Ox: Don't kill the Dees

David Schwarz, who played 173 games with the Demons, fears a heavy sanction could pose a serious threat to the club's future.Picture: Fiona Hamilton Source: Herald Sun

MELBOURNE great David Schwarz hopes any penalty that might flow from the league's tanking investigation will not "cripple" the club.

The AFL is today expected to serve the Demons with evidence gained from its five-month probe into their list management in 2009.

While Melbourne could be hit with heavy fines or loss of draft picks, there is mounting belief the AFL would prefer to penalise individuals, rather than the club, if it is found guilty of deliberately losing games under former coach Dean Bailey.

Melbourne has pledged to vigorously defend any charges and has suggested it would be willing to take the fight to the Supreme Court.

The AFL has interviewed and re-interviewed a host of former and current officials who were at the club in 2009.

President Don McLardy said yesterday he had not seen the interview transcripts that are expected to be presented to Bailey, chief executive Cameron Schwab and former football operations manager Chris Connolly.

"There is still no comment on the investigation," McLardy told the Herald Sun. "We are pleased to see progress and are letting it take its course."

Schwarz, who played 173 games with the Dees, fears a heavy sanction could pose a serious threat to the club's future.

"I, like anyone, hope it goes away, but something might come of it," Schwarz said.

"Whatever it is, you just hope it doesn't hurt or cripple the club. That said, if individuals have done the wrong thing, then they have got to be held accountable."

If the AFL does lay charges, it is likely to happen late next month, in order to give the Demons time to respond to the evidence and prepare their defence.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has warned any person found guilty of manipulating the result of a match would "never work in football again".

Connolly is at the centre of the storm after it was reported he reminded football officials about the importance of losing matches to improve the club's draft position.

But Robert Shaw, who was Fremantle's football operations manager when Connolly coached the Dockers, said Connolly could not have been "solely responsible".

"My gut feeling is the focus on Chris is concerning," Shaw said. "These types of suggestions and allegations could not purely be the work of Chris Connolly."

Shaw said Connolly's work helping raise money for the Demons and the Dockers helped save the two clubs.

"I always found him to be a person of integrity and strong football character," he said.

"The work he did when he first went to Fremantle, I reckon he saved the two clubs.

"His appetite for work and to get out and raise sponsorship singlehandedly at Fremantle, and knock on doors himself, all that sort of stuff is unfairly forgotten in the mist that is tanking allegations.

"He always had the best interests of his football club at heart."

TANKING TIMELINE

JULY, 2012

CARLTON midfielder and former Demon Brock McLean re-ignites the tanking debate when he reveals in an interview on Fox Footy's On the Couch a major reason he wanted to leave Melbourne was because of its strategy of deliberately losing games.

"You can't create a good culture by going out and experimenting and trying to get draft picks and losing games of football,'' McLean said.

"It goes against everything you're trying to do.''

THE AFL launches a fresh tanking investigation, headed by its integrity officer Brett Clothier, following McLean's explosive TV interview.

AUGUST, 2012

McLEAN is called to AFL headquarters to face integrity chief Brett Clothier over his explosive claims the Demons tanked in 2008-2009.

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou promises severe punishment for any side found guilty of tanking, encouraging anyone with knowledge of tanking to come forward.

"We shouldn't sweep it under the carpet,'' Demetriou said.

"If they've got information that can prove, that's supportive of the fact that a club lost a game on purpose to achieve a particular outcome that is a serious allegation and I would encourage them to come forward.

"Any issue that involves integrity of the code, any issue, is something we should thump on the head.

"That's my strong position.''

MELBOURNE president Don McLardy launches a passionate defence of the club's integrity in the wake of the AFL's tanking investigation.

"I want to make it very clear that we will defend our club's integrity in the strongest fashion,'' McLardy said.

"For anyone to suggest that our players did not give their all every time they ran on to the field is not acceptable to us.''

AFL intensifies its tanking investigation, interviewing former coaches and key football figures, including former senior coach Dean Bailey.

OCTOBER, 2012

THE AFL uncovers details of a meeting, addressed by former football boss Chris Connolly, of the Demons' football department in which the need to play for draft picks was reinforced.

