Round 6, 2009 by The Slattery Media Group

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE AFL GAME

I tend to just go about my business, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all I try to do ROUND 6, 2009 MAY 1-3 $4 (INC. GST)

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Goalkicking

Matthew Pavlich

The art of the dribble kick

The ultimate professional

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Everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite number this footy season. Public transport is the easiest way to get to AFL matches. Buy a 5 x Weekend Daily Metcard before you travel and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll save time and money on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, go to metlinkmelbourne.com.au or call 131 638. a better way

62 Matthew Pavlich is set to play his 200th game this weekend.

ROUND 6, MAY 1-3, 2009 F E AT U R E S

Ben McKinley

A young Eagle sets goals on and oﬀ the ﬁeld.

Dustin Fletcher

No fuss or fanfare for a 300-game Bomber.

Matthew Pavlich

A big weekend for the Dockers and their skipper. REGULARS

Backchat

Have your say about the football world.

The Bounce

Views, news, ﬁrst person, facts, data, culture.

Matchday

Stats, history and line-ups.

Dream Team

Advice from Mr Fantasy, our Dream Team expert.

68 72 76 78

Answer Man Testing your knowledge NAB AFL Rising Star Talking Point

How South Africa is creating new opportunities. THIS WEEK’S COVERS Dustin Fletcher appears on the national cover and Lachie Hansen, Drew Petrie and Jack Ziebell are on the North Melbourne cover wearing the Roos’ new alternate jumper. Order prints at aﬂphotos.com.au

A GAME’S NOT THE SAME WITHOUT THE FANS! Check out the ﬁxture in the match day section to see when your team is playing their next interstate game! To follow your team around the country visit jetstar.com now.

Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd ABN 33 069 720 243.

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feedback

backchat HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE FOOTBALL WORLD

It doesn’t ‘ad’ up Channel Seven’s Sunday replay is supposed to be shown on a one-hour delay. It starts at 3.10 on a 60-minute delay, but ends at 6pm on an 80-minute delay. Where did the extra 20 minutes come from? STAN, DANDENONG, VIC VIA EMAIL The AFL Record sourced a response from Channel Seven spokesman Greg Smith:

The game is so fast and continuous these days, we often don’t have time during play to show replays. Therefore, on our Sunday football coverage, we don’t go to a commercial break after every goal. Instead we show replays of great goals, marks, disputed stoppages, highlights and reactions of players and fans. We prefer to show more football with replays of the exciting moments as they happen, to enhance the viewer experience. That consequently adds to the duration of the match telecast.

Power blackout I can’t understand why so many teams produce inconsistent results. One week they look the goods and the following they struggle to even score. When will we see the real Port Adelaide?

against Hawthorn in round four, Port Adelaide produced a sub-par performance last week.

Luck of the draw Plenty is made about what impact certain players have on games. These days, it appears having a favourable draw is just as valuable as having an extra star player. WILMA, VIA EMAIL

ROBERT, VIA EMAIL

AFL CHIEF BROADCASTING & COMMERCIAL OFFICER Gillon McLachlan AFL CONSUMER PRODUCTS MANAGER Scott Munn AFL RECORD MANAGING EDITOR Geoﬀ Slattery AFL RECORD EDITOR Peter Di Sisto

POWER OUT: After looking so good

PRODUCTION EDITOR Michael Lovett WRITERS Nick Bowen, Ben Collins, Jim Main, Peter Ryan, Callum Twomey, Andrew Wallace SUB-EDITORS Gary Hancock, Howard Kotton STATISTICIAN Cameron Sinclair CREATIVE DIRECTOR Andrew Hutchison DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR Sam Russell

HAVE YOUR SAY Send us your feedback on n the Record and matters relating to the game, thee clubs and the players. The best letter in each round will receive a copyy of the AFL Record Season n Guide 2009. Email aﬂrecordeditor@ slatterymedia.com or write to AFL Record, Slattery Media Group, 140 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, VIC, 3008.

DESIGNERS Jarrod Witcombe, Alison Wright PHOTO EDITORS Natalie Boccassini, Melanie Tanusetiawan PRODUCTION MANAGER Troy Davis PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Stephen Lording DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Adele Morton COMMERCIAL MANAGER Alison Hurbert-Burns

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Nathan Hill AFL CLUB ACCOUNT MANAGER Anthony Palmer ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR Deanne Horkings Advertising (03) 9627 2600 PHOTOGRAPHY AFL Photos (03) 9627 2600 aﬂphotos.com.au PRINTED BY PMP Print

EDITOR’S LET TER

Mourning a Blues ‘saviour’ The AFL industry this week paid tribute to businessman and past Carlton president Richard Pratt, who died last Tuesday night after a battle with prostate cancer. AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said Pratt, 74, “made an enormous contribution to Australian life and his work within football was often not realised by the wider community”. “He played a pivotal role in the rebirth and reinvigoration of Carlton over the last few years, after the club had fallen into ﬁnancial trouble, and it is now once again in a strong position as one of our game’s leaders,” Demetriou said. “On the wider front, he has been a creator of jobs and generous benefactor for so many charities and public works. He will be sadly missed.” Carlton president Stephen Kernahan said the Blues were indebted to Pratt. “He made things happen at this club – giving inspiration, leadership and, above all else, belief,” Kernahan said. “It’s a very sad day for the Carlton family. Dick Pratt was the man who saved Carlton. There’s no doubt about it.” Hawthorn president Jeﬀ Kennett described Pratt as a creative, visionary man. PETER DI SISTO See Ashley Browne’s story on page 15.

ADDRESS CORRESPONDENCE TO The Editor, AFL Record, Ground Floor, 140 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, Victoria, 3008. P: (03) 9627 2600 F: (03) 9627 2650 E: peterd@slatterymedia.com AFL RECORD, VOL. 98, ROUND 6, 2009 Copyright. ACN No. 004 155 211. ISSN 1444-2973, Print Post approved PP320258/00109

4 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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the bounce VIEWS NEWS FIRST PERSON FACTS DATA CULTURE

HANDS UP:

From left, Saints Lenny Hayes, Nick Riewoldt and Steven King block Port Adelaide’s Brendon Lade. St Kilda has excelled at putting pressure on opponents this season.

GAME TRENDS

Saints’ pressure is limiting scoring St Kilda is unbeaten in 2009 and, like all good sides, the Saints are building a defensive fortress.

all it the Great Wall of Moorabbin. St Kilda’s perfect start to the season can be attributed to a number of factors, but the standout is clearly the Saints’ ability to prevent and repel enemy attacks with a seemingly insurmountable defensive set-up. Stats rained down like arrows from the battlements this week. Not one of the Saints’ ﬁve opponents – Sydney Swans, Adelaide, West Coast, Fremantle and Port Adelaide – has managed 70 points, while the Dockers and Power could not even muster 40.

On average, St Kilda has conceded about 38 inside-50 entries a game, while its points against tally of 262 is the lowest total after ﬁve rounds since 1967. Swans assistant coach John Blakey, who watched on helplessly as the Saints held his team goalless for two full quarters in round one, presents another telling statistic to explain the top team’s stinginess. It seems St Kilda’s defence actually starts in attack. The former Fitzroy and North Melbourne player says last year the Saints were the second-worst team for tackles laid inside their

forward 50, finishing with only 150 for the home and away season. This year, St Kilda is second-best in the AFL, with 65 tackles, with more than three-quarters of the home and away season to be played. “It all starts with pressure, and they’ve certainly got that right at the moment,” Blakey says. “You can see how ferocious they are in their tackling, and it’s no wonder teams are finding it difficult to score against them – they’re finding it hard to even get it out of the Saints’ forward line.” Blakey identifies small forwards Stephen Milne and

A NDR EW WA L L ACE

Adam Schneider as the pressure men up front, also praising the work of key forward Justin Koschitzke (before his hamstring injury in round four). And with midﬁelders Leigh Montagna (36 tackles), Clinton Jones (28) and Lenny Hayes (24 in four games) also turning the screws, there is simply no time or space for opponents to set up effective forward thrusts. In recent years, several clubs have developed unorthodox game-plans to try to shut down opponents, with the Sydney CON T IN U ED NE X T PAGE

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VIEWS > NEWS > FIRST PERSON > FACTS > DATA > CULTURE

Swans’ contested style and Hawthorn’s rolling zone just two successful examples. Blakey believes St Kilda is in many ways similar to the Swans, not surprising considering coach Ross Lyon was previously an assistant to Paul Roos in the Harbour City. “There’s a bit of a misconception that they continually push numbers back behind the ball, but they’re pretty much a one-on-one side that closes you down quickly,” Blakey says. “When you do win the ball, you don’t get the chance to find much space, because they’re right on you. It’s probably not too dissimilar to the way we play, but at the moment they’re doing it better. “I certainly don’t see them as a zoning side.” Blakey reflects on the massive changes from his own playing days from 1985-2002, when the back six were primarily responsible for holding a team to a losing score. Now, the Saints (and others before them) have shown that, with a complete team effort and pressure all over the ground, even the absence of valued key defenders such as Matt Maguire and veteran Max Hudghton can be covered. “There’s no doubt that if the ball-carrier is being pressured as he’s coming into the forward line, that has a significant impact on the result,” Blakey says. “Look at the sort of support the Saints are giving their defence by running back hard to help out, as well as harassing the ball carrier.” The range of tactics used in the modern game result in certain teams matching up well against others – think of Hawthorn using its zone system to strangle Collingwood in recent matches – but as to which team will finally break down St Kilda’s Great Wall, Blakey is uncertain. But like the rest of the football world, he is looking forward to the St Kilda-Geelong clash in round 14, when the Saints will be forced to counteract the Cats’ all-out, high-skill, high-possession game.

NEWS TRACKER

EMERGING TIGER

Wisdom, maturity mark young Tiger TOM MINE A R

or Richmond’s Daniel Jackson, Anzac Day has always been special. After all, it is his birthday. But what certainly matters more to this articulate young man is the historical importance surrounding the big day. Jackson’s grandfather fought in World War II and, as he reflects on his deeds in the wake of the Tigers’ first win of the year, against North Melbourne, his respect and appreciation are evident. “I always went to watch my grandfather march. To hear the Last Post gave me some great motivation. I really enjoyed the opportunity to actually play on Anzac Day – I wish we could do it every year,” he says. Jackson may even be wishing for a weekly repeat of such a special occasion, considering his dominant (33-possession) display last weekend on the evening of his 23rd birthday. His patience, elusiveness and creativity highlighted a mature performance in a high-pressure environment. Having spent most of his time at Richmond floating across the forward and back flanks, he has established himself in the midfield. “It’s taken me a few years to learn the game ... but midfield is the place to be,” he says. “I’ve always had the athletic ability, the fitness

and the endurance, but I’ve just had a lot to learn. It’s finally coming together and I’d love to make a career out of being a midfielder.” He seems well on his way, having learned to combine a tagging role with his attacking instincts, which he did to great effect while blanketing Geelong’s Joel Selwood in round two. Given the freedom to roam against North, Jackson excelled – he was fierce in the contest, and set up three goals with pinpoint passes, while having a hand in many more attacking drives. Although enjoying the challenge, he is happy to continue in a more defensive role. While Richmond’s six-goal win doesn’t make up for a devastating first month, Jackson feels the winds have changed. “I’ve been really frustrated, but we’re a tight-knit group, and I don’t pay attention to – dare I say it – the amount of crap put out there by the media,” he says. “We always knew it wasn’t the truth.” Younger players, including Andy Collins and Robin Nahas, have brought a free-spirited attitude to the team that Jackson sees as vital. “When we go out there and relax, and take the game on, running the ball and tackling, it absolutely epitomises what we’re about.” A tighter game-plan coincided with evidence of a renewed spirit among the Tigers. The inspirational return from injury of Mark Coughlan – whom Jackson considers “an excellent role model” – came as the group reflected on the spirit of the Anzacs. “We went to the Shrine together, and spoke about mateship, and doing it for each other, and courage; that was a big focus,” Jackson says. BIRTHDAY BOY:

Anzac Day has special meaning for Tiger Daniel Jackson.

