AFL Record, Round 2, 2010 by The Slattery Media Group

Voss THE OFFICIAL T OFFICIA MAGAZINE OF THE AFL GAME

Michael

Why actions mean more than words Warren Tredrea

250 games

Alan Didak

Beyond football Beyo

Brad Green 200 games

Chriss Yarran N

AB AFL Rising Sta ar PAGE 76 P

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Features 22

Alan Didak

A star Magpie is building for life after football.

CLEAR VISION: He has carved out

a ﬁne career on the playing ﬁeld, but Collingwood’s Alan Didak is planning ahead with a new business venture.

Michael Voss

It’s action, not words, says the Lions’ coach.

Brad Green

The versatile Demon reaches 200 games.

Regulars 4

Backchat

Your say on 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.

70 74 THIS WEEK’S COVER Michael Voss has shaped a new-look Brisbane Lions side and, after making the ﬁnals in 2009, the second-year coach is aiming higher this year.

76 78

Answer Man Kids’ Corner NAB AFL Rising Star Talking Point

Ted Hopkins on the interchange traﬃc jam.

PHOTO: LACHLAN CUNNINGHAM

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feedback

Your say on the world of football

EDITOR’S LETTER

It’s a marathon, not a sprint

Collingwood a contender

Good on you, Collingwood, for showing the football world it won’t all be about the Cats, Saints and Bulldogs this year. The Pies were super impressive against the Dogs last Sunday, nothing like the dour, defensive side they’ve been labelled by many so-called media experts. If players like Alan Didak, Leon Davis and Paul Medhurst remain on song, this September will be sweet. TROY, BAYSWATER, VIC

Hardwick’s tough start

You had to feel for Damien Hardwick last Thursday night. How tough can your ﬁrst game in charge be? Watching the constant crosses to him in the coach’s box, you could tell how tough he was doing it. Come on, Richmond, do the right thing by your new coach and lift your game. JAMES, MONT ALBERT, VIC

Dockers on the way up

I’m sure many had Freo earmarked as a laughing stock again in 2010 and Mark Harvey one of the favourites to become the ﬁrst senior coach sacked. But the 56-point thumping of Adelaide in round one, especially the performances of youngsters like Nick Suban, Stephen Hill and Michael Barlow, showed how bright the Dockers’ future could be. ROGER, COTTESLOE, WA

RIVALRY: Sydney’s

Lewis Roberts-Thomson (right) and St Kilda’s Adam Schneider were part of another tight Swans-Saints contest in last week’s opening round.

A rivalry worth watching

Has there been a Sydney Swans-St Kilda game that hasn’t gone down to the wire recently? Both sides seem to bring out the best in each other and last Saturday night’s clash was another ripper. Even Paul Roos got caught up in the excitement. SARAH, RANDWICK, NSW

PRODUCTION EDITOR Michael Lovett WRITERS GENERAL MANAGER, MARKETING Nick Bowen, Ben Collins, Jim Main, Peter Ryan, Callum Twomey & COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS Paul Waldren SUB-EDITORS Gary Hancock, Howard Kotton AFL CORPORATE BUSINESS MANAGER STATISTICIAN Richard Simkiss Cameron Sinclair AFL RECORD CREATIVE DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Hutchison Geoﬀ Slattery DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR AFL RECORD EDITOR Sam Russell Peter Di Sisto

4 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

HAVE YOUR SAY

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� In an enlightening essay in last week’s AFL Record looking at the development of the game over the past decade, Peter Ryan pointed to the instantaneous public reaction we now get after (or in some cases, even before) almost any football event, on or off the field. The reactions to last weekend’s results – at grounds, in workplaces and schools, among family and friends and in the mainstream media – were predictable, and so typical of the moment. In summary, Collingwood should be handed the premiership cup after beating the Western Bulldogs. (Ironically, it was the Bulldogs themselves who had been more or less given the trophy a week before after winning the NAB Cup.) Conversely, Richmond and Melbourne should simply close their doors and stop trying, for they exist without hope. Rash reactions are merely part of the game, and we’re all guilty from time to time. But it’s worth remembering that In the past four seasons, at least two of the first-round losers – including five in 2007 and three in 2006 – played in finals that same year. Coaches will know not to get carried away with a first-up result, for the sample is way too small in the context of a marathon season. It’s the reason a season is played over 176 matches, not just eight on the opening weekend. PETER DI SISTO

ADDRESS CORRESPONDENCE TO TheTHIS Editor,WEEK’S AFL Record,COVER Ground Floor, XXXX XXXXX 140XXXXXXXXXXXXX Harbour Esplanade, X Docklands, Victoria, 3008. Go9627 to aﬂ photos.com.au P: (03) 2600 F: (03) 9627 2650 E: peterd@slatterymedia.com to order prints

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VIEWS NEWS FIRST PERSON FACTS DATA CULTURE

ROAR POWER: Champion forward

Warren Tredrea will become the ﬁrst Port Adelaide player to reach the 250-game milestone when he takes the ﬁeld this weekend.

LANDMARK

Tredrea set for Port Adelaide ﬁrst

SH A NE McNA L LY

or more than a decade, he has been the heart and soul of Port Adelaide’s on-ﬁeld efforts. And now, six years after leading the club to its ﬁrst AFL premiership, winning the club’s best and fairest award four times and being named All-Australian on four

occasions, Warren Tredrea is about to make more history by playing his 250th match. He is due to reach the milestone when the Power play West Coast in Perth this weekend, and will become the ﬁrst Port Adelaide player to do so. The one-time boom kid, who developed into one of the

game’s elite power forwards and an inspirational captain, will have earned the right to crash through the banner against the Eagles at Subiaco on Saturday. The man who thinks his career should just about have ended before he reached the 200-game mark in round 12, 2007, has beaten injury (primarily serious knee-related complaints) and managed to adapt to today’s running style of play to remain a vital part of the Power’s forward set-up. “It’s a great honour and one I will enjoy more looking back,

It’s a great honour and one I will enjoy more looking back, particularly since I never thought I’d get there WARREN TREDREA

particularly since I never thought I’d get there,” Tredrea told the AFL Record this week. “I’m not sure I deserved to play my 200th game because, at that stage, I was in bad form. The footy career is a journey and I’ve been lucky enough to do it at the one club. “For the majority of my career, the game was built around one big power forward but now it’s CON T IN U ED NE X T PAGE

AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 7

the bounce

reliant on four or ﬁve players and a mix of forwards. So I’ve had to adapt my game. “Defensive action is just as important as the offensive aspect and I rely on space and ﬁtness. So you have to adapt and, if you don’t adapt, you’re not playing. You’re retired.” Tredrea knows the end of his illustrious career is somewhere in view but he’s not ready to hang up the boots yet. And why should he, when he’s in great shape and contributing as he did with a couple of goals and some strong forward work against North Melbourne last week? “I’ve done a full pre-season, the best I’ve done since I was injured in 2006,” Tredrea said. “A lot of that time was recovery from a knee injury but the last 18 months has been good. “I thought last year would be my last and I’m treating this year the same way. You don’t have to be Einstein to know that if this isn’t my last year, it’ll probably be next year.”

NEW DIRECTION

Gale makes no apologies for Tigers’ bold plan TOM MINE A R

ransformation. It’s a new football buzzword, bandied around by Richmond’s leaders (and others linked to the club) to describe what looms inevitably as a season of rebuilding. From talking heads to ardent supporters, the reaction has been largely one of cynicism. Baseless rhetoric, they say, from a club that hasn’t produced in nearly three decades. In an ofﬁce inside the Tigers’ administrative home at Punt Road, CEO Brendon Gale explains the “transformation” NEWS TRACKER

NEXT GENERATION: Dustin

Martin, the No. 3 pick in last year’s NAB AFL Draft, is one of a group of young players set to lead the Tigers into a new era.

concept, giving it legitimacy. We’re surrounded by noise, as a young and dedicated staff buzzes around the ofﬁce, the dull hum of machinery a constant in the background. And yet, Gale remains focused. Reclined on a couch, his calm demeanour is obvious. Make no mistake, though. Gale, an articulate man, is an industrious leader, a man used to achieving. He represents change. That does not make him a messiah; although, if Gale achieves his goals, then he would probably be hailed as such. Instead, Gale is the face of a “transformation”, a seismic shift at a club he

admits hasn’t changed much since his playing days. This is Damien Hardwick’s first season as a coach. He presides over a list with 14 new players, from high-profile recruit Dustin Martin (No. 3 at last year’s NAB AFL Draft) down to the club’s first Irish rookie, Jamie O’Reilly. Two other key figures – Craig Cameron, the general manager of football, and Chris Newman, the captain – have each had just one season in their respective roles. Punt Road’s social club has been torn down, giving way to a $20 million redevelopment that, when complete, will provide Richmond with facilities to rival

the League’s best. And Matthew Richardson, so entwined in the fabric of modern Richmond, has swapped his jumper and boots for a microphone and designer suits. Isn’t this the definition of a transformation? “The more we talked about the change that’s going on, the more we saw the breadth and depth of it. This is profound change, and it is transformational in nature,” Gale says. Gale’s strategic plan is the key plank. Titled Winning Together, it is designed to unite the club in pursuit of three finals appearances (including one top-four finish), the abolition of debt (currently about $4 million) and the signing of 75,000 members (38,000 to date this year and 46,000 ticketed and non-ticketed in 2009), all in the next five years. And by 2020, the club aspires to have won its 13th premiership – it has 10. (Last year, the Tigers had just under 37,000 members and posted a profit of $1.59 million, the fifth straight year they have been in the black.) Yes, it is exceedingly ambitious – the Brisbane Lions and West Coast are the only clubs to have won three flags since 1990 – and Richmond has only played September finals football just twice in that period. The fact yellow and black enthusiasts have watched countless “transformations” amount to little in that time helps explain the football world’s cynicism.

WILL ‘SNOS’ STICK? � It’s rare for someone at a football ll club not to have a nickname. Brownlow nlow w medallist and 3AW and Fox Sports commentator Gerard Healy and colleague llleag lle llea eag ag guee gu gue Brian Taylor were quick to try and stick stick sti stic ck k one on Fremantle debutant Alex Silvagni lvagn llva lv vva ag gn nii – ‘SNOS’. The logic is easy to follow. w. Alex w Al Ale Alex exx is the second cousin of Carlton great at (a ((and (an an nd nd now St Kilda assistant coach) Stephen, hen, h he hen en n, who who wh in footy circles is known as SOS – ‘Son of Sergio’. Sergio, of course, was ass k ka Carlton star in the 1960s and ruckrover in the Blues’ team of the century. ury. u ury ry. y. Therefore Alex, says Healy, is the ‘Second Secon S Se Sec eco con on n nd Nephew of Serge’, or SNOS.

FAMILY LINK: Alex

(left), Sergio and Stephen Silvagni.

St Kilda’s Justin Koschitzke suspended for three matches for rough conduct against Sydney Swan Nick Malceski.