A SECOND member of Melbourne's 2009 wooden-spoon winning team claims then coach Dean Bailey was under fierce pressure to lose matches deliberately.

"It was disgusting what was going on and you felt for 'Bails' because everyone knew he was under the pump to lose,'' said the player, who the Herald Sun agreed not to name.

"Players had meetings and asked him what was going on but there was nothing he could do.''

NOVEMBER, 2012

A THIRD Melbourne player reveals coach Dean Bailey called a player meeting to signal a sudden change in tactics midway through the 2009 season.

A FORMER Melbourne sponsor reveals a Melbourne Football Club official boasted openly about tanking at a meeting of big sponsors.

"It was an off the cuff remark regarding the No.1 draft pick,'' the company representative said.

"He said words to the effect of, `We made sure that happened'.''

DECEMBER, 2012

THE AFL has asked Melbourne to respond to evidence that could lead to the club being charged with tanking for draft picks in 2009. The league said its five-month investigation was complete and a report of evidence would be provided to all relevant parties.

PERSONS OF INTEREST

Chris Connolly, Dees football manager

Cameron Schwab, Melbourne CEO

Brock McLean, Melbourne player in 2009

Dean Bailey, Melbourne coach in 2009

James McDonald, former Demons skipper

Scott West,  ex-Melbourne assistant coach

Barry Prendergast, former Demons recruiting manager

Josh Mahoney, then assistant coach, now football manager

WHAT THE RULES SAY

"A person, being a player, coach or assistant coach, must at all times perform on their merits and must not induce, or encourage, any player, coach or assistant coach not to perform on their merits in any match - or in relation to any aspect of the match, for any reason whatsoever.'' - AFL Regulations 19(A5)

23.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

2012 countdown: Top 10 performances

The best pictures of the 2012 AFL season

Hawthorn star Lance Franklin snaps around the body for goal number 13 against North Melbourne. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun

LANCE Franklin had a field day against North Melbourne but was Dane Swan's effort on Anzac Day better?

Over the next 10 days we'll name the highlights, lowlights and simply strange moments of the year in footy in a countdown of top 10 countdowns.

We kicked off the series on Monday with the best 10 AFL games of 2012, on Tuesday we went with the top 10 marks, and followed that with the top 10 goals yesterday.

Today the countdown continues with the top 10 individual performances of the year.

Did we get it right? Leave a comment below

10. Scott Thompson v Greater Western Sydney
The North Melbourne intercept king had a day out when the Kangaroos were made to work to counter a plucky GWS outfit. Thompson amassed 39 disposals (192 SuperCoach points), almost unheard-of numbers for a key backman, in the 28-point victory at Skoda Stadium. The Kangaroos' most prolific stopper also clunked 13 marks.

9. Trent Cotchin v Western Bulldogs
Brett Deledio tweeted post-match he had a front seat at the Cotchin Show after the No.9 put on a clinic with 35 touches, three goals and an amazing 17 score involvements. He also picked up 170 SuperCoach points. It would be the start of a withering four-game run of 30-plus possession games which propelled the silky-skilled midfielder to equal second in the Brownlow Medal with 26 votes.

8. Marc Murphy v Essendon
The Carlton star had a frustrating season and he took it out on arch-rival Essendon in Round 21. Murphy had the ball on a string, collecting 37 disposals while kicking two goals as the Blues romped home by 96 points. He also laid six tackles. Murphy capped off his superb performance with a goal after the siren to give the Blues a handy percentage boost.

7. Dean Cox/Nic Naitanui v Geelong
Orren Stephenson is still waking up in cold sweats after confronting the Eagles duo on a Friday night in Perth. When Cox and Nic Nat combine for 41 disposals and 13 marks it makes it difficult to trump West Coast. Add 77 hitouts and five goals and it's an almost impossible task. The vaunted ruck pair dominated the Cats when the two sides met in Round 20, the Eagles outlasting their rivals by five points. Cox was brilliant, kicking three goals while picking up 23 disposals and eight marks. The veteran added five clearances and four inside-50s to his stats sheet. The pair also combined for 343 SuperCoach points.