BY THE NUMBER S

Rally ‘saves’ Demons J IM M A IN

Those fascinated by numbers were likely following the second half of last week’s MelbourneAdelaide match closely after seeing the Demons’ half-time score of 0.3 (3). Would the Demons score a goal in what were wet, windy conditions? Commentators wondered about the last time a League club had been goalless in a match. Melbourne ended the speculation when Lynden Dunn broke through for a goal halfway through the third quarter, with the Demons adding three more in the final term. Those four goals saved the club considerable embarrassment, as it has been almost half a century since a team failed to score a goal. That was when Richmond managed eight behinds to St Kilda’s 12.19 (91) at the Junction Oval in round 16, 1961. The previous team to go goalless was Melbourne, which also scored eight behinds, against South Melbourne at the MCG in round 12, 1912. St Kilda holds the dubious record for the lowest score in League matches – 0.1 (1) – against South Melbourne at the Lake Oval in round two, 1902. Fitzroy managed just one goal, and no behinds, to Footscray’s 10.6 (66) in round five at the Lake Oval in 1953. The ground was ankle-deep in water because of heavy rain and a broken main and Fitzroy’s only score came in the final minute of play when Allan Ruthven goaled with a snap from a boundary throw-in.

Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd needs one goal for his 900th.

8 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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EAGLE JOY: Matt Priddis

(left) and Brent Staker enjoyed West Coast’s round four win over the Bulldogs.

N O P L AC E L I K E H O M E

Rebuilding the house SH A NE McNA L LY

est Coast has played two home games this year and recorded two emphatic wins, against quality opposition. Is it too early to suggest the Eagles again have one of the game’s most feared home ground advantages? The House of Pain. Fortress Subi. Call it what you like, but Subiaco was a graveyard for non-West Australian teams when the Eagles were at their best. In their recent Grand Final years (2005-06), the Eagles lost just once and twice respectively against visiting teams. That’s 17 wins from 20 games, a home NEWS TRACKER

mark rarely matched in the modern game. From 1990 to 1994 when it dominated and won two premierships (1992 and ’94), West Coast won 31 of 37 matches at Subiaco and never lost more than two in one season. The Eagles also played home matches at the WACA back then. Last year, the Eagles dropped away signiﬁcantly, losing six matches at home (eight counting the Fremantle derbies) including thrashings at the hands of Geelong, Hawthorn and Richmond. But young forward Mitch Brown is excited about the prospect of putting fear into visiting teams again.

“We deﬁnitely want to make Subiaco Oval our fortress,” he says. “We’ve got to stick up for ourselves and show them it’s going to be tough here. With our performances last year, we lost a little bit of that.” Not everyone is getting carried away with a couple of big home wins. West Coast football manager Neale Daniher has been around too long to buy into the hype, but the agenda has been set. “It’s a bit premature after two wins at home to be talking about Fortress Subi,” he says. “We’ve responded well to two losses, including one very bad one, but I think we need some more strong performances at home to come to any conclusions. “Crowd support weighs both ways because when you’re away, you get very little crowd assistance. So when you come home, the crowd behind you is very noticeable. “If you’re a Melbourne-based team, you get support whether it’s your home game or not. But our supporters are fantastic and the players do get a lift from them. “We want to get back to being a top-four team and a great team. We’re very happy about the way we’ve responded to a loss and now we’d like to see how we respond to a win.” The Eagles may need to wait another week or so to gauge that response but the performance against Hawthorn in Launceston was a huge improvement on the drubbing St Kilda gave them two weeks earlier. Daniher is conﬁdent the squad has the right personnel to complement Dean Cox and Daniel Kerr. He says many of the younger players simply need match experience. “We’ve got six to eight young guys who are just dipping their toe into playing men’s football and they won’t be superstars overnight but, over the next 18 months, we believe they will give tremendous support to the others.” Then, perhaps, even Daniher may believe the House of Pain has been fully refurbished.

West Coast at Subiaco v non-WA clubs Year

Win

Loss

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Lenny Hayes (Badcoe Medal), Paddy Ryder (Anzac Medal) and Brad Sewell (Alec McDonald Medal) won Anzac-related medals. AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 9

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thebounce

VIEWS > NEWS > FIRST PERSON > FACTS > DATA > CULTURE

A N A LY S I S 100 GAMES

THE GODFATHER OF STATS Ted Hopkins

Ten years on, Shaw reaches ton

Founder of Champion Data and Carlton premiership player

Pies’ failure to beat cover costly In the Essendon-Collingwood Anzac Day match, the highflying Magpies were shot down by the Bombers’ superb cover defence, which saw specialist troops and commanders hang back from the combat line, waiting to pick off enemy advances and then launch their own counterattack. Collingwood went to the first break with a 15-point lead and looked set for a successful day in the field. Then, hit by superb cover defence and counterattack, Collingwood lost the initiative during the second and third terms, with Essendon outscoring the Magpies 8.8 to 4.8 in that period to lead by nine points at the last break. Collingwood had not broken or neutralised this cover defence, placing it in a vulnerable position at the final change. Four Bombers were the keys – Adam McPhee, Dustin Fletcher, Ricky Dyson and Brent Stanton. In the Bombers’ defensive half during the second and third terms, these four had 16, 14, 13 and 11 disposals respectively, some 45 per cent of Essendon’s defensive-half disposals in that time. Fletcher won the ball from Collingwood an exceptional eight times and McPhee four, which represented a combined 32 per cent of the Magpies’ 38 turnovers going into attack. In addition to repelling Magpie attacks, McPhee was also outstanding on the counterattack, having a hand in 31 per cent of Essendon’s scoring for the two terms. Stanton was also active in the Bombers’ defensive half, ultimately having a hand in 38 per cent of their scoring. However, the player who

NEWS TRACKER

BEN COL LINS

bobbed up with the highest scoring impact from the defensive half was Dyson (seven times). He contributed to 43 per cent of the Bombers’ scoring for the second and third terms. FOCUS ON ‘GAZZA’ Gary Ablett’s (pictured right) 42-disposal game in wet and windy conditions against the Brisbane Lions received rave reviews, and so it should have. But in terms of having an impact on the Cats’ scoring, he was well down the list for the round (13th). Ablett had a hand in only six of Geelong’s scoring chains for a contribution of 17 per cent to his team’s score. Cameron Mooney ranked ﬁrst for Geelong, featuring in 15 score chains (42 per cent), and Paul Chapman was second, with 12 involvements (33 per cent).

f any footballer has had to develop a thick skin, it’s Rhyce Shaw. Rightly or wrongly, Shaw was the perennial whipping boy for much of his time at Collingwood. Heck, people still hang it on him for slipping over and gifting Alastair Lynch a goal in the 2003 Grand Final. The most pointed public criticism came from within the club. Shortly after the Pies were eliminated from last year’s ﬁnals series, long-time teammate and fellow defender Shane Wakelin delivered a rare, stinging public rebuke. “(Shaw) has been one of the biggest disappointments of this group,” the retiring Wakelin told the Sunday Herald Sun. “At some point in life you’ve just got to grow up... (He) dropped his guard, thinking he had made it.”

LEADING SCORE INVOLVEMENTS Round ﬁve Player

Club No.

B.McLean D.Swan D.Motlop S.Goodwin L.Davis

Melb Coll PA Adel Coll

7 13 5 7 12

% club’s scoring 50 46 46 44 43

The season (average) Player

Club No.

S.Johnson D.Swan A.Davey C.Bateman G.Ablett

Geel Coll Melb Haw Geel

12 10 6 8 11

% club’s scoring 36 36 34 34 33

Score involvements: The number of scoring chains a player has been involved in. If a player has ﬁve disposals in one scoring chain only one score involvement is recorded. Percentage of club’s scoring is the percentage of a club’s total scoring chains that a player has been involved in.

MILESTONE:

Rhyce Shaw will play his 100th game this week.

Shaw, in turn, was disappointed by the remarks, but he literally moved on. Shaw was traded to the Sydney Swans last year for pick 46. He is perhaps the trade of the season, averaging 24 disposals in the opening five rounds, leaving injury, form and discipline problems behind. This week he finally, almost belatedly, notches his 100th game in his 10th season in the AFL system. “I wasn’t perfect at Collingwood,” he says. “I made a few mistakes and didn’t fulfil my potential there. Hopefully I can rectify that with the Swans.” Magpie coach Mick Malthouse wrote in The Australian last June that Shaw boasted “leadership qualities and a care for other young teammates that is outstanding”. Shaw’s initiation in Sydney gave him an immediate insight into the caring and sharing ‘Bloods’ culture. He was more than a little surprised when he was met at the airport by his new coach Paul Roos, and was gob-smacked after Roos drove him around the city for two hours as they talked about footy and life. “How many AFL coaches would think of doing that?” Shaw pondered. “But I quickly learnt that’s just the way things are done up here.” Shaw shies away from suggestions he is the ideal replacement for the retired Tadhg Kennelly. “Tadhg was a massive part of this club and he left a hole,” Shaw says. “The Swans are a nice fit for me, but I’m never going to live up to what Tadhg achieved – he was a fantastic servant of the Swans and is held in such high regard. But hopefully I can help fill part of the hole he left with my run from the backline.” Shaw’s relocation was hard on him at first – he was “a bit homesick” for the first two months – but he has settled into a big brother role to his house mates, young Swans Craig Bird and Taylor Gilchrist. “It’s good to share my experiences with them and provide as good an example as I can, inside and outside football,” he says.

Essendon’s David Hille and Fremantle’s Rhys Palmer suﬀered season-ending knee injuries last week.

10 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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P R E PA R AT I O N

Challenges of the short week PETER RYA N

reporter once asked Kevin Sheedy postmatch whether the short week would be a factor in the following week’s result. Sheedy shot back: last time I looked, a week was seven days, as it’s always been. The message was clear: it was not an issue. However, it’s become something of a mantra for football tipsters and pundits to use the extra day’s break to guide predictions of who is going to win the following week. Six-day breaks are always perceived by tipsters as a negative. Well here’s some information to put in the bulging ﬁle of statistics that tell you whatever you want them to. Of the 22 games played this season where one team has had

a longer break, the team with the longer break has won on 14 occasions (a 64 per cent success rate). This is in line with a gradual tilt in percentage terms (see table) over the past few years in favour of the team having at least an extra day’s break than its opponent. Of the 20 teams to go into a game after a six-day break this season, eight have emerged winners. There is no rhyme or reason for this, although many of us take it as gospel that a shorter break spells trouble. If such logic held, Bulldogs supporters would have reason to worry. This season they wait until round 10 to meet an opponent which has had one day’s break less than them going into the match. Not that you would hear any of those statistics within the Bulldogs’ corridors. One of their mottos this year is to move on quickly after each game, win or lose, and focus on the following game. No excuses. In a sense, the approach mirrors conditioning coach Bill Davoren’s recovery program:

THE IMPACT OF THE ‘SHORT’ WEEK Wins after a longer break

Losses after a longer break

% success

2008

2007

2006

2009

DEFINITION: Teams which played earlier than their opponent (the previous week) are considered to have had a longer break between games. For example, if a team played on a Saturday night and its next opponent played on a Sunday, that counted as a longer break. The week(s) following the split round were not counted. Teams with longer preparation time this week: Hawthorn (v Carlton), Essendon (v Brisbane Lions), Port Adelaide (v Adelaide), St Kilda (v Western Bulldogs).

“From a mental point of view, don’t make it an excuse and recovery is an early process, you have to start it immediately.” Davoren admits a six-day break presents challenges, although success rests with basic principles. “In the end, it comes down to doing the simple things really well and consistently,” he says. In physiological terms, a

shorter break only disadvantages some players: those injured in the previous game, veterans who carry soreness into the following week, or players who recently debuted and have to back up week after week. Clubs are good at being ‘ready to go’, but the perception lingers regardless of the reality: an extra day between games is an advantage.