8 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

We do have a vision. You’ve got to have dreams and it’s this future state that inspires us

PONDERINGS PETER RYAN

The strong show the folly of the stiﬀ upper lip

BRENDON GALE

But Gale is more bullish than most: “We do have a vision. You’ve got to have dreams, and it’s this future state that inspires us,” he says. “At various stages in our history, we’ve been the best. We’ve set the benchmarks, on and off the field. And so our vision is about being the best – we’ll keep working towards that until the job is done.” Vision, change, dreams. For long-suffering Richmond supporters, these concepts must seem so empty, but that sense of despair has not been lost on Gale. He shares their pain, having played 244 games for the Tigers (from 1990-2001) in a proud career that was void of team success. “It’s a privilege to come back, because I’ve got unfinished business – I won’t be satisfied until we achieve the success I wasn’t able to achieve as a player,” he says, his eyes gleaming with determination. Gale’s motivating passion is crucial, as is the knowledge he acquired from nearly five years as CEO of the AFL Players’ Association. There are few club administrators with a better knowledge of the AFL’s expansion plans and its likely impact, and of the recruitment opportunities presented to clubs by free agency. More generally, Gale has the managerial capacity to transfer ambitions into outcomes. “We have to plan for the future,” he says. “We’re in one of the most competitive industries in the world, and it’s about to enter the most competitive era in its history.” Winning Together was formulated to help the club adapt, using a bottom-up approach across eight strategic areas, encompassing all elements of a successful club. From football operations to finance, the club’s leaders have strict initiatives to implement NEWS TRACKER

and targets to reach. It’s an expansive plan, formulated through five months of consultation with hundreds of people linked to the club. Gale says the plan will ensure “real accountability and real discipline”. Can Richmond pull this off? After a 56-point loss to Carlton in the season’s opening match last week – a performance Hardwick claimed was “as poor as we’re going to get” – there isn’t a great deal of tangible evidence to enable an affirmative answer. Gale understands the present view of the Tigers, but reiterates the belief the club is embarking on a longer journey. One loss now won’t derail them, and he routinely refers to Geelong’s transformation from an inconsistent team into one of the best of the modern era, a dominant force. Gale believes the Cats’ metamorphosis was a result of the uncompromising levels set by its leaders, and says Richmond must rely on a similar united front. To become the “heartbeat” of the football community, as Gale terms it, everyone has to take responsibility. No one will be allowed to make excuses. This isn’t mere rhetoric. Gale has helped define a logical path to premiership success, and his peers are committed to being strong and bold in their pursuits. With leadership and discipline, and a healthy ounce of luck, the bold Richmond plan might just work.

� When St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt told the Herald Sun last month he had spoken to the club’s performance psychologist Dr Sean Richardson about the Saints’ loss in the 2009 Grand Final, his words should have caused us to cheer. “I’m not actually sure who and how many (of my teammates) spoke about the Grand Final, but I think it’s healthy to address,” Riewoldt said. As healthy as homemade muesli, I reckon. Of course, players at AFL clubs constantly chat to performance psychologists about a range of issues, so Riewoldt speaking to Richardson is no big deal. That’s his point. I suspect, however, a school of thought – mostly old school, it must be said – still exists that suggests you don’t mention such issues publicly. When Riewoldt did so, he only conﬁrmed one thing: St Kilda has an excellent leader and he is a strong individual. Grand Final losses hurt. Those who have played in losing Grand Finals will admit they still recall moments when they did not do what they might have; they kick themselves over missed opportunities, despite the fact they can never have that moment back. Those thoughts should be voiced, not harboured. At an AFL Players’ Association ‘Next Goal’ breakfast in Melbourne two weeks ago, former Olympic swimmer and multiple medallist Daniel Kowalski – who now works with athletes at the Victorian Institute of Sport – hushed the room when he told of his experiences as an elite athlete. Kowalski admitted

EASING THE PAIN: Nick Riewoldt

sought professional help after last year’s Grand Final loss.

he struggled with some of the mental demands of the sport while competing. He fed the media (and public) words he felt he was expected to, because he believed that was the way to be the best. He would not admit natural emotions because he perceived them to be signs of weakness; he thought if he did, his opponents might get an edge. He would never say he felt terrible or that he doubted whether he could beat other great swimmers such as Kieren Perkins or Ian Thorpe. Or even that coming second in major events hurt. Kowalski never sought out a person he could trust to reveal the depth of his emotions. Suddenly, at the end of his career, not sharing his thoughts while he was competing caught up with him. It made his adjustment to the world beyond elite sport that much more diﬃcult. Eventually, he spoke to a psychologist who knew little of the world of swimming but a bit about the world of sport, and Kowalski started to get his life back on track. Talking helped. The regrets did not go, but the way to live with them arrived. Riewoldt (and Kowalski) deserve applause for their frankness.

Peter Ryan is the author h off Side Sid by b Side: A Season with Collingwood, published by the Slattery Media Group.

Team GWS to play its ﬁrst TAC Cup match this weekend, against the Northern Knights at Blacktown Olympic Park. AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 9

the bounce

How’s this for starters?

DASHING DEBUT:

NEWCOMERS

Twenty-two on their way

Fremantle’s Michael Barlow came oﬀ the rookie list to star in his ﬁrst AFL game.

ROUND 4, 1935 Clen Denning, aged 24, kicked six goals with his ﬁrst six kicks for Carlton against South Melbourne.

GLENN McFA R L A NE

hey came from all corners of Australia – and via varying pathways into the AFL – but the 22 debutants last weekend gave fans plenty to talk about, and look forward to. For the first time since 1998, the top four selections from the previous year’s draft kicked off their careers in week one – Melbourne’s Tom Scully and Jack Trengove, Richmond’s Dustin Martin and Fremantle’s Anthony Morabito. All showed they are part of their club’s present, as much as the future. But it was the performances of some hidden draft and rookie gems that made for incredible stories – particularly for those with a romantic view of recruiting. Fremantle rookie Michael Barlow showed why he was such a highly spruiked player in the pre-season. He had a best-on-ground 33 touches against Adelaide – one of the highest tallies for a firstgamer since Champion Data started logging statistics 18 years ago – and seemed to have an instant connection with ruckman Aaron Sandilands. Alex Silvagni also made his debut for the Dockers. For those wondering why Barlow did not win a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination, there is a matter of 378 days. The 22-year-old from Werribee was just a tick over a year too old to be eligible. Hawthorn’s Carl Peterson is too old for that, too. But the highly skilled forward could not care less – he is just happy to be finally playing at the elite level. Peterson, 22, is from Kununurra in northern Western Australia, and his journey included stints at Richmond, Claremont (in the WAFL), St Marys (Northern Territory), NEWS TRACKER

ROUND 3, 1944 Bill Wood, then 22, kicked nine goals for the Bulldogs against Collingwood. ROUND 1, 1949 Legendary full-forward John Coleman, 19, bagged 12 goals for Essendon against Hawthorn.

Fremantle rookie Michael Barlow showed why he was such a highly spruiked player in the pre-season Aberfeldie (in Victoria’s Essendon District Football League) and the Northern Bullants (VFL). His 17-disposal, one-goal performance against Melbourne confirmed the Hawks appear to have found a bargain when they picked him as a rookie in late 2008. He was one of five players to debut in the MCG game and celebrated in the rooms with his parents and sister, who had travelled from Port Headland and Kununurra. Unfortunately, Demon Trengove’s parents had left the previous day on a prearranged overseas trip. Trengove and No. 1 pick Scully had 43 touches between them, while James Strauss – selected in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft – also made his debut for Melbourne. Mature-age recruit Jarrod Kayler-Thomson, 24, did well in his first game for the Hawks. There were five first-time AFL players in the Port Adelaide-North Melbourne

ROUND 1, 1963 Fiery ruckman Carl Ditterich, just 17, was best-aﬁeld for St Kilda against Melbourne. FIRST SEMIFINAL, 1982 Dermott Brereton,, aged 18, kicked ﬁve goals against North Melbourne..

contest. Ryan Bastinac had 23 touches for the Kangaroos, while Andrew Moore, Cameron Hitchcock, Jackson Trengove and Mitch Banner started their careers with the Power. Aside from Martin, the Tigers unveiled Ben Nason and Relton Roberts – likely types who made their share of mistakes, but tried to take the game on. The two first-gamers in the year’s first Friday night match – Geelong’s Mitch Duncan and Essendon’s Ben Howlett – hail from Western Australia, as does Sydney Swan Lewis Jetta, and Brisbane Lion Todd Banfield, who debuted on the same night but in different games. Victorian Luke Shuey kicked two goals for West Coast in its loss to the Lions at the Gabba, while the Crows had one first-timer, Tony Armstrong, in their game against Fremantle. Carlton, St Kilda, Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs introduced new players from other clubs, but had no debutants in the first week of football.

ROUND 1, 1984 Greg Williams, 20, had 38 ed d three thrre th ree eee touches and earned Brownlow votes for Geelong against Fitzroy. On the same day, Warren Ralph, then 25, kicked 9.0 and polled two votes for Carlton against North Melbourne.

GLENN McFARLANE IS A REPORTER FOR THE SUNDAY HERALD SUN.

STATISTICS FROM CHAMPION DATA, AFL AND OTHER FOOTBALL SOURCES.

Brisbane Lion Amon Buchanan to miss a month with a broken thumb.

10 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

ROUND 1, 1989 John Georgiades, aged 23, kicked 8.4 and got three votes for the Bulldogs against Carlton. ROUND 21, 1991 Dean Greig, at 22, amassed 39 disposals (a record for debutants since at least 1984) and two votes against Carlton. ROUND 5, 1993 Adrian McAdam, aged 22, booted 7.2 for North Melbourne, and 23 in his ﬁrst three matches. ROUND 1, 1994 Scott Cummings, 20, kicked 8.1 and received three votes for Essendon against Sydney. BEN COLLINS

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the bounce

SOME THINGS WE LOVED ABOUT ROUND ONE

WINNING STREAK

Big Ben the Saints’ lucky charm BEN COL LINS

fter reading this, superstitious St Kilda fans might well question why Ben McEvoy wasn’t selected in last year’s Grand Final on omen alone. After 13 games at AFL level, the young Saints ruckman is yet to play in a losing side. McEvoy started his charmed run on debut in round 13, 2008, and ﬁgured in 11 wins last year before being part of last week’s victory in Sydney. (Coincidentally, one of his direct opponents, Cat-turnedSwan Shane Mumford was 13-0 at Geelong.)

After 13 games at AFL level, the young Saints ruckman is yet to play in a losing side The 2009 Grand Final teaser is particularly interesting considering McEvoy has been involved in ﬁve wins by singleﬁgure margins – one, six, eight (twice) and nine points. Despite his phenomenal streak, the 20-year-old is only equal 12th on the all-time list, but two more consecutive wins will lift him to equal fourth. The record-holder is Collingwood’s Albert Lauder, who played in 18 straight winning teams from debut in the late 1920s. With the Saints continuing to maintain the rage, McEvoy’s run could continue for some time yet. His biggest challenge is to hold his spot in the Saints’ line-up with veteran Michael Gardiner close to being available. NEWS TRACKER

CARLTON’S FORWARD VISION � Life beyond Brendan Fevola was expected to be a battle for Carlton, with the colourful spearhead generally contributing about 30 per cent of the Blues’ goals and being the target of half their forward entries. However, Carlton’s first premiership match minus Fevola (and with skipper Chris Judd out suspended) failed to highlight any such potency issues. Admittedly, the Blues were playing a Richmond side that is a long way short of the top clubs, but there were still several positives in their 56-point win in the season-opener at the MCG last week. They boasted nine goalkickers, including six multiple contributors – Setanta O’hAilpin, Eddie Betts and Chris Yarran slotted three apiece, while Jarrad Waite, Bryce Gibbs and Marc Murphy each kicked two. Lachie Henderson, the former Brisbane Lion who joined Carlton as part of the Fevola deal, didn’t have much impact but moved well and kicked a nice angle goal early. HOT PIES � The consensus was that the addition of star ruckman Darren Jolly and midfield hard-nut Luke Ball alone would make Collingwood a better proposition this year. That may eventually prove true, but not on last week’s evidence, with both high-profile recruits being average performers in the Magpies’ stirring win over NAB Cup premier Western Bulldogs. Indeed, the single biggest element in the Pies’ win was the further development of players from within. The biggest revelation was Sharrod Wellingham. The 21-year-old, often a bit-part player in his previous 28 games, played a starring role early, winning 10 disposals in the first term, mostly around stoppages. Heath Shaw gathered a career-best 36 disposals (including 27 generally precise

EYE-CATCHER: Eddie Betts started the season in sparkling form, booting three goals as part of Carlton’s new-look forward line.

kicks) to be a standout in a superb backline, while Paul Medhurst was also back to his All-Australian form of 2008 with four goals. With Alan Didak (four) and Leon Davis (three) also damaging, the Pies boast perhaps the most dangerous band of goalsneaks in the competition. NO SWANSONG � Reports of the Sydney Swans’ demise appear greatly exaggerated. The re-structured Swans showed such pluck in their h heir eight-point loss to the mighty St Kilda that it would surprise no one if they returned to the ﬁnals this season. Tadhg Kennelly slotted seamlessly back into defence and the new ruck duo of Mark Seaby and Shane Mumford (right) was impressive, while the key-forward pairing g of Adam Goodes and Daniel Bradshaw will worry many teams.

