Collingwood have revived their AFL season and sent the Brisbane Lions’ further south with a 20-point win in a scrappy,fluctuating grand final re-match at the Gabba.
As the competition has expanded to include a national women’s league and soon 19 teams,veteran club bosses have lamented the dearth of emerging off-field leaders across the competition.
Football columnist for The Age
Every year at every AFL club,a player will start the season not knowing they are about to leave the game. Few get to leave the sport in control of their exit. The likes of Shane Crawford and Joel Selwood are the exceptions to the norm.
AFL columnist
A packed MCG and the buzz of being on Broadway or the more private surrounds offered by the Getaway clubs? Players have options,but free agency is not the panacea for clubs. Here’s why.
Chief football writer,The Age
Coach John Longmire and chief executive Tom Harley – both former AFL players – have been quick to distance themselves from explosive claims made by federal MP Andrew Wilkie.
The AFL has a major brand protection imperative. It does not want to look soft on players using drugs. There’s a pressure to be narcotically correct from governments and sponsors.