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Round 16 AFL 2007 Premiership Season - Pre-game Articles - St Kilda versus Hawthorn
Hawks using Saints game as a warm-up Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson says his high-flying side is treating Saturday's Telstra Dome clash with St Kilda as a dress rehearsal for the AFL finals. Second on the AFL ladder, the Hawks are set to play finals footy for the first time since 2001, which was before all but seven of the current playing list made their Hawthorn debut. Clarkson said his side needed as much big-game experience as it could get. "It's a mini final for us in terms of the intensity it's going to be played at," he said. "St Kilda know that if they lose this week it's going to make it enormously difficult for them to play finals this year." The last time the two teams met in round, Hawthorn prevailed 10.12 (72) to 6.8 (44) in what was widely-regarded as a snore-fest. Clarkson said while the match may not have won the side too many new fans, it was a crucial game in his team's season . . . St Kilda, buoyed by this week's re-signing of stars Nick Riewoldt and Nick Dal Santo, are 11th on the ladder but just one win from the top eight. Clarkson said they were a much-improved side than that which his side beat at the MCG, winning three of their last four matches. The Article AAP/BrisbaneTimes/20Jul07 Clarkson predicts an attacking contest Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says statistics suggest it will be a more attacking St Kilda on Saturday night than what the club faced in the now infamous 'Ugly Betty' game in round eight. While the widely panned match under lights at the MCG two months ago featured ultra-defensive tactics and just seven goals to three-quarter time, Clarkson said the Saints have 'tweaked' their game plan in a bid to keep their slim finals hope alive. He said before training at Waverley on Friday St Kilda averaged 11-12 goals prior to the mid-season break but had increased that to about 14-15 over the past four matches. It has not been just the game plan however with St Kilda, which has won three of its past four matches, boosted by several key returns such as defenders Max Hudghton and Matthew Maguire in recent weeks. "Their form since the mid-season break has been first-class and they had a bit of a slip up against Collingwood and they could have quite easily won that game as well," Clarkson said. "Their last month has been very good and we need to play at our best at the weekend." The Article Jordon Chong/Sportal/19Jul07 Hawks learnt from ugly win: Clarkson Martin Boulton/RealFooty/21Jul07 Thorp puts himself forward A day or so after Mitchell Thorp had kicked three goals for Box Hill in a half against Sandringham earlier this year, the cocksure Tasmanian teen was congratulated on his game by a Hawthorn insider. "Good first half, Thorpy," said the official. "What was wrong with my second half?," Thorp shot back . . . Thorp is a cousin of the one of the most capable and colourful players in the game's history, Brent "Tiger" Crosswell, whose eccentric flair was evident on the field, off it and in his peerless writings in The Age. Tiger, doubtless, would approve of his cousin's swagger, provided he backed it up, Akermanis-style. Hawthorn was well aware of what it was getting before it drafted Thorp with its first pick, No. 6, last November. Mindful of how a strutter can be received, the club not only did a rigorous psychological profile of Thorp's personality, it did a thorough analysis of how — that is, if — he would fit with the playing group, which includes such diverse characters as Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Trent Croad. The Article Jake Niall/RealFooty/21Jul07
Xavier Clarke will sign a new three-year deal with St Kilda at the end of the month. Clarke, 23, told the Northern Territory News yesterday he wanted to repay the faith the club had shown in him since his debut season in 2002. The re-signing of the utility player from Northern Territory Football League club St Marys will complete a hat-trick of signings for the Saints. Co-captain Nick Riewoldt and Nick Dal Santo both committed to new three-year deals this week. For Clarke it was a simple matter of repaying the Saints for persevering with him through a series of leg and hip complaints. "St Kilda have shown a lot of faith in me over the last two or three years," Clarke said. "They haven't been the best years for me injury-wise but the club