AS Carlton and Hawthorn dual for third spot, both teams admit the eyes have not been taken off this week’s games despite the tempting look into next Friday’s night blockbuster. Currently, the Hawks are perched half a game ahead of the Blues with both teams billed as favourite to continue their winning run this week.

FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action in Round 21 of the AFL. He also provides some helpful hints for last-minute changes to your Dream Team and Supercoach teams as Fantasy Footy begins finals. St Kilda vs Collingwood, Friday 7:40, Etihad Stadium Collingwood faces one of their biggest tests in recent weeks against

COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse has taken pole position in the Coach Ratings this week after polling a perfect 100 per cent from our readers for its performance against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night. The Pies kept the Power to just 3.3 (21) in the 138-point win. It was a relentless and hard

COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire has hit back at claims that his team enjoy an advantage over other clubs such as North Melbourne – as its president James Brayshaw labelled the powerhouse clubs “fat cats” yesterday. “The issue of the fixture, this is one of the great misnomers. North Melbourne Football Club has exactly the same

INJURY-prone Essendon forward Scott Gumbleton is still a chance to return to the Bombers line-up this season despite another wretched run with injuries this season. He made his return against Werribee on the weekend – and despite a slow start to the match – Bombers development coach Shannon Grant rated his performance as a promising

WITH its season virtually over if Essendon and Sydney post wins on the weekend, North Melbourne should look at bringing excitement machine Majak Daw in for his AFL debut over the remaining three games of the season. Sydney and Essendon, seventh and eighth respectively, are already a game and a half ahead of the Roos,

HAWTHORN is set for an important return for its clash against Port Adelaide with defender Ryan Schoenmakers best on ground for the Box Hill Hawks in the VFL on the weekend. While only 20 years old, Schoenmakers is a pivotal return for the Hawks considering they have lost key defenders Stephen Gilham and Ben Stratton

PERHAPS it could be Sydney’s Adam Goodes’ failed attempt at goal after the final siren that could give Essendon a glance at September this season following its one point win over the Swans. Trailing by two-points, Goodes had the opportunity to win the match for the Swans but missed a set shot from around 45m

WILLIAMSTOWN has been crowned the inaugural Foxtel Cup champions after defeating Claremont in the grand final by 21-points at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night. Former Essendon rookie Ben Jolley was the match-winner for the Seagulls with 30 disposals, while key Western Bulldogs-listed players Jordan Roughead, Christian Howard and Nathan Djerrkura kicked two goals each. With

IT will be all one way traffic for some AFL clubs in Round 20 according to punters as Geelong and Collingwood share the lowest odds of the season against Gold Coast and Port Adelaide respectively. The Cats are at $1.01 to defeat the Suns at Skilled Stadium tomorrow and the visitors have blown out to

GOLD Coast coach Guy McKenna has conceded that both the Suns and Greater Western Sydney should have had a limit of players that they are allowed to poach. Although it has turned out well for the Suns this year after the lucrative announcement of securing Gary Ablett and several other recruits last season, McKenna reflects

BRISBANE Lions skipper Jonathan Brown has backed a mid-season draft or trade period to be implemented from next season. It is unclear whether the talent pool could include those players from state leagues but it would open the doors up for those just as Hamish McIntosh, whose career at the Kangaroos appears to be winding

MELBOURNE great Gary Lyon has defended himself against accusations from Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett that he is “the king” of the Demons following the sacking of Dean Bailey. Lyon has stepped in as a director after a pledge from ill president Jim Stynes. “If you frame a market about who is going to shoot their

NORTH Melbourne will weigh up what value out-of-favour ruckman Hamish McIntosh is to the team in the remaining month of the season but those from the outside such as former coach Dean Laidley believe McIntosh is likely to be traded. McIntosh will resume in the VFL from general soreness this week in a bid to

FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action for Round 20 of the AFL. He also provides some helpful hints for last-minute changes to your Dream Team or Supercoach teams. St Kilda vs Fremantle, Friday 7:40, Etihad Stadium After a horrific start to the season St Kilda are right back in the hunt, with