6. Jack Riewoldt v St Kilda
The Riewoldts combined for 11 of the 34 goals scored when Richmond held out St Kilda in a Round 10 shootout at Etihad Stadium. Jack claimed family bragging rights, helping the Tigers to a seven-point victory with eight goals in his 100th match. The flighty forward also clunked nine marks along the way. It would be Jack's biggest haul of the season en route to his second Coleman Medal with 65 majors – three clear of Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins.

Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

5. Gary Ablett v North Melbourne
Little Gazza single-handedly kept his young Gold Coast Suns within striking distance of North when the two sides met at Metricon Stadium in Round 12. Ablett put on a masterful display including 42 disposals and four goals – none more impressive than a 45m left-foot snap from the boundary line during the second quarter. Ablett's haul included 10 clearances, five rebound-50s and four inside-50s. It was the best of Ablett's 2012 highlights reel; two weeks earlier he equalled the VFL-AFL record for possessions in a game with 53 touches against Collingwood.  4. Dayne Beams v Sydney
It was party time on Smith St when Pictures mark II, Dayne Beams, slotted his third goal to ice Collingwood's eight-point win against Sydney at ANZ Stadium. The heavily tattooed star midfielder starred in the absence of namesake Dane Swan, who was serving the first of a two-week club-imposed suspension for breaking player rules. Beams helped himself to 34 disposals including 11 clearances and five tackles. He finished with 170 SuperCoach points.
3. Dean Cox v North Melbourne
Cox was the difference between West Coast winning or losing to the Roos at Blundstone Arena in Hobart. Cox booted three goals including the sealer to ice the Eagles come-from-behind two-point victory in Round 15. The 204cm ruckman also clunked marks at both ends of the ground to stymie the Kangaroos at every turn. Cox finished with 21 disposals, 15 marks and 24 hitouts - and a lazy 215 SuperCoach points.

Hawthorn v North Melbourne. Aurora Stadium, Launceston. Lance Franklin kicks his 11th goal. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun

2. Lance Franklin v North Melbourne
The Roos were on the receiving end again - also in Tassie - when Buddy ran riot in Hawthorn's 115-point demolition in Round 10. The raking left-footer outscored the Kangaroos 13.4 to 9.5 in the Round 10 rout at Aurora Stadium in Launceston. The Hawks piled on 27 majors to hammer the Shinboners into submission. The superstar feasted on Kangaroos defenders Scott Thompson, Nathan Grime and Luke Delaney, booting six first-half goals including three in three minutes during the second quarter. But Franklin saved his best for last, with goal No.12 coming from deep in the left forward pocket while, No.13 was a dropped mark, snap around the body with only seconds left on the clock. It was the highest SuperCoach score of the year (236), but in terms of the stage, stakes and influence on the result, we've got him just behind...
1. Dane Swan v Essendon
Talk of Swan carrying a few extra kilograms was quickly shelved when the Brownlow medallist ran amok in Collingwood's thrilling one-point win on Anzac Day. Swan collected a staggering 42 disposals – 20 contested – and kicked three goals in the MCG blockbuster. Swan capped off a brilliant day by rubbing his stomach – mocking those who called him overweight – after kicking his third goal late in the third quarter. The Anzac medallist finished with 13 clearances and six tackles. Swan obviously likes playing the Bombers - he picked up another 42 touches when the two sides met in Round 23.

TOMORROW:

Follow Gilbert Gardiner on Twitter @gilbert0408

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Roos find new CEO

Carl Dilena (second from left) is North Melbourne's new CEO. Source: Herald Sun

NORTH Melbourne's 199-day search for a new chief executive is finally over.

The Roos today announced they had hired with Carl Dilena, with the former North player set to start in February.

North Melbourne narrowly missed on poaching Geelong boss Brian Cook and was linked to Adrian Anderson after his sudden departure from the AFL this month.

Dilena, 45, was a former senior partner at KPMG and is on North Melbourne's board.

"We were looking for someone with great leadership skills, senior management experience, a comprehensive understanding of the football industry and someone who also appreciates the unique culture of our club," Roos president James Brayshaw said.

"Carl has been a senior partner with one of the world's biggest professional services firms, played football at the highest level, has been a member of our Board for the past five years and has chaired the club's finance and audit committee.