stuck by me and it's time for me to do the same. They persevered with me when they could have easily put me up for a trade." Clarke and his management have almost completed negotiations with the club the 90-game player hopes will tie him to the Saints until the end of the 2010 season. The Article Greg Morris/HeraldSun/FoxSports/19Jul07 Hollywood ending for Scorpions For two quarters, the Casey Scorpions went along with the script - gallant but ultimately lacking the quality of the top-of-the-ladder Geelong Cats. However, the past six weeks have been all about proving the doubters wrong for the Scorpions, and an awesome second-half display saw them roll the Cats by a point in a thriller at Casey Fields on Sunday . . . Casey was a changed unit after the main break and a booming Robert Eddy goal from 55 metres was the start of the resurgence. Carmody, Steven Harrison (25) and David Armitage (20) benefited from the good work of veteran St Kilda ruckman Matthew Clarke to continually pump the Scorpions forward. But, most importantly, Casey quelled the influence of Lonergan, Grima and the speedy Nathan Djerrkura in attack. Saint Matthew Ferguson (25) was superb in defence, alongside fellow talls James Gwilt, James Wall and Clarke. Watts converted two kicks for maximum points, while Justin Sweeney and Brett Voss managed singles as the Scorpions slashed the deficit to 13 points with a five-goal-to-two term . . . The Cats then wrestled back momentary control and were ahead again when Luke Forbes drilled a major from a set shot 45 metres out. Enter Andrew McQualter (20). The former first-round draft pick gathered the ball on the boundary inside 50 metres for Casey and astutely centred to about 15 metres from goal where Armitage took a strong, contested grab at the 29-minute mark. His accurate left-foot boot did not let the Scorpions down and they snatched the lead by two points. The Article Marc McGowan/BerwickNews/19Jul07 Saints - Hudghton for Thompson Hawks - No change The Hawks, resolute in making their first AFL finals appearance in six years, have stuck with a proven formula for this Saturday's big match against St Kilda at Telstra Dome. The Hawthorn match committee has made no change to the 22 that thrashed Richmond by 53 points last round. Trent Croad has been selected at centre-half back and is most likely to get the role on dangerous St Kilda forward Nick Riewoldt. Inexperienced defender Stephen Gilham will have the tough job of curbing irritable Saint Fraser Gehrig. St Kilda has made just one change for the round 16 match, recalling Max Hudghton, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, at the expense of veteran Andrew Thompson. The Article hawthornfc.com.au/saints.com.au/19Jul07 Time To Stand Tall! The fun and games are over! Our list is looking as good as it ever has and because of that we can no longer hide behind the injuries excuse! We seem to be following the RL game plan well over the last month which lo and behold it has emerged as an attacking game plan! This weekend we MUST bury the Hawks! The reason we've been supposedly scratched out of finals contention is because those in the media believe we haven't still got what it takes to win the ones that matter! Well I reckon its bullshyte! The team we'll be fielding against the Hawks this weekend has the potential to go all the way! I'd love to see us just make the 8 and have a crack at the finals . . . imagine that! The Thread 'St. Luke' et al saintsational.com GT gets the sack again In was reported on at least two TV channels (9 and 7) tonight (Thursday) in Melbourne that Grant Thomas has been dismissed as a feature writer for the 'The Age'. Grant Thomas writes a feature article in the Sunday Age and apparently Caroline Wilson (Caro), a well-known football writer for the newspaper contacted Grant Thomas and requested that he didn't publish a story on Luke Ball. It is believed that she explained to him that she had written an article on Luke Ball and she didn't want the paper to double-up. It is believed that Grant Thomas told Caro that it wasn't possible that they were doubling up because he writes facts and she writes lies and innuendo. Caroline Wilson has been chief football writer for The Age since 1999 and was the first woman to cover Australian Rules football on a full-time basis . . . and has a little power at The Age. WoM Ed Lyon making no promises St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has admitted he cannot guarantee this weekend's