IT’S no surprise that Geelong coach Chris Scott has polled a perfect 100 per cent from our readers at FN in our exclusive Coach Ratings. The Cats 186-point demolition of Melbourne was the perfect remedy in the lead up to the finals as Cameron Mooney regained form and so too most of the team –

MELBOURNE’S interim coach Todd Viney believes his team will come out fighting this week against Carlton after the 186-point shellacking to Geelong last Saturday. The Demons are clearly the story of the week after sacking coach Dean Bailey after the insipid performance. Bailey said he was hit hard by the loss after the Demons board

WERRIBEE Tigers coach Paul Satterley rated Sunday’s 51-point demolition of Sandringham as his teams’ best performance of the season. He doesn’t like looking too far ahead but a spot in the top four now appears likely and anything can happen from there. “I reckon that’s the first time I’ve mentioned top four to the players

WILLIAMSTOWN is expected to field a strong contingent of Western Bulldogs players as it aims to become the inaugural Foxtel Cup premier in the grand final against Clarence at Patersons Stadium on Saturday. While the competition is largely one for AFL recruiters to get a gauge on young talent – with 14 players from the

ESSENDON’S aim to field a stand alone team in the VFL may yet be thwarted as AFL Victoria attempts to convince the Bombers to retain a partial alignment or at least retain a presence with Bendigo for at least another three years. AFL Victoria general manager Grant Williams said there would be “an ongoing consultative

HAWTHORN midfielder Cameron Bruce says he is looking forward to returning to the team in the lead up to the finals; something he hasn’t played a lot of in his time at Melbourne. The veteran is likely to make his return from a 13-week lay off through injury against North Melbourne next week but may

PUNTERS have backed West Coast to over come an injury-ravaged Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium tomorrow. The Eagles have their own injury problems with Josh Kennedy out because of a freak accident at training led him to an eye injury. He joins Nic Naitanui and Daniel Kerr on the sidelines. But the Dogs are worse

FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action in Round 19 of the AFL. He also provides some hints for last minute changes to your Dream Team or Supercoach teams. North Melbourne vs Carlton, Friday 7:40, Etihad Stadium Both sides had emphatic victories last week, but it was perhaps Carlton who came away with

RETIRED Bomber Mark Williams will always be remembered as a Hawthorn premiership player despite registering a disappointing four games in two seasons at Essendon. Williams, who was a leading goalkicker at Hawthorn, was part of the team that dominated the third term against the Cats to take the points in the 2008 grand final. He

WESTERN Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade was besieged a month ago as a possible target of being sacked after a disappointing season at the helm of the club. But now, he may contemplate jumping ship to the team that he just missed on snaring the coaching position at in 2004. Eade missed out on the coaching

ADELAIDE coach Neil Craig this week stepped down from his coaching role at the Crows after the clubs’ insipid performance against St Kilda on Friday night. The Saints crushed the Crows by 103 points with Adelaide scoring its lowest score – 3.6 (24) – since entering the competition in 1991. Craig had no choice but

WESTERN Bulldogs defender Brian Lake’s season has been confirmed over by the club but it is still yet to be determined whether he will remain at the club next season. Carlton, Hawthorn and Greater Western Sydney are understood to be keen on Lake despite currently contracted at the Bulldogs for next season. Although, all three

HAWTHORN is set to regain midfielders Chance Bateman and Matt Suckling for this week’s clash against Fremantle at Patersons Stadium. The Hawks injury list is shortening rapidly and appear to be the looking the goods in the run home to the finals. Cameron Bruce also got through unscathed in the VFL on the weekend; as

ST KILDA has confirmed that it will play injury-prone ruckman Michael Gardiner in the VFL for one more week despite the veteran impressing on return last week for Sandringham. The Saints have taken a cautious approach on the big man, who promises to be a major boost to the Saints finals hopes in the run

