Lisa's Report- August 27, 200

Preliminary Finals


G'Day Footy Fans -

Contents-

IT'S DEMONS VS BOMBERS IN GF
CARLTON COACH CALLS IT QUITS
The Melbourne Demons were the first on the weekend to keep their flag flying as the younger and fresher Demons ran the finals veteran Kangaroos off their feet. And the Bombers just kept on doing what they have done all year (except for that hiccup against the Bulldogs). Full match reports below. 

And Coach David Parkin has announced that he will step down as coach. He has endorsed assistant coach Wayne Brittian as his successor. Brittian has been doing much of the hands on coaching this year anyway as part of a coaching committee initiated by Parkin. Parkin could stay on as director of coaching or take up a similar role at another club. Coach Parkin began his career at Hawthorn where he took the club to a premiership in 1978. He coached the club 1977-80, then crossed to Carlton in 1981 and coached there until he was sacked in 1986. He coached Fitzroy 1986-88 and rejoined Carlton 1991. Parkin also is a lecturer in Phys. Ed. at a Melbourne University. 


GENERAL NEWS

Another Survey
This time it was over 500 players who took part in a Herald Sun/AFLPA survey. Here are some of the results:

The majority (72%) of players rated the Tribunal as "OK" or worse. with 3 players saying it had done an excellent job. The AFL interpreted the "OK" rating as a positive.

81% rejected the idea of extra goal umpires while 19% said yes to the idea. 

Players also had the opportunity to rate each other: Roo John Blakey was voted the most underrated player by his peers with Carlton's Brett Ratten coming a close second. Crow Simon Goodwin and Docker Adrian Fletcher also rated highly. Ironically, Blakey and Ratten garnered votes from 11 clubs, bur only one of their teammates voted for them. Roo Peter Bell, who came in 5th, got the most votes from the Eagles and his former team, the Dockers. And Port Adelaide's Brett Montgomery received 4 votes from his former club, the Bulldogs.

50% of the players polled said they had been sworn at by umpires, with Essendon players receiving most of the tongue lashing. 77% of the Bombers said they had copped it from umpires. As a result of this, the AFLPA has told players to watch what they say, as it is believed it is the players arguing with decisions which might lead to the umpires firing back. AFLPA chief Rob Kerr would like to see a review of player-umpire interaction. Kerr also believes that players have gotten away with more than should and that umpires should enforce the rules more when it comes to verbal tirades from players. 

91% expressed a preference for Saturday footy, 33% gave the thumbs up to Sunday games, and 41% gave the nod to Friday night games. 

85% believe there should be a financial bonus to go along with the Brownlow medal.

55% voted yes to the closed roof at Colonial, 14% voted for open-air footy, 31% were undecided. The biggest approval for a closed roof came from Essendon (69%) and St. Kilda (76%), two of the tenant clubs. 41% of the Bulldogs preferred a closed roof while 24% preferred open air. Overall, 45% said the roof should be closed at 1/2 time if the weather turns nasty.

The MCG topped the survey as the preferred ground by 61% of the players polled. The biggest support came from Victorian clubs. Colonial only got 11%. The Melbourne Demons voted unanimously for the "G", while St. Kilda players favored Colonial, as did Hawthorn.

Record Attendances
With the GF yet to come, the league looks set to break 1999's overall attendance record of 6,243,586. As of this weekend, total attendance reached 6,212,661. The 1999 figure should easily be broken at next week's game. It will fall short of the 1998 figure of 6,691,897 and 1997's 6,402,997. Of course, the minor drop can be attributed to the early start to the season, the problems at Colonial which kept fans away early, and poor form of teams such as St. Kilda, Port, Adelaide, and Collingwood.

Another American Convert
Cheers star Kirstie Alley arrived in Melbourne in the midst of finals fever. She was there to film a miniseries about Marilyn Monroe, saw posters promoting the preliminary finals, and managed to secure a seat for the Essendon/Carlton game. She had never seen footy before, but enjoys live sports events. 

Ready & Weighting
The Irish team that is to take on the Australians in this year's international series will be better prepared for the tackling and more physical aspects adopted from footy. The team has been on a special weights program and have held practice matches to better prepared for tackling and marking, which are not part of Gaelic Football. Players have been selected to the squad who are better suited to the hybrid rules rather than being named because they are the best at the Gaelic code. 

GF Presenters
Former premiership player and coach Ron Barassi will present this year's premiership cup. Former Collingwood rover and current media personality Lou Richards will present the Norm Smith Medal. 

