Farmer's Walk - Daniel Merrett
Fingal's Fingers - Will Minson
Car Walk - Dean Brogan
Atlas Stones - Aaron Sandilands
There is the World's Strongest Man competition, which is for individual competitors, as well as other strength events that have teams competing. These team competitions have relays with the team of strongmen being timed as they complete several tasks of strength.
A strong person is needed for the Farmer's Walk, and maybe Merrett could stroll along with 300 pounds in each hand. The Fingal's Fingers are giant poles, a bit like big goal-posts, that are hinged at the ground and need to be lifted from the horizontal to past the vertical, strength and height are assets for this event and Minson might be a good choice.
Dean Brogan has been important in the engine room of the Port Adelaide midfield, in this strength event he would replace the engine as the car would be put on his shoulders and he would walk along with it. The Atlas Stones are giant rocks that need to be lifted onto a platform, taller competitors have the advantage here, especially if they can get their arms around the entire boulder, so maybe big Sandilands could do it.
Additional Competitors:
Ben Rutten - Husafell Stone (a giant rock, very heavy and difficult to hold)
Brendon Lade - Keg Toss (throwing large kegs over a high wall)
Quinten Lynch - Truck Pull (a truck is pulled along a course in this timed event)
Leave a comment to suggest other worthy AFL players for the strength events.
Anaconda - Levi Greenwood
Commando - Dean Solomon
Condor - Daniel Connors
Cougar - Luke Hodge
Force - Barry Hall
Hammer - Campbell Brown
Predator - Steven Baker
Taipan - Brady Rawlings
Tornado - Chris Tarrant
Tower - Aaron Sandilands
Tripod - Cain Ackland
Vulcan - Nathan Lovett-Murray
Retired Players Who Might Have Belonged On The show.
Anaconda - Paul Kelly
Commando - Glenn Archer
Condor - Gavin Brown
Cougar - Anthony Koutoufides *
Force - Tony Lockett
Hammer - Mark Ricciuto
Predator - Dean Wallis
Taipan - Ryan O'Connor
Tornado - Fraser Brown
Tower - Damien Monkhorst
Tripod - Robert Dipierdomenico
Vulcan - Byron Pickett
* = Koutoufides is supposed to be on the new show.
The TV show Gladiators must not have been watched by a lot of people, as it was cancelled a long time ago. It is coming back to TV in 2008, reportedly with a former Carlton player on it, but there are plenty of current and retired players who would have been perfect for the show, and would have helped with the ratings.
Foll Rhett Biglands, Tyson Edwards, Michael Doughty
bench Bryce Campbell, Ken McGregor, Robert Shirley, Brad Symes
The youngest 18 players on the AFL lists were covered in the Future Forces posts, and that provided a look at what teams will have a few years from now and how well they have been drafting in recent years.
The oldest 22 players for each team won’t be compared to other teams, as they were in the Future Forces posts, but they will still provide some interesting knowledge. If there is half a team younger than a player, then it is time the player stepped up and achieved their potential. If an older player is not a regular starter for the team at senior level, then it might be their last year on the list. The 22 oldest players are the ones who will have a big say in the success of the club in 2008.
Brett Deledio
Jake King
David Wojcinski
Danyle Pearce
Some quick players from the AFL have been chosen for this imaginary team, so it was an easier task than selecting the various AFL players for some of the other sports.
Deledio and King are a couple of fast Tigers, everyone attending Geelong games enjoys it when Wojcinski has the chance to sprint through the middle and not many AFL players are able to stop Pearce when he is at his top speed.
Fraser Gehrig may look a bit like that Shirvington runner, and maybe back in his West Coast days Gehrig would have gotten a spot in this running team, but coming out of retirement Gehrig won't be running more than 40m on a lead. Collingwood's Ben Johnson didn't make the team either.
If the idea was to pick four players from the same AFL team, then maybe the Tigers or Bulldogs would be the ones with the fastest 4 X 100 relay team.
Anthony Koutoufides could be following in the footsteps of Mike Whitney, Kimberley Joseph, John Alexander and some guy called Condor as he is reportedly going to appear on the TV show Gladiators.
FORMER Carlton great Anthony Koutoufides and the former golden girl of Australian athletics, Tatiana Grigorieva, are to star in a new version of TV's Gladiators.
Koutoufides and Grigorieva have been in Sydney recently attending rehearsals for the show and learning the various challenges that will be set for the gladiators.
The important part of this is the name that he will have, if he is a gladiator. Maybe they just stay with Kouta, but that isn’t as intimidating as previous gladiator names like Predator, Hammer and Vulcan. Maybe they will call Koutoufides a name like Poseidon, or if they go for an animal name then Jaguar or another fierce animal that can leap might be a good name.
Bruce and Green could provide a lot of skill to any type of sporting team, while Chapman would be perfect for working for the puck in the corner. Byrnes is fast on grass and would be faster on skates, Corey is a very balanced player in AFL and that is also important on the ice and Daniel Pratt would provide some more hardness to their line. Harris, Adcock and Guerra will all battle for the football and would be the same when the puck was their target.
Sometimes things are not going well for a hockey team and they just need to shake things up. The enforcer line of Solomon, Mooney and Gehrig may not score a lot of goals but they would get their name announced a lot as they headed to the penalty box.
Defensemen need several attributes to play ice hockey, and the players selected here all have some strength, length and speed. Campbell Brown could hit people constantly, and instead of getting a two-week suspension he would only get a two-minute penalty.
The goalies need to have quick reflexes and an attitude of never giving up, or as Corey Hart would sing, to Never Surrender. As Kirk and Cross both make quick decisions, and handballs in the traffic of the AFL centre square, they should also be able to move quick enough to stop the puck.
Melbourne’s new forward Addam Maric may not be the biggest or fastest player from the 2007 AFL draft, but he knows how to kick the ball. In the story from the Melbourne site, Maric tells how he kicks so accurately for goal.
“You don’t really work on kicking around the goals in a game sense as such, it was more my set shots that I worked on a little bit, and I came up with the right technique which works for me.
“I don’t have a set amount of steps that I walk back, but I do go back a long way because I get a lot of momentum and I find I kick better that way,” the 17-year-old said.
“I don’t look at the sticks, I’ll look at something behind it and aim for that, so even if it’s that building over there [pointing across the street from Junction Oval], it doesn’t matter if I can’t make that distance; I’ll try and hit it.
LT Ben Rutten
LG Luke Hodge
C Nathan Bock
RG Jordan Lewis
RT Nathan Carroll
TE Travis Cloke
WR Lance Franklin
WR Adam McPhee
QB Matthew Pavlich
FB Levi Greenwood
RB David Wojcinski
Defensive Starters
LDE Adam Bentick
LDT Drew Petrie
RDT Dean Solomon
RDE Shane Tuck
OLB Adam Selwood
MLB Adam Hunter
OLB Harry O'Brien
CB Andrew Embley
CB Jason Gram
FS Chad Cornes
SS Nathan Lovett-Murray
Special Teams
Punter Anthony Rocca
Kicker Scott Lucas
Long Snapper Mark Jamar
Kick Returner Alwyn Davey
Backup QB Chris Judd
Backup RB Brett Deledio
Add 50kg, maybe 100kg, and many AFL footballers would be great in the NFL. Here are some candidates from AFL for all the NFL positions, not just the punting spot.
The ideal NFL quarterback is around the same size as Pavlich, and as Matthew Pavlich plays in the highest profile spot in AFL he should be able to do it in the highest profile NFL position for this fictitious team. Pavlich has previously played in the midfield for the Dockers, so he knows how to distribute the ball. Quarterbacks get their share of concussions, so a quality backup is needed and Judd can fill that spot, he can really see the field and would also be capable of running for a first down too if there was nobody open to pass to. It is a pity that Andrew Jarman no longer plays, as no AFL footballer threw the ball as much as he did.
An effective running game is one of the keys to success in the NFL, David Wojcinski has the pace and evading skills to get yardage. A blocking back can be used to clear the way, and AFL newcomer Levi Greenwood is the right build. He could also be used in short yardage situations, running through people to get into the endzone. Deledio can run too, so he gets a spot on the bench. Once again, a former Crow would have been great for this team, Mark Ricciuto would have been a perfect NFL full back.
Adam McPhee has a safe pair of hands, he is often Riewoldt-like, so he can play in a wide receiver spot. Lance Franklin has the height and speed to trouble plenty of cornerbacks. The tight end is often a strong player who can block as well as bring in catches, Travis Cloke marked a lot of the football in 2007 and could catch the NFL variety too.
The offensive line needs some big bodies to protect the quarterback and Bock, Rutten and Carroll provide some size. Hodge and Lewis at Hawthorn enjoy the physical aspect of the game too.
If one Rocca can be a punter then another one can too. Another important position on special teams is the field goal kicker, Lucas has the leg for that. Mark Jamar gets a spot as the long snapper, it isn't a type of fish it is the person who sends the ball to the punter. Teams often have a specialist kick returner, a little guy with outstanding quickness who can run 90 yards for the touchdown on the kick return, Alwyn Davey would be suited to that.
The defensive line needs some people with size and who want to knock people over. Solomon has been known to hit people, Petrie is tall and strong and can get a lot more tackles in the AFL than people expect. Bentick likes the contests in AFL to win the ball from stoppages and he is also adept at tackling, and he would be just as tenacious as he goes after the quarterback, and Tuck is a player who works hard and is a strong tackler.
The linebackers need to be able to stop the run as well as sometimes play against wide receivers. Adam Hunter can switch from one role to another in the AFL and make an instant impact, in the NFL he could be double-teaming wide receivers on one play and sacking the quarterback on the next. O'Brien is a good AFL defender and some of what he does would work in the NFL and A Selwood would be a good fit too.
Chad Cornes is great at being a loose defender and cutting off passes to opposition forwards in the AFL, in the NFL he could be a free safety who reads what the quarterback is trying to do and intercepts passes. Lovett-Murray is mobile for his size and also likes running into players, so he would be a good fit in the secondary too. Gram and Embley can cover a lot of ground and should be able to keep up with wide receivers.
With a top 4 finish in the NFL fantasy league, the AFL Insider NFL team advanced to the playoffs. A close win in the semi final, despite some players playing in snow, had the team in the league title game. It was a big win, due in part to the other team’s star player breaking his leg on the first play that he had the ball.
One thing to learn from NFL fantasy that can be applied to AFL fantasy is the change in statistics that weather can bring. A blizzard can really bring down a quarterback’s numbers, and while not as remarkable as that, there are some AFL players that function much better under a roof than on the MCG during July and August of the AFL season.
Here are the players who played in the NFL fantasy league title game.
1 Brad Johnson - opening batsman
2 Scott Welsh - opening batsman
3 Russell Robertson - batsman
4 Brent Staker - batsman
5 Nick Davis - batsman
6 Courtney Johns - allrounder
7 Josh Carr - wicketkeeper
8 Ryan O'Keefe - spin bowler
9 Jonathan Brown - fast bowler
10 Dustin Fletcher - fast bowler
11 Simon Taylor - fast bowler
12th man Luke Jericho
Plenty of AFL players have played cricket at a high level but this team does not take that into account. This team is selected by using their physical size and ability and how their skills could translate to another sport.
Johnson and Welsh will be opening for the Bulldogs in 2008 and will need to put a big score on the board, they should be able to combine for a 50 partnership, in both sports. Robertson and Davis have great hand-eye coordination and should be able to punish bowlers. Staker is from New South Wales, so they always have to make the cricket team.
The wicketkeepers need to be able to catch the ball, and also chatter non-stop to annoy the batsmen, J Carr can do that. Courtney Johns can fill a Simon O'Donnell role, smashing the ball when he gets a chance to bat and providing some backup bowling too. Back in the VFL days, Simon O'Donnell filled somewhat of a Courtney Johns role.
Taylor and Fletcher bring the Bruce Reid length that a fast bowler needs. R O'Keefe is very skilful with the football and might be able to transfer that to cricket. Every cricket team needs a bowler that scares the opposition, Brown has shown he can do that with the ball in his hand.
Luke Jericho seems to fill the "12th man" role for the Crows, so he should be used to not playing on this imaginary cricket team as well.
Co FB Danny Stanley, Nathan Brown, Tobias Thoolen
Ha FF Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Luke McEntee
Co HB John Anthony, Tyson Goldsack, Alan Toovey
Ha HF Beau Dowler, Lance Franklin, Travis Tuck
Co C John McCarthy, Marty Clarke, Jaxson Barham
Ha C Beau Muston, Josh Kennedy, Xavier Ellis
Co HF Dale Thomas, Travis Cloke, Chris Dawes
Ha HB Grant Birchall, Thomas Murphy, Mitchell Thorp
Co FF Brad Dick, Ben Reid, Ryan Cook
Ha FB Brendan Whitecross, Brent Renouf, Jarryd Morton
Co Foll Cameron Wood, Scott Pendlebury, Sam Iles
Ha Foll Max Bailey, Jordan Lewis, Garry Moss
Winner: Collingwood
Here are two teams that used their draft picks wisely, grabbing big key position players who can dominate a game as well as drafting smaller players with great skill.