GEELONG veteran Cameron Mooney will be tested on return in the AFL over the next fortnight and is expected to be named as soon as this week’s clash against Melbourne. Mooney has spent the past two months in the VFL in order to regain form and fitness following a chronic knee injury that has hampered

FN’s  roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action in Round 18 of the AFL. He also provides some helpful hints for last minute changes to your Dream Team or Supercoach Team. St Kilda vs Adelaide, Friday 7:40, Etihad Stadium Adelaide will head into this match with some confidence; one of their four wins this

GEELONG has praised midfielder Simon Hogan for working back into AFL contention so rapidly after spending two months out of the game dealing with depression. Hogan made his return against the Brisbane Lions last week but was dropped ahead of this week’s clash against Richmond only to make way for some returning senior experience. Geelong

ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon tops the Coach Ratings this week after the Saints impressive 21-point win over West Coast at Etihad Stadium. Our pollers have rated Lyon at 97.5 per cent after the Saints flicked the switch back on in the final term to withstand an Eagles comeback. Lyon has executed a stellar game

GEELONG forward Cameron Mooney is being strategically held back in the VFL team according to development coach Dale Amos despite booting four goals in an impressive display on Saturday. But the odds may be against Mooney returning to form from such a long stint in the VFL after Collingwood’s experienced players couldn’t re-adjust to the

NORTH Melbourne skipper Brent Harvey was the catalyst to his teams’ stunning final quarter revival against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium yesterday. Harvey set up two goals for Drew Petrie and kicked an important one himself which ended up being the sealer; not bad for a player who wasn’t supposed to play yesterday because

HAWTHORN will finally begin to slowly shrink its injury list with Clinton Young, Jordan Lewis and Rick Ladson almost certain to be recalled for the clash against Melbourne on Sunday. Along with those three names, comes Brad Sewell (knee), Cyril Rioli (hamstring) and Chance Bateman (quad) who are also expected to be in contention for

ESSENDON District Football League general manager Marc Turri confirmed former AFL star Wayne Carey is expected to play his first match for Maribyrnong Park against Avondale Heights on August 6. Carey was named for the clash against Strathmore yesterday but coach Craig Clinnick was keen to hold him back for another fortnight as the club

BRENDAN Fevola booted 11 goals for the Casey Scorpions against Frankston at Frankston Oval today to help boost his chances of an AFL lifeline at the end of the season. It has taken more than half a VFL season for Fevola to shape up and dominate a match but that is largely due to Casey’s

THE question has become much bigger after Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse’s appearance on Channel Nine’s The Footy Show last night. Malthouse had agreed to a contractual takeover from former club champion Nathan Buckley at the end of the season but admitted last night publicly for the first time that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with what

FORMER AFL star Wayne Carey faces a last-minute wait to win a spot for his football return for Maribyrnong Park against Strathmore tomorrow in the Essendon District Football League. Lions coach Craig Clinnick said today that Carey has been named in the squad “but if the game was to be played in an hour, he

FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action in Round 17 of the AFL. He also provides some helpful hints for last minute changes to your Dream Team or Supercoach teams. Adelaide vs Essendon, Friday 8:40, AAMI Stadium It was Richmond that started Essendon’s “downfall”, and despite a period last week where they appeared

FORMER Collingwood midfielder Scott Burns has been tipped to replace Crows coach Neil Craig at the end of the season. In a new online video show titled Uncle Jimmy’s Pool Room, Burns’ former team-mate Brodie Holland believes Burns has already been offered the Crows coaching position. Burns is currently an assistant coach at West Coast

HAWTHORN midfielder Sam Mitchell believes being ineligible for the Brownlow has put a downer on his career-best season. Mitchell is in line for his first All-Australian guernsey after starring for the Hawks this season without the responsibility of captaincy after passing it to Luke Hodge at the end of last season. “I guess you’d be

WEST Coast coach John Worsfold takes pole position for Coach of the Week after leading his team to an impressive nine-point win over Geelong at Patersons Stadium on Friday night. In our exclusive Coach Ratings system – a first from any media outlet – you have the opportunity to vote for your coach and any