FLEIXIBLE FREO � It wasn’t so long ago that Matthew Pavlich had to be best-aﬁeld for Fremantle to beat anyone, and doubly so against a quality team like Adelaide. Last week at Subiaco, the Dockers skipper had 22 touches and kicked 3.2 but he might have just scraped into his side’s top half-dozen players as previously unheralded teammates eng engineered a 56-poin victory 56-pointt victory. M MAGUIR MAGUIRE’S MILESTO M MILESTONE � It wa was go good od to se see injury-pla injury-plagued agued former St Kilda K defender Matt M Mag Maguire – who has b been stranded o on n 99 AFL games sinc since ce round seven of 20 2008 008 – ﬁna nally notch his 10 100th 00th gam game in the Brisb bane Lions’ Lion Brisbane win over thee Eagles Eagles.

Richmond (HOSTPLUS), Port Adelaide (Aussie ATM) and Melbourne (ShoreTel) conﬁrm new sponsorship deals.

12 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

BEN CO COLLINS

Johnson’s ﬁrst game of the year ended in disappointment, with the Dogs falling to the Pies

SNAPSHOTS

Saluting two of the greats � Western Bulldogs captain Brad Johnson moved to equal 10th on the AFL games list – level with ex-teammate and another Dogs captain Doug Hawkins – when he played his 350th match last weekend. Johnson, pictured above with children Jack and Ella, had

NEWS TRACKER

been expected to miss the early part of the season but recovered from a calf injury earlier than anticipated to be ready for round one. Johnson’s ﬁrst game of the year ended in disappointment, with the Dogs falling to the Pies. Retired Tiger great Matthew Richardson (right) was recognised at the MCG before the Richmond-Carlton game, walking a lap with young fans.

Collingwood becomes the ﬁrst club this year to break 50,000-member mark, followed by Hawthorn days later. AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 13

the bounce

Quirky observations from the opening weekend

WORLD CHALLENGE:

Players born overseas will be eligible to play for the World team at the 2010 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships.

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

‘World’ on show in July C A L LU M T WOMEY

or the ﬁrst time, this year’s NAB AFL Under-16 Championships will include a ‘World’ team competing against the best under-16 players in the country. The World team will be made up of players who have lived in Australia for a short period and who have at least one parent born overseas. Former AFL stars Michael O’Loughlin and Chris Johnson will coach the World team at the carnival, to be played at Blacktown Olympic Park in Western Sydney in July, against teams representing Victoria (metropolitan and country), South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, NSW/ACT and the Northern Territory. “That’s the beauty of Australian Football – everybody gets an opportunity,” said Johnson, the three-time Brisbane Lions premiership player. “It gives newcomers to the game, and country, a chance. Sport helps people get into their NEWS TRACKER

� When emergency umpire Jason Armstrong (below) stepped towards the boundary line, blew his whistle and raised an orange flag early in the second half of the Richmond-Carlton game, he was not auditioning to become a soccer linesman. He was indicating to AFL umpires, players, officials, commentators and watchers that an interchange breach had taken place. The new signal for the existing rule – in place since 2008 – was introduced this season so everyone would have a clear idea as to why a free kick was being awarded when such an infringement took place. By entering the field outside the interchange gates after Tiger teammate Tom Hislop had left the playing arena, Richmond’s Ben Cousins gave us all an early, and hopefully rare, sighting of the new signal accompanying the interchange rule.

community and the World team will be great like that. “It’s not that expensive to play a game of footy for a season. All you really need is a pair of boots and be willing to give it a go and this World team is a good example of that.” To be eligible for the team, players must have lived in Australia no longer than five years and must be 18 years or under at August 30 this year. Trials for eligible players were held at Windy Hill in Melbourne a fortnight ago. Johnson said he expects to find more players when further trials are held in the Northern Territory and Western Australia in coming weeks. Johnson predicted the World squad would be competitive, based on what he saw at the first trial. “They’re very athletic, their biomechanics are very good, and the way they pick up and handle the ball is great. There’s a lot of scope for international kids joining the competition,” Johnson said. Johnson is the AFL’s ‘Ambassadors for Life’ coordinator, working primarily on indigenous programs. He returned to Melbourne at the end of last season and this year is playing-coach of Essendon District League club Avondale Heights.

� Geelong skipper Cameron Ling sports the highest guernsey number in history by an appointed captain (45) and was one of two round-one skippers – the other was Andrew Carazzo (44, filling in for the suspended Chris Judd) – to wear numbers in the 40s. There are several skippers who know what it’s like to wear a high number: Nick Maxwell played his first game in 43, moving to 27 before being offered Nathan Buckley’s No. 5 in 2008. Melbourne’s James McDonald wore 54 on debut. Adelaide premiership player Shaun Rehn wore 52 while captaining the Hawks in one game in 2001 – the highest number worn by a captain in an AFL game. � As defensive pressure becomes greater and offensive transitions become quicker in response, interchange rotations happen more often (and become more necessary), with the average for round one being 112 per team per game (see Ted Hopkins’ view, page 78). Players are cramping more often than we’re used to as the pace increases. Even the coaches are surprised. “How fast the games have been has been a real eye-opener,” Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss said. � Good effort to find a place in the reigning premier’s team for round one, as Mitch Duncan did last week with the Cats. He becomes the sixth player in the past four years to do so. From 2001-06, no player made his debut with the reigning premier in round one. Of the six who have since, only Duncan, Hawthorn’s Ryan Schoenmakers and West Coast’s Mitchell Brown have come through the previous year’s draft to debut in their first season.

Adelaide youngster Rory Sloane is expected to miss about six weeks after injuring his ankle against Fremantle.

14 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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FAREWELL TO A GREAT

Lloyd to watch over Docklands C A L LU M T WOMEY

ssendon will this weekend pay tribute to its greatest goalkicker Matthew Lloyd before its match against Fremantle at Etihad Stadium. At about 1.30pm on Sunday, 299 fans wearing No. 18 jumpers will be on the ground while Lloyd takes part in a lap of honour. (Lloyd kicked 299 of his 926 career goals at the ground, including seven in the ďŹ rst match played there, in round one of the 2000 season.) Following the lap, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Lloyd Endâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of the ground will be unveiled, and a fan will stand the mark as Lloyd attempts to kick his 300th â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;goalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at the stadium. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Lloyd Endâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; signage will feature at Bombers home games at Etihad Stadium (replacing the Coventry End) as a way of recognising the champion forward, who led the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end-of-season goalkicking a record 12 times. The club has also compiled a video tribute to its former captain, which will be played on the groundâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s video scoreboards,

the bounce

and Lloyd will toss the coin before the game. Lloyd, 32 this month, is now a commentator for Channel Ten and radio station SEN, a columnist for The Age and an assistant coach with the AIS-AFL Academy squad. He retired at the end of last season after 270 games since debuting in 1995. Fans will also have the opportunity to buy a commemorative coin celebrating Lloydâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career at the game.

NORTHERN EXPOSURE

Passion and ďŹ&#x201A;air in the Top End DAV ID M AT THEWS

wo weeks ago, the AFL held a conference of state league CEOs and development managers in the Northern Territory. The meeting provided a chance to consider future plans for the game and an opportunity to acknowledge and see ďŹ rst-hand the work done by AFLNT CEO Tony Frawley, former Essendon champion and AFL ambassador Michael Long and the team at AFLNT. It also provided a chance to see what we all love â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

ISLAND STARS: The Tapalinga Superstars celebrate their recent win in the Tiwi Islands Grand Final with former Hawthorn great and NAB AFL Auskick ambassador Robert DiPierdomenico.

spectacular football played with ďŹ&#x201A;air and passion. AFLNT has done a remarkable job in recent years developing the game, in collaboration with local government and corporate

partners. They have brought to realisation two ideas that had been mooted for some time. First, the establishment of the Northern Territory Thunder to represent the Territory in a winter

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AFL RECORD visit aďŹ&#x201A;record.com.au 17

the bounce

state league competition has been a significant achievement. The team plays in the AFL Queensland competition, has Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as its patron and has an education and employment plan for each of its players. Second, the establishment of the Tiwi Bombers – a team representing the Tiwi Islands and which plays in the NTFL during summer – has also been remarkable. The conference coincided with the AFLNT and Tiwi Islands Grand Finals. As it happened, both matches had a Tiwi flavour with the Tiwi Bombers playing the famous St Marys club on a Saturday night at Mararra. The Bombers were completing only their third season in the competition; St Marys, on the other hand, were chasing their 27th flag. Long grew up on Tiwi and played his junior football for St Marys. His brothers played in a combined 43 premierships for St Marys; his beloved Essendon has helped to support and establish the Tiwi team. He had mixed emotions watching, as St Marys got home by 10 points. To watch Tiwi Islanders play football is to watch football in its purest form. It was evident in the play of the Tiwi Bombers and it was on show again the next day at Bathurst Island, as the Tapalinga Superstars defeated the Imalu Tigers in the Tiwi Islands grand final. I like the Superstars in particular – I don’t imagine any other club in Australia would be bold enough to choose such a nickname. Mind you, they play like superstars; their coach once said to his players pre-game: “I want you to be serious, but not too serious.” Footy is big in the Territory. It builds communities and provides a sense of purpose for many. As a consequence, the game’s influence and capacity to be used as a vehicle to help address a range of social issues is profound. DAVID MATTHEWS IS THE AFL’S GENERAL MANAGER OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

NEWS TRACKER

WELL READ: Thérèse Rein, wife of PM

EDUCATION

Bombers leading the way with reading C A L LU M T WOMEY

he combination of football and community has long been strong, and this week Essendon further cemented its position as one of the AFL’s leading communityminded clubs when it launched a literacy program aimed at children around the country. The initiative will involve appropriately trained players engaging in classroom activities in Melbourne, speciﬁcally to demonstrate to school children, especially young boys, that their sporting heroes read. Thérèse Rein – wife of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and patron

Kevin Rudd, helped launch Essendon’s literacy program this week, along with young ruckman Patrick Ryder and Nathan Lovett-Murray.

of the Indigenous Literacy Project – kicked off the program at Essendon’s Windy Hill headquarters, and said it was important children see their role models reading to increase their own literacy standards. “Many boys don’t see the people around them – those they admire – pick up a newspaper, a magazine or a book,” Ms Rein said. “This is one of the most important things for a boy to see, someone reading, which says to them, ‘hey, it’s cool to read’.” Along with the player involvement, the program will incorporate an online component and feature a children’s novel – Pencil O’Reilly: Bush Champion – that has been written to complement the overall objectives of the project. Pencil O’Reilly traces the journey of a young boy from country Victoria as he makes his way to elite football via Essendon

We can play a big part in helping (kids) and making sure they’re (reading) too PATRICK RYDER

Football Club. Including illustrations, the book is perfect for young football fans, coupling their passion for sport with an interest in reading books. Ms Rein said the partnership with Essendon was integral to the program’s success. “What Essendon is doing is very important and I would like to congratulate the club for its exceptional work in getting this program off the ground and into the hands of Australian kids,” she said at the launch, which was attended by coach Matthew Knights and players Patrick Ryder and Nathan Lovett-Murray. “Kids can fall off track in that area when they’re younger so when they see their role models

Ex-Blue and now trainee umpire Jordan Bannister will oﬃciate his ﬁrst game in the Bellarine Football League this weekend.