The Magpies selected Reid, Brown, Goldsack and Dawes to fill important positions on the field in the future. With Collingwood also taking Cloke as a father-son pick and trading a draft pick for ruckman Cameron Wood, it means the Magpies have the big positions under control for the next decade. The Hawks also made sure they went big when drafting with Franklin, Roughead, Bailey, Thorp, Dowler and Renouf. The Hawks are getting results from some of that group already, and in a few years they could all play a part in a Hawthorn premiership.
When comparing their youngest 18 players, the taller players might cancel each other out and leaves the matchup to be decided by the smalls. Thomas, Pendlebury and Clarke may just have the advantage over Lewis, Ellis and Rioli.
Both of these clubs are contenders at the moment, and when looking at their 18 youngest players it seems that the Magpies and Hawks can be contenders for many years to come.
1 Anthony Rocca
2 Jonathan Brown
3 Trent Croad
4 Cameron Mooney
5 Quinten Lynch
6 David Neitz
7 Barry Hall
8 Daniel Merrett
It used to be an Olympic sport, and maybe it should be again, leave a comment if you think that synchronized diving is a sport and tug of war isn't one.
Strength and mass are needed in large quantities here, and for this team there won't be any weight limits as there are different weight classes in the actual tug of war competitions, just a team of 8 AFL players on the rope.
While mass is important, a low centre of gravity would also seem to be an asset, so selecting players is a bit tricky. Maybe the ruckmen would be too tall, while most of the shorter players would not be heavy enough. So a group of very solidly-built key position players was used.
There would probably be no other collection of AFL footballers who could defeat the above group of eight giants, who collectively weigh around 810 kilograms.
Ha FB Brendan Whitecross, Brent Renouf, Luke McEntee
Ri FF Matthew White, Cleve Hughes, Dean Putt
Ha HB Mitchell Thorp, Thomas Murphy, Grant Birchall
Ri HF David Gourdis, Jack Riewoldt, Travis Casserly
Ha C Beau Muston, Josh Kennedy, Xavier Ellis
Ri C Richard Tambling, Daniel Connors, Shane Edwards
Ha HF Beau Dowler, Lance Franklin, Travis Tuck
Ri HB Dean Polo, Alex Rance, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls
Ha FF Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Jarryd Morton
Ri FB Andrew Collins, Luke McGuane, Mitch Morton
Ha Foll Max Bailey, Jordan Lewis, Garry Moss
Ri Foll Angus Graham, Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin
Winner: Hawthorn
The Tigers are a few years behind the Hawks when it comes to rebuilding through the draft, and they may not have had as many high draft picks to use as they traded away a few and the Hawks traded for a few extra. So Hawthorn have the better collection of youth at the moment, but there is the potential for Richmond to build a contender like the Hawks have. Tall players like Riewoldt and Rance could one day be mentioned alongside Franklin and Thorp while Cotchin, Connors, Edwards and maybe Tambling will grow into an exciting midfield group like the Hawks currently have.
It might have been better if the Bulldogs were able to keep this quiet, but it isn't easy to hide someone who is at least 202cm.
Ayce Cordy is probably going to end up at the Bulldogs, but there could be a lot of clubs putting in bids which will drive the price higher. The Bulldogs will need to use at least a second rounder to select him, maybe even a first but that would depend on where they finish on the ladder next season.
Ayce Cordy, whose father Brian played 124 matches for Footscray between 1981 and 1988, is firming as a potential father-son selection at Whitten Oval.
Cordy, who is also a promising basketballer, will spend a week training with the Bulldogs early in the New Year in what might be a sneak peek of his future home.
Adelaide - A new coach, or at least a new coaching philosophy.
Somewhere there is probably betting for the first coach to be fired, and the Adelaide one might be the favourite.
Brisbane - An effective number two forward option.
A better Clark or a surprising Henderson, those are a couple of players to consider although the thing that Brisbane fans want to see again is Brown and Bradshaw and it seems that Bradshaw is on schedule for season 2008.
Carlton - A centre half forward.
The candidates at the moment are Hartlett, Hampson, Cloke, Ackland and Austin, so maybe their 2008 first rounder will be what fixes that problem. They can always move Waite or S O'hAilpin forward, but then they will be looking for a tall defender.
Collingwood - A great leader to emerge from the pack.
They do need to find a new captain but it is a difficult choice to make.
Essendon - Success with a new coach who used to play at Richmond.
A long time ago there may have been a few Essendon supporters who were unsure of their new coach at the time, Kevin Sheedy, but that seemed to work out well for them. Now they enter the days of Knights.
Fremantle - A return to their form of 2006.
It wasn't that far back when they were only a few goals away from a Grand Final.
Geelong - The 2007 Grand Final DVD.
They had all their Christmases at once in September.
Hawthorn - A VFL premiership.
They already asked for the AFL premiership, actually two of them, and a VFL one is also a chance as they have a lot of talent on their list.
Kangaroos - Sponsors and Members.
Their numbers are reportedly increasing.
Melbourne - Port Adelaide's success
Hawthorn brings in someone from Port Adelaide to coach them and things improved, Melbourne want that to happen too, and to happen quickly.
Port Adelaide - Another family draft pick in 2008.
The Cornes, Motlops, Westhoffs, Burgoynes, they are probably already scouting relatives of other players, except for another Deluca.
Richmond - Less media, and more winning, from the coach.
It is about time they started to win a few games.
St Kilda - A game from a Gardiner.
A fun game for Saints fans might be to choose who plays more games, Charlie or Michael.
Sydney - One more big year from their older players.
Kirk is still performing but Hall, Barry and O'Loughlin are starting to slow down.
West Coast - No more off-field related news.
Their coach might be knowledgeable in the area of pharmaceuticals but he would probably prefer to be asked football questions.
Western Bulldogs - Bulk.
They should be telling their players to eat as much as they want at Christmas.
A Christmas song, or maybe a midseason holiday by supporters of the Demons.
It isn’t a surprise to see that Carlton have the youngest list in the AFL, and when it is noted that they also have players like Fevola they could also be called the most immature team too.
The Eagles and Hawks are also loaded with youth, but a Grand Final spot in 2008 is not an unrealistic expectation.
According to the article from The Age, Fremantle are the oldest club when their ages are averaged out. They certainly don’t play like they have an experience advantage over their opponents.
The Blues have no player over 30 — Jason Saddington, who just turned 28, is the eldest — and no player who has reached 200 games, making them the least experienced side in the competition.
For instance, the second youngest side is West Coast, whose players, on average, are just 21 days older than Carlton, yet whose premiership window is perceived as being very much open.
Co FB Tobias Thoolen, Nathan Brown, Alan Toovey
Ge FF Dawson Simpson, Tom Hawkins, Ryan Gamble
Co HB Danny Stanley, Tyson Goldsack, John Anthony
Ge HF Mathew Stokes, Scott Simpson, Nathan Ablett
Co C John McCarthy, Marty Clarke, Jaxson Barham
Ge C Jason Davenport, Joel Selwood, Travis Varcoe
Co HF Dale Thomas, Travis Cloke, Chris Dawes
Ge HB Adam Donohue, Harry Taylor, Trent West
Co FF Brad Dick, Ben Reid, Ryan Cook
Ge FB Brent Prismall, Dan McKenna, Nathan Djerrkura
Co Foll Cameron Wood, Scott Pendlebury, Sam Iles
Ge Foll Mark Blake, Kane Tenace, Simon Hogan
Winner: Collingwood
This contest could be just as exciting as their match in the finals, and just as close. The Geelong side here is made up of players with premiership medals from the AFL and VFL, but Collingwood might have the edge as included in their 18 youngest players are Thomas, Pendlebury, Clarke, Cloke and Wood.
It just qualifies as a team sport, as there can be two players on a team. So this might be the best doubles team using AFL players and choosing them due to their physical ability and skills.
Daniel Motlop and Corey Jones. While both of these AFL players do contribute to their team's success, they also have some freakish individual skills that make them stand out. If Motlop is kicking goals on his wrong foot, 50m out on the boundary then he should be able to judge a drop-shot from the baseline. Jones is sometimes a marking forward and other times plays in a midfield role, on the tennis court he could be tall enough to send down some power serves and also mobile enough to engage in long rallies.
To copy Woodforde and Woodbridge, it could be the bigger Cameron Ling paired with his little friend, maybe Shannon Byrnes as he could cover the court.
Ri FB Andrew Collins, Luke McGuane, Matthew White
Ca FF Eddie Betts, Shaun Grigg, Ryan Jackson
Ri HB Dean Polo, Alex Rance, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls
Ca HF Jordan Russell, Shaun Hampson, Dennis Armfield
Ri C Richard Tambling, Daniel Connors, Shane Edwards
Ca C Clint Benjamin, Luke Blackwell, Steven Browne
Ri HF David Gourdis, Jack Riewoldt, Travis Casserly
Ca HB Andrew Walker, Mark Austin, Darren Pfeiffer
Ri FF Dean Putt, Cleve Hughes, Mitch Morton
Ca FB Jake Edwards, Paul Bower, Joe Anderson
Ri Foll Angus Graham, Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin
Ca Foll Matthew Kreuzer, Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs
Winner: Richmond
The Tigers have a big forward line, and Carlton don't really have enough height to combat them. Down the other end, the Tigers have good balance in their back line and they should be able to handle whoever plays forward for Carlton. Kreuzer would have to be better than Graham in the ruck, but that might be the only clear win for Carlton, as the other midfield spots might be an even contest.
It was definitely a good idea for the Demons to move along Travis Johnstone, and “Old Grimey” who they drafted with the pick they acquired for Johnstone should have a great career with Melbourne, but it seems the trade does come with a cost. Melbourne are going to be paying a big chunk of Johnstone’s salary.
Some other times when this has occurred may have been when Woewodin went to Collingwood and Rawlings was traded from the Bulldogs to the Kangaroos. So this may not be the first time that Melbourne paid someone to play against them.
MELBOURNE will continue to pay former midfielder and 1997 No. 1 draft pick Travis Johnstone $200,000 next year, despite the 27-year-old being traded to the Brisbane Lions in October.
It's not uncommon for clubs to pay their former players at rival clubs and Melbourne's actions are in line with AFL rules, which call for a former club to make up the shortfall in a player's contract if his new club does not meet the terms of his previous club.
Ha FB Brendan Whitecross, Brent Renouf, Luke McEntee
PA FF Robert Gray, Matthew Lobbe, Hugh Minson
Ha HB Grant Birchall, Thomas Murphy, Xavier Ellis
PA HF Matthew Westhoff, Justin Westhoff, Marlon Motlop
Ha C Beau Muston, Josh Kennedy, Travis Tuck
PA C Nathan Krakouer, Matt Thomas, Travis Boak
Ha HF Beau Dowler, Lance Franklin, Mitchell Thorp
PA HB Jonathan Giles, Paul Stewart, Nick Lower
Ha FF Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Jarryd Morton
PA FB Mitchell Farmer, Alipate Carlile, Ryan Williams
Ha Foll Max Bailey, Jordan Lewis, Garry Moss
PA Foll Fabian Deluca, Adam Thomson, Greg Bentley
Winner: Hawthorn
Port Adelaide have the talent to get close to Hawthorn, when comparing their youngest 18 players, but the Hawks would prevail with a lot more forward firepower and an edge in the ruck.
M Danyle Pearce
M Dale Thomas
M Dean Solomon
M Daniel Wells
D Lindsay Gilbee
D Chad Cornes
D Sam Fisher
G Dustin Fletcher
It seems that Mr T is not a fan of soccer players diving, but when putting together a soccer team it is something that coaches want among their strikers, as well as great foot skills. Those three can kick plenty of goals in the AFL, and could be a formidable combination of a couple of big targets and a fast complimentary player that would work in soccer. If they kicked one goal per game they would be considered a superstar, and all of them could do that, although there might be some arguing between Lloyd and Fevola for who would take the penalty kicks.
Thomas is the midfielder who controls the ball and sets up the play. Solomon is the defensive stopper in the middle, accumulating red cards. The outside midfielders are the speedy Pearce and Wells.
Cornes and Fisher provide the height and mobility to play against many types of soccer forwards. Gilbee's foot skills should translate into soccer.
Putting Fletcher in the goalkeeper spot makes sense, with his height and long arms, and he has shown in the Irish games he can play there. Dean Cox, who is even taller than Fletcher, would also be someone to consider for that position.
Co FB Tobias Thoolen, Nathan Brown, John Anthony
Es FF Jay Neagle, Cale Hooker, Andrew Lee
Co HB Danny Stanley, Tyson Goldsack, Alan Toovey
Es HF Angus Monfries, Scott Gumbleton, Samuel Lonergan
Co C John McCarthy, Marty Clarke, Jaxson Barham
Es C David Myers, Courtney Dempsey, Leroy Jetta
Co HF Dale Thomas, Travis Cloke, Chris Dawes
Es HB Bachar Houli, Patrick Ryder, Darcy Daniher
Co FF Brad Dick, Ben Reid, Ryan Cook
Es FB Heath Hocking, Tayte Pears, Kyle Reimers
Co Foll Cameron Wood, Scott Pendlebury, Sam Iles
Es Foll Tom Bellchambers, Tom Hislop, John Williams
Winner: Collingwood
There are some big matchups along the spine, and while the Bombers have Ryder and Gumbleton it may not be enough against Cloke, Reid, Brown and Goldsack. Collingwood also have big Dawes, who has overcome his knee problem. The midfields for both clubs are very good, as the Bombers have players like Hislop, Myers and Jetta while Collingwood have Pendlebury and Clarke and also Wood in the ruck.