CARLTON midfielder Brock McLean is likely to be rested this week after suffering an ankle injury in the VFL on the weekend. McLean, who has been out of favour at the Blues selection table this season, was one of better players for the Bullants on Saturday before the injury. It’s a further blow for the

FORGOTTEN St Kilda rookie Robert Eddy is inching closer towards a late season reprieve after starring for Sandringham in its loss to the Northern Bullants in the VFL on Saturday. Eddy was named as Sandy’s best despite copping a “bad corky”. He hasn’t played a senior AFL match since last year’s grand final loss to

THE lure of a $5m carrot over five years appears likely to have attracted Melbourne midfielder Tom Scully to Greater Western Sydney as the club boasts four contract “agreements” for uncontracted players so far. Scully has been No.1 on the clubs’ list for much of the season. Western Bulldogs midfielder Callan Ward is another who

THE Western Bulldogs are emerging from a grave that had them virtually buried this season after disposing of top four hopeful Carlton by 27-points at Etihad Stadium yesterday. Most of the general media had coach Rodney Eade sacked, some of the players virtually delisted and talk of a potential coup to take over the presidency

COMMENT: By Brent Diamond THE Foxtel Cup was initiated at the start of the season as a competition to further showcase young football talent in the hope of one day getting drafted as well as a competition to pit the best state football teams against one another. Amazingly on Saturday night at Etihad Stadium, Williamstown,

FOOTBALL Nation gives you the chance every week to rate your teams’ coach or even opposition coaches in our exclusive coach ratings tool. This week, Essendon coach James Hird ranked with a perfect score of 100 per cent to take out Coach of the Week after his teams’ upset of the season win against Geelong.

PUNTERS have continued to back Carlton to beat the Western Bulldogs on Sunday at Etihad Stadium, just 12 months on from when the Bulldogs smashed the Blues. Carlton coach Brett Ratten said this week that last year’s result would be a motivating factor. “You just think about last year and the way they fixed us

FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action in Round 16 of the AFL. He also provides some helpful hints on last minute changes to your DreamTeam or Supercoach teams. West Coast vs Geelong, Friday 7:40, Patersons Stadium West Coast head in to this game favourites with some markets, and it is really no

GEELONG forward Tom Hawkins is likely to be recalled for Friday night’s clash against the West Coast Eagles following a season-ending injury to young forward Mitch Brown. Hawkins was among the best in the VFL for the Cats on the weekend and is likely to receive a call-up ahead of Cats veteran Cameron Mooney. Cats

WESTERN Bulldogs midfielder Justin Sherman will play the next three weeks in the VFL for Williamstown as he continues to serve a ban from the AFL for racially abusing Gold Coast Suns rookie Joel Wilkinson. Bulldogs development coach Peter German, also the Williamstown coach, said the club would continue to support Sherman through a difficult

CASEY Scorpions’ Michael Collins was the only player to face a one-week suspension in the VFL as he began what was a three minute melee against Werribee on Saturday. Collins collided with Werribee’s Leigh Harding and will miss this week’s clash against the Box Hill Hawks. There were up to 40 players in the all-in-brawl

HAWTHORN’S injury toll just got worse with the news key forward Jordan Lisle is likely to miss at least six weeks with a facial fracture. After its disappointing 41-point loss to Collingwood on Sunday, the Hawks hang precariously in fourth spot and loom as the ones likely to drop out because of its sudden loss

MELBOURNE forward Matthew Bate is one that will be chased after from opposition clubs after dominating at VFL level but struggling to get games in the AFL. Demons development coach Brad Gotch admitted Bate is down in the pecking order at the Dees this season. Bate could easily be trade bait at the end of

PORT Melbourne coach Gary Ayres believes former Western Bulldogs midfielder Malcolm Lynch can make it back into the AFL after his dominant start to the season in the VFL. Ayres believes Lynch has taken on a greater responsibility in the midfield since arriving at Port Melbourne at the end of 2009. “One he’s been able