18 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

reading, we can play a big part in helping them and making sure they’re doing it too,” Ryder said. “The players know how important they can be in the community, even with little things, but with literacy we can definitely do a lot. Being part of the community is one of our four pillars at Essendon, so it’s a real focus of the club to get out there and give something back.” The Bombers’ program was created in partnership with the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) and supported by Bendigo Bank. Aiming to empower more indigenous and remote communities with the skills to learn how to read, the Indigenous Literacy Project is striving to improve statistics that show only one in five children in remote indigenous areas have the ability to read. ALNF founder Mary-Ruth Mendel urged more clubs to follow the Bombers’ lead. “Essendon is a wonderful example of the important role sporting clubs play in helping to inspire young people to persevere and achieve success – both on and off the field. I’d like to strongly encourage other clubs to work with ALNF to change these numbers by empowering marginalised youth through literacy,” Ms Mendel said. PENCIL O’REILLY: BUSH CHAMPION IS PUBLISHED BY THE SLATTERY MEDIA GROUP, WITH ESSENDON FOOTBALL CLUB.

MILESTONES ROUND 2 PASSIONATE SUPPORTER: Timber merchant Alex Popescu, pictured with Geelong CEO Brian Cook, was a generous benefactor of his beloved Cats.

VALE

Popescu hooked by the Cats MICH A EL LOV ET T

lex Popescu might never have kicked a football but his contribution to Geelong was just as signiﬁcant as any of the club’s roll call of past and present champions. Certainly, the term “generous club benefactor” applied to the 93-year-old timber merchant, who passed away last Monday. He was well known for assisting the club in times of ﬁnancial pressure and, up until a few years ago, those times had become more frequent. Popescu

l lived to see the recent rewards o of his passion and generosity w when the Cats won the 2007 p premiership, ending a 44-year d drought, and last year when tthey held on to defeat St Kilda. Despite knowing nothing about Australian Football w when he migrated from Romania in the early 1950s, Popescu soon developed a keen interest in the game. In fact, he discovered it by accident after arriving at a Norlane migrant hostel – he and a mate went to a game of “football” at Kardinia Park believing it would be a soccer match. Popescu was hooked from that moment and, after starting a successful timber business in Geelong, he ensured a good deal of that success would be directed the Cats’ way. He became club patron in 1962, was made a life member in 1991 and, when the Ford Stand was opened in 1996, the function area was named the Alex Popescu Room. It was later transferred to the Reg Hickey Stand. As a mark of respect,Geelong players will wear black armbands against Hawthorn on Easter Monday.

250 games Warren Tredrea Port Adelaide (ﬁrst Port player to reach this milestone)

200 games Brad Green Melbourne

AFL 200 Club Heath Scotland Carlton

100 games Nathan Lovett-Murray Essendon

50 games Jarrod Harbrow Western Bulldogs Scott Harding Port Adelaide Rhan Hooper Hawthorn Jarred Moore Sydney Swans

The list includes those not necessarily selected but on the verge of milestones.

,7¶6 )227< :,7+287 7+( 58/(6 For a no holds barred view on everything footy, join Gerard Healy and Dwayne Russell, 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday. Sports Today - only on 3AW 693.

AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 19

the bounce

They said what?

KNOCKED DOWN, BUT STILL HOPING / JONNO NASH � Jonno Nash never really expected to be selected at last year’s NAB AFL Draft. The spotlight that night last November was on the country’s high-profile juniors, and seasoned players including Luke Ball, who had quit St Kilda to take his chances in the draft. Nash was more focused on the NAB AFL Rookie Draft 19 days later, when he hoped a lifetime of dreams about becoming an AFL player would come true. When a senior coach would call with congratulations, when he would put on a club polo shirt and smile for the cameras; when he would soon be able to give away his part-time job at a local pub and put off university ersity studies to focus all his time me on his AFL career. Unfortunately telyy for Nash, it did not pan out that at way. way. way y. Nash was sitting at home me in Melbourne on the morning ning ni nin ing ng g of December’s rookie draft, ft, ft, following it online, when he h realised things would not go go to to plan. Having done his research, earrch ea ear rch, rc ch, h,, Nash knew when the draftt ha had h ad d effectively ended, when the he he last ‘live’ pick had been taken ken ke ken n before the pre-determined d scholarship selections were re re being made official. Then it was time for a long walk, k k, a chance to ponder what itt all meant. “I sat for a littlee bit not really knowing what att to think, before leaving thee house and going for a two-hour walk,” said Nash, whom om the AFL Record followed last ast year as a TAC Cup player for or Sandringham Dragons aiming ming g to be drafted by an AFL club. “I went to my local footyy ground, then came home, had da sleep, woke up and went to o work wo ork the night shift at the bar,” he said. s

20 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

“When I got to work, that’s when it ﬁrst really sank in, because it’s a complete change of lifestyle. “I was probably a bit ahead of myself and thought I was a big chance to get rookie-listed, and I imagined what the next six months of my life would be like if that happened. “I imagined myself not being at uni and pretty much being a fulltime sportsperson. It was a bit of a reality check.” By the next day, he had tried to completely put the disappointment behind him, not letting himself wander into selfpity. Nash said he has not yet fully discussed what happened with anyone bar ﬁtness coach and mentor, Bohdan Babijczuk.

Now playing for the Sandringham Zebras in the VFL, Nash said pre-season training was the most gruelling he had experienced. He recently played in an intra-club match for St Kilda (the Zebras and the Saints are aﬃliated) and performed well in good company. Despite never contemplating giving football away – and still holding a glimmer of hope as two new clubs enter the AFL competition – Nash admitted it was diﬃcult not to be bitter. “It has changed my perspective, no doubt. It’s just amazing how a couple of small events, a single day, a 30-minute draft, can change so many things way,” in n ssu such uch uc h a wa w way, ayy, he said. the ““Probably “P Probably P Pr Pro rob ro ob ba ab bly lyy th th hee most thing ffrustrating fr fru rust ust str tra rat ati atin ting ng g tth thi thin hin in ng was that I ng why never n ne nev eve ver err k knew kn kne new ew w wh w hyy wasn’t drafted h don’t. –a and an nd d I still stil ssttill ill lll don d do on n t Nobody called n’t anything or said or ssai sa aid id d anythin an any anyth nyt yth thin hin in ng n g to me and that’s when w wh whe heen hen n it’s it’ itt’ss a bit b biitt hard. h ha a ““Much “M “Mu Mu Muc uch ch h of of the tth hee disappointment d also a al als lso so o comes com cco om meess from mes ffr fro rom om m being eembarrassed. em mb mba ba bar arr rra ras ass sse sed ed. d. A lot l of people something thought th tho hou ou oug ugh ght htt ssom so someth om meeth met h would hi hin happen when happ ha hap ap ppe pen en n and, and an a nd, d, w wh hee it didn’t, I felt fe fel felt ltt like li lik like kee I let lleett them th the he down.” Despite Desp De Des esspit pite ite tee his hiss disappointment, d dis dis Nash, Nash Na Nas sh, h,, 19 19, 19,, said sai sa said d he h would start the VFL “not VFL VF L season seeas sea asson aso on n “n “not o trying to prove anyone wrong, an any nyo yo yon one nee wrong wrron wro w ong ng g,, but g b just trying to play pllay pla ayy footy.” foo ffo oot oty oty. ty.” y.” Itt seems the see se seem em mss th the h only way possible move possssib po ib bllee to to m mo o forward, to move on. on. To T do anything else would d be b to dwell, and who can ca dwell when there’s fo footy to be played playeed and hopes still to b be realised? “We’ll see seee how it goes,” Nash said. N

I couldn’t ld ’t care about b t Gary Ablett this week, apart from hoping he plays and plays well GEELONG COACH MARK THOMPSON WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS (LATEST) THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF GARY ABLETT, WHO IS OUT OF CONTRACT AT THE END OF THE SEASON.

I never got closure, and this will be it. Then everyone can move on and hopefully my head won’t be in the paper so much, and I can fade oﬀ into media world RETIRED RICHMOND STAR MATTHEW RICHARDSON ON HIS FAREWELL BEFORE THE RICHMOND-CARLTON GAME.

We expect to improve, there’s no question about that. We expect to be more competitive than what we were today MELBOURNE COACH DEAN BAILEY AFTER HIS TEAM’S 56-POINT LOSS TO HAWTHORN.

It was very exciting to have my ﬁrst crack at it. It’s been my dream all my life, and to do it today, was just unbelievable HAWTHORN’S CARL PETERSON AFTER HIS AFL DEBUT.

CALLUM TWOMEY

AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 20

22 AFL RECORD visit aďŹ&#x201A;record.com.au

ALANDIDAK won’t be boxed in Driven to succeed inside and outside of football, there is more to Magpie star Alan Didak than meets the eye. CALLUM TWOMEY

PHOTO: MICHAEL WILLSON/AFL PHOTOS

lan Didak graciously gives the thumbs up. A Collingwood supporter driving past the Westpac Centre has slowed down on his way into the city to shout “Go Pies” while Didak is taking part in a photo shoot on the banks of Melbourne’s Yarra River. Decked out in casual gear – checked shorts, a designer grey T-shirt from his own brand and a pair of thongs – Didak is easily spotted by the Magpie faithful. And even on a sunny, warm Tuesday afternoon, Didak is in the spotlight. I have met him to talk predominantly about his interests away from football, primarily his involvement in his home-moving supply company Direct Packing Supplies. It may, as Didak admits, come as a surprise to many that the man who in recent years has attracted his share of headlines – the Magpies suspended him in 2008 for an alcohol-related incident – has long had an eye on the future. Meet the 27-year-old and it really shouldn’t surprise, for there’s more to him than most would likely think. Didak became involved in Direct Packing Supplies about two years ago when a friend was starting up the company in Adelaide. The company has since grown to become one of Australia’s largest online box stores, with a focus on making moving out of home simple and stress-free. He says it’s the outlet away from footy he needs. “Everyone, at some stage, moves out of home or rents a house, so we cater for all that. The idea behind the business is to make anyone’s life, when they are moving or renting, a lot easier,” says Didak, who booted four goals in Collingwood’s impressive opening-round win over the Western Bulldogs last weekend.“Early in your career, all you want to do is get a game and you don’t really think about outside commitments. But now, I don’t think there’s a day that goes by when I don’t think about what I want to do beyond footy.