"He comes to us with an impressive skill-set and we couldn't be happier to announce his appointment."

Dilena played 33 games with the Roos and Fitzroy between 1989-92.

The Roos have been searching for a new chief executive since Eugene Arocca resigned in June.

Cameron Vale, the Roos chief financial officer, has been serving as interim chief executive but was told last month he would not be handed the permanent position.

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Nowhere to hide for GWS players

Spare a thought for Greater Western Sydney players before you dig into your slice of Christmas pudding this year. You might be able to rest up on the couch afterwards, but not the Giants who each have a detailed training schedule they must adhere to irrespective of where they happen to be in Australia. Source: Herald Sun

THE GWS Giants have taken Big Brother to a new level. Gone are the days when a Christmas break meant a real holiday for elite footballers.

Gone are the days when players could slacken off from training on holidays and get away with it. There is no hiding it any more.

Giants players will be wearing state-of-the-art GPS watches at all times when they train during their two-week Christmas break with every detail of their training recorded into a program that can be seen by coaches and teammates.

Heart rate, speed, distance, terrain and weather are measured by the Garmin GPS watches that are now all but standard in the AFL.

"This year I was travelling around the world. I was in Delhi and I was watching what our players were doing in training," GWS head of performance John Quinn said.

"I could send them an email saying, 'How come you haven't done this?' It's keeping them honest.

"I guess what we've been able to do with the Giants is make that world a bit smaller. Even when the players go away, to keep track of them and keep them motivated to keep working.

"We have a system where everybody is held accountable."

So before you tuck into your Christmas Day feast, spare a thought for the Giants with no way of getting out of training on their holiday.

They each have a detailed personal exercise routine and they are expected to follow it.

Long distance running, sprints, weights and football skills. Memberships at Fitness First gyms across the country have been organised for them. There are no excuses.

Just because most of the players are still teenagers doesn't mean they are allowed to act like it.

The coaching staff see them as professional footballers and professionalism is demanded.

Equally important as the accountability is being able to monitor the players' training loads.

The Giants' sports science team will speak to every player two or three times over the next two weeks to give them feedback on how they are meeting their targets, saying they had to tell players to stop training too hard during their end-of-season breaks.

"We have to tell them, 'Don't get carried away', because they do," Quinn said.

"They're professional athletes, but at the end of the day they are also people and they've got to have balance in their life.

"We've pushed them as hard as we could possibly push them and now we get two weeks where the intensity comes off and then we build it up again when they get back.

"We're only about 90 days away from our first game so it's not that far to go and we've got to get them ready for it.

"They've certainly all lifted to a new level and I think they're more settled in Sydney. So yes, I am excited about what we're doing and I can see that we're only going to be going forward."

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

We'll always be the Dockers

Matthew Pavlich celebrates a goal. Freo says it won't be changing its name from the Dockers. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

FREMANTLE president Steve Harris has promised the club will continue to be known as the Fremantle Dockers despite announcing it is shifting its training base to Cockburn.

In conjunction with the City of Cockburn, the Dockers will build a $107 million training base on a 26,000-square metre greenfields site in Success. They hope to move there in 2016 or 2017.

"It's only two years ago that we successfully completed lengthy negotiations with Levi Strauss to have the legal right to call ourselves the Fremantle Dockers, and we have absolutely no intention of changing our name from the Fremantle Dockers either now or in the future," Harris said.

''We are and will always be known as the Fremantle Dockers."

The City of Cockburn will fund most of the project, with contributions from the Dockers, the AFL and the state and federal governments also expected.

The club has spent this year weighing up whether to redevelop its current base at Fremantle Oval or create a new base in Success, at a site known as Cockburn Central West.

In the face of a backlash from some members over abandoning their traditional home, the Dockers said it would take a compelling case to move.

The move has been seen as a fait accompli for months and club's board formally resolved this week that compelling case had been sustained.

"Given our club's traditional and historical links to Fremantle Oval, there is no question about the significance of the decision to locate our core operations away from Fremantle Oval, and this was carefully considered throughout the decision-making process," Harris said.

"In addition to the club's operating costs at Cockburn Central West being less when compared to redeveloping at Fremantle Oval, the Cockburn Central West option allows for our club to have access to a bigger indoor training facility, bigger and better aquatic facilities and provides for access to a second oval.

