WEST Coast defender Mark Nicoski got through unscathed in his first game in 14 months for Subiaco reserves in the WAFL on Saturday. Eagles coach John Worsfold said there was no time line on his AFL return. “He obviously had an extremely serious injury that needed full-on surgery to reattach his hamstring,” West Coast coach

ADELAIDE’S 40-point win over St Kilda at AAMI Stadium on Sunday was an important one as it levelled its season at 4-4 after eight rounds. The Crows, while not as dynamic as last week against the Giants, still managed to run the Saints off their legs. Tom Lynch kicked 10 goals last week for the

HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson says the scoreboard “flattered” his team in its 83-point win over Greater Western Sydney at Aurora Stadium. And while the result was largely a comfortable one, the most important factor to come out of the round for the Hawks is that they are flying on top of the ladder after seven

THE Western Bulldogs, who have won just the one match for the season and that was in round one, are in desperate need of replenishing entering their nine clash against St Kilda on Saturday. After the disappointing loss to the Gold Coast Suns, the Bulldogs could look to Nathan Hrovat for a recall after he

ESSENDON’S father-son selection Joe Daniher is expected to be in the mix once again to make his AFL debut after another impressive outing for the the Bombers VFL team in in their 12-point loss to Port Melbourne on Saturday. Daniher kicked four goals and looked lively for much of the match and with Michael Hurley

HAWTHORN youngster Jed Anderson has made a successful return from a hamstring injury with three goals in the Box Hill Hawks’ 60-point win over the Casey Scorpions. Anderson has not played since round three when he was the AFL Rising Star nominee. Hawks development coach Damian Carroll said Anderson’s return from a hamstring injury was

COLLINGWOOD veteran Alan Didak continued to push for a senior recall after a dominant second half for the Pies in the VFL against Geelong on Saturday. Pies VFL coach Dale Tapping said Didak had shown that he’s ready to play AFL again and is ready to be called upon. “Didak has been pretty good at

IT’S ironic that it was Collingwood that was the first team of the season to beat the reigning premier Geelong by 13-points at Victoria Park on Saturday. It was only last year that the Pies also broke Port Melbourne’s famous winning streak that included its 2011 flag. But perhaps almost more ironic is the general

FORGOTTEN Hawthorn defender Will Langford, the son of former Hawthorn champion defender Chris, could be on the verge of finally making his AFL debut according to Hawks development coach Damian Carroll. Carroll said that Langford has improved out of sight and is a great story given the injury problems he has had to face in

THE heat remains on embattled Melbourne coach Mark Neeld and while some key media personalities from Melbourne’s major newspapers the Herald Sun and The Age were calling for his head today, it appears likely that Neeld may well see out at least another week. The Demons’ hierarchy are reluctant to sack Neeld this week despite

GOLD Coast’s first win at the MCG was a phenomenal one against Melbourne by 60-points. It may well have huge ramifications for coach Mark Neeld and even the president Don McLardy on Monday but right now the Suns have their second win of the season and are in a good place

CARLTON ruckman Matthew Kreuzer is no certainty to line up against the Saints in Monday night football after being sidelined for the past three matches with a broken thumb, Kreuzer was named in the teams on Thursday night but is no guarantee of line-up according to coach Mick Malthouse. “We’ll see how he comes up

MARK Neeld is not the only AFL coach in jeopardy with Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss also facing the axe according to former coach Leigh Matthews. The question for Brisbane folk is can the Lions beat any of the following Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Geelong and Hawthorn and fellow struggler Gold Coast? Because that is

DIRECTLY after its 135-point shellacking to the hands of Adelaide, Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy has criticised Melbourne-based AFL clubs for not having the “guts” to trade some of their experienced players for draft picks. It is understood that the Giants were after players in the ilk of Collingwood’s Dale Thomas, Carlton’s Matthew Kreuzer

COLLINGWOOD faces a season-defining fortnight after its disappointing 27-point loss to Fremantle on Saturday night. The Pies face Geelong and reigning premier Sydney over the next two weeks and at 4-3, it is forecast that it may very well be 4-5, heading into round 10. Coach Nathan Buckley questioned after the match whether his team