HAWTHORN premiership midfielder Xavier Ellis will return from a calf strain in the VFL today to help lighten the lengthy casualty list at the club heading into finals. Ellis, who has missed the past month with injury, has been named for today’s clash against for Box Hill against Collingwood at Box Hill City Oval Hawks

PUNTERS have surged on Melbourne for tonight’s clash against the Western Bulldogs. According to IASbet.com, the Demons are favourites for the important clash at $1.79, while the Bulldogs are at $2.06. Melbourne is holding on to eighth spot after its impressive win over Richmond last week. However, the Bulldogs maintain that they’re still a chance

WEST Coast has announced itself with several impressive wins this season but maybe none moreso than a big scalp in Victoria with a 36-point win over Carlton last Sunday. The Eagles appear to have the right mix in motion up forward as they contemplate their first September appearance in some time; a vastly different state

FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all of the action for Round 15 in the AFL. He also gives a few handy hints on last minute changes to your Dream Team or Supercoach teams. Western Bulldogs vs Melbourne, Friday 7:40, Etihad Stadium A big clash here as both sides will be fighting for the lower

WESTERN Bulldogs midfielder Justin Sherman is the latest footballer caught up in racial vilification after racially abusing a Gold Coast player in the match on Saturday. Sherman has received a four week ban from the AFL today. He said that he apologised for his behaviour at a press conference this afternoon. “I recognise that what

ST KILDA’S injury-prone ruckman Michael Gardiner suffered a setback at training after failing to pass a fitness test in order to return in the VFL on the weekend. Gardiner, who hasn’t played since the drawn grand final against Collingwood last season because of a chronic knee injury, suffered a setback with his hamstring and will

COLLINGWOOD recruit Andrew Krakouer believes he has come out of jail a better person and is making up for lost time in the AFL. Krakouer spoke candidly on One HD’s The Game Plan on Thursday night to close friend Scott Cummings. “It is certainly an experience I don’t wish on anyone,” Krakouer said. “Your freedom

COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse believes there are more injuries in the game since the new substitute rule was introduced at the start of the season. Clubs such as Fremantle and Hawthorn were suffering with a long list of injuries, while Collingwood has also had its injury concerns and sent a few off to Arizona for

PUNTERS have backed Hawthorn to beat Essendon tonight despite a hefty list of injuries and its star forward Lance Franklin on the sidelines through suspension. According to IASbet.com, the Hawks are at $1.64 to defeat the Bombers, while Essendon is at $2.30 in what is expected to be a blockbuster clash. Hawthorn is missing some

FN’S roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action for round 14 of the AFL. He also takes a look at some possible last minute changes to your Dream Team or Supercoach teams. Hawthorn vs Essendon, Friday 7:40, MCG Given that Hawthorn has lost twice to the undefeated Geelong, they are travelling nearly as well

NORTH Melbourne ruckman Hamish McIntosh will resume in the VFL for the Werribee Tigers against Coburg next week. McIntosh has been grounded with Achilles tendonitis since the pre-season and hasn’t played a senior match this season. Todd Goldstein has taken his game to a new level in McIntosh’s absence. Meanwhile,  Essendon midfielder Brent Prismall got

ESSENDON’S season appears to be going from bad to worse after another loss to North Melbourne by 21-points on Saturday. The Bombers finals hopes now appear slim as they face top four aspirants Hawthorn and Geelong over the next fortnight. They are clinging to eight position and are likely to need one out of the

MELBOURNE’S amazing effort against Fremantle to win by 89-points has given Dees coach Dean Bailey a big tick for round 13. Bailey leads the way in heaving the praise for coaches for this round with Carlton’s Brett Ratten, Geelong’s Chris Scott and Hawthorn’s Alastair Clarkson not far behind after wins. Conversely, Sydney’s John Longmire and