clash with Hawthorn will not be a repeat of the ugly spectacle that occurred last time the two sides met. Only four goals were kicked in the entire first half in the sides Round Eight clash earlier this season and Lyon concedes he is more focused on getting a win than putting on a spectacle for the fans. "It (last meeting) wasn't a high scoring game and I think I heard Alistair (Clarkson) say and I thought he summed it up pretty well it's ancient history, both teams have moved on," Lyon told the media on Tuesday. "What the game throws up on the night, who knows, it could be low scoring (again). I wasn't at the Geelong and Collingwood game, but what was it nine goals to ten and everyone thought it was a fantastic game and a fantastic competition between the teams, so I don't think you need 20 and 25 goals each to entertain the crowd. If we can have something similar nine goals to ten and everyone walks away happy, I'll be happy as long as we get the result." The Article Rob O'Gorman/Sportal/17Jul07 Saints Hawks clash, no Ugly Betty: Aussie Jones Former Saint Aussie Jones believes Hawthorn and St Kilda have too much at stake to repeat their Round 8 Ugly Betty match on Saturday. The two teams were universally lambasted for what was considered the ugliest game of the season when they clashed in May. But Jones said both would display a different style of footy this week with Hawthorn attacking in every game to retain second spot and St Kilda acutely aware that if it loses this week its season is over. "Obviously the Saints have to go out and win it," Jones said. "And Hawthorn is sitting second on the ladder so they should be attacking every game. In my opinion if St Kilda loses, their season is definitely over so it's a crucial game." Jones was critical of flooding tactics in the Round 8 clash, which caused a goal drought. Both teams booted just two majors in the first half and fans booed when the players left the ground at halftime. At the time Jones said on radio ABC 774: "If I could explain it I would, but I left the ground dumbfounded and walked out of the MCG in disgust. The Article Daryl Timms/HeraldSun/18Jul07 Lyon clarifies Ball situation St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has conceded co-captain Luke Ball continues to be affected by osteitis pubis, but not to the extent that the Saints consider him injured or in need of being rested. Ball, 24, was held back by the condition last season - despite playing 21 of 23 games - and admitted on the weekend that it was still keeping him below his best. Lyon, who last week said the midfielder was not injured and was not suffering from osteitis pubis, has moved to clarify the situation. "I thought I was truthful and if you ask me again today 'Is Luke Ball injured?' and even with all the conjecture and all the post-game (comments), my answer is 'No, he's not injured'," Lyon said at Saints training. "Just to clarify, I just spoke to Luke and our physio and said what do you want me to put forward, and they said I think everyone's got to understand osteitis pubis is a condition. Once you've had that previously you're always termed with osteitis pubis, but (is he) injured with it at the moment? No, so hopefully that will clarify it for all our supporters and all the media and maybe my name and my honesty won't be put into question." The Article AAP/FoxSports/17Jul07 Crows impose 11pm curfew The Crows have taken their bid for a third premiership to a new level with a self-imposed player curfew. The playing group made the decision that prevents any player from being out beyond 11pm on weekends for the remainder of the season. The curfew was prompted by last week’s loss to St Kilda and coach Neil Craig believes it’s a positive sign for Crows fans. The Article Katrina Gill/AFL/saints.com.au/20Jul07 Rival clubs offered double dollars: Nixon . . . "As far as I'm concerned, and I'm sure Nick was the same, we never really wanted to leave the club," Riewoldt said. "We're in for the long haul." Player manager Ricky Nixon said "a number" of clubs had expressed interest in both players for more than the final amount of their new contracts. "Probably fair to say double, round about double," Nixon said. The Article Martin Boulton/RealFooty/17Jul07 Crawf tips top viewing Shane Crawford has predicted his side's upcoming clash with St Kilda will not be a repeat of their previous ugly meeting earlier this season. The Hawthorn midfielder promised fans the game would not turn into the