THERE are murmurings from senior media officials that Mark Neeld’s tenure as coach of Melbourne could be up as early as Monday with Melbourne set to lose to the Gold Coast Suns. Neeld, who has been under increasing pressure since its start to the season, has struggled to help some of the key Melbourne brigade

HAWTHORN’S forward line appears to be working overtime to prevent any conscious reliability on Lance Franklin this season. Despite Franklin’s goal-less fortnight prior to the win against the Swans on Saturday night, coach Alastair Clarkson said he was happy with Franklin’s output up forward which allowed for other goalkicking contributors. Jarryd Roughead, David Hale, Jack

NORTH Melbourne midfielder Andrew Swallow is confident of lining up against West Coast next week despite injuring his knee against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday. The Roos skipper will have scans on Monday to determine the extent of the damage, but he said on Sunday that he believes there was no structural damage. “It’s not

NORTH Melbourne coach Brad Scott said he is in awe of Majak Daw after his break-out performance against the Western Bulldogs and won’t deny the hype ahead of the Daw and Nic Nat show against West Coast next week. “I’ve got no problem with the inevitable hype and excitement,” Scott said. “We’ve just got to

VICTORIA’S 17-point loss to Western Australia in Northam on Saturday was the first time the Vics lost to WA since 1991. Frankston coach Simon Goosey, who was an assistant to head coach Gary Ayres, said Victoria was disappointed in the end result, knowing that it led the match for most of the day. “It was disappointing.

HAWTHORN has overcome its tough start to its season with a 6-1 record after its 37-point win over Sydney at the MCG on Saturday night.

The Hawks horror draw included all of the other seven finallists from last season – and they only lost by a slim margin to Geelong in the opening round

GEELONG VFL coach Matthew Knights expects other teams to come at the undefeated Cats in the second half of the season as it crept to flag favouritism with a 55-point shellacking of Werribee at Simonds Stadium on Saturday. Knights said the Cats have improved even further on last year’s premiership season despite an overhaul of

COLLINGWOOD midfielder Luke Ball appears likely to return in a blockbuster match against Geelong next fortnight after starring in today’s VFL match for the Pies against Williamstown. Ball, who found plenty of the ball, was likely to have a week of intense training this week with the VFL having a state representative match against the

COLLINGWOOD’S elevated rookie Jack Frost suffered a knee injury in the loss to Williamstown by six-points at Burbank Oval on Sunday. The injury – which occurred in the third term – is suspected to be a season-ending one although scans tomorrow will determine the extent of the damage. Also on Football Nation: What we learnt

WEST Coast’s 70-point thrashing of the Western Bulldogs was somewhat of a training drill considering what the club has been through over the last few weeks.

The much-needed win gave the Eagles some confidence up forward with Jack Darling with five goals and Dean Cox kicked four

WHILE Carlton defeated Melbourne by 61-points and that was expected, perhaps what was not was the automatic dominance of forward Jarrad Waite, who took 10 marks and two goals from centre half forward.

Waite’s selection was seen to be a bit of gamble from the Blues coming into the match given he had played just the one VFL match on return from injury

RICHMOND forward Aaron Edwards says he just wants an opportunity to prove himself again at AFL level after an impressive performance for Coburg in its win over Essendon at Coburg City Oval on Saturday. Edwards finished with 22 disposals, 16 marks and two goals. He said he was hopeful for an opportunity to arise at

GEELONG speedster Jackson Sheringham is set to miss the next two months with a shoulder injury he sustained in a sickening incident against Frankston in the VFL last week. Scans on Sheringham’s shoulder this week came back worse than expected. “He’s going to be missing for a significant amount of time, again there’s no timeline,

GEELONG rookie George Burbury is confident he has overcome a navicular stress fracture in his foot after kicking six goals in yesterday’s hit-out for the Cats in the VFL against Werribee at Simonds Stadium. It was Burbury’s first match since last year’s VFL premiership win. “At the best of times, I’m not an overly patient

HAWTHORN is preparing for a blockbuster showdown against Sydney next week; a showdown between last year’s grand finallists. The Hawks lost last year’s grand final by 10-points but are playing down the motivation to beat the reigning premier next week. “You let the players be the ones that try and drive themselves for this particular

IS it encouraging or not so encouraging that Hawks superstar Lance Franklin was held goal-less for the second consecutive week and the Hawks have gone on to win a close one?