"It is a green field site, so there is likely to be less planning uncertainty and there will be no facility transition costs or interruption to club operations as there would be under the Fremantle Oval master plan options.

"Operating costs at the Cockburn Central West site will also be lower because we are sharing the City of Cockburn's sporting and aquatic facilities with the community. This is also a great result for the community."

Harris said the new facility presented an outstanding opportunity for the Dockers to gain an advantage over their rivals.

"When the club opened its current training and administration facility at Fremantle Oval in November 2000, the facilities were regarded as one of the better club facilities in the AFL," he said.

"However, given the advances in the past decade nationally and internationally in technology and sports science, and an increase in the competitive landscape of the AFL, the club's current facilities are now well behind the AFL benchmark.

"In addition to the Cockburn Central West site allowing for the development of a world-class training and administration facility not seen previously in Australia, the site, which is within the greater Fremantle region, provides greater prospects for future expansion, community engagement and supporter interaction."

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Meet the new, improved Karmichael

Gold Coast Suns player Karmichael Hunt is the slimmest he's been in three AFL pre-seasons. Picture: Brendan Radke Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

SPECIAL K has become Shrinking K.

Gold Coast Suns midfielder and code-hopper Karmichael Hunt is the lightest he has ever been in his well-travelled professional football career, with the 26-year-old tipping the scales at 87kg this week.

When he played rugby league for the Brisbane Broncos, Queensland and Australia he was 93kg.During his stint in French rugby Biarritz in 2009/2010, he nudged the 100kg mark.

But the trademark treetrunk legs are now gone, with Hunt halfway through his third AFL pre-season training program.

A leaner Hunt no longer looks like a rugby league player built to withstand multiple front-on high-speed collisions.

He appears every bit like an AFL on-baller who is required to cover vast distances over four quarters.

Gold Coast strength and conditioning coach Chris Gaviglio said Hunt's significant body shape transformation was a result of his single-minded determination.

"Karmichael needed to make those changes to survive and succeed in the AFL," Gaviglio said.

"He is a highly-driven athlete and he has been prepared to do what it takes to meet the demands of the sport. That is what has underpinned his success across all three codes.

"He is an inherently gifted athlete and he has really bought into our strength and conditioning program as well as working closely with our dietician Benita Lalor.

"You could tell he was cooked by the end of his first season but he would have run out last season if not for a shoulder injury. His legs were willing and able to go the full distance."

After an understandably indifferent first season in 2011, Hunt had a break-out year in 2012 with a shift from defence to the midfield.

The high point was his match-winning goal after the siren against Richmond in Cairns to hand the Suns their first victory of the season, but his on-ball work throughout the year also caught the eye.

He also produced a number of bone-rattling bumps on opponents to become a genuine enforcer.Gaviglio said Hunt would still pack a punch in 2013 despite shedding the weight.

"He is stronger than ever. He is bench pressing 145kg, which is more than what he was doing at the Broncos," he said.

Gold Coast football manager Marcus Ashcroft said Hunt's leaner appearance was inevitable.

"Karmichael has been training well and is in great shape at the moment but you can't not lose weight given the amount of running he has had to do," the triple premiership player said

"Especially in his new role in the midfield, he has covered a lot of kilometres.

"He has had a season in the VFL and two seasons in the AFL so it was only a matter of time before his body shape became more suited to the demands of our game."

The Suns had their last pre-Christmas training session yesterday  and will resume on January 7.

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bone shaved from Cat's hips

James Kelly battled a hip injury during the 2012 season. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

GEELONG midfielder James Kelly has revealed he had bone shaved from his thighs during post-season surgery after a pain-stricken 2012 season.

Kelly yesterday declared himself on track to play in Geelong's NAB Cup campaign after a successful recovery from an arthroscope on both hips.

The operation involved having bone shaved off both femurs.

The 28-year-old has been on a modified program this pre-season and will return to full training early in the new year, confident his hip troubles are behind him.

"I will be training more heavily over the coming days and it's all going pretty good," Kelly said.

"I'll be back to full training on January 1.

"It's clearing up really well."