Rivalries resume Intrastate rivalries will be the focus of football fans in Perth and Adelaide this weekend, with the ﬁrst of the bi-annual clashes between West Coast-Fremantle and Port Adelaide-Adelaide. The contests represent two of the great modern rivalries, matching Victorian blockbusters such as Essendon-Carlton for raw passion despite relatively brief histories. Below is a snapshot of the story so far. A NDR EW WA L L ACE

West Coast Eagles v Fremantle Bragging rights

Super streak

Big day out

Rivalry warriors

Scoreboard pressure

West Coast Eagles: 18 from 28

West Coast Eagles: 9 games (1995-99)

West Coast Eagles: 28.10 (178), round 6, 2000

Shaun McManus, Shane Parker (Fremantle), 22 games

Peter Matera (West Coast Eagles), 37 goals

Shane Parker

Peter Matera

Did you know? While the Eagles hold the overall advantage on Australian soil, in 2005 the Dockers got up by 17 points in an international exhibition match between the sides in London.

DERBY: The Eagles take on

the Dockers on Saturday.

Port Adelaide v Adelaide Bragging rights

Super streak

Big day out

Port Adelaide: 13 from 25

Port Adelaide: 7 games (2000-03)

Port Adelaide: 23.15 (153), round 3, 2001

Rivalry warriors

Scoreboard pressure

Andrew McLeod (Adelaide), 24 games

Warren Tredrea (Port Adelaide), 26 goals

Andrew McLeod

NEWS TRACKER

Warren Tredrea

Did you know? The Showdown is no place for the faint-hearted, on or oﬀ the ﬁeld. Amazingly, 14 of the 25 matches have been decided by 16 points or less. Will this weekend see yet another nail-biter?

SHOWDOWN: The Power and the Crows will lock horns.

Jack Riewoldt, Adam Hunter and Tom Hawkins are the Hungry Jack’s AFL Mark of the Year contenders for found ﬁve.

12 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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We’ve kicked a few goals over the years JELD-WEN is the name behind the St Kilda Football Club. And we’re also the name behind iconic brands like Stegbar and Corinthian – leaders in door, window and showerscreen manufacture, supply and installation. Great club, great brands. jeld-wen.com.au

M A J O R PA R T N E R

DISEGNO STE2928

VIEWS > NEWS > FIRST PERSON > FACTS > DATA > CULTURE

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O B I T U A RY

‘Coodabeen’ Pratt had one regret ASHLEY BROW NE

In the annals of football history, Richard Pratt, the billionaire businessman who died last Tuesday aged 74, will best be remembered as the man who revived the fortunes of Carlton Football Club. Pratt brought vision, hope and, yes, a bit of money, to the beleaguered Blues when he assumed the presidency in early 2007. Later that year, he brought an even bigger ﬁsh to Princes Park, superstar midﬁelder Chris Judd. The history books also tell us, although you would need to search hard to discover it, that Pratt was a handy footballer. Perhaps even a “coodabeen champion”, as he once described himself. Pratt was born in the Polish city of Danzig, now known as Gdansk, but took to footy like a duck to water when he moved to Shepparton as a child after arriving in Australia. At 15, he played one senior game for Lemnos in the Goulburn Valley League. The same year, he represented that league in a junior carnival and was recognised as the carnival’s best player. The following year, his family moved to Carlton and

SAVIOUR:

Richard Pratt helped turn Carlton’s fortunes around.

the Blues invited him to Princes Park to train. Before long, he was a ﬁxture in the Carlton under-19s and, in 1952, he was runner-up in the Morrish Medal, the best and fairest award for the under-19 competition. The next year, Pratt went one better and won the medal. “I was six foot one-and-a-half (186.5cm) and I played in the ruck,” he said when interviewed in 2006. “If I played today, I’d have been a rover.”

Pratt then played a few games in the seconds alongside Carlton greats such as Ern Henfrey and Harry Sullivan. But that was it. A promising acting career and the demands of the emerging family business – Visy Board – took priority over his football career. The theatre took him to London and New York as part of a production of Ray Lawler’s Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, while the Visy empire grew to

150 factories in Australia, the Paciﬁc and the United States, employing more than 8000 people, and made Pratt one of the 500 richest people in the world. Obviously, he made the correct decision. Yet Pratt, a high-proﬁle member of Australia’s Jewish community, admitted to a tinge of regret that he didn’t play at least one senior game for the Blues. Only nine Jews have played senior League football, so he would have been in rare company. “At the time, there was Ian Synman at St Kilda and a guy called Lionel Rosenberg in the reserves at St Kilda, and me at Carlton. I would have liked to have played at least one game,” he said. Pratt didn’t give up football entirely. On his return from overseas, he played several seasons of Victorian amateur football for AJAX and later joined the Carlton board under John Elliott. By his own estimation, he poured millions of dollars into the club. He returned to Princes Park in 2007, steering the club down the path to success once more. Ashley Browne is national editor of the Australian Jewish News.

KNOW EVERY GAME PLAN.

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VIEWS > NEWS > FIRST PERSON > FACTS > DATA > CULTURE

AC H I E V E R S

The Lion goal king BEN COL LINS

ome records sneak up on us, and some even demand a closer inspection to convince us that it is actually happening. Take the goalkicking record at the Brisbane Lions, for example. Alastair Lynch and Jonathan Brown have been the standout forwards in the Lions’ history, so it naturally follows that they would head the goalkicking list. But the reality is that another Lions forward – one whose goal tally perhaps suffered by being the third key option behind this power pair – should soon assume this lofty mantle. Daniel Bradshaw is on 451 goals and needs just 10 to surpass Lynch’s club record of 460. Brown is on 353. When Bradshaw reaches the milestone, he will become the lowest profile member of the exclusive Leading Goalkickers’ Club (see table right). The title of ‘record goalkicker’ conjures up images of flamboyant full-forwards who take screamers and regularly produce the miraculous, but Bradshaw is more methodical than magical. He goes about his business in a modest, understated manner devoid of all gimmicks. He leads hard, marks out in front in those big hands, kicks goals with that unwavering routine, and gives the odd fist pump but almost immediately focuses on kicking the next one. Even to his mates, he’s just ‘Braddy’, the quiet achiever. Bradshaw, 30, has never aimed for the record. Besides, he reckons he’s only warming the seat for Brown, who, despite being 98 goals adrift, is three years his junior. Both Bradshaw and Lynch feel honoured to share the link. When Bradshaw started with the Lions as a 17-year-old in 1996, he modelled himself on Lynch, who in turn learnt some useful things

NEWS TRACKER

from his apprentice, including the art of goalkicking. Bradshaw has a career conversion rate of 66.9 per cent, while Lynch’s accuracy – with Bradshaw’s help – improved from 59.9 per cent to 63.9 in his last six seasons. Lynch says: “I always had to work on my kicking and I looked to Braddy for assistance there. Although he was a young bloke, technically he’s always been a very good kick at goal. I looked closely at his kicking style and worked with him at training.” Working together could be as challenging for the trio as it was for the opposition to counter them. Lynch says: “A key thing for us was to get out of each other’s road! The coach didn’t like it much when we were jumping all over each other – or, more to the point, when ‘Browny’ and Braddy were jumping all over me. But we generally worked well together.” Lynch describes Bradshaw as “a very good, solid forward in the Jason Dunstall mould: not overly tall but extremely strong with great hands, and very efﬁcient at converting opportunities.” Bradshaw has also capitalised on what he initially believed

was an unlikely opportunity to play at AFL level. He never thought he’d be drafted. He was just playing with his local club, Wodonga, in the Ovens and Murray league, when Brisbane surprised him by selecting him with pick No. 56 in the 1995 National AFL Draft. Even then, Bradshaw couldn’t see it lasting beyond a couple of seasons. How wrong could he have been? Almost 14 years later, he remains semi-amazed at his success.

CLOSING IN:

Most goals at each club

Daniel Bradshaw is just 10 goals short of his club’s goalkicking record.

A very good, solid forward in the Jason Dunstall mould: not overly tall but extremely strong Last year, Bradshaw produced his best season, kicking 75.31 (his previous best was 59.39 in 2006) to ﬁnish third in the Coleman Medal. His efforts in the Brownlow Medal underlined his impact and consistency, particularly in the ﬁrst half of the season. Remarkably for a full-forward, he polled six times in eight rounds for a total of seven votes.

Club

Player

Adel

Tony Modra

440

*BL

Alastair Lynch

460

Carl

Stephen Kernahan

Coll

Gordon Coventry

Ess

Matthew Lloyd

Frem

More remarkable was that these were his ﬁrst games back after a knee reconstruction that sidelined him for 2007. His then coach, Leigh Matthews, still marvels at the feat. “When he came back, he not only had his best year statistically, but he looked a better player,” he says. “I think that, subtly, almost losing his career might have provided extra motivation that he had to make the most of the time he had left.” Bradshaw is determined to produce a decent encore, and despite a rare goalless fortnight against Collingwood and Geelong, he slotted 13.3 in the opening three rounds, including 6.1 in a losing side against Carlton in round two. It was his 19th bag of at least six goals. Lynch, who played some of his best footy in his twilight years, believes Bradshaw has at least two good years left in him. “It’s hard to predict because sometimes blokes get into their 30s and get more injuries, or they lose their speed off the mark,” he says. “But Braddy’s knee seems really sound and the time he had off with it might’ve refreshed the rest of his body.”

Goals Games

Ave.

Career span

165

2.66

1992-98

186

2.47

1994-2004

738

251

2.94

1986-97

1299

306

4.24

1920-37

899

257

3.5

1995-

Matthew Pavlich

389

199

1.95

2000-

Geel

Gary Ablett snr

1021

242

4.22

1984-96

Haw

Jason Dunstall

1254

269

4.66

1985-98

Melb

David Neitz

631

306

2.06

1993-2008

Wayne Carey

671

244

2.75

1989-2001

Warren Tredrea

502

232

2.16

1997-

Rich

Jack Titus

970

294

3.3

1926-43

StK

Tony Lockett

898

183

4.91

1983-94

Syd

Bob Pratt

681

158

4.31

1930-46

WCE

Peter Sumich

514

150

3.43

1989-97

Simon Beasley

575

154

3.73

1982-89

North Melbourne captain Brent Harvey set to miss 10-12 weeks after dislocating his elbow last week.

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TAC T I C S

Protecting a gamewinning lead NICK BOW EN

ollingwood supporters have been struggling to come to grips with how their team lost to Essendon last week. Fourteen points up with four minutes to play, the Magpies looked home. But a brilliant Andrew Lovett run through the middle set up a Leroy Jetta goal. Ricky Dyson followed with a long-range goal from the boundary line and, with just seconds to spare, David Zaharakis belied his inexperience to play on and drill a goal under heavy pressure. The Bombers had snuck over the line by five points. The Pies could lament a free kick against Leon Davis for an accidental kick out of bounds on the full that set up Dyson’s goal. And Tarkyn Lockyer’s decision at the final kick-in to go long to a contest and ignore a short kick to Alan Toovey, which led to Zaharakis’ goal. But, putting specific incidents aside, one simple question would have nagged away at Pies fans

SMART THINKING: Nathan Bassett

says ‘keepings oﬀ ’ can backﬁre if it’s applied too early.

– how do you lose a game when you’re 14 points up with four minutes to play? And, more constructively, what should you do if you ﬁnd yourself in a similar position in the future? The AFL Record spoke with former North Melbourne great Malcolm Blight, now a television commentator, and recently retired Adelaide defender Nathan Bassett. Both agreed the best way to protect a late lead like Collingwood enjoyed is to use the popular tactic of running down the clock by maintaining possession. “It doesn’t matter whether you kick the ball sideways, backwards or forwards, you just want to ﬁnd a teammate in the open with a safe, short pass, and wind the clock down,” Blight said. “If the opposition then man up, you may have to kick long

down the line to your ruckman or another tall, with the aim being to at least force a stoppage or boundary throw-in. “If an opportunity opens up to attack and perhaps set up a goal, provided it’s not too risky, then you go for it, but your focus should be holding on to the ball. “It’s still the best way of stopping the opposition from scoring.” But Blight and Bassett agreed a side couldn’t afford to run the clock down too early in a game because playing possession football could backfire. “It’s a difficult thing to do for a long time and to do consistently,” Bassett said. “You just can’t hold on to the ball for that long without the opposition forcing you to kick it to a contest.” Bassett said the point a team should start running the clock down depends on its lead: for a lead of less than a goal he says about two minutes to go is the optimal time, compared with three to four minutes for a twogoal lead and five minutes for a three-goal lead. Obviously, to play modern football’s version of keepings off effectively, players need excellent kicking skills. All it takes is for one player to mishit a pass and it can let the opposition in. With this in mind, Blight added one caveat to the general rule for protecting a lead. For inexperienced teams that may not have the skills or the nerve of the better sides, sometimes it is better to get them

MILES TONES – ROUND 6

AFL 200 Club Travis Johnstone Brisbane Lions 183 premiership season games, 16 pre-season games

300 Games Dustin Fletcher Essendon

200 Games Matthew Pavlich Fremantle

150 Games Nick Dal Santo St Kilda Darren Jolly Sydney Swans

100 Games Rhyce Shaw Sydney Swans

50 Games Clint Bartram Melbourne Jason Porplyzia Adelaide Matt Priddis West Coast Eagles Cheynee Stiller Brisbane Lions

to kick long to more contests when a game is on the line. “Icing the clock is a real skill and for a young side it may be a bit much to ask them to do it for too long,” he said.