“I don’t want to get to a stage where I finish support system to help him make the footy and I’ve got nothing to do.” transition to elite-level football: “When I Didak is also moving into the fashion got drafted, if I didn’t have my closest mate industry, with the star forward and teammate move over from Adelaide, then I would Dane Swan combining to get T-shirt label have struggled and probably would have T.NAM off the ground. He also has ambitions gone back.” to own a tapas-style restaurant/bar. But now, he understands his role as a senior In only a few minutes of conversation, it’s player, what it takes to succeed – and the clear Didak – the cheeky forward who can influence he can have at the club. rip a game open with his unique skills, ability “It’s important in every industry to have to read the play and sometimes-ambitious different types of people. If everyone were attempts to kick goals – is just as ambitious off funny and loved having a good time, you the ground. would have a lot of fun but probably wouldn’t “If people don’t know me, they probably get anywhere. You need a bit of balance,” wouldn’t think that, but those closest to says Didak, who has played 159 games since me see I have a drive to succeed inside and debuting in 2001. outside footy,” Didak says. “I have a lot of “You need players who enjoy themselves mates who are pretty successful, and I think and are serious when they need to be, and if you surround yourself with those people, you need players who are serious but need to then it’s a good environment to be in.” relax a little bit. Didak, however, hasn’t always been linked “We all get along really well at the club; to good environments. He understands we’re all friends, we love having a good time people probably think he’s a “ratbag”. But he and we’re really keen for success – it would laughs when he thinks about it, suggesting mean the world to me, and I mean that, to that if he had to go around to every person in have success with Collingwood.” Australia who held that opinion to tell them Didak has been close. In 2002 (aged 19) that he is, in fact, a “half-decent bloke” who and 2003, he played in the Magpies’ Grand had a lot of good friends, a loving family and Final losses to the Brisbane Lions. goals for the future, it would take him “a He assumed the Grand Finals would keep million years”. rolling around. Now, as he drives down Punt During our 20-minute conversation in the Road and past the MCG every day on his Westpac Centre cafeteria, Didak is attentive, way to the club from his home in Kew, Didak frank, friendly and outgoing. Just minutes yearns for another opportunity on before, while making our way through the biggest stage, alongside the maze of offices inside Magpie his football mates, for he headquarters, Didak is pleasant knows the privileged It would mean enough to throw a couple of position he’s in. questions my way, asking how “I like being with a the world to me, long I had been with the AFL group of mates who and I mean that, to Record, whether I had been inside just love playing footy. have success with the training venue previously, You keep fit, you get and so on. Interestingly, without paid great money to Collingwood fail, everyone we pass on the walk ALAN DIDAK play a team sport and greets him warmly, as if drawn to have a kick around. his charismatic personality. Didak What else would you want? admits to having needed a strong ” It’s a good question. AFL RECORD visit aflrecord.com.au 23

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Voss Michael

Actions make the most noise Talk is cheap as far as Michael Voss is concerned. Just like his illustrious playing career, Voss’ success as a coach will be judged by what is produced on the ﬁeld. NICK BOW EN

s easy as Michael Voss is to talk to, and as eloquently as he speaks, you sense he would rather let his actions speak for him. The second-year Brisbane Lions coach realises he will ultimately be judged on what happens on the ﬁeld. And no amount of talk about trade-week

acquisitions, list overhauls, forward-line structures, ruck line-ups and premiership windows will change that. But during the off-season, it seems, all there is to do is talk and the Lions gave the media and footy fans more to discuss than most clubs. There was their aggressive approach in last year’s trade week, when they picked up a two-time Coleman medallist, Brendan Fevola from Carlton, two premiership players, Amon Buchanan (from the Sydney Swans) and

MICHAEL VOSS

It’s exciting for the football club and I’m as excited as anyone to see how it all pans out MICHAEL VOSS

Brent Staker (West Coast), another 100-game player, Xavier Clarke (St Kilda), and promising Richmond defender Andrew Raines. As trade weeks go, it was one of the most audacious in memory – and from a side coming off a ﬁnals campaign. Ask Voss about the Lions’ trade haul and he acknowledges those players will add depth the Lions were lacking last year, but adds a note of caution. “It feels like they have been around for a while but we know where you earn all your respect – being able to go to war together,” Voss says. Before securing Fevola in exchange for Lachie Henderson and draft pick No. 12, the Lions offered the Blues Daniel Bradshaw and Michael Rischitelli, a deal that fell over when Rischitelli refused to leave the club and ultimately resulted in Bradshaw leaving for the Sydney Swans. But, for Voss, those events are in the past and not worth dwelling on.“It seems a long time ago now … (and) and it’s now a matter of focusing on what you’ve got and getting the most out of what you’ve got,” he says.

ON THE WAY: Voss has been heartened by the development of younger players such as ruckman Matthew Leuenberger.

58 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

One of the hottest topics over the pre-season was whether the Lions’ forward line would be big enough for skipper Jonathan Brown and Fevola, with former Essendon skipper and three-time Coleman medallist Matthew Lloyd suggesting Brown may crowd Fevola with his tendency to run back with the ﬂight of the ball. Voss refuses to enter the debate. “There’s been endless talk about it, but now it’s come down to can we do it, can we get out there and make the combination work?” Many previews of the Lions’ 2010 prospects concluded the recruitment strategy, which also netted experienced defender Matt Maguire from St Kilda, was predicated on giving Brown and veteran midﬁelders Simon Black and Luke Power the support they need to contend for a premiership while still at, or near, their peaks. But Voss has little time for abstract concepts like premiership windows. “I’ve never believed in the term premiership contenders. I only believe in opportunity and the only way you get opportunity

is if you finish in the top eight, and you obviously get a better opportunity if you finish in the top four,” Voss says. “We’re five or six months away from finding out whether we can earn that opportunity or not.” But Voss admits even he has been caught up in the excitement created by the pre-season discussion points. “It all generates interest in the game and the club, which is great, and we certainly haven’t shied away from that interest,” Voss says. “It’s exciting for the football club and I’m as excited as anyone to see how it all pans out.” There is a but, though – “It’s now about the doing, getting it done.” The AFL Record spoke to Voss over the phone on the eve of the 2010 home and away season, when he happily spent 35 minutes revisiting his first year as a coach, Brisbane’s pre-season and his hopes for the year head. He was yet to see Brown (five goals) and Fevola (three) combine so effectively in the Lions’ round one win against West Coast, nor Maguire, Staker and Raines make promising

MICHAEL VOSS

It’s exciting for the football club and I’m as excited as anyone to see how it all pans out MICHAEL VOSS

58 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Michael Voss lifted the premiership cup three times during his playing career. Now his focus is on masterminding enough wins during the home and away season to give his players the opportunity to taste the ultimate for themselves come September.

starts to their careers at the Gabba, nor Buchanan break a thumb early in the same game. One of the Lions’ all-time greats, Voss played 289 games from 1992-2006 and amassed a list of achievements few have rivalled – Brownlow medallist (1996), three-time premiership captain and ﬁve-time All-Australian and best and fairest winner. He took over as coach from his great mentor Leigh Matthews at the end of 2008. He did so after working in the media for two years following his retirement, eschewing the accepted modern coaching apprenticeship – an assistant coaching role. Voss concedes the role of senior coach is demanding and his ﬁrst year was not without its tough times. He also says his desire to oversee all aspects of the work done by the Lions coaching team – the ‘doer’ in him again – initially meant he was hardly away from the club. “My kids (daughters Gemma

and Kayla and son Casey) would ask (my wife) Donna from time to time where Dad was and whether he had to go to the footy again,” Voss says. “I’m just lucky I’ve got a very supportive family and I think they understood that for the ﬁrst 12 months it was going to be a case of head down, bum up.” But by the middle of last season, Voss says he became more comfortable delegating to his assistant coaching team, something he vows to continue with his new team of assistant coaches in 2010. In another raft of changes at the Gabba, Manny Lynch (the brother of 2001-03 premiership player and former skipper Alastair), Beau McDonald, Craig McRae and Jade Rawlings joined Adrian Fletcher, after the departures of Craig and Wayne Brittain, Chris Johnson and Justin Leppitsch. While admitting he’s never been a “great predictor”, Voss is

cautiously optimistic about the 2010 season. After watching the Western Bulldogs outmuscle his young side in last year’s second semi-ﬁnal, and the ferocious contested football played by Geelong and St Kilda in the Grand Final, Voss identiﬁed that for Lions to challenge the top four teams, their youngsters had to get bigger and stronger. And this pre-season they did. Most notably, 2009 debutants Jack Redden – who has put on 8kg – Sam Sheldon, Tom Rockliff and Matt Austin, along with 2008 debutant James Polkinghorne. “We feel like now we’ve got a group that can handle themselves out there, who can physically hold themselves over the ball,” Voss says. “When we ask them, ‘Can you win your own contested ball? Can you stand up in a tackle?’ they should be able to deliver.” While Rockliff played one game last year, Redden (10),

We feel like now we’ve got a group that can handle themselves out there MICHAEL VOSS

AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 59

MICHAEL VOSS

Sheldon (19), Austin (eight) and Polkinghorne (20 after four in 2008) all got a lasting taste of the game at AFL level – as did NAB AFL Rising Star winner Daniel Rich, who played all 24 matches. Rich appeared so assured and physically mature – Voss says this pre-season the Lions worked on trimming muscle from his physique – it is easy to forget 2009 was also his debut season. But as significant as these youngsters’ physical gains have been, Voss says the attitude they brought to pre-season training was just as important. “Sometimes young players can think ‘I’ve got my first season under my belt, I’m set and ready to go’,” he says. “But I haven’t seen that in this group of players. They’ve effectively said, ‘I’ve whet my appetite and now I want more’.” Which has been heartening for Voss because the development of these youngsters and the likes of James Hawksley, Todd Banfield (a lightning-quick 19-year-old Voss says can help fill the small forward void left by Rhan Hooper’s departure) and ruckmen Mitch Clark and Matthew Leuenberger will largely determine whether the Lions can build on their sixth-placed finish last year. As

WINNING PARTNERSHIP: Skipper Jonathan Brown has proved a great ally for his coach.

CALLING THE SHOTS: Voss says a

restructured coaching panel has added “great football knowledge to the club”.

will the ability of mid-range players including Jared Brennan, Joel Patfull and Daniel Merrett, all 25, to improve. “We’re not going to get improvement from Brown, Black and Power,” Voss says. But Voss is conﬁdent the Lions’ batch of experienced recruits can also bolster his side. Maguire and Staker give the backline added ﬂexibility, he says, and will help to relieve Merrett and Patfull from their key defensive duties at times in 2010. While Buchanan, who is expected to miss the next four games, can play as a small forward or strong-bodied

midﬁelder, Fevola’s scoring power is well known. Though focused on the season, Voss, who has lived in Queensland since he was 11, also cast his mind ahead to 2011 and the entry of Gold Coast into the AFL. Having debuted with the Brisbane Bears in 1992 – the last season the club was based at Carrara, the Gold Coast’s home ground – Voss marvels at the growth of Australian Football in Queensland. “Had you asked me when I left Carrara whether anyone would be playing back there, I would have thought you were

THE VOICE OF VOSS... Jonathan Brown’s captaincy � He’s a great captain. On the ground, ‘Browny’s’ role is pretty set, but he also tries to help players around him a lot and not everyone sees that. Oﬀ the ground, we call him the people’s champ. He loves chatting to people, he gives time to them and he’s approachable – the players enjoy his company. He’s also a great ally for me as coach.