The Hawks prevailed by 11-points on the back of skipper Luke Hodge’s brilliant work in the midfield with 29 disposals

ST KILDA  forward Justin Koschitzke faces a lengthy stint on the sidelines and has already been committed if you listen to leading commentators and social media. Collingwood midfielder Dayne Beams wrote on Twitter that Koschitzke’s hit on Pies youngster Jamie Elliott was ” fairly weak” shortly after the incident. ”Fairly weak that by Justin Koschitzke,”

GEELONG defender Jared Rivers has been ruled out for at least the next month with a knee injury that is worse than thought according to the Cats today. It means that the club may look to forward James Podsiadly to be transformed into a defender. It wouldn’t be the first time Podsiadly has played in

DESPITE Ryan Schoenmakers’ season-ending knee injury last week, Hawthorn appear to have reasonable depth in defence given that Kyle Cheney and Matt Spangher are ready to be called upon if necessary according to development coach Damian Carroll. Brian Lake stepped into Schoenmakers’ position on Sunday against the Kangaroos and performed amicably. Carroll said Spangher has

FORMER club great David Schwarz has cast doubt on Melbourne coach Mark Neeld being at the helm as coach next season. Schwarz appeared clearly frustrated at his old clubs’ situation and doesn’t believe that players are improving or performing for the coach. “I don’t think so. No,” Schwab said on Fox Footy’s Open Mike. “I

THE only saving grace for Essendon in its performance enhancing drug scandal remains a letter from the World Anti-Doping Agency approving use of the anti-obesity drug AOD-9604 shown to the club – but WADA doubts the existence of it. The document, which was allegedly provided by sports scientists Stephen Dank, has yet to be seen in

WESTERN Jets’ top-ager David Iaccarino was again one of the best in the Jets’ 11-point loss to the Dandenong Stingrays on the weekend – and it appears the 19 year-old is trying to make the most of his opportunities. He was limited to just 10 matches last season because of school commitments and told the

THE Northern Blues felt that the 16-point loss to Port Melbourne at home on Sunday was one that got away. Mid-way through the term they had sprung to a two goal lead after a second quarter comeback. But under pressure and knowing another game was starting to get out of their control, Port’s seasoned players

IS Spencer White the new Buddy Franklin? That’s what Saints fans are saying – and hoping. St Kilda is longing for a power forward that can win a match off his own boot – and former Western Jet White may be the man. His goal in the second term for Sandringham on Saturday – where

COLLINGWOOD’S Luke Ball says he pulled up well from his return match from injury in the VFL on Friday night against Bendigo in Bendigo. Ball snared 25 disposals in the Pies 116-point win over the Gold. “I am (feeling good), actually. After 12 months you don’t know how it’s going to feel,” Ball said. “I

ESSENDON’S father-son selection Joe Daniher is still in the mix for an imminent AFL debut despite a “planned rest” from the VFL this week. The Bombers opted to rest its promising star from its 35-point win over North Ballarat at Eureka Stadium. Daniher’s form in the VFL in recent weeks had put him into serious

GEELONG midfielder Jackson Sheringham suffered a shoulder injury in the opening quarter of Sunday’s VFL clash against Frankston at Frankston Oval. The Cats are unsure of the severity of the injury but Sheringham – who has just returned from a pre-season injury – will undergo scans tomorrow to determine the extent of the damage. Also

CARLTON’S Jarrad Waite failed to kick a goal for the Northern Blues in his return match from a calf injury but that didn’t worry the Blues’ coaching staff who were just relieved the star forward had got through unscathed against Port Melbourne at Preston City Oval on Sunday. Waite finished with 12 disposals and six

HAWTHORN’S Cyril Rioli was the story of this epic three-point win over North Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.