KICK EVERY GOAL.

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VIEWS > NEWS > FIRST PERSON > FACTS > DATA > CULTURE

NEW LOOK

This year has been about turning back and I think we’ve recaptured the essence of the old North Melbourne

Roos don’t change their stripes NICK BOW EN

wenty-four years ago, North Melbourne met Collingwood in the League’s first night game for premiership points. This weekend, the Roos again take on the Pies under lights but, this time, their stripes will be a much lighter shade of blue. North will take to the field for the first time in its new clash jumper, one that, unlike the club’s past alternate strips that featured a kangaroo emblem, bears the club’s traditional blue and white vertical stripes. The one difference, though, is that the stripes are sky blue – the same colour as Argentina’s national soccer guernsey – rather than the Roos’ traditional royal blue.

CLASH JUMPER: Drew Petrie with Lachie Hansen (left) and Jack Ziebell.

North Melbourne CEO Eugene Arocca said players’ and supporters’ afﬁnity with the club’s trademark stripes had driven the change. It was in the aftermath of the club’s second Friday night clash against the Pies last year (when

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despite being the home team, it had to wear its clash strip) that the depth of feeling for the traditional jumper emerged, Arocca said. “When Drew Petrie was interviewed on television, he said, ‘We love our stripes and

we love Friday night football’,” Arocca said. “He actually came and spoke to me the next day and said, ‘I’m sorry I said that, I didn’t mean it, it was off the cuff’. I said, ‘No, you actually echoed the sentiments of everyone who was watching the game’.” Together with North’s recent long-term commitment to its Arden Street base and its return to member-based ownership, Arocca said adopting the new clash guernsey was another way the club was reconnecting with its traditions. “We’ve had a striped jumper since 1886, even though we had various incarnations over the years,” he said. “The whole thing about North Melbourne this year has been turning back to the past and I think we’ve recaptured the essence of the old North Melbourne.”

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MAZ9222_275x205_A.pdf

Page

2/4/09,

12:43

essay

Back to For all the modern advancements in the game, there is one key area young players are lacking in when they enter the AFL – decision-making. DENIS PAGA N

ecently I was asked to write a foreword for a book on the skills of our game (Skills of Australian Football). In it I explained that doing the basics (and some of the harder elements of the game) well, over and over again, is essentially what Australian Football is about. It’s a simple approach, but one I’ve long believed in and one that has certainly proven true over a long period playing, coaching and analysing the game. The way we do most things in the game has changed dramatically in recent years. Twenty years ago, aspects of the game – certainly the ones I was involved with – were somewhat amateurish, compared with how professionally we conduct our business now. Today, for example, the application of science to keep our players at peak levels of fitness that sees them often compared with Olympic athletes, or the emphasis on deep analysis of game trends, are the norm. The approach at junior level has also changed and, generally, we believe young players are arriving at AFL clubs better prepared for the elite level of the game, as some of our first- and second-year players are showing on a weekly basis. Generally, these young men are fit, fast and physically capable of making an impact, sooner rather than later. But I’m not so sure they do come better prepared than players from a bygone area in a

Some of the best athletes in the world have developed their skills in these ‘street’ or community environments

key area: decision-making. When it comes to debate about this topic, I would argue that changes in society have had a profound impact. When I was growing up, for example, the options for young boys to spend their leisure time were limited. We played only football and cricket and we knew little about other sports that are popular today. I certainly didn’t know what a triathlon was. Today, kids’ spare time outside school is being taken up with a whole range of organised sports and social pursuits, and they’re

also spending time on computers and on other sedentary pursuits. Think about this: when was the last time you saw a non-organised game of ‘street footy’ in a local park between kids or a kick-to-kick session on the street? I remember as a young bloke we’d get a group of 10 kids together and have a ﬁve-on-ﬁve game in the park and you’d learn your own skills and promote your decision-making ability. I used to get to school early and have a kick on the playground. Even at playtime,

I can remember having improvised games in the classroom when it was wet. We don’t see that now – it’s just a different way of life, with an emphasis on cramming in more and more, and I don’t think young players get enough of these opportunities, primarily because there are so many other distractions in their lives. In my view, ‘street footy’ is crucial to the development not only of fundamental skills, but also decision-making. Playing in that environment, you’d know when to kick and when to handball. You’d also learn to read the play and get a better understanding of what other players were capable of and predict what they were going to do. Basically, this environment trains the football brain (or what I sometimes call the human computer), allowing you to visualise, think ahead and predict – critical skills to have at the highest level. Some of the best athletes in the world have developed their skills in these ‘street’ or community environments. Consider the brilliant foot and head skills and ability to read the game displayed by so many South American soccer players. Many of them learned the game playing with and against their peers on beaches, on the streets and in less-afﬂuent parts, in competitive mini-games. The same is true of some basketball and baseball players now at the professional level across the world. They honed their skills, the ability to ‘see’ the ball

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(crucial for a baseball hitter) IMPROVISING: In indigenous communities, children often and decision-making in street play â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;miniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; games. games or mini-games played on concrete courts in public parks or simply in conďŹ ned areas near their homes, often using sub-par or makeshift equipment (sticks or broom handles instead of bats, for example) but always with a view to becoming as good as they could be. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where they became good decision-makers. Today, you rarely see kids in Australia playing indoor games with a paper football. When was the last time you saw a kid kicking a rolled-up pair of socks, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lining upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for goal in a corridor? That may sound crazy and outdated, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the type of thing so many of our past When was the last time you saw a kid champions did as kids, and it kicking a rolled-up pair of socks â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lining taught them about angles, which upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for goal in a corridor? part of the ball to kick to get it to move a certain way and how park environment seemingly attitudes and approaches to it may react when it bounces a disappear in cities, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still coaching at the highest level in certain way. (Most of us would prevalent in our indigenous recent years makes excellent have seen the footage of a young communities. decision-making ability even Don Bradman hitting a golf ball Is it merely a coincidence then more important for aspiring against a wall with a stump. that the decision-making of some young players. What developed in this routine of the indigenous players at AFL Coaching has moved from surely helped him become one of level is generally outstanding? I a traditional technique-based the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest cricketers.) donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it is. training program (with the Interestingly, while weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Importantly, the shift in emphasis on perfecting technical &2 3PORTSENTRAL PDF 0seen this type of mini-game or

skills and following a game-plan or style), to a more game-based program where (assuming the appropriate technical skills have been perfected) decision-making is a key focus. You only have to look at Geelongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent phenomenal run to witness the importance of the new style of coaching. The Cats train with the view to executing their skills under intense game-simulated pressure, which requires them to be excellent decision-makers. The more they repeat their efforts in pressurised conditions, the better they become. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly the type of natural advantage that street games used to give kids. Denis Pagan coached North Melbourne premiership teams in 1996 and 1999 and is now coach of TAC Cup club Northern Knights.

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I should have kicked six goals ...well, ﬁve

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the interview

The law according to

Too often, footballers oﬀer stock answers and desperately avoid talking about their own skills. West Coast’s Ben McKinley proves refreshingly diﬀerent. PAU L DA FFEY

PHOTO: LACHLAN CUNNINGHAM/AFL PHOTOS

on’t you love it – the optimism of youth? Especially when coupled with the shine of success. West Coast forward Ben McKinley had a solid 2008. As a 21-year-old, he kicked 42 goals, surprising most by winning the Eagles’ goalkicking award, and now he wants to kick 60 goals in 2009. He’s booted five in the past two weeks and is sharpening his game after a slow start. Given his confidence, there seems no reason he can’t do it. No reason at all. When I ask how many goals he’s aiming for, he gives the figure without hesitation. He’s a footballer with nothing to hide. It’s so refreshing. He’s a very likeable bloke. McKinley sits behind a desk at the Eagles’ Subiaco headquarters, hands clasped before him, and soaks up every question. He’s never been interviewed by a journalist visiting from the eastern states, and you sense he’s enjoying the chat. He talks about going to the movies with housemate Matt Spangher on the discount nights (it seems even AFL players seek out the early-week deals) and about missing his girlfriend Morgan Deane, a Victorian sprint representative whom he met at Ivanhoe Grammar in Melbourne. He talks about his father Russell’s advice and his mother Andrea’s daily text messages. His brother Mark has just finished law and has started his articles in a big law firm in Melbourne.

McKinley is studying law at the University of Western Australia and he enjoys it. He likes exercising his mind away from footy. He talks about osteitis pubis, the condition that nearly ended his AFL career before it started, with only mild regret. He’s learned plenty since about fighting for form and fitness; maybe being injured did him a favour. He’s a leading forward in a wingman’s body. He’s 186cm (he’s grown two centimetres since last year), but he talks about his relative lack of height in a way that suggests it might just be an advantage. “The mid-sized forward is coming into the game,” he says. McKinley aligns himself with Bulldog Robert Murphy, Demon Russell Robertson and injured Crow Brett Burton, medium forwards who play ‘tall’ roles. I sense he considers this trio to be smarter than your average marking forward (190cm-plus) and he wants to do his bit to advance the under-sized firmament. He watches tapes of the trio, but his favourite player to study is former Adelaide star Tony Modra, who was a 188cm spearhead. Modra soared like a bird and swooped like a cat. McKinley describes him as a genius. With his groin inflammation in the past (his 2006 season was STANDING TALL:

Ben McKinley says the mid-sized forward is on the way back.

ruined but he recovered as the 2007 season wore on), McKinley again has a spring like Modra. He also has clean hands and a sweet right boot. It’s these qualities that saw him debut with West Coast in round 15, 2007, against Port Adelaide. He kicked a goal but was demoted the next week when the Eagles made half a dozen changes for their match against the Sydney Swans.

He talks about osteitis pubis, the condition that nearly ended his career before it started, with only mild regret McKinley makes a joke (eyes twinkling) that he was the one dropped for Ben Cousins, who returned after a long absence. Then he adds that his brief chance at the top level was a good thing. “I came out of it thinking it was not beyond me.” Last year, McKinley scored his chance in the Eagles’ line-up as a late replacement for Josh Kennedy when the heavens opened before the round three match against Fremantle. (See, his lack of height was an advantage.) He kicked three. The next week, in Sydney, he kicked four out of West Coast’s five goals. In round five, he kicked five against Port Adelaide and earned a nomination for the NAB AFL Rising Star award. In subsequent games, McKinley played on shutdown defenders such as Bulldog Dale Morris and Magpie Harry O’Brien. His form tapered until he was dropped – again one of half a dozen changes – after the

100-point loss to Collingwood in round 10. At the time, he was the Eagles’ leading goalkicker. He thought he deserved to keep his place, and took his concerns to John Worsfold. “I put my point across,” he says. McKinley was told his development would be better served by going back to East Perth. McKinley was back with the Eagles after two games. In round 18, he played what he believes was his best game of the year, the return match against Fremantle. He ran 14.5km, plenty for a half-forward. He picked up a swag of possessions and kicked two goals from a host of shots. “I should have kicked six!” he says, before mentally slapping himself. “Well, five.” In round 19 against Essendon, the club he supported as a kid, McKinley kicked seven. By now the footy world was taking notice. His final tally of 42 goals was remarkable for a young forward in a team that finished 15th. His achievement only hit home when he returned for the pre-season. Assistant coach Peter Sumich, who won the Eagles’ goalkicking seven times, informed McKinley that he should regard it as a triumph to be on the same honour board as him. McKinley laughed. Then, while watching television in the players’ room, he ran his eye over the honour board and there was his name: B. McKinley, 2008 leading goalkicker, 2008 rookie of the year. So what did he think? He pauses, smiles, and his eyes twinkle again. “I thought, ‘Good on me’.”

