AFL Record, Round 15, 2010 by The Slattery Media Group

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ROUND 15, JULY 9-11, 2010

Features 57

Our Great Game

A new book captures the game in photographs.

James Kelly

14 EAGLE FLIES TO 200:

Andrew Embley reﬂects on his journey to 200 games, a milestone he achieves in this round.

A Geelong star in ripping form.

Moments of the decade

The power behind Port Adelaide’s 2004 ﬂag.

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 76 78

Answer Man Kids’ Corner NAB AFL Rising Star Talking Point

THIS WEEK’S COVER James Kelly has played an important role in Geelong’s rise to power.

Ted Hopkins laments the loss of the classic wingmen.

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feedback

Your say on the world of football

EDITOR’S LETTER

The long road back

Coach knows best

FLYING HIGH: Led by young stars such as Jack Riewoldt (who took yet another great mark last weekend against the Sydney Swans), the Tigers are on the prowl.

Many sniggered when Adelaide coach Neil Craig suggested a few weeks ago that the Crows wouldn’t be capable of playing their best football until the second half of the season, with injuries and an unsettled pre-season campaign hurting hard. Granted, we’ve only beaten teams on the lower rungs of the ladder, but we’re starting to see some of the well-organised and smart football that the Crows were playing late last season. This team will cause some damage in the last two months of the year, especially with forward Kurt Tippett starting to ﬁnd the ball again. ROSLYN, VIA EMAIL

Final eight is enough

Expanding the competition is one thing, adding four teams to the finals series is another. A final 12 can’t be taken seriously, when you consider ladder positions in the past 10 or so years. Quite a number of the teams that have finished 12th in that period have won only eight of 22 matches. In one case (2003), Geelong won only seven matches – a winning percentage of about 32. The final eight works well enough, and should be retained. BRUCE DAVIS, VIA EMAIL

Beware the Tigers

Here’s a warning to the rest of the competition: the Tigers are coming. And isn’t it about time? For too long we’ve had to watch on as fans of other clubs have lapped up the good times. Soon it will be our turn – again. Kudos to Damien Hardwick, Brendon Gale and everyone else for ﬁnally getting the mighty yellow and black back on the right path, with the boys playing a disciplined and exciting brand of footy that is good to watch. Those who were at the MCG last weekend when we beat the Sydney Swans after being more than ﬁve goals

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

4 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

down late in the third quarter will understand how good it feels to be supporting this team right now. I know it’s early days, but this is the best I’ve felt about a Richmond team for many years. Eat ’em alive, Tiges. BOB DOCKERTY, VERMONT, VIC.

HAVE YOUR SAY

The best letter each round will receive SportsEars, a portable radio that allows you to listen to the umpires at AFL venues. Email aﬂrecordeditor@slatterymedia.com di or write to AFL Record, Slattery Media Group, 140 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, VIC, 3008.

DESIGNERS Alison Wright, Daniel Frawley PHOTO EDITORS Natalie Boccassini, Ginny Pike PRODUCTION MANAGER Troy Davis PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Stephen Lording, Emma Meagher DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Adele Morton COMMERCIAL MANAGER Alison Hurbert-Burns

AFL CLUB ACCOUNT MANAGER Anthony Palmer ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR Laura Mullins Advertising (03) 9627 2600 PHOTOGRAPHY Sean Garnsworthy, Michael Willson, Lachlan Cunningham AFL Photos (03) 9627 2600 aﬂphotos.com.au PRINTED BY PMP Print

� Often you hear veteran or retired players advising youngsters to make the most of their time in the game, for careers can end sooner than anyone thinks. Two of the game’s brightest young players had reason to ponder that stark message last weekend. Fremantle’s Michael Barlow broke his leg on Saturday, with North Melbourne’s Jack Ziebell suffering a similar injury less than 24 hours later. It’s the second time Ziebell has sustained this type of injury to the same leg. Although both are expected to recover fully and resume their careers (see story by Nick Bowen starting on page 11), they are likely to have to deal with doubts as they rehabilitate, and when they eventually return. Clubs provide the best of medical, fitness and welfare services, but the road back from serious injury can be a lonely one. The fact the Dockers are set to play in the finals will hit Barlow even more. Watch closely the next time a player returns from serious injury. Watch his teammates mob him when he kicks a goal or puts his body on the line. It’s recognition of the effort he’s made, and confirmation he’s still valued. As down as they might be now, Barlow and Ziebell will be driven by the chance to again experience that feeling. PET E R 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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AFL RECORD, VOL. 99, ROUND 15, 2010 Copyright. ACN No. 004 155 211. ISSN 1444-2973, Print Post approved PP320258/00109

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VIEWS NEWS FIRST PERSON FACTS DATA CULTURE

YOUTH POLICY: Damien Hardwick’s

message is clear – he wants to take the Tigers forward with a group of committed young players.

REBUILDING

500 reasons the Tigers are on the right track PETER RYA N

ichmond has built a nice narrative this year. The Tigers know they are starting a long trek towards a premiership, but are making sure the start of the journey is more like a trip through a Calcutta bazaar than a Saharan desert. Coach Damien Hardwick can take credit for that. He hasn’t deviated from the destination but, as a guide, he has pointed out some interesting sights along the way. One of the smartest aspects of Hardwick’s approach was his

willingness to cut deep early, picking the group he wanted to travel with and reminding senior players they were only on the trip if they followed certain rules. Then he told us Jack Riewoldt reminded him of a few super forwards he had been involved with at Hawthorn. Riewoldt soon conﬁrmed how prophetic his coach was, and is now leading the Coleman Medal. Hardwick has introduced nine new players and farewelled one (Troy Simmonds) with respect. Along the way, Shane

Tuck rejoined the ragged band of Tiger travellers. The coach ‘restarted’ the season after round eight, when Richmond courageously lost to Hawthorn playing the sort of football he was chasing. It was a smart motivational trick. A hard, barren road had been crossed and the group needed a fresh outlook. The Tigers won soon afterwards (in round 10 against Port Adelaide) and Hardwick spoke about his fondness for singing the song. When he made the mistake of blocking a Riewoldt interview after his forward kicked 10 goals in a win over West Coast, he came clean: a rookie’s mistake. The tour had started again, with smiles everywhere. After last weekend when the players

looked back to assess their performances, they only saw as far as six games, and they had won four. There were other signs, too. The Tigers have conceded an average of 84 points a game in the past six weeks. They were conceding an average of 119 in the ﬁrst eight weeks. They are travelling better than a few other groups. Hardwick has, as they say in business books, shrunk the change. However, he is looking further ahead still. He knows there are more important measures when it comes to Richmond’s future path. One of the areas he is focusing on is getting games into the young players. He knows it is in the cauldron CON T IN U ED NE X T PAGE

AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 7

the bounce

where the best lessons are learned, and where he ﬁnds out most about his players. More speciﬁcally, he wants to give players aged 22 and under a combined 500 games of experience this season and next. If that is achieved, it will mean 1000 hours of game experience before the expectations become too high. It is about hardening the group for when the terrain becomes tougher. It is also about keeping the initial steps small. Modern football is about achieving synchronicity and implementing systems. The more a group plays together, the better chance it has of achieving the kind of synergy required for great ball movement and defensive responses. Hardwick knows the contenders have groups that have played together for a long time. There is no time like the present to get started on the path Geelong and Hawthorn and Collingwood and St Kilda began years ago. After last week’s win, Hardwick reminded everyone that he started with a blueprint for success and that plan would remain unchanged, regardless of the win-loss column. He would not fall for any tourist traps. “It’s all about the process going forward that is going to deliver some silverware,” he said.

THE 500 TARGET Games played after round 14 by players younger than 22 at the start of the season:

ROTATIONS

RICHMOND

144

NORTH MELBOURNE

126

MELBOURNE

125

WEST COAST

117

CARLTON

116

ESSENDON

105

BRISBANE LIONS

105

ADELAIDE

FREMANTLE

HAWTHORN

COLLINGWOOD

PORT ADELAIDE

SYDNEY SWANS

GEELONG

WESTERN BULLDOGS

ST KILDA

THE BENCHMARKS Games played in a year by players younger than 22 at the start of the season: HAWTHORN IN 2005

180

GEELONG IN 2001

166

No rest if you’re running hot NICK BOW EN

t’s another feature of the modern game traditionalists struggle to understand – players coming to the interchange bench after they have kicked a goal. In the past, players were usually called to the bench only if they were struggling to get into the game. But, today, the bench is primarily used to rest players on a rotational basis – seemingly regardless of how well they are playing or whether they have just kicked a goal. Which is why it stood out last week when Collingwood’s Alan Didak started to run off the ground after kicking a goal against West Coast, but was told to stay on by the runner. It was late in the third quarter and Didak had just kicked three goals in three minutes. After dribbling the ﬁrst from the boundary line in trademark style, he kicked the other two after going into the midﬁeld at the centre bounce and working

W H E N T H E Y ’ R E N O T P L AY I N G

Player

First person you phoned when you were drafted:

If you could play another professional sport, it would be:

Most environmentally cious conscious mmate: teammate:

What is the oldest item in your wardrobe that you still wear:

Tom Logan (Port Adelaide)

My dad

Gridiron in the NFL

ean n Dean Brogan Brogan

My Blink 182 shirt for gardening

Josh Kennedy (West Coast)

Grandmother

Basketball

B Brett Jones

ess Shoes

Kurt Tippett (Adelaide)

My friend Luke

N Nathan va Berlo van

My pyjama shorts

Matt White (Richmond)

Grandfather

Ben Nason

ma an Superman T-shirt

NEWS TRACKER

tball Basketball

Super X motorcross

PURLE PATCH:

Despite a planned rotation, Pie Alan Didak was kept on the ﬁeld after kicking three goals in three minutes.

hard ard to get nto dangerous d into osittions in the positions orward line. forward Co ollingwood Collingwood portts science sports irecctor David director uttifant, ifant, who Buttifant, i h monitors the Magpies’ rotations from the interchange bench, said the directive for Didak to stay on the ground had come from the coach’s box. “Most clubs would adhere to some type of system with their rotations, which would include taking players off the ground after they kicked goals, but ultimately it’s governed by the coach and I’m sure if a player is having a big inﬂuence, they would keep him on the ground,” Buttifant said. While it might appear that nearly every time a player kicks a goal, he is rotated through the interchange bench, it is not always the case, according to Buttifant. “Players often come off the ground after kicking a goal because it’s a convenient time for them to rotate before play restarts,” he said. “And when a player has kicked a goal, the cameras are on him and they catch him running off, so it captures a bit of attention. “But that’s not to say it’s a general rule. There are always different permutations with rotations – the player’s fatigue levels at the time, whether another player is ready to come on and, as I’ve said, the coach always has the ultimate say in whether to keep a player on who is running hot.”

Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell to miss one-to-two weeks after surgery on his broken right hand.

