ROUND 9 marks indigenous round for the AFL and the AFL has come a long way in 20 years since Nicky Winmar’s famous stance for his identity. On a cold autumn’s day in April 1983, Collingwood played St Kilda at a vocal Victoria Park. The day will be remembered for Nicky Winmar standing up for

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

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

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

FOUR Rounds into the 2013 VFL season, Geelong and the Casey Scorpions remain undefeated while pre-season fancy Werribee is floundering after heavy defeats against Williamstown and Sandringham. Regular contributor Andrew Calleja takes a look at how your side is faring and the month ahead.   Bendigo Gold Went into Round 1 with a side averaging just

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

Five weeks in and we are starting to see some separation amongst the teams in this year’s competition but as you cast your eye over the top eight there is no more surprising team at the top end than Port Adelaide. The Power is sitting very comfortably at the number two spot and deservedly so.

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

Round 4 is in the books, so without further ado let’s look at the match reports for each game:   GEELONG 19.10 (124) def SYDNEY 16.7 (103) GEELONG remain undefeated in season 2013 after a 21 point win over the Sydney Swans at the SCG. After an exhilarating opening term, which saw 15 goals kicked between

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

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,

Round 3 is in the books, so without further ado let’s look at the match reports for each game:   ESSENDON 10.12 (72) def FREMANTLE 9.14 (68) OUT of the darkness Essendon have lifted themselves from one of the most tumultuous weeks in the club’s history to record an inspiring four-point upset win against Fremantle

WHEN will the ball bounce Travis Varcoe’s way? After missing all but one game last year to stress fractures in his foot, the hard-working Geelong playmaker now faces more time out of the game after he dislocated his shoulder during the first quarter of the Cat’s 16 point win over Carlton last night. Ironically Varcoe

HOW did they get here?

Right now I think I would rather be Julia Gillard’s election campaign manager then an executive at the Melbourne Football Club.

Winning is built on a culture, a way of life for professional sportsmen (and apparently Charlie Sheen) who have good training habits and generally have the will and determination to win

Round 2 is in the books, so without further ado let’s look at the match reports for each game:   RICHMOND 14.15 (99) def ST KILDA 12.10 (82) THE Tigers were too strong for a desperate St Kilda team in front of 56,783 at the MCG – winning by 17 points but it was the

JUST 18 months since their last premiership victory the football public had largely assumed that Geelong would be the underdog against Hawthorn last Monday. Underdog or not they took care of business and the Hawks yet again.

It’s amazing how quickly we forget

AFTER months of waiting the 2013 AFL season is now well and truly underway.  Round 1 was a split round marathon but Football Nation’s team of writers provided a detailed report on all the action and outcomes from all the games.   ESSENDON 18.9 (117) def ADELAIDE 11.16 (82) ESSENDON’S 35-point win over Adelaide at AAMI

ALL eyes are on Lance Franklin but more for off-field purposes than on-field this season. His contract negotiations have stalled and while publicly that is a surprise to many, the reality of free agency is amongst the football world with Franklin’s name standing out mainly because he is a bigger name. But there are many

THIS year’s Victorian AFL draft hopefuls were on display for the first time in 2013 on Sunday at Visy Park as the TAC Cup season kicked off with a triple header featuring all six metro teams. Northern Knights 15.7 (97) def Calder Cannons 11.9 (75)  Game one saw the Calder Cannons take on the Northern

Now that the NAB Cup competition is over, one thing is for sure: the real footy season is about to start! Football Nation’s team of writers have prepared a pre-season preview for the 2013 season for each and every club and we have been  posting them to our website each day for the last week. We’ve

FROM the AFL to the South East Australian Basketball League, from life coaching to book writing, American Shae McNamara has had a busy year. But life is about to slow down a little bit for the former Collingwood player. After being delisted by the Magpies he signed with SEABL club Sandringham Sabres, but was cut

CAN Norwood win back-to-back SANFL flags for the first time since 1922-23? That is the major question to be answered leading into the 2013 season.