LEADING teams Geelong and Collingwood are of the belief that having stand-alone clubs in the VFL has greatly benefited towards its success in the AFL. Cats development coach Dale Amos, who is the clubs’ VFL coach, is the latest to praise the breakaway mould in the competition. Amos said the club can tailor individual programs

GEELONG forward Cameron Mooney continued to gain match fitness and form in the VFL against the Northern Bullants on Saturday at Skilled Stadium. Mooney gathered 13 disposals and six marks but was held goal-less. However, the 31-year-old had the chance to kick the winning goal late in the final term but missed from 20 metres

GEELONG midfielder Simon Hogan made a successful return to football in the VFL on Saturday since his admission that he was suffering from depression. The 22-year-old, who has been receiving treatment in a designated welfare program for a mental health issue, is back on track and could be a surprise inclusion to the league leaders

FN’S roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action in the AFL in Round 13.  He also gives a few handy hints for last minute changes to your Dream Team and Supercoach teams. Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide, Friday 7:40, Etihad Stadium Who would have thought that midway through the season, this clash would be fought

FREMANTLE’S wretched run on the road and in particular in Melbourne is once again set to be tested on Sunday at the MCG against the Demons. The Dockers were in the match and led for most of the game against the Hawks a fortnight ago before Hawthorn surged in the final half of the last

HAWTHORN’S injury curse has continued with not only Jarryd Roughead going down with a season-ending Achilles injury in the five-point loss to Geelong on Saturday – but also ruckman Brent Renouf ruled out indefinitely with a gall bladder issue. It adds to the growing list of Stephen Gilham and Ben Stratton – two key backs

ST KILDA forward Justin Koschitzke’s fitness is back on track after recent health scares have contributed to his down fall in form. Koschitzke played the full match for Sandringham against the Bendigo Bombers in the VFL on Sunday where he impressed “fitness wise” according to Zebras coach Brett Lovett. “He wasn’t in our best six

COLLINGWOOD goalsneak Brad Dick has rejected the chance to have LARS surgery and will instead opt to have a knee reconstruction after suffering a knee injury in the VFL on the weekend. He will miss the next 12 months of football after already suffering a horrific run with injuries. Pies VFL coach Tarkyn Lockyer said

FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action in the AFL for Round 12. He also takes a look at who should be your last minute changes for your Dreamteam and Supercoach teams for this round. St Kilda vs Western Bulldogs, Friday 7:40, Etihad Stadium Some have described this clash as an “elimination final

Grassroots footy special – FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH goes behind the scenes at Trentham Football Club. WITH ten minutes to go in a tense game against Carisbrook, the ball deep in Trentham’s forward 50, one of the field umpires gets caught up in the play and hits the ground, grabbing his knee. The stretcher

PUNTERS have back the Western Bulldogs to lose again on Friday night to St Kilda in a crunch game to kick off round 12. Both teams have had a nightmare start to the season although the Saints enter the clash with perhaps a little more momentum with a couple of wins over the past three

WESTERN Bulldogs gun midfielder Callan Ward faces the prospect of reportedly having $2m thrown at him by new AFL license, Greater Western Sydney this season. His manager Paul Connors believes the substantial figures being thrown at the young gun from the west of Melbourne are huge. But he isn’t the only one. Collingwood’s Dale Thomas

DESPITE showing impressive form in the VFL, Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer may be guided through another week in the VFL with no rush for him to return according to coach Brett Ratten. Shaun Hampson is in good form and Robbie Warnock is fit to play after a fortnight out from the game which means the

MELBOURNE’S comeback ruckman Robert Campbell will be a “handy inclusion” for the Demons if he regains full fitness in the VFL according to development coach Brad Gotch. Campbell, a former Hawthorn premiership ruckman, played his first game back from chronic knee tendonitis on Sunday for the Casey Scorpions and is expected to push for a

HAWTHORN and Carlton appear to have – for now – locked themselves in the top four with sterling wins over Fremantle and Port Adelaide respectively over the weekend. The Hawks were 26-points down with two minutes into the final term but turned around the game with an eight goal final term to defeat the Dockers