possession style game that was seen in Round 8 when only four goals were kicked in the first half. "Well it will be indoors (at Telstra Dome) and the weather will be a little bit better, I think they've got more players to choose from this time so they'll be a lot harder to defeat and I'm sure the game won't be anywhere near the game that was played last time so I'm sure it will be a much better spectacle," Crawford said at Waverley Park on Monday. "We always knew it (previous meeting) was going to be a bit of a tight contest and it wasn't going to be a high scoring game. However, I'm pretty sure this weekend will probably be a different game altogether because different personnel (are available) and the way they will set up, we'll probably set up a bit different as well so it will be a bit more flowing." The Article Rob O'Gorman/Sportal/16Jul07 We'll get better still: Crawford Rob O'Gorman/Sportal/16Jul07 Forget about Riewoldt: Jonathan Brown Jonathan Brown says Brisbane should focus on improving its midfield depth rather than worry about Nick Riewoldt's decision to re-sign with St Kilda. Brown, who yesterday described the Lions' interest in the Saints star as merely "speculation", said the club did not need further presence in the forward line. "We've got Mitch Clark, Daniel Bradshaw, Jared Brennan and myself - that's more than enough key forwards and we're all pretty young," Brown said yesterday. "Nick's a great player and he would add to your side but at the end of the day we need to build an even side.You need even sides to win premierships. That's what the club's embarking on. These days you need more than half of your list to be midfielders, with the amount of rotation." The Article Marco Monteverde/CourierMail/19Jul07
Nick Riewoldt and Nick Dal Santo have resisted greater riches and pledged their loyalty to St Kilda. After signing three-year contract extensions, the pair's manager, Ricky Nixon, said they could have earned double their price on the open market. The new deals keep Riewoldt and Dal Santo at Moorabbin until at least the end of 2010. It is a huge boost for the club, and new coach this year, Ross Lyon. The speculation has been that Riewoldt, 24, could earn more than $1 million next year from football, marketing and sponsorship deals. The St Kilda co-captain and star forward said he had never intended to leave the Saints. "I'm pretty sure Nick was the same - we never really wanted to leave the club," Riewoldt said. "We are in for the long haul. It's all been about keeping the group together like we said we would five or six years ago. There was a little bit of interest from the outside, but it was never seriously entertained." The Article Rebecca Williams/HeraldSun/18Jul07 Top Saints sign new deals St Kilda stars Nick Riewoldt and Nick Dal Santo have signed three-year contract extensions, providing a massive boost for the Saints. Both players were coming out of contract this season, with the new deals keeping them at Moorabbin until at least the end of 2010. "It is a fantastic outcome for the St Kilda football club to be able to retain two players of their calibre," said Saints chief executive Archie Fraser. "This sends a clear message to our members and supporters. The players' commitment to the club is indicative in the way they have conducted themselves." Riewoldt, 24, is one of three St Kilda co-captains in 2007. "I'm very happy to be committed to St Kilda for the next three years and am looking forward to working with the playing group and coaches to achieve a premiership at the Saints," said the three-time club best and fairest winner. The 23-year-old Dal Santo is a key member of the Saints' midfield. The Article HeraldSun/17Jul07 Riewoldt, Dal Santo re-sign with Saints AAP/TheAge/17Jul07 Lions miss out on Riewoldt AAP/BrisbaneTimes/17Jul07 Ball has osteitis pubis: Lyon . . . Following Ball's comments on Channel Ten's Before The Game on Saturday, when he said "it's all related to that dreaded term OP", Lyon said yesterday he wanted to clarify his own comments from last week. "I just spoke to Luke and our physio and said, 'Well, what do you want me to put forward' and they said, 'Everyone's got to understand osteitis pubis is a condition'. It's a condition that you have and you manage," Lyon said, before adding he has regularly asked medical staff this year if Ball was injured and if he was fit enough to play. "Has he had osteitis pubis? Yes. (Is he) injured with it at the moment? No. Hopefully, that