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Round 18 AFL 2007 Premiership Season - Pre-game Articles - Western Bulldogs vs St Kilda
One is a four-time All-Australian, three-time best-and-fairest and now club captain. The other feared he would get the chop from his second AFL club before this season. Aaron Fiora, the latter, long ago came to terms with the brutal reality that his name will be inescapably linked to Matthew Pavlich in career comparisons. It once bothered the lithe left-footer, who admitted he self-consciously played for himself in a vain bid to live up to lofty expectations at unforgiving Richmond, the resentment accentuated by Pavlich's growing stature with Fremantle. Even now the traded Tiger doesn't feel he truly belongs at St Kilda, despite being among only five Saints to play every game so far this season, boosting his career tally to 125. "I think I've improved in those areas that I wasn't proficient, the ball-gets and the tackling. I'm still not a leader by any standard in that stuff, but it's slowly coming along," Fiora said. The Article Bruce Matthews/HeraldSun/03Aug07 "Brutally honest article from Fizzer." - 'HarveysDeciple' saintsational.com Attard seizes second chance Sitting among the 97,431 people at last year's AFL Grand Final was future St Kilda defender Jayden Attard - although the home of football was the last place on earth he felt like being that day. Just a few days earlier, Attard still called himself a Brisbane Lion, although after being told his services were no longer required at the club he was "devastated". "I'd probably say that's the lowest I've been in football," Attard says. Fast forward 10 months, and life could hardly be peachier for the 21-year-old Saints defender. Ever since the club selected Attard with pick 62 in the AFL Rookie Draft late last year, the cards have finally fallen his way. Not only is he now a regular at the club just down the road from where he grew up - allowing him to live at home with his parents and enjoy some "home-cooked meals" - he is making a weekly contribution and has been a vital part of the Saints' mid-season resurgence. He admits that after being squeezed out the Lions' door, he questioned whether he had the desire to continue his AFL quest. "I came back down here and I actually went to the AFL Grand Final and watched Sydney-West Coast and I sort of asked myself, 'Do I want to be out here?' and that was the turning point," he says. The Article Ben Broad/saints.com.au/02Aug07 Dogs lift hopes by naming talented trio Staring at three Friday-night losses in a row, the Western Bulldogs have recalled three big names for tonight's match against St Kilda. Successive heavy losses to Geelong and West Coast have left the Bulldogs' hopes of finals football this year looking very precarious. Having played an emotional card with Luke Darcy's announcement yesterday that he would retire at the end of the season, the Dogs tried to turn another trick by naming Daniel Cross, Chris Grant and Scott West. All three are in their best 22, but only Grant, who passed a fitness test on his strained hamstring this week, gives off a strong air of confidence that he will play. Cross, who has been missing with strained knee ligaments since the round-11 win over Brisbane, comes in despite still being listed as one or two weeks away on the club's injury list. The Dogs have missed his toughness around the ball. West has alternately missed, played when sore and missed in the past three rounds as he struggles to throw off a groin injury. Grant has missed the past three matches with a hamstring strain. Jarrod Harbrow, Josh Hill and Cameron Wight were omitted. The Article Len Johnson/RealFooty/03Aug07 saints.com.au Match preview . . . MATCH-UPS TO WATCH Steven Baker v Jason Akermanis: Baker might get the run-with role on Bulldogs playmaker Scott West, but if not, you could expect him to be Akermanis's shadow at Telstra Dome. The hard-at-it Saint loves nothing more than making a pest of himself against some of the game's biggest names, and Aker won't find it easy against the former St Kilda best and fairest winner. The Bulldogs will need a little Aker magic if they're to take home the four points. Fraser Gehrig v Brian Harris: Harris has been a rock for the Bulldogs this season, although he has been up against it of late. On Friday night he will go head to head with ageing champ Fraser Gehrig, fresh from booting six goals in his 250th match. While the 'r' word (retirement) will again come up with the Saints spearhead at the end of the year, his form warrants another year. Harris will have his hands full containing the powerful goalkicker. Leigh Fisher v Brad Johnson: Will the look-a-likes go head to head? Or will Ross Lyon revert to his tried and trusted defender in Max Hudghton? Johnson booted three last time the sides met (and had 3.3 of the Dogs' half-time total of 3.6) but was starved of supply as the game wore on, having to push up the ground in search of a kick the further the game wore on. Fisher might have the pace to go with him but the danger will be Johnson's uncanny knack in the air. The Article Ben Broad/saints.com.au/02Aug07 RealFooty Match Review RealFooty/03Aug07