If there was one thing Brisbane fans were going to worry about it was the “go home factor” for Matthew Leuenberger. It is an early Christmas present for them as Leuenberger has extended his contract.
Leuenberger will be a huge part of Brisbane’s future success but he may also be getting an award for himself next year. Leuenberger should be eligible for the Rising Star Award in 2008, and the AFL might want to get an early start on putting his name on the trophy.
Choose any sport in the world, and a team will be made for it comprised of AFL footballers. Just leave a comment below, to suggest a team sport. Any sport, even obscure ones like jai-alai or soccer. A starting lineup or an entire team will be posted. You can also post your own idea for the AFL players who could form a team from other sports.
The teams will use players that have the right physical attributes for the sport, sometimes taking into account how they play AFL and if that would suit the other sport and also considering their sporting smarts as well, so there won't usually be players who are actually proficient at the other sport. There may be some unintended times when the AFL players did play the other sport, like Brogan below, but the players will be chosen only on their potential ability to play the sport.
Basketball
SF Patrick Ryder
PF Peter Street
C Aaron Sandilands
PG Sam Mitchell
SG Adam Goodes
Max Bailey - C
Dean Cox - F/C
Matthew Richardson - G/F
David Wojcinski - PG
Dean Brogan - PF
Luke McPharlin - G/F
David Gourdis - SG
Not too difficult, just choose the biggest players. Sandilands is the big centre a basketball team would need. Street should be a good player for shotblocking in a power forward and centre role. Mitchell is the on-field general for the Hawks, so he can be an on-court leader at point guard. He isn't the quickest player, so backing up Mitchell at the point guard position could be Wojcinski. Wojcinski has shown he can bounce a ball as he speeds past defenders.
With the centre and point guard spots under control, help at shooting guard and small forward is needed. Goodes and Ryder are athletic, rangy players and their size would seem right. Richardson may be a big guy on the AFL field, but in basketball he is a small forward, the same for Luke McPharlin. Gourdis can jump, always a good thing, and he probably has more basketball talent than Brett Rainbow anyway.
Bailey, Cox and Brogan are more size on the imaginary bench. Although Brogan has been there in real life too. Bailey seems like a backup centre but maybe Cox, with his agility and skills, would be someone who could play two or three positions on a basketball team.
A lot of teams are making big profits now, so they should start following the lead of West Coast and Collingwood and start spending their money on identifying future stars around Australia, and also the world. Collingwood have found another prospect, although at 202cm he would not be hard to spot.
Lachlan Keefe will be joining Collingwood in a year’s time as a rookie selection. The Magpies should be able to develop him into a versatile player.
EVER willing to recruit from unconventional places, Collingwood has signed a super-tall, teenage soccer player from Gympie in Queensland who has barely played Australian football.
It is understood that the aggressive Magpies fended off interest from other clubs, including Brisbane and Hawthorn, to sign Keefe.
Collingwood also have Scott Reed, a key position prospect from the NSW scholarship program, to choose in the future. So the 2008 draft is already underway at Collingwood.
Me FB Jace Bode, James Frawley, Kyle Cheney
Ge FF Travis Varcoe, Tom Hawkins, Ryan Gamble
Me HB Ricky Petterd, Tom McNamara, Cale Morton
Ge HF Mathew Stokes, Scott Simpson, Nathan Ablett
Me C Clint Bartram, Jack Grimes, Simon Buckley
Ge C Jason Davenport, Joel Selwood, Nathan Djerrkura
Me HF Isaac Weetra, Stefan Martin, Colin Garland
Ge HB Adam Donohue, Harry Taylor, Dawson Simpson
Me FF Addam Maric, Michael Newton, Matthew Bate
Ge FB Brent Prismall, Dan McKenna, Trent West
Me Foll John Meesen, Nathan Jones, Lynden Dunn
Ge Foll Mark Blake, Kane Tenace, Simon Hogan
Winner: Geelong
There isn't a lot between the two teams of young players. J Selwood versus Grimes is something that should be a big part of the AFL for the next decade. Selwood and Blake should give Geelong the edge in the middle, and with Hawkins up forward kicking goals, and little Stokes crumbing everything Hawkins doesn't mark, the Cats move onto the next round. The Demons have a lot of potential, and the combination of Morton, Petterd and Frawley in the back half would make the Demons very competitive.
There is an interesting article at the Melbourne site, while it is mostly about their star player Cameron Bruce it also talks about how the new Melbourne team is a lot younger now. With the delisting, and trading away, of several of their older players there is now a fresh list for Melbourne to use in 2008.
The new coach at Melbourne will be able to shape the team how he wants it as over half their list is under 22 years of age.
While the Demons would like to turn things around quickly, and injuries will be very important for that in 2008, it is a few years after that for when the Demons should be looking for success. As long as they are able to find a player or two for their key forward spots when Neitz retires, the Demons of 2010 should be a good team.
“Chris Connolly told us the other day that 55 per cent of the list is now under 22,” Bruce said.
“The amount of injuries we had last year, I mean there is a correlation between the amount of games missed by players and how well your team goes, so we’ve got to be keeping our best players out on the park.”
WB FB Easton Wood, Tom Williams, Guy O'Keefe
Ca FF Eddie Betts, Shaun Grigg, Ryan Jackson
WB HB Andrejs Everitt, Paul O'Shea, Callan Ward
Ca HF Jake Edwards, Shaun Hampson, Dennis Armfield
WB C Malcolm Lynch, Dylan Addison, Sam Reid
Ca C Clint Benjamin, Luke Blackwell, Andrew Walker
WB HF Brennan Stack, Jarrad Grant, Josh Hill
Ca HB Steven Browne, Mark Austin, Darren Pfeiffer
WB FF Shaun Higgins, Stephen Tiller, Jarrod Harbrow
Ca FB Joe Anderson, Paul Bower, Jordan Russell
WB Foll Jarrad Boumann, Ryan Griffen, Farren Ray
Ca Foll Matthew Kreuzer, Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs
Winner: Carlton
The amount of number 1 picks the Blues have playing for them here should get them the win. Carlton also have the edge for young ruckmen. There probably would not be a lot of goals scored, as neither team is loaded with key forwards. The Bulldogs would be very quick when they had the ball, but Carlton also have some speed among their younger players.
"Scott wasn't a huge focal point, we haven't had a huge focal point for us for two or three years," Craig said today.
"There's (Brett) Burton, (Jason) Porplyzia, Bernie Vince, and it's time some of our midfielders spent more time up there as well, a Thompson . . . Goodwin I'm sure can play damaging football up there, Tyson Edwards, (Andrew) McLeod, so we're pretty confident we can get the personnel up there."
The Crows key forward has had Saturday, February 9 - the day Adelaide plays Collingwood in Dubai - etched in his mind as his long-awaited comeback game.
For Geelong to repeat in 2008 they will need to be improved by players who were not part of their winning Grand Final side. A couple of big players called Tom in key positions, and Mark Blake in the ruck, should play plenty of games next year for the Cats, and if there is a need for a smaller player in the team then Ryan Gamble is ready to play.
Gamble might be an option up forward for Geelong and he can also play in the middle if injuries hit Geelong’s onballers.
And while he still hasn't decided whether he's happier kicking goals or crashing through packs in the centre, Gamble said Riccardi was the perfect example of being able to do both.
He recently moved in with Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel, gets advice from Cameron Ling and Darren Milburn and wants to develop Joel Corey's ferocious attack on the ball.
Ri FB Andrew Collins, Luke McGuane, Matthew White
SK FF Adam Schneider, Jarryd Allen, Raphael Clarke
Ri HB Dean Polo, Alex Rance, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls
SK HF Jarryn Geary, Brendon Goddard, Jack Steven
Ri C Richard Tambling, Daniel Connors, Shane Edwards
SK C David Armitage, Eljay Connors, Brad Howard
Ri HF David Gourdis, Jack Riewoldt, Travis Casserly
SK HB Sam Gilbert, Matt Maguire, Jason Gram
Ri FF Dean Putt, Cleve Hughes, Mitch Morton
SK FB Matthew Ferguson, James Gwilt, Leigh Fisher
Ri Foll Angus Graham, Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin
SK Foll Ben McEvoy, Luke Ball, Nick Dal Santo
Winner: Richmond
The Tigers have a bigger team than the Saints do when their youth compete, the Tigers' Riewoldt is in this game but the Saints' Riewoldt is too old for this contest. The Deledio and Cotchin versus Ball and Dal Santo battle would be a highlight.
The players that were added to the Crows and Power in the recent drafts, and who did not previously have an affiliation to a team in the SANFL, now have local homes with the SANFL mini draft.
Round 1
1 West Adelaide: Brad Moran - Adelaide
2 South Adelaide: Andy Otten - Adelaide
3 Norwood: Taylor Walker - Adelaide
4 Port Adelaide Magpies: Matthew Lobbe – Port Adelaide
The good news at Collingwood is that they have a lot of solid candidates to be the next captain. The bad news is it is very difficult to choose as no one player really stands out from the others.
Tarkyn Lockyer – A solid choice and he seems to really want it.
Nick Maxwell – Might be the frontrunner at the moment, with the number on his back too.
Heath Shaw – Has the name, and the game, to be captain.
Scott Pendlebury – If the choice was being made in a year or two he would be a big chance.
Anthony Rocca – Some would like to see him take on a leadership role again but it looks like he is only an outside chance to be captain.
Josh Fraser – The big guy in the ruck, a former number 1 draft choice, maybe not vocal enough.
Scott Burns – Probably the most deserving, but would only be captain for a short time.
Dane Swan – Another possible captain.
Dale Thomas – If it was like a TV show and people phoned in their votes, he would be the next captain.
“It would be awesome, it would be unreal I reckon. Certainly it would be a tremendous honour and something that I would definitely cherish,” Lockyer replied when asked about his leadership aspirations following a visit by Magpie players to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Lockyer said coach Mick Malthouse would ponder the decision over the holiday period, with his decision, he suspected, to be made public shortly before the commencement of the NAB Cup.
Ha FB Brendan Whitecross, Brent Renouf, Jarryd Morton
Sy FF Daniel O'Keefe, Heath Grundy, Paul Bevan
Ha HB Grant Birchall, Thomas Murphy, Xavier Ellis
Sy HF Jarred Moore, Jesse White, Ryan Brabazon
Ha C Beau Muston, Josh Kennedy, Travis Tuck
Sy C Matthew Laidlaw, Tim Schmidt, Brett Meredith
Ha HF Beau Dowler, Lance Franklin, Mitchell Thorp
Sy HB Kristin Thornton, Ed Barlow, Patrick Veszpremi
Ha FF Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Luke McEntee
Sy FB Kieran Jack, Peter Faulks, Luke Brennan
Ha Foll Max Bailey, Jordan Lewis, Garry Moss
Sy Foll Daniel Currie, Craig Bird, Jarrad McVeigh
Winner: Hawthorn
The young players for the Swans here are outgunned, as the Hawks bring a lot of height, strength and skill. The Swans were winning, and picking late in the drafts, so they did not have access to a lot of the young players available. Hawthorn had a few down years, which meant high picks, so they are now loaded with young stars. The extra picks they received from the Kangaroos have also helped.
The Swans are excited about Craig Bird, and they have a lot of reasons why, as it won’t be too long until he is leading them in possessions and he will be one of the players they build the club around when the Kirk-Barry-Hall generation retire.
The Swans have given the number 14 jumper to Bird, a sign that they think he is a future star. The Swans also went into trade week with the intention of clearing out some midfield players, while moving out salary was one reason they did it another is that Bird is ready for a big role in the middle.
If Bird does follow what Paul Kelly did, then plenty of awards could be on the way to Bird in the future.
The guernsey was last pulled on by Paul Kelly who first wore the no.14 in 1991, the following year he won his first Club Champion medal. He went on to win the 1995 Brownlow along with a further three Club Champion medals in a career spanning 234 games.
Previously Bob Skilton had made the Swans number 14 famous winning nine Club Champion awards and three Brownlow Medals in 237 games. He wore the guernsey from 1956 to 1971.
A year ago, it was Ben Hudson returning from injury who was going to have to stand up in the ruck for the Crows to compete. For season 2008, Rhett Biglands needs to have an immense season or the Crows won’t be a chance for the final 8.
Tall forward Trent Hentschel is another Crow that missed 2007 with an injury, it looks like he will also be ready to play an important part in their forward line in 2008.
RUCKMAN Rhett Biglands is on track to make his return to footy when Adelaide takes on Collingwood in Dubai on February 9.
Biglands has not played in the 15 months since snapping his anterior cruciate ligament in the Crows’ preliminary final loss to West Coast in 2006.