Despite having a strong season, in which he was Geelong's leading tackler and still picked up 470 touches, Kelly revealed he had a weekly struggle with hip pain.

But he is confident of a pain-free season next year in a major boost to Geelong's top-four ambitions.

"The hips were more painful during the year than they are now. I'm relying on the physios a lot and they're helping out but I've still been able to do a fair bit of training recently," he said.

"I've been going through the rehabilitation program well and everything is going as planned.

"I'll be 100 per cent ready to go come next season."

Pic gallery: Cats roam the highlands

Geelong assistant coach Dale Amos last week said Kelly and Jimmy Bartel (foot) were making strong progress in their recoveries from post-season operations.

"They've been conditioned, they're doing their weights, they're just being nursed back into the football side," Amos said.

"I would be surprised if they didn't play (NAB Cup). The plan is for them to be ready for Round 1, so you'd imagine they'd play (NAB Cup) at some stage.

"They've been doing their running inside and their conditioning inside and now they're starting to do the work outside, so I think after Christmas we expect to see them a bit more.

"They'll be integrated back in after Christmas. I'm not totally sure when they'll be totally unrestricted, but they're well and truly on track and they should be right amongst it by the time we get back after Christmas.

"We've been patient with them. You want to progress those guys as quickly as you can without pushing them too much."

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Hurting Roos to relish spotlight

North Melbourne players after the 96-point elimination final loss to West Coast. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper Source: PerthNow

NORTH Melbourne coach Brad Scott has urged his troops to step into the AFL spotlight with confidence next year, despite the lingering hurt of a savage finals loss.

The young Roos arrived as a future force last season, but were smashed by West Coast in a first-round finals thrashing at Patersons Stadium.

Scott said the 96-point elimination final loss was a "devastating" finish after powering into the finals by winning nine out of 10 games late in the year.

Showing they could play pulsating corridor football, the Roos were rewarded by the AFL with three primetime Friday night games next year -- their most since 2006.

While it comes with a nightmarishly tough draw, Scott said his team should relish the chance to shine on the big stage in 2013.

"If you want to be the best you have got to beat the best and I think if we are really competing well into September we certainly will have earned our spot," Scott told the Herald Sun.

"We won't shy away from that, and, the game is bigger than just the football side of things.

"As a club, I think it's great for us. Our fans are going to see us on at least three Friday nights and there is a chance we play Collingwood in the last round of the year (floating fixture) on a Friday night, too.

"If we get good exposure and it exposes our players to the best teams in the competition, that's got to be a good thing."

Once regarded as a dour, one-paced side, a young crop of outside runners led by linebreaking defender Shaun Atley added a slick edge to the Roos last season.

The club also bolstered its centre line with the addition two former first round draft picks, Port Adelaide's Ben Jacobs (No.16, 2010) and ex-Demon Jordan Gysberts (No.11, 2009).

The new recruits have helped the Roos move on from their first-round finals failure last season, as West Coast buried them under a 43-point quarter-time lead in sweltering heat.

Scott said his squad had the mental resilience to rebound from the finals lashing.

"It was a devastating result, particularly after going some ways to showing that we can compete against the good sides," he said.

"What gives me great heart is that we've had some of those horrible losses over the last three years, but we've responded to each one of them.

"We'll learn the lessons out of it and delve really deeply into why and then go about working really hard on fixing it."
 

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Catch 22: Footy Christmas

Tony Shaw meets a Santa seemingly dressed by Collingwood fans. Source: Herald Sun

IT'S THE ONE time of year when even the AFL and the footy clubs are happy to put the feet up and let cricket take the spotlight.

It's the time of year when football slips out of the media and is replaced by a Test cricketer sitting on Santa's knee asking for Boxing Day Test win. Or a touring English cricketer celebrating the festive season by donning a fancy dress outfit. Or a veteran Aussie batsman cuddling his daughter as he hands her a present from under the Christmas tree.

But fear not, for all you footy tragics who get withdrawal symptoms at this time of year, we've delved into the vault and collated 22 photographs with a Christmas-football theme.

Have yourselves a very footy Christmas.

Click HERE to see the gallery.