St Kilda's injury list is a lot shorter than 12 months ago when defender Matt Maguire's broken leg spelled further disaster for the club, just weeks out from the finals. The Saints were fourth on the ladder last year with 11 wins when Maguire was carried from the ground in the final minute of the 39-point loss to West Coast at Telstra Dome. He joined a list of injured Saints, including Lenny Hayes (knee) and Justin Koschitzke (fractured skull), while long-suffering supporters could only hope for a change of luck. Koschitzke, Hayes, Aaron Hamill (knee), Xavier Clarke (hip) and Raphael Clarke (quad) missed a combined total of 72 games through injury last season. Long-term injury woes were complicated by a spate of soft-tissue injuries to other players, which led new coach Ross Lyon to entice conditioning coach Peter Mulkearns to the club this year. Several players have had soft-tissue injuries this season, too, but luck could finally be on St Kilda's side with just three players watching from the sidelines tomorrow. Hamill's knee problems have been well documented, former West Coast ruckman Michael Gardiner (foot) is yet to play a game and Brendon Goddard (knee) will not play again this season. Otherwise, according to Lyon, the biggest problem this week is who makes room for Koschitzke, who looks set to return from suspension. The Article Martin Boulton/RealFooty/02Aug07 Dog-eat-dog for Saints recruit Sport and life are all about opportunity. Shane Birss weighed this up at the end of last season and felt it was time to leave the Western Bulldogs. Jason Akermanis was arriving through the front door with all the bravado of a hip-hop star angry with the world, so Birss, 24, quietly took the side exit. The Bulldogs were already well stocked with midfielders and Akermanis was only going to push Birss further down the queue. It is with some irony then that Birss will line up for St Kilda at Telstra Dome tonight in his first match against his old club. So annilihated by injury are the Bulldogs, particularly in the midfield, that Birss would have been one of the first picked by coach Rodney Eade for the position were he still at the Western Oval. In a game that will virtually nail the coffin shut on the loser's finals chances, the Bulldogs will be without midfielders Mitch Hahn, Lindsay Gilbee, Daniel Cross, possibly prime-mover Scott West and dashing half-back Ryan Griffen. This contrasts with St Kilda, which has seen its extensive injury list shrink as its fortunes have improved. So the Bulldogs on the slide, having lost their past two matches by a total of 162 points, meet the Saints on the rise after winning five of their past six games. The Article Malcolm Conn/TheAustralian/03Aug07 Lyon wants Gehrig to stay at St Kilda . . . "At this stage we'd love him to go on," Lyon said. "We'll sit down ... we'll leave (the talks) to the right time but as a senior coach you love your talented players playing and Fraser's no different." While Lyon expressed a desire to have Gehrig - who reached the 100-goal mark in 2004 and had bags of 78 and 71 in the previous two years - return, the decision is complicated by the salary cap, veterans list and other players coming out of contract. He's a part, he's a piece of the puzzle that we have to slot together. He'd be a priority to work through but you still have to address those issues," Lyon said. Last month, the Saints locked in Nick Riewoldt and Nick Dal Santo for a further three years. Gehrig, along with Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke, have terrorised the Western Bulldogs in recent times, helping the Saints to four straight wins against Friday night's opponent at Telstra Dome. The Article AAP/TheAge/01Aug07 Coach: play on, Fraser AAP/HeraldSun/01Aug07 afl.com.au Match preview . . . KEY MATCH-UPS Scott West v Leigh Montagna: The Dogs will be desperate to get the experience and class of West back after he missed last round with a groin injury. These two midfielders are locked in a battle for the first to 