE FACILITY

u Such was the haste with which previous AFL expansion teams entered the competition, their training and administration facilities were either cramped, temporary or shared with pre-existing state league clubs. In some cases, all three. Again, the Suns might have copped the raw deal. They played in a new stadium but their football operations ran out of portable offices and their gym was inside a metal shed. Not until the 2018 Commonwealth Games was the infrastructure built to house the entire club under one roof. Eventually all the expansion clubs became housed in world-class facilities, but they took time to rise from the ground.

THE LESSON

u If Tasmania wants to be a destination club from the get-go, it needs to be housed in a facility that lacks for nothing. With several years before the team arrives, there is ample time to source the location, design and build it. Just make sure the coffee is decent.

THE HOME GROUND

u Apart from the Bears, whose home ground at Carrara (where Heritage Bank Stadium now sits) consisted of a series of prefabricated grandstands and grassy hills, all the expansion clubs played their home games at spacious modern football grounds.

The Eagles and Dockers had Subiaco Oval, then the home of footy in WA. Port joined Adelaide at the custom-built Football Park. Heritage Bank Stadium replaced the old Carrara for the Suns, while the old Sydney Showgrounds was repurposed for the Giants.

THE LESSON

u Tasmania will get a shiny new stadium at Macquarie Point, if not by 2028, then certainly the following year with the AFL keen to replicate the same match-day experience as Adelaide Oval, Optus Stadium and the MCG. And Launceston’s UTAS Stadium, which will host four games and potentially an away match as well, will be expanded and given a gleaming makeover. It already has arguably the best playing surface in the AFL.

Passionate Tasmanians including Jack Riewoldt, Alastair Lynch and Chris Fagan are every chance to be involved

SPECTACULAR: An artist’s impression of the new stadium planned for Macquarie Point.

BRENDON GALE

MARK WILLIAMS

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THE COLOURS AND THE GUERNSEY

u Many of the new clubs leaned on their heritage. The Bears had plenty of maroon (with a mash-up of a koala and a map of Queensland as the logo designed into a BB). The Eagles had plenty of West Australian gold. Port Adelaide had as much black and white as Collingwood would allow but made teal a primary colour as well. The Suns adopted red and gold as a tribute to the life-saving clubs up and down the Gold Coast.

THE LESSON

u Apart from a brief dalliance by the Dockers for their first away strip, the green just hasn’t figured anywhere. It’s as if the existing clubs were holding off, knowing that green was synonymous with one team still to join the competition. That will change from 2028 when Tassie takes to the ground in colours and a guernsey that will be unique and reflect what the various state teams have worn forever.

That guernsey, with its green background, yellow map of the state and the dark red ‘T’, is already iconic and should not change one bit. And it even works as an away strip.

THE SONG

u The Crows players made up the first version of their club song (Here we go Camry Crows, here we go…) in the joyous moments after their first win. The Bears handed out photocopied sheets on the paper with the words to their song after their upset win over North Melbourne in their opening game in 1987.

The other expansion clubs took more considered approaches, but none were particularly catchy or became instant favourites until the Giants released the catchy Big Big Sound, a club song that broke the mould with its big band, eastern European influence. You could barely escape it in the lead-up to the 2019 Grand Final.

THE LESSON

u Tasmania’s thriving arts community can surely band together (pun intended) and create a piece of music that will create a rousing atmosphere at games, stand the test of time and become an anthem to reflect the hopes and aspirations of an entire state.

That guernsey is already iconic and should not change one bit

(It should) become an anthem to reflect the hopes and aspirations of an entire state

THERE’S A BIG, BIG SOUND FROM THE WEST OF THE TOWN ... HERE WE GO, CAMRY CROWS, HERE WE GO ...

WEST AUSTRALIAN SEA AND SAND

TAKING THE BEAR MINIMUM

The Brisbane Bears were hardly showered with draft gifts when they joined the League as an expansion club in 1987.

PETER BLUCHER reflects on the hurdles placed in front of what became the “Bad News Bears”.

You can buy a second-hand lawnmower these days for $150 and a half-decent used car for $5000, but what’s the asking price for eight used and unwanted VFL footballers?

In 1986, when the Brisbane Bears joined the League, they paid a $4m licence fee for what amounted to eight cast-offs from opposition clubs via a Foundation Draft, to which each of the 12 existing clubs had to offer three players.

They had to have played a minimum of one senior game in 1986 or in the reserves finals that year.

The Bears took just eight of them and got a combined 114 games, 33 wins and three Brownlow Medal votes, with an average output of 17.2 possessions and 0.32 goals a game.

On 2023 values, $4m in 1986 is worth $11.2m in 2023.

That’s $96,632 a game, $333,818 a win, $5609 a possession and $282,461 a goal.

Richmond’s Phillip Walsh, the inaugural Bears club champion, was the standout success story.

He played 60 games in four years, while Essendon’s Chris Waterson played 35 games in two years.

The other six – Gary Shaw (Collingwood), Chris Stacey (Fitzroy), Rod Macpherson (Footscray), Darryl Cox (Melbourne), Rick Norman (North Melbourne) and Robert Mace (St Kilda) – played a combined 19 games for five wins, 201 possessions and 13 goals.

In the Foundation Draft, Carlton offered retired 32-year-old 119-gamer Bruce Reid, one-gamer Michael Aitken, who hadn’t played

since 1985, and 11-gamer Peter Kenny, who, like soon-to-be doctor Aitken, was heading overseas.

Macpherson, uncle of Gold Coast player Darcy Macpherson, had blown his knee out in the reserves finals and was about to have a knee reconstruction using an experimental synthetic fibre.

He was one the Bears took.

That it was a total mockery was confirmed years later when Robert Walls, Carlton coach at the time, admitted the Blues’ attitude was “give them nothing”.

But there were some well-known names among the 28 players rejected by the Bears, including future Melbourne coach Dean Bailey, then at Essendon, and current Sydney recruiting manager Simon Dalrymple, then at Hawthorn.

Reid, originally from Footscray, is the father of Sydney and Collingwood premiership players Sam and Ben, Cox is the father of Essendon player Nik and Sean Ralphsmith is the father of Richmond’s Hugo.

Rene Kink, going on 30 and looking for a fourth club after time at Collingwood, Essendon and St Kilda, was one of the 28 rejects and one of 21 who never played again.

The other seven played 154 more games – Bailey and Nick Walsh stayed at Essendon to play 50 and 10 games respectively, Footscray’s Graeme Cordy went to Sydney with brother Neil and played 21 games, and Ralphsmith, yet to play at Hawthorn, joined St Kilda to play 34 games.

North’s Doug Koop joined Melbourne to play 24 games, Melbourne’s Darren Louttit played two games at Fitzroy, and after 120 games at Richmond, Graeme Landy, 32, went back to Geelong to add 13 games to the 41 he’d played there from 1975-78.

BRISBANE BEARS FOUNDATION DRAFT

* Did not play

The Blues’ attitude was give them nothing

THEN CARLTON COACH ROBERT WALLS

BRUCE REID

PHILLIP WALSH

TOM GREEN

GWS GIANTS v WESTERN BULLDOGS

Manuka Oval, May 6

u To go toe-to-toe with Marcus Bontempelli in his best game for the season, you’ve got to be doing something right.

That’s how good Tom Green was against the Western Bulldogs last Saturday night.

Spending much of the match on one of the Brownlow Medal favourites, 22-year-old enjoyed the best performance in his 52-game career and gave the GWS Giants every chance in a narrow defeat.

Green beat the Bulldogs skipper in disposals (38), metres gained (634), tackles (nine), goals (three) and score involvements (10), all of which were either game-highs or equal to.

With GWS down by six goals at the final change, Green did everything he could to cause a boilover in the final term with 12 disposals, four tackles and two crucial goals.

In a game where Bontempelli, Jack Macrae, Tom Liberatore, Bailey Smith, Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio and others were running around, they are astonishing numbers.

Of Green’s influence late in the clash, former Hawthorn champion Dermott Brereton said: “I truly believe Tom Green will win a Brownlow Medal, he’s that good.”

Champion Data rates Bontempelli well ahead of the next best player in the competition, but with Green five years his junior, the young Giant could be anything.

SEB MOTTRAM

AFL TRIVIA

Who was the last player to kick 100 goals in a season and what year was it?

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WHO’S FLYING

Each week throughout the 2023 season we will present Who’s Flying, a series of stories which will encapsulate everything that is good about our great game. It could be a star player, a coach who has inspired his men or a team that is – pardon the pun – flying.

BRENDAN RHODES analyses

Shai Bolton’s return to form for Richmond last week.

FOOTY FUN FACTS

Last week Brownlow medallist and leading football analyst Gerard Healy asked Shai Bolton for a lift if Richmond was to save its faltering 2023 season.