Rioli kicked four goals in the second half and was the most electrifying forward on the field but suffered a hamstring injury mid-way through the final term that appeared serious. Given Rioli’s history with hamstring injuries, this one could blowout to be a six week injury

COLLINGWOOD midfielder Luke Ball impressed with 25 touches for the Pies in their 116 point win over Bendigo at Queen Elizabeth Oval last night. Ball, on return from after 54 weeks on the sidelines recovering from a knee reconstruction suffered in round three last year, impressed in 60 per cent game. He spent most of

HAWTHORN’S prized recruit Brian Lake says versatility will be key to his game when he makes his debut for the Hawks against North Melbourne on Sunday. Lake’s debut comes at the expense of Ryan Schoenmakers, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury last week. “It’s not like four or five years ago where you had your

ALREADY there is speculation about which ruckman Greater Western Sydney will pluck as it is set to trade aggressively at the end of the season. Coach Kevin Sheedy has identified that is the area the club needs to improve in dramatically after relying heavily on Jonathan Giles and veteran Dean Brogan in the early rounds

PUNTERS are surging on the Bombers after their impressive 46-point win over Collingwood on ANZAC Day, but ironically it is all for the wrong reasons. Essendon is now fourth favourite for the wooden spoon according to some markets with the full report from Ziggy Switkowski to be released publicly next week. The findings are expected

CARLTON coach Mick Malthouse is likely to give forward Jarrad Waite at least two weeks in the VFL before he makes his AFL return ahead of his comeback match for the Northern Blues against Port Melbourne at Preston City Oval on Sunday. Waite has recovered from the calf injury that derailed his pre-season yet again

ESSENDON is likely to race to a 6-nil start with a meeting against Greater Western Sydney next week but coach James Hird has told fans not to get too carried away following its round five Anzac Day win over Collingwood by 46-points at the

IN the split round four, the Western Jets won a nail-biter over the Oakleigh Chargers by one-point. James Sicily was the star for the Jets with three goals. while Brent Ellis was also influential in the win. The Eastern Ranges bounced to sixth spot with a 46-point win over the Northern Knights. Ranges coach Darren

ESSENDON’S prized father-son selection Joe Daniher will be strongly considered for his AFL debut against Collingwood at the MCG on Anzac Day. Bombers skipper Jobe Watson said Stewart Crameri may return to replace the injured Michael Hurley, but Daniher will vie for contention with Scott Gumbleton, who played a starring role against the Saints on the weekend.

IT’S hard to put a finger on who is a flag favourite after three rounds given the topsy-turvy form of some teams but reigning premier Geelong would be the closest thing to it at the minute

RICHMOND midfielder Nathan Foley had a ripping first half in his comeback game from an Achilles injury with 18 disposals for the Coburg Tigers on Sunday to perhaps prompt an imminent return to senior footy. Tigers development coach Tim Clarke suggested Foley could even come in as a sub in this week’s clash against Fremantle.

CARLTON’S Jeremy Laidler has been transformed from a defender to a forward and is slowly adjusting to the move according to Blues development coach Luke Webster. Laidler is one of new coach Mick Malthouse’s projects in attempting to play players in different positions. Malthouse has already notably changed the games of Andrew Walker (from forward

VETERAN Geelong defender Josh Hunt is in the mix to make his senior return from a shoulder injury against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night. Hunt, who has played the past two matches in the VFL, was ready to return talent and experience-wise according to VFL coach Matthew Knights, but the match

UPDATE: GEELONG has confirmed forward Daniel Menzel will need his fourth knee reconstruction, putting his career in jeopardy at just 21. Menzel will sit out the rest of the season, although LARS surgery was again an option that will be weighed up. And for what it’s worth, Menzel was handed a one week suspension by

ADELAIDE 12.8 (80) def WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.4 (28) THE result was a 52-point win to Adelaide and in this encounter that was slow to get going, it was Patrick Dangerfield, who scored the Crows first three goals and created some excitement. The only real talking point was the suspected shoulder injury to Ryan Griffen, which

IT is as if the Hawks round one loss to Geelong has added a hard edge to the brown and gold – and rather than become dispirited after that close result – they have instead become unified.