IT’S that time of the year where we make predictions about where the pecking order may stand for VFL-listed players. It’s important to remember that list is created and judged on a three tier criteria. Firstly, their 2012 form is looked upon, secondly we look at their importance to the team they’re at, and the

  14/3/13 – ESSENDON has continued its massive pre-season of recruiting in its inaugural season with Trent Shinners coming across from Bendigo. It has also snared Temora’s Sam Tagliabue. 7/3/13 – GEELONG is set to include delisted Gold Coast youngster Piers Flanagan on its final list this week. He has been training with the VFL

LET me start by saying that you don’t know how hard this is until you actually do one. I’d almost go as far as saying I feel sorry for Mike Sheehan, but I really don’t

THE drama surrounding controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank has expanded and engulfed the NRL’s Cronulla Sharks with news emerging that up to 14 of the club’s players face immediate suspension after being implicated in ASADA’s anti-doping investigations. Indeed it had been reported that the 14 players have been told to accept a six-month suspension or

ROUND 2 of the NAB Cup competition is complete and Football Nation’s team of writers takes a detailed look at the actions and outcomes of each of the games

THEY say that Richmond supporters are the most optimistic AFL fans in March and the most pessimistic by Round 5, hardly surprising given that the club’s last premiership success in was 1980 and that they have only made it into the finals on three occasions since then – in 1982, 1995 and

SOMEWHAT lost in last week’s news cycle AFL.com.au published a preliminary list of players that will be eligible for free agency at the end of the 2013 season. The AFL (not to be confused with their official website) however has yet to release the actual list which will include not only the players but their respective restricted or unrestricted

CARLTON coach Mick Malthouse has declared that his team has the ingredients to win the flag this season. In a match program handed out prior to Carlton’s second intra-club match today, Malthouse said his team had worked intensely over the pre-season and was evidently planning to change the game style into his own. “Having been

Our first look at the team by team injury reports for 2013 is ready to go and while there’s not a lot of detail available at the moment we’ve tried our best to assemble the list from various sources. Return dates are approximations and best guesses but don’t place any bets based on them! We’ve tried

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou is seeking further clarification from the Australian Crime Commission today to notify the the specific club that has one individual involved in performance enhancing drug allegations. He has been told that he can make contact with the club but not about the specific charge it is facing. ACC chief John Lawler

JUST as Collingwood’s Travis Cloke did, Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin has opted to wait until the end of the season to begin contract talks as speculation begins today that he may ponder a new home. Franklin informed the Hawks this week that he wanted to hold off contract talks until the end of the season

IS IT ever too early to start looking ahead to the NEXT draft? We don’t think so! As we move into the final weeks before the NAB Cup competition begins, guest writer TAO BAKER takes a look at some of the names that we will be seeing a lot of in the lead-up to the 2013 Draft

MELBOURNE says the tanking allegations are having a “minimal” effect on the team entering the 2013 season despite discussions heating up between the club and AFL investigators. The AFL is investigating Melbourne’s mediocre efforts in 2009 which eventually won it a priority draft selection – although fate did have an unkind way of justifying the

The end of the year is upon us and as we get ready to reset our calendars for 2013 we take a look back on the year that was and give you our opinion on the top 5 games of the 2012 AFL season.   5.  Elimination final – Geelong v Fremantle Fremantle 14.12 (96)

WE’VE had free agency, trade period, delistings, retirements, the National Draft and the pre-season and rookie drafts as well.  Now as the dust settles on 2012 Football Nation looks at all the player movements for every club in advance of the 2013 campaign       Adelaide Losses Retired: Michael Doughty Delisted: Brad Symes, Will

IN the lead up to the AFL’s Pre-season and Rookie Drafts on December 11, Football Nation’s senior contributing writer Brent Diamond takes a look at some of the prospects that AFL clubs are targeting

WE take a club by club look at this year’s draft and, where we have them, we link to our prospect profiles for more details and video of individual players

LOG on to Football Nation from 7pm on Thursday night for a live blog from the Gold Coast for this year’s AFL draft. See who will end up at your club as we go through club by club at the conclusion. 7:00pm – Welcome to our live draft blog from the Gold Coast Convention Centre.

THIS year’s AFL Draft will be held on November 22nd at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. Between now and then we are having a crack at predicting who will go when and to which team: welcome to the Football Nation 2012 Mock Draft. We move on to version 4.0 of our mock draft with a look

FOOTBALL NATION brings you the full list of retirements and delistings – club by club – and as they come to hand for

Football Nation’s Trade Week feature providing our readers with a complete summary of player movements and signings for every team

UPDATE: 25/10/12 – NORTH MELBOURNE is now confident of reaching a deal for Melbourne midfielder Jordan Gysberts, who may be used in a swap for Cameron Pedersen. The Demons were banking on the Brisbane Lions giving them a second round draft pick for Stefan Martin but the Lions will only pass a third round selection.