Bolton, 24, who is due to play his 100th match next week, was named in the 2022 All-Australian team after averaging 17.5 disposals and kicking 43 goals in 23 matches.

While the first seven matches of his 2023 season had yielded similar numbers, his impact had been reduced, having only kicked seven goals and not managed more than 22 touches in a game.

“He’s put together some sensational seasons, but right now would he be in the best three for the Tigers?” Healy asked on SEN radio before round eight.

“I can’t remember him having a huge influence on too many games this season, and he’s too good a player for that.”

It took just two days to get a response.

In a performance that would have West Coast fans cursing Healy for putting the spotlight

on such a brilliant player, Bolton carved up the Eagles at the MCG on Saturday with 31 disposals (18 contested), eight marks, seven clearances, five inside-50s, 384 metres gained and 13 score involvements while kicking 3.2 himself.

It was a career-best disposal tally and his best game since round 17 last year, when he had 29 and three goals against Gold Coast, while he racked up 30 and three against the Eagles in round seven.

His performance, and that of GWS recruits Tim Taranto (30, 10 clearances, five tackles, two goals) and Jacob Hopper (32, 10 clearances, six tackles, nine inside-50s) ensured Richmond ran away in the last quarter to break a five-match losing streak and cling on to its finals hopes despite still being two wins behind the eighth-placed Carlton.

With tougher games against Geelong, Essendon, Port Adelaide, GWS (away), Fremantle (away) and St Kilda to come before the bye, it is imperative the Tigers maintain that form just to stay in touch.

YOU ASK, I DELIVER: Shai Bolton blasted back into top form against the Eagles after being given a hurry-up from AFL great Gerard Healy during the week.

The MCG is home to Carlton, Collingwood, Hawthorn, Melbourne and Richmond. But it is also the 11th-largest stadium in the world, able to hold 100,024 fans.

What I’m thinking with

Ashley Browne

Paying the bills of a flag dynasty

In a clever piece before the season, the SEN digital team divided the 18 AFL clubs into categories defined by what they were hoping to get out of the season.

Hawthorn was in a category all of its own. Whereas the rest of the competition was judged on whether they were in premiership contention or ready to play finals, the Hawks were rated solely that this is a development season – nothing more, nothing less.

Out at Bunjil Bagora, as their Waverley Park headquarters is now known, the growth and the development takes place during the week.

That is where coach Sam Mitchell and his team do their most important work.

Then comes the weekend when that progress, sometimes inconveniently, gets measured against other clubs.

The universal narrative entering the season was the Hawks had cut their list too deep by offloading Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara.

Jack Gunston also left for the Brisbane Lions via a trade, but in effect it was a free agency move.

Hawthorn people were sad to see them go – Gunston especially –but understood the time had come to strip back the playing list to fast-track the much-needed and long overdue rebuild.

What should have taken place at the end of 2016, when the bid for a four-peat ended with a straight-sets finals exit, was delayed for five years.

Mitchell had the complete support from everyone of the brown and gold

persuasion for this course of action –inside and outside the club.

The expectation was their next generation of midfielders were ready to take the next step – and they have.

Will Day is on the fast-track towards becoming one of the best in the competition, Jai Newcombe continues to improve and James Worpel is nearly back to his best and fairest form of 2019 after a three-year slump.

The crash and bash of Conor Nash has added a new dimension and Ned Reeves is giving a good account of himself in the ruck.

The Hawks were the worst clearance team in the competition in 2022 but they now sit comfortably mid-table.

The rest of the ground remains a work in progress.

The forward line badly missed its No. 1 weapon – Mitchell Lewis – for the opening six weeks of the season and looks better for his return.

The backline, the most reliable for the Hawks last year given how regularly under siege it was, is underperforming and looked all at sea against Fremantle last week.

There are key Hawks who are down on form compared to last season.

Changkuoth Jiath, Dylan Moore and Chad Wingard are three who immediately come to mind.

Hawthorn’s 18th placing and 1-7 record doesn’t sit comfortably with supporters and their faith has been tested by some ordinary football, but they know how fortunate they were, and perhaps even spoiled, to witness a golden era only 10 years ago and understood that at some stage the bill for all that success would come due.

It’s just that former coach Alastair Clarkson tried to defer the repayments for as long as possible.

Hawthorn supporters will likely turn up in large numbers for the clash with Melbourne on Saturday evening for a couple of reasons.

The first is that, due to the quirky fixture, this is just the second MCG home game for the Hawks this year.

The second is they have bought what the club, and especially the coach, is selling, that it’s about winning flags and not just making finals – an approach that requires tough calls and plenty of patience.

It means coming to the football to watch the youngsters and dreaming a little while trying to disregard the scoreboard, as counterintuitive as that can be.

The Hawks likely won’t beat Melbourne and might not win too many more games for the season.

Their first wooden spoon in 58 years beckons, while the racism investigation and the spectre of leaving Tasmania also hover over the club.

Some commentators are falling over themselves to portray the Hawks as a club in crisis, perhaps even a rabble, yet their fans are engaged as ever, bubbling with excitement for the future.

It might be the most enjoyable bad season in AFL history.

@hashbrowne

It might be the most enjoyable bad season in AFL history

The Hawks have gone back to square one, and their success-spoiled fans are all aboard for the ride.

RELISHING THE REBUILD: Hawthorn fans are getting behind coach Sam Mitchell’s aggressive start-from-scratch rebuild, especially given the rapid improvement being shown by the likes of Will Day (inset).

2023 TOYOTA AFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON

ROUND 13

Thursday, June 8

Sydney Swans v St Kilda (SCG) (N)

Friday, June 9

Western Bulldogs v Port Adelaide (MRVL) (N)

Saturday, June 10

Hawthorn v Brisbane Lions (MCG)

Adelaide Crows v West Coast Eagles (AO) (T)

Fremantle v Richmond (OS) (T)

Sunday, June 11

North Melbourne v GWS Giants (BA)

Carlton v Essendon (MCG) (N)

Monday, June 12

Melbourne v Collingwood (MCG)

Byes: Geelong Cats, Gold Coast Suns

ROUND 14

Thursday, June 15

Port Adelaide v Geelong Cats (AO) (N)

Friday, June 16

Brisbane Lions v Sydney Swans (G) (N)

Saturday, June 17

GWS Giants v Fremantle (GS) (T)

Richmond v St Kilda (MCG) (N)

Sunday, June 18

Carlton v Gold Coast Suns (MCG)

North Melbourne v Western Bulldogs (MRVL) (T)

Byes: Adelaide Crows, Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, Melbourne, West Coast Eagles

ROUND 9

ROUND 15

Thursday, June 22

ROUND 20

Round starts Friday, July 28*

Adelaide Crows v Port Adelaide (AO)

Collingwood v Carlton (MCG)

Essendon v Sydney Swans (MRVL)

Geelong Cats v Fremantle (GMHBA)

Gold Coast Suns v Brisbane Lions (HBS)

Hawthorn v St Kilda (MRVL)

Richmond v Melbourne (MCG)

West Coast Eagles v North Melbourne (OS)

Western Bulldogs v GWS Giants (MARS)

ROUND 21

Round starts Friday, August 4*

Adelaide Crows v Gold Coast Suns (AO)

Essendon v West Coast Eagles (MRVL)

Fremantle v Brisbane Lions (OS)

Geelong Cats v Port Adelaide (GMHBA)

GWS Giants v Sydney Swans GIANTS

Hawthorn v Collingwood (MCG)

North Melbourne v Melbourne (BA)

St Kilda v Carlton (MRVL)

Western Bulldogs v Richmond (MRVL)

ROUND 22

Round starts Friday, August 11*

Carlton v Melbourne (MCG)

Brisbane Lions v Adelaide Crows (G)

Collingwood v Geelong Cats (MCG)

Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs (UTAS)

North Melbourne v Essendon (MRVL)

Port Adelaide v GWS Giants (AO)

St Kilda v Richmond (MRVL)

v Geelong Cats (MCG) (N)

West Coast Eagles v Gold Coast Suns (OS) (N)

Saturday, May 13

Sydney Swans v Fremantle (SCG)

North Melbourne v Port Adelaide (BA)

Hawthorn v Melbourne (MCG) (T)

Brisbane Lions v Essendon (G) (N)

Carlton v Western Bulldogs (MRVL) (N)

Sunday, May 14

Adelaide Crows v St Kilda (AO)

Collingwood v GWS Giants (MCG) (T)

ROUND 10

Friday, May 19

Port Adelaide v Melbourne (AO) (N)

Saturday, May 20

North Melbourne v Sydney Swans (MRVL)

Western Bulldogs v Adelaide Crows (MARS)

Fremantle v Geelong Cats (OS)

Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast Suns (G) (N)