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300 GAMES

Fletcher For 17 seasons, Dustin Fletcher has been doing what he does best – shutting down dangerous opponents, launching attacks from the last line of defence … and ﬂying under the radar. But on the eve of becoming just the ﬁfth Essendon player to reach the 300-game mark, there is no escaping the spotlight this week for the modest champion. C A L LU M T WOMEY

ery little in football beats the winners’ rooms after a big, important win. This is obvious late last Saturday afternoon, just minutes after Essendon’s Anzac Day win over Collingwood. Club stalwarts and doormen throw their heads back in relief, reliving how the Bombers drove to a memorable ﬁve-point victory. The players are still rejoicing on the ground as chairman Ray Horsbugh walks through the open

AR06 p57-60 Fletcher.indd 57

double-doors with a smile just as wide. CEO Peter Jackson glides through cheerfully, as the players’ families and friends start to arrive. Then the distinct sound of footy boots on concrete becomes apparent, as 150-gamer Adam McPhee leads the team inside to rapturous applause. Patrick Ryder is wearing the Anzac Medal; captain Matthew Lloyd looks happy, despite a quiet day. Alwyn Davey is chirpy, Jason Winderlich is jumpy, and David Zaharakis, the young rookie who booted the

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goal to give the Bombers the win, appears stunned, trying to take in what has just happened. Somewhere, in the middle of all the chaos, looking as calm and relaxed as ever, is Dustin Fletcher. This is the 299th time Fletcher has walked into the Essendon rooms after a game. At 198cm, he is one of the tallest of the bunch and has bright red hair, yet still he manages to blend in. Indeed, Fletcher has made a career of spectacularly blending in. Nearly every week since he debuted in 1993, Fletcher has been fronting up for Essendon, the club his father Ken also played for, simply doing his job: making clever defensive spoils, taking solid, well-read marks, unleashing booming punts and pinpointing long passes. Notwithstanding last week’s amazing ﬁnish – the Bombers booted three goals late in time-on to snatch the win – the veteran defender says very little about the game now surprises him. “You play footy to play in good sides and to play with young kids,” he says, in between long gulps of a sports drink. “When you’ve got those young kids in your side and they’ve got plenty of talent, if you do the right things and you put the pressure on, then you’re halfway there.” Lloyd, Scott Lucas and Mark McVeigh loom large at Windy Hill, but Fletcher has been the heartbeat of the club for 17 seasons. This weekend against the Brisbane Lions, Fletcher is set to become only the ﬁfth Bomber to play 300 games. At season’s end, barring serious injury, he will sit behind only Simon Madden (378) and Dick Reynolds (320) for most games played for Essendon. Matthew Knights, who was working with the club before taking over as coach at the end of 2007, understands well the important role Fletcher has played, both in successful and struggling periods. “He’s done a wonderful job. He and (former coach Kevin Sheedy) ‘Sheeds’ had a great relationship and he’s been superb for such a long period,” Knights says.

YOUNG AT HEART:

Dustin Fletcher shares the joy of last week’s win with David Zaharakis, who kicked the winning goal.

“It’s hard to ﬁnd a defender who’s so reliable because it’s such a difﬁcult position to play and so scary at times when that ball is coming in to defence. “To have someone who can hold his nerve and use the ball well when he gets it is a bonus. I’d probably like to be playing him less minutes and conserving him more, but it’s very hard to take him off the ground because he’s so good. “He’s just a pleasure to coach. I’m so lucky as a young coach to have him.” It would seem, however, that Fletcher isn’t so keen on the attention. Throughout his career, famously beginning way back in the Baby Bombers’ 1993 premiership season, Fletcher has remained relatively elusive. He’s been happy enough to

You have to be pretty relaxed playing in the backline because there’s not much you can do when the ball gets delivered well speak, but rarely will the gangly full-back be on the back page or part of a breaking story. Most certainly he’s not a tabloid seller. Fletcher has never sought the spotlight and, even with a major milestone coming up, isn’t overly forthcoming about himself. That’s just his way, but he does acknowledge the 300-game mark means plenty. “I think when you ﬁnish footy it does. We haven’t had too much success on my milestones so I suppose in a sense it’s just a matter of getting out there and trying to play like we did last week and going from there,” Fletcher says.

“I’ll look back on it, and it’s a good achievement. But once you’re out there, you just have to try and get a kick and do your best.” Fletcher’s arrival at the elite level is well documented. Aged 17 and completing year 12 at Essendon Grammar in Melbourne, Fletcher lined up against the likes of Tony Lockett, Jason Dunstall and Stephen Kernahan. Yet never did he seem overawed. Those close to him say his even temperament has been a key to his success and longevity, and he agrees. “That probably is one of my

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W H AT H I S S K I P P E R S AY S

Equal with Hird Dustin Fletcher. There aren’t many AFL fans across the land who wouldn’t know who he is or recognise him in the street. Here, Fletcher’s great mate and Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd looks back over their time together at Windy Hill.

ANOTHER RECORD:

Last year, the Fletchers broke the record for most number of games by a father/son combination.

assets. Being at full-back you have to be pretty relaxed, but in saying that, there are times when you have got to try and stand up a bit more,” Fletcher says. “You have to be pretty relaxed playing in the backline because there’s not much you can do when the ball gets delivered well.” Fletcher has displayed plenty of courage on the field, whether backing into packs to effect a spoil, or carrying severe injuries into matches for the sake of his team. In the 2001 finals, Fletcher played with stress fractures in his right foot, and many would remember his face gushing blood after a heavy collision against West Coast in Perth in 2004. It was 2000, though, that defined Fletcher as a champion. In a team that lost just one match for the year en route to a commanding Grand Final win over Melbourne, Fletcher was voted the club’s best and fairest player. Even with James Hird at his best, Lloyd kicking a ton and players such as Blake Caracella

and Justin Blumfield dominating, Fletcher was considered the best. It’s an achievement that even the most modest of men can’t ignore, but Fletcher again attempts to deflect the attention. “Again, I’ll probably look back at the best and fairest once I’ve finished footy. I just try and play in the team environment and do my job, and with ‘Lloydy’ and Lucas being such great players, I tend to just go about my business and do what I’ve got to do to try and hold the backline together. That’s all I try to do,” he says. In the rooms, Fletcher is struggling to hold his kids together as they and the Davey clan dodge reporters and jostle for balls bouncing off the ceiling and walls. It’s close to a safety hazard, but the young Fletcher boys, both with Dad’s No. 31 on their ragged Essendon jumpers, are loving it, with mum Suzie close by watching over their movements. “Mason and Max have only just started footy, but in saying that, they love any sport. They’re typical boys and love a good run

“What I love about him is he’s as humble a person as I’ve ever met,” Lloyd says. “He’s low-key, a genuine person – you wouldn’t meet a nicer bloke, and he’s a great family man.” But what about the Dustin Fletcher we see every weekend, giving his all for the Bombers? “Dustin the player? I’ve played on him many a time at training, and I think I might have got four on him once, but apart from that time, it was probably just one or two,” Lloyd says.

At 17, he had Tony Modra, Jason Dunstall, Gary Ablett, Wayne Carey as opponents – that’s enough to mentally scar you for the rest of your career

“We took (Michael) Hurley in the draft last year because when Fletcher (retires), it’s going to be a huge hole to fill,” he says. “You can see the way Michael is around Dustin – he just hangs off every word. You can also see the way he watches him at training. “I had James Hird, Paul Salmon, Michael Long, Gavin Wanganeen – so it’s great for Michael to have possibly the greatest backman in the club’s history to learn from.” Lloyd praised the durability of the 198cm, 93kg Fletcher, who started at the club as a teenager playing against grown men. “At 17, he had Tony Modra, Jason Dunstall, Gary Ablett, Wayne Carey as opponents – that’s enough to mentally scar you for the rest of your career,” Lloyd says, laughing. “He’s been durable and consistent the entire way through his career. He’s been enormous.” Where does Lloyd rate Fletcher among the all-time Essendon greats? “Dustin’s probably the most underrated bloke I’ve played with, probably because he’s stopping goals and not kicking them. “I rate him equal with Hird, to be honest.” This is an edited version of a story by Mic Cullen, courtesy afl.com.au

SIDE BY SIDE: Matthew

Lloyd and Fletcher have played 15 seasons together.

“Not many guys have pace and strength, but he’s got both of those. With his oﬀ-the-mark pace – we’d be lost without him, to be honest. “He’s cat-like on the ground, his speed oﬀ the mark is enormous and he’s deceptively strong with his Inspector Gadget arms, so he’s got it all, to be honest. He’s been one of the greats of our footy club.” Lloyd says not only is Fletcher a club legend, he is also a great teacher and role model, an invaluable asset for a club with a young list.

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He reads the play as well as any key defender, and Knights is grateful he can use Fletcher to share the knowledge with the team’s young players

round. Suzie comes to games every week, and has been a great support. Obviously I couldn’t do it without them,” the 33-year-old (34 on Thursday) says, turning again to watch them scoot within centimetres of onlookers. The Fletcher name, of course, has been synonymous with Essendon since Dustin’s father, Ken, debuted in 1967, playing 264 games. They hold the record for the most games by a father and one son in League history (563). Luckily for Essendon, Fletcher chose football over tennis, his other sporting passion as a teenager. He played alongside

Mark Philippoussis and teamed with Chris Anstey (who became a basketball star) in doubles. Fletcher’s career has been marked by an ability to make great decisions. He knows when to stand off his man, when to attack, when to run back. He reads the play as well as any key defender, and Knights is grateful he can use Fletcher to share that knowledge with the team’s young players. “He has had an enormous impact on (Patrick) Ryder’s career, particularly early on when Patrick played in defence, and now it’s just so important that he helps Darcy Daniher,

Tayte Pears and Michael Hurley because they’ve all got prodigious talent, but they need Fletcher’s guidance to come through,” Knights says. Fletcher certainly is keen to play that role, and says the greatest thrill he gets from football these days is watching his young teammates run and take the game on. How long he plays that role is unknown. For now, he just wants to be seen “as someone who was reliable and did his best every week”. It’s safe to say that’s not all Dustin Fletcher will be remembered for.

FAC T F I L E

Dustin Fletcher Born: May 7, 1975 Recruited from: Essendon Grammar/Western U18 Debut: round 2, 1993 Height: 198cm Weight: 93kg Games: 299 Goals: 65 Honours: best and fairest 2000; All-Australian 2000, 2007; International Rules 2005, 2006; premiership sides 1993, 2000; pre-season premiership sides 1994, 2000.