8 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

ANALYSIS GEOFF SLATTERY

For Cousins, the contests never end � It was a few minutes before five o’clock on Sunday afternoon, not more than 15 minutes after Richmond had pulled off a miraculous win over the Sydney Swans at the MCG. An exuberant, excited Ben Cousins was at the end of an interview on 3AW, with an old West Coast mate, Scott Cummings. Cummings asked him one last question: “Can you go around again next year?” Cousins’ answer was just as it had been eight weeks earlier when grilled by the crew of Fox Sports’ On The Couch. He said: “Ooooh, mate, I’d love to.” But there was much more to the response, revealing the team-man behind Cousins. “I’m really enjoying my footy,” he said. “If I play good footy, it’ll take care of itself. Either way, I’ll be happy.” He was not about to make any demands on his club. As it has always been, it was up to him to perform … if I play good footy it’ll take care of itself. He then re-affirmed his philosophy: “I’ve really enjoyed my footy, my time at Richmond. You know I don’t want to overstay my welcome. That’ll be up to the coaches. We’ll wait and see.” Twenty hours later, just after midday on Monday, Cousins, the recovering drug addict, was rushed to hospital and placed in intensive care for what was stated by his club, the Epworth Hospital and Richmond medical staff as “an adverse reaction to a sleeping tablet”. The media pounced with an exuberance that was not so different from that of Cousins post-match. The chase was on. By two o’clock, a pack had descended on the hospital, seeking we know not what; believing, no doubt, that Cousins had been back on the juice. Doors were knocked, absurd questions posed to doorjambs, cameras rolled, serious faces

NEWS TRACKER

PLEASE EXPLAIN: Ben Cousins faces the media on Wednesday after being released from hospital.

were seen behind microphones in front of Epworth signs, opining, guessing, predicting. None of this would have surprised Cousins, at that stage ﬂat on his back under medical supervision. As he told On The Couch back in May: “I’ve had to cop my fair whack. I think I would have liked rttss journalists rts jjo ou urrna urn nal alis list ists sts tss to to do do a the sports little more oree research ore rres reese sea ea arrcch h in in the tth hee actual ac actu ctual ua all condition n of of addiction ad add a addic dd dic iccti ctio ction ct on n before beefo bef b for orree ke personal ke p peers per rson rso son on nall at na nal att a attacks tta tac ack cks ks they make on me. Because Beca Be ca au ussee to use o use ussee a u football analogy, analo an ana na alo log ogy gy, y,, I thi think tth hin hink nk k they’ve gone gone go on nee for fo forr the tth hee man man ma n a little bit, b t,, rather bit rat rra ath th heer than thee ball.” ba ball ll. l.” Over this thiss week th thi w weeek wee ek k oil, o oi oil il,, the tth hee of turmoil, man wass certainly ceert ccer rta tai ain inly nly ly ly attacked d – directly, directl dir diire d rec ect ctl tlly, ly, ly by inference, eence, en enc nce ce, e,, by by innuendo, o, by o, by disbelief, ff, by by raised eyebrows, yyebrows, ye yeb ebr bro row ow ows ws, s,, by a superiority periority pe per eri rio ior orit rity ityy complexx – a cocktail tossed toss to tos sse sed ed d at him byy media me med media ed dia a commentary, ntary, nt nta tar ary ryy, reporting ng g and an and d guesswork. ork. or ork rk k.. The T Th hee hounds had had ha d the th thee fox in sight. ght. gh ght htt.

This writer may be naïve, but my view is that Cousins’ comeback from addiction – an addiction that is permanent – is one of the great AFL stories of our generation. The much-maligned Richmond deserves enormous credit for taking a risk on Cousins,, and for managing his g com co com meeba meb ba acck ack k to to the tth hee game ga gam gam mee he clearly comeback loves lo lov ovves ove ess beyond b beeyo bey yon ond nd d most m mo mos ost stt other o oth ot othe the he things in been n life; lif l fe; e;; it it hasn’t h ha has asn sn’t n’t ’tt all alll b al ro ros ossees, ess,, but bu b utt the th thee club cllub cclu ub b and roses, player pllay pla ayyer yeerr have h ha hav avvee done ave don d do on ne the ne t best they they th the eyy could co cou coul uld ld d under un und u unde nd deer er enormous e and and an d constant cco on ons nst sta tan ant ntt sscrutiny. scru sc scr cru ru Cousins Cous Co Cou usi sin ins nss d deserves dese de des ese se just as much mu praise mu for ffo orr applying a hiim him h m himself to his game, hiiss g h and an nd n d to to his new club c ub cl clu b – and an for a clearly clea cl cle ear arl rly lyy making ma mak m makin ak akin kin ng a difference to to a group gr gro grou oup up p of of green gree ree young re players desperate play pla aye yer ers rss despera de d des esp spe per era ra attee ffor ate on-fi on--fi on field fiel eld d direction. directio dir d ire rec ect cti tio on on. o n.. There Ther Th heere ree iss no no guesswork gues ues ue in It is n that ttha th hat att last la lasst statement. stat ssta sttat attte tem em m a constant co con nssta nst tan ant ntt refrain refr re ref refr frrai rrain ra ain in coming from In from fr fro om m Richmond Ric Rich Richmon R chm ch hm mo mon on nd n d players. p the thee round th rro ou oun un nd d 14 14 edition eed edit dit itt of the AFL Record, Cousins’ young AFL AF L Record Re R ecco orrd ord d, C Co ouss ou ous teammate tea te am mm ma mat ate tee Trent T Tr Tre Tren ren en ntt Cotchin n C said: said sa sai id: d:: “He ““H Hee (Cousins) (C (Cousin Co Cou ous usi sin in nss)) has ns) h been

terrific with the knowledge and professionalism he brings on and off the field. You can tell in the group that whenever he speaks, it’s all ears, including the coaches.” None of this seems to have filtered through to football’s commentariat, seemingly more keen on being first with the news – opinion/guesswork more likely – that Cousins’ time at Richmond is over. The hounds seeking the fox. Those who are pedalling that line may well be disappointed. Within hours of his release from hospital on Tuesday, Cousins was knocking down the coach’s door to express his passion to play this week. Medical opinion is likely to win that argument, and he will probably resume against North Melbourne in round 16. This column is wishing hard for Cousins. The player has shown himself the master at winning the hard ball, just as he did in many instances in that thrilling last quarter against Sydney. This week’s affair is just another unfortunate off-field pack scrimmage for Cousins, another stoppage in a life that still has much to offer.

Geelong’s high performance manager Dean Robinson leaves club to join Gold Coast. AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 9

UP AND AWAY Rd 14 Geelong v North Melbourne, Skilled Stadium

SNAP SHOT

� North Melbourne’s Lindsay Thomas was at it again last weekend, finding yet another way to make us pay close attention when he’s anywhere near the ball. In the first minute of the second quarter, Thomas climbed high over Cat Paul Chapman in the centre of the ground, intercepting a lateral pass from Corey Enright. The 22-year-old small forward landed on his feet and immediately swung on to his favoured left foot, curling a delightful pass inside 50 to Lachlan Hansen. Thomas has booted 27 goals in 14 matches this season, including bags of seven against Carlton in round 12 and five against Fremantle in round 10. In between those efforts, he kicked two against the Brisbane Lions, including one from about 50m with only a sock on his left foot, the boot slipping off in the course of the same play. PETER DI SISTO PHOTO: LACHLAN CUNNINGHAM/AFL PHOTOS

the bounce

ON THE MARCH

Why the Hawks are ﬂying again C A MERON NOA K ES

H INJURY SETBACKS

Barlow begins long road to recovery

NICK BOW EN

conventional knee reconstruction generally sidelines a player for 12 months, but it can be harder to predict the recovery time needed for a broken leg. Last weekend, two emerging midfielders suffered breaks. Fremantle’s outstanding mature-age recruit Michael Barlow broke the fibula and tibia bones in his left leg when he collided with teammate Rhys Palmer late in the Dockers’ win over Port Adelaide at Subiaco. And North Melbourne’s Jack Ziebell broke the tibia in his right leg – having broken the fibula in the same leg last season – in a contest with Geelong’s Travis Varcoe. Barlow’s injury, in particular, received plenty of media attention, with some suggesting NEWS TRACKER

HEARTBREAK: Michael Barlow’s he may not play in 2011 and was brilliant debut season for the Dockers no certainty to play again. ended with a broken leg last week. Fremantle quickly refuted such speculation, with football “Obviously, I’m not privy to operations manager Chris Bond all the information the Dockers saying Barlow’s fractures had have on Barlow’s injury, but been “clean” and high up on his even when you have all that leg, and surgery to repair them information, you are still had gone well. speculating about when the Sports physician Dr John player will return. Orchard, co-author of the “Sometimes you can get a annual AFL Injury Report, break that looks as though said this week it was it’s badly displaced but it hard to predict moves back into place players’ recovery very well, fixes times from You can get a well and there’s broken legs, broken leg where not much joint which could the player takes damage, so the range from player is pretty a long time to medium- to much right to go a long-term get his pace and few months after injuries. agility back the injury. He said DR JOHN ORCHARD “But other times the factors that you can get a broken influence the speed leg where the of a player’s recovery player takes a long time to get his included the nature of the break pace and agility back. (generally, the cleaner the break “If there’s related damage to the speedier the recovery), the ankle joint, you only need whether there has been related a tiny bit of the fracture to not damage to the ankle joint, and set near the joint and, with the which bone is involved – the stresses going through there, the tibia is bigger than the fibula and player’s rehabilitation can drag heals more slowly. out for more than 12 months.” “There’s a very fine line In good news for Barlow and between a medium-term Ziebell, Dr Orchard says the injury and one that knocks your chances of a leg break recurring career around for 18 months,” are minimal. Dr Orchard says.

awthorn has been making many frank admissions lately – and the reasons behind them are fascinating. Coach Alastair Clarkson recently confessed his team needed to “get with the times”, which for many seemed peculiar from a man who had not long ago devised a formula and a game-plan to help his team grab an unlikely premiership. Clarkson pioneered “the cluster” or rolling zone. But football trends change quickly and Clarkson found himself resisting, undoubtedly believing the “cluster”, applied so brilliantly in 2008, could again deliver. Most notably, Clarkson resisted heavy interchange rotations. But all that has suddenly changed, and the results speak for themselves. In round nine against Carlton, Hawthorn smashed the AFL record for interchanges by 13, rotating players an incredible 155 times. By comparison, the Blues had just 82, however, they were two men down by the middle of the second quarter. The Hawks won by 50 points, their most impressive victory for some time. In the ﬁrst eight rounds, Hawthorn averaged 97 interchanges, the lowest in the competition. Since round nine, the Hawks have averaged 133, the second most in the competition, and, more importantly, they have not lost. The Bulldogs (128), Collingwood (124) and Fremantle (124) have the highest season averages for interchanges and, interestingly, they are all hovering near the top of the ladder. However, this is not necessarily the key to success, with ladder-leader Geelong (106) and St Kilda

Adelaide’s Andrew McLeod set to resume next weekend after recent knee surgery. AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 11

the bounce

I’ve never been a red-time favourite in terms of just trying to lock the game down ALASTAIR CLARKSON

(107) on the bottom of the interchange table. Clarkson had previously not followed the common practice of locking a game down in “red-time” – the last few minutes of a quarter. He said after last Friday night’s thrilling three-point win against the Western Bulldogs that winning tight games had been a problem for his team, largely because it did not hang on to the football. “I’ve never been a red-time favourite in terms of last parts of quarters and just trying to lock the game down,” he said. Now, the Hawks are winning the nail-biters, hanging on against Richmond (by three points), the Sydney Swans (two), Port Adelaide (11) and Essendon (16) in their winning streak. Hawthorn has also changed its kick-to-handball ratio, with last

HAPPY HAWKS: Hawthorn has tweaked its game-plan to include more

interchange rotations and increase its kick-to-handball ratio, with the result being seven wins in a row.

week’s 207-135 split reﬂective of its recent ball use (when it lost to the Bulldogs earlier this year, the ratio was 207-174). Although some of these numbers may seem a tad banal, they suggest a mental shift has happened at the club and the team is playing more direct and conﬁdent football. (It helps,

also, having close to a full list to select from.) There has been an off-ﬁeld mental shift as well, with club leaders recently acknowledging the highs of 2008 were well in the past. But who knows, if the Hawks’ hot form continues, new highs could arise when this year’s ﬁnals begin.

