The agreement,which was finalised in a meeting on Friday between AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan and Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff,also cleared the way for Hawthorn and North Melbourne to continue to play home games in Tasmania.
Both clubs aim to keep playing games there until the Tasmanian team enters the competition,with the Hawks hoping they may even continue to play two games in Launceston beyond that.
The proposal to build a stadium at Macquarie Point has not received bilateral support,with the Labor opposition against it,despite the AFL making the approval of a new licence contingent on the stadium.
McLachlan reiterated the importance of the stadium to securing the licence,with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese willing to consider the proposal,once the business case is submitted,despite infrastructure for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics a federal priority.
“We need a stadium. The biggest sport in the country and one of the biggest sports in the world needs a stadium,” McLachlan said.
Hawthorn,Geelong,Richmond,Adelaide,the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast are among the clubs to have publicly backed the 19th licence after being given the bid’s financial details several weeks ago.
Destination Brisbane:McKenna to make comeback at the Lions
Peter Ryan
Former Essendon speedster Conor McKenna chose to resume his AFL career with the Brisbane Lions because he wanted to play for a club contending for a premiership.
The 26-year-old spent the past two years in Ireland playing Gaelic football,winning an All-Ireland final with Tyrone in 2021.
“I wanted to come back to a club that was playing deep into finals pushing for a premiership and Brisbane have been doing that for the last number of years,” McKenna said.
The Lions have played in two of the past four preliminary finals and finished top four after the home-and-away season in three of the past four years,but are yet to make the grand final under coach Chris Fagan.
The Eglish man played 79 games with Essendon between 2015 and 2020,establishing himself as one of the game’s most dangerous running defenders.
McKenna met with the Lions,Port Adelaide,St Kilda and the Bombers before he and his partner Amy made the call to join fellow Irishman James Madden and former teammate Joe Daniher in Brisbane.
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The Lions had been interested in him throughout this season and offered him a one-year deal comparable to the other interested clubs,although sources said one of the other club’s offers contained more guaranteed money than the Lions.
McKenna will complement Daniel Rich off half-back and give emerging defender Darcy Wilmot time to establish himself in the running defender role.
Football manager Danny Daly said the club would benefit from McKenna’s run and speed,as well as his versatility.
“He showed in his time at Essendon that one of his strengths is that he can play at both ends of the ground,and he can also win plenty of the ball,” Daly said.
McKenna will join the club via the pre-season supplemental selection period,capping off an excellent exchange period for the Lions after they made the preliminary final last season.
They landedthe Bulldogs’ Josh Dunkley,Hawthorn veteran Jack Gunston,and will selectfather-son prospects Will Ashcroft - who is a possible No.1 selection - and Jaspa Fletcher in the draft.
Meanwhile,the Bombers will begin pre-season on Monday with virtually a full complement of players to pick from with only James Stewart (foot) and Tex Wanganeen (navicular) likely to have a modified start.
Wanganeen,the son of club great Gavin,was ruled out mid-year with the navicular injury after five games.
Geelong,who arguably had as successful a trade period as the Lions,are also expected to add an Irishman to their list in the off-season with talented Mayo youngster Oisin Mullin considering joining the club as a category B rookie.
AFLW grand final venues revealed
Jon Pierik
Brisbane’s new Springfield facility will host the AFLW grand final next weekend should the Lions defeat Adelaide on Friday night.
The AFL confirmed on Friday that the Lions’ $80 million training base at Brighton Homes Arena would be used because the Gabba was unavailable because of cricket. Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast was also unavailable because of concert commitments.
However,the capacity expected at Brighton Homes Arena is only about 10,000,sparking debate ahead of the showpiece event to be played in the afternoon on Sunday,November 27.
Travis Auld,the league’s general manager of clubs and broadcast,said officials had conducted a surface assessment of the Springfield ground,and approved its use. There had been fears the surface would not be ready but these have been allayed. A digital scoreboard and added seating will be installed should the Lions win this weekend.
“After an independent turf inspection at the venue this week,the turf was deemed suitable to play,clearing the way for the Brisbane Lion’s state-of-the-art home base to host an AFLW grand final if Brisbane win,” Auld said.
“The AFL are working with the Brisbane Lions and a government-led task force to address all that needs to be prepared at Brighton Homes Arena. All hands are on deck to prepare the venue in time for an AFLW grand final,should the Brisbane Lions win on Friday night.”
The grand final will be played at at 2.40pm (AEDT).
If the Lions fall to the Crows and Melbourne defeat North Melbourne in their preliminary final on Saturday,Marvel Stadium in Victoria will host the grand final.
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Richmond Oval in West Adelaide is the South Australian venue should the Crows advance. Richmond Oval has not hosted an AFLW game since 2020.
Adelaide Oval,which held the 2019 grand final before 53,000 fans,is unavailable because of a Guns N Roses concert.
AFL head of women’s football Nicole Livingstone has defended the league’s policy of having the highest-ranked team host the grand final,despite this meaning it gave the league,clubs,players and supporters little time to prepare.
Kennett takes blame for Hawthorn’s funding gap
Departing Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett concedes his public criticism of Victoria’s government has cost the club $15 million in funding for its new headquarters.