Essendon v Richmond (MCG) (N)

Sunday, May 21

Hawthorn v West Coast Eagles (UTAS)

Carlton v Collingwood (MCG)

GWS Giants v St Kilda (GS) (T)

ROUND 11

Friday, May 26

Sydney Swans v Carlton (SCG) (N)

Saturday, May 27

St Kilda v Hawthorn (MRVL)

Melbourne v Fremantle (MCG)

Geelong Cats v GWS Giants (GMHBA) (T)

Gold Coast Suns v Western Bulldogs (TIO) (N)

West Coast Eagles v Essendon (OS) (T)

Sunday, May 28

Richmond v Port Adelaide (MCG)

Collingwood v North Melbourne (MRVL)

Adelaide Crows v Brisbane Lions (AO) (T)

ROUND 12

Friday, June 2

Melbourne v Carlton (MCG) (N)

Saturday, June 3

Port Adelaide v Hawthorn (AO)

West Coast Eagles v Collingwood (OS)

Western Bulldogs v Geelong Cats (MRVL) (N)

Gold Coast Suns v Adelaide Crows (TIO) (N)

Sunday, June 4

GWS Giants v Richmond (GS)

Essendon v North Melbourne (MRVL) (T)

Byes: Brisbane Lions, Fremantle, St Kilda, Sydney Swans

Geelong Cats v Melbourne GMHBA (N)

Friday, June 23

St Kilda v Brisbane Lions (MRVL) (N)

Saturday, June 24

Sydney Swans v West Coast Eagles (SCG) (T)

Fremantle v Essendon (OS) (T)

Sunday, Jun 25

Collingwood v Adelaide Crows (MCG)

Gold Coast Suns v Hawthorn (HBS) (T)

Byes: Carlton, GWS Giants, North Melbourne, Port

Adelaide, Richmond, Western Bulldogs

ROUND 16

Round starts Thursday, June 29*

Adelaide Crows v North Melbourne (AO)

Brisbane Lions v Richmond (G)

Essendon v Port Adelaide (MCG)

Gold Coast Suns v Collingwood (HBS)

Hawthorn v Carlton (MCG)

Melbourne v GWS Giants (TIO)

Sydney Swans v Geelong Cats (SCG)

West Coast Eagles v St Kilda (OS)

Western Bulldogs v Fremantle (MRVL)

ROUND 17

Round starts Thursday, July 6*

Brisbane Lions v West Coast Eagles (G)

Essendon v Adelaide Crows (MRVL)

Fremantle v Carlton (OS)

Geelong Cats v North Melbourne (GMHBA)

GWS Giants v Hawthorn (GS)

Port Adelaide v Gold Coast Suns (AO)

Richmond v Sydney Swans (MCG)

St Kilda v Melbourne (MRVL)

Western Bulldogs v Collingwood (MRVL)

ROUND 18

Round starts Thursday, July 13*

Adelaide Crows v GWS Giants (AO)

Carlton v Port Adelaide (MRVL)

Collingwood v Fremantle (MCG)

Geelong Cats v Essendon (GMHBA)

Gold Coast Suns v St Kilda (HBS)

Melbourne v Brisbane Lions (MCG)

North Melbourne v Hawthorn (MRVL)

Sydney Swans v Western Bulldogs (SCG)

West Coast Eagles v Richmond (OS)

ROUND 19

Round starts Friday, July 21 *

Brisbane Lions v Geelong Cats (G)

Carlton v West Coast Eagles (MRVL)

Essendon v Western Bulldogs (MRVL)

Fremantle v Sydney Swans (OS)

GWS Giants v Gold Coast Suns (MO)

Melbourne v Adelaide Crows (MCG)

Port Adelaide v Collingwood (AO)

Richmond v Hawthorn (MCG)

St Kilda v North Melbourne (MRVL)

Sydney Swans v Gold Coast Suns (SCG)

West Coast Eagles v Fremantle (OS)

ROUND 23

Round starts Friday, August 18*

Adelaide Crows v Sydney Swans (AO)

Collingwood v Brisbane Lions (MRVL)

Fremantle v Port Adelaide (OS)

Gold Coast Suns v Carlton (HBS)

GWS Giants v Essendon GIANTS

Melbourne v Hawthorn (MCG)

Richmond v North Melbourne (MCG)

St Kilda v Geelong Cats (MRVL)

Western Bulldogs v West Coast Eagles (MRVL)

ROUND 24

Round starts Friday, August 25*

Brisbane Lions v St Kilda (G)

Carlton v GWS Giants (MRVL)

Essendon v Collingwood (MCG)

Geelong Cats v Western Bulldogs (GMHBA)

Hawthorn v Fremantle (MCG)

North Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns (BA)

Port Adelaide v Richmond (AO)

Sydney Swans v Melbourne (SCG)

West Coast Eagles v Adelaide Crows (OS)

2023 TOYOTA AFL FINALS

Date TBC

SERIES

Week One – Qualifying & Elimination Finals (4)

Date TBC

Week Two – Semi-Finals (2)

Date TBC

Week Three – Preliminary Finals (2)

Date TBC

Week Four – Toyota AFL Grand Final

*All matches in rounds 16-24 are listed alphabetically with timeslots to be determined at a later date.

(T) Twilight match; (N) Night match; (AH) Adelaide Hills, SA; (AO) Adelaide Oval; (BA) Blundstone Arena, Hobart; (G) Gabba, Brisbane; (GMHBA) GMHBA Stadium, Geelong; (GS) Giants Stadium, Sydney; (HBS) Heritage Bank Stadium, Gold Coast; (MO) Manuka Oval, Canberra; (MARS) Mars Stadium, Ballarat; (MRVL) Marvel Stadium, Melbourne; (MCG) Melbourne Cricket Ground; (NO) Norwood Oval, Norwood; (OS) Optus Stadium, Perth; (SCG) Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney; (TIO) TIO Stadium, Darwin; (TP) TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs; (UTAS) University of Tasmania Stadium, Launceston.

SCOREBOARD – ROUND 8

Brisbane Lions 5.3 7.7 12.9 15.10 (100)

Carlton 5.1 6.3 6.5 11.8 (74)

BEST: Brisbane Lions – Dunkley, Payne, Cameron, Andrews, McCluggage, Berry, Bailey, Daniher. Carlton – Cerra, Hewett, Docherty, Acres, Walsh.

GOALS: Brisbane Lions – Cameron 4, Bailey 4, Gunston 2, Daniher 2, McCarthy, Sharp, Hipwood. Carlton – Motlop 2, C. Durdin 2, McKay,

C. Curnow, E. Curnow, Docherty, Hollands, Cerra, Kennedy.

Substitutes: Carlton – Kennedy (replaced Young); Brisbane Lions –

Lyons (replaced K. Coleman).

AFL Coaches Votes: 10 Dunkley (BL), 8 Payne (BL), 4 Cameron (BL),

3 Cerra (Carl), 3 Andrews (BL), 1 Bailey (BL), 1 McCluggage (BL).

Umpires: R. Findlay, B. Hosking, S. Meredith, J. Power.

Crowd: 45,548 at Marvel Stadium. Richmond

West

BEST: Richmond – Bolton, Taranto, Martin, Hopper, Prestia, Baker. West Coast Eagles – Sheed, Kelly, Allen, Duggan, Jones.

GOALS: Richmond – Prestia 3, Bolton 3, Taranto 2, Ryan, Pickett, Miller, Martin, Hopper, Graham, Clarke. West Coast Eagles – Allen 4, B. Williams, West, Petruccelle, Darling.

Substitutes: Richmond – Mansell (replaced Cumberland); West Coast Eagles – Trew (replaced Culley).

AFL Coaches Votes: 10 Bolton (Rich), 7 Taranto (Rich), 7 Prestia (Rich), 2 Hopper (Rich), 2 Allen (WCE), 1 Martin (Rich), 1 Baker (Rich).

Umpires: C. Dore, C. Fleer, N. Toner, M. Young.

Crowd: 28,293 at the MCG.

Geelong

Adelaide Crows

BEST: Geelong – Stewart, Cameron, Holmes, Duncan, Blicavs, Ratugolea. Adelaide Crows – Dawson, Rankine, Walker, Laird, Soligo, Murphy.

GOALS: Geelong – Cameron 3, Simpson 2, Atkins, Smith, Miers, Hawkins, Knevitt, Blicavs, Holmes, O.Henry, Bruhn. Adelaide Crows –Walker 3, Rankine 2, Pedlar 2, Sloane, Hinge, O’Brien, Sholl.

Substitutes: Geelong – Dempsey (replaced Dangerfield);

Adelaide Crows – Crouch (replaced Murray).