� Wayde Skipper came into the Hawthorn line-up in round eight, as a back-up ruckman to Brent Renouf. The Hawks have not lost since. Skipper brings more to the table than just good luck. He knows how to play the ruck, and he can give Renouf a breather. He is 194cm and has had more than nine years in the system. He joined the Western Bulldogs in 2001 but injury and limited opportunities kept his games tally to 45, and he has had to develop playing primarily in the VFL. When Skipper joined Hawthorn as a mature-age rookie at the start of the season, he had played only one AFL game in two years. He won Williamstown’s best and fairest award last year, yet it looked as though his time playing at AFL level had passed. Now he is back, a 27-year-old survivor. He is another left-field example of an older player who can have an influence, confirming that in modern football, experience and maturity is a wonderful asset. PETER RYAN

A BIG G STEP JARRYD BLAIR’S DEBUT � Players entering een n the AFL at Collingwood ﬁrst-gamer Jarryd Collingwood Blair’s height heig heigh h of 174cm are uncommon, uncommon, however, not unknown. pla pla Shorter players than Blair are playing pla l yin i g in in the AFL: Kangaroo Matthew Matthew Campbell (171 cm), North M Melbourne captain Brent Breen n Harvey and Port Adelaide’s Ad A David Rodan (172cm) (1 and Bomber Alwyn A Davey and Blue Eddie E Betts (173cm). Since S 2000, there have been 14 players pl p at 174cm or shorter make their t debut. Blair was the ﬁrst this tth season and, for purposes of co comparison, om he is the same height as a former Hawthorn champion Shane Sha an Crawford.

NEWS TRACKER

Blair’s game last week against West Coast was reward for great performances in the VFL and an exemplary attitude. He played well enough for his coach Mick Malthouse to say: “He was like pepper and salt – in everything”. Blair’s debut saw him follow some great short players in Collingwood colours, including Harry Collier (173cm), Lou Richards (170cm), Tony Shaw (175cm), Alby Pannam (169cm) and Thorold Merrett (168cm). All are Magpie premiership players. The long and the short of it is that we have become taller, so opportunities seem scarcer for those who disappear behind a ﬁre hydrant. In 1980, there were three players on AFL lists measuring 200cm. In

2010, there are 54 players 200cm or taller. That’s some growth in that time and increases the gap between the tallest and shortest. However, small can still be great. In the game’s history, 1388 men shorter than 174cm have played at AFL level, with John Platten, Dale Weightman, Peter Pianto, Bob Skilton, Barry Cable, Ross Smith and Tony Liberatore among the them. Jim ‘Nipper’ Bradford was the shortest, reported to be 152cm on debut with Collingwood in 1943 but oﬃcially recorded as 155cm when he played the last of his 16 matches (with North Melbourne) in 1949. In 1943, the AFL’s tallest players PETER RYAN were 193cm.

Port Adelaide’s Chad Cornes suspended for one week for front-on bump on Fremantle’s Ryan Crowley.

12 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

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the bounce

LONG SLEEVES

A sleeve to fashion � Football fashions ebb and ﬂow, as photographs of premiership teams down the years reveal. Just three players in the 1923 Essendon premiership team wore sleeved guernseys. Yet, in 1949, all but two players wore them. The trend swung again in 1965, when just three of the Bombers’ premiership players wore sleeves. But it seems sleeves are back in vogue, possibly because of southern Australia’s coldest winter in 14 years. Geelong’s Jimmy Bartel, the Sydney Swans’ Nick Malceski and Carlton’s Mitch Robinson were among those who wore sleeved guernseys in round 14. There’s a suspicion Bartel covered up so as not to expose bandaging on the arm he injured the previous week. Malceski, who has worn the red sleeves over the past three rounds, said he made the switch because of the cold weather – as simple as that. Keeping out the chill might be a valid reason for covering the biceps, but there have been other reasons. The 1985 Brownlow medallist, Brad Hardie, wore sleeves in all his matches for Footscray, the Brisbane Bears and Collingwood because of scars from burns as a boy. Hawthorn’s Michael Tuck usually played in sleeves and once joked that he did it to hide his lack of muscles. He wore a sleeveless number in the 1987 Grand Final when the temperature rose. Essendon’s James Hird usually wore sleeved guernseys, even in the 2000 Grand Final on an unseasonably warm afternoon. He went sleeveless in the 2001 Grand Final, also played on a hot day. And, although Fitzroy’s Kevin Murray also played sleeveless,

NEWS TRACKER

“Look at the Fremantle Dockers. Where did they finish last year? Fourteenth. And within a year, they’re within the top four. I think we can do it as well.” Embley spoke with the AFL Record in the lead-up to his 200th game, against Adelaide at Subiaco this Saturday. While reminiscing on his NICK BOW EN career, one word he used ome senior players frequently was grateful. might be disheartened He is grateful the Eagles gave to find themselves in a him the chance to play at AFL team that’s rebuilding. level, grateful to have enjoyed Especially when their side was a finals success, particularly the premiership contender less than 2006 premiership, and, above three years earlier. all, grateful to have experienced Even more so when some so many “fantastic times at commentators are tipping the such a terrific club”. tough times are here to stay, at But Embley acknowledges the least for the next few seasons. past three seasons have been That’s the position Andrew challenging. Particularly coming Embley finds himself in. so soon after the premiership Twenty-nine last month, he is the win. Especially when, with a second oldest player on the West relatively young squad at that Coast list, just six weeks younger time, West Coast looked capable than his skipper, Darren Glass. of building a dynasty. And after being part of a Remember, the Eagles were powerhouse side that contested on top of the ladder after 10 the finals every year from rounds in 2007, and had their 2002-07, Embley finds himself in finals campaign crippled by a young, inexperienced side that injuries to their best three has tumbled down the ladder. midfielders – Chris Judd, Ben Since the start of 2008, the Cousins and Daniel Kerr. Eagles have won just 15 games, “It was like the stock market finishing 15th that season and crash, you just didn’t see it 11th in 2009. After 14 rounds coming,” Embley says of the this year, they sit 16th. Eagles’ fall. But Embley is buoyant “Even though ‘Juddy’ about West Coast’s future and Ben (Cousins) left at and confident he will the end of 2007, we still be around to still saw ourselves enjoy the good as a strong side. I honestly times when the “We worked believe in where club climbs extremely back up hard off the we’re trying to the ladder. field – there head to as a “I honestly were certain group believe in where issues the club ANDREW EMBLEY we’re trying to had and we were head to as a group,” working extremely Embley says. hard to become a “We’ve had six guys better team off debut for the club this year, and the field – and, unfortunately, once Chris Masten, Brad Ebert, our performances on the field Tom Swift and Nic Naitanui get started to falter.” another pre-season under their Embley also had to deal with belts, they’re going to become a the disappointment of being lot better players. replaced as vice-captain at the “There’s a lot of upside with end of 2007, a position he had all of our young guys and I want held since 2004. to be around as long as I can “Being vice-captain was because I think we can turn the something I was extremely corner pretty quickly. proud of,” he says. “I was 200 GAMES

The ﬁre still burns for Embley

COVERING UP: Geelong’s Jimmy

Bartel wore long sleeves last week while former Bear Brad Hardie wore them regularly.

he wore sleeves when he was presented with his 1969 Brownlow Medal because his parents asked him to hide his tattoos. Essendon’s Adam Ramanaskaus wanted to wear sleeves when he made his AFL debut against St Kilda in 1999. In his recent book Nine Lives, he explains how he told the Bombers property steward it was too cold to play in a sleeveless guernsey, only to be asked: “In your ﬁrst game?” Ramanauskas got his way but changed from match-to-match over the rest of his 134-game career to 2008. Of course, Collingwood’s Dayne Beams and Dane Swan have their own sleeves, but of a diﬀerent variety – their arms are covered in tattoos. JIM MAIN

This year’s player trading period will run from October 4-11.

14 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

MILESTONE:

Andrew Embley has experienced the highs and lows of AFL football but this week he can focus on his 200th game.

disappointed at the time, but I understood there were areas of my game I needed to improve in, especially off the field, and I worked pretty hard to make myself not just a better footballer, but a better person.” Although no longer in the leadership group, Embley has led by example on the field in recent seasons. In 2008, he finished fourth in the best and fairest and, last season, backed up with a solid seventh-place finish. This year, he is averaging more than 23 disposals a NEWS TRACKER

game and, despite missing two matches, leads the Eagles in inside 50s (53), is equal second for goal assists (seven), sixth for contested possessions (97) and seventh in tackles (46). “The young guys want to be successful and, for us older guys who have experienced some success, we want them to eventually experience what we did,” Embley says. “In that regard, it’s really important the experienced players are professional in everything we do.

“Hopefully the younger guys follow in our footsteps and we all stay focused and keep believing in where we’re trying to get to as a footy club.” One area Embley’s teammates are not prepared to follow his lead, however, is fashion. In his 2009 AFL Record pocket profile, forward Josh Kennedy nominated Embley’s fashion sense as the thing that made him laugh and cry. “I actually get so much flak for my fashion sense at the club and I just think it’s a bit off,” Embley says with a laugh. “Deep down, I really do think the guys envy what I wear. Now and then a few of the guys might come up to me and say, ‘Mate, listen, you’re looking really, really good today. I wouldn’t really care about what the other guys are saying’.” Contracted until the end of next season, Embley is not sure how much longer he has in the AFL, saying he will keep playing as long as he is mentally and physically able to. However, what he will do once he retires is more certain, with his passion for food sure to shape his post-football future. He has already started Cooking with Embers, a business in which he teams up with some of Perth’s top chefs to cook at various functions and events. “I’ve always had a passion for food and love people coming over and entertaining,” Embley says. “To be honest, it’s a lot tougher in the kitchen than it is on the football field. But I’m fortunate that I’ve got some of Perth’s most experienced chefs guiding me through the night.” At the end of our interview, Embley stresses how invaluable the support of his family – parents Anne and Maurice, wife Rayne, 10-month-old daughter Autumn, brothers Michael and James and sister Jacinta – has been to him throughout his career. “It’s terrific to be able to go to footy and focus on the game, concentrate and work really hard and then be able to come home to a wonderful family. It puts it all in perspective,” he says.

the bounce

MILESTONES ROUND 15

200 club games Mick Malthouse Collingwood

250 games as coach Mark Thompson Geelong

250 games Michael Vozzo Umpire

AFL 200 Club Gary Ablett Geelong

200 games Mark McVeigh Essendon Josh Fraser Collingwood Andrew Embley West Coast

150 games Aaron Sandilands Fremantle Adam Cooney Western Bulldogs

100 games Dale Thomas Collingwood Brett Jones West Coast Harry O’Brien Collingwood

50 games Scott Harding Port Adelaide

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

Sydney Swans forward Henry Playfair out indefinitely after tests confirmed a stress fracture in his lower back. AFL RECORD visit aflrecord.com.au 15

the bounce

EXPANDING THE GAME

Footy hotting up in the Middle East

C A L LU M T WOMEY

he footy is tough, the umpires cop a bit of friendly advice from the crowd and wins are celebrated in the right fashion. If nothing else, the Middle East’s AFL competition proves that, regardless of time, temperature or location, some things just don’t change. The AFL Middle East competition started in 2008, with three teams based in Dubai (the Dubai Heat, Dragons and Dingoes), one in Muscat (the Magpies), one in Doha (the Kangaroos) and one in Abu Dhabi (the Falcons). Last season, the Bahrain Blues joined the competition. AFL Middle East football operations manager Cameron

WINNERS: Dubai Heat captain Andrew Bereza and captain-coach Jess Murchie (who missed the game because of injury) with the premiership cup.