60 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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ofessional The Fremantle champion and captain is a perfectionist, leaving nothing to chance on or oﬀ the ﬁeld. A NDR EW WA L L ACE

B PHOTO: MICHAEL WILLSON/AFL PHOTOS

efore the start of the season, the AFL Record asked every player to answer a series of questions for their 2009 pocket profiles. On the topic of teammate most likely to succeed after football, no fewer than 19 Fremantle players nominated Matthew Pavlich. The Dockers captain, who this week is set to brings up game No. 200, prides himself not only on elite performance as a footballer, but also furthering himself away from the field. He may be the ultimate professional. Aside from a venture with teammate Paul Hasleby (and other investors) in the Seaview bar and restaurant in Fremantle, Pavlich has undertaken university studies for the past eight years, initially dabbling in business and commerce before moving into a science degree in human biology and human movement. “It’s been a long haul, given it has been part-time and that the constraints are very difficult with training, playing and travelling,”

AR06 p62-65 Pavlich.indd 63

Pavlich said. “I hope to finish my undergrad at the end of the year and would definitely like to go on and complete further study.” While not sure which path his studies will eventually lead him down, the 27-year-old is committed to being a wellrounded person. He credits this broad-mindedness to parents Steve and Janet. “They’ve always pushed having a good balance in life, understanding that if you throw all your eggs in the one basket, it may not be the best way forward,” Pavlich said. “So they certainly encouraged me at least to get my head out of football and focus on other interests.” As with any leader, Pavlich is keen to impart his values on those around him, and has used his column on afl.com.au to promote the importance of his teammates and AFL colleagues partaking in external activities. “The beauty of being on an AFL list is that it opens up so many doors for guys to go and further themselves as people,” he said. “University study is not for everyone, but there are other opportunities out there that the

AFL Players’ Association presents – work placements, TAFE courses, real estate courses – whatever you like, you can tailor it to your own speciﬁc needs.” Pavlich’s professionalism is one of the reasons he is held in such high regard at Fremantle. Players who forget or ignore sponsor commitments and interviews can make the lives of off-ﬁeld staff a nightmare, damaging the reputation of a club in the process. However, for Luke Morfesse, general manager of media and communications at the Dockers, working with the highly sought-after Pavlich is a dream. “You can tell Matthew about an appointment three weeks in advance, and there is never any need for even the slightest reminder,” Morfesse said. “Without fail, he’ll be there on or even ahead of time.” The No. 4 draft pick from has adopted the perfectionist mindset ever since landing in Western Australia via the 1999 National AFL Draft. “Just knowing that this game and this industry doesn’t always last that long, I wanted to give

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myself the best shot to make the most out of myself,” Pavlich said. “With that comes professionalism and making sure that you treat your body like a temple. Notwithstanding that, you need to get out there and enjoy yourself socially, your primary focus is making sure your body is 100 per cent ready to go for an AFL training session, an AFL game, an AFL season.” In the fledgling days of his AFL career, Pavlich followed the lead of veteran teammate Shane Parker who, despite never being the most talented player at the Dockers, extracted every ounce of his ability to finish with the club’s games record (238 from 1995-2007), as well as two runner-up finishes in the best and fairest. “As a younger player, you look to who you see doing all of the right things and ticking all of the right boxes, and it was no surprise that his durability shone through,” Pavlich said. “Without him knowing it, his leadership in that respect was outstanding.” Now into his 10th AFL season, the former WoodvilleWest Torrens junior cannot comprehend how fast the time has ticked by. “I remember a number of people saying to me early on in my career that it will go quickly, and I can absolutely guarantee that, nine-and-a-half years down the track, it has flown. “To still be here in Perth and play 200 games at one club is something I’m very proud of, but FAC T F I L E

Matthew Pavlich Born: December 31, 1981 Recruited from: Woodville-West Torrens (SA) Debut: round 5, 2000 Height: 192cm Weight: 100kg Games: 199 Goals: 389 Honours: best and fairest 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; 2nd best and fairest 2003; 3rd best and fairest 2004; All-Australian 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; International Rules Series 2002, 2003; leading goalkicker 2001 (equal), 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; AFL Rising Star nominee 2000; captain since 2007.

it is certainly not about just me – a lot of people get you to those 200 games, be they friends, your partner or all the different people at the football club.” Pavlich’s thoughts on whether he will remain a oneclub player have caused intense speculation in the media of late, after he refused to rule out eventually leaving the Dockers on Channel Seven’s Game Day program on April 19. Out of contract at the end of 2010, Pavlich makes no apologies for being as open as possible with his club and the general public. “Sometimes it feels like being overly honest might not be such a great thing,” he mused. “But if you live by those values and be as honest and transparent as you can, then things can’t come back to bite you. “I’m very, very, very committed to this football club for the next 18 months, and have been for the last nine-and-a-half years now, so for people to say otherwise is quite interesting and probably uneducated, really. I’m not even halfway through this contract, so for it even to be raised is quite absurd.” Although freely admitting that there have been plenty of “tumultuous” times in his stay at Fremantle, Pavlich thinks back fondly to the club’s 2006 season, when it won the last nine home and away games and reached a preliminary ﬁnal. “Hopefully, we can get back to that stage soon,” he said. Hot on the heels of his recent television comments was an article by Demons legend Garry Lyon in Melbourne’s Age newspaper, contending that Pavlich and the Dockers may be better off parting ways. And back in 2007, former St Kilda coach Grant Thomas implied that Pavlich might be more concerned with playing well than his side winning. Pavlich, however, remains oblivious to any external views. “Like a lot of players, I try to stay away from the papers as much as I can, and focus on the internal feedback that I know is important.” Always one to look at the bigger picture, the six-time All-Australian was also wary not to panic after missing several

TOTAL COMMITMENT:

Matthew Pavlich’s professionalism has seen him play 199 of a possible 203 games for the Dockers since his debut in 2000.

The beauty of being on an AFL list is that it opens up so many doors for guys to go and further themselves as people crucial goals in 2008, feeling that at 62.2 per cent, his overall goalkicking accuracy is more than respectable. “Over such a long period of time, you probably should put things in perspective,” he said. “The most accurate goalkickers in the history of the competition have only averaged between 60 to 70 per cent, and that’s where I sit at the moment. “Sure at times last year there were moments I would liked to have handled better, and over the pre-season – like everyone – I was diligent with all parts of my game, including goalkicking. But there was no speciﬁc extra focus.” Pavlich is a strong supporter of Mark Harvey, who has also felt the heat and glare of the media

spotlight in a coaching career of 34 games for just 11 wins. The skipper points to the loss of Peter Bell, Heath Black, Josh and Matthew Carr, Jeff Farmer, Mark Johnson, Shaun McManus, Luke Webster and Robert Warnock at the end of last season as one reason for Fremantle’s ordinary start to 2009. “Sometimes people don’t really understand what a club is trying to achieve,” Pavlich said. “When you lose 1500-odd games worth of experience and draft 14 new players (nine senior list, ﬁve rookies) it’s quite rich for some to say that Mark is going down the wrong path.” Statistically speaking, the Dockers have gone from having the oldest AFL list in 2008 to the ninth youngest this year, a

64 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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dramatic shift by any estimation. “Mark’s steadfast in making sure the young fellas are developing as quickly as possible, and I obviously play a very important part in that. “He’s a demanding coach and expects the best out of his ery honest and players – he’s very m that point of forthright from he same time he view – but at the has got a good light-heartedness n. he can bring in. “What the media and ne per public see is one re cent of the entire at is person, so what he portrayed in the media and on TV isn’t alwayss accurate of the hind personality behind the scenes.” ork of The hard work vlich Harvey and Pavlich eek, paid off last week, kers when the Dockers recorded their opening on over win of the season ans the Sydney Swans after a month of disappointing losses. o racked Pavlich, who ons and up 27 possessions lieves it three goals, believes he club’s is crucial for the four to six-yearr players el Johnson, such as Michael David Mundy and Brett Peake to prop up the new talent coming through. ard to “It’s really hard quantify how quickly we und, and can turn it around,

I’d love to have the crystal ball out to know exactly,” he said. “But it’s the middle tier who are going to pull the ship in the right direction.” To escape from the stresses of media, captaincy and winning and losing, the five-time best and h fairest winner enjoys heading destinatio once off to distant destinations football is finish nished for the year. “I love to ttravel and in the off-sea off-season I try to get as far away a from Perth and Aus Australia as I can. When I do get away, I realise where we sit in the broader sc scheme of things.” Pavlich’s favourite fa trips have included inc Spain and Fran France, as well as the we west coast of the US, whi while he also likes a hi hit of golf and simply socialising so and being a ““normal human being being” away from the field during the season. His life, and an that of partner Lauren, La has been turned tu upside do down recently with the acquisi acquisition of a Labra Labrador puppy called Toby, wh who is about five months ol old. “He’s ca causing

It’s a game that encompasses the whole state and it’s just great to play in front of a full house at Subiaco us a few headaches, but as long as our message is pretty consistent, we think we might get there,” Pavlich said. “Lauren and I both had Labradors growing up, so it was a bit of a no-brainer to get one at some stage.” Pavlich insists that Toby is not a precursor for children – “we’ll take a few other steps at the right time before that happens” – but loves getting out in the backyard and down at the park with his new family member. And, while Pavlich may be proving a soft touch on the home front, this week’s opponent, arch rival West Coast, can expect no favours in game No. 200. Fremantle has won the past three local derbies, with the athletic key forward booting nine goals and earning ﬁve out of a possible six Brownlow Medal votes in the two clashes in 2008. “It’s a game that encompasses the whole state, and it’s just great to play in front of a full house at Subiaco Oval that isn’t necessarily 100 per cent in your corner. Last year we were very fortunate to win both derbies, and hopefully we can do it again.”

The everywhere man Although he spends much of his time in attack these days, Pavlich is a rare breed who can hold down a key post at either end of the ground or even rotate through the midfield. He has been named in the All-Australian team six times, the first in 2002 at the age of 20 when he was selected at full-back. He has also earned selection at half-forward (2003), centre half-forward (2005), interchange (2006 and 2008), and full-forward (2007). “Playing in a variety of positions has been a really important tool for me,” he said. “From an educational point of view, the opportunity to play in different roles and on different opponents has been first-class.” Pavlich is unsure if he will move from his preferred position in attack in the latter part of his career, but does enjoy the occasional run on the ball, provided there aren’t too many “quick little fellas” going around.

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unique skills

From a dribble

PARTY TRICKS: Stephen Milne

(top) and Max Rooke dribbled through goals from tight angles.

nce, it seemed, brilliant goals were the sole domain of brilliant players. Wizards of yesteryear such as Peter Daicos, Gary Ablett snr and Darren Jarman seemed to monopolise the nominations for Goal of the Year, and where Daicos was concerned, some of his most memorable majors were the result of a revolutionary kick that became his signature move – the spinning, gyrating, beliefsuspending ‘dribble’ kick that seemed to snake its way around opponents to cross the goal line. The perceived level of difﬁculty associated with this rarest of kicks was such that few of Daicos’ peers had the gumption or skill to even attempt it, let alone emulate him. Indeed, ‘The Macedonian Marvel’ was ahead of his time.

But recently there has been a spate of so-called Daicos-like goals and, despite what we would naturally expect to be the case, these mini-miracles haven’t simply been the work of geniuses – blue-collar boys have also been getting in on the act. The classic example of this evolutionary shift came last Sunday at Skilled Stadium when Geelong utility Max Rooke, widely admired for his kamikaze approach, added delightful deftness to his repertoire by slotting a superb dribble goal. Not only that, Rooke did it from the tightest of angles, under pressure from the Brisbane Lions defence, and in the wind and wet! Rooke’s effort was preceded by an even more clinical ﬁnish from a more recognised goal conjurer, Stephen Milne, who set his Saints alight with his excellence of execution against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

IMAGES COURTESY AFL FILMS, SEVEN NETWORK, FOX SPORTS

What was once a freakish act is now becoming an art-form. BEN COL LINS

Not only that, Rooke did it from the tightest of angles, under pressure from the Brisbane Lions defence, and in the wind and the wet! Milne rendered the Power faithful speechless when he made the ball talk, his exquisite boundary-line feat showcasing a classical shaping of the ball from right to left from his right out-step. Daicos could not have done it better himself. A spellbinding ﬁfth round also featured a spectacular attempt by West Coast goalsneak Mark LeCras against Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium. LeCras’ remarkable ingenuity deserved better than the assist he was ultimately awarded for his sizeable hand in a toe-poke goal to teammate Ben McKinley. Other notable dribbles in the recent past have included those by Carlton’s Ryan Houlihan at the SCG in round four, along with 2008 beauties from Port

Adelaide freak Daniel Motlop against Fremantle at Subiaco, young Hawk Cyril Rioli’s effort to thread one through trafﬁc against Richmond at the MCG, and Dale Thomas’ much-lauded longer, low one in Collingwood’s 86-point win over Geelong at the same venue. Magpie Leon Davis and Blue Eddie Betts also perform such acts on a regular basis. There have been too many to mention, and the phenomenon is on the rise. Picking Daicos’ brain on such things is always a captivating exercise. Like most geniuses, he looks at things from a different perspective – and he didn’t disappoint us. He has some intriguing theories on why players are