The 42-point win against Fremantle was its third in a row on Saturday in Launceston. Arguably they have the toughest draw out of any team in the first seven rounds, playing most finallists from last season.

SCANS today confirmed that Hawthorn key defender Ryan Schoenmakers has suffered an ACL injury that will require season ending knee surgery. Hawthorn General Manager – Football Operations James Fantasia said Schoenmakers is devastated with the news. “While Ryan is naturally disappointed by the injury, we’re certain he will approach his rehabilitation with the same professionalism,

GEELONG forward Daniel Menzel has suffered another knee injury today in the VFL against the Box Hill Hawks at Simonds Stadium. Menzel limped off the field in the arms of trainers after lunging to tackle Box Hill’s Kyle Cheney and clutched at the left knee soon after. Early reports suggest that Menzel was taken off

PRIZED Hawthorn recruit Brian Lake will play his third consecutive match with the Box Hill Hawks in the VFL today in the hope of returning for next week’s clash against North Melbourne. Lake, the former Western Bulldog, was close to selection for the clash against Fremantle today, but the withdrawal of Matthew Pavlich through injury

GEELONG has more depth returning in the VFL ranks today against the Box Hill Hawks at Simonds Stadium with Jackson Sheringham and Jed Bews making their returns from injury. That is on top of Josh Hunt, Daniel Menzel and Cameron Guthrie – who returned from injury last week – and the Cats are also on

VETERAN St Kilda forward Justin Koschitzke will play for Sandringham again this week but doesn’t appear to be in the Saints’ immediate footy plans. The forward has yet to play a senior match this season – and even if a forward is needed to be called upon – it may be his counterpart Trent Dennis-Lane,

WILLIAMSTOWN coach Peter German appears more relaxed about his coaching in the final year of its alignment with the Western Bulldogs. The Seagulls have adopted a selection policy to have a maximum of 12 Western Bulldogs-listed players playing in its senior team. Some have missed the cut and forced to play VFL reserves. German, also

MELBOURNE is embroiled in more controversy after a connection with sports scientist Stephen Dank with some of its players last year

RICHMOND coach Damian Hardwick has boasted his teams’ depth in the midfield as it confronts Collingwood this weekend. The Tigers also have Nathan Foley resuming from an Achilles injury in the VFL for Coburg on Sunday. “You look at Swan and Pendlebury and (Dale) Thomas and (Steele) Sidebottom, they’re probably a bit like us in

FORMER Gippsland Power excitement machine Anthony Tipungwuti will make his debut for Essendon’s VFL team against the Casey Scorpions on Saturday. Tipungwuti, who hails from the Tiwi Islands, was unlucky not to be rookie-listed last season but instead finds himself at the Bombers in a VFL capacity but will be looking to impress. Bombers VFL

MAJAK Daw will finally make his much anticipated AFL debut for North Melbourne against the Brisbane Lions at Etihad Stadium on Sunday. There hasn’t been a more anticipated senior debut in recent memory than of Daw, the athletic Sudanese star, who has risen from rookie to one of the most versatile ruckmen in the competition.

IT was claimed today by the West Australian newspaper that the mark taken by East Fremantle match-winner Sean Henson was incorrectly paid in the two point win over Perth at Brownes Stadium on Sunday. The photo in the newspaper has created controversy and shows Demons defender Jackson Sketcher getting first hands on the ball before

SOME leading commentators said after Geelong’s finals loss to Fremantle in September last year that its premiership window was well and truly closed. But the Cats have a talented young brigade that has them charging back up the ladder quicker than expected,

GIPPSLAND Power forward Josh Scott put his name on the AFL recruiters’ radar with an emphatic nine-goal haul for the Power in the 105-point win over the Bendigo Pioneers in Bendigo. Scott was brillaint for the Power but he wasn’t alone with Bean Kearns also snaring four goals, while Alex Carr and Alex Saunders kicked