More Medals For Sale
The Brownlow medals of South Melbourne great Herbie Matthews will become the fourth lot of football's greatest individual honor to be offered for auction, going under the hammer on October 4 at Christie's auction house. Collingwood ruckman Len Thompson was the first footballer to part with his Brownlow Medal, sold at auction for $74,000 last year, while the 1955 Brownlow Medal of South Melbourne's Fred Goldsmith was sold at auction earlier this year for $43,700.

Matthews, in his highly decorated 14-year and 191-game career as a South midfielder, tied with Collingwood champion Des Fothergill for the 1940 Brownlow Medal, each player given a replica when a countback of the votes could not separate a winner. In 1989, both players were awarded a retrospective Brownlow Medal.

Both of Matthews' medals, as well as four of his five best-and-fairest medallions, are being sold at the wishes of his widow, Rita. The two Brownlow medals will form a single lot, along with the Brownlow Medal certificate also awarded to him. The lot is valued at between $40,000 and $60,000. He died 10 years ago. According to Herbie's son, Greg, him mom decided to sell the medals more out of a concern as to what would become of them when she died rather than a financial concern. Matthews was a strong performer in Brownlow medal counts, coming second in 1937 and 1941, and third in 1936, and was also captain-coach of the team from 1938 to 1945.

 

TRIBUNAL
Roo Byron Pickett accepted the automatic $1200 fine for wrestling. His opponent, Shane Crawford, however, pleaded not guilty, and copped a $3000 fine. Crawford tried to defend himself saying he was only trying to fend off an angry Pickett after he caught the Roo on a late bump. Crawford revealed at the hearing that he has been playing the last 6 weeks with stress fractures in his leg and said he was only trying to protect his leg as he and Pickett grappled. The Tribunal ruled that Crawford was more than a passive participant and took into account his previous charges of striking (twice) and wrestling (once).

 

 

TEAM NEWS

MILESTONES
150 games: Mark Mercuri & Dustin Fletcher (ESS)
50 games: Dean Solomon (ESS)
100 club games: Sean Wellman ESS)
300 games -- Chris Mitchell is the eighth umpire in VFL/AFL history to officiate in 300 games this weekend, joining Rowan Sawers (410), Ian Robinson (353), Peter Carey (307), Peter Cameron (306), Bryan Sheehan (305), Jack McMurray Senior (303) and Kevin Smith (303).
Mitchell umpired the Essendon/Carlton preliminary final.

 

BRISBANE
Assistant coach Matt Armstrong has resigned to seek a senior coaching role at another club. His agent is looking at clubs in Victoria, SA, and Tasmania. Armstrong wants to gain further experience with an eye toward a future AFL senior berth. Armstrong has been an assistant at Brisbane for 2 years. Former Magpie Mick McGuane, now coaching Burnie, is keen to come on board with the Lions. 

25 year old Martin McKinnon has called it quits to return to the SANFL. McKinnon started with the Crows in 1993 and played 25 games there before crossing to Geelong in 1996. He played 54 games there and joined Brisbane last year but has managed just 7 games in 2 years. His retirement, along with that of Richard Champion, Adam Heuskes, and Craig Lambert cuts the Lions' list to 35.

Players to have post season surgery are: Mick Martin (finger), Nigel Lappin (knee), Marcus Ashcroft (shoulder), Beau McDonald (shoulder), Des Headland (shoulder), Steve Lawrence (groin), and Aaron Shattock (groin). 

FREMANTLE
Out of contract Craig Callaghan and defender Greg Harding want to return to Victoria. Callaghan, a member of the original squad, managed only 11 games this year. 

The Dockers, looking to bolster its midfield, is set to offer its first draft pick and one of its better players to obtain either Peter Bell or David King from the Kangaroos. It is believed the Dockers are offering 3 year deals worth $400,000 to woo the two players. Ironically, Bell was delisted by the Dockers at the end of 1995 after just 2 games. Both Bell and King are out of contract with the Roos and put off negotiations until their season ended.

 

COLLINGWOOD
Has been fined $55,541 for infringing player rules and $10,000 for missing a contract filing deadline. The club was fined over $47,000 and excluded from the 1998 preseason draft for breaches in 1997. The AFL accepted the club's explanation for some recent player overpayments.

 

NORTH MELBOURNE
Jason McCartney and Adam Lange have both agreed to new 2 year contracts.

 

ST. KILDA
Has a new president. Andrew Plympton has stepped down, and director Rod Butterss has been installed. Plympton has also resigned from the board to concentrate on business matters. Butterss played in the St. Kilda reserves. Plympton served as the club's president for 10 years. 

Damian Monkhorst has retired. Monkhorst played his entire career with Collingwood before being traded to St. Kilda this season. He managed just 10 senior games this year for a career total of 215. 

 

HAWTHORN
Daniel Chick has turned down offers from West Coast to stay with the Hawks with a new 2 year contract. Chick, several months ago, had indicated he wanted to return to WA, but has recently changed his mind. 