His new assistant coaches � Manny Lynch, Beau McDonald, Craig McRae and Jade Rawlings each contributed enormously over the pre-season. Each bolstered their area and have brought a great work ethic and great football knowledge to the club. They’ve also now got a pretty good aptitude on what our game-plan is and they communicate that really, really well.

60 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

absolutely silly,” he says. “But over the course of that time, the growth of the game in Queensland has been fantastic.” While happy to spruik the benefits Gold Coast will bring to Queensland football, Voss’ strong competitive streak, so evident in his playing career, soon surfaces. Given how torrid most brothers’ backyard games can become – Voss admits he and younger brother, Brett, had some epic battles – you sense the intrastate rivalry will be a fierce one. “Maybe the AFL can play the mother and it will have to sort things out from time to time,” Voss says, with a laugh. His competitive juices flowing, and at the end of yet another pre-season interview, Voss is itching for the regularity of matches. “When you get the nerves and the butterflies in your stomach and the bell rings, you’re away again,” he says. That’s when all the talking ends and it’s time to deliver. Just the way Voss likes it.

The court case over the Lions’ new jumper � It hasn’t been a distraction at all. At the start, there was a lot of talk about (the jumper’s new-look Lion), but the club had to go down a certain path, as the other parties felt they had to. Seeing the jumper out on the ﬁeld looks fantastic and that’s the general feedback we’ve had.

Graeme Allan’s departure to Greater Western Sydney � It was definitely sad to see him go. He’s been a significant figure in our club for a long time (Allan joined the Lions as football manager in 1999 when Leigh Matthews started as coach) but, at the same time, I think it also signifies the end of one coaching model to the other.

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BRAD 200 GAMES

GR 62 AFL RECORD visit aямВrecord.com.au

REEN Shows his true colours

Brad Green has experienced more than his share of lows at cellar-dweller Melbourne. But on the eve of his 200th game and despite several attempts to lure him elsewhere, Green remains committed to being part of a Demon renaissance.

PHOTO: MICHAEL WILLSON/AFL PHOTOS

GLENN McFA R L A NE

here is a bit of symmetry about Brad Green this weekend becoming only the 24th Melbourne footballer to reach the 200-game mark. It comes 10 years to the round of his debut game for the Demons, against North Melbourne in 2000. In the ﬁrst year of the last decade, the talented kid from Tasmania rapidly cemented his position in the Melbourne team and played in a Grand Final (albeit a losing one) in his ﬁrst year in the AFL.

“It was a Friday night against the Kangaroos, and they had a great side at the time with the likes of Wayne Carey, David King, Glenn Archer, Anthony Stevens and plenty of other stars,” Green said of his debut match. “I remember staring up at the Great Southern Stand saying ‘What am I doing here?’ After about 10 minutes, I ﬁnally settled in to play footy.” Ten years on, Green is set to play his milestone game against Collingwood, a team that was eager to secure him when he came out of contract at the end of 2008. The Magpies were one of a number of clubs keen on enticing the highly skilled midﬁelder/forward, but Green resisted the temptation to chase immediate success. Loyalty – and an admission he has “red and blue running through his veins” – saw him commit to Melbourne until the end of 2011. Effectively, it means Green will remain a one-club player, and he

hopes to play for another four list at Melbourne on a daily or five seasons to experience basis is infectious, suggesting a Demon renaissance. it has helped keep him “Everyone wants to do a Shane thinking ‘young’. Crawford, and go out with a “I laugh when I see some premiership (in their last game),” people refer to me in the papers Green said. “That’s what we all as a veteran,” the 29-year-old aim for. said. “I still feel young, and I’m “I was never going to leave sure that’s because I’m around all Melbourne. They are my second the young guys. family. I want to help to get “I live near a host family, and I the club out of this rough time. drive the new boys to training. In That’s what it is all about for me the last few years, I’ve had Cale now, to win as many games as Morton, Rohan Bail and this year we can and hopefully play finals it is Jack Trengove. again. I really want to play finals “When we go out to Casey before I finish up, and hopefully (the Demons training base in a Grand Final again. Melbourne’s outer south-eastern “I got to experience a region), I enjoy having a Grand Final in my chat to those guys. first year, and I We sit in the car for thought it was 45 minutes and Everyone wants going to happen talk about life, to do a Shane every year. It their families Crawford, and hasn’t happened and my family. It go out with a since, but it is definitely keeps premiership something that you young.” BRAD GREEN keeps driving us.” Leaving Green said being aside the words around the young of encouragement, AFL RECORD visit afl record.com.au 63

BRAD GREEN FACT FILE

Brad Green

Born: March 13, 1981 Recruited from: Northern Bombers/Tas U18 Debut: Rd 2, 2000 v North Melbourne Height: 184cm Weight: 83kg Games: 199 Goals: 241 Player honours: 3rd best and fairest 2008; International Rules Series 2004; AFL Rising Star nominee 2000. Brownlow Medal: 16 votes

TOUGH DAY: Brad Green had to be carried from the ground after this collision in round one but returned to give the young Demons a badly-needed lift.

Green gave the next wave of young Demons a salient lesson with his on-ﬁeld deeds in the club’s 56-point loss to Hawthorn last weekend. Green suffered concussion in the opening term and was taken from the ground on a stretcher, a neck brace having been put on him for precautionary measures. But before the end of the following quarter, the left-footer with a classic penetrating kick had returned to the fray, and kicked two goals in a courageous effort. It was stirring stuff on an otherwise disappointing day for the Demons. All this from a player who missed four weeks with a broken jaw last year following a clash with Richmond’s Alex Rance,

64 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

as well as suffering a broken wrist later in the year which prematurely ended his season. Typically, Green was playing down what it took to get him back out there against the Hawks at the MCG, and was more interested in talking about the club’s promising young players, including round-one debutants Trengove and Tom Scully. He said the players were working hard to regain conﬁdence and play with the type of attitude that drove the club to the Grand Final in his debut season. “We had an amazing belief in each other back then, and we always thought we could win games from just about any position,” the articulate

Green said. “That starts from having confidence in one another. The (2000) side had a lot of senior players and it is probably what we are missing right now. You’ve probably only got four or five players who have played over 100 games. That side probably had 10 to 15. That’s something we are striving for at the moment.” Green has been one of the most consistent and resilient players on Melbourne’s list over the past decade. He has averaged almost 20 games a year in his 10 completed seasons since being drafted at No. 19 in the 1999 National Draft. At the time, he was one of five Demons recruited from

Tasmania, the others being Steven and Matthew Febey, Ben Beams and James Cook. David Neitz was born in Ulverstone in Tasmania, but moved to Melbourne at a young age. “I still love the Apple Isle,” he said. “I love the passion Tasmanians have for footy. I really hope that one day they get their own club because they deserve it.” He joked that “half of Tassie” is coming over for his milestone match this weekend. “I’ve got Mum and Dad coming over, some aunties and uncles, and quite a lot of great mates,” Green said. “It’s going to be a big game. It’s a Collingwood home game, so there will be a big crowd, and our fans, to their credit, keep turning out, too.” But there is another impending milestone Green is looking forward to just as much. He and wife Anna are expecting a child within the next two weeks. “I can’t wait for it,” he said. GLENN McFARLANE IS A REPORTER FOR THE SUNDAY HERALD SUN.

Moments of the

Saints’ ride was a turbulent one

2000-09 After 15 rounds and just three wins, Blight was shown the door

TOUGH TIMES: Dual Crows premiership coach Malcolm Blight’s tenure at St Kilda came to a dramatic end.

St Kilda moved heaven and earth to attract Malcolm Blight to Moorabbin in 2001 but it ended abruptly.

ASHLEY BROW NE

t has become football lore that legendary AFL identity Malcolm Blight was talked into coaching St Kilda in 2001 after being feted over a long dinner on the Gold Coast attended by several of the top brass at the club – both officials and players. After coaching Adelaide to back-to-back flags in 1997-98 (beating the Saints in the first Grand Final), Blight had slipped happily into retirement, splitting his time between media work and the golf course. Although the AFL industry took an extended breather at the end of the 2000 season courtesy of the Sydney Olympics, brash new St Kilda president Rod Butterss quietly started his audacious quest to land the biggest name in coaching, and he succeeded.

The end was just as dramatic as the start. After 15 rounds and just three wins, Blight was shown the door. As word spread through the day that the Saints were about to

pull the trigger, fans and media descended on Moorabbin to hear the news. It was easily the biggest AFL news event of the year, replete with television and radio stations

breaking into their scheduled daytime programming for live coverage of the press conference. For those at the club, it was just another ride on the rollercoaster. When the Saints ﬁnished on the

Other notable departures of the decade � Fremantle coach Damian Drum was told by a TV journalist as he dashed between meetings at the club that he was no longer the Dockers’ coach. Drum was clearly unaware he had been terminated.

2001 66 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

2002

� Midway through the season, Rodney Eade fell out of favour with the Swans’ hierarchy and was replaced by his assistant Paul Roos, who has continued in the role to this day. Roos will stand down at the end of 2010.

� Terry Wallace announced on the eve of round 22 he would be departing the Western Bulldogs. The club decided not to give him a farewell game and assistant Peter Rohde coached the last game of the season. 2002

2007

� Kevin Sheedy left Essendon after a record-breaking stint that started in 1981, spanned 635 games and included four premierships. The Bombers’ board announced in July it would not be renewing Sheedy’s contract, allowing him to coach out the season.

bottom of the ladder in 2000 under the coaching of Tim Watson, it was hard to believe that just three years earlier they had played in that 1997 Grand Final against Blight’s Crows. “We were in no-man’s land at the time,” former midﬁelder Austinn Jones said. “I’d been through the SOS (Save Our Saints) campaign, then a Grand Final, then that. It wasn’t looking great when we sacked ‘Blighty’ because I didn’t think we were in a position where we could afford to pay out coaching contracts.” The club’s membership slogan that year asked fans to join them for “the ride” and it proved to be quite prophetic. Jones said Blight’s quirkiness was apparent from the start with footballs banned from training for the pre-Christmas period in favour of pure ﬁtness work. It was similar to his six-year reign at Geelong (1989-94) when Cats players became somewhat conditioned to expecting the unexpected, either at training or on game-day.

Blight was a stickler for players preparing properly, even down to wearing correct training attire. That attention to detail continued during his short stint at St Kilda. The 2001 season was supposed to be an exciting one for the Saints. It was the ﬁrst year at the club for Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke, taken with the ﬁrst two draft selections the previous ovember. But as the losses mounted, so too did the pressure on Blight. After one loss at the Docklands, he kept the side on the ground for several minutes after the match, a public rebuke that drew plenty of attention at the time. He then told an interviewer that the culture at St Kilda was “500 per cent worse” than he had encountered at any other club. Another time, he listed the group of premiership coaches from rival clubs who had later coached – and been sacked – by St Kilda and vowed he wouldn’t be joining them.

A few weeks later he did, with Butterss telling the packed media conference at Moorabbin: “At the time of Malcolm’s appointment, it was agreed that if either party felt at any time that the relationship was not working, then either party could walk away. Accordingly, Malcolm Blight was terminated g this morning.”