IT is no surprise to see reigning premier Geelong undefeated and sitting in third spot behind the Northern Blues and Casey Scorpions, but what has happened to the other grand finallist, Port Melbourne

THERE is no coincidence that the return of skipper Luke Hodge coincided with the team turning around its fortunes quickly after the round one loss to Geelong. Since then, the Hawks have belted both West Coast and Collingwood; two preliminary finallists from last season. And the inspirational skipper, who missed so much footy last season

SANDRINGHAM is hoping to have its home ground – Trevor Barker Beach Oval – back up and running for training and playing in the next two to three weeks according to the club today. The Zebras had their latest fixture – in which they lost to Geelong by 32-points – swapped to Simonds Stadium from

GEELONG veteran Josh Hunt made an impressive return in his first game in seven months for the Cats in their 32-point win over Sandringham at Simonds Stadium on Sunday. Hunt, who collected 13 touches, said he was hopeful of getting more match conditioning into his body before an AFL return and didn’t want to put

HAWTHORN will look to include prized recruit Brian Lake into its defensive line-up in the coming weeks and perhaps as soon as next week’s assignment against Fremantle after gaining more match conditioning and confidence in Box Hill’s 11-point win over Essendon at Windy Hill on Saturday

AMAZINGLY, Port Adelaide is one of only a handful of teams that are undefeated after three rounds and it continued its run with a nine-point win over Adelaide in the showdown at AAMI Stadium on Sunday. Port was trailing Adelaide by 31-points in the third term and the comeback was initiated by Justin Westhoff, who

RICHMOND’S 67-point demolition of the Western Bulldogs on Sunday has handed the Tigers their best start in 18 years as they race to an undefeated three-zip start to the season.

The Tigers face Collingwood in a blockbuster next week which will test exactly where the Tigers are at in the early stanza of the season

ESSENDON coach James Hird has decided to ignore AFL chief Andrew Demetriou’s call for him to consider standing down as coach ahead of tonight’s clash against Fremantle at Patersons Stadium. Earlier today, Demetriou, in an interview with 3AW’s Neil Mitchell, said that he believed Hird should consider standing down pending the investigation, knowing a few

COLLINGWOOD’S mature age recruit Ben Hudson is rapidly becoming the  Mr Fix-it of the AFL as he looks more than certain to be recalled for the clash against Hawthorn at the MCG on Sunday. Hudson, the former Bulldog and Lion, has come of retirement on two occasions to continue what has been a remarkable career

UPDATE: ESSENDON coach James Hird was hoping for just another normal week in the lead up to Friday night’s clash against Fremantle at Patersons Stadium. Instead, it has become one of backlash following claims that he injected a WADA blacklisted drug, while his players were given an extract from pig’s brain according to a media

UPDATE: MELBOURNE chief executive Cameron Schwab has resigned in the wake of the Dees’ dismal start and crisis. Schwab was forced to stand down despite signing a three year deal with the club last August. Demons president Don McLardy said at today’s press conference: ”What has happened in the past two games is clearly not acceptable,”

JESSE Tardio, one of the most talented Knights players this season, had the opportunity to win the match for the Northern Knights against the Sandringham Dragons but sprayed two shots in the final term in tough conditions. The match eventuated in a draw after Karl Amon from the Dragons kicked a goal to give Sandy

WILLIAMSTOWN recruit Brent Prismall has committed to playing some games at Lara in the Geelong Football League this season – as long as his schedule with the Seagulls permits. Prismall, the former Geelong and Essendon player, will join his younger brother Rhyce at the Cats. Rhyce formerly played with the Werribee Tigers. There is a

IT seems that every time Port Melbourne play Box Hill, you know that you’re in for a mighty contest. The last five matches have been tight but Port has prevailed in every one of them. Box Hill, however, would have got some confidence out of the four-point loss at Box Hill City Oval on Sunday.