AFL Coaches Votes: 10 Ratugolea (Geel), 5 Holmes (Geel), 4 Blicavs (Geel), 4 Z. Guthrie (Geel), 3 Dawson (Adel), 2 Murphy (Adel), 1 Cameron (Geel), 1 O’Connor (Geel)

Umpires: C. Deboy, C. Donlon, A. Stephens, N. Williamson.

Crowd: 21,415 at GMHBA Stadium.

BEST: Melbourne – Petracca, Gawn, Oliver, Brayshaw, Sparrow, May. Gold Coast Suns – N. Anderson, Macpherson, Ballard, Powell, Rowell, Lemmens.

GOALS: Melbourne – Gawn 2, Grundy 2, Pickett 2, Bowey, Chandler, Jordon, Neal-Bullen, Petracca, Sparrow, van Rooyen. Gold Coast Suns – Rosas 4, Casboult 2, Chol 2, King 2, N. Anderson, Ellis, Lukosius.

Substitutes: Gold Coast Suns – Tsitas (replaced Flanders); Melbourne – Harmes (replaced Turner).

AFL Coaches Votes: 10 N. Anderson (GCS), 7 Oliver (Melb), 4 Rowell (GCS), 3 Gawn (Melb), 3 Powell (GCS), 2 Swallow (GCS), 1 Ballard (GCS).

Umpires: J. Mollison, P. Rebeschini, J. Strybos, B. Wallace. Crowd: 11,440 at Heritage Bank Stadium.

Western

GWS

BEST: Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli, English, Liberatore, Naughton, B. Smith, Macrae. GWS Giants – Green, Haynes, Kelly, Whitfield, Hogan.

AFL SYDNEY – ROUND 5

UNSW-Eastern

BEST: UNSW-Eastern Suburbs – Morrison, Unger, Thorne, Foster, Crocker, Jack. Manly-Warringah – Cameron, Youlten, Sheldrick, Laws, Smit, McLennan.

GOALS: UNSW-Eastern Suburbs – Emery 6, Baxter 2, Foster, Gaden, Hardy, Hawkings, Peter, Rider, Tikkeros. UTS – Youlten 2, Laws, Wearne.

Sydney

UTS

BEST: Sydney University – McNamara, Morrison, Dimery, Cleary, Lees, Picken. UTS – Stanlan-Velt, Voss, Pribula, Lee, Borillo, Eussen.

GOALS: Sydney University – Morrison 7, Lucy 2, Dadd, Gallen, Hiscox, Hughes, Kozlik, M. Krochmal, Tang. UTS – Stanlan-Velt 6, Backlund 2, Lahy, Pribula, Rinder.

North Shore 5.3 9.8 13.12 18.17 (125)

Inner West Magpies 1.1 3.2 6.5 6.7 (43)

BEST: North Shore – Campbell, Brewer, Grace, Crisafulli, Pratt, Chalmers. Inner West Magpies – Evans, Wilmot, Klemke, Guinan, Zoppo, Tuttle.

GOALS: North Shore – Pratt 5, Rayner 4, Loone 2, Alexander 2, Brewer, Thomas, Walker, Grace, Campbell. Inner West Magpies –Zoppo 4, Bux, Evans.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Naughton 3, Lobb 2, Jones 2, Weightman, Ugle-Hagan, Scott, Liberatore, Johannisen, Bontempelli. GWS Giants –Green 3, Hogan 2, Ward 2, O’Halloran, Lloyd, Himmelberg.

AFL Coaches Votes: 10 Bontempelli (WB), 8 Green (GWS), 6 English (WB), 4 Liberatore (WB), 1 B. Smith (WB), 1 Kelly (GWS).

Substitutes: GWS Giants – Peatling (replaced Cadman); Western Bulldogs – McNeil (replaced Treloar).

Umpires: A. Gianfagna, J. Howorth, M. Rodger, B. Rosebury

Crowd:

at Manuka

BEST: Fremantle – Jackson, Brayshaw, Young, Cox, Pearce, O’Meara, Ryan. Hawthorn – Day, Worpel, Nash, Newcombe.

GOALS: Fremantle – Frederick 3, Amiss 3, Jackson 3, Banfield 2, Brayshaw 2, Clark, Walters, Treacy, Switkowski, Schultz. Hawthorn –Lewis 2, C. Macdonald, Day, Newcombe, Scrimshaw, Wingard.

Substitutes: Fremantle – Fyfe (replaced Treacy); Hawthorn – Bramble (replaced Greene).

AFL Coaches Votes: 10 Jackson (Frem), 8 Brayshaw (Frem), 6 Young (Frem), 3 O’Meara (Frem), 2 Nash (Haw), 1 Amiss (Frem).

Umpires: H. Gavine, D. Johanson, E. Tee, A. Whetton.

Crowd: 37,167 at Optus Stadium.

Port

BEST: Port Adelaide – Butters, Rozee, Bergman, Boak, Finlayson. Essendon – Merrett, Stringer, Draper, Parish, McGrath.

GOALS: Port Adelaide – Byrne-Jones 2, Dixon 2, Rioli 2, McEntee, T. Marshall, Powell-Pepper, Boak, Finlayson, Rozee. Essendon – Stringer 2, Langford 2, Weideman 2, Perkins 2, Caldwell, McDonald-Tipungwuti, Hobbs, Merrett, Menzie.

Substitutes: Port Adelaide – Evans (replaced Jonas); Essendon – Menzie (replaced Ridley).

AFL Coaches Votes: 10 Butters (PA), 6 Rozee (PA), 4 Bergman (PA), 3 Parish (Ess), 3 Merrett (Ess), 3 Draper (Ess), 1 Houston (PA)

Umpires: J. Broadbent, R. Chamberlain, L. Haussen, M. Nicholls. Crowd: 36,247 at Adelaide Oval.

BEST: Collingwood – Pendlebury, Quaynor, Mihocek, N. Daicos, Mitchell. Sydney Swans – Gulden, Parker, Rowbottom, Florent, Fox. GOALS: Collingwood – Mihocek 5, Johnson, Hoskin-Elliott, Ginnivan, Frampton, Elliott, De Goey. Sydney Swans – Sheather, Papley, McLean, McDonald, Hayward, Clarke.

Substitutes: Collingwood – Ginnivan (replaced Hill); Sydney Swans – Francis (replaced Sheather).

AFL Coaches Votes: 9 Mihocek (Coll), 9 Pendlebury (Coll), 5 Gulden (Syd), 3 Moore (Coll), 2 Quaynor (Coll), 2 Parker (Syd) Umpires: N. Foot, A. Heffernan, R. O’Gorman, M. Stevic. Crowd:

at the MCG.

BEST: St Kilda – Wilkie, Steele, Clark, Owens, Marshall, Hill. North Melbourne – Ziebell, McKay, Sheezel, Goldstein, Shiels.

GOALS: St Kilda – Butler 2, Higgins 2, Sinclair, Sharman, Owens, Wood. North Melbourne – Larkey 3, Stephenson.

Substitutes: North Melbourne – Lazzaro (replaced Cunnington); St Kilda – Bytel (replaced Gresham)

AFL Coaches Votes: 10 Wilkie (StK), 7 McKay (NM), 5 Hill (StK), 5 Wanganeen-Milera (StK), 3 Ziebell (NM)

Umpires: N. Brown, L. Fisher, N. McGinness

Crowd: 22,065 at Marvel Stadium.

AFLCA Champion Player of the Year

Votes Player Club

45 Nick Daicos Coll

43 Marcus Bontempelli WB

36 Clayton Oliver Melb

34 Jeremy Cameron Geel

34 Callum Wilkie StK

33 Christian Petracca Melb

32 Patrick Dangerfield Geel

31 Zak Butters PA

29 Noah Anderson GCS

29 Jordan Dawson Adel

29 Toby Greene GWS

29 Jack Sinclair StK

LEADING GOALKICKERS

BEST: St George – Maher, Coenen, Jones, Mills-Vasas, Pearson, Wharton. East Coast – Saywell, Sutherland, Parkinson, McVey, Gauci, Elbourne. GOALS: St George – Gander 3, Mills-Vasas 2, Tegg 2, Hodgson, Maher, Maunder, Nicholls, Ritchie. East Coast – Beattie 2, Coxall 2, Delana 2, Elbourne.

BYE: Pennant Hills.

LADDER: North Shore 20, UNSW-Eastern Suburbs 16, Sydney University 16, Pennant Hills 12, Manly-Warringah 8, St George 4, UTS 4, Inner West Magpies 0, East Coast 0.

TSL – ROUND 5

BEST: North Launceston – Lee, Bayles, Pearce, Bennett, Ollington, Chugg. Lauderdale – Martin, Siggins, Gridley, Sutton, Paton, McGuinness. GOALS: North Launceston – Leary 3, Griffiths 3, Cox-Goodyear 2, Sulzberger, Vandam, Young. Lauderdale – Blackburn, Francis, Gallagher, Smith, Stanley.