will clarify it for all our supporters. I hope that clarifies it because . . . we're trying to be as transparent as we can." The Article Martin Boulton/RealFooty/18Jul07 Riewoldt, Dal Santo re-sign with Saints Any talk of the Brisbane Lions snatching Nick Riewoldt has been quashed with the star forward today committing to the Melbourne club for a further three years. The club has also secured gun Nick Dal Santo for the same period. Speculation surrounded the future of Riewoldt and there was some suggestion he may return to his home state of Queensland, but the Lions were always wary of fitting him under their salary cap. "It is a fantastic outcome for the St Kilda Football club to be able to retain two players of their calibre. This sends a clear message to our members and supporters," St Kilda chief executive officer Archie Fraser said in a statement. "The players' commitment to the club is indicative in the way they have conducted themselves through this process and the outcome we have achieved." Riewoldt is a three-time club best and fairest and dual All-Australian while Dal Santo won All-Australian honours in 2005. The Article ABCNews/17Jul07 Nick Riewoldt - Player honours; Best and Fairest 2002, 2004, 2006; All-Australian 2004, 2006; International Rules Series 2004; AFLPA MVP 2004; NAB AFL Rising Star 2002; pre-season premiership side 2004; captain 2005, 2007. Draft History; 2000 National AFL Draft priority selection (St Kilda) No.1 overall. ROO'S STATS HISTORY finalsiren.com Nick Dal Santo - Player honours; Third Brownlow Medal 2005; All-Australian 2005; International Rules Series 2004; pre-season premiership side 2004. Draft History; 2001 National AFL Draft 1st round selection (St Kilda) No.13 overall traded by Sydney for Barry Hall and No.53 (Daniel Hunt). DAL'S STATS HISTORY finalsiren.com Saints duo sign on for three years . . . The pair's manager Ricky Nixon revealed there were a number of clubs prepared to offer substantial increases to lure the star duo but ultimately both players were happy to sacrifice bigger pay packets in the hope of long-term success with the Saints. "The hard thing for these sorts of players at the top level is how much they're worth isn't what you're going to get to play at a top four club and that's where St Kilda is probably ranked at the moment so that's always a difficult thing what the difference is," Nixon said. "Generally revolves around how much less (they are willing to accept), I mean they probably accept what I'm putting up as how much they're worth in the marketplace but it's how much less to stay." St. Kilda coach Ross Lyon said the signing of both players was a boost for the club heading into the future. "No doubt it is a positive sign for the club and it's great for our supporters and clearly Nick's captain or one of the captains and the other, Nick Dal Santo, is in the leadership group so it's a great day for St Kilda," Lyon said. The Article Rob O'Gorman/Sportal/17Jul07 Saints re-sign talented pair St Kilda Football Club is delighted to announce the re-signings of Nick Dal Santo and Nick Riewoldt for a further three years each. Full Official Report saints.com.au Saints re-sign talented pair The St Kilda Football Club is delighted to announce the re-signings of Nick Dal Santo and Nick Riewoldt for a further three years each. The commitment of both players to the Club and its members reflects their desire to remain at St Kilda where they will continue their careers for the long term. Club CEO, Archie Fraser said, "It is a fantastic outcome for the St Kilda Football Club to be able to retain two players of their calibre. This sends a clear message to our members and supporters." "The players' commitment to the Club is indicative in the way they have conducted themselves through this process and the outcome we have achieved" Fraser said. Nick Riewoldt stated, "I'm very happy to be committed to St Kilda for the next three years and am looking forward to working with the playing group and coaches to achieve a premiership at the Saints". Nick Dal Santo said, "I am excited to stay at St Kilda and this is a great result for the Club and all our fans. I'm proud to be part of the Saints and am pleased to be playing football with the Club". The Article SportsAustralia/17Jul07 AFL tough on crowd kicks The AFL kick police have struck again, with Port Adelaide the latest club fined $5000 for endangering fans in the warm-up. It is the third straight week a club has been fined under a rule banning players kicking at goal after the three-minute warning siren before games. Geelong, Collingwood and Kangaroos have also been penalised since the crackdown, meaning the AFL has handed out $20,000 in fines. The AFL is alarmed by the increase in injuries to fans hit by balls during warm-ups. It has scoffed at suggestions the fines are an over-reaction. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/18Jul07 Luke Ball black armbelt last Friday night A young Melbourne man's trip of a lifetime ended in tragedy when he was killed in a car crash in the US on his way home to Australia. Michael Stribley, 23, died in a horror freeway pile-up only minutes from Los Angeles International Airport, where he was due to catch a flight to Melbourne to be reunited with his family and friends after 18 months overseas . . . The Xavier College community, where Michael excelled as a student and sportsman, was also in mourning. Former footballer schoolmates Luke Ball, Jobe Watson and Ted Richards wore black armbands in tribute to their friend during AFL games last weekend. Sally Stribley said she had been overwhelmed by the support of Michael's friends. The Article Matt Cunningham and Peta Hellard/HeraldSun/18Jul07 Sacking didn't effect relationship with RL: Riewoldt . . . There had also been speculation last year's shock sacking of Grant Thomas could have weakened Riewoldt's commitment to the Saints, given his closeness to the former coach. But he denied that was an issue and angrily dismissed suggestions Thomas's sacking had ever affected his relationship with Lyon. "It's never had an adverse effect on my relationship with Ross Lyon since Ross walked in the door," Riewoldt said. "I've had a great relationship with Ross Lyon and that's never changed, so I would have thought the whole issue was put to bed a few months ago when the season actually started." Dal Santo, 23, who will have been at the club for nine years by the time his new contract expires, was hopeful other Saints would now be convinced to stay. "We'd like to think so, once again we spoke about this five years ago that we'd like to stay together for as long as we possibly could," Dal Santo said. "If that means that guys have to take salary cuts then so be it. I think that's just the reality of sticking with the same club and that's what we want to do at this stage." The Article AAP/FoxSports/17Jul07 Crawf tips top viewing Shane Crawford has predicted his side's upcoming clash with St Kilda will not be a repeat of their previous ugly meeting earlier this season. The Hawthorn midfielder promised fans the game would not turn into the possession style game that was seen in Round 8 when only four goals were kicked in the first half. "Well it will be indoors (at Telstra Dome) and the weather will be a little bit better, I think they've got more players to choose from this time so they'll be a lot harder to defeat and I'm sure the game won't be anywhere near the game that was played last time so I'm sure it will be a much better spectacle," Crawford said at Waverley Park on Monday. "We always knew it (previous meeting) was going to be a bit of a tight contest and it wasn't going to be a high scoring game. However, I'm pretty sure this weekend will probably be a different game altogether because different personnel (are available) and the way they will set up, we'll probably set up a bit different as well so it will be a bit more flowing." The Article Rob O'Gorman/Sportal/16Jul07 We'll get better still: Crawford Rob O'Gorman/Sportal/16Jul07
Matthew Lobbe Matthew is 197cm tall and plays centre half-forward for Bendigo Pioneers in Victoria's TAC Cup. He turned 18 in February and models his game on his idol, Nick Riewoldt. Unsurprisingly, Matthew has played a lot of basketball. . . . While watching our final game, I was trying to analyse the play and look at the scouts to see who they were watching. It's a bit of a lottery, but I'm sure they were watching Matthew Kreuzer closely. He was our ruckman who also played in other positions - including ruck rover and full forward - and he really set a standard. I reckon he's ready for the AFL already and will be surprised if he isn't taken at No.1 in the draft. He's so athletic and skilful but he also has a perfect temperament. He never gets angry or down and he's not arrogant at all. He just knows where he's at. Other players to impress me from Vic Metro were Michael Hurley and Mitchell Farmer, while Country's Ben McEvoy and WA's Nicholas