400 disposals for 2007. Montagna (391 disposals) will be keen to find some more space after being well contained by Carlton's Marc Murphy last weekend, while West (394 disposals) will be eager to give Brad Johnson and Adam Cooney more supply from the midfield. Brian Harris v Fraser Gehrig: Gehrig was at his bullying best against Carlton, with Jarrad Waite's niggle and his 250th AFL match bringing the best out in the former Wodonga Raiders star. Harris has been busy trying to quell the AFL's two best attacking teams over the last two rounds, but the hard-nosed defender thrives on physical encounters against imposing players like Gehrig. Brad Johnson v Sam Fisher: Johnson was kept goalless for the first time this season against the Eagles, resulting in Matthew Pavlich and Jonathan Brown stealing his lead in the race for the Coleman Medal. Sam Fisher had a season-high 32 possessions last weekend and his combination with Jason Gram, Max Hudghton and Matt Maguire will be crucial to the Saints' finals hopes. The Article AAP/afl.com.au/01Aug07 Mystery tree removal A turf war has erupted at Moorabbin Reserve after the St Kilda Football Club tore out more than a dozen trees recently planted by a local conservation group. Furious Friends of Moorabbin Reserve members labelled the Saints "bullies" and "boofheads" after the newly-planted trees were moved last week. More than 15 holly oak trees were uprooted from an oval and replanted in another part of the reserve. St Kilda refused to reveal why the trees were moved, but speculation was mounting last week that the club is planning to install a cricket pitch at the site. The row comes just weeks after a heated confrontation between the Friends group and Saints CEO Archie Fraser. Police were called to defuse an argument on July 1, which erupted after Mr Fraser ordered the Friends group to stop planting the trees. Friends chairman Tony Aravidis said the group had been voluntarily planting trees at the reserve for 14 years and the club had never interfered . . . "The club, through their lawyers, has advised they are exercising their rights under the lease to relocate the trees recently planted in the reserve." The Article MoorabbinGlenEiraLeader/01Aug07 Saints searching for four quarters: Lyon St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says the inclusion of up to three key players in coming weeks will make the Saints a better team as they try to improve and make up ground on the competition's pacesetters. With the club's injury list looking healthier than it has all season, the Saints' stocks are soaring. They have won five of their past six matches to sit ninth on the AFL ladder, on the cusp of a finals berth. But the coach knows his team has plenty of upside to it. "Clearly we need to improve on what we produced last week," Lyon said on Wednesday. "There's still a couple at Casey [Scorpions]. Brett Voss really banged down the door, Clinton Jones is going into his third or fourth week back [from injury] - he's got really good pace and ball-winning ability and endurance - and Raph Clarke. They're the three really obvious ones. We'd consider them in our best 22 as obvious ones, so they're really pushing." Since taking charge at the Saints, Lyon hasn't had the luxury of a full list to choose from. Nor will he in 2007, with stars Brendon Goddard, Aaron Hamill and recruit Michael Gardiner all ruled out for the remainder of the year. But the rest of the playing group is fit and starting to play some of its best football of the season, despite the coach seeing ample room for progress. The Article Ben Broad/saints.com.au/01Aug07 Just another game for Lyon St Kilda coach Ross Lyon is playing down the cut-throat nature of Friday's night's clash with the Western Bulldogs, preferring instead to focus on process. The Saints and Bulldogs sit outside the eight on percentage equal on points with Sydney and Essendon and for the loser it's just about 'hasta la vista, baby'-time. The high stakes, however, haven't distracted Lyon from attending to the basics . . . Lyon agreed that his key forwards - Nick Riewoldt, Justin Koschitzke and Fraser Gehrig - who have been such a significant factor in the club's four-game winning streak against the Bulldogs, will be potential trump cards yet again, but stressed they will be rendered vestigial without supply . . . He said that while he's been generally pleased with his team's form since the mid-season break, he doesn't believe the Saints have put together a four-quarter performance yet, and he was grateful for a wake-up call against the Blues last Saturday . . . Lyon said it would not be easy finding room for Koschitzke who returns from a one-match suspension, and noted that Brett Voss, Clinton Jones, Raph Clarke and Andrew Thompson are pushing hard for promotion. The Article Angus Morgan/Sportal/01Aug07