5.5 (35)

BEST: Clarence – Green, Ryan, Howard, Wylie, Curtis, B. Harper. Glenorchy – L. Ling, C. Ling, Waight, Arnold, Roach, Blowfield.

GOALS: Clarence – Alomes 3, B. Harper, J. Harper, Ryan. Glenorchy – Blowfield 2, C. Ling, Manson, Whitford. Kingborough

.3 (51)

BEST: Kingborough – Reardon, Grigg, Lovell, Gadomski, Clifford, Webb. Launceston – Leake, Palfreyman, Schoenmaker, Jones, Hind, Tyrrell.

GOALS: Kingborough – Carter 3, O’Neill 2, Clifford, Collidge, Lovell, Tomkinson. Launceston – Beaumont 2, Hinds 2, Palfreyman 2, Jones, Riley.

BYE: North Hobart.

LADDER: Kingborough 20, Clarence 12, North Launceston 8, Launceston 8, North Hobart 8, Lauderdale 4, Glenorchy 0.

VFL –ROUND7

BEST: Brisbane Lions – Lohmann, Ah Chee, Madden, Robertson, Smith, Lyons. Carlton – Owies, Fisher, Akuei, Cottrell, Reid, Dow.

GOALS: Brisbane Lions – Lohmann 2, H. Smith, Mathieson, Madden, Lyons, B. Coleman, Cockatoo. Carlton – Owies 3, McMahon 2, Cottrell 2, Crocker.

BEST: Gold Coast – Moyle, Sexton, Sharp, Oea, Burgess, Andrew. Casey Demons – Melksham, Spargo, White, Laurie, Woewodin, Howes.

GOALS: Gold Coast – Sexton 5, McLaughlin 3, Burgess 3, Oea 2, Derrington 2, Jeffrey, Harrington. Casey Demons – Brown 3, J. Smith 2, Melksham 2, Spargo, Sestan, Schache, Moniz-Wakefield, Laurie, Bell.

BEST: Frankston – Stoddart, Mynott, Butland, Owens, Grant, Smith.

Sydney – Stephens, Corey Warner, Shipley, Hall-Kahan, Hickey, Gould.

GOALS: Frankston – Butland 3, Owens 2, Marotta 2, Stern, Mynott.

Sydney – Hall-Kahan 3, Corey Warner, Tidemann, Magor, Hickey.

GWS 3.2 10.3 15.5 15.7 (97)

Footscray 2 .3 6.6 8.8 12.12 (84)

BEST: GWS – Riccardi, Gruzewski, Davis, Fleeton, O’Connor, Anderson. Footscray – Garner, Crozier, Khamis, Sullivan, Hannan, Kellett.

GOALS: GWS – Riccardi 3, Gruzewski 3, McCaffrey 2, Fejo, Fahey, Edmends, Derksen, Creighton, Clark, Briggs. Footscray – Khamis 4, Hannan 2, West, Sullivan, Poulter, Patullo, McComb, Goater.

Box Hill Hawks 0.3 9.9 11.15 15.18 (108)

Northern Bullants 4.1 5.1 7.1 8.3 (51)

BEST: Box Hill Hawks – Ramsden, Mackenzie, Butler, Stephens, Porter, Brown. Northern Bullants – Johnson, El-Hawli, King, Velissaris, B. Smith, Lewis-Smith.

GOALS: Box Hill Hawks – Butler 4, Thorpe 3, Ramsden 2, Phillips 2, Stephens, Mackenzie, Koschitzke, Bennetts. Northern Bullants –El-Hawli 4, Velissaris, Ryan, Lewis-Smith, Honey.

Southport 5.4 8.5

BEST: Southport – Crossley, Woodcock, Molloy, Charlesworth, Thurlow.

Geelong – Willis, Cousins, Lucas, Parfitt, Murdoch, Capiron.

GOALS: Southport – Thurlow 4, Woodcock 3, McQueen 3, J. Joyce 2, Edwards 2, Shannon, Lockhart. Geelong – Willis 3, Riccardi 2, Foster 2, B. Lloyd, M. Lloyd, Clohesy.

BEST: Williamstown – Downie, Hore, McDonald, Preston, Ebinger, Jolley. Collingwood –Bianco, Macrae, Murley, Ruscoe, Carmichael, Draper.

GOALS: Williamstown – Walker 2, Henderson 2, Ebinger 2, Pickess, Downie, Cox. Collingwood – McInnes 2, Tomasiello, Carmichael, Draper, Begg.

BEST: North Melbourne – Howe, Hall, Ford, Greenwood, Watkins, Harvey. Sandringham –Windhager, Billings, Campbell, Latreille, Zagari, Peris.

GOALS: North Melbourne – Harvey 4, Lowson 3, Ford 3, Watkins, Stevens, Spicer, Downie. Sandringham – Windhager, Watson, Segar, N. Gown.

Essendon

BEST: Werribee – Paea, Brew, Declase, Mannagh, Coughlan, Lual. Essendon – Montgomerie, D’Ambrosio, Baldwin, Bryan, Conforti, Wanganeen.

GOALS: Werribee – Paea 4, Thar, Porter, Malual, Henderson, Coughlan, Annand. Essendon – Wanganeen 2, Narkle 2, Baldwin 2, Voss, Brown.

BYE: Coburg, Port Melbourne, Richmond.

LADDER: Gold Coast 24, Brisbane Lions 24, Box Hill Hawks 20, Casey Demons 20, Southport 16, Williamstown 16, GWS 16, Werribee 12, Collingwood 12, Carlton 12, Richmond 12, North Melbourne 12, Port Melbourne 12, Geelong 12, Essendon 8, Footscray 8, Frankston 8, Sandringham 4, Northern Bullants 4, Sydney 0, Coburg 0.

WAFL – ROUND 5

Claremont 0.2 4.5 9.8 13.13 (91) East Perth 5.3 6.7 9.9 12.12 (84)

BEST: Claremont – Elliott, Eastland, Bolton, Western, Treacy. East Perth – North, Robertson, Schumacher, Crowden, Bonomelli. GOALS: Claremont – Rogers 3, Delacey 2, Mainwaring 2, Treacy, Bolton, Alvarez, Elliott, Smallwood, Minear. East Perth – Schumacher 2, Schofield 2, Scott, 2, Bonomelli 2, Van Diemen, Medhat, Tedesco, Saunders.

West Perth 4.3

BEST: West Perth – Moulton, Nelson, Pegoraro, Hinder, Dobson. East Fremantle – J. Marsh, Leggett, Jansen, Burton, McGuire.

GOALS: West Perth – Dobson 4, Meadows 2, Murray, Lynch, O’Donnell, Keitel. East Fremantle – Leggett 3, English 2, Baskerville, Lawler.

BEST: Perth – Clarke, Sing, Hunter, Taylor, Coniglio. West Coast – Browne, Waterman, Hansen, Jamieson, Nelson. GOALS: Perth – Hunter 4, Quartermaine 4, Clarke 2, Hayward 2, Sinclair, Clark, Bird, Stubbs, Davis, More. West Coast – Barnett, Nietschke, Deegan, Mercer.

SANFL

–

BEST: Subiaco – Dewar, Clarke, Schofield, Hickmott, Rohde. South Fremantle – James, Stephens, Boullineau, Pearson. GOALS: Subiaco – Borchet 3, Sokol 2, Hickmott, Clarke. South Fremantle – Gallucci 3, Ah Chee, Main, Stephens.

BEST: Peel Thunder – Smith, Hancock, Henry, Brodie, Bell. Swan Districts – O’Donohue, Cipro, McLachlan, Turner, Blakely. GOALS: Peel Thunder – Bell 2, Ietto 2, Emmett 2, Wemm 2, Hancock, Hamling, Middleton, Sturt, Wilson, Sears, Smith, Wagner, Kuek. Swan Districts – Jones 2, Kemp 2, Bain, Palmer, Edwards, McLachlan, Cameron.

LADDER: Claremont 16, Peel Thunder 16, Subiaco 16, West Perth 12, East Fremantle 12, East Perth 12, Swan Districts 4, Perth 4, South Fremantle 0, West Coast 0.

ROUND 5

Glenelg 3.1 7.6 7.7 13.8 (86)

South Adelaide 3.2 5.2 6.8 6.9 (45)

BEST: Glenelg – Allen, Pink, Snook, Gerloff, Hosie. South Adelaide – Fitt, O’Neill, Skinner, Rose, Summerton.

GOALS: Glenelg – Hosie 5, Allen 2, Bell 2, Reynolds 2, Holder, Stretch. South

– Fitt 3, Skinner, Sproule, Wilkinson.