IMPORTANTLY, Collingwood did it without ruckman Darren Jolly, who was subbed out of the match in the opening term. The 17-point win over Carlton gave the Pies early bragging rights in the Mick Malthouse-Nathan Buckley rivalry – but the Jolly injury threw a spanner in the works.

Jolly was a big loss but it perhaps paved the way for youngster Jamie Elliott to step up with five goals up forward.

FREMANTLE’S 28-point win over the Western Bulldogs may have seemed like a canter in the end but it was a meaningful victory for the Dockers at Etihad Stadium. It was another win in Melbourne, a place which they have struggled to win in recent seasons and gives them more confidence on the road

COLLINGWOOD recruit Clinton Young has suffered another injury, this time his hamstring in the opening term of his comeback match for the Pies VFL team against North Ballarat today. Young didn’t return to the field after quarter time and it was confirmed by the Magpies hierarchy that he has torn his hamstring and has been

UPDATE:  Essendon won by 90 points over Bendigo with Alik Magin kicking a goal right on the siren for the Gold.  The Bombers won, 23.9 (147) to 8.9 (57) Jason Winderlich finished with eight goals, only playing the three quarters. Joe Daniher finished with four goals and 10 marks but with an ankle injury. The

NEWS today that Williamstown is shelving some of its Western Bulldogs-listed players in the VFL reserves is in fact old news considering the same thing was happening last season. There appeared to be discontent among the partners last season and that led to both teams deciding to field stand alone teams in the competition next

AFTER continuing ‘Kennett’s curse’ by defeating Hawthorn on Monday, Geelong has suddenly got its own curse and that is the big man department with tall forward and ruckman Josh Walker expected to miss at least the next month with a shoulder injury. Walker suffered the shoulder injury late in the Cats win over Williamstown in

PORT Melbourne warriors Toby Pinwill and Shane Valenti will miss the next four to six weeks with calf injuries in what is described as a challenge for the Borough to overcome. The Borough face Box Hill, Frankston, Sandringham and the Northern Blues over the next month and going by their performance against Werribee on the

PORT Adelaide midfielder Ollie Wines has won the nomination of round one for the AFL Rising Star award. Wines, who was linked to Melbourne early in the draft, dominated against the Demons with 24 disposals including 16 contested, in the 79-point drubbing. On debut, Wines was brilliant but had also showed great form over the

CARLTON’S mouth watering assignment against Collingwood has suffered a blow in the lead-up with news today that forward Eddie Betts has suffered a broken jaw and may miss up to a month. The Blues have already ruled out Betts, along with ruckman Shaun Hampson, who has appendicitis, for the match. “Eddie sustained the injury early

HAWTHORN will receive a timely boost with the return of prized recruit Brian Lake for its round two clash with West Coast this week. Lake, who was a late withdrawal from Monday’s loss to the Cats because of a corked thigh suffered during a training session, is expected to make the trip to Perth but

UNLUCKY Geelong forward Daniel Menzel appears likely to make his return from injury against Sandringham on Sunday week and the venue is likely to be switched to Skilled Stadium following problems with the Trevor Barker Beach Oval surface. It would mean that the Cats would swap their later meeting with the Zebras to Sandy’s home

FORMER Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett’s latest outburst about coach Alastair Clarkson on how he should step down as coach following the 10th consecutive loss to Geelong on Monday has created a huge talking point at Glenferrie. As much as the Hawks state that the comments are a non affair, there is some underlying truth to

OAKLEIGH Chargers co-captain Jay Kennedy-Harris was outstanding in the Chargers’ seven-point win over the Calder Cannons yesterday. Kennedy-Harris is one to watch this season considering he played an impressive role in last year’s TAC Cup grand final. He played 15 TAC Cup matches last season and appears to have continued from where he left off.

REIGNING premier Geelong’s eight-point win over Williamstown was the bigger result in my mind to that of the Werribee Tigers’ 72-point demolition of Port Melbourne a day earlier.

Although it won the flag last year, Geelong’s list had taken a massive thump over the pre-season if you take into account the amount of experience lost