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increasingly attempting – and having success with – this style of kick, including that: The ball isn’t as big as it once was, thus ensuring greater control off the boot and less deviation when it bounces. (The AFL says that while balls haven’t become smaller, improved manufacturing techniques have meant they hold their shape better.) Grounds are less ovalshaped at the ends, with the pockets not as tight as they once were, meaning players positioned on the boundary can see more daylight between the posts. (The AFL says there is no evidence to suggest this.) However, Daicos’s main explanation for the dribble deluge is far more circumspect. “The difference now is that players have the conﬁdence to actually try it,” Daicos says. “But, like with any kick, you can teach someone the technique of how to do it, but the one key thing you can’t teach is how hard to kick the thing. That’s a feel and touch thing, and it’s quite evident that players who kick these goals have terriﬁc touch. “Their touch is really improving across the board and that’s a direct by-product of having the great luxury of being professional players who can train every day and perfect their skills. It’s like a golfer getting out

It was probably the ﬁrst time I’ve tried it in a game. But I’d like to think that I’ve practised it enough over the years for it to come oﬀ MAX ROOKE

there and hitting hundreds of balls before a major tournament. “You only have to look at the fact that players like Rooke are doing it. I wouldn’t call him an overly skilled performer or anything like that, and nothing against him because I think he’s a fantastic player, but just to try it shows they’ve done enough prep to go for it.” The master is right – Rooke has practised dribble kicks for many years, although not at Cats training for some time. In fact, it comes as no surprise that Rooke, like his sublimely skilled teammate Steve Johnson, was actually inspired by Daicos’ heroics to experiment as a youngster. “It was probably the ﬁrst time I’ve tried it in a game,” Rooke reveals. “But I’d like to think that I’ve practised it enough over the years for it to come off when it mattered. I felt conﬁdent I’d kick it, but I wouldn’t back myself to get it every time. “It’s pretty rare that you get a chance to use it. The right thing

to do is look for someone in a better position ﬁrst and normally there is someone on their own in the middle and you do the team thing and pass it to them. “But I looked up and couldn’t see any other options, and there was a vacant goalsquare, so I put it on my boot as best I could.” Rooke didn’t have to think – it was an instinctive response. As Daicos says, when we’re under pressure, we revert to what we know, and what we’ve been conditioned to, and that’s where instinct takes over. Kevin Ball – the kicking coach for the AIS-AFL Academy squad and rugby league club Melbourne Storm, and who previously worked with AFL clubs Melbourne, Hawthorn and Fremantle – says: “In some cases, there is a bit of a swing back toward this sort of stuff at training. “For a while, clubs eliminated the experimentation after training, but I think it’s coming back and a lot of what we’re seeing on the ﬁeld comes back to players mucking around at training and playing little games like ‘footy golf’, which portant in the is important ing process.” learning lne says: “Our Milne ard coach Leigh forward Tudorr loves those kind of goals and courages us he encourages

SHOW-STOPPERS: Max Rooke (with Geelong teammate Tom Hawkins) celebrates his incredible ible goal ﬀort against the Brisbane Lions last week; St Kilda’s Stephen Milne was just as happy with his eﬀ nstincts. against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium; former Pie Peter Daicos had freakish goalkicking instincts.

to practise it because you never know when you might need to do it in games. We have little competitions and a few of our guys are pretty good at it. As they say, practise makes perfect.” Daicos says the key to skill development is experimentation. He calls it ‘play time’. The many confounded observers who dismissed some of his goals as mere flukes were short-sighted. The fact is Daicos had been practising dribble kicks since the age of six. He and his mates would place jumpers on the ground as goals and the only way they could judge accuracy was to bounce the ball through. Daicos says: “Some people thought: ‘He’s done that for the first time; that’s a fluke’. But it doesn’t just happen. What you see at AFL level is only the finished product. I would have done that exact same kick a hundred times with my mates.” But is it a more accurate kick? Daicos swears by it, and others are also adamant that imparting the correct spin on the ball can significantly open up the acutest of angles. Ball says: “For ce certain players circum in certain circumstances, it probably is the best option. It depends on th the individual, but it’s proba probably not more accurate on tthe whole. It’s about choos choosing the right option for the situation and your skill level.” Regard Regardless, one thing is ccertain: it will be us used more in future ge generations. “I’m se seeing it a lot more in ju junior footy Dai now,” Daicos says. “Kids have access to f a lot more footy on TV these days than ever before and it’s a great educationa tool because educational they then try t to emulate the more sk skilful aspects of the gam game. se “They seem fascinate by the art fascinated of boun bouncing them throug and I get through, a real kick out o of it.”

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time on Answer man

AFL history guru Col Hutchinson answers your queries.

Hangover for Hawks?

REGAINING THEIR VOICE:

The Hawks celebrate their second win of the season last Saturday.

How many times have the reigning premiers won only one of their ﬁrst four games the following season? Is it more prevalent in recent times as a result of the limit on squad numbers? GREG THEDE, VIA EMAIL CH: The Hawks became the

14th team to begin a post-ﬂag season with three losses in the ﬁrst four contests. The others have been Melbourne (1901, 1942 and 1949), Carlton (1909), South Melbourne (1910), Essendon (1913), Richmond (1922 and 1970), Hawthorn (1962), North Melbourne (1976 and 1997), Adelaide (1998) and Sydney (2006). Adelaide recovered to win the 1998 Grand Final.

After winning the 1958 premiership, Collingwood began the following season disastrously, losing its opening ﬁve matches before steadying to ﬁnish the year in fourth place.

WRITE TO ANSWER MAN The Slattery Media Group 140 Harbour Esplanade Docklands, 3008 or email michaell@slatterymedia.com

P L AY E R I N F O R M AT I O N S E A R C H

Are you, or do you know, a descendant of former player Reginald Eric Conole? Originally from Port Adelaide, Conole made the ﬁrst of his 47 appearances for Melbourne in round nine, 1930, close to 28 years of age. He spent four seasons as a 174cm, 71kg ‘spare parts’ Redleg, performing capably anywhere in

defence, as a centreman or half-forward ﬂanker. In attack, he contributed six goals. For most of his career, he wore No. 22, except in his last year when he switched to 29. His wife was formerly Florence (Pat)

Read. He died in Melbourne on January 4, 1967. Should you have any information about Conole, including his date of birth, contact Col Hutchinson on (03) 9643 1929 or col.hutchinson@aﬂ.com.au.

NAB RISINGAFL STAR

p76

NAME GAME

Sons of the soil The surnames of Demons John Meesen and Matthew Bate (right) do not seem to have much in common. Yet both are derivatives of a name that has appeared in many forms: Bartholomew. Bartholomew is an Aramaic patronymic (“father-son” name) from bar (“son of”) and Talmay (“having many furrows” – i.e., rich in land). Diminutive forms of Bartholomew which have appeared on lists include Bartel, Bartlett, Bate (although Bate could also be from the Old English for “boat” – as in Hawk Chance Bateman (“boatman”) – and possibly Mew. An Italian diminutive form of the name is that of Carlton dual premiership player Mario Bortolotto. Meesen’s name is a patronymic based on a Dutch diminutive form (Mees) of the last part of the Latin Bartholomaeus, so would originally have been “son of little (or younger) Bartholomew”. K E VA N C A R ROL L

visit aﬂ.com.au

NAB AFL Tipping - Win $20,000 The official tipping competition of the AFL The round five weekly winner was Aaron Lyall. The round five celebrity competition winner was Raelene Boyle. There are fantastic cash prizes to be won every week – join in the fun now at afl.com.au

68 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au NAB_Tipping_60x179_Rd 6.indd 1

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COLLECTABLES WITH RICK MILNE

Flag on the menu A weekly look at collectables, memorabilia and all footy things stored in boxes and garages. I have a 1961 Hawthorn premiership dinner menu signed by the players, including Brendan Edwards, John Peck and Graham Arthur. I was wondering about its value and the best place to sell it. MARTIN, VIA EMAIL RM: You have something

special, Martin. Auction is the only way to go. We have one on May 17 and I believe your item would sell for at leastt $1000. I met someone at a recent ent family gathering who told me he had a full set of 1964 Sun VFL club captain patches, including ding Melbourne’s Ron Barassi ssi and South Melbourne’s Bob b Skilton. Any idea of value? LUKE, VIA EMAIL RM: Not a fortune, Luke. uke. These

were very popular att the time and now sell for $20 each. I have a few and they sell slowly.

RM: About $500 is probably

right as the Carnival was held 85 years ago. I have a Ross Faulkner football signed by the 1996 Sydney Swans Grand Final side and by Ron Barassi. Is it worth anything? RACHAEL, VIA EMAIL RM: There are many signed

footballs in the market and yours would be more valuable if the Swans had won in 1996. As it is, you would be looking at $200.

RICK’S RARITY

In 1906, Richmond Richm was two years away from joining the VFL. As a VFA club, it played host to South Adelaide and defeated the visitors. Also, from the look of the fellow in the shi shirtsleeves in the front row, South Adelaide even brought its own umpire to Victoria. Regardless, th there are at least as many oﬃcials as there are footballers. f

HISTORIC: A reader

has a 1961 premiership dinner menu signed by players, including Graham Arthur.

I have an identical item m to one I recently saw in a shop. It is a program from the he 1924 Carnival played in Hobart bart and the one in the shop was as valued at more than $500. Is this an accurate evaluation? TREVOR, VIA EMAIL

CONTACT RICK MILNE mrpp@iprimus.com.au or drop him a line: 5 Cooraminta St, Brunswick, Vic, 3056 or call (03) 9387 4131. One query per reader.

WATCH BEFORE THE GAME SATURDAY NIGHTS ON TEN

beforethegame.com.au LADDER ANDY DAVE MICK LEHMO SAM STRAUCHANIE

28 27 25 25 22 16

TIPSTERS

MICK North Melbourne Hawthorn West Coast Eagles Brisbane Lions Port Adelaide Sydney Swans Geelong Cats Western Bulldogs

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LEHMO Collingwood Hawthorn West Coast Eagles Brisbane Lions Port Adelaide Sydney Swans Geelong Cats St Kilda

DAVE Collingwood Carlton West Coast Eagles Brisbane Lions Adelaide Sydney Swans Geelong Cats St Kilda

STRAUCHANIE North Melbourne Carlton Fremantle Essendon Adelaide Richmond Melbourne Western Bulldogs

SAM Collingwood Hawthorn West Coast Eagles Brisbane Lions Port Adelaide Sydney Swans Geelong Cats St Kilda

ANDY Collingwood Carlton West Coast Eagles Brisbane Lions Port Adelaide Sydney Swans Geelong Cats Western Bulldogs

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IN THE OUTER AC R O S S 7 8 10 11 12

First Brownlow Medal winner (7)

13 14 15 to 20 22 23

An early ﬁnal (4)

DOWN 1

Same sound, diﬀerent spelling of 7 across. Harry played nine games with Blues from 1916-17 (7)

2 3

Slammin’ Sam (8)

4 5

Captain Blood (4, 4)

Former Carlton captain, now ABC commentator, Mark ....... (7)

Ross the Roo Brownlow Medal winner (11)

Running Hawk, Chance .......(7) Points Against (initials) (2) Smallest possible margin (3) St Kilda star No. 2 draft pick in 2001 (4, 4) Former Bulldog full-forward (5, 3, 2) Switched from West Coast

The highest status in the Australian Football Hall of Fame (6) South Brownlow Medal winner ...... Matthews (6)

Demons in 2004 (7, 4) Brother of Chad (4, 6) Broadcaster .... Morphett (4) Demons’ latest Brownlow medallist (8)

27 To hassle an opponent (6) 28 Carlton 1995 premiership defender, fell oﬀ the podium celebrating! (4)

29 First word of Blues’ team song (2) 30 Port Adelaide’s Steven ....... (7)

16 Given name of Swan known for his leaping (3)

17 18 19 21 24

AFL Football Operations Manager (8) Initials of ﬁrst Fremantle captain (2) Simon ......., Bulldog fullforward (7) Former Hawks coach, Peter ...... (6) Term for three-point score in International Rules (4)

25 Big advantage if you kick with it (4) 26 Time for punishing training sessions (4)

2 Which Hawk retired and following the 1991 Gr Final after a League record 426 matches? A Leigh Matthews B Michael Tuck C Gary Ayres

Which team won three premierships in a row from 2001-03? A Essendon B Port Adelaide C Brisbane Lions

1. Sewell loses energy, becomes

confused, plays for North. 2. Salad not tossed at St Kilda. 3. Situation at the start of

the high jump at Sydney. 4. Drab wash recycled

at Brisbane. down his opponents? 6. Swan girl mistakenly at

Arden Street.