The Hawks this week announced a deal with ADCO Constructions to build the Kennedy Community Centre at Dingley Village in Melbourne’s south-east.
The facility will cost about $100 million,with a portion to be paid for by the club’s recent sale of two gaming venues. There is also federal government and local council funding committed to the project.
But famously combative Liberal elder Kennett’s repeated attacks on Labor politicians -slammed as “late-night tweets” by Hawks presidential candidate Andy Gowers - has led to state government funding being withheld.
“It’s been earmarked,but it hasn’t been allocated,and we’ve been waiting for that to happen,” Kennett told SEN on Friday. “[The $15 million] has been designated but not handed over.
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“I’ve got to be quite honest ... it’s because I,from time to time,have been known to be critical of the state government - just from time to time.”
Despite Kennett’s antagonistic political commentary,Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves this week said the club remains optimistic the state government will come through with the $15 million in funding.
“If you’re standing for something,there should be an alternative plan or there should be an improvement on what you’re doing,” Kennett said. “But just to attack personalities is not right and it’s not fair.”
AAP
Roos take conservative path with recovering young gun
Marc McGowan
North Melbourne young gun Will Phillips may not resume full training until next year as the Roos adopt a conservative approach to his recovery from glandular fever.
The 20-year-old midfielder,the No.3 pick in the 2020 draft,suffered through a horror second season that included contracting COVID-19 before glandular fever twice struck him down. North Melbourne’s medical staff eventually pulled the pin on Phillips’ season in late June.
The Kangaroos’ first-to-fourth-year players will be back training at Arden Street on Monday but Phillips will be on limited duties as part of the club’s plan to get him back to full speed. He is slated to rejoin the main group post-Christmas.
Phillips has not had another setback but North do not want to risk overloading him and are delaying his return to the game after making only three VFL appearances in 2022.
He promises to be a major part of the Roos’ future under new coach Alastair Clarkson,alongside fellow on-ballers Jy Simpkin,Luke Davies-Uniacke and Tarryn Thomas.
Swans ready to ‘make amends’,Franklin to remain ‘the man’
Jon Pierik
Reborn Swans star Paddy McCartin insists the stinging grand final defeat will galvanise Sydney,and has declared veteran Lance Franklin will continue to be “the man” up forward next season.
McCartin,fresh from an overseas trip and spending time at his parents’ home in Geelong,will officially resume training on December 5,with first to four-year players returning this month.
The Swans were must-watch viewing last season but their feel-good storyfell flat on the biggest day of the AFL calendar when they were crunched by 81 points by Geelong.
There has already been media and public debate that a defeat of that magnitude can be a mental hurdle and set a team back,but McCartin says the Swans have other ideas.
“We didn’t end the way we wanted it to unfortunately,but you take a step back,and you try and take the positives from the season. We have got to get to work,we will have a couple of weeks pre-Chrissie[Christmas] and have a good crack … everyone is pretty keen to try and make amends for that last day and get back to work,” McCartin said on Friday,while promoting the “Blue Balloon Challenge”,raising awareness and fund research into type one diabetes.
“We have got some great leaders in our team and some guys that have been around for a long time that have set the standard. Then we have some young guys,for a lot of them it was their first experience playing in a prelim and grand final,like myself,so I think we are all going to be a lot better for the experience.”
Franklin,35,last season became just the sixth player in VFL-AFL history to reach the career 1000-goal milestone. He finished the season with a team-high 52,but was goalless in the Swans’ two finals at the MCG,including against the Cats.
McCartin dismissed chat that it was time for the Swans to consider easing the focus on Franklin inside attacking 50,where marking threats Will Hayward (34 goals in 2022) and Isaac Heeney (49) also roam.
“He kicked another 50-plus[goals] which puts him in the top seven or eight of the league. He is definitely going to be the focal point again,” McCartin said.
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“I don’t think there will ever be a day when he plays when he isn’t the focal point,the big fella. He is the man. Finals - I don’t think anyone would have gone any good down there,especially on grand final day. It was impossible. He is a gun. He will be back next year and dominating,I am absolutely sure about that,” he said.
McCartin said it was “bloody unfortunate”marking tall Sam Reid had an adductor strain in the preliminary final. He played hurt in the grand final,before being subbed off early in the third term.
“He was a big part of the team,in the back half of the year especially,played a massive role … he is in good spirits,he is fine. He will come back ready to roll again,just as everyone will,” McCartin said.
A type one diabetic,and having overcome eight concussions,McCartin was one of the standout stories of the 2022 campaign. Delisted by the Saints after the 2019 season,he sat out 2020,before returning via the Swans’ VFL team in 2021. A one-time key forward,he was taken as a pre-season supplementary selection in January,and went on to play every game bar one in a new role as a key defender.
His determination to overcome head injuries was an inspiration to teammates,just as he had been in learning to play with diabetes which requires him to monitor his blood sugar levels more than 10 times each day.
Raising awareness of diabetes week,McCartin said the “Blue Balloon Challenge”,which invites the public to post a photo or film of themselves as they try to keep a balloon in the air,a metaphor for the balancing act needed to manage diabetes,would raise awareness of the 125,000 Australians who have the type one condition.
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