If you have any names you think should be there, post a suggestion to twitter.com/wgreenheraldsun

 

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Footy - simply irresistible

Catch me if you can: Sydney's Nick Malceski runs up the field after kicking the winning goal in the Grand Final. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

FOOTBALL writer Warwick Green charts a vintage year in the AFL will be remembered mostly as a year of consolidation for the league.

YEAR TO REMEMBER
GOLD Coast skipper Gary Ablett reinforced his status as the league's premier footballer, while Essendon skipper Jobe Watson had his own ripping season recognised on Brownlow night.

Others to have memorable years included Swan Ryan O'Keefe, who had a career highlight when handed a Norm Smith as well as a premiership medal, and veteran Saint Jason Blake, who finally cracked it for a Brownlow vote in his 210th AFL game.

But 2012 will be remembered as the year two footballers came of age.

Richmond star Trent Cotchin, long-touted as the next gun midfielder, arrived at that destination. The silky game-breaker won the AFL coaches award, was equal-second in the Brownlow and was Tigers club champion.

Down at Geelong, Tom Hawkins looked like his performance in the 2011 Grand Final was the catalyst for taking his game to another level. This season he has emerged as one of the best power forwards in the AFL, taking games by the scruff of the neck and performing under pressure.

He finished with more marks inside 50 than any other player and was second to Travis Cloke in contested marks. He won the Cats best-and-fairest and at 24 may look back on 2012 as the year he joined the elite bracket.

Richmond midfielder Dustin Martin had a difficult year on and off the field. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

YEAR TO FORGET
THE season was a shocker for players such as Luke Ball, Mark LeCras, Gary Rohan and Robbie Gray, who all missed a great chunk of games because of injury.

Then there were those whose form tapered. Brent Moloney went from winning Melbourne's best-and-fairest and polling 19 Brownlow votes last year to struggling to get a senior game and being traded to Brisbane.

Richmond midfielder Dustin Martin stalled in his development, was panned for his off-field behaviour, and had a club-imposed suspension for missing training.

But the standout in this category would have to be Carlton star Chris Judd. His output and influence was not at the stellar standards of previous seasons, and he played in just seven wins, the fewest of any season in his 11-year AFL career.

Judd was also heavily criticised and suspended for a month after his controversial "chicken-wing" tackle on North Melbourne's Leigh Adams in Round 16.

Since the Grand Final, he has had the AFL pull the plug on his third-party sponsorship deal with Visy, and has stepped away from the Blues captaincy.

GOOD WORK
IT was largely a year of consolidation for the AFL after a hectic 2011 in which the league introduced Gold Coast, negotiated a new broadcast rights deal, renewed its contract with major sponsor Toyota and finalised the collective bargaining agreement with the players.

No doubt 2012 will be remembered as the year Greater Western Sydney joined the competition. That process was handled relatively smoothly and successfully.

The Giants were at pains to state they should not be judged by the scoreboard alone, which is just as well, although the team did manage two wins and impressed with a hard-at-it brand of football.

Giants players train at team's new home ground of Skoda Stadium in Sydney. Picture: Stephen Cooper Source: Herald Sun

The quest for off-field success and credibility looms as a tougher task, though.

In October, the AFL Commission did well to resist pressure to further alter the interchange bench rules. The laws of the game committee recommended capping rotations at 80, but the AFL took a cautious approach, opting to have a look at an interchange cap in the NAB Cup only.

It suggests the AFL is consulting more with coaches and players, who were largely opposed to the cap.

One decision the AFL undeniably got right was its choice of acts for the Grand Final entertainment.

Admittedly, the league was coming from a low base after Meatloaf's diabolical performance last year, but the decision to engage proven Australian acts Paul Kelly (pre-match) and Temper Trap (halftime) made sense.

The concept of sending the musicians and players back on to the MCG turf after the match for a free "Premiership Party" looked an innovation with merit and worth repeating.

NOT SO GOOD
THE drawn-out investigation into Melbourne Football Club began in July after former Demon Brock McLean reignited the issue on Fox Footy's On The Couch. McLean suggested "you would have to be blind Freddy" not to realise that winning was a low priority for the Demons back in 2009.