Is keen to secure Shaun Rehn and will try to work a deal with Adelaide. Rehn has already had talks with the club and met with Coach Peter Schwab.

 

ADELAIDE
Sean Rehn is departing to seek his fortunes with another club. Rehn, eligible for life membership at the club for 0 years' service, told the media the past season was not a happy time for him at the club. The Crows will push for a top notch player in a trade deal for Rehn. If a suitable deal cannot be worked out, Rehn would go into the draft. St. Kilda and Hawthorn are interested in the big man. 

Assistant Coach Darel Hart is also leaving to look for a coaching role elsewhere. He will seek another assistant's job in a bid to promote his coaching career and with an eye on a possible senior role at AFL level. He said after 5 years at Adelaide, it was time to move on. 

The club has offered premiership players Kym Koster and Brett James as trades. Trent-Ormond Allen and Brett Troy Bond have been delisted.

 

ESSENDON
With Ilija Grgic and Chris Ladhams consigned to the long term injury list, the club elevated Corey McGrath and Adam Switala from the rookie list. Their status will be reassessed before next season. Both have had excellent seasons in the VFL side. McGrath is a defender and Switala is a winger/half-forward.

 

PORT ADELAIDE
Has told midfielders Donald Dickie and Danny Morton they will not be needed next year. Both players want to continue their AFL careers and Port will try to trade them, but they will be delisted if a trade cannot be arranged. Morton, 27, has played 50 AFL games (30 with Fitzroy) but struggled to reestablish himself since sustaining a severe neck injury in Round 13, 1998. He recovered from the neck injury, but has been troubled recently with soft tissue injury. Dickie, 28, played 55 games for the Power and was runner-up to Adam Kingsley in the club's best and fairest in 1998.

 

WESTERN BULLDOGS
Terry Wallace has signed a new deal, turning down a more lucrative offer from St. Kilda. Also signing new long term deals are Scott West, Luke Darcy, and Nathan Brown. Tony Liberatore has signed a new one year contract. West had been targeted by Collingwood and Darcy was being pursued by Adelaide to replace the departing Shaun Rehn. 

The club is on the verge of receiving a million dollar compensation deal from Colonial Stadium for money lost during games there. The compensation will see the club make a small profit rather than suffer a loss this year. 
Essendon, Geelong, and Richmond are also seeking compensation.

The club has taken disciplinary action against Nathan Brown after an incident in Brisbane after the qualifying final match several weeks ago. It is believed Brown and several others went to a KFC in the wee hours and a somewhat inebriated Brown got into a scuffle with a security guard, who suffered a broken nose. It was reported that an ATM machine was also damaged. The matter is still being investigated by Brisbane authorities. 

 

RICHMOND
Has finally re-signed Brad Ottens to a new deal. Negotiations have been going on for some time, with St. Kilda, Collingwood, and Port Adelaide keen to acquire his services. Port's lure was strong as Ottens is from SA. 

 

CARLTON
Steve Silvagni had surgery last week to reattach his torn hamstring. He will need 4-6 months of rehab. 

The case of Luke O'Sullivan vs the AFL and Carlton went to court last week. O'Sullivan is seeking over $1 million in damages and perceived loss of income due to a knee injury he sustained at Waverley in 1993. He claims the playing surface was unsuitable and unsafe with areas having loose sod covering sand, which had been there for a baseball game. He claims the surface was unstable and constantly shifting, causing him to loose his footing. O'Sullivan's lawyers also are arguing that the AFL knew the ground was unsafe and that the knee injury curtailed O'Sullivan's career and forced him to retire in 1997. There was also testimony that players and club officials were replacing turf during the game. Carlton was named in the suit because of its status as his employer at the time of the injury.

 

MELBOURNE
 Is set to record a small profit of between $50-100,000, a marked improvement over last year's $1.5 million loss, mainly due to fines for salary cap breaches. CEO John Anderson attributes the turnaround to increased sponsorship and gate receipts, the retirement of a number of senior players which lessened the club's salary commitments, and some administrative belt tightening. President Joe Gutnick, who has poured over $3 million into the club, has again said he would assist, but Anderson said it was important for the club to be able to be financially independent rather than depending on handouts.

 

GEELONG
Billy Brownless' Shell Stadium food pantry, otherwise known as his locker, sold at auction for $5100, which far outweighed that of the occasionally out-of-favor former favorite son, Sam Newman. Sam's locker, No. 17 sold for $3000.