Hotton, brother of former Collingwood and Carlton utility Trent, said interest in the October-March competition was strong in the region. “We had no problems attracting interest from players, as there are a lot of ex-pats over here who love the game,” Hotton said from Dubai. “The major stumbling block was securing grounds because there isn’t a lot of green grass around.” Using school grounds and rugby clubs, all seven teams now

have ﬁxed home venues. The season includes six home and away rounds (held three weeks apart to allow for travel), a bye week and then a Grand Final. Considering temperatures range from the high-20s to mid30s, Hotton said the standard of play was impressive. “We’ve got Andrew Schauble (former Collingwood and Sydney Swans defender) playing for the Heat, and throughout the league there’s a good level of football and many players who have played at a

strong level back in Australia,” Hotton said. The Dubai Auskick program is also booming and last season more than 130 children were registered, including children from Indian, Pakistani and French backgrounds. On Grand Final day earlier this year, as the Heat took out back-to-back premierships, 1980 Brownlow medallist Kelvin Templeton, who runs a strategic consultancy business in Abu Dhabi, was on hand to award the medal named in his honour to the best player on ground. With increasing media coverage, Hotton predicted the competition, sponsored by VB, aussieproperty.com, RLB, Le Meridien Dubai and Outdoor Concepts, would continue to grow. “We’ve been in the paper and on radio a bit as well, so it’s quite good like that, and there’s also been interest from Palestine and Israel to have a combined team and one in Jordan, too,” he said. “The fact that it’s already spanning four countries means it’s going pretty well.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO AFLMIDDLEEAST.COM.

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16 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

HUN0197B

DIGGING DEEP: Beau Waters and Alicia Holliday are supporting the cancer awareness campaign.

COMMUNITY

Eagles to dig deep for brave young fan

hen Beau Waters and his West Coast teammates run through the banner before taking on Adelaide at Subiaco this Saturday, they will be accompanied by inspirational 10-year-old Alicia Holliday. Just before her second birthday, Alicia was diagnosed with a kidney tumour and, when this spread to her brain, she was given just six months to live. But eight years on, Alicia is in remission and taking part in West Coast’s annual fundraiser for the Cancer Council Western Australia’s ‘Dig Deep’ project, which will culminate in her leading the Eagles on to the ﬁeld this weekend. Alicia’s mother Lisa says her daughter is a keen Eagles supporter and is looking forward to the experience. “On the day, she’ll be really, really excited and love it,” she says. “It will be an honour for her, but she deserves it – she’s been

PHOTO COURTESY THE WEST AUSTRALIAN.

NICK BOW EN

through a lot. I’m glad she’ll be a mascot for cancer awareness.” Waters, the Eagles’ Cancer Council player ambassador since 2005, says his involvement with cancer patients such as Alicia has been rewarding. “When I went through a few injuries, meeting children who were going through life and death situations but still wanting to enjoy every minute of life, put football and a lot of things I thought were important into context,” Waters says.

“Their courage and bravery is a credit to them, and the time I’ve been able to spend with them holds a special place in my heart.” Since forming a partnership with the Cancer Council in 2005, West Coast has raised more than $500,000 to support the ﬁght against cancer. At this Saturday’s match, West Coast players, staff and volunteers will be selling ‘Dig Deep’ wristbands ($3) around the ground.

the bounce

SCHEDULING FEEDBACK SOUGHT FOR AFL’S PROPOSED 2011 FIXTURE � Each club will play 22 matches and have two byes in a 24-round competition next season, with the Grand Final slated for October 1. Clubs, broadcasters and venue managers have been asked to provide feedback on the AFL’s proposals for the 17-team fixture. Two formats are being considered for the 187-game home and away season. One option would see 22 eight-match rounds (one team would have a bye each week), one round with five matches (and seven teams with a bye) and another round with six matches (and five teams with a bye). The other option would see 19 rounds with eight matches (with one team having a bye each round) and five rounds featuring seven matches (and three clubs having a week off per round). Next year’s NAB Cup is proposed to start on February 12, with round one of the home and away season likely to start on Thursday, March 24. The AFL expects to release the fixture in mid-to-late October.

There’s a fresh new team in the AFL You won’t believe the big names lining up for 3AW in 2010. New recruits Brian Taylor, Tim Lane and Richo will join cult hero Dennis Cometti, Robert Walls and ‘Lethal’ Leigh Matthews. And there are even more names on our team sheet. Like Tony Shaw, Mike Sheahan and footy’s First Lady, Caroline Wilson, just to name a few. With a fresh new team like this, in 2010 Melbourne’s own 3AW is football.

Home team v visitors tonight

AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 19

the bounce

FIVE IN FIVE IS A FIRST

FOOTBALL ON FILM

Blues to shine on the silver screen HOWA R D KOT TON

� Last Sunday, Geelong’s James Podsiadly became the first player to kick at least five goals in each of his first five appearances at Skilled Stadium (aka Kardinia Park). As commentator Dwayne Russell said on Fox Sports: “When you get the Footy Record, it already has five down for ‘Pods’.” Geelong star Lindsay White had previously managed five goals or more in his first four games at Kardinia Park, but kicked only four against Footscray in round eight, 1941. The remarkable thing about White’s effort was that the Cats lost four of those matches. White kicked just one goal in his sixth appearance at the ground and finished his 142-game career with 540 goals, at an average of 3.8 a game.

ootball features prominently in a new Australian movie, The Wedding Party, which premieres on the opening night of the 59th Melbourne International Film Festival, at the Regent Theatre on July 22. AFL references are sprinkled throughout the movie, made and produced in Melbourne, but football is the focus of two major scenes. The ﬁrst is at a Blues training session at Visy Park, where Rose Thompson (played by Heather Mitchell) and her girlfriends are admiring the form of Carlton captain Chris Judd and key forward Setanta O’hAilpin on the track. The other scene was shot at the Carlton-Collingwood match at the MCG last July. Director Amanda Jane and her p p team received special permission

from the AFL and the MCC to film the scene at the game. The Magpies won by 54 points, but Jane, a lifetime Blues supporter, was happy to display her bias in the movie that marks her debut as a director. “You have an advantage as a moviemaker to adjust the scores and we needed Carlton to win for the movie,” Jane says. “(Channel Seven commentator) Bruce McAvaney did a voiceover for the film and, at the end, he says Carlton (wins) by five goals over the arch enemies.” Set against the backdrop of an impending wedding, the film follows the romance and drama of the Thompson family, with discussions about football playing a key role. “The father Roger Thompson (Steve Bisley) and eldest son Colin (Geoff Paine) are Collingwood supporters, while the mother Rose is a Carlton supporter,” Jane says. “The youngest son Steve (Josh Lawson) is also a Carlton supporter, so there are quite a few references to the football. “Because I’m such a Blues fan, our No. 1 priority was to get the scene at training and Carlton was fully supportive. With the Blues’ support, we went to the AFL and

You have an advantage as a moviemaker to adjust the scores and we needed Carlton to win DIRECTOR AMANDA JANE

requested shooting at the game. “We had to get a very wide shot from the top of the stand and then we went into the members to get a shot from where the boys were sitting. Then we filmed the play. “The AFL was very supportive and let us move around each quarter with all of our gear.” The Wedding Party was financed by the Victorian Government, through the MIFF Premiere Film Fund and Film Victoria’s production investment program, along with principal investor Screen Australia. The cast includes several other well-known Australian stars, including Bill Hunter, Rhonda Burchmore, Nadine Garner, Kestie Morassi and Adam Zwar. The 18-day festival features more than 200 films from around the world. Judd and fiancée Rebecca Twigley have been invited to the opening night, along with

GO PIES: Roger Thompson, played by Steve Bisley (left), and his son Colin (played g g Party. y byy Geoﬀ Paine) cheer on Collingwood in a scene from The Wedding

Highest goal totals in ﬁrst ﬁve appearances at Geelong’s ground PETER MCKENNA (Collingwood)

27 (1, 2, 7, 8, 9) Played six games at the ground for 31 goals

JASON DUNSTALL (Hawthorn)

26 (5, 4, 9, 5, 3) Six games, 30 goals

LINDSAY WHITE (Geelong)

25 (6, 5, 5, 5, 4) 63 games, 242 goals

JAMES PODSIADLY (Geelong)

25 (5, 5, 5, 5, 5) Five games, 25 goals GEORGE GONINON (Essendon/Geelong)

24 (1, 4, 8, 4, 7) 35 games, 148 goals PETER RYAN

NEWS TRACKER

E.J. Whitten charity match draws record crowd of 25,347 at Etihad Stadium.

20 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 20

O’hAilpin and former Blue and now Lion Brendan Fevola, who also features in scenes from the game. The ﬁlm will also screen on July 31 at the Greater Union cinema in Russell Street, Melbourne, at 7pm, a few hours after the Magpies and Blues do battle not far away at the MCG.

BONDED BY TRAGEDY

Footy’s starring role in new racing ﬁlm

MICH A EL LOV ET T

hen internationally acclaimed ﬁlm director Simon Wincer was approached to make a ﬁlm about the inspirational story of the 2002 Melbourne Cup, it didn’t take him long to work in a football connection. A keen North Melbourne supporter – “dyed-in-the-wool” was his description – Wincer was researching material for The Cup when he discovered the main character has a close link to football. The Cup is the tale of champion jockey Damien Oliver and how he rode Media Puzzle

MAIN PLAYERS: Stephen Curry (top, left) plays Damien Oliver, with Daniel McPherson (as Jason Oliver). Director Simon Wincer (bottom, standing right) and executive producer Peter de Rauch reunited Eddie McGuire and Dennis Cometti to recreate the game between West Coast and North Melbourne in round 22, 2002.

to victory in the 2002 Cup, just days after his brother Jason was killed in a track fall in Perth. At around the same time in 2002, as Wincer found, Oliver and former North Melbourne player Jason McCartney, who was recovering from his own tragedy after being badly burnt in the Bali bombings a few weeks before the Cup, had been united by grief.