A lean Hentschel will join the entire playing group in Dubai, but a few niggling setbacks might set his playing return back a few weeks.
Fr FB Joshua Head, Marcus Drum, Ryan Crowley
PA FF Robert Gray, Matthew Lobbe, Hugh Minson
Fr HB David Mundy, Michael Johnson, Garrick Ibbotson
PA HF Matthew Westhoff, Justin Westhoff, Marlon Motlop
Fr C Clayton Hinkley, Brock O'Brien, Paul Duffield
PA C Nathan Krakouer, Matt Thomas, Travis Boak
Fr HF Kepler Bradley, Adam Campbell, Andrew Foster
PA HB Jonathan Giles, Paul Stewart, Nick Lower
Fr FF Christopher Mayne, Ryan Murphy, Andrew Browne
PA FB Ryan Williams, Alipate Carlile, Mitchell Farmer
Fr Foll Robert Warnock, Rhys Palmer, Byron Schammer
PA Foll Fabian Deluca, Adam Thomson, Greg Bentley
Winner: Port Adelaide
The Power have a lot of height up forward, and they would get plenty of the ball from players like Thomas, Thomson, Boak and Krakouer. The Dockers have the advantage with Warnock in the ruck, and Rhys Palmer should star too.
Van Halen had success with 5150, and now the Hawks think that their winning numbers in the future are Five 2 Fifty.
It might be a tad greedy, wanting 2 premierships instead of just targeting for one premiership in the next few years, but they might be able to do it. Their team is loaded with a lot of young players who were very high draft picks, so if they do reach the top they might stay there for a while.
Es FB Heath Hocking, Tayte Pears, Andrew Lee
Ka FF Matt Campbell, Josh Smith, Ben Warren
Es HB Darcy Daniher, Patrick Ryder, Bachar Houli
Ka HF Scott McMahon, Robert Tarrant, Ben Ross
Es C David Myers, Courtney Dempsey, Leroy Jetta
Ka C Lindsay Thomas, Leigh Adams, Benjamin Davies
Es HF Jay Neagle, Scott Gumbleton, Samuel Lonergan
Ka HB Ed Lower, Lachlan Hansen, Jesse Smith
Es FF Angus Monfries, Cale Hooker, Kyle Reimers
Ka FB Matt Riggio, Scott Thompson, Gavin Urquhart
Es Foll Tom Bellchambers, Tom Hislop, John Williams
Ka Foll Todd Goldstein, Andrew Swallow, Levi Greenwood
Winner: Essendon
The Bombers have a lot of stars from WA in key positions and they could be the difference between the two sides, Ryder and Pears in the back half and Gumbleton in the forward line. The Kangaroos also have plenty of talented young players, with Jesse Smith and Andrew Swallow leading the way.
It has been a long time since Mark Coughlan played a game for the Tigers, but for season 2008 he should be back in the team and adding something they need in the middle.
He wants to be there for the opening round of the 2008 season and he doesn't want to miss out on a single round of football.
It's no wonder, after two knee reconstructions and 18 months on the sidelines that Coughlan can't wait to be back. The Richmond midfielder is trying not to be too impatient. The the first knee reconstruction has taught him much about the process.
Here is his official profile at the Richmond site: Mark Coughlan
Co FB Tobias Thoolen, Nathan Brown, John Anthony
WC FF Tony Notte, Mitchell Brown, Mark Lecras
Co HB Danny Stanley, Tyson Goldsack, Alan Toovey
WC HF Shannon Hurn, James Thomson, Brad Ebert
Co C John McCarthy, Marty Clarke, Jaxson Barham
WC C Matt Rosa, Chris Masten, Jamie McNamara
Co HF Dale Thomas, Travis Cloke, Chris Dawes
WC HB Beau Waters, Eric MacKenzie, Matthew Spangher
Co FF Brad Dick, Ben Reid, Ryan Cook
WC FB Ben McKinley, Will Schofield, Tim Houlihan
Co Foll Cameron Wood, Scott Pendlebury, Sam Iles
WC Foll Josh Kennedy, Scott Selwood, Patrick McGinnity
Winner: Collingwood
This one was too close to call, like when they played in the recent finals, but the addition of Cameron Wood helped with the decision. He is the only real ruckman on the teams, and as that is a very important position it is an advantage to Collingwood when comparing their youth with that of the Eagles. There are plenty of stars on both sides, as the Eagles have Ebert, Rosa, Waters, The Masterpiece Chris Masten and their new Mr Kennedy while the Magpies youth include the best Cloke of the current generation, Thomas, Pendlebury, Clarke and the underrated Tyson Goldsack.
On the AFL team lists, there are a few players who have the letter V next to their name. It doesn't mean they wear number 5, and they are not rat-eating aliens either, they are categorised as Veterans. Players on the Veterans List are turning 30, or are older, and have been at their club for 10 years, and not all of their salary is counted under the salary cap.
A lot of the best players in the AFL are now listed as veterans, and here they are arranged in a fictitious team with an enormous amount of goal-scoring ability.
FB Leo Barry, Dustin Fletcher, Joel Bowden
HB Andrew McLeod, Max Hudghton, Nigel Lappin
C Shane Crawford, Scott Burns, Brent Harvey
HF Michael O'Loughlin, Matthew Lloyd, Brad Johnson
FF David Neitz, Matthew Richardson, Anthony Rocca
Foll Brendon Lade, Scott West, Robert Harvey
bench Jeff White, Darren Milburn, Adam Simpson, Simon Goodwin
emergency
Adem Yze, Simon Prestigiacomo, Shaun McManus, Michael Braun, Michael Wilson
Send an email, put on your football clothes and you can be the face of Channel 7’s AFL advertising and game broadcasts next season. Fans attending will be compensated with food, so at stadium prices that is the equivalent of a big payday.
Come and be part of Channel Seven’s 2008 AFL opening segment and TV promo!
You must register via e-mail prior to the event to gain entry.
Please e-mail promoafl@seven.com.au and tell us your name and AFL club.
Date: Monday 17 December
Time: Day session: 3pm - 6pm
Night session: 7pm – 10 pm
Fans are welcome to attend both sessions
Where: MCG, Enter Gate 6 Southern Stand
The Super Page of Complete Team Lists, 2008 Schedule and 2007 Draft Results is now located on the All Footy site.
Also have a look there for AFL news analysis and tips on Dream Team and SuperCoach AFL fantasy games, and later in the season the 2008 AFL draft will be previewed.
A farm team is the name given to a reserves team in some other sports, and unless something happens to Charman or Leuenberger, the reserves team for the Lions in the Queensland league will be where Beau McDonald plays most of his football.
But ruckmen are often the ones who have plenty of injuries so it is good news for Brisbane that McDonald is fit and firing and ready to step in if needed.
With Charman established as one of the league's most influential ruckmen, and Leuenberger tabbed as a star of the future, McDonald says the situation is a healthy one for the Lions and the players themselves.
"It's no different to how it's always been; when I got to the club I was competing with Matthew Clarke and 'Crackers' Keating for a spot and then Trent Knobel as well," he said.
"I think the opposition fans realise they probably won’t be able to yell hard enough to be heard by the players in the middle of the ground so they just concentrate on the nearest guy – and that’s usually me.
Merrett, who turned 23 on Wednesday, hopes to make life even tougher for opposing full forwards in 2008 by continuing to develop the attacking element of his own game.
Br FB James Polkinghorne, Tom Collier, James Hawksley
Me FF Addam Maric, Michael Newton, Matthew Bate
Br HB Brad Dalziell, Patrick Garner, Matt Tyler
Me HF Isaac Weetra, Stefan Martin, Colin Garland
Br C Cheynee Stiller, Sam Sheldon, Scott Harding
Me C Clint Bartram, Jack Grimes, Simon Buckley
Br HF Justin Sherman, Lachlan Henderson, Chris Schmidt
Me HB Kyle Cheney, Tom McNamara, Ricky Petterd
Br FF Rhan Hooper, Mitchell Clark, Wayde Mills
Me FB Jace Bode, James Frawley, Cale Morton
Br Foll Matthew Leuenberger, Albert Proud, Matt Austin
Me Foll John Meesen, Nathan Jones, Lynden Dunn
Winner: Melbourne
The Lions do have Leuenberger, and other young stars, but the Demons have quite a lot of talent too. Their back line is very versatile and would provide a lot of run and long kicks to their forwards. Having players like Grimes and Jones in the middle would also give another advantage to the Demons.
Players who have just joined the West Coast Eagles via the rookie draft have plenty of reasons to think that they can make it in the AFL, all they have to do is look around and see players like Cox, Armstrong, Nicoski, Lynch, Fletcher and Priddis. They were just some of the players that the Eagles chose in past rookie drafts who would later be promoted to their list. Priddis went undrafted in the national draft, but he now plays like a former top 10 pick, and in a few years maybe Wilson or Arrowsmith will be doing the same thing.
As well as the thoughts of Callum Wilson on Priddis, the article here also mentions how important to the Eagles the drafting of Patrick McGinnity was. Maybe they thought about taking him at pick 20 or 22 of the national draft, and they would have been happily surprised that he was there at pick 7 of the preseason draft.
“Dean Cox and Matt Priddis, those sort of stories are inspiring,” Wilson said. “For me, Matt Priddis being a bit older and getting picked up after having a bit more time to mature in the WAFL, and coming in and having an impact in his second year as an AFL player, I definitely look up to that and take inspiration out of it.”
The Bulldogs should not be troubled by the Crows next season as they now have Scott Welsh on their side. Welsh has been dominating the Bulldogs, and as they couldn't beat him they are lucky that Welsh has now joined them.
The four-time leading goalkicker for Adelaide, snared by the Dogs in the AFL pre-season draft, had a habit of wreaking havoc against the Dogs, booting 20 goals in the past six games.
“I’m at my third club now and I guess you’ve got to take your opportunities as they come and the Bulldogs have presented me with another opportunity and hopefully I can grab that and do something with the club.”
Welsh said he had come to the conclusion that the Crows weren’t going to budge on their offer of a one-year contract “around about a month, month-and-a-half ago” and was delighted when the Dogs came calling with a two-year deal.
A simple format, take the youngest 18 players from every club and see how they matchup with the rest of the teams in the AFL. Clubs will play a random opponent in a knockout competition, and winning teams will keep playing until the best young team is decided. Using a bit of current form, and a guess at the players’ ability in the future, this might give an idea of who has the best youth. With only 18 players being used, some odd lineups and strange player positioning will be apparent with some teams. No rookie listed players are used, and as long as someone is on the list they get a game, so for the first match Dangerfied and other Ablett get a run.
Adelaide v Geelong
Ad FB Tony Armstrong, Andy Otten, Aaron Kite
Ge FF Travis Varcoe, Tom Hawkins, Ryan Gamble
Ad HB Patrick Dangerfield, Brad Moran, Greg Gallman
Ge HF Mathew Stokes, Scott Simpson, Nathan Ablett
Ad C Jarrhan Jacky, Chris Knights, Nathan van Berlo
Ge C Jason Davenport, Joel Selwood, Nathan Djerrkura
Ad HF Myke Cook, James Sellar, Jonathon Griffin
Ge HB Adam Donohue, Harry Taylor, Dawson Simpson
Ad FF Kurt Tippett, Taylor Walker, Bernie Vince
Ge FB Trent West, Dan McKenna, Brent Prismall
Ad Foll Ivan Maric, Richard Douglas, David MacKay
Ge Foll Mark Blake, Kane Tenace, Simon Hogan
Winner: Geelong
With more than a few premiership players, and big Hawkins, the Cats have a bit more talent among their youth than the Crows do. The Cats advance to the next round.
The Magpies have started their preparation for the 2008 season with a loss, to a primary school. The Magpies did not field a full-strength side, and they were probably not going at top speed yet either.
Collingwood’s pre-season campaign officially got underway on Tuesday when the Magpies took on Keilor Primary School in the annual Bega Cup Grand Final.
A record crowd, including the entire Keilor Primary School, as well as hundreds of friends, parents and staff, were in attendance to witness what proved a gripping contest, with the hosts triumphing by just six points – 3.6 (24) to Collingwood’s 3.0 (18).
A simplified look at the recent AFL trades and approximately what the real results were, after substituting the players that were selected for the draft picks that were traded.