ESSENDON forward Scott Gumbleton will return from a hamstring injury after a nine-week lay-off for the Bendigo Bombers in the VFL on Sunday. The young forward, who has been troubled by injuries since his arrival at Windy Hill, suffered a recurrence of a hamstring strain in the VFL in round three and has been a

NORTH Melbourne’s Sudanese-born rookie Majak Daw admitted he was hurt by the racist comments of  a spectator while playing with the Werribee Tigers in a VFL match against Port Melbourne at TEAC Oval on Saturday. ”It definitely did [hurt]. I was pretty flat in the first quarter and that carried on throughout the day and

HAWTHORN’S rookie ruckman Paul Johnson has sustained another foot injury in which he was taken off just minutes into the first term for the Box Hill Hawks against Geelong at Box Hill City Oval on Saturday. Johnson, a former Demon and Eagle, won a last-minute rookie spot in March ahead of Travis Tuck. He is

FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action in Round 11 of the AFL. He also gives you a few hints on some last minute changes to your Supercoach or DreamTeam teams. Essendon vs Melbourne, Friday 7:40, MCG The bye has proved to be more of an adversary to teams this season, rather than

THE punters have backed North Melbourne to beat Adelaide at Etihad Stadium on Sunday – but what evidence is there to suggest that it should be favourite? The Kangaroos one-point loss to Sydney was a heart-breaker last week. It was the game they needed to win and they lost and coach Brad Scott is fortunate

ST KILDA midfielder Jason Gram says he is hopeful of being recalled for Saturday night’s clash Collingwood at the MCG to help extract some revenge for the grand final loss last year. Gram was axed from the Saints a fortnight ago but showed plenty of signs at Sandringham on Sunday, with 20 disposals, that he

THE Western Bulldogs are now officially in turmoil after losing their sixth game of the season against Hawthorn by 29-points at Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The Bulldogs – who gambled with late additions Brian Lake and Barry Hall – threw everything at the Hawks but it appears the team that has ran to three preliminary

COLLINGWOOD premiership player Brent Macaffer is still fancied to return to the Pies line-up this year despite being dumped after just two matches this season. But Pies VFL coach Tarkyn Lockyer believes Macaffer is “definitely” part of Collingwood’s plans in the second half of the season. “He gives us a really good option and he’s

FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action for round 10 of the AFL and gives his predictions on who to watch in the Supercoach and Dreamteam ranks this week. Melbourne vs Carlton, Friday 7:40, MCG Carlton have a decent record against Geelong in recent times, and whilst Brett Ratten and the club will

PUNTERS have Geelong as raging favourites against the Gold Coast on Saturday night with Gary Ablett playing against his former team in round 10. The Cats are unbackable favourites at $1.03 to keep their undefeated season sizzling, while the Suns are out to $12.50 according to IASbet.com Melbourne is the value bet of the round

ESSENDON development coach Shannon Grant has backed out-of-favour forward Mark Williams to return to the senior team despite the former Hawk struggling to regain any type of form in the VFL. The once potent goalkicker and Hawthorn premiership player appears just a shade of his former self where he has been just taking it in

COLLINGWOOD midfielder Dane Swan will carry a sore thigh into this week’s clash against West Coast but will play according to coach Mick Malthouse. Malthouse said it was the norm that players carried injuries into games in the modern game. “Dane is probably like seven or eight players [in our team] who can play but

MELBOURNE midfielder Tom Scully will make his return from injury for the Casey Scorpions against Williamstown on Saturday at Avalon Aiport Oval in Werribee. Scully, a former No.1 draft selection, is expected to play a full game for the Scorpions against the Seagulls on Saturday. Scully will line-up alongside Casey recruit and former AFL star

HAWTHORN’S season appears to be back on track after a 46-point win over Sydney helped it break into the top four for the first time this season. The Hawks have previously struggled at the SCG but yesterday tore up the Swans with a phenomenal effort led by Lance Buddy Franklin who kicked six goals. The