BEST: Adelaide – Worrell, McPherson, Schoenberg, Hamill, Clamp. North Adelaide – Szekely, Magor, Spina, Combe, Mayes.

GOALS: Adelaide – Clamp 4, Gollant 3, Wright 2, Berry, Cook, Madgen, Schoenberg. North Adelaide – Grubb, Harvey, Hilder, Magor, Ramsey.

BEST: Central District – McCormack, Little, Munn, McLennan, Nietschke. West Adelaide – Ryan, Ellem, Morrish, Park, Johnson.

GOALS: Central District – McCormack 2, Barreau, Grace, Lange, A. Lochowiak, McLennan, Pearce. West Adelaide – Beech 2, Morris 2, Ellem, Kennedy, Mattingly.

QAFL –ROUND6

BEST: Aspley – Harker, Hayden, Templeton, Wolbers, Brown, Craven. Maroochydore – Govan, Malthouse, O’Leary, Fleming, Stone, Keleher. GOALS: Aspley – Dodge 3, Peppin 3, Stackelberg 3, Templeton 3, Freeman 2, Watson 2, Batchelor, Lonergan. Maroochydore – McLachlan 2, Kerr, Malthouse, Scholard.

BEST: Redland-Victoria Point – Hammelmann, Williams, Huddy, O’Sullivan, Stallard, Benson. Sherwood – Ryan, Prest, Baker, Fletcher, Reville, Gilder.

GOALS: Redland-Victoria Point – Hammelmann 10, Banim 2, Christensen 2, Aston, Chapman, Huddy, Kemp, Pope. Sherwood – McCarthy 3, Ryan 3, Reville 2, Baker, Mitchell.

(149)

Mt Gravatt 4.3 8.8 12.10 15.11 (101)

BEST: Labrador – Simpson, Wright, Henderson, Anderson, McEldrew. Mt Gravatt – Leahy, Young, Stewart, Khoo, Kalbfell, Greenaway. GOALS: Labrador – Wright 5, Henderson 4, Law 4, Edwards 2, Hughes 2, Kempe 2, Cecchin, Simpson. Mt Gravatt – Khoo 4, Smith 3, Gordon 2, Milford 2, Greenaway, Leahy, Licht, Stewart.

Surfers Paradise 3.1 7.4

(96)

Morningside 4.3 4.4 4.7 4.9 (33)

BEST: Surfers Paradise – Doran, Williams, Haberfield, Rekers, Fraser, Brauman. Morningside – Purslow, Macqueen, Griffiths, Wille, Godfrey, Hille.

GOALS: Surfers Paradise – Standish 3, Finch 2, Lee 2, Rekers 2, Boxer, Fraser, King, McDonald. Morningside – Dadds 2, Nelson 2.

Broadbeach 4.2 5.5 15.7 18.9 (117)

Palm Beach-Currumbin 3.3 7.6 9.8 10.11 (71)

BEST: Broadbeach – Townsend, Chadwick, Nicholas, Erickson, Hooker, Huppatz. Palm Beach-Currumbin – Beaman, Thynne, A.J. Dawson, Crowley, Granville, Nicholson.

BEST: Port Adelaide – Clurey, Jackson, Pasini, N. Moore, Visentini. Norwood – Rokahr, Lok, Lowden, Seymour, Lowe.

GOALS: Port Adelaide – Barkla, Cheesman, Hayes, Kirk, Lord, Moore, Scully, Turner. Norwood – Lok

Lowe

Lowden, Panos.

BEST: Sturt – Fahey-Sparks, Mathews, Battersby, McFadyen, Hone. Woodville-West Torrens – Ballenden, Sinor, Beattie, Rowe, Brinker-Ritchie.

GOALS: Sturt – Grivell 3, Hone 3, Burrows 2, Richards 2, Mathews, Rentsch. Woodville-West Torrens – Ballenden 5, Cameron 2, Pearce, Rowe, Williams.

LADDER: Sturt 10, Adelaide 8, Glenelg 8, Central District 6, North Adelaide 6, Port Adelaide 4, South Adelaide 4, West Adelaide 2, Woodville-West Torrens 2, Norwood 0.

* The SANFL awards two premiership points for a win and one for a draw.

GOALS: Broadbeach – Hooker 4, Townsend 4, Erickson 2, Filippone 2, Banks-Smith, Chadwick, Gilmore, Huppatz, Jasper, O’Neill. Palm Beach-Currumbin – Crowley 2, A.J. Dawson 2, Pohorama 2, Beaman, Granville, Nicholson, Thynne.

Bye: Noosa, Wilston Grange.

LADDER: Redland-Victoria Point 20, Aspley 18, Morningside 16, Broadbeach 14, Wilston Grange 12, Labrador 12, Surfers Paradise 8, Mt Gravatt 8, Palm Beach-Currumbin 8, Maroochydore 4, Noosa 0, Sherwood 0.

YOUNG GUNS SERIES – WEEK 1

BEST: Victoria Metro – Philactides, Kako, Taha, Croft, Roberts, Brown. Young Guns – Longmire, Tedcastle, Petric, Szybkowski, Cleaver, Riley.

GOALS: Victoria Metro – Croft 4, Brown 3, Smith 2, Taha, Harrop, Hotton, Dear. Young Guns – Toledo-Glasman 3, Tedcastle 3, Sinnott, May, Maric, Elliott.

OFFICIAL 2023 TOYOTA AFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON LADDER

AFL UMPIRES 2023

BOUNDARY: Jordan Andrews, Michael Baker, Michael Barlow, Simon Blight, Chris Bull, Ian Burrows, Sean Burton, Adam Coote, Patrick Cran, Damien Cusack, Brett Dalgleish, Chris Delany, Patrick Dineen, Nathan Doig, Ty Duncan, Chris Esler, Benjamin Fely, Kieran Ferguson, Daniel Field-Read, Joshua Furman, Josh Garrett, Christopher Gordon, Matthew Jenkinson, Matthew Konetschka, Drew Kowalski, Mitchell Le Fevre, Tim Lougoon, Ben MacDonald, Damien Main, Michael Marantelli, Josh Mather, Jason Moore, Sean Moylan, Nicholas Phillips, Lachlan Rayner, Adam Reardon, Jordan Russell, Michael Saunders, Sam Stagg, Nick Swanson, Shane Thiele, Matthew Tomkins, David Wood.

GOAL: Jesse Baird, Dylan Benwell, Sally Boud, Matthew Bridges, Peter Challen, Michael Craig, Matthew Dervan, Luke Edwards, Daniel Hoskin, Sam Hunter, Brodie Kenny-Bell, Callum Leonard, Matt Maclure, Taylor Mattioli, Angus McKenzie-Wills, Rhys Negerman, Steven Piperno, Simon Plumridge, David Rodan, Chelsea Roffey, Brett Rogers, Tom Sullivan, Sam Walsh, Stephen Williams, Adam Wojcik, Jason Yazdani.

PLAY BY PLAY, NO DELAY.

SEN Stadium is an Australian first in-venue listening experience. Hear live commentary without delay on your device in stadium.

STEP 1. Open the SEN App and select the game you are at.

STEP 2. Connect to the stadium Wi-Fi within the app (include email registration).

STEP 3. The real-time audio stream becomes available. Enjoy!

‘DUNKS’ SLAMS A SEASON-BEST

The Brisbane Lions had an idea what they were getting when they traded pick 21 and future first, second and fourth-round draft picks to the Western Bulldogs to land Josh Dunkley and two future third-rounders at the end of last year.

A quality midfielder both inside and out, Dunkley averaged 25.4 disposals, 6.2 marks, 4.4 clearances and 6.5 tackles last year on his way to winning the Bulldogs’ best and fairest.

The son of champion Sydney Swans full-back Andrew Dunkley, who played 217 matches from 1992-2002 and once represented Victoria, Josh was about to turn 26 and with 116 games behind him was entering the prime of his career.

u T his year, NAB AFL Auskick is excited to introduce all-girls options at selected community Auskick centres.

All-girls Auskick options are kicking off around Australia, allowing more girls to get involved and participate.

Recently, Port Lincoln hosted its first girls-only group with 12 committed girls who loved practising their skills before and after every session.

Despite delays due to fires and extreme heat, the girls had a wonderful experience, thanks to their brilliant centre coordinator Joh Walding and centre coach Taya.

Auskick is all about having fun, getting your hands on the ball and getting involved in an inclusive environment.

Register now and find your local Auskick centre with a girls-only option at play.afl/Auskick.

The AFL Record has returned to its traditional and much-loved format in 2023, with separate editions for every game.

An essential component of our match-specific Records has been the return of the detailed, 24-page Match Centre section, which has allowed us to again provide more in-depth analysis of each game, together with additional game previews and team information.

This change was made based on overwhelmingly positive feedback and our desire to produce the best possible version of the Record for customers.