Carlton receive Richard Hadley
Brisbane receive Bradd Dalziell
Kangaroos receive Sam Power
Western Bulldogs receive Jarrad Boumann
Kangaroos receive Ben Davies
Collingwood receive unused pick
Western Bulldogs receive Tim Callan and Guy O'Keefe
Geelong receive Adam Donohue
Western Bulldogs receive Ben Hudson and Easton Wood
Adelaide receive Jarrhan Jacky and Myke Cook
West Coast receive Scott Selwood and unused pick
Western Bulldogs receive Sam Reid and pick Adelaide used on Jarrhan Jacky and pick Geelong used on Adam Donohue
St Kilda receive Steven King and Charlie Gardiner
Geelong receive unused pick
Richmond receive Mitch Morton
West Coast receive pick that the Western Bulldogs used on Sam Reid
St Kilda receive Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster
Sydney receive Brett Meredith
Sydney receive Henry Playfair
Geelong receive Scott Simpson
Richmond receive Jordan McMahon
Western Bulldogs receive Callan Ward
Adelaide receive Brad Symes
Port Adelaide receive Marlon Motlop
Adelaide receive Brad Moran
Kangaroos receive Scott Thompson
Collingwood receive Cameron Wood
Melbourne receive Jack Grimes
Brisbane receive Travis Johnstone
Carlton receive Chris Judd and Dennis Armfield
West Coast receive Chris Masten and Tony Notte and Josh Kennedy
Melbourne receive John Meesen
Adelaide receive pick that the Kangaroos used on Scott Thompson
Sydney receive Martin Mattner
Adelaide receive pick that Port Adelaide used on Marlon Motlop
Over the next few weeks, possible team lineups for next season and a few predictions will be posted for each club. The named teams are not teams for round 1 or the preseason, as suspensions and minor injuries are not taken into account. The "breakout year" is a player not only possibly having a successful season but also becoming better known by all AFL fans, the "fantasy sleeper" is a player who might have a fantasy price that is much lower than their statistical potential.
FB Scott Stevens, Ben Rutten, Nathan Bassett
HB Andrew McLeod, Nathan Bock, Graham Johncock
C Nathan van Berlo, Tyson Edwards, Chris Knights
HF Jason Porplyzia, Nick Gill, Michael Doughty
FF Brett Burton, Trent Hentschel, Scott Thompson
Foll Rhett Biglands, Simon Goodwin, Robert Shirley
Bench Brent Reilly, Kris Massie, Brad Symes, Ivan Maric
Emergency Brad Moran, Luke Jericho, Richard Douglas
2008 Predictions
Most goals: Brett Burton
Most possessions: Scott Thompson
Most marks: Nathan Bock
Ready for a breakout year: Jason Porplyzia
Fantasy AFL sleeper: Brad Symes
Most Brownlow votes: Simon Goodwin
The Cats have not had early picks in the drafts but they have been able to bring in a lot of depth to their list. Several players were added to the ruck spot and key forward positions in the national draft and a tall defensive player was a need when the rookie draft came along. Chris Kangars could be a future replacement for Harley or Scarlett.
Not only a local prospect, Kangars has key position size combined with the ability to run, or outrun, any AFL player. He should play a big role for their VFL team next season, with Thompson removed from the back line there after being drafted by the Kangaroos, and in 2009 Kangars could be a regular in the Cats AFL team.
``It was pretty shattering (missing the draft). I was getting told that I'd be getting drafted,'' he said.
``I'm a Geelong boy, I've grown up here all my life and I've loved the club. I was at the grand final and that was one of the best days of my life, watching Geelong win the premiership by some much.''
Picking first in a draft often means one thing, that the previous season was a smelly one, but it also means that the building blocks for the future can be selected. Richmond had a huge national draft with Cotchin, Rance and Putt and added another promising player with David Gourdis in the preseason draft.
It was a big surprise, to football scouts and also to him, when Gourdis wasn’t drafted last month and the Tigers seem to think they got an early Christmas present as he was available in the preseason draft.
“Francis Jackson, our recruiting guy, the minute the national draft finished he was on the phone to him [David] saying: ‘Look, we’ve got first choice in the pre-season draft, you’re the best player that’s missed out in the national draft, come over and let’s get to know you’,” Miller said.
“Any deficiency in skill, he’s got the right attitude to work on it.
Nothing really exciting for the Crows here, a bit more help for their midfield but it has not been the best offseason for Adelaide.
9 – James Moss (188cm, 80kg)
25 – Jared Petrenko (177cm, 75kg)
40 – Edward Curnow (180cm, 78kg)
52 – Brodie Martin (181cm, 75kg)
Brisbane
Begley is developing into a good player and Hanley is expected to be similar but more athletic to Begley. Garner sticks around for another season, Smith is similar to a few other players there but a spot might open up for him in their back line.
7 – Phil Smith (187cm, 73kg)
23 – Pat Garner (194cm, 86kg)
38 – Pearce Hanley (184cm, 78kg)
Carlton
They picked up a couple of very skilled smalls in Joseph and Ellard. They need another small forward and Ellard could make an impact sooner than later. Joseph is a good player to have in the middle, winning the ball and feeding it out to his teammates, but at Carlton he is behind a lot of other midfielders. Shields gives them another Irish project, and the other two have been successful so far.
2 – Aaron Joseph (180cm, 76)
18 – Lachie Hill (190cm, 86kg)
34 – David Ellard (177cm, 72kg)
48 – Michael Shields (185cm, 85kg)
Collingwood
The Magpies went with a tall defender, and there was a need for that type of player with Clement gone and Wakelin and Prestigiacomo being quite old. Dyas gives them a potential inside midfielder, and he should learn the game quickly with Clarke helping him.
13 – Luke Casey-Leigh (195cm, 87kg)
29 – Kevin Dyas (181 cm, 82kg)
Essendon
The Bombers did most of their work in the preseason draft, with Williams and Bellchambers, and then added a couple more players in the rookie draft. They did select the types of players that they needed to look for, and Magin gives them another small midfield prospect while Atkinson brings needed depth to the back line.
The Dockers have done a lot of odd things in their decade and a bit of drafting, once again they decide that players that are not good enough to be on their list one day should be redrafted the next. This is something the Dockers seem to do regularly, as they have as many premierships as University maybe they should rethink their draft strategies. The Dockers did need to add another tall ruckman, in case injuries hit one of their two giants, and Connelly is a solid choice.
More depth for the Cats, and Moles is a player who can help next year if needed. Kangars gets to stay in his local area and joins a team that can be patient with him for a few years, he probably becomes a defender but maybe he gets moved into the middle, like Geelong used to do with big Steinfort a few years ago.
The Hawks are able to identify what they have and what they need, and the only real area of concern on their list was among the tall defenders. Problem solved as they drafted for need here.
A smilar result to their national draft, which was questionable at best. Their NSW scholarship player, Wilsen, is one to watch and could become a fan favourite in the VFL next season.
14 – Nathan Grima (193cm, 94kg)
30 – Cruize Garlett (174cm, 77kg)
44 – Alan Obst (192cm, 89kg)
56 – Michael Wundke (191cm, 90kg)
60 – James Wilsen (193cm, 98kg)
Melbourne
The Demons had a productive rookie draft, and next season they might get a few games from Valenti or Wonaeamirri. The Demons also get a couple of giants to develop. Spencer is a huge ruckman from Queensland who can get his hand to the ball for hitouts and needs time to improve other aspects of his game. Zomer has been a versatile player, capable in key positions all over the ground. He might be the big body they need at full forward when Neitz eventually retires.
The Power are still looking for a bit more firepower, Salter gets a chance and Willits gets a second chance.
15 – Nick Salter (191cm, 94kg)
31 – Daniel Boyle (184cm, 82kg)
45 – Ryan Willits (198cm, 99kg)
Richmond
It was a very successful day for the Tigers, they followed up the selection of the exciting Gourdis in the preseason draft with a lot of useful players in the rookie draft. Silvester might be their best choice, a needed tall defender and his drafting should strengthen the links between the Tigers and their VFL affiliate. Cartledge had a good year with North Ballarat in the VFL, and he brings them some added depth among their ruckmen. Collard is an inexpensive risk, and he could reward the Tigers, but there has to be a few reasons why the Dockers moved him out so quickly. Howat has given them some run the past couple of seasons and deserves to stay in the yellow and black.
An interesting mix for the Saints, but not a lot should be expected from them for a while. The McQualter pick was a bit strange, they should have gone for someone new who might have a small chance of being a star, as they already know that McQualter will only be a player on the periphery of their senior side.
8 – Glenn Chivers (188cm, 88kg)
24 – Luke Miles (186cm, 79kg)
39 – Andrew McQualter (179cm, 74kg)
51 – Khan Haretuku (198cm, 96kg)
Sydney
If Murphy can have a career close to Kennelly's the Swans will be in good shape, Murphy is supposed to combine the running of Kennelly in a much bigger frame. Talking about big frames, if Orreal is for real he will be an asset to the Swans, he is a long-term project but that is what the rookie spots are made for.
10 – Matt O'Dwyer (181cm, 79kg)
26 – Brendan Murphy (195cm, 88kg)
41 – Jake Orreal (205cm, 92kg)
53 – Matthew Beckmans (187cm, 80kg)
58 – Aaron Bruce (187cm, 87kg)
61 – Dean Terlich (187cm, 83kg)
West Coast
There doesn't seem to be any draft that the Eagles don't win. Patrick McGinnity in the preseason draft could be a huge steal, and there is a lot of quality among their rookie picks too. Will Sullivan is the same height as Dean Cox, and is now the number three ruckman on their list behind Cox and Seaby. Stevenson gives them more depth in their midfield. Arrowsmith is a player with plenty of skill and he joins a club that can really use a player who can add something different up forward. The Eagles also brought in some more tall defenders, although as Mackenzie and Graham are unable to get a regular spot it is safe to say that the Eagles have that position under control.
12 – Lewis Stevenson (186cm, 77kg)
28 – Ashley Arrowsmith (189cm, 82kg)
43 – Will Sullivan (202cm, 94kg)
55 – Callum Wilson (191cm, 89kg)
59 – Beau Wilkes (194cm, 93kg)
62 – Ryan Davis (189cm, 78kg)
Western Bulldogs
Mulligan is someone that the Bulldogs will be hoping makes it at AFL level, as they are a team that desperately needs a 2m tall forward leading out of the goal-square. The Bulldogs will want to make sure that Mulligan gets all of his playing time in the VFL in the forward line. Shaw is a big ruckman to add to their VFL side, so the Bulldogs did well to bring in more height with their rookie picks. White is a quick, outside midfielder, something that the Bulldogs have mass quantities of. None of these rookie players should be expected to play AFL next year, but they were all good picks who could reward the Bulldogs in two or three years time.
4 – James Mulligan (199cm, 93kg)
20 – Henry White (185cm, 70kg)
36 – John Shaw (198cm, 90kg)
1 Richmond - David Gourdis
Tall and athletic forward, it was a big surprise when he didn't go in the national draft. The Tigers have some athleticism up forward with Richardson, Riewoldt and Gourdis. The Tigers probably went looking for a ruckman, tall forward and tall defender with their preseason and rookie picks and with Tristan Cartledge, Gourdis and Jarrod Silvester they selected wisely to fill their needs. They also took Clayton Collard in the rookie draft, with the first choice overall, and he is the usual Terry Wallace pick.
2 Carlton - Darren Pfeiffer
A pick that probably has people scratching their head and wondering why they did it. He isn't the big defender or centre half forward they needed.
3 Melbourne - Stefan Martin
Importantly, he is big. Another smart thing the Demons did was to draft someone who is familiar with their setup and players, he played in the VFL for Sandringham. He is a long-term project who can learn from White and Neitz.
4 Western Bulldogs - Scott Welsh
Was a good complimentary player when he had McKernan and Carey around him, his production continued with the Crows but he never kicked the big hauls when the games were important. Welsh gives the Bulldogs a very good medium forward option to combine with their small forward Brad Johnson. Welsh will be expected to give them 50 goals in 2008.
5 Essendon - John Williams
He was a draft sleeper that teams were supposedly going to grab in the national draft but that didn't occur. An athletic project for the Bombers to work with.
6 Fremantle - Joshua Head
A solid player, capable of 15 or so possessions in the WAFL. Depth for their list, maybe he plays in the back half with Walker gone sailing. Probably the biggest surprise of the preseason picks.
7 West Coast - Patrick McGinnity
The Eagles get another high-quality midfielder, after adding Masten, Ebert and S Selwood. Nothing wrong with a player whose last name starts with the letters MCG. He will be solid there, and at spacious Subiaco his running ability should also see him play a few games.
8 Essendon - Tom Bellchambers
"Tommy Bell" is already a quality tap ruckman, and if the Bombers need to play him next season he should be competitive for hitouts. Knows how to position himself well a kick behind play, so a traditional type of ruckman, and he is good for their depth behind Hille and Laycock.
Draft reviews will be posted later. From the AFL site, here are the results from the rookie draft.
The Hawks brought in some big defenders, Richmond added a full back, the Eagles continue with their great drafting, the Bulldogs drafted a giant forward and Melbourne brought in a couple of exciting smalls.