For the best part of a decade the AFL had steadfastly maintained that tanking did not exist, despite a wide-held belief that clubs near the foot of the ladder each August engaged in a race to the wooden spoon.

Nevertheless at the start of the year the league decided to scrap the contentious priority pick system that many considered the main incentive to under-achieve.

Having weathered years of carping, it seemed extraordinary that in the very season it changed the system the AFL would choose to poke at an old wound by asking its integrity department to examine how Melbourne performed three years ago.

Five months later and there is still no resolution.

The suspicion is the AFL may have painted itself into a corner. Can it definitively prove Melbourne instructed players or coaches not to win? And if so, is it time to broaden the investigation?

You suspect the only way the AFL can extract itself is to say it thoroughly scrutinised the Demons and found no damning evidence. Then hope that football can put the word "tanking" behind it and never speak its name again.

Tom Hawkins celebrates with his teammates after kicking the winning goal after the siren to continue Hawthorn's run of outs against the Cats. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

THE MOMENT
AS always, a season of elite Australian football produces numerous spectacular goals and marks.

Consider these goals: Collingwood snatching a one-point win on Anzac Day after a late Jarryd Blair toe-poke; Tom Hawkins extending Geelong's winning streak against Hawthorn with a composed 55m effort on the siren; Brock McLean's long-range ping to give Carlton a late-season win against Richmond; and, Chris Yarran's running goal in the opening round against Richmond.

Then there was the added drama of league convert Karmichael Hunt marking a brilliant Brandon Matera pass with three seconds to play and coolly slotting home the post-siren shot to secure Gold Coast's first win of the season, against the Tigers.

When it came to exciting marks, Jeremy Howe's brilliant hanger against Sydney was the finest of about half a dozen the Demon pulled in this year.

For individual brilliance, it's also hard to go past Lance Franklin's 13.4 performance against North Melbourne in Launceston.

But the most significant moments of the season are usually found in the most significant match, the Grand Final, and two stand out from Sydney's triumph over Hawthorn.

The moment that set the tone for the day was a courageous act by Swans midfielder Dan Hannebery in the first term.

Hannebery found himself under a floating kick and, as he explained after the match, "I heard the call: 'You've got to go Hanners' and I went".

He hung on to the mark despite simultaneously being crunched by Hawk ruckman David Hale, who is 22kg heavier and 20cm taller.

The defining image of the premiership decider, however, came in the final minute.

Defender Nick Malceski had already snapped a ripper from the boundary in the opening quarter.

With 45 seconds remaining in the match and four points the difference Malceski was on the end of a short handball from Hannebery, and instinctively hooked a high left-foot snap from 30m.

It sailed through, prompting TV commentator Dennis Cometti to immediately declare: "Sydney are premiers!"

The sight of the bearded defender wheeling away at full pace and leaping into the arms of Ted Richards, where he was swamped by teammates, will endure for years to come.

PROJECT 2013
UNQUESTIONABLY, the AFL's highest priority will be to further consolidate its expanded competition.

The league has invested $220 million in its two new clubs to underwrite them for six years. The objective will be to emerge from that period with 18 profitable football clubs.

Equally, those clubs need to field teams that are at the very least competitive.

This year, there were 15 games in which the result was by 95 points or more, and six of those games did not involve the Giants or Suns. If that trend was to continue, there would be worries that the league had spread itself too thin.

Sisters Prue and Phoebe McCormack, of Bellerive, take their Kangaroos mascot to North Melbourne's first AFL game in Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones Source: The Mercury

The AFL will also closely watch what happens with North Melbourne in Tasmania - the Roos tried unsuccessfully for a seven-games-a-year deal in Hobart before settling on two home games - and the first overseas game for premiership points, when St Kilda hosts Sydney in New Zealand on Anzac Day.

But that's all big-picture, long-term stuff.

In the coming months, some pressing issues need resolving.

Clubs, players and administrators will be represented at a forum next month to discuss the illicit drugs policy. Some industry insiders believe the system needs to be tweaked to improve players' off-field behaviour.

The AFL is to be praised for being prepared to open up the conversation rather than close its ears to the possibility of an improved approach.

Also, expect there to be concerns raised during the season about whether the match review panel and the video score review system need fine tuning.

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