Here is a Brett Voss moment. The Saints are playing the Kangaroos earlier this year. Voss is stationary, a pack charging towards him led by a Kangaroo with the ball. Voss takes him head-on in a tackle, holding the ball to his opponent as they fall to the ground. The free kick is his but he is unable to take it - he has what he calls "wobbly feet". A St Kilda teammate kicks the ball downfield as Voss is led off by trainers. Denis Cometti, in one of his more memorable utterances for season '07, says: "Right now, Voss is looking at Monets." This, strictly speaking, is not correct. Cometti was implying Voss' sight had been reduced to mere impressionism. In fact, he had a clear circle at the centre of his vision, although outside the circle everything was moving. The man who takes Voss' kick moves the ball forward, a mark is accepted by another St Kilda player and, suddenly, there's Voss again, running past on legs bending at the wrong angles, to take the ball and kick downfield. He was off for another quarter after that. "You have to sit down for it (the affected vision) to pass. Exercise only prolongs it." That piece of play showed part of what Brett Voss shares with his brother, Michael - a similar degree of courage. They are similar in other ways, too, like the steadiness of their thinking and their ability to read the play and be present at vital moments. But Brett is not explosive like Michael was. Michael Voss could project himself in such a way that he was as large as the game in which he was playing. Brett Voss' older brother has been one of the great players of the era. It must have been a big shadow to follow. The Article Greg Denham/RealFooty/01Aug07 (2 pages) Bulldogs face tall order Western Bulldogs veteran Luke Darcy has announced his retirement from AFL football. Darcy told a media conference at Whitten Oval on Thursday afternoon that he will see out the season, but that 2007 will be his last after 14 years at AFL level. "There's a touch of emotion today . . . but I'm really excited about the next part of my life and looking forward to it," Darcy said. "It's nice to be leaving on my own terms, it's nice to walk away with some great memories but my main focus is tomorrow night, we've got an enormous game (against St Kilda) and I'm as committed to that and to the next few weeks as I possibly can be." Darcy, who turned 32 last month, has struggled to make a significant impact this season after almost two years out of the game because of two knee reconstructions. Darcy was just six games into his captaincy when he ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament against Geelong at Skilled Stadium in 2005 and suffered a second rupture just before Christmas that year which forced him to stand out of the game in 2006. He has played in all 17 games for the Bulldogs this season for a career total of 211 since making his debut in 1994, but he hasn't managed to recapture the form which made him one of the most influential ruckmen/forwards in the game. The Article Sportal/02Aug07 Lyon prepares for committed and desperate Dogs St Kilda coach Ross Lyon saw some worrying signs yesterday, despite his team maintaining its push for a spot in the top eight. The 10-point win over Carlton at Telstra Dome meant the Saints have won five of their past six matches and have a 9-8 record with five games left. Their next opponents are the Western Bulldogs, who are coming off massive losses to Geelong and West Coast. But Lyon felt areas such as ground work and tackling, which St Kilda had focused on since the mid-season break, were lacking against Carlton yesterday. While the Saints had the game won with a 35-point lead at three-quarter-time, the Blues charged home in the last term. "Clearly, our last six weeks have been a lot better," Lyon said . . . The Saints will regain ruck-forward Justin Koschitzke from suspension and will start strong favourites against the struggling Western Bulldogs. Lyon will demand the same determination from his players that the Bulldogs are expected to bring to Telstra Dome next Friday night. "They have their backs to the wall. Driving in (yesterday), you hear a lot of talk about them," he said of the Dogs. "We'll be aware of them coming in fully committed and desperate."But there's no reason we shouldn't be the same." The Article AAP/RealFooty/29Jul07 Saints slip-up St Kilda coach Ross Lyon saw some worrying signs on Saturday, despite his team maintaining its push for the AFL top eight. The 10-point win over Carlton at Telstra Dome meant the Saints have won five of their past six and have a 9-8 record with five games left. Their next opponents are the Western Bulldogs, who are coming off big losses to Geelong and West Coast. But Lyon felt areas such as groundwork and tackling, which St Kilda has focussed on since the mid-season break, were lacking on Saturday. While the Saints had the game won with a 35-point lead at three-quarter time, the Blues charged home in the last term. "Clearly our past six weeks have been a lot better," Lyon said. "But we were beaten in a couple of key areas that we've been priding ourselves on and it's a really good reminder how quickly your form can go, how quickly you get hurt on the scoreboard when those basics aren't executed. It will give us a strong focus this week . . . it was very patchy today." As the Saints have steadily climbed the ladder this month, Lyon has stressed the results will take care of themselves if the team keeps improving. But he is now admitting to a spring in his step. "You can see the finish line and it should stimulate a real energy and application - not that it's not there already," he said of the run to the finals. The Article Roger Vaughan/AdelaideAdvertiser/30Jul07 Ross Lyon on Nine's Footy Classified Some observations . . . • Has cemented his relationship with Roo • Sick of the AFL industry looking backwards at our club • Misses the technical aspects of assistant coaching but is growing into the job. • Learning to cope with the media. Apologised for his earlier grumpiness (spoke to the journos he was rude to and patched things up). • Club to finance more on the medical side of things. All in all an interesting interview (as far as RL interviews go). he seemed relaxed, and joked and laughed. Seems to be getting more comfortable with the media side of things and getting better at it. by 'joffaboy' I honestly thought it was a nuff nuff interview . . . for a show that says there's no room for the faint hearted, the panel were weak . . . • Being in the job almost 12 months and still talk of GT (can you think how bad it will be for the next essendon coach then !!!) • All players told they can talk to anyone as long as they keep what's confidential to them self. • Aaron Hammil could play again but there is a long way to go. by 'st_Trav_ofWA' The Thread 'fonz_#15' et al saintsational.com Dump the priority pick The AFL's priority selection is doomed. As positive as it might be in principle, it is fatally flawed in practice and has to go. It has turned the second half of Carlton's season into farce, with the administration and probably the majority of the club's supporters happy, even keen, to continue losing. Virtually everyone connected to the club -- players aside -- got what they wanted at the weekend: a respectable 10-point loss to St Kilda at Telstra Dome. With five rounds remaining, Carlton collectively wants nothing more than another five gallant losses . . . Melbourne, God forbid, might be so bad by then that Carlton might win simply by turning up . . . One win will disqualify Carlton from a priority selection before the national draft, a benefit that carries first pick of every potential draftee in the country. Free. For nothing. Without any penalty in the draft proper. It is a massive reward, one reserved for any club that fails to win more than four games in two seasons running. I support the philosophy of helping clubs mired at the bottom of the ladder, regardless of the reason. But the current example, and perhaps one or two examples in recent years, attacks the competition's integrity. The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/31Jul07 Pies, Bombers get luck of the draw This is the time of the year when the unfairness of the AFL draw really starts to kick in. And this season it is set to play a bigger role than ever in shaping the eventual make-up of the final eight. With just four games separating the teams from second to 12th on the ladder, there is everything to play for with five rounds remaining and the only certainties right now are that Geelong will be involved in the September action and Carlton, Richmond and Melbourne won't be. But the Blues, Tigers and Demons are still going to have a significant say in which teams take part in the finals and which don't in 2007. That is because the teams that get to play them twice are virtually assured of extra premiership points compared to the teams that don't. The three strugglers between them have won just eight games for the season and you have to go back to 1993 - when Brisbane, Richmond and Sydney won just nine games between them - for a year when there were three teams as uncompetitive as the Blues, Dees and Tigers are right now. And it is Collingwood and to a lesser extent Essendon, which are the big winners from the AFL's unfair draw in the crucial run home to this year's finals series. The Magpies play all three strugglers over the next three weeks and right at a time when they are starting to look vulnerable, following their 93-point loss to Brisbane this weekend. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/31Jul07 AFL dumps motorcade for retiring stars The AFL has controversially abandoned its long-held tradition of a grand final motorcade to farewell its retiring stars. The Age understands the decision was taken in conjunction with the game's new pre-game entertainment consultants who will meet the league next week to canvass a new format for honouring retiring stars, who will this year include James Hird, Nathan Buckley, Glenn Archer, Anthony Koutoufides and Michael Voss, whose retirement came after last year's grand final. This year's parade of retiring champions could also potentially include Chris Grant and Robert Harvey. But the AFL has reportedly decided that the motorcade - an emotional highlight of grand finals over the years - has become outdated, difficult to televise and potentially risky in the event of rain. While it has been revealed that Australia's internationally known rock band Jet will perform before the game, no other details have been revealed regarding the pre-game entertainment, which will undergo a major facelift under Peter Jones, who has successfully consulted to the league over the past three years and was instrumental in redesigning its annual hall-of-fame presentation. The Article Caroline Wilson/RealFooty/01Aug07 Kouta gone and more Blue blood to shed The purge at Carlton is well under way with more heads set to roll in the next few months. Eight days after the Blues and coach Denis Pagan parted company, 34-year-old former captain Anthony Koutoufides announced his retirement yesterday. He will be followed out the door in the coming weeks by captain Lance Whitnall, 30-year-old Matthew Lappin, and probably erratic full-forward Brendan Fevola. Carlton is gearing itself for a fresh and youthful start under potential new coach Michael Voss and his team . . . With the financial clout of new president Richard Pratt and the new leadership of former Collingwood administrator Greg Swann, there will be few household names left as the Blues rebuild. Injuries, a lack of fitness and form will lead to the departure of the out-of-contract Whitnall, who appears to have run out of chances under Carlton's new regime despite being appointed captain less than a year ago. That honour will almost certainly be given to Nick Stevens when he returns from neck surgery. Lappin, who started his career at St Kilda, will also be moved on, probably into retirement after he played his 250th AFL game last weekend. Fevola, who returned to form and kicked five goals last weekend, is contracted until the end of next year. But he has generally had a wretched season, which culminated in him being suspended for a week by the club last month. The Article Greg Denham/TheAustralian/01Aug07 Kouta calls it a day AAP/TheAustralian/31Jul07 'Pink Lady' will draw numbers to Sydney match . . . Breast Cancer Network Australia is calling on 13,000 people - representing the number of Australians diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 - to stand together and create the first ever Sydney Field of Women (forming the shape of a 'Pink Lady' silhouette) before the Sydney Swans v St Kilda match on Saturday evening, 11 August 2007. I have been fortunate to watch a video presentation of the inaugural Field of Women held in 2005 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which can only be described as visually spectacular and emotional. Then it required 11,500 women in pink ponchos and 100 men in blue ponchos - representing the number of women and men diagnosed with the disease in that year. This year we need 13,000. So far 7932 have registered. The Article Anita Quigley/DailyTelegraph/01Aug07 Dinosaurs back from the brink Far from being extinct, power forwards are flourishing since the AFL introduced legislation to protect the species . . . Being a height challenged person myself, I rejoiced in the resurgence of the "in and under" player who makes up for his lack of height with an abundance of heart. This week I am going to rejoice at the resurgence of another type of AFL player - the big marking forward. Albeit I rejoice with less fervour as I did with the little guys, but I am rejoicing none the less. This game was in danger of becoming a cloning factory where 6'2" running players became the standard. Teams would comprise 18 Cameron Bruce look-alikes - players who could run all day, mark overhead as well as compete on the ground. The type of player who can play in defence when needed, run through the midfield, and also be damaging out of the goal square. No offence to Cameron, but we risked losing a unique selling point of our game; that we cater for all sizes and shapes. Obviously some shapes aren't conducive to footy at the elite level but you can get away with most sizes. Unlike basketball where anyone under 6'4" is considered a freak. When Lockett, Dunstall, Brereton and Carey hung up their boots, many thought an era had ended. The new maintain possession style of football had emerged and signalled the end of the high-marking forward. Why have a bloke who can take a contested mark when we no longer kick it to a contest? The Article Nathan Burke InsideFootball/01Aug07 The father of modern football Thirty years ago, Allen Aylett won a tight election to become president of the VFL. Doug Ackerly explains how different Australian football may have been had he not scraped in . . . In early October, 1976, Sir Maurice Nathan announced that he would be stepping down after five years as (VFL) president. There was a chance for generational change all around, with 47-year-old Jack Hamilton replacing Eric McCutchan as VFL general manager a week later. North Melbourne coach Ron Barassi publicly encouraged his president to go for the job. But Footscray and Carlton immediately threw their support behind VFL vice-president, Graham Huggins, the 55-year-old company director who had been president of St Kilda for 17 years . . . Huggins' widow, June, says he didn't discuss his vote with her, but that he was convinced that "the game wouldn't go forward if it didn't go national. I really think that Graham would have always gone for Allen". John Hennessy, later the VFL's corporate planner for five years, confirms Huggins' position. The Article Doug Ackerly RealFooty/01Aug07 Irish stew over Gaelic raids Fearing that recruiting by Australian clubs in Ireland may become a plunder, the Gaelic Athletic Association wants the AFL to restrict clubs from making a wholesale advance into the Gaelic game. GAA head of games Pat Daly praised the AFL for its governance with the draft and salary cap, claiming that the tight controls should be extended to include Ireland. "We have some concerns," Daly said last night from Dublin. "We don't want to see a situation where AFL clubs simply come in and cherry-pick our best players. We understand it is a free world and if players want to go and play professional sport they are fully entitled to. But we'd like to think it would be done in an organised way, not the ad hoc, piecemeal approach from clubs at the moment. In a governance context, we admire a lot of what they do and the way in which they do it. It wouldn't extend them unduly to bring that level of professionalism to this area so it is regulated the same way as their own draft system." The Article Malcolm Conn/TheAustralian/03Aug07 Start Ireland football school A prominent player agent has urged the AFL to establish an Aussie Rules academy in Ireland rather than investing heavily on development in South Africa. Peter Jess, who has been involved in recruiting Irish players for nearly two decades, says a training academy would allow the AFL to control and cap the number of players recruited. Unrest is growing in Ireland with AFL clubs targeting more young Gaelic footballers. Jess said soccer academies in Ireland were already identifying young players for top leagues. He queried why the AFL would not further develop Ireland, a proven recruiting ground. "The AFL should focus on an AFL academy being set up in Europe, preferably in Ireland, to give a pathway for young footballers to get into AFL rather than spending a heap of money in the African continent," he said. Jess recently returned from Ireland where up to 10 AFL clubs were watching Gaelic players in the Leinster series. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/31Jul07 Clubs prepare to raid Irish talent Malcolm Conn/TheAustralian/31Jul07 Poachers worry Irish Daryl Timms/HeraldSun/01Aug07 GO BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
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RL MEDIA CONFERENCE
JASON BLAKE