“Both were inspired by each other’s tragedy,” Wincer said. “Damien admired Jason’s tenacity and Jason (McCartney) told me the ﬁrst day he was able to get up and go outside was on Cup Day, and he watched Damien winning on Media Puzzle and saluting to his late brother as he passed the winning post.”

Wincer, who has produced and directed movies such as The Light Horseman, Phar Lap and Free Willy, also discovered the Oliver brothers were keen West Coast supporters and, late in the 2002 season, they were following the Eagles’ fortunes even more closely as they surged to the ﬁnals. In round 22, West Coast defeated the Roos to clinch a spot in the eight, so Wincer has recreated scenes from that match, showing Damien (played by Stephen Curry) and Jason (Daniel McPherson) in the stands cheering on their team. The scenes were shot at Etihad Stadium last week and Wincer had no trouble convincing several hundred North Melbourne fans to be extras in the crowd. The fans surrounded the two stars, who waved their Eagles scarves madly. There was another football connection, as Wincer reunited Eddie McGuire and Dennis Cometti in the commentary booth. McGuire and Cometti called that game for Channel Nine but Cometti has since returned to Channel Seven. “It was great to see them working together again. They get on very well and both called the game like the seasoned pros they are,” Wincer said. THE CUP IS DUE FOR RELEASE AROUND EASTER NEXT YEAR. THE FILM IS BASED ON THE BOOK THE CUP, WRITTEN BY ERIC O’KEEFE, AND PUBLISHED BY THE SLATTERY MEDIA GROUP.

,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 21

the bounce

UNDER-18 VIC COUNTRY, TITLE TASMANIA HEADED FOR CLAIM THE UNDER-18 BUSH? TITLES � A superior percentage gave Vic Country its first NAB AFL Under-18 Championships title in seven years, despite its fourpoint final-round loss to South Australia last week. Tasmania took out the Division Two crown. Vic Country, which had been unbeaten going into the final round, only had to avoid a heavyy defeat to clinch the Division One title and did so in a tight match with the South Australians, who entered the carnival favourites. Brodie Smith and Daniel Gorringe (three goals) led South Australia to victory, while Vic Country’s best were Dyson Heppell (pictured below) and captain Shaun Atley. Adam Treloar, with 21 touches, was also impressive. In the first match of the final day’s action (played at day y s act o (pl (p Stadium to Skille Ski Skilled lled d Stad S tad d protect thee Etihad Stadium tturf), Vic Metro jumped ju u wins to four w onee loss and on after defeating deef Western n Australia Austral Aust stra ra ral allia l by points. 19 9p po oi Metro’s Me M e Kieran Kiera K Ki Kie ier era ra a Harper Harpe H Ha Har arp rpe peeerr kicked goals ffour fo fou our urr go go and exciting eex

FOR UPDATES GO TO AFL.COM.AU/U18S TWITTER: @AFL OR #NABAFLU18S

VICS DOMINATE ALLAUSTRALIAN SELECTION

GREEN MACHINE: Tasmania won the Division Two title with some help from Melbourne star Brad Green (left).

prospect Jack Darling booted two Melbourne’s Brad Green for Western Australia. helped coach the team during Vic Metro’s Matthew Watson, the recent AFL split round. FUTURE STARS: Representatives from the eight sides – from left, Joel best on ground in the win, was Northern Territory finished Wilkinson (Qld), Steven May (NT), Shaun Atley (Vic Country), Seb Tape (SA), voted his team’s most valuable theAnthony championships on a high, Andrew Gaff (Vic Metro), Reece Conca (WA), Miles (NSW/ACT) and player, with(Tas). South Australian defeating Queensland by 15 Josh Green Smith and Vic Country’s Heppell points. Dean Staunton (NT) receiving the same honour for and Jake Crawford their respective teams. (Queensland), named their West Australian Harley teams’ most valuable players, Bennell, a likely top-five pick were prominent again. in the NAB AFL Draft this Anthony Miles was voted season, won the Larke Medal as the most valuable player for the best player in Division One, NSW/ACT, with Tasmanian and was also his team’s most captain Josh Green winning valuable player. his state’s award. Division Two was decided Exciting Tasmanian forward a day earlier, with Tasmania Sam Darley claimed the upsetting NSW/ACT by 42 points Harrison Hunter Medal as best at Visy Park to claim its third player in Division Two. win in the past six years. CALLUM TWOMEY

� Victorians dominated selection in the NAB AFL Under-18 All-Australian team, with six Vic Country representatives and ﬁve from Vic Metro. Division One runner-up South Australia also had ﬁve players, with two each from NSW/ACT and Tasmania and one from Western Australia and Northern Territory. “The standard throughout the championships was outstanding and the individual performances of the All-Australian players was exceptional,” AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan said. Vic Country’s Robert Hyde was named All-Australian coach, with Tasmania’s Mathew Armstrong his assistant. 2010 NAB AFL UNDER-18 ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM

Defenders: Ben Jacobs (VM), Matt Watson (VM), Dyson Heppell (VC), Shaun Atley (VC), Patrick McCarthy (SA), Brodie Smith (SA). Midﬁelders: Jared Polec (SA), Daniel Gorringe (SA), Andrew Gaﬀ (VM), Mitch Hallahan (VC), Anthony Miles (NSW/ACT), Tom Liberatore (VM). Forwards: Harley Bennell (WA), Lucas Cook (VC), Adam Treloar (VC), Jayden Pitt (VC), Steven May (NT), Josh Caddy (VM). Interchange: Sam Day (SA), Josh Bruce (NSW/ACT), Josh Green (Tas), Sam Darley (Tas).

South Australia sets the pace in Under-16 Championships � South Australia entered the third round of the NAB AFL Under-16 Championships as the only undefeated team after beating Western Australia by 27 points last Tuesday. Ben Kennedy, with ﬁve goals in SA’s ﬁrst-round win over Vic Metro, booted another three against WA. The second match played on Tuesday, between Vic Metro and Vic Country, was held up for 14 minutes in the second quarter when the sprinkler system came on. Metro eventually took the honours, by

NEWS TRACKER

36 points, with another dominant display from Joe Daniher, the son of former Bomber and Swans defender Anthony, who kicked three goals. It was Country’s second defeat, having lost to WA by 44 points in round one. The first round of the championships kicked off last weekend when the South Pacific team, coached by recently retired Hawthorn premiership defender Trent Croad, defeated the Michael O’Loughlin-led World team by 32 points. It was the first time the teams have

taken part in the carnival. Also on the opening day, Tasmania overcame a gutsy Northern Territory by 18 points and Queensland started its campaign in winning fashion, disposing of NSW/ACT by 70 points. Round two matches continued on Wednesday and round three matches were due to be played on Friday and Saturday at venues across Western Sydney. The ﬁnals will be played in September in Melbourne. CALLUM TWOMEY

Adelaide defender Ben Rutten and midﬁelder David McKay agree to contract extensions.

22 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

IN THE GENES: Joe Daniher kicked

three goals for Vic Metro.

PHOTO: RENNIE ELLIS PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE

O U R G R E AT G A M E

lenses A new book, Our Great Game: The Photographic History of Australian Football, captures the game at all levels, with black and white and colour photographs providing a broad perspective of how it has been played, watched and coached over its lifetime. Among more than 250 images are moments of unbridled joy and despair – realities of football every participant knows about. Here, three former players recall moments that will live forever, with them and with the rest of us. PETER RYA N

Euphoria redeﬁned � David McKay (right, holding the cup) was just 20. He had played in his 31st game, 25 of them coming in 1970. He was a premiership player, part of the greatest comeback in Grand Final history. The feeling he had as he ran around the ground would not be surpassed in a career that ended with 263 games and four premierships with Carlton. “I just couldn’t believe I was there and then to win

it after being so far down at half-time gave euphoric a whole new meaning,” he said. “There was no other place you’d want to be then, celebrating with the team you had just come back from the dead with.” McKay is holding the cup with Peter ‘Percy’ Jones. On the far left is Vin Waite, father of Carlton player Jarrad Waite, and Barry Mulcair is jogging behind. Supporters surrounded the players on their victory lap. “The people were out slapping us on the back and diehard supporters were able to

celebrate directly with the players,” McKay said. “It was a fantastic experience for them to be able to do that.” There were 121,696 people at the MCG to watch the Blues come from 44 points down at half-time to win by 10 points. McKay will never forget the wall of sound as he ran out on the ground, nor the atmosphere as the Blues mounted their comeback. “I could certainly sense people in the crowd thought we had a chance and it lifted us,” he said. AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 57

OUR GREAT GAME

A lost opportunity

PHOTO: AFL COLLECTION

� “Just devastation,” is how Collingwood defender Kevin Worthington (third from right) described the feeling moments after the Magpies lost the 1977 Grand Final replay. Here, he is sitting beside Peter Moore, staring gunbarrel straight at the photographer shooting the moment. “To go through the whole year and finish up with a draw and then come out and get beaten in the last game of the year, it was nothing short of devastation,” he said. Worthington played 95 games (including 12 finals) with Collingwood after joining the club from Western Australia in 1977. He played every match in his first VFL season, aged 24, part of the reason the Magpies rose from the bottom to be a heartbeat from a premiership. He played in three VFL Grand Finals – the two in 1977 and the 1979 loss to Carlton. But he has never gotten over this moment. He doesn’t think you ever get over Grand Final losses. The room was quiet, those who have shared the experience the only people who could really understand what was going through each player’s mind: “It’s just one of everyone thinking about the lost opportunity. You get a small window of opportunity for premierships and we had it and lost it.”

A SELECTION OF OTHER IMAGES FROM THE BOOK BACK TO HIS ROOTS:

Former Collingwood and St Kilda player Damian Monkhorst at the Woori Yallock Football Club in country Victoria in 2001. MICHAEL DODGE

CLASSICAL GRAB :

South Fremantle’s John Gerovich marks over East Fremantle’s Ray French at Subiaco Oval in 1956.

MAURIE HAMMOND

58 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

HOT GOSPELLER: Alan Killigrew, North

Melbourne’s evangelical coach, in 1964. BOB BUCHANAN

DEMON DELIGHT: Coach

RED CENTRE: The players of Kintore Football

Club, about 530 kilometres west of Alice Springs, celebrate a Grand Final win in the Northern Territory in 2006. DAVID CALLOW

Norm Smith (right) and predecessor ‘Checker’ Hughes celebrate Melbourne’s win over Collingwood in the 1964 Grand Final at the MCG.

FAIRFAX PHOTOS

CENTURION: Hawthorn’s Lance Franklin is

mobbed by fans after kicking his 100th goal for the season against Carlton at Etihad Stadium in 2008. LACHLAN CUNNINGHAM AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 59

OUR GREAT GAME

The medallist wanted to be elsewhere � The 22-year-old Malcolm Blight is in the middle of the Adelaide Oval on SANFL Grand Final day in 1972, the ﬁrst and only Magarey medallist from Woodville. Yet all Blight was thinking was how good it would have been to be in the rooms getting ready to play. “I was so envious of the guys in the Grand Final,” he said. SANFL president Judge Don Brebner looked on as Blight worked his way through the formalities, feedback from the PA system screaming as he spoke. “Isn’t it funny, the day that would have been a fairly decent celebration of what happened during the year, all my thoughts were somewhere else?” Blight said. Six years later, while playing for North Melbourne, Blight became the ﬁrst person to win both a Magarey and Brownlow Medal. By then he had two premierships with the Roos and was on his way to becoming a football icon, a Coleman medallist and a dual premiership coach with Adelaide. He laughed when he saw the photo of the clean-cut lad at the microphone, wondering to himself: “Where have all the years gone?”