In which year did Chris Judd win the Norm Smith Medal? A 2005 B 2007 C 2006

7. Accountant, politician, former

Docker skipper at Hawthorn. 8. Tiger initially not at

Hawthorn as stated. 9. Swan wrecked Hird’s car. 10. Magpie among those

wondering – did Akermanis make the right decision?

THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS

b Which team is the only club yet to win a premiership? A Fremantle B Carlton C Adelaide

Cryptic footballers

5. Demon – does he grind

d hed Collingwood last reache and 2 200 in al Fin nd the Gra 2003, losing both games to the Brisbane Lions. When did it last win a Grand Final? A 1958 B 1990 C 1953

Tango man

eellong player Which Gee 0 7 007 200 the won Norm Smith Medal? A Gary Ablett jnr B Jimmy Bartel C Steve Johnson SCRAMBLED FOOTBALLER: Montagna CRYPTIC FOOTBALLERS: 1. Wells 2. Dal Santo 3. Barlow 4. Bradshaw 5. Miller 6. Rawlings 7. Campbell 8. Nahas 9. Richards 10. Didak PLAY ON: 8.c 9.b 10.a 11.c 12.a 13.a 14.b 15.c

Scrambled footballer Which nonW Vic V torian team played its ﬁrst ﬁnals match in 2003, losing to Essendon? A Fremantle B West Coast C Port Adelaide

72 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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WHERE’S WALLY

Hear, hear for Aurora The ‘Launie’ trip is growing in popularity. A NDR EW WA L L ACE

FL venues across Australia have their own unique rituals and, according to ground manager Robert Groenewegen, Launceston’s Aurora Stadium is no different. “We test the siren six times before the first bounce,” he says wryly. “Then we test it again.” The site formerly known as York Park wrote itself into football folklore in round five, 2006, when the result of the St Kilda-Fremantle game was officially overturned from a draw to a Dockers win due to the umpires’ inability to hear the final siren. Much has changed since then, including the location of the timekeepers’ box, the decibel level of the siren (industrial earmuffs are now recommended) and the fact the Saints have again permanently based themselves on the “mainland”. But with Hawthorn playing four home-away-from-home games each season at Aurora, a trip to the Apple Isle is becoming one of the great footy traditions. The Tasmanian government estimates that the Hawthorn sponsorship generated 24,000 additional tourists and $15.1 million for its economy in 2008. And if a dollar were handed out for every smug-looking, brown-and-gold-attired tourist (how could the Cats let them win?) spotted loitering the streets of ‘Launie’ across a game weekend, my bank account would be sporting a similar balance. Apart from catching Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin in action, another popular, nerve-jangling, yet exhilarating activity is to get out to the Hollybank Treetops Adventure, which is a 20-minute drive from town. The set-up is like a bigger, better, safer flying fox than you ever rode as a kid, with almost three-quarters of a kilometre

MELBOURNE

Andrew ‘Wally’ Wallace travelled to Launceston courtesy of Jetstar.

ISLE IS SLE BE BACK BACK: (Cl (Clockwise k i ffrom

to top) The ﬁrst premiership game u under lights at Aurora Stadium; W Wally catches up with fan fa favourite ‘Hawker’ at Hawthorn’s p post-match function at Albert H Hall; and takes a visit to Cataract G Gorge. Also attempts to look b brave on the Hollybank Treetops A Adventure, says hi to the Jetstar ﬂight crew and tests the new si siren set-up at Aurora.

Aurora Stadium matches in ‘09 9 Round

Date

Visiting team

June 14

Brisbane Lions

July 12

North Melbourne

August 8

St Kilda

SYDNEY

RECORD visit afl record.com.au (up to 374 dailyAFL flights) (daily flights)

AR06 p74 Where's Wally.indd 74

of cables nestled high in the Tasmanian forest. Once you strap yourself into a harness with the help of guides, you can whiz at up to 50 kilometres an hour between seven specially constructed platforms called cloud stations, with the longest span almost 400 metres long over the picturesque Pipers River. Those lacking courage in such situations should be encouraged, as this red and white striped “pussy cat” – as labelled by guide Greg Belkner with accompanying sound effects – made it safely back to ground with little more than a case of white knuckles. Fear-induced hunger can later be quelled with one of the juiciest steaks imaginable at the Jailhouse Grill on Launceston’s Wellington Street, and the excess calories worked off with a stroll down to Cataract Gorge, only a few minutes from the town centre. But back to Aurora. Last week’s Hawthorn-West Coast clash was the ﬁrst game played for premiership points under lights at the venue. The ground, which backs on to the Mowbray Cricket Club, childhood haunt of Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting, is set for a $7 million upgrade. A new 2125-seat grandstand will replace the historical Northern Stand, which housed the timekeepers when the 2006 ‘Sirengate’ affair took place.

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NAB AFL RISING STAR

Persistence pays Garry Moss has overcome more than his share of setbacks to make an impact at Hawthorn. A NDR EW WA L L ACE

o one could say Hawk Garry Moss is undeserving of the accolades following his round five NAB AFL Rising Star nomination. Moss, a star junior at WAFL club East Perth, has endured a torrid time in his quest to establish himself at AFL level. In 2005, the teenager twice broke his collarbone, once just a week before he was due to tour Ireland with the AIS-AFL Academy squad. Although he bounced back strongly the following year, playing senior football in the WAFL and earning a place on Hawthorn’s list via pick No. 56 in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, his injury woes were far from over. Hip and groin problems plagued the half-forward’s first two years at the Hawks, allowing him just one game in 2007 and, by the end of last season, his future was looking grim. A meeting with coach Alastair Clarkson and list manager Chris Pelchen confirmed his fears. “They said they were going to delist me, but wanted me to keep training with the club with the chance I would be rookiedrafted,” Moss said. “Anything could have happened, so I did start to think about what was next with footy, and what I was going to do.” Thankfully for both club and player, Moss enjoyed his best pre-season campaign, with his body finally allowing him to partake in all activities.

NAB AFL Rising Star nominees Round 1 – Daniel Rich (BL) Round 2 – David Zaharakis (Ess) Round 3 – Patrick Dangerﬁeld (Adel) Round 4 – Jaxson Barham (Coll) Round 5 – Garry Moss (Haw) HIGH FIVE

Doesn’t mind whipping up a dish in the kitchen, with his favourite being chicken parmagiana. 2 Stars at FIFA soccer on Sony PlayStation. Is undertaking a 3 personal training course, with a view to an active career post-football. Captained WA at the 4 2006 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.

SLIPPERY CUSTOMER:

Garry Moss thrived against the Eagles on a wet day in Launceston.

The 20-year-old was the diﬀerence, booting four of his team’s 11 goals from 24 quality possessions to help set up an 18-point win And as the reigning premier’s injury toll mounted early in 2009, the rookie received the chance he had been waiting for, earning selection in round two against the Sydney Swans.

Is the great-nephew of former South Melbourne and Carlton champion Peter Bedford, who played 186 League games from 1968-78, winning the Brownlow Medal with South in 1970.

Playing in the high half-forward role usually ﬁlled by Michael Osborne, Moss proved one of the few positives to emerge from the round four loss to Port Adelaide, racking up 25 possessions and a goal. And he went to another level at Aurora Stadium last week. In a dour struggle against the Eagles, the 20-year-old was the difference, booting four of his team’s 11 goals from 24 quality possessions to help set up an 18-point win.

“To have played at this level and had such an impact is probably something I didn’t ever think would happen,” he said. “Playing a few games in a row gives you a little bit of conﬁdence. Having such a good forward line also gives me some freedom, because with guys like (Cyril) Rioli, (Lance) Franklin and (Jarryd) Roughead, they have to drop off somebody.”

Each week throughout the home and away season, a panel of judges will select the nominee for the 2009 NAB AFL Rising Star. At the completion of the season, one outstanding player will be chosen as the 2009 NAB AFL Rising Star winner. He will receive an investment folio, a dedicated personal banker, a financial planner and the Ron Evans Medal, all courtesy of the NAB. The NAB Rising Star award is the final stage of the NAB AFL Rising Stars Program, which supports grassroots players and football communities and helps young Australians fulfil their dream of playing in the AFL.

76 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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TALKING POINT

Lessons in life

The AIS-AFL Academy tour of South Africa provided life-changing experiences for our future stars. GLENN McFA R L A NE

UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE:

AIS-AFL Academy players Steven May (left) and Tom Nicholls chat with a young South African fan.

PHOTO: ROGER SEDRES PHOTOGRAPHY

athan Buckley is conﬁdent the recent AIS-AFL Academy tour of South Africa will not only help produce the next wave of AFL stars, but it will also have helped mould well-rounded individuals. Buckley, the Collingwood great and likely future AFL coach, is not normally one for sweeping statements, but acknowledges that some teenagers have little appreciation for how good they have it living here. “You often ﬁnd that this generation thinks they are owed something,” said Buckley, an assistant coach with the Academy. “In the Academy programs I have been involved with, when the boys travel overseas, they realise they are lucky to have the opportunity to live the life they live, and to have a possible future doing something they love. “It puts everything into perspective for them. Some may carry it with them for a few weeks. I’m sure others will carry it with them forever, and it will be a motivation to make the most of their opportunities.” The trip to South Africa gave the 30 AIS-AFL Academy players a sense of what being a professional footballer is all about, with a dose of perspective thrown in for good measure. They played three matches under the watchful eyes of head coach Alan McConnell, assistant coaches Buckley and Jason McCartney, and Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna and assistant Marcus Ashcroft. They had games in Melbourne and Perth as bookends to the tour, and played a representative South African team in Paarl, 40km from Cape Town. The squad also visited the one-time Soweto home of

To see the smiles on the faces of the people who had far fewer privileges and far fewer prospects in the future was incredible Nelson Mandela, went to his former prison on Robben Island, witnessed an Australian one-day cricket win over South Africa, and were Adam Gilchrist’s guests at an IPL game, watching Gilchrist smash 70 off 40 balls. AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan said the tour had a dual purpose. “To have our coaches work so closely with the boys is a real football learning experience for them,” Sheehan said. “The other part is the priceless personal development, as they are challenged by being out of their comfort zone and away from family and friends. “You have to adapt to all sorts of experiences when you are playing in the AFL, and that’s what the boys went through.” Buckley and Sheehan said

the visits to the impoverished, predominantly black townships, where the visiting teenagers were feted, were enlightening. “To see the smiles on the faces of the people who had far fewer privileges and far fewer prospects in the future was incredible,” Buckley said. “They had no idea who we were. But they were just so happy to see people they don’t normally see in their environment.” Jordan Gysberts, a midﬁelder from TAC Cup club Eastern Ranges, was voted best player in the win over South Africa. He said it was an experience none of the players would forget. “It was a real eye-opener seeing some of the conditions people have to live in over there,” he said. “It was great to watch the South Africans pick up the game so quickly, and really enjoy it.” The most emotional part of the tour was a moving tribute to respected ﬁlmmaker and former AFL player Rob Dickson, who

(along with his two sons) was killed in a recent car accident in South Africa. “We wanted to celebrate his great contribution to the game,” Sheehan said. “After the match at Paarl, we presented the South African and Australian teams with copies of Rob’s documentary, The Essence of the Game.” Buckley said he was suitably impressed with the way in which the South African kids adapted to the game, branded there as ‘footyWild’. “These kids really know nothing about the game; all they know is that it’s about being with your mates, having a bit of a kick and catch, and just enjoying the experience,” he said. Sheehan said he was impressed with the development of the Academy players – “they played a great brand of footy and it showed that there are going to be many AFL players emerge from this intake”. Glenn McFarlane is a reporter for the Sunday Herald Sun.

78 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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