 

GENERAL SILLINESS
One Australian reporter came up with some amusing ideas for club end of season trips:

The real destinations

Earlier this year, there was hints that Paul Couch and others had been tipped off regarding his Brownlow win in 1989. Well, seems there was a prank played on Ted Whitten and Bob Skilton by the umpires some years ago. Whitten and teammates were at a St Kilda function the day after the last home-and-away round with several high-profile umpires. Close friend Bob Skilton and several other mates began asking the umpires what Whitten's chances were in the Brownlow, and by the end of the function they had been told that he had been awarded at least six best-on-grounds. ''We all put in and backed him with a bookie and he got a new suit and invited the family,'' Skilton said. ''We made sure he didn't drink too much and did the right things on the night. He thought he was a sure thing, and in the end he got about three votes in total. The umpires were just making it all up, and as a result I've never trusted one since.''

1929 Brownlow medallist Albert Collier hardly knew the medal existed. The story goes that Collier, Collingwood's centre half-back, was out the back of his house near Victoria Park chopping wood when a call came from his father. ''Bert,'' his father would yelled. ''I've just been reading the paper and you've won some type of football award, the Charles Brownlow Medal. You've got to pick it up from Harrison House today.''
''Can you get them to send it out to me. I'm a bit busy at the moment,'' Albert replied.

Minted to commemorate the passing of long-time Geelong administrator Charles Brownlow, the medal was first awarded to Geelong centreman Edward ''Carji'' Greeves in 1924. His widow, Alma, 94, says Carji did not realize the significance of the medal but said he was proud as punch to receive it.
''He was very proud of it, but he never showed it. He just adored his football and was so dedicated to Geelong and to win the Brownlow Medal was a great recognition.'' Still, Alma doesn't know what all the fuss is about. ''It always crops up and it's amazing to me why people are so interested in his Brownlow. This medal must really mean something.''

The 1957 medallist Brian Gleeson never got the chance to experience football after a Brownlow. Gleeson, St Kilda's agile and skillful ruckman, won the medal with 24 votes, despite playing only 15 of 18 games that year. In the first five minutes of the first practice match of 1958, disaster struck the newly appointed captain. ''I got kneed right in the knee and it was damaged beyond repair. They did what they called a cartilage operation, but could never get it right,'' Gleeson recalls. ''It was catastrophic for both me and the club, as I was only 22 when I won the medal, but I never played VFL footy again.'' Being a part of history can have its own special advantages, too. ''My kids didn't know anything about the significance of the win. One day at school my son Justin dropped the fact his dad had won a Brownlow and he was mobbed. I grew about a foot taller in his eyes because of the impact it had on him at school,'' Gleeson said.

And finally, it took quite a bit of guile and cajoling to get Brad Ottens to re-sign with the Tigers. As early as January, Coach Danny Frawley told CEO Mark Brayshaw that one thing he had to do for sure was re-sign Ottens. In June, Frawley, Brayshaw, Ottens, and Ottens' agent met at a coffee shop where the agent was told there would be no trade to Port. Frawley then drove Ottens and his agent past Moorabbin (St. Kilda) and joked that that's where Ottens would end up. Later he told Ottens that decided, he would be his coach, either at Richmond, or at St Kilda, after the Tigers sacked him for losing Ottens. Another "player" in the equation was the injured Matt Richardson, who made retaining Ottens his personal mission. Since May, every few weeks, Richo would show up at Brayshaw's office asking if Ottens had re-signed. Richardson even had a long conversation with Ottens about the Tigers and the lure of returning home to SA. Wayne Campbell also played a part in convincing Ottens to stay. It was Ottens whom Frawley bailed out of jail last May after Ottens had been arrested for a drunken incident.  

 

SEMI-FINALS SCORES

Melbourne 6.5 14.10 18.14 23.18 156
North Melbourne 5.1 9.1 10.4 17.4 106

GOALS:
MELB - Farmer 8, Powell 4, Robertson 3, Neitz 2, Schwarz, White, Woewodin, Grgic, Yze, Green
KANG - Sholl 7, Carey 3, Bell 2, Archer 2, King, McKernan, Abraham

BEST:
MELB - Woewodin, Farmer, Powell, Yze, White, Walsh, Neitz, Ward
KANG - Sholl, McCartney, Bell, Archer

INJURY:
MELB: Rigoni (concussion)
KANG - Martyn (shoulder)

ATTENDANCE: 63937 at MCG

Melbourne broke the back of the Roos in a sensational second-quarter blitz last night, when the youthful Demons poured on eight goals to four, running the Kangas off their feet, winning across every line of play. The Roos started well as the Demons could not finish off their strong midfield work early with goals. Goals to King, Carey, Sholl, and McKernan gave the Roos an early 18-point lead. But the Dees were then ignited by Woewodin out of the middle and White winning the ruck duels. Goals to White, Farmer