PHOTO: AFL COLLECTION

Our Great Game: Game The Photographic H History of Australian Football Fo (The Slattery Media Me Group) is availa available from footybookclub. footybookclub.com or bookstores nationally nat RRP) It was ($99.95 RRP). launched at the MCG Thursd by a on Thursday panel of fformer incl stars including Bart Kevin Bartlett.

MUDLARKS:

CONTENTED DOG: With victory assured, Footscray captain-coach Ted Whitten retires to the bench to savour the ﬁnal moments of the 1961 preliminary ﬁnal. HERALD & WEEKLY TIMES

60 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

Mt Evelyn Rovers and Wandin Bulldogs battle the elements in the Yarra Valley District Football League match at Mt Evelyn in 2006. DAVID CALLOW

DESOLATION: Sydney Swan Tadhg Kennelly after the preliminary ﬁnal loss to the Brisbane Lions at ANZ Stadium in 2003. ADAM PRETTY

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SMOOTH OPERATOR: After an

inauspicious debut and a tough apprenticeship in an under-achieving team, James Kelly’s development as a class midﬁelder has coincided with Geelong’s rise as one of the greatest teams in history.

PHOTO: LACHLAN CUNNINGHAM/AFL PHOTOS

I think we knew we had the ability and it started to hit home we were on the verge of something special

62 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

J A M E S K E L LY

A classy Cat in ripping form Geelong’s James Kelly has experienced his share of pain throughout his career, but cream has a way of rising to the top, and there are few classier players in the game than the brilliant two-time premiership-winning Cat. MICH A EL LOV ET T

ames Kelly’s epitaph might read like one of those slogans you see splashed around football club dressing rooms all over the country. “Pain is temporary, class is permanent.” He experienced the former the ﬁrst time he pulled on his No. 9 jumper for Geelong in early 2002 when he and a young Cats side were thrown to the Lions, the Brisbane variety, at the Gabba. The Lions were coming off a premiership in 2001, were tracking towards another and boasted big, powerful bodies and some household names. Players such as Michael Voss, Alastair Lynch, Nigel Lappin, Justin Leppitsch, Chris Johnson, Marcus Ashcroft, Martin Pike, Chris and Brad Scott, Shaun Hart, Craig McRae and Darryl White were at the peak of their powers and they had three emerging young stars in Jonathan Brown, who didn’t play that game, Simon Black and Luke Power. Brisbane’s team against Geelong boasted a combined total of 2720 games and an average age of 25 years and 316 days. The Cats, by comparison, had 1380 games’ experience and an average age of 22 years and 325 days. It was just six rounds into the season and Kelly, the No. 17 pick in the previous year’s draft, was named for his ﬁrst game.

Making his debut alongside him was “I was really disappointed when I was Steve Johnson, who was taken later in dropped but I came back a few weeks that draft at No. 24; he was just plain old later and I felt more confident,” he said. Steve then, no ‘Stevie J’. Indeed, Kelly showed the football Others in the Cats’ line-up for the world that the pain of his debut would trip to the Gabba included Gary Ablett be temporary and, after 159 games and (playing his sixth game), Josh Hunt two premierships, it’s fair to say the class (ninth), Joel Corey (25th) and Cameron is permanent. Ling (29th). Before they changed Consider this trivia question. Of the their names from James and Jarad five 2002 debutants still on the Cats’ list respectively, Jimmy Bartel was (Ablett, Bartel, Johnson, Kelly and playing his sixth game and Rooke), who was named the Max Rooke his fifth. best first-year player? If The result was you said Kelly, you’re predictable enough, a on the money. ‘Bomber’ 57-point thumping and “It’s a nice little one pulled me out a harsh reality check to have on my CV. before I kept for Mark Thompson, There are a couple of then in his third Brownlow medallists mucking things season, and his and a Norm Smith up any more young Cats. medallist in that lot, so JAMES KELLY For Kelly, it was a I remind them from time debut to forget. He says to time who was the he was shot even before the best first-year player game started. in 2002,” Kelly said. “I was very nervous, actually I was By the time Kelly returned to the a bit of a mess. I kept dropping balls in seniors three weeks later, the nerves the warm-up and ‘Bomber’ pulled me had dissipated and the smooth-moving out before I kept mucking things up any youngster found his niche linking more,” Kelly recalled this week. between wing, After starting on the bench, he half-forward and managed just three disposals (“I having the occasional matched them with three clangers”) run in the midfield. and was promptly sent back to the He played the last VFL the following week. 14 rounds, won a NAB AFL RECORD visit aflrecord.com.au 63

JAMES KELLY AFL Rising Star nomination and headed into the 2003 season with the belief he belonged at AFL level. However, it was not all plain sailing as the Cats tumbled to 12th place and Kelly struggled with extra attention from the opposition. “I might have set the bar too high that year and I struggled. I got dropped a couple of times and probably had a few ‘freebie’ games when I didn’t deserve them,” he said. “There are good parts and bad parts as a young player and you see that with most kids coming into the AFL system. You have to learn on your feet and physically you are getting beaten from pillar to post and that’s why so many young players are up and down with their form. “But the good thing for players like myself, Gazza, Jimmy and Steve back then was that we learned by playing games. “You’d have the occasional game back in the VFL but the club was on a clear path that they were going to develop youth. I guess looking at how the club is positioned today, what happened back then was the right way to go.” If 2003 was a learning curve, then the next three seasons were agonising in every sense of the word for Kelly and the Cats. His form in the ﬁrst part of the 2004 season saw him poll maximum Brownlow Medal votes in rounds three and seven but then disaster struck against West Coast in round 14. Kelly suffered a broken leg early in the game and his season ended in a painful heap in the middle of Subiaco Oval. “I felt like I was just getting back to play some good footy and to have something like happen was disappointing,” he said. The injury meant Kelly was an onlooker as the Cats started to gather momentum, making the preliminary ﬁnal in 2004 and, coinciding with his return in 2005, they made it to the

QUICK KELLY FACT

64 AFL L RECORD RECOR ORD visit aﬂ record.com.au

FACT FILE

James Kelly

Born: December 29, 1983 Recruited from: Rupertswood/Calder U18 Debut: Round 6, 2002, v Brisbane Lions Height: 183cm Weight: 88kg Games: 159 Goals: 68 Player honours: NAB AFL Rising Star nominee 2002; premiership sides 2007, 2009; pre-season premiership side 2006. Brownlow Medal: career votes 16

TURNING POINT: James Kelly

said the heart-breaking loss to Sydney in the 2005 ﬁnals and the disappointing 2006 season that followed led to the Cats resolving to make a stand in the triumphant 2007 season.

finals again only for it to end in what many refer to as “the Nick Davis game”. On a damp, slippery night at the SCG, Geelong held sway over the Sydney Swans in a semi-final showdown that ultimately defined the recent history of both clubs. Despite holding a four-goal lead early in the final term, the Cats were powerless to stop a rampant Davis, who booted four goals for the quarter, including the clincher with just seconds remaining.

learning about Sydney and the way they play. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t do anything right the next season (2006) and even some of our wins weren’t all that good.” The Cats went into 2007 with a steely resolve to change things around. There had been the well-documented club review at the end of the 2006 season, Thompson was given a more definitive coaching role, Neil Balme came aboard as football manager and Tom Harley took over as captain. And, according to Kelly, the players made a vow to share the pl load, not to play the blame lo game, and let their g act a actions on the field d the talking. do Once we “I think we got out there knew w we had the and played the ability and and, as d the year wore w To add way we did, it just on, it sstarted insult to became an to hit home we injury, the enjoyable day nt we Swans went were on the verge JAMES KELLY of something on to win the premiership special,” he said. (their first since “I remember talkin 1933), and Geelong talking to Steve Johnson later in the season and saying to was left to ponder another him: ‘I don’t want to jinx us but lost opportunity. ho “It was a real kick in the guts,” how good would it be if we got to Kelly said. the Grand Final and won it.’ “Everyone was emotional “Then as the wins kept after the game – to lose like that coming and we made the Grand was tough but in some ways it Final, there was a really relaxed was an invaluable experience in feeling in the rooms before the

He supports teams from the New England area of the United States – the Celtics (NBA), the Patriots (NFL) and the Red Sox (MLB).

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JAMES KELLY game. Once we got out there and played the way we did, it just became an enjoyable day.” If that record-breaking – and drought-breaking – win over Port Adelaide gave Geelong the highest of highs, it all came crashing down 12 months later when Hawthorn halted the Cats in their tracks and denied them back-to-back premierships. its a For Kelly, it still hits raw nerve. “I don’t think You can’t it motivatess help but think us any more but you can’t back about the help but think opportunity we back about the had and we didn’t opportunity we take it had then and we JAMES KELLY didn’t take it,” he said. ad ade de “People say we made up for it last year but itt was (agai a totally different gamee (against St Kilda) played in very difﬁcult conditions and it could have gone either way. We defended well in the second half, which probably got us over the line.” Kelly’s own role was crucial that day, hitting targets from defence, including a pin-point pass to Cameron Mooney that set “It gets a bit nerve-racking up a goal early in the game. down there at times, but I It was a position he had enjoyed it and it gave me a to adapt to during the year, different perspective on the covering for the loss of Josh game,” he said. Hunt, who missed the home This season, Kelly has and away season after injuring returned to the midﬁeld where his knee in the NAB Cup his run and carry has again been Grand Final. crucial. After missing the round

A serious side

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE:

Kelly has returned to the midﬁeld this season, but a stint in defence last year has helped round out his game.

13 clash with St Kilda because of the ﬂu, Kelly came back last Sunday and was in ripping touch with 32 disposals against North Melbourne, his third 32-disposal effort in his past ﬁve games. It was some indication that the cream, not to mention the class, is again rising to the top.

� The public perception of James Kelly might be that he is a little bit “outt there” but he is keen to forge a coaching career. r. While Kelly loves getting Cameron Ling back at every opportunity – he suggested on radio last Sunday the Cats were considering replacing their injured skipper with a witch’s hat – he is already trying his hand at coaching. Kelly, together with teammate Steve Johnson, has established a football and netball academy at Grovedale College in Geelong and is enjoying ce. ce ce. e the experience. “We go outt there th the her ere ree once o on onc nce cee a week and coach co oach o oa acch ach h the tth hee kids. I’m loving ng it,” ng it it,” he said. “I am interested in getting into coaching butt ﬁrst I have to make sure I get thee right rig righ ght htt (coaching) skills. k lls kills. ki kil kills ls. s. In n m,, I’d m Id the long-term, like to start ou out o utt as an assistant ant nt somewhere.””

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AVAILABLE AT & NEWSAGENTS!

Moments of the

The power behind Port’s rise Port Adelaide secured its historic ﬁrst AFL premiership in 2004 despite a public spat between major benefactor Allan Scott and coach Mark Williams.