T H E A F T E R M AT H

� Malcolm Blight speaks only fleetingly of his time with the Saints, occasionally taking issue with the version of events offered by Rod Butterss and Grant Thomas, who replaced him as coach. He still lives in Queensland, ccommentates for C Channel 10 and is on tthe board of Gold C Coast, which joins the A AFL as its 17th club n next year. Thomas, m meanwhile, revived tthe Saints, taking tthem to preliminary finals in 2004 and 2005, but was replaced at the end of 2006 by Ross Lyon, who led them to a narrow defeat in last year’s Grand Final, just the sixth contested by the club.

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All buses will arrive at the Shrine by 5.40 am and depart at 7.30 am for those people wanting to return home. To book your seat or to find out more information about times and pick-up and dropoff points, telephone Ventura Charter on 9575 4823

between 9.00am – 4.00pm, Monday to Friday (not on Public Holidays). This service is open to all members of the public. Returned and Services personnel and their families will receive priority with bookings.

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AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 67

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or call 1300 72 79 81

2010 MEMBERSHIP

SIGN UP AS MEMBER AND MAKE YOUR PACT WITH THE ESSENDON FOOTBALL CLUB. Choose from a variety of memberships available for 2010 and receive your own membership card, exclusive member’s scarf and other great member beneﬁts.

Call 1300 GO BOMBERS (1300 46 26 62) or

VISIT ESSENDONFC.COM.AU and become a member today.

GO TO

geelongcats.com.au or call 1300 GO CATS TO BECOME A MEMBER AND SHARE OUR JOURNEY IN 2010

In 2010 we’re UNITED With a young and exciting list in 2010, don’t miss any of the action. “We are all in this together… that is the Hawthorn way” JEFF KENNETT HAWTHORN FOOTBALL CLUB PRESIDENT

membership.hawthornfc.com.au

1 3000 HAWKS

GET ON BOARD. SUPPORT YOUR CLUB.

Fuel Your Passion

JOIN TODAY!

Join online melbournefc.com.au Phone 1300 DEMONS

Or visit marquees outside the ground at any MCG game.

JOIN NOW 1300 KANGAS (1300 526 427) kangaroos.com.au

BE PART OF OUR TEAM IN 2010!

Game access membership entitles you to an exclusive e-news service including news alerts and team selections PLUS 2010 Member Cap, Swans magazine and much more. Be part of our team, become a Swans member today!

Visit sydneyswans.com.au/ membership or call 1300 663 819

Col Hutchinson

timeon Our AFL history guru answers your queries.

Like father, like son

NAME GAME

How many father-sons have captained their team and won their club’s best and fairest?

Three masked men

J. Quartermain, Surrey Hills, Vic

CH: Teddy Rankin was acting

Geelong captain in 15 matches between 1901 and 1908 and won the best and fairest award in 1903. His son, Bert, was skipper of the Cats 21 times in 1922-23 and was declared their best player in 1917. Sergio Silvagni led Carlton in 18 games from 1963 until 1965 and was the Blues’ best and fairest winner in 1962 and 1968. He watched his son, Stephen, captain the same club six times between 1998 and 2000. ‘SOS’ won best player honours in 1990 and 1996. Essendon star Tim Watson led his team in 80 encounters from 1988 until 1991 and won the best and fairest in 1980, 1985, 1988 and 1989. His son, Jobe, has continued the family tradition by being appointed the Bombers’ captain this season, assuming the role in the absence of Matthew Lloyd twice last season, when he also won the Crichton Medal. WRITE TO ANSWER MAN The Slattery Media Group 140 Harbour Esplanade Docklands, 3008 or email michaell@slatterymedia.com

IN DAD’S FOOTSTEPS: Jobe

Watson has emulated his father Tim (pictured above with a young Jobe) by captaining the Bombers and winning a best and fairest.

AFL mystery men Cedric Rupert Hay � Hay was born on September 27, 1880, and played at junior level for Cumloden College before making his only appearance for Melbourne as a back pocket against Carlton at Princes Park in August, 1900. His brother, Harold, played seven matches in the red and blue guernsey during the same season.

Ronald Charles George McCann � McCann was recruited from Castlemaine to Collingwood. The 175cm, 72kg wingman was born on June 25, 1913, and won the famous Stawell Gift on Easter Monday in 1936 before making just one appearance, in a winning team for the Magpies in round eight of the same year, against Footscray at the Western Oval.

Should you have any further information regarding mystery men Hay or McCann, including their date of death, contact Col Hutchinson on (03) 9643 1929 or col.hutchinson@aﬂ .com.au.

� On rare occasions, we see AFL players wearing a helmet. Less rarely, we see players who change character once on the arena (‘white line fever’ syndrome). Both of these phenomena are represented in the names of four players on AFL lists: brothers Jack (Melbourne) and Dylan Grimes (Richmond), North Melbourne’s Nathan Grima and Hawthorn’s Sam Grimley. All can trace their surnames back to an Old Norse (Scandinavian) personal name Grímr meaning a helmet or a mask – i.e., something hiding the real face. Grime (with the ﬁnal e pronounced) was a popular given name well into the 1100s. Grimes is simply “son of Grime”. Grima has come from Old English times (and could also mean “ghost”). Grimley is an English place name based on the given name Grime and leah, a wood (Grime’s wood). However, Grimley might also be an Irish form of the name Gormley, based on Gaelic words gorm (noble) and gal (valour) – not bad attributes for an AFL player.

Footy skills book out now Including tips from the stars of the AFL Only $24.95 from all good bookstores Visit footybookclub.com 70 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

KEVAN CARROLL

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CARD ZONE AUSTR ALIA’S TR AD I N G CARD SH O P

2010 AFL Champions Base Set (195) $35 Base Team Sets (12 cards per team): Collingwood, Essendon $10 Carlton, Geelong, Hawthorn, Richmond, St Kilda, Bulldogs $8 Other Teams: $7

SUBSET: 1. Holofoil Jersey Die cut (195): 1 Per Pack Full Set (195) $230 12 Foil Jersey Die cut cards per team. Essendon, Collingwood $24 each Hawthorn, Geelong, Carlton, Richmond $20 Bulldogs, North Melb, St Kilda $18 Other Teams: $15

2. Force 5 Signature Gold (80): 1: 6 Packs Full Set (80) $480. 5 cards per team: Collingwood, Essendon $42

MAIL ORDER: send to CARD ZONE, 262-266 Victoria Street, North Melbourne, VIC 3051 (Opposite Vic Market) OPEN: Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm and Sunday, 10am-12pm PH: (03) 9326 9588 FAX: (03) 9326 7511 EMAIL: stevewang@cardzone.com.au WEB SITE: www.cardzone.com.au

Carlton, Richmond, Hawthorn, Geelong $36 RG21 Robert Gray (Port Adel) Bulldogs, North Melb, St Kilda $32 RG22 Jason Davenport (Port Adel) Other Teams: $30 RG23 Daniel Jackson (Richmond) RG24 Mitch Morton (Richmond) 3. Revelation Green Gem RG25 Sam Gilbert (St Kilda) Cards (32): 1: 18 Pk RG26 Clinton Jones (St Kilda) 2 cards per team RG27 Jesse White (Sydney) RG1 Chris Knights (Adelaide) $12 RG28 Patrick Veszpremi (Sydney) RG2 Bernie Vince (Adelaide) $15 RG29 Josh Kennedy (West Coast) RG3 James Polkinghorne (Bris Lions) $12 RG30 Chris Masten (West Coast) RG4 Daniel Rich (Bris Lions) $15 RG31 Brian Lake (Bulldogs) RG5 Michael Jamison (Carlton) $15 RG32 Callan Ward (Bulldogs) RG6 Aaron Joseph (Carlton) $15 RG7 John Anthony (Collingwood) $20 4. Superstar Mascot Gem RG8 Dayne Beams (Collingwood) $20 Card (16): 1: 36 RG9 Michael Hurley (Essendon) $20 RG10 Tayte Pears (Essendon) $20 MG1: Kurt Tippett RG11 Stephen Hill (Fremantle) $12 MG2: Mitch Clark RG12 Hayden Ballantyne (Fremantle)$12 MG3: Bryce Gibbs RG13 Tom Hawkins (Geelong) $15 MG4: Dane Swan RG14 Harry Taylor (Geelong) $15 MG5: Patrick Ryder RG15 Grant Birchall (Hawthorn) $15 MG6: Aaron Sandilands RG16 Garry Moss (Hawthorn) $15 MG7: Steve Johnson RG17 Liam Jurrah (Melbourne) $12 MG8: Cyril Rioli RG18 Ricky Petterd (Melbourne) $12 MG9: James McDonald RG19 Andrew Swallow (North Melb) $15 MG10: Drew Petrie RG20 Liam Anthony (North Melb) $12 MG11: Brett Ebert

$12 $12 $18 $18 $12 $12 $12 $12 $12 $12 $12 $12

$25 $25 $40 $40 $40 $25 $30 $40 $25 $25 $25

MG12: Brett Deledio MG13: Lenny Hayes MG14: Brett Kirk MG15: Mark LeCras MG16: Shaun Higgins

$35 $30 $25 $25 $30

$65 $65 $65

5. Draft Rookie Cards (17): 1: 36 Packs DR1: Tom Scully (Melbourne) DR2: Jack Trengove (Melbourne) DR3: Dustin Martin (Richmond) DR4: Anthony Morabito (Fremantle) DR5: Ben Cunnington (North Melb) DR6: Gary Rohan (Sydney) DR7: Brad Sheppard (West Coast) DR8: John Butcher (Port Adel) DR9: Andrew Moore (Port Adel) DR10: Jake Melksham (Essendon) DR11: Jordan Gysberts (Melbourne) DR12: Kane Lucas (Carlton)

$25 $25 $25 $25 $25

6. Best Of The Best Diamond (12): 1: 72 packs

300 Game Case Card ( 3) 1 card per 12 box factory case. Jason Akermanis Tyson Edwards Michael O’Loughlin

DR13: Daniel Talia (Adel) DR14: Lewis Jetta (Sydney) DR15: Christian Howard (Bulldogs) DR16: Jasper Pittard (Port Adel) DR17: Daniel Menzel (Geelong)

L ED IM IT ITE IO D N

$40 $40 $40 $30 $30 $25 $25 $25 $25 $30 $25 $30

Call for availability. BB1 Jonathan Brown BB2 Chris Judd BB3 Leon Davis BB4 Alan Didak BB5 Matthew Pavlich BB6 Gary Ablett BB7 Lance Franklin BB8 Ben Cousins BB9 Nick Riewoldt BB10 Adam Goodes BB11 Jason Akermanis BB12 Brad Johnson

$45 $55 $55 $55 $45 $55 $55 $50 $45 $45 $45 $45

AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 71

timeon

Rick Milne

COLLECTABLES

Footy has great appeal

A weekly look at collectables, memorabilia lia and all footy things stored in boxes and garages.

RICK’S RARITY

I have a Tom Wood & Son black and white football from a 3DB Good Friday Appeal in the 1950s. It has the signatures of Collingwood players of the time and among the ones I can decipher are Ron Kingston, Keith Bromage, Brian Gray, Murray Weideman, Ken Bennett, Thorold Merrett, Peter Lucas and others. The football is in good condition, but the bladder seems to have rotted. Value?

SIGNED SAINTS:

A reader has the signatures of former Saints Keith Drinan (far right) and Bill Mohr.

I have an autograph book with signatures of Keith Drinan, Bill Mohr and many other former St Kilda stars. I would appreciate a valuation.