Naitanui, Rhys Palmer and Chris Masten stood out amongst the opposition . . . This weekend, however, I'm back. We're playing against North Ballarat, having won five out of our past six games and looking for a top-four spot. If I have anything to do with it, it will be six out of seven come Saturday evening. The Blog Matthew Lobbe/Toyota Rookie Road/17Jul07 AFL could act on clash strips The AFL could force clubs to wear their non-traditional guernseys in this year's finals series to prevent clashes between too-similar strips such as the one in last Saturday's Geelong-Collingwood game. The AFL has the power to force clubs to wear alternate strips to prevent clashes and could enforce the ruling if the Magpies play the Cats in a final later this year, or if either side plays the Kangaroos. AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said Tuesday he found it difficult distinguishing between the Magpies and Cats at the MCG because of the dark and light in both sides' guernseys, given Collingwood wear black and white vertical stripes and Geelong navy blue and white horizontal stripes. The Article AAP/TheAge/17Jul07 Toyota Raises Funds for Grassroots Footy Toyota nominated Round 15 of the 2007 Toyota AFL Premiership Season as 'Toyota Good For Footy Round' and on Friday 13th July held a very special event at the St Kilda v Adelaide match at the Telstra Dome. As part of their ongoing support of local footy, Toyota added $44,000 to the Toyota Time tally during Toyota Good For Footy Round. In addition, for every person that attended the game, Toyota also donated $1 to grassroots footy - $32,210 in total for the round. Toyota Time goals were also worth $3,000 and after Round 15, the Toyota Time tally stands at $159,000. Toyota is well on track to achieve their aim of donating $300,000 to grassroots footy in 2007. The Article AFL/saints.com.au/18Jul07 Casey-South Melbourne Cricket Club turn to Begley Casey-South Melbourne Cricket Club turned to former St Kilda and Adelaide winger/half-back flanker James Begley last night (Wednesday) to boost its 2007-08 fortunes. Begley now works for Leading Teams, a company that specialises in the delivery of teamwork and leadership programs for elite sporting and corporate organisations. The Article BerwickNews/19Jul07 AFL to adopt two-strikes policy Club presidents are expected to be told by the AFL commission today that it is prepared to change its controversial three-strikes illicit drugs policy, which is under review, before next season. As revealed in The Australian this month, the AFL appears certain to adopt a two-strikes illicit drugs policy to fall in line with those of several other leading sports and federal government philosophy. Debate on the drug code will continue next week when the administration addresses the 16 club chiefs over a two-day seminar. The main agenda items at today's meeting at AFL House in Melbourne are the drug code, off-field player behaviour and the progress of a review of the competition's second-tier leagues, particularly in Victoria. Several clubs have long lobbied the AFL to be informed when one of their players tests positive and that two positive tests should provoke punishment from the league. The National Rugby League's two-strikes policy on out-of-competition illicit drug use was recently adopted by the federal Government as the model for all Australian sports to follow. The Article Greg Denham/TheAustralian/20Jul07 Norm Smith a Legend, Kemp among eight new Hall of Fame members Six-time Melbourne premiership coach Norm Smith became the 21st AFL Legend at the League's Australian Football Hall of Fame Induction Dinner last night, while eight others were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Smith led the Demons to premierships in 1955, '56, '57, '59, '60 and '64 after a stellar playing career that included four flags. Dual West Coast premiership player, Norm Smith medallist and best and fairest Dean Kemp was acknowledged for his contribution to the game, inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Brownlow medallists Robert DiPierdomenico and Paul Kelly, SANFL star Bob McLean, Collingwood favourite Murray Weideman, Essendon excitement machine Michael Long, South Melbourne best and fairest Frank Johnson and Hawthorn and Adelaide premiership hero Darren Jarman. The Article FootyGoss/20Jul07 GO BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
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Announcement
The Two Nicks