THROUGHOUT the year Football Nation has run a series of articles on free agency to help bring fans up to speed on what it will mean for the AFL and we present those articles again as part of AFL Free Agency Primer

PORT Melbourne premiership skipper John Baird should definitely play on next season given his incredible form in leading the Borough to yet another grand final. While Werribee’s Ben Ross won the Liston, clearly in my eyes, Baird has been the best player in the VFL in 2012 and after overcoming a career threatening Achilles injury

GEELONG’S thrilling five-point win over the Werribee Tigers in yesterday’s preliminary final has somewhat set up some extraordinary symmetry for the Cats as they aim to continue their record of winning a VFL flag every five years. The Cats have won flags in 2002, 2007 and now are hoping to emulate their performances in 2012

The Port Adelaide Football Club has confirmed that one its players, John McCarthy, has passed away after a tragic accident in Las Vegas. McCarthy, 22, died after falling from a balcony at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas where he was holidaying with team mates. The incident happened early on Sunday morning US time

GEELONG premiership players Matthew Scarlett, Joel Corey and David Wojcinski are set to retire as a dominant era in the competition appears all but over. Scarlett has told close friend and former team-mate Cameron Mooney that he will hang up the boots after last night’s 16-point loss to Fremantle which has left Cat fans shell-shocked.

SPEEDY North Ballarat Rebels forward Louis Herbert propelled his name further in AFL draft calculations after starring with five goals in the Rebels’two-point win in a qualifying final over the Sandringham Dragons at Visy Park yesterday. The lightly-built forward, who is one of a number of TAC Cup players invited to the National AFL draft

WITH  the completion of the Home and Away series the announcement of the VFL Team of the Year isn’t too far away. The team is restricted to 24 players who competed in VFL Home and Away matches and will be announced at the counting of votes for the Liston Trophy. No AFL listed player or

AFTER a long year of high expectations and poor results the Herald Sun has reported that the Carlton Football Club has pulled the plug on the Brett Ratten era, reporting today that this Sunday’s game against St Kilda will be his final as coach of the Blues. After playing 255 games for the club between

JUST hours after further speculation mounted on Brett Ratten’s coaching future at Carlton, the man in waiting for the Blues top job – Mick Malthouse – says he has the energy to coach once again. Speaking on 3AW radio, Malthouse said he has renewed passion to return to coaching which puts him in the frame

GEELONG is a clear premiership contender heading into this year’s VFL finals series and its venture deep into September will no doubt help its AFL team thrive. It had trouble to steer clear of a persistent Coburg on Saturday, eventually winning by 13-points. In Adam Potter’s last match as coach of Coburg – due to

CASEY coach Brett Lovett believes his team is in a “far stronger position” heading into finals than this time last year given the large focus of development on its VFL-listed players. Melbourne is expected to contribute up to 10 AFL-listed players this season with Jake Spencer, James Strauss and Neville Jetta among those, while Melbourne-bound

PORT Melbourne coach Gary Ayres was just relieved to get the points in its three-point win over Box Hill which keeps it in the hunt for top spot. The win helped it return to top of the table after Geelong upset Casey. “I just got that feeling that the game was being turned on its head and they

GEELONG coach Chris Scott was clearly a frustrated man after his teams’ costly five-point loss to West Coast at Patersons Stadium last night. After leading at every change, the Cats blew the game in the final term before attempting to steal the match in the dying minutes. However, Scott was fuming at the umpiring decisions

WERRIBEE coach Scott West admits affiliate North Melbourne will have a great influence over whether the Tigers can go all the way in the VFL finals this month in what is expected to be a ripper September for the competition given the even spread of teams in the mix. The Casey Scorpions are already feeling

FORMER Geelong champion Garry Hocking has taken the mantle as caretaker coach of Port Adelaide today after both coach Matthew Primus and president Brett Duncanson were told to leave. Primus ultimately was forced to walk away after its embarrassing loss to Greater Western Sydney on Saturday. Those in Adelaide including lead scribe Michelangelo Rucci was baying for Primus’

IT was just the Northern Blues’ third win of the season but it signifies the unity in its affiliation after belting out the club song with gusto in the rooms after the 99-point win over the Coburg Tigers at Preston City Oval today. “It’s really solid,” coach Darren Harris said. “There’s a really good bond between the Northern

BENDIGO faces a crunch game against Geelong this week to keep its top four hopes alive after two consecutive close losses, this time to Sandringham by 11-points at Queen Elizabeth Oval. Although he was depleted with further Essendon injuries, coach Hayden Skipworth said the team didn’t stick to its structures when it mattered most. “I

With six Home and Away rounds remaining in the VFL, nine sides remain in contention for finals. Coburg can still mathematically make the eight though that appears unlikely. Most interest centres on Port Melbourne’s quest for back-to-back premierships and who the likely challengers may be. Casey Scorpions Currently 1st, 11 Wins 2 Losses Remaining Games: Bye, Frankston