With the re-introduction of this additional content, the AFL Record’s production schedule has been impacted compared to the past three seasons and means our subscription delivery will not be received until following each weekend’s round of matches.

Subscriptions, including a digital version of the AFL Record provided directly ahead of each round, remain available throughout the season, with further information available at aflrecord.com.au

HE CAN FLY HIGHER THAN AN EAGLE

MCG, MAY 6, 2023

u Richmond was desperate for a win to break a five-match losing streak and keep its finals hopes alive against West Coast last Saturday. Not only did the Tigers get it, there were also plenty of highlights for the surprisingly small crowd at the MCG, including this impressive leap from Marlion Pickett over Eagles opponent Luke Edwards which showed he had the wind beneath his wings. Pickett had 15 disposals and kicked a goal as Richmond ran away with the game in the last quarter by 46 points to stay within two wins of the top eight. It was a critical result given a tough run of games before its mid-season bye, starting with Geelong on Friday night.

PHOTO: QUINN ROONEY/AFL PHOTOS

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

YOU’RE GONNA HEAR ME ROAR

ADELAIDE OVAL, MAY 7, 2023

u If you had any doubts just what football means to Port Adelaide spearhead Charlie Dixon, you can push them out of your mind. Dixon’s gutteral roar after kicking one of two crucial goals late in the

third quarter to put the wayward Power in front against Essendon last Sunday. Port struggled with accuracy all day, kicking 12.20, and Dixon had only two behinds to that stage, but his double strike

completed a comeback from 21 points down and gave his team the impetus to eke out a five-point win that took it to 6-2 and equal second spot on the ladder a third of the way through the season.

PHOTO: MARK BRAKE/ AFL PHOTOS

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theTRADeRS

PIG OF THE

WEEK

DANE SWAN MEDAL

CASH COW OF THE WEEK

5 Harry Sheezel NM, DEF/FWD – 98

u Now with seven perfect five-vote games in eight weeks, another 30-disposal effort saw him push his price to $784K. He has now scored the third-most points of all available defenders.

4 Dylan Williams PA, FWD – 94

u Flying under the radar with fewer than 5000 owners in Fantasy Classic, Williams collected 24 disposals with 17 being kicks. That’s a big tick for increased Fantasy scoring!

MICHAEL BARLOW MEDAL

u That’s the stat-stuffing Josh Dunkley (FWD/MID, $906,000) we have been waiting to see! The Lions’ prized recruit was on fire, recording a rare quadruple double with 22 kicks, 11 handballs, 11 marks and 13 tackles for a round-high 172. He is heating up with a five-round average of 111 and a couple of nice match-ups on the horizon against the Bombers and Suns at the Gabba. The epic performance of ‘Dunks’ had a huge flow-on effect with six players reaching 150-plus. Giants young gun Tom Green (MID, $962,000) became the highest-averaging midfielder after a phenomenal performance against the Bulldogs with 38 possessions, six marks, nine tackles and three goals for 170. Roos defender Jack Ziebell recorded the fastest triple-figure score

Warnie

WARNE DAWGS

since 2014, reaching the mark in the second quarter before going on to finish with 168 from 36 possessions and 18 marks. Despite not having a CBA, Swan Errol Gulden (FWD/MID, $832,000) had an absolute day out with a season-high 161 from 37 possessions, 13 marks and four tackles while Fremantle star Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $917,000) showed he was over his knee complaint with a dominant performance against the Hawks with 36 touches, nine marks, eight tackles and two goals for 157.

TOP ROUND 8 SCORERS

ROUND 8 2318 pts

The bye rounds will dictate my trades for the next month.

Targeting Suns and Cats is a good move as they will be available in rounds 12, 14 and 15 while they are the only players missing in round 13. We get three trades and only the best 18 scores count in byes.

Roy DESTROY

3 Ollie Hollands CARL, MID – 86

u A nother big game with 21 disposals and a goal, Hollands’ breakeven is 32, which means there’s plenty of cash still to make to add to the impressive $224K he’s increased by so far.

2 Alex Cincotta

CARL, DEF/MID – 75

u A model of consistency with scores of 76, 77 and 75 to start his career, the mature-age SSP signing is a safe play on-field for coaches with the handy DEF/MID dual-position status.

1 Samson Ryan RICH, RUC/FWD – 69

u Coaches who selected Ryan as their bench ruck are laughing all the way to the bank as he has increased $204K. He is also the only basement-priced ruck to have played most games.

LEADERBOARD:

ROUND 8 2410 pts

Many coaches are torn at the trade table when trading out an underperforming premium who is dropping in value as opposed to removing rookies off the ground. More often than not, I am in favour of removing the rookies as soon as possible.

Calvin CALVINATOR

ROUND 8 2281 pts

I had five of the top six scorers last weekend, but still couldn’t beat the other two. Kudos to the coaches who nailed one of the big captain scores last round. Hopefully I have a big 150-plus return from my skipper in round nine. I definitely need it!

35 – Harry Sheezel; 16 – Will Ashcroft; 9 – Alex Cincotta, Ollie Hollands; 7 – Reuben Ginbey, Kade Chandler; 5 – Cameron Mackenzie, Charlie Comben, Fergus Greene.

THE TRADERS’ FANTASY CLASSIC STOCK MARKET

STOCKS UP

Despite being priced over $900K, the stocks are up for top-line premiums Tom Green (MID, $962,000) and Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $917,000). Since his round six suspension, Green is averaging 154 in his two games, repaying the faith shown by coaches who held him. He has only dropped under 100 on one occasion this season with a score of 90 and has a BE of just 64 heading into his match-up with the Magpies on the back of his season-high 170. After a slow start to the season while dealing with knee soreness, Brayshaw looked to be back to his best in the past fortnight, collecting 30 and 34 possessions with scores of 113 and 157 respectively. Although he has a reasonably tough fixture on the horizon, his low BE of 80 reinforces the value in a player of his calibre. The flexibility of Swans star Callum Mills (MID, $803,000) has worked against him from a Fantasy perspective from the start of the year, playing several roles that has resulted in a huge drop in his scoring prowess from last year where he played predominantly midfield. He appeared to be transitioning back to the midfield in the past two weeks and it’s no coincidence he scored a season-high 110 last weekend from 31 touches which gives him a BE of 97 leading into soft match-ups against the Dockers and Roos.

STOCKS DOWN

After starting his Essendon career playing predominately through the midfield with a huge CBA count, Will Setterfield (MID, $750,000) found himself out on a wing last week and he failed to attend one in what was a clear role change. He is averaging 70 in his past three games and has a BE of 126, so trading him out before his price plummets needs to be a priority given his role uncertainty. It’s time to say thank you, and goodbye, to some great rookie-priced players who have served us well on the field but have maxed out in price and should be used as part of a traditional downgrade/upgrade trade.

Kade Chandler (FWD, $511,000) was coming off a magnificent season-high 106 in round seven before backing it up with a season-low 37 last week, which reinforces why we need to remove the rookies as soon as possible. He has risen $311K but it is a good time to trade him out given his five-game average of 61 is close to his BE of 57. It is also a good time to remove Reuben Ginbey (DEF, $478,000) and Luke Pedlar (FWD, $464,000), who have both done a great job generating the cash to get within reach of a fallen premium. If you had to select an order of priority between the two, Ginbey has the higher BE of 59 compared with Pedlar’s 48 and should cover that in a home game against the Saints.

1

HEALTHY BODY

The importance of exercise in our daily lives in order to maintain a strong and healthy body! Participants will partake in a range of group cardio fitness activities and challenges.

2 HEALTHY FOOD

To keep our body and mind healthy, we need to fuel ourselves with a range of nutritious and delicious foods. Participants’ knowledge will be challenged in multiple food activities that will test andproblem-solvingtheirskills understanding of food.

HEALTHY TEAM

Theimportanceofworking together,supportingone anotheranddeveloping relationships.Participants willplayarangeof team-buildinggames, with the inclusionofcompetitions andchallenges.

4 HEALTHYMIND needTotrulybehealthy,wetocareforourmind justasmuchasourbody. ParticipantswilllearnBox tacticsBreathingstrategiesand tohelpregulatetheiremotions.

Coles Healthy Kicks aims to educate, activate and motivate students to become more physically active, eat nutritious foods and develop a healthy mind while having fun with others.

The program is built on four key pillars –Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Food and Healthy Team.

Being able to work in a team, support teammates and friends and develop

FUN TIMES AT GATHER ROUND

u Coles Healthy Kicks didn’t miss the opportunity to have some fun at the recent Gather Round in Adelaide.

Situated outside iconic Adelaide Oval in Elder Park, the Healthy Kicks activation provided children and their parents with the opportunity to have some fun while also learning about ways to maintain a healthy body and eat healthy food.