LESLIE, VIA EMAIL

RM: Your football possibly

is from 1956 and, like all footballs, they go ﬂat over time and the signatures fade. However, yours is better than most and worth up to $500. I recommend The Frame Spot (phone 03 9885 0017) if you wish to recondition and frame the football.

KEVIN, VIA EMAIL

RM: Ideally, the signatures

would be on the one page and in ink. If so, they would be worth $400. Very often, however, players in earlier eras signed in pencil and, if this is the case with your collection, the value would be $200. Fans these days put team and individual photos in frames.

I have autographs of Richmond newcomers Dustin Martin and Troy Taylor. Are these worth anything?

My sister was a fanatical Collingwood supporter and especially loved cheeky Magpie rover Ronnie Wearmouth. We have her scrapbook covering Wearmouth’s years at Collingwood from 1969-81, with cuttings, photos and swap cards. Any value?

SHARRY (aged 10), VIA EMAIL

RM: I know the Tigers are

expecting big things from this pair and Martin already is being touted as one of the AFL’s most promising players. Although your autographs are not worth much at present, they are good to have.

DON, VIA EMAIL

RM: Wearmouth certainly

was a bit of a character in his 186 games with the Magpies and often was described as a “lovable rogue”. He was a gifted footballer and the son of Dick Wearmouth, who played 100 games for Footscray from 1944-52. Scrapbooks don’t usually bring big prices, but if you have some original photos, you could be looking at up to $200.

� In the 1950s, children and quite a few VFL players wore Jonco football shorts. In 1958, Jonco decided to attach a large card to each pair and these featured six perforated player portraits which then were carefully removed. Buyers of the shorts also were given the chance to win a bicycle. The cards are notoriously difficult to find, but here are three of the full set of 45. They feature South Melbourne Brownlow medallist Fred Goldsmith, Footscray star Roger Duff y (who played in the Bulldogs’ 1954 premiership side) and St Kilda’s Allan Jeans, who later coached the Saints to the 1966 premiership.

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 FITZY Brisbane Lions Collingwood West Coast Eagles St Kilda Adelaide Essendon Western Bulldogs Geelong

TIPSTERS

MICK Brisbane Lions Collingwood West Coast Eagles St Kilda Adelaide Essendon Richmond Geelong

72 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

SAM Brisbane Lions Collingwood West Coast Eagles St Kilda Adelaide Essendon Western Bulldogs Geelong

DAVE Carlton Collingwood West Coast Eagles St Kilda Adelaide Essendon Western Bulldogs Geelong

LEHMO Brisbane Lions Collingwood West Coast Eagles St Kilda Adelaide Essendon Western Bulldogs Hawthorn

ANDY Carlton Collingwood West Coast Eagles St Kilda Adelaide Essendon Western Bulldogs Geelong

HAWTHORN vs GEELONG CATS

The beyondblue Cup:

tackling depression together Every year, Hawthorn and the Geelong Cats battle for the beyondblue Cup to raise awareness of depression and anxiety disorders. Over a million people in Australia live with depression and over two million have an anxiety disorder. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not you, maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s someone you know. Find out about depression, anxiety and related disorders, available treatments and where to get help at www.beyondblue.org.au or phone the beyondblue info line on 1300 22 4636.

Photo: Slattery Media Group

timeon

KIDS’ CORNER

IVE F TO FIND

Sudoku

� Solve this puzzle by ﬁlling in the empty squares with the nine letters of the player’s name. You must make sure that you only use each letter once in every row, column or small box of nine squares. Do not guess, as there is only one correct solution.

SHANE TUCK N N

A H

S A H

C C N

former club last weekend?

eturn 2 Which former Essendon captain made a return from a knee injury in round one?

4 Which Tiger with distinctive hair debuted in

H T

1 Which St Kilda player enjoyed a win over his

in Brisbane last weekend.

S A

QUICK QUESTIONS

3 This former Blue booted two goals for the Eagles

U U

round one? 5 The speedy former Lion is a now a Hawk.

H THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS 5 QUICK QUESTIONS: Adam Schneider, David Hille, Josh Kennedy, Ben Nason, Rhan Hooper. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: Eye removed from Crow on jumper; ‘S’ missing from Sherrin on football; second strip of tape added to player’s wrist; yellow sleeve piping removed; logo on bottom right of jumper missing. BIG MOUTH: SCRAMBLED FOOTBALLER: CRYPTIC FOOTBALLERS:

74 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

timeon

NAB AFL RISING STAR

Reaping the rewards The disappointment of being overlooked for a ﬁnal has p proved a motivating force for Carlton youngster Chris Yarran.

hris Yarran was dropped after Carlton’s round 22 loss to Adelaide last year, g the opportunity to missing play in a final the next week. The m-sized forward used the medium-sized ointment as motivation. disappointment In thee short-term, it was h a couple of sensational through mances in the VFL finals performances finals for Blues affiliate, the Northern Bullants. In the long-term, an arduous pre-season of hard work would ensue. “It was pretty frustrating to get dropped for the final against Brisbane because I probably played one of my better games against Adelaide, but that’s footy,” Yarran said. “I wasn’t picked because I was too inconsistent through the year. Everyone’s disappointed when they miss out on a game of footy but it made me work harder during pre-season and I’m getting rewarded for it now.” Rewarded he has been, with Yarran’s three-goal haul against Richmond in round one earning him the first NAB AFL Rising Star nomination of the season. Yarran, who collected 11 disposals and laid six tackles, said his strong start to the season was a result of having the fitness to get to more contests. “During the off-season I tried to get to the better runners at the club and stick with them in the practice games and during running drills,” the 19-year-old said. “With that extra fitness and conditioning, I’m getting to more contests, and the more contests

NAB AFL Rising Star Nominees

RIGHT AT HOME: Young gun Chris Yarran XXXXXXX:

is feeling more comfortable Carlton XXXX XXXXatXXXX XX this season, and the results are showing.

Round 1 – Chris Yarran (Carl)

THREE THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW Yarran played a lot of cricket as a junior in Western Australia. His favourite player is Adam Gilchrist.

2 He barracked for the

Sydney Swans before joining Carlton. 3 He enjoys country and western music, with his favourite artist being American Randy Travis.

Once I got my ﬁrst touch, I realised that I belonged out there CHRIS YARRAN

I can get to, the more chance I have of getting the ball.” Drafted by Carlton with the sixth pick in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, Yarran looks set to play a more important role in the new-look Blues forward line next to good friend Eddie Betts and housemate Jeff Garlett. “Eddie’s probably one of my better mates at the club, so it’s

great to have him beside me during games, sharing some of his experience with me,” said Yarran, who played six games in his debut season. “We’re a bit less predictable this year and, for Eddie and me, it’s not all about kicking goals, forward pressure is really important.” Having moved from Perth when drafted, the agile and skilful Yarran feels more comfortable at Carlton in 2010, on and off the ﬁeld. “I was really nervous before the game (last week), but once I got my ﬁrst touch, I realised that I belonged out there, which

I never really felt last year,” he said. “I enjoyed every minute of it, and it’s great being at such an awesome club in Carlton. The place feels like home now.” The challenge now for Yarran is to sustain his efforts and repay the faith and confidence his coaches have shown him this season. With a bag of goals, a big win and a NAB Rising Star nomination in the first round, things could hardly have started better. “It’s a thrill to play well in round one and it’ll give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year,” he said. “It would be great if I could keep up the same form. It would also be pretty good to get into the finals again and get a game this year.”

Each week throughout the home and away season, a panel of judges will select the nominee for the 2010 NAB AFL Rising Star. At the completion of the season, one outstanding player will be chosen as the 2010 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

timeon

LAST LINE

Applying data laterally

Making sense of the moves

BENCH WARFARE: Magpie coach

Mick Malthouse watches on as John Anthony and Dale Thomas wait to rejoin the action.

t half-time in the 1970 CarltonCollingwood Grand Final, coach Ron Barassi nodded and said: “Hopkins, you’re on”. I kicked four goals in the second half and since have been known as the game’s most famous reserve or ‘bench’ player. Forty years ago, it was considered a risk to interchange an uninjured player early in a game, because the rules did not permit a player to return to the field after coming off. The coach’s call that day was both daring and desperate – and ultimately, it was rewarded. I immediately understood the call as a privilege and a rare chance, and I’m proud I kept my end of the bargain. You might think, then, that I’m all for rapid-fire bench action, but not in the form it takes today. Honestly, I’m as confused as anyone (coaches and players included) as to what’s happening on and off the bench. Today, often a player will kick a goal and run straight off the ground – an alien concept to players of my vintage. In another era, there were only three things a player did after kicking a goal: he’d stay silent for fear of getting belted by a grisly backman; he’d bum-tap a teammate and say “Thanks mate” for helping set up the goal, or he’d run around yelling “Come on fellas”. (Now, we might be on the verge of seeing the first git pull his jumper over his head and take a running summersault after booting a goal.) 78 AFL RECORD visit aflrecord.com.au

In my previous role with Champion Data, the AFL’s official statistics provider, I was involved in setting up the monitoring of interchange numbers. We started recording them in 2006, and there was an average of 92 a game. The exponential increase since is staggering – last year, there were 182 a match, on average. Likewise, the increase in football department staff using technology in an attempt to make sense of it all is also confounding. At a typical game today, each club has a bench manager and specialist fitness and conditioning coaches sitting on the sidelines, next to an AFL interchange steward assisted by the reserve umpire and an official statistician. In each coach’s box, there are at least two places (often more) assigned to assistant coaches and statisticians monitoring interchanges and match-ups.

made by those with football knowledge – the men charged with making tactical decisions. With so much technologically generated data aimed at the box, by the time a coach’s decision is conveyed to the bench, a series of other interchanges may have already been triggered by a software package. The end result is a match-up swirl close to impossible to track, or verify, by anyone. Apart from selected key position match-ups and hard tags, the rest can look like an extreme example of chaos theory. As a fan, I like tracing the moves of players and coaches seeking tactical advantage. The current interchange frenzy denies this. Indeed, other The end result football codes such is a match-up swirl as soccer, rugby close to impossible league and union and American to track or verify Football ... an extreme feature rules example of chaos limiting player At least two theory substitutions, partly official game designed so that fans statisticians watch can make genuine from the media box. player-on-player assessments. Supporting this Barassi’s 1970 Grand Final Avatar-style production are four substitution is high on a main technology systems and distinguished list of memorable respective back-up technicians, coaching moves credited with available in various degrees and changing the course of the game. configurations, depending on the But game theory dictates there demand from clubs and media: is a better chance of winning by the software for capturing and maximising the on-field time reporting numbers and players, computerised whiteboards, bench spent by the best 18 players available – maximising their manager reporting software respective skills – in the context packages along with GPS devices of pressure being exerted by and reporting software. the opposition. Getting it right It looks impressive, but is is the challenge for coaches, it overkill? Although it seems and watching it unfold is an head coaches generally support intriguing study for fans. Right unrestricted limitations on now, simply being able to make interchange rotations, I have sense of the chaos has become the been hearing private concerns hardest thing to do. from some. Foremost is the view key coaching decisions are increasingly being overtaken by fitness and conditioning personnel, instead of being

TED HOPKINS IS A CARLTON PREMIERSHIP PLAYER AND FOUNDER OF CHAMPION DATA. HIS CURRENT PROJECT IS TEDSPORT, A HIGH PERFORMANCE DATA ANALYSIS AND CONSULTING SERVICE.

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