ASHLEY BROW NE

llan Scott was rich, powerful and generous. He started out in the transport business with the purchase of one truck in 1952 and, by the time of his death 56 years later, the Scott Group of Companies boasted an annual turnover of more than $1 billion. Not bad for a bloke who left school at 12 and then spent ﬁve years in the army. Described by many as the “grandfather” of Mount Gambier, Scott had widespread interests in transport, warehousing, logistics and media and employed more than 3000 people. He was also a major player in the South Australian racing industry, as both a racehorse owner and breeder, with his

2000-09 -0 09

contribution to that sport recognised in 1995 when the Morphetville racetrack was renamed Allan Scott Park as part of a multi-million sponsorship deal. But for all his business and equine interests, Scott had another passion: Port Adelaide Football Club. He was a long-standing financial benefactor of the club during its SANFL days and his company became a major sponsor when it joined the AFL in 1997. The club’s facilities at Alberton Oval were also named after Scott, his large donation helping it to be built. But after the 2003 finals series, Scott felt the same sense of anguish as the rest of the Port Adelaide faithful. For three years straight, the Power had finished in the top four after the home and away series, but without a Grand Final appearance to show for it. In 2001, Port finished third after 22 rounds, before losing to the Brisbane Lions and then Hawthorn by three points in a semi-final, bringing a premature end to a fine season. But the pain was far greater at the end of the next two seasons. In both 2002 and 2003, Port Adelaide finished the home and away season on top of the ladder, bringing with it the opportunity to qualify for the Grand Final without having to leave AAMI Stadium.

LAST LAUGH: Labelled as chokers after previous ﬁnals failures, Mark Williams and Port Adelaide silenced their detractors by downing the Brisbane Lions in the 2004 Grand Final.

In 2002, Port fell two goals behind Collingwood in the first qualifying final and could not bridge the gap, falling to the Magpies by 15 points. The Power knocked over Essendon by four goals in a semi-final the

next week, but were thrashed by the Lions by 56 points in the preliminary ﬁnal at the Gabba. The following year, Port’s ﬁnals campaign was again derailed in the opening week, this time losing to the Sydney

THREE WHO MADE AN IMPACT IN 2004 WARREN TREDREA � When skipper Matthew Primus went down with a seasonending knee injury in round three, Tredrea was the man to take over. He kicked 81 goals for the season, and was vice-captain of the All-Australian team. He ended the year Port Adelaide’s ﬁrst AFL premiership captain. 68 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

BYRON PICKETT � The former Kangaroo was patchy in parts of the season but had an impact when it mattered most. Kicked four goals in the qualifying ﬁnal win over Geelong before dominating in the Grand Final with 20 touches and three goals to win the Norm Smith Medal.

GAVIN WANGANEEN � A premiership player with Essendon, Wanganeen had another consistent year with the Power, starting in defence before moving forward late in the season. Kicked the match-winner in the preliminary ﬁnal and turned it on in the Grand Final, kicking four goals. LACHY DUFFUS

Swans by two goals after trailing by seven goals at half-time. Another semi-final win over Essendon, this time by 39 points, sent Port on the road again for a preliminary final. This time to the MCG, where Collingwood won easily, by 44 points. It was a crushing time for Port Adelaide. Three premature exits from the finals led to the harsh glare of the football spotlight being directed firmly on senior coach Mark Williams. But the most vocal critic was Scott, who came out after the 2003 season to declare the club would never win that elusive AFL premiership while Williams was in charge. It was an extraordinary statement. Club sponsors had been known to push their weight around behind the scenes, but never in the public domain. But Scott’s public utterances were no great surprise; after all, he had been at loggerheads with South Australian politicians, most notably former premier John Olsen, at various times over matters of public policy. Although the comments clearly rankled, Williams took the view that future results would speak for themselves.

In 2004, Port again finished The comments sparked on top of the ladder, easily an uproar, with Port officials took care of Geelong in the publicly mum but privately qualifying final and then beat disappointed by the remarks. St Kilda by a goal in a classic The Williams family, meanwhile, preliminary final. told journalists off the record, Standing in the way on Grand that the comment was an Final day were the Brisbane indication of the hurt Mark had Lions, who were gunning for suffered from Scott’s comments their fourth flag on the trot. But, the year before. after an even first half, Williams and Port kicked away in Scott appeared the second to win at a function by 40 points. together early The monkey The monkey the following was off the year in Mount was off the back; off also Gambier, where back; off also was the gag on Scott handed was the gag Williams. His over a six-figure first act as he on Williams cheque as a walked along the bonus for winning MCG boundary the premiership. line just before the But the pair barely final siren was to yank on spoke on the day and his tie, a gesture intended relations remained cool until to mock those who had Scott died in October of 2008, labelled Port “chokers” after aged 84. their finals efforts the previous Scott’s companies are no three seasons. longer listed as corporate Then, when asked to say a supporters of the club but the few words on the victory dais, Allan Scott Centre remains the Williams offered the usual club’s administrative and playing platitudes before finishing with base at Alberton Oval. his now famous barb: “Allan ASHLEY BROWNE IS EDITOR OF Scott, you were wrong!” BACKPAGELEAD.COM.AU

T H E A F T E R M AT H

� This year marks the 12th season Mark Williams (here with assistant Dean Laidley) has been coach of Port Adelaide. No coach has been at the helm of their current club for longer. He took the club to another Grand Final in 2007, but it ended in disaster – a 119-point loss to Geelong in the most one-sided Grand Final in AFL history. After much deliberation by both parties, he and Port Adelaide agreed to a new, two-year deal as coach at the start of this season, a deal Williams said last week would likely be his last at the club.

AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au 69

Col Hutchinson

timeon Our AFL history guru answers your queries.

AFL mystery men Frederick Rowland Coulsell � Coulsell was born on December 17, 1905, and represented the Public Service FC in Melbourne. He played one match for North Melbourne in 1927 before joining Sunshine. In 1931, he was persuaded to train with Essendon. As a 188cm, 81kg half-forward ﬂanker, he scored two goals in two matches (rounds three and four) in guernsey number three.

FRONT POSITION:

Ruckman Michael Gardiner shows the determination against opponent Mark Blake that enabled St Kilda to keep Geelong goalless in the second half in round 13.

The Saints prevented the Cats from scoring a goal in the second half of their round 13 match at the MCG. Has a team ever failed to score at all after half-time in any game? JOSH TARRANTO, SEMAPHORE, SA

CH: Teams have been kept

scoreless in the second half of a match on 14 occasions. In ﬁve of those cases, the team failed to score after quarter-time. Between 1897 and 1902, clubs failed to add to the scoreboard

70 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

Raymond Paul Ross � Born on May 2, 1900, the 177cm, 72 kg small forward developed his football at St Paul’s, Ascot Vale before joining Essendon. He booted seven goals in eight appearances, wearing guernsey number 30.

in the second half 12 times. The most recent instances were by St Kilda against Carlton at the Junction Oval in round nine, 1915, and by North Melbourne against Geelong at Kardinia Park in round 14, 1980. The Blues and Cats registered 3.7 (25) and 8.0 (48) respectively after half-time in those encounters. Ironically, Rod Blake played for Geelong in the 1980 match and his son, Mark, participated in the game against the Saints this season.

Should you have any further information regarding the above Mystery Men, including their date of death, contact Col Hutchinson on (03) 9643 1929 or col.hutchinson@aﬂ .com.au.

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

NAME GAME

Monday’s child

� The obvious origin for the surname of Fremantle’s David Mundy is that it is a nickname for someone who had a particular connection with Monday (Old English monandaeg, “day of the moon”). This connection would be that Monday was the day he owed the lord of the manor his feudal service or it could be because he was born on a Monday: it was considered lucky to be born on a Monday (and unlucky to be born on a Friday). In the nursery rhyme, Solomon Grundy was born on Monday. Sydney Swan Heath Grundy has a surname which is mainly found in Lancashire and which can be traced back to the Germanic elements gund (“battle”) and ric (“power”), not a bad name for a footballer. Another possible origin of Mundy is that it derives from the Old Norse personal name Mundi, a short form of various names containing the element mundr (“protection”). David should concentrate on being a defender. KEVAN CARROLL

ROUND 15: GEELONG CATS vs HAWTHORN

WHOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S YOUR PICK? Introducing the 2010 AFL Team Canvas

Available at AFL Stores and participating AFL Club merchandise stores. RRP $100. Selected teams only. Collingwood, Geelong Cats, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs, Essendon, Hawthorn, Carlton and West Coast Eagles. Real size of canvas is 20 inches wide by 30 inches tall. Canvas is supplied stretched and ready to hang.

timeon

COLLECTABLES

Paper heroes

Rick Milne

A weekly look at collectables, memorabilia and all footyy things g stored in boxes and garages.

RICK’S RARITY

I have a number of cards issued by the Argus newspaper in the 1950s and was wondering if they have any value? KERRIE, VIA EMAIL

RM: These cards were

immensely popular at the timee and could be worth up to $25 each in mint condition.

My grandfather was a VFL umpiree back in the 1940s and kept a lot of Football Records from around that time. My 10-year-old d daughter did his biography as a school project from these editions ns and came across an April 27, 1912, 2, edition. I believe this was the ﬁrstt Football Record issue and we would appreciate a valuation. MICHELLE EDWARDS, BULLA, VIC.

RM: I get similar emails every

month. If the Football Record is printed on shiny paper and the staples are in perfect condition, you have a reprint of the original, issued by the VFL/AFL in its centenary year of 1996. If so, it is worth just $10. If it is an original, it would be worth at least $10,000. I can check it if you like. I have an original WEG poster for St Kilda’s 1966 premiership. It was framed many years ago and is in excellent condition, except

PAIR OF ACES: Magpie Bob

Rose (left) and Bulldog Charlie Sutton featured in the Argus cards series issued in the 1950s.

for a small piece torn from the top right corner and it has also yellowed a bit. Value? I also have a St Kilda scarf autographed by premiership captain Darrel Baldock. MICHAEL BJORK-BILLINGS, VIA EMAIL

RM: The small tear has some

effect on the price, but you would still be looking at $1500. Your scarf is worth $500.

I recently bought an “Allen’s Cure-em-Quick” football card featuring Collingwood’s Gordon Coventry and was fascinated by the wording on the back. It

� Back in the VFL’s early years, Perfection Tobacco was a widely-advertised brand and used to feature in the Football Record. The company inserted small team colour cards in each packet of tobacco, with a diﬀerent team on the reverse. Collingwood, for example, was on the reverse of an Essendon card and Fitzroy was backed by University. As the University club only played in the VFL from 1908-14, we can date these cards to that period. They are extremely rare and worth at least $100 each.

claimed Coventry held the record of 18 goals in a match. Now an old-time footy bloke like myself knows that Melbourne’s Fred Fanning kicked 18 goals against St Kilda in 1947, with that record still standing. I know Coventry kicked bags of 16 and 17, so was the card referring to reserves or junior football? BRUCE CUMMING, RINGWOOD, VIC.

RM: You’re right, Bruce.

Fanning holds the record and the stats man at Allen’s obviously got it wrong. By the way, your card should have cost you about $10.