Pick # Name AFL Club Club
Round 1
1 C Collard Richmond Fremantle
2 A Joseph Carlton Tassie Mariners
3 T Zomer Melbourne Eastern Rangers
4 J Mulligan Western Bulldogs Southport
5 R Magin Essendon Zillmere
6 B Connelly Fremantle Gippsland Power
7 P Smith Brisbane Lions Calder Cannons
8 G Chivers St Kilda Oakleigh Chargers
9 J Moss Adelaide Central Districts
10 M O'Dwyer Sydney Sydney
11 H Sandilands Hawthorn Oakleigh Chargers
12 L Stevenson West Coast Eagles Claremont
13 L Casey-Leigh Collingwood Sandringham Dragons
14 N Grima Kangaroos Central Districts
15 N Salter Port Adelaide Woodville West Torrens
16 B Moles Geelong Tasmania
Round 2
17 J Silvester Richmond Coburg
18 L Hill Carlton Oakleigh Chargers
19 A Wonaeamirri Melbourne St Marys
20 H White Western Bulldogs North Adelaide
21 J Atkinson Essendon Bendigo
22 L Pratt Fremantle Swan Districts
23 P Garner Brisbane Lions Brisbane Lions
24 L Miles St Kilda Swan Districts
25 J Petrenko Adelaide Woodville West Torrens
26 B Murphy Sydney County Carlow - Ireland
27 T Walsh Hawthorn Port Adelaide Magpies
28 A Arrowsmith West Coast Eagles Calder Cannons
29 K Dyas Collingwood County Armagh - Ireland
30 C Garlett Kangaroos Perth
31 D Boyle Port Adelaide Murray Bushrangers
32 J Laidler Geelong Calder Cannons
Round 3
33 T Cartledge Richmond Essendon
34 D Ellard Carlton Swan Districts
35 J Spencer Melbourne Redwood/Toowoomba
36 J Shaw Western Bulldogs Sandrinham Dragons
37 C Mourish Fremantle Fremantle
38 P Hanley Brisbane Lions County Mayo - Ireland
39 A McQualter St Kilda St Kilda
40 E Curnow Adelaide Geelong Falcons
41 J Orreal Sydney Non Reg
42 A Grima Hawthorn Tassie Mariners
43 W Sullivan West Coast Eagles Western Jets
44 A Obst Kangaroos Adelaide
45 R Willits Port Adelaide Port Adelaide
46 C Kangars Geelong Geelong Falcons
Round 4
47 C Howat Richmond Richmond
48 M Shields Carlton County Cork - Ireland
49 S Valenti Melbourne Sandringham
50 R Dunn Fremantle Fremantle
51 K Haretuku St Kilda UNSW Eastern Suburbs (NSW Schol.)
52 B Martin Adelaide Sturt
53 M Beckmans Sydney* Turvey Park
54 C Stokes Hawthorn Darwin
55 C Wilson West Coast Eagles South Fremantle
56 M Wundke Kangaroos North Adelaide
57 S Mumford Geelong Geelong (VFL)
Round 5
58 A Bruce Sydney* Eastlake
59 B Wilkes West Coast Eagles West Coast Eagles
60 J Wilsen Kangaroos St George (NSW Schol.)
Round 6
61 D Terlich Sydney* Murray Bushrangers
62 R Davis West Coast Eagles North Shore (NSW Schol.)
Note: * Restricted Selection – AFL Rule 21.3.3
The AFL have a story about prospects that were overlooked in the recent national draft but should be selected as a preseason pick or rookie choice. Their list has been rearranged for the players likely to be chosen first from the group.
The Magpies only have one pick in the rookie draft that is still "live", as they have already agreed to pick Irishman Kevin Dyas with their other pick.
Pick 13 in the rookie draft should bring them in a good prospect, but they have to decide what position to go for. With Buckley and Licuria gone from the midfield, and Burns getting towards the end of his career, another midfielder is needed. With Clement's retirement, another tall defender is also an option.
Adding up the poll results, for quick and inside midfielders, around 45% of those who pressed a button would like Collingwood to draft another midfielder.
There won't be enough talent to go around with more teams in the AFL, there will be bonus draft picks given to the new club, with 17 teams the schedule would be chaotic with byes due to the uneven teams. None of that is the big worry, the real problem could come with the naming of the new team. It might be the Gold Coast Bliss if an advertising firm is asked to research a unique name, or there could be the new West Sydney Wiggles if the children of the area get a vote.
Here are some shockers that have been added to, and some that also departed, the sporting landscape.
Orlando Miracle - They needed one, but didn't get it.
Chicago Sky - What happened here, did someone fall on their head and look up, and then named the team.
Melbourne Victory - Might as well call themselves the arrogant and detestable.
Toronto Raptors - A dinosaur movie was popular at the time, so when the name was voted for it did not work out too well.
Charlotte Bobcats - While it is a fierce creature, the team was also named after it's owner called Bob.
Columbus Blue Jackets - That name was out of date a couple of centuries ago.
Real Salt Lake - That is bad, in one way it is real but it is also fake.
Red Bull New York - When the team actually sells its name like that, it is time to shut things down and start again.
Memphis Showboats - It was named after a nautical vessel, but it also doesn't make it seem like sportsmanship and teamwork is expected.
Houston Texans - More like a geography lesson.
South Sydney Rabbitohs - So a South Sydney pet shop would sell a Rabbitoh, a dogoh and a goldfishoh.
Townsville Suns - It is hot enough there without being reminded of it, and they can actually have a mascot with the team now called the Crocodiles.
Singapore Slingers - How many of their players will need rehab, it might have been an interesting game if they played the Booze Less Giants.
West Sydney Westars - They obviously didn't have enough stars out West.
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters - People look at it and see Ham Fighters, and vegetarians can't win at sport.
Hiroshima Toyo Carp - A fish in a pond doesn't really fit with a big sporting team.
London Capital - Big Ben, Parliament, the Griswolds could have named the team.
Guildford Heat - In that part of England, it sometimes reaches 20 degrees.
Philadelphia Soul - It is partly owned by Jon Bon Jovi.
Orlando Rage - Probably not a favourite of the umpires.
Nagoya Grampus Eight - Grandpas ate, it is named after some dolphins so maybe they should have called it the Dolphins.
Shimizu S-Pulse - That might actually be an old Datsun car.
Austin Sockadillos - Not surprisingly, they have changed their name.
Kansas City All-Stars - They thought highly of themselves.
San Jose Stealth - Maybe they are good, but you can't see them.
Albany Nuts - Their fans were crazy.
Colorado Springs Millionaires - Not the team for everyone.
Sacramento Surge - Named after a laundry detergent or that guy in the funny Eddie Murphy movie.
Vancouver Horse Doctors - Odd.
Zanesville Infants - A childish name.
Oklahoma Crude - It probably is referring to oil, but maybe not.
Kearney Kapitalists - Unlikely to win a spelling bee.
New Hampshire Thunder Loons - Strange, but at least it gets people's attention.
New York Apples - They weren't even Big Apples.
Raleigh-Durham Triangles - Maybe they were in good shape.
Reading Pretzels - These pretzels are making people thirsty.
Roanoke Dazzle - Not a good name.
Roswell Sunshiners - They could have picked anything from outer-space but went with the sun.
The AFL lists will soon be filled, with the preseason and rookie drafts only hours away. Plenty of stars have been acquired in both drafts over the years. Scott Welsh is supposed to be on the way to the Bulldogs, but there are three teams who can still stop that. The Bombers will have two choices in the preseason draft.
The rookie draft will provide a number of players who will make an impact in 2008. At Geelong, one rookie player might be getting into the action sooner than expected if N Ablett does not play, although the rules may not allow a rookie promotion right away. A couple of players from the NSW scholarship program and several international players will officially join teams via the rookie draft.
The Lions and Swans might also select players from their states before the rookie draft, but this may not happen as the NSW scholarships have taken a few players away from the Swans and the better prospects in Queensland who missed out on the national draft are not old enough to go as rookie selections.
Reviews and results for the drafts will be posted tomorrow.
Preseason Mock Draft
1 Richmond - David Gourdis
2 Carlton - Ryley Dunn
3 Melbourne - Shane Valenti
4 Western Bulldogs - Scott Welsh
5 Essendon - Tom Bellchambers
6 Fremantle - Patrick McGinnity
7 West Coast - Will Sullivan
8 Essendon - Ashley Arrowsmith
Rookie Mock Draft
1 Richmond - Brent Connelly
2 Carlton - Chris Kangars
3 Melbourne - Ryan Normington
4 Western Bulldogs - Aaron Joseph
5 Essendon - Hugh Sandilands
6 Fremantle - Clayton Collard
7 Brisbane - Patrick Garner
8 St Kilda - Haelen Kay
9 Adelaide - Jared Petrenko
10 Sydney - James Mulligan
11 Hawthorn - Nathan Batsanis
12 West Coast - Jake Spencer
13 Collingwood - Ashley Hockey
14 Kangaroos - Trent Dennis-Lane
15 Port Adelaide - Ryan Willits
16 Geelong - Ryan Hobbs
17 Richmond - Darren Pfeiffer
18 Carlton - Luke Sampey
19 Melbourne - Austin Wonaeamirri
20 Western Bulldogs - Jackson Hall
21 Essendon - Peter Rolfe
22 Fremantle - Simon Starling
23 Brisbane - Dayne Zorko
24 St Kilda - Jaye Bowden
25 Adelaide - Nick Murphy
26 Sydney – Brendan Murphy
27 Hawthorn - Lachlan Hill
28 West Coast - David Ellard
29 Collingwood - Kevin Dyas
30 Kangaroos - Travis Dulic
31 Port Adelaide - Jethro Calma-Holt
32 Geelong - Rhyce Prismall
33 Richmond - Luke Casey-Leigh
34 Carlton - Jeremy Laidler
35 Melbourne - John Shaw
36 Western Bulldogs - Tim Bongetti
37 Fremantle - Cruize Garlett
38 Brisbane – Pearce Hanley
39 St Kilda - Mitch Enright
40 Adelaide - Zac Millar
41 Sydney – Jake Orreal
42 Hawthorn - Harry Croft
43 West Coast - Michael Dawes
44 Kangaroos - Luke Potts
45 Port Adelaide - Aaron Day
46 Geelong - Edward Curnow
47 Richmond - Trent Zomer
48 Carlton – Michael Shields
49 Melbourne - Rhys Magin
50 Fremantle - Lewis Stevenson
51 St Kilda – Khan Haretuku
52 Adelaide - Henry White
53 Sydney - Matthew Breen
54 Hawthorn - Adrian Totino
55 West Coast – Simon Crossland
56 Kangaroos - Tim Walsh
57 Geelong - Kane Smith
58 Sydney - Scott Blesing
59 West Coast - Peter Bonney
60 Kangaroos – James Wilsen
61 Sydney - Tom Holmes
62 West Coast – Ryan Davis
Team 17 is getting more publicity than a lot of the other AFL teams at the moment. They don't have a name or anything else but who they might be coached by is under consideration. Barassi in Sydney, Matthews in Brisbane, for the Gold Coast to be successful they will also want a key figure of the game and Sheedy would be a perfect choice. Sheedy would be worth a lot more to an expansion team than his weight in gold.
Sheedy told the The Sunday Mail he was open to offers to head the new club following the Kangaroos' rejection of a lucrative deal to shift from Melbourne.
"It's always pleasing to hear that someone with the stature of Kevin Sheedy is interested in being involved," said Dr Mackenzie, a leading figure on the advisory group working towards a Gold Coast-based club.
"It's not longer a matter of if we will have a second team in Sydney, it's a matter of when. We will now turn our minds to that work and do it in parallel with the Gold Coast," Demetriou said.
"In an ideal world you would rather have 16 or 18 teams than a bye, but we can certainly make a 17-team competition work but 18 teams are better."
18 teams playing 25 games a season, it could provide non-stop AFL action for four days a week.
While it is very likely that East and West will be the names of the proposed conferences, there have also been sports that have named conferences and divisions after people. So behold the improbable future alignment of the AFL.
There is no more important position than the ruck, and following are some of the options that clubs have to fill that position in 2008.
Adelaide - Rhett Biglands and Ivan Maric
Hudson had a successful year after returning from a severe injury and the Crows will need Biglands to do the same in 2008. They could combine him with Maric, the athletic Moran who was brought over from the Kangaroos or Griffin who will also give them some goal-scoring ability. There might even be games when the Crows have all four tall players in the lineup, as the Crows have mentioned that Moran might be a tall defender for them and Griffin can play at full forward.
Brisbane - Jamie Charman and Matthew Leuenberger
They lost Wood, but that doesn't matter as they have Leuenberger. The Big L-Berger and Charman should dominate the competition in 2008. Old McDonald, who isn't as old as people think, is in reserve for the Lions. Clark and the new Henderson Kid also have some ruck ability, but are more suited to a key position.
Carlton - Matthew Kreuzer and Cain Ackland
The ruck spot at Carlton was a mess last year, but things are looking up now. They need to throw Kreuzer right into the game, but it might also make sense to pair him with an older, stronger player. So Ackland and Cloke will be competing there. Hampson will also get a run in the ruck and also up forward. Setanta's little brother is a big guy, so Aisake O'hAilpin might also play a few games.
Collingwood - Josh Fraser and Cameron Wood
Collingwood could have a ruck combination that is similar to the Port Adelaide pairing of Lade and Brogan. Fraser can start in the ruck, and when Wood comes onto the ground it would allow Fraser to move to the forward line. Chris Bryan is there in reserve.
Essendon - David Hille and Jason Laycock
The Bombers probably continue with Hille and Laycock combining in the ruck, and also occasionally moving Ryder from the back line into the ruck for more of an athletic ruck option.
Fremantle - Aaron Sandilands and Robert Warnock
Warnock could be called their "shorter ruckman", as he is around 6cm less in height than Sandilands is. Gilmore provides little in height but a lot in mobility as a backup ruckman.