THERE are murmurings that Western Bulldogs could go alone it in the VFL next season with Williamstown believed to be keen to part ways with its AFL affiliate and become the fourth stand alone VFL club, alongside Port Melbourne, Frankston and Bendigo from next year. There has been talk about the topic all week and

THE Hawthorn Football Club yesterday revealed that superstar Lance Franklin will miss at least the next three weeks after scans on his leg yesterday revealed that he had suffered bleeding in his left hamstring on Sunday

IT is never to early to look towards the future and so here at Football Nation we have started the process of compiling information and video highlights about the top prospects in the 2012 AFL Draft. As part of our coverage we are in the process of developing an extensive draft minisite that we will

IF it was not enough that Carlton’s season has been on the slide since their emphatic victory over Collingwood in Round 3, the news from Visy Park just makes for an even uglier outlook than that which we wrote about just yesterday

THE more Carlton loses, the more Mick Malthouse comes into the picture. Brett Ratten is signed but effectively the more pressure that heaps upon him and the club, the more it appears something has to give at the end of the season. And in most cases, it is always the coach. The 50-point loss to

CASEY Scorpions coach Brett Lovett parted ways as coach of Sandringham just a day after its best and fairest last season. It was mainly because he was a part-time coach because he owns a nursey on the Mornington Peninsula and St Kilda, undergoing a change of coaches, cited that it wanted a full-time coach for

IT’S never to soon to start looking to the future and at Football Nation we begin our coverage of the 2012 National Draft begins today. 16 players were drafted or rookie listed from the VFL in 2011 and while it’s doubtful that many will be picked up in 2012, the competition will still provide the

FRANKSTON has proved that it has much more worth than a bottom side this year and is building towards competing in September once again. It won’t happen this year, but it will happen and it may happen sooner than what we all think. The Dolphins have been super competitive in most games this season so

Check out the results from all of last weekend’s games

Join us for our VFL match of the round Saturday afternoon at North Port Oval from 1:00pm

WILLIAMSTOWN has fallen to seventh position on the ladder and its top four hopes have to be questioned following its one-goal loss to the Box Hill Hawks at Burbank Oval on Saturday. The Seagulls are effectively two games outside the top four and will require a huge turnaround in their fluctuating form if they are

MUCH has been written about stand-alone Port Melbourne’s stunning unbeaten 2011 season, but with the loss of eight premiership players few could or would have predicted that the Borough would continue that dominance into 2012. Despite defeating Frankston in Round 1, the Borough was a $7 chance in premiership markets. After defeating Frankston in Round

THE next three rounds of SuperCoach resembles one of my favourite songs from the Backstreet Boys back in the day. Teams will be shot to pieces and trades will be burned as a result of six teams having a bye each week. It would have been nice if SuperCoach saved us the pain and started

RICHMOND is trying to put a lid on it but surely the lid is off at Tigerland following its eight-point win over St Kilda at Etihad Stadium last night. Jack Riewoldt kicked eight goals in a superb performance and the young cubs are growing into a promising outfit and perhaps finals bound. Finals, a word

MAKE sure you check in as we go around the grounds in the VFL on Saturday June 2 with five games scheduled on a Super Saturday. We take a look at the big news and events during the day as AFL players such as Collingwood’s Chris Tarrant, Essendon’s David Hill and Geelong’s Daniel Menzel return

PLAYING key players out of position as an experiment has backfired on Hawthorn this season as it dances around the fact that it has plummeted from a premiership favourite to a finals hopeful. Lance Franklin has struggled with consistency both in front of goal and with his runs up the field, while Cyril Rioli has

HITS and misses, and well there was certainly plenty of misses in my pre-season top 50 VFL players. I have decided to do a mid-season top 50 to help redeem myself. I mean, how could I be forgiven for leaving our Port Melbourne premiership skipper John Baird, who has arguably been in career-best form in

FN’s roving reporter DANIEL PAPROTH previews all the action in round nine of the AFL and includes the players to watch in your SuperCoach and DreamTeams.   Western Bulldogs vs Geelong Friday 7:50 Etihad Stadium Geelong will go into this game as the overwhelming favourite, but not much is separating the two sides at this point in

FIRST of all a confession: We liked the Adelaide Crows a lot last year.