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 L ADDER SAM 70 DAVE

ANDY

FITZY

LEHMO

MICK

TIPSTERS

FITZY Collingwood Hawthorn Adelaide St Kilda Fremantle Sydney Swans Essendon Western Bulldogs

72 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

MICK Collingwood Geelong Cats Adelaide St Kilda Richmond North Melbourne Essendon Western Bulldogs

SAM Collingwood Geelong Cats Adelaide St Kilda Fremantle Sydney Swans Essendon Western Bulldogs

DAVE Collingwood Geelong Cats Adelaide St Kilda Fremantle Sydney Swans Essendon Carlton

LEHMO Collingwood Hawthorn Adelaide St Kilda Fremantle Sydney Swans Essendon Western Bulldogs

ANDY Collingwood Geelong Cats Adelaide St Kilda Fremantle Sydney Swans Essendon Carlton

This week, special guest appearance by LUKE HODGE

The ultimate archive of Australian Football images

OUR GREAT GAME The Photographic History of Australian Football

‘

The deﬁnitive photographic record of Australian Football, with the voices emanating from each photo urging us deeper and deeper into the fabric of our game. KEVIN BARTLETT, AM

NEW BOOK ON SALE NOW Visit footybookclub.com

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timeon

KIDS’ CORNER

IVE F TO FIND

Sudoku

A-MAZEING

Help Gary Ablett, the leading disposal-winner, ﬁnd the he balll

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

S. BURGOYNE HAWTHORN

R S

Y G S U

U Y

B S

R G

S B B

G R

U O

R Y

THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: Jordie McKenzie’s right sock has changed to green; the black plastic tape on Leigh Montagna’s left boothas been removed; the white hoop on Montagna’s right sock has been removed; the ‘EL’ on the sign in the background has been removed; the mark under Montagna’s right eye has been removed. B IG G MOUTH: MOU MOUT M MO O H: BIG SCRAMBLED SCRA SC S CRA AM MBLE BLE LE L ED FO FOOTBALLER: OTBA BALLER ER: ER CRYPTIC CRYP C RYP YPTIC TIIC T C FOOTBALLERS: FOOT FO F OO OO OT TBALLERS: LE

74 AFL RECORD RE R EC CO COR OR O RD visit RD viis vvis isit it aﬂ aﬂrecord.com.au record..co om m.a .a au

timeon

NAB AFL RISING STAR

Hawk’s ﬂying start A move to defence has been the making off Hawthorn yo yyoungster ungster Ben Stratton. CALLUM TWOMEY

hen he was first eligible to be drafted, in 2007, Ben Stratton was playing country football for Margaret River in Western Australia, “having fun, having a kick and working”. The next year, still eligible, he had moved to Perth and was playing with East Perth’s reserves in the WAFL. It was only in 2009 that Stratton – Hawthorn’s first-year defender and the round 14 NAB AFL Rising Star nominee – started to think he was a chance to make it at the top level. “It wasn’t until 2009 when I started playing some good footy at league level for East Perth seniors that a few clubs started looking at me and then I nominated for the draft. The previous two years I hadn’t even nominated,” the 21-year-old said. “I had a growth spurt in 2008, when I grew about four or five centimetres in the year, and my coach at East Perth said they needed a tall defender. “I started playing down back there and went quite well and, from there, it’s just progressed.” Stratton’s development has progressed to a point where he has cemented himself in the Hawks backline. At 189cm, he is the ideal height to play on either tall or small forwards, and has also shown an ability to provide rebound from defence. He has played every game since his debut in round three against the Western Bulldogs, growing in confidence each week.

2010 NAB AFL Rising Star Nominees

SETTLING IN: SE

Ben Stratton Stratto is making his mark in defence for the Hawks.

Round 1 – Chris Yarran (Carl) Round 2 – Daniel Hannebery (Syd) Round 3 – Ryan Bastinac (NM) Round 4 – Nic Naitanui (WCE) Round 5 – Jack Trengove (Melb) Round 6 – Todd Banﬁeld (Bris) Round 7 – Tom Scully (Melb) Round 8 – Jake Melksham (Ess) Round 9 – Nathan Fyfe (Frem) Round 10 – Dustin Martin (Rich) Round 11 – Jordan Gysberts (Melb) Round 12 – Ben Reid (Coll) Round 13 – Tom Rockliﬀ (BL) Round 14 – Ben Stratton (Haw)

“I don’t mind playing on either the tall or small guys, it’s just a matter of adjusting my game accordingly,” he said. “Our backline coach, Ross Smith, tells me to back my ability and that’s something I’m working on every week.” In his team’s three-point win over the Bulldogs last week, Stratton collected 19 possessions, laid four tackles and had an 84 per cent disposal efficiency rate. The Hawks have won seven games in a row, but Stratton’s first five games were losses. He said the impact of consistently winning was obvious. “It’s a massive difference. The first couple of weeks I was just

happy to be playing and being in the side, but when we started winning, there was a change around the club and everyone’s attitude was a lot better and it became an even better place to be,” he said. Stratton’s inﬂuence in Hawthorn’s revival can’t be understated. In a backline stretched by several key injuries, the young West Australian has had to tackle some big jobs, not least of all quelling the inﬂuence of dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes against the Sydney Swans in round 10. It’s something Stratton takes in his stride.

THREE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW 1

Stratton enjoys surﬁng, especially at Yallingup in Western Australia.

2 He used to play the piano and now plays the guitar.

3 He lives with teammates

Luke Lowden, Riley Milne and Will Sierakowski in a house close to Hawthorn’s Waverley Park headquarters

“Last year, I had a few challenges playing on some big names at East Perth so I don’t mind the challenge,” he said. “I like playing on the big names.”

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

NAB Community NAB AFL Auskick

Who will be the 2010 NAB AFL Auskicker of the Year? The search is on again in 2010 for the NAB AFL Auskicker of the Year. We are looking for the Auskicker that best demonstrates the spirit of the game – commitment, enthusiasm, teamwork and passion. Twenty-two nominees for the Award will receive a money-can’t-buy 2010 Toyota AFL Grand Final Experience in Melbourne, plus the overall winner will receive $5,000 in a NAB Smart Junior Saver Account and Joel Selwood as a footy mentor in 2011.

Enter at nab.com.au/auskick today!

AFL Authorisation Code: GFAFL10/01. The provision of tickets to any match that is a declared event under the Major Sporting Events Act 2009 (“Act”) including the 2010 Toyota AFL Grand Final is subject to the provision of tickets being permitted in an approved ticketing scheme under the Act.

timeon

LAST LINE

Applying data laterally

Praying for the return of the wingman

here have all the Flowers gone? Not the garden variety, but the famous Robbie Flower wingman types. Until round 13, when Hawthorn’s Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin burst from the wing with sensational match-winning boundary line dashes resulting in two miraculous goals, little attention had been paid to a once-treasured and vanishing species: the wingman. Stan Alves, a celebrated wingman for Melbourne and North Melbourne and former Saints coach, notes: “There was a time not so long ago when people paid good money to come along and see wingmen duelling, like Flower versus North Melbourne’s Keith Grieg or Collingwood’s Thorold Merrett on Melbourne’s Frank ‘Bluey’ Adams. “I loved watching Carlton’s Gary Crane on one wing and Bryan Quirk on the other or Hawk Robert DiPierdomenico against Kangaroo Wayne Schimmelbusch.” Alves describes the cream of wingmen as “the Pavarottis of reading the play”. “The nature of the position meant wingers were critical transfer players,” he said. “They had to be alert to what was happening ahead of them and defensively as well. Take your eyes off Peter Matera for one minute, and bang! “If the service to the forwards was not up to scratch, your teammates would let you know it.”

78 AFL RECORD visit aﬂrecord.com.au

DISAPPEARING ACT: Classical

wingmen, such as former Demon great Robbie Flower, have vanished from the modern game.

As wingmen were given territorial responsibility and speciﬁc match-ups, Alves said “they had to be good at one-on-one contests”. “Most were excellent at taking overhead marks, irrespective of size,” he said. “Melbourne’s Brian Dixon was terriﬁc overhead. “The footy world took notice of Richmond’s premiership success in the late 1960s when Tom Hafey introduced two tall, athletic wingers who were brilliant overhead – Francis Bourke and Dick Clay.” According to Alves, it was these essentials of wing play that spawned a host of celebrated players who started as wingmen before becoming even more famous as forwards or defenders. Geelong’s Gary Ablett snr and Richmond’s Michael Roach were great forwards who started their careers as wingmen. Late in his career, Richmond’s Matthew Richardson played many outstanding games when shifted to the wing. Adelaide’s Brett Burton, who is set to retire at the end

Anyone nearest the hole can be asked to do this. Perhaps the biggest faux winger of all is the player who sneaks off the interchange bench and lurks close to the boundary line, expecting the luxury of a teammate’s exit pass. Alves surmises that frantic interchange numbers have contributed to the decline in classic wing play. “There is confusion as to where everyone is. It’s all about rolling zones and running to fill holes and safety first,” he says. In 1997, when Alves was Saints coach, he took great interest in There was a statistically analysing West Coast. time not so long It was late in ago when people the season and paid good money the Saints were to come along of the year, heading for a has often top-of-the-ladder and see wingmen switched from finish. They needed duelling wing to deep to win in Perth to forward. build credibility. A host of star He was most defenders, including Bourke interested in the reports on and Clay, Blue Bruce Doull, Lion wingmen Matera and Chris and Swan Paul Roos and Hawk Mainwaring and centreman Chris Langford also played good Dean Kemp that I provided. football as wingmen. Tactically, he grasped the Progressively, wingmen extraordinary influence the became taller and more athletic. Eagles trio had. He orchestrated In this regard, they set a trend a stunning win by pitting against for future players. the trio his own arsenal of It is ironic they have now sublimely talented wing/centrebeen superseded, apart from line players: Nicky Winmar, occasional glimpses. Nathan Burke and Robert Harvey. So long live the prospects of By my calculation, that game Buddy starting games on a wing! stands as the last epic wingmen/ Let’s praise the gorgeous centremen duel in football. boundary-side dashes of Leigh The game continues to Montagna. So good is Montagna evolve and perhaps we will see at wing play, he is as vital to something like this again. St Kilda’s premiership I asked Alves who he would aspirations as any other Saint. like to see battle on the wings And let’s be skeptical of now. “Buddy versus Brent today’s faux wingmen. This is Harvey: absolute power versus any player who sprints to fill sizzling smarts,” was his reply. the hole out wide when his team TED HOPKINS IS A CARLTON PREMIERSHIP is defending and switches PLAYER AND FOUNDER OF CHAMPION DATA. HIS CURRENT PROJECT IS TEDSPORT, A play to the open or fat-side HIGH PERFORMANCE DATA ANALYSIS AND of the ground. CONSULTING SERVICE.

Artist: David Williams, Gilimbaa

Adam Goodes is hanging up his boots this season≥

Adam Goodes is a legend – over 250 games, a premiership and a couple of Brownlow medals. To celebrate his achievements we asked him to hang up his boots. Adam’s playing boots have been painted by an Australian Indigenous artist, and hung as part of an exhibition to celebrate the talent of Indigenous players in the AFL today. See the full Qantas Boots & Dreams Exhibition and tour details at afl.com.au/qantasboots Qantas. Proud supporter of dreams.

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