Participants of all ages put their fitness to the test and challenged themselves to complete the obstacle course, testing their agility, jumping over inflatables and racing players in squat and push-up challenges.

The course aimed to promote physical activity in a fun setting to help improve and educate the community on the importance of health and wellbeing.

The activation didn’t end there – a big part of the Coles Healthy Kicks Program is teaching the importance of healthy food in our lives and the impact a balanced/nutritious diet can have on our health and wellbeing.

Thanks to Coles, participants in the course also received giveaways and a piece of fruit to encourage healthy habits moving forward.

Not only were there activities a plenty, but a raft of Coles AFL and AFLW Ambassadors were also on hand to meet the kids.

They included Adelaide and Carlton legend Eddie Betts and his former Crows teammate and now Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield.

Overall, the Coles Healthy Kicks activities at the AFL Gather Round event were a success.

The activities provided children with the opportunity to learn about healthy eating habits and physical activity in a fun and interactive way.

The initiative also highlighted the importance of promoting a healthy and active lifestyle among children, which is crucial for their overall health and well-being.

Want to know more about Coles Healthy Kicks? Visit aflmax.com.au/healthy-kicks/

HEALTHY AND HAPPY: Eddie Betts and Patrick Dangerfield with young fans at the Coles Healthy Kicks activation during Gather Round.

relationships are crucial to creating Healthy Teams in all parts of life.

It encourages inclusivity, accepting people for they who are and having fun with friends regardless of their background or culture.

WORD FIND

Can you find the surnames of these Jacks?

GUESS WHO ?

CAN YOU NAME THESE HIDDEN PLAYERS

CENTRE CLEARANCE GOAL

Your team is 5 pts down with 10 secs remaining.

Your team needs a goal from the centre bounce to win the game. Can you help them?

Hunter Clark of the Saints is tackled by ...Luke Parker of the Swans tackles ...

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: Swan Oliver Florent’s left ear is missing; his left foot has been removed; an extra thumb added to Docker Bailey Banfield’s right hand; the

logo on the back of Swan Dylan Stephens’ jumper is missing; the logo on Swan Jake Lloyd’s shorts is missing.

ANSWER MAN

My Blues returned to good form against the Eagles in round seven, inspired by key forward Charlie Curnow. Remarkably, he outscored the entire West Coast team by 13 points. How long had it been since a Carlton player had previously kicked more points than the opposing club?

TYLER SIMMONDS, TORQUAY, VIC CH: We have to look back 28 years to find the previous case. Stephen Kernahan captained the Blues against the Bulldogs at the MCG in round three, 1995. He booted 10 goals from 17 scoring shots to outscore the opposition by seven points. Stephen Silvagni and Tony Liberatore, fathers of Jack and Tom respectively, played in the same game. Of the 18 current AFL clubs, Melbourne has the oldest most recent case of a player registering a higher score than the combined tally of a rival team. Demon goalsneak Allen Jakovich enjoyed a day out against Brisbane early in the 1994 season. Four parents of current players played in that one-sided contest – Todd Viney, father of Jack, was his teammate, and Andrew Bews, Adrian Fletcher and Darryl White, fathers of Jed (Geelong), Jaspa and Darryl jnr (both now on the Lions’ list), were members of the losing team.

CAN YOU ASSIST?

u Bill Gleeson, grandfather of Saint Jack Sinclair, wore the same colours in 1955-56 after being recruited from Mentone. He was selected in the senior team 14 times, wearing guernsey No. 24. Leo Merrett represented Richmond with distinction from 1940 until 1949. He won two club best and fairest awards and was a member of the 1943 premiership team. His great grandson is skilful Bulldog Bailey Smith.

If you know of other examples of recent AFL players who have ancestors with a different surname who also played League football, please contact col.hutchinson@afl.com.au.

ROUND 9, 2022

OFF THEIR OWN BOOT PLAYERS WHO HAVE OUTSCORED THE OPPOSITION: MOST RECENT CASES

u There were some lopsided contests, with seven of the nine games decided by 30 points or more. The closest result was St Kilda’s 10-point win over Geelong – the Saints’ first victory over the Cats since 2016. The Saints were 21 points down during the third term, but piled on six unanswered goals with Paddy Ryder (three goals for the game) and Jade Gresham (30 disposals) leading the charge. The Western Bulldogs hit back with a 48-point win over Collingwood. Bulldogs midfielders Bailey Smith (41 disposals), Jack Macrae (37), Adam Treloar (35) and Tom Liberatore (31) ran riot, while Aaron Naughton, Josh Dunkley and Buku Khamis each kicked three goals. Gold Coast scored another upset win, this time ending Fremantle’s six-game winning streak, with ex-Tiger Mabior Chol booting four goals in difficult conditions at Heritage Bank Stadium. Questions were raised over Essendon’s lack of intensity in its 58-point loss to Sydney when the Bombers laid just 30 tackles. There was no fairytale farewell for retiring GWS coach Leon Cameron as the Giants went down to Carlton by 30 points.

ONE-MAN ARMY: Star Carlton forward Charlie Curnow kicked 9.3 to outscore the Eagles by himself in round seven.

AFL

1

Who had 33 disposals and 13 tackles to lead Brisbane Lions to victory over Carlton last Friday night?

A Will Ashcroft B Jarrod Berry

C Josh Dunkley D Lachie Neale

2

3

4

Which Blue did Dunkley virtually shut out of the game?

A Blake Acres B Patrick Cripps

C Ed Curnow D Sam Walsh

Who kicked four goals in Richmond’s win over West Coast last Saturday?

A Oscar Allen B Shai Bolton

C Jack Darling D Jack Riewoldt

Who produced the most prolific game of his career as the Tigers ran away with the game?

A Shai Bolton B Jacob Hopper

C Dion Prestia D Tim Taranto

5 Patrick Dangerfield finished with just 16 disposals for Geelong against Adelaide. Why?

A Tagged B Concussion

C Poor form D Hamstring injury

Wereyou payingattention?

6

How many times in a row have the Cats beaten the Crows at GMHBA Stadium?

A 7 B 9 C 11 D 13

7

8

Whose kick just missed securing a draw for Gold Coast against Melbourne?

A Ben King B Darcy Macpherson

C Malcolm Rosas D Matt Rowell

Who played his 150th AFL match in the Suns v Demons game and outpointed higher-profile opposition?

A Mabior Chol B Ed Langdon

C Jake Lever D Jarrod Witts

9

Whose late withdrawal was a hammer blow to GWS’s hopes of beating the Western Bulldogs?

A Stephen Coniglio B Toby Greene

C Tom Green D Nick Haynes

Blastfrom thepast

WITH LACHLAN ESSING

Name: Gareth Andrews

Games: 167 (Geel 136, Rich 31)

Goals: 128 (Geel 127, Rich 1)

Club span: Geelong 1965-70;1972-74/Richmond 1974-75

Player honours: Richmond premiership 1974; Geelong 2nd best and fairest 1970; Geelong leading goalkicker 1965; AFL Life Member

From Geelong College, Andrews won the Cats’ leading goalkicker in his debut season with 35. He had great versatility and was consistent anywhere on the field. Midway through 1974 he moved to Richmond, where he played 31 games, including the 1974 premiership. After retiring, he was a Tigers administrator and later Cats vice-president.

How many matches in a row have the Giants lost in Canberra?

A 3 B 6 C 9 D 12

Which under-fire Fremantle recruit was best on ground with 24 disposals and two goals against Hawthorn?

A Luke Jackson B Jaeger O’Meara

C Jordan Clark D James Aish

How many more scoring shots did Port Adelaide have in its five-point win over Essendon?

A 0 B 5 C 10 D 15

Collingwood played Sydney at the MCG last Sunday. It was the first clash in Melbourne between the sides since?

A 2012 B 2013

C 2014 D 2015

Who kicked five goals to help the Magpies shake off the Swans?

A Nick Daicos B Mason Cox

C Brody Mihocek D Jack Ginnivan

How many goals did North Melbourne kick in the first half against St Kilda?

A 0 B 1 C 2 D 3

whoamI?

6pts: I was born in 1913 and died in 2003.

5pts: I played 312 VFL matches and represented Victoria 16 times, including twice as captain

4pts: I won two premierships, five best and fairests and two leading goalkicker awards and captain-coached or coached my club for 222 of those matches.

3pts: I am a Legend of both my club and the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

2pts: My club’s best-and-fairest award is named after me.

1pts: I was known as ‘Captain Blood’ for using the hip and shoulder effectively throughout my career.

Who Am I?: Jack Dyer

We’ve been feeling it together for more than twenty years, and we proudly support the Toyota AFL Wheelchair Championships and Toyota AFL National Inclusion Carnival. That’s Toyota Good for Footy.

PRIDE