Yes that’s right, we liked the team that finished with only seven wins on the season, got coach Neil Craig fired (they say he stepped down) and couldn’t get interim coach Mark Bickley the fulltime gig

IN comments released through the Carlton Football Club website today, Blues skipper Chris Judd has been the voice of calm as he called on his team and its supporters to remain positive after their drubbing by new powerhouse Adelaide

WE will go around the grounds live tomorrow to check out the big news during VFL matches right here on Football Nation. The Werribee Tigers host the Northern Blues from Avalon Airport Oval in a massive game for both teams. The Blues have been super competitive in most games, except for the smashing to Port

COLLINGWOOD forward Travis Cloke is soon to be a free agent and shortly after that very rich with the HeraldSun reporting today that three clubs have made an offer of $1 million-plus per year for his services next year and a fourth club indicating that it will join the chase for the superstar forward as well

The issue of concussions and brain trauma is certainly right back on the football agenda. A segment on last night’s episode of Four Corners, and airtime on Triple J’s afternoon show Hack suggest that the issue is entering the mainstream discussion.  On Four Corners Professor Jeffrey Rosenfeld suggested that any concussed player – at any level – should

A COLD wet afternoon at Box Hill is a long way from the glamour and glitz of Ethiad Stadium or the studios of Fox Footy, but for the Frankston Dolphins it’s another opportunity to register a win and regain the respect of the football world. Since Simon Goosey took on the coaching job in 2010,

THE gap has no doubt widened between Port Melbourne and its challengers for this year’s flag. Williamstown was no match for Port in its 80-point drubbing on Saturday at North Port Oval. Coach Gary Ayres suggests his team has enjoyed rejuvenation and has been refreshed by some stellar depth that has been mounting in its

LOG on to our live blog of Saturday’s VFL clash between the Box Hill Hawks and Frankston from Box Hill City Oval from 2pm. The Hawks will be looking to return to some match-winning form after a disappointing loss to Coburg last week, while Frankston is keen to score a win against a team other

With five rounds under the belt it is time to take a look at how our long term wagers are faring on the exchange markets.   Brownlow: Our original four selections have been adequate and I suggest we hold all tickets until the next check point (round 10). Significant movers in this market are Josh

WERRIBEE Tigers coach Scott West cut a disappointed figure after Sunday’s seven-point loss to Williamstown at Avalon Airport Oval. After all, his team were 39-points clear at quarter time and despite an excellent comeback from the Seagulls, they still led by 17-points at the mid-way mark of the final term. Clearly he was proud of

LOG on to our live blog of tonight’s VFL clash between Bendigo Gold and the Geelong Cats from Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo tonight from 6:30pm. Bendigo will be looking to rebound after a shocking 100-point loss to the Northern Blues last week, while the Cats will be looking to get back on the winners’

GUEST contributor and SuperCoach guru Ben Woods continues his popular “Don’t Argue” column. This week he looks at the impacts of injuries on his SuperCoach team

ALREADY there is a two game gap between reigning premier Port Melbourne and the rest of the competition. The Borough remain undefeated after another impressive 84-point demolition of North Ballarat at North Port Oval on Saturday. Former North Melbourne defender John Baird is arguably in career best form early in the season. The influential skipper

DON’T forget to log on to Football Nation for our VFL match of the round between the Werribee Tigers taking on second-placed Geelong from Avalon Airport Oval on Friday night from 7:40pm. Geelong speedster David Wojcinski makes his return from injury for the Cats. Tune into our coverage and our VFL expert Brent Diamond will

Guest contributor and SuperCoach guru Ben Woods continues his popular “Don’t Argue” column. Last week his strategies and tips paid big dividends and this week he looks at his SuperCoach targets for the next few weeks

FOOTBALL NATION OPINION

BACK in early February we wrote that it was going to be a challenging year for the Magpies.

Now it looks as if it will be bitter as well.

COLLINGWOOD’S 60-point loss to Carlton last night can’t be seen as a reflection of the change of coaches despite how glorified and sensational the story would be

IN THE VERY EARLY stages of Essendon’s first round clash against North Melbourne, Bombers onballer Heath Hocking was concussed by a football kicked into his head. In line with AFL guidelines, he was immediately substituted after showing clear symptoms. After the game, it is understood that, when quizzed by his team mates, he could not recall

THE Essendon Football Club has had a good start to the 2012 season with back to back wins over North Melbourne last week and over Port Adelaide yesterday.  Both games were fought right through to the final moments and the Bombers have shown a resilience under pressure that can only help them as the rest

As promised, in the time between writing my last article and the final lockout for SuperCoach my team changed about 1000 times! Most notably:

OUT: Chris Judd- I was worried about his 180-minute pre-season

IN: Dane Swan- SuperCoach Super-Elite