Geelong - Brad Ottens and Mark Blake
King is gone and now the Cats will have a more settled ruck duo, Trent West looks ready to play if there is an injury to one of the starters and giant Dawson Simpson is also there now too.
Hawthorn - Robert Campbell and Simon Taylor
It was supposed to be Max Bailey in the ruck at Hawthorn, but he missed the entire season due to injury and will have to work hard to replace Taylor in the Hawks side. Brent Renouf also gives them ruck depth, and he can play in a key position too.
Kangaroos - Hamish McIntosh and David Hale
The Kangaroos get Thompson back, and drafted Robbie Tarrant and Josh Smith in the national draft and James Wilsen in the rookie one, so Hale's time at centre half forward might be over. Hale might be McIntosh's backup in the ruck, and while Petrie can play in several spots he might go to the back line again in 2008. The Kangaroos also have giant Goldstein too.
Melbourne - Jeff White and John Meesen
As always, it is Jeff White in the ruck for Melbourne. As always, he doesn't have a solid backup. Meesen who was acquired from the Crows, Paul Johnson and Mark Jamar will compete for the number two ruck spot.
Port Adelaide - Brendan Lade and Dean Brogan
At their best, there is no better ruck combination than Lade and Brogan. There isn't anyone ready to step in if the Power have an injury, Fabian Deluca seems to be the next ruckman on their depth chart.
Richmond - Troy Simmonds and Adam Pattison
Their ruck spot was a hospital ward last season, but everyone is ready to go this year. Simmonds and Pattison probably share the ruck duties, they also have the big body of Graham and recent draftee Putt who can play as a forward as well as in the ruck.
St Kilda - Justin Koschitzke and Steven King
Koschitzke might have been destined for the full forward spot but Gehrig has returned to reclaim his position close to goals. Koschitzke could still see some time up forward but he might also be their starting ruckman. King would seem to be suited to being his backup. Rix is still around, M Gardiner is also on their list while Ben McEvoy joins the team via the draft and he can also play in the ruck.
Sydney - Darren Jolly and Peter Everitt
They needed to make sure they kept Jolly and he agreed to a long-term deal, he will combine with Everitt again in 2008. Daniel Currie is a young ruckman who might play if the Swans have an injury.
West Coast - Dean Cox and Mark Seaby
They have the league's best ruckman, and his backup is a good player too, but right now they don't have anyone else on their list who is a real ruckman. The Eagles do have a preseason choice and rookie picks to address that minor need.
Western Bulldogs - Ben Hudson and Peter Street
Hudson didn't join the Bulldogs to sit on the bench so it is likely that he gets most of the ruck minutes. Tall Street, solid Minson or versatile Skipper will be Hudson's backup. Skipper or Minson might also play as a key forward in 2008.
There won't be a Darwin team joining the AFL but there could be one on the way to the SANFL or WAFL. The SANFL would be a good fit for a team from the Northern Territory as there are a lot of links between the two, and many players go from the Northern Territory to the SANFL and then often to the AFL.
A DECISION on whether a 10th SANFL team - from the Northern Territory - will enter the league in 2009 is likely by February.
While the benefits for the SANFL of a 10th team are obvious, particularly evening up the draw and disposing of the bye, Whicker said both leagues must ensure a smooth transition.
Port Adelaide still want Willits, but there will be over 20 players chosen, in the two drafts, before the Power have a selection. So Ryan Willits might have a new team next year.
ESSENDON will continue its list rejuvenation under new coach Matthew Knights with two picks in Tuesday's pre-season draft.
The AFL yesterday approved the participation of seven clubs in the draft after scrutinising next season's player payment figures for every side.
Sort of a preseason mock draft from the Herald Sun, working out their draft tips into a mock draft:
1 Richmond: David Gourdis
2 Carlton: Ryley Dunn
3 Melbourne: Ashley Sampi
4 Western Bulldogs: Scott Welsh
5 Essendon: Tom Bellchambers
6 Fremantle: Calib Mourish
7 West Coast: "Local", possibly Patrick McGinnity or a WAFL ruckman
8 Essendon: Ashley Arrowsmith
Scott Welsh has been added to the list of players who are preseason nominations
Adelaide - John Hinge, Darren Pfeiffer.
Brisbane Lions - Marcus Allan, Patrick Garner.
Carlton - Craig Flint.
Collingwood - Guy Richards.
Essendon - Richard Cole.
Fremantle - Clayton Collard, Ryley Dunn, Calib Mourish, James Walker.
Geelong - Stephen Owen, Matthew Spencer.
Hawthorn - Matt Little, Josh Thurgood.
Kangaroos - Daniel McConnell, David Trotter, Callam Urch.
Melbourne - Ryan Ferguson, Simon Godfrey, Heath Neville.
Port Adelaide - Ryan Willits.
Richmond - Brent Hartigan, Andrew Krakouer, Carl Peterson.
St Kilda - Andrew McQualter, Phil Raymond, Justin Sweeney.
Sydney - Simon Phillips, Jonathan Simpkin, Luke Vogels.
West Coast - Daniel Chick, Ashley Sampi.
Western Bulldogs - Travis Baird, Damian McCormack, Tim Walsh.
A TOTAL of 70 selections are available for clubs to utilise at next Tuesday's NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft and NAB AFL Rookie Draft.
From the AFL Draft Book, Rookie Draft rules:
Age Requirements
A player must satisfy the following age requirements in order to be included on a club’s Rookie List:
Minimum Age
A player must have attained the age of 18 years or will attain the age of 18 years on or before December 31.
Maximum Age*
A player must be under the age of 23 years on December 31. If a player attains the age of 23 years after this date, a club may retain him on its Rookie List until the end of the season. If a club includes an international player on its Rookie List, the player may be 24 years old for the final year of his Contract of Service.
* One position on each club’s rookie list may be used for a player over the age of 23 if he has not previously been on an AFL list.
It must be ruck week down at Geelong at the moment, and while Ottens and Blake will be getting most of the attention next season, here are a couple of news items about their other big ruckmen.
West and Simpson will be depth for their 2008 AFL side, and will form a big tandem in the ruck as the VFL Cats also try to repeat as premiers.
With nobody moving to the Gold Coast, it seems like now is the time for the planning to start for the expected new team. According to this news report, the wheels are in motion and a preferred coach has already been chosen.
And Gold Coast football identities last night set to serious work on a multi-million start-up club with former Lions captain Michael Voss a popular target as foundation coach.
The AFL was willing to invest a $100 million package for a Gold Coast-based Kangaroos club and has the finances to spend even more to make a second team in Queensland successful.
AFL is back on television, so insomniacs will be happy. It is just a tad late for people to watch, but it can still be recorded and viewed at a more appropriate time.
Fox Sports 1 - Digital 501
12.00am AFL Round 1, Brisbane Lions v Hawthorn Round 1
AFL. Highlights of the best matches from season 2007. (-) (W/S)
2.00am AFL Round 1, Carlton v Richmond Round 1
AFL. Highlights of the best matches from season 2007. (-) (W/S)
4.00am AFL Round 1, Western Bulldogs v Geelong Round 1
AFL. Highlights of the best matches from season 2007. (-) (W/S)
While the coach says to Keep The Faith and Pavlich signed a new contract with a message to the purple people that I'll Be There For You, the Dockers 2008 season is Livin' On A Prayer because Shaun McManus will Never Say Goodbye and they have to accept the big contract and the Bad Medicine that came with Tarrant. Longmuir went out in a Blaze Of Glory while Farmer seems to Always be a Runaway. At least Garrick Ibbotson can say Someday I'll Be Saturday Night, although the Dockers often play on Sunday afternoon.
The Dockers are selling concert tickets, but if you do buy a ticket make sure Sandilands and Warnock are not seated in front of you.
It seems like the Southport Sharks should start thinking about a logo and team colours for their AFL team in a few years. The Kangaroos don’t seem to be going North.
Here is some news from the AFL and the situation with the Kangaroos and Queensland.
However the league is determined to have a full-time presence on the Gold Coast and encouraged the Roos to accept an offer to move north in 2010 to remain a vibrant and successful club in its own right.
The Roos were hoping to seek AFL approval for a last-gasp attempt at turning around their financial fortunes from their spiritual home at Arden Street.
THE AFL today rejected the Kangaroos' proposal for a 12-month stay on committing to a Gold Coast move.
The league said today it had to act now to establish a presence on the Gold Coast, and had offered a multi-million dollar incentive package to the Kangaroos.
A year ago someone was playing cricket, soccer fans were playing with explosives and basketball would have been on at a netball centre. None of that made a big impact, especially when compared to the last pick of the 2006 AFL draft. People can’t name the leading players for a lot of the summer sports but they know that David Rodan went last in the draft a year ago. Taylor Walker, officially the final pick of the 2007 AFL draft, will also be talked about in the future a lot more than whatever is happening in the summer sports at the moment.
In a story from The Age, they explain how the AFL has become a sport that often has as much going on during the offseason as other sports do for their regular season.
Football gradually crept into autumn and spring and, like the cane toad, its presence multiplied. Now, the month of December — traditionally, a period when cricketers are front and centre in our living rooms — has been invaded, indeed conquered, by the rapacious AFL.
This November, The Age dedicated nine sport covers to AFL. Twelve front pages pointed to cricket stories, six to horse racing, two to golf and one to soccer.
In the same 30 days, footy provided the Herald Sun with 15 back-page leads.
Whoever drives the obsession — whether it be readers, PR machines, or news media themselves — it has continued into December.
Saturday, Mar 29
ABC TV Coburg Tigers vs. Geelong ABD Group Stadium 1:10 PM
Bendigo Bombers vs. Tasmania Windy Hill 2:00 PM
Collingwood vs. Port Melbourne MC Labour Park 2:00 PM
North Ballarat vs. Box Hill Hawks AUSTAR Arena 2:00 PM
Werribee vs. Williamstown Bartercard Oval 2:00 PM
Sunday, Mar 30
Frankston vs. Northern Bullants Frankston Oval 2:00 PM
Sandringham vs. Casey Scorpions Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM
Round 2 - Rivalry Round
Saturday, Apr 05
ABC TV Williamstown vs. Collingwood Burbank Oval 1:10 PM
Port Melbourne vs. Sandringham TEAC Oval 2:00 PM
Casey Scorpions vs. Frankston Casey Fields 7:00 PM
Sunday, Apr 06
AFL C/R Geelong vs. Werribee Skilled Stadium 9:50 AM
North Ballarat vs. Bendigo Bombers AUSTAR Arena 12.30 PM
Box Hill Hawks vs. Tasmania Box Hill City Oval 2:00 PM
Northern Bullants vs. Coburg Tigers NAB Oval 2:00 PM
Round 3
Saturday, Apr 12
ABC TV Tasmania vs. Geelong Bellerive Oval 1:10 PM
Williamstown vs. Port Melbourne Burbank Oval 2:00 PM
Northern Bullants vs. Collingwood MC Labour Park 2:00 PM
Coburg Tigers vs. North Ballarat ABD Group Stadium 2:00 PM
Casey Scorpions vs. Box Hill Hawks Casey Fields 7:00 PM
Sunday, Apr 13
Sandringham vs. Frankston Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM
Werribee vs. Bendigo Bombers Bartercard Oval 2:00 PM
Round 4
Saturday, Apr 19
AFL C/R Geelong vs. Williamstown Skilled Stadium 10:40 AM
ABC TV Northern Bullants vs. Tasmania MC Labour Park 1:10 PM
Port Melbourne vs. Coburg Tigers TEAC Oval 2:00 PM
Sunday, Apr 20
Frankston vs. Collingwood Frankston Oval 2:00 PM
North Ballarat vs. Werribee AUSTAR Arena 2:00 PM
Box Hill Hawks vs. Sandringham Box Hill City Oval 2:00 PM
Bendigo Bombers vs. Casey Scorpions QE Oval 2:00 PM
Round 5
Friday, Apr 25 (ANZAC Day)
Coburg Tigers vs. Box Hill Hawks ABD Group Stadium 2:00 PM
Tasmania vs. Casey Scorpions Bellerive Oval 2:00 PM
Saturday, Apr 26
ABC TV Sandringham vs. Bendigo Bombers Trevor Barker Beach Oval 1:10 PM
Sunday, Apr 27
Williamstown vs. North Ballarat Burbank Oval 2:00 PM
Northern Bullants vs. Werribee MC Labour Park 2:00 PM
Saturday, May 03
ABC TV Port Melbourne vs. Frankston TEAC Oval 1:10 PM
Sunday, May 04
Collingwood vs. Geelong MC Labour Park 2:00 PM
Round 6
Saturday, May 10
ABC TV Coburg Tigers vs. Collingwood ABD Group Stadium 1:10 PM
Box Hill Hawks vs. Geelong Box Hill City Oval 2:00 PM
North Ballarat vs. Tasmania AUSTAR Arena 2:00 PM
Werribee vs. Port Melbourne Bartercard Oval 2:00 PM
Bendigo Bombers vs. Frankston QE Oval 7:00 PM
Sunday, May 11
Williamstown vs. Sandringham Burbank Oval 2:00 PM
Casey Scorpions vs. Northern Bullants Casey Fields 2:00 PM
Round 7
Saturday, May 17
AFL C/R Geelong vs. Coburg Tigers Melbourne Cricket Ground 10.40 AM
AFL C/R Tasmania vs. Sandringham Aurora Stadium 10:40 AM
ABC TV Casey Scorpions vs. Collingwood Casey Fields 1:10 PM
Sunday, May 18
Frankston vs. Werribee Frankston Oval 2:00 PM
Northern Bullants vs. North Ballarat NAB Oval 2:00 PM
Box Hill Hawks vs. Port Melbourne Box Hill City Oval 2:00 PM
Bendigo Bombers vs. Williamstown QE Oval 2:00 PM
Round 8
Saturday, May 24
ABC TV Williamstown vs. Box Hill Hawks Burbank Oval 1:10 PM
Port Melbourne vs. Casey Scorpions TEAC Oval 2:00 PM
Werribee vs. Collingwood Bartercard Oval 2:00 PM
Sunday, May 25
North Ballarat vs. Geelong Stawell 2:00 PM
Coburg Tigers vs. Bendigo Bombers ABD Group Stadium 2:00 PM
Frankston vs. Tasmania Frankston Oval 2:00 PM
Sandringham vs. Northern Bullants Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM
Round 9
Saturday, Jun 07
ABC TV North Ballarat vs. Frankston AUSTAR Arena 1:10 PM
Northern Bullants vs. Williamstown MC Labour Park 2:00 PM
Tasmania vs. Port Melbourne Bellerive Oval 2:00 PM
Sunday, Jun 08
Casey Scorpions vs. Geelong Casey Fields 2:00 PM
Sandringham vs. Collingwood Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM
Werribee vs. Coburg Tigers Bartercard Oval 2:00 PM
Monday, Jun 09
Box Hill Hawks vs. Bendigo Bombers Box Hill City Oval 2:00 PM
Round 10
Saturday, Jun 14
ABC TV Casey Scorpions vs. Sandringham Casey Fields 1:10 PM
Coburg Tigers vs. Tasmania ABD Group Stadium 2:00 PM
Port Melbourne vs. North Ballarat TEAC Oval 2:00 PM
Sunday, Jun 15
AFL C/R Collingwood vs. Northern Bullants Melbourne Cricket Ground 10:40 AM
Williamstown vs. Frankston Burbank Oval 2:00 PM
Box Hill Hawks vs. Werribee Box Hill City Oval 2:00 PM
Bendigo Bombers vs. Geelong QE Oval 2:00 PM
Round 11
Saturday, Jun 21
ABC TV Tasmania vs. Werribee Bellerive Oval 1:10 PM
Collingwood vs. Williamstown MC Labour Park 2:00 PM
Bendigo Bombers vs. North Ballarat QE Oval 7:00 PM
Sunday, Jun 22
Sandringham vs. Port Melbourne Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM
Frankston vs. Box Hill Hawks Frankston Oval 2:00 PM
Coburg Tigers vs. Casey Scorpions ABD Group Stadium 2:00 PM
Geelong vs. Northern Bullants Skilled Stadium 2:00 PM
Round 12
Saturday, Jun 28
Geelong vs. Tasmania Skilled Stadium 1:00 PM
ABC TV Box Hill Hawks vs. Collingwood Box Hill City Oval 1:10 PM
North Ballarat vs. Williamstown AUSTAR Arena 2:00 PM
Sunday, Jun 29
Frankston vs. Coburg Tigers Frankston Oval 2:00 PM
Casey Scorpions vs. Bendigo Bombers Casey Fields 2:00 PM
Northern Bullants vs. Port Melbourne NAB Oval 2:00 PM
Werribee vs. Sandringham Bartercard Oval 2:00 PM
Round 13
Saturday, Jul 05
ABC TV Port Melbourne vs. Bendigo Bombers TEAC Oval 1:10 PM
Sunday, Jul 06
North Ballarat vs. Sandringham AUSTAR Arena 2:00 PM
Collingwood vs. Frankston MC Labour Park 2:00 PM
Williamstown vs. Casey Scorpions Burbank Oval 2:00 PM
Box Hill Hawks vs. Coburg Tigers Box Hill City Oval 2:00 PM
Tasmania vs. Northern Bullants Bellerive Oval 2:00 PM
Werribee vs. Geelong Bartercard Oval 2:00 PM
Round 14
Saturday, Jul 12
AFL C/R Collingwood vs. North Ballarat Melbourne Cricket Ground 10:40 AM
AFL C/R Geelong vs. Box Hill Hawks Skilled Stadium 10:40 AM
ABC TV Werribee vs. Frankston Bartercard Oval 1:10 PM
Casey Scorpions vs. Tasmania Casey Fields 2:00 PM
Sandringham vs. Williamstown Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM
Coburg Tigers vs. Port Melbourne ABD Group Stadium 2:00 PM
Sunday, Jul 13
Bendigo Bombers vs. Northern Bullants QE Oval 2:00 PM
Round 15
Saturday, Jul 19
AFL C/R Geelong vs. North Ballarat Skilled Stadium 10:40 AM
ABC TV Northern Bullants vs. Box Hill Hawks NAB Oval 1:10 PM
Sunday, Jul 20
Werribee vs. Casey Scorpions Bartercard Oval 2:00 PM
Williamstown vs. Coburg Tigers Burbank Oval 2:00 PM
Sandringham vs. Tasmania Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM
Saturday, Jul 26
ABC TV Frankston vs. Port Melbourne Frankston Oval 1:10 PM
AFL C/R Collingwood vs. Bendigo Bombers Melbourne Cricket Ground 10:40 AM
Round 16
Saturday, Aug 02
ABC TV Geelong vs. Collingwood Skilled Stadium 1:10 PM
Box Hill Hawks vs. Casey Scorpions Box Hill City Oval 2:00 PM
Port Melbourne vs. Werribee TEAC Oval 2:00 PM
Tasmania vs. Williamstown Bellerive Oval 2:00 PM
Sunday, Aug 03
North Ballarat vs. Coburg Tigers AUSTAR Arena 2:00 PM
Frankston vs. Bendigo Bombers Frankston Oval 2:00 PM
Northern Bullants vs. Sandringham MC Labour Park 2:00 PM
Round 17
Saturday, Aug 09
AFL C/R Tasmania vs. Frankston Aurora Stadium 10:40 AM
Collingwood vs. Werribee MC Labour Park 1.00 PM
ABC TV Bendigo Bombers vs. Box Hill Hawks QE Oval 1:10 PM
Port Melbourne vs. Williamstown TEAC Oval 2:00 PM
Coburg Tigers vs. Northern Bullants ABD Group Stadium 2:00 PM
Sunday, Aug 10
Casey Scorpions vs. North Ballarat Casey Fields 2:00 PM
Sandringham vs. Geelong Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM
Round 18
Saturday, Aug 16
ABC TV Collingwood vs. Tasmania MC Labour Park 1:10 PM
Coburg Tigers vs. Sandringham ABD Group Stadium 2:00 PM
North Ballarat vs. Northern Bullants AUSTAR Arena 2:00 PM
Werribee vs. Box Hill Hawks Bartercard Oval 2:00 PM
Williamstown vs. Bendigo Bombers Burbank Oval 2:00 PM
Sunday, Aug 17
Geelong vs. Port Melbourne Skilled Stadium 1:00 PM
Frankston vs. Casey Scorpions Frankston Oval 2:00 PM
Round 19
Saturday, Aug 23
Port Melbourne vs. Collingwood TEAC Oval 1:00 PM
Box Hill Hawks vs. Williamstown Box Hill City Oval 2:00 PM
Casey Scorpions vs. Coburg Tigers Casey Fields 2:00 PM
Frankston vs. Sandringham Frankston Oval 2:00 PM
Northern Bullants vs. Geelong NAB Oval 2:00 PM
Tasmania vs. North Ballarat Bellerive Oval 2:00 PM
Bendigo Bombers vs. Werribee QE Oval 2:00 PM
Round 20
Saturday, Aug 30
AFL C/R Geelong vs. Frankston Skilled Stadium 10:40 AM
Bendigo Bombers vs. Coburg Tigers Windy Hill 2:00 PM
Collingwood vs. Casey Scorpions MC Labour Park 2:00 PM
Port Melbourne vs. Northern Bullants TEAC Oval 2:00 PM
Sandringham vs. North Ballarat Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM
Williamstown vs. Werribee Burbank Oval 2:00 PM
Sunday, Aug 31
Tasmania vs. Box Hill Hawks Bellerive Oval 2:00 PM
Finals Dates
Qualifying and Eliminations Finals
Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September
Semi Finals
Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September
Preliminary Finals
Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September
Alphabetically, the AFL is far above most other football leagues. Just a bit below them is the CFL. Possibly described as the NFL with a few added elements, and a subtraction in the number of downs, the Canadian Football League is made up of eight teams that have a few interesting, and imagined, links to AFL teams.
If AFL fans are looking for another sport, that is different but in some ways similar, to follow, they might try the CFL where the ball is comparable to AFL and field goals can actually be kicked during any play, although that rarely happens.
Toronto Argonauts
Port Adelaide
Fremantle
A grouping of nautical teams, with a port and dock workers for the team named after ancient sailors.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Carlton
Essendon
In recent years, more than a few Blues have left Carlton and been huge failures for the Essendon Bombers. The Winnipeg team combines both Carlton and Essendon in their team name.
Montreal Alouettes
Kangaroos
Sydney
Financial stability and team location don't seem to be things that the Montreal franchise has been successful with, there has been renaming, folding but also coming back.
Hamilton Tigercats
Richmond
Geelong
Something for fans of the Tigers and fans of the Cats. Like Geelong, Hamilton is a secondary city in their area of the world, with a much larger city just down the road.
British Columbia Lions
West Coast
Brisbane
It's on the West coast so that gives them something in common with the Eagles, and the team also has the same name as Brisbane does.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Collingwood
Adelaide
The fans of Saskatchewan are known for their noise and exuberance when supporting their team, so a few things similar to the black and white army. They do grow plenty of wheat in Saskatchewan, so it is safe to assume that there are plenty of Crows in the area too.
Calgary Stampeders
Melbourne
St Kilda
There are more than a few ski fields around Calgary. The train from the Rockies goes to Calgary, the Saints also have their own train, the G-Train Express from Moorabbin to Spencer Street, or whatever that station is called now.
Edmonton Eskimos
Hawthorn
Western Bulldogs
Edmonton is cold, Waverley is cold and Tasmania can be too, so there is something for the Hawks. When the Bulldogs had a home ground, the conditions were capable of providing a challenge to the players, either kicking with the wind or against the mud, and the conditions in Edmonton would not provide the easiest place to play too, which does make it better to watch.
Canadian football could also be something that retired AFL footballers, or those who missed out on a career in the AFL, could pursue. The playing field is longer and teams have one less down than in the NFL, so punting is of great importance. Punting to the endzone can also result in a score too.
There is a big brouhaha in South Australia because of the Crows letting Brad Ebert slip by in the draft and even in Queensland there is talk that Ebert might have been a better choice to make. Voss seemed to be very impressed with Ebert, who could become a very similar player to the former Lion.
"I have no hesitation in saying that Brad Ebert has all the credentials to eventually captain a club,'' Voss said.
"I just said that from what I had seen of any kids in the (2007) draft I would have considered him the best player that would probably be available when the Lions had their first choice.''
"He has a natural football brain and wonderful courage,'' said Voss. ``There is just all the ingredients that you would look for in a potential 10 to 15-year top player at the highest level.
Some people at St Kilda must really like the beach, and after agreeing to move their training and administration to Frankston now they are talking about playing some games on the Gold Coast.
The Saints have told AFL officials, including chief executive Andrew Demetriou and his offsider Gillon McLachlan, that they would be willing to play three or four games at Carrara from 2009 and until the league has a team permanently based on the Gold Coast.
But sources said that the Saints would only entertain playing games at Carrara — two or three most likely, but four would not be out of the question — on the proviso that they did not have to travel more than six times in the course of a 22-game season.
The 28-year-old kicked three goals for the 'Pies in a comfortable 18.19 (127) to 7.9 (51) win.
Palmerston president Gus Gale said Whitnall was scheduled to play two games for the Magpies and, depending on employment in Melbourne, may return to play more games after the Christmas break.
The NTFL games were being shown on ABC2, but their current TV guide doesn’t mention any of the games being broadcast in the coming days. So football fans may not have the chance to watch Whitnall in the black and white colours.
Brent Stanton might now be Essendon’s most important player, he is the general in the middle of the ground that gets the team going. He is also moving up in the world, numerically, and will be wearing the number 5 for the Bombers.
While he doesn’t get the media exposure that he deserves, expect Stanton to be in the running for an All-Australian spot for season 2008.
Stanton, who was taken with pick 13 in the 2003 draft and has played 76 games, said he was thrilled to be given the honour. Brent Stanton will move from number 24 to number 5.
Khan has joined the club as a NSW rookie.
He has lived in Sydney,and has listed as a NSW scholarship holder.
Khan has a background in rugby, and has been playing footy for about four years.
He has just finished year 12, and has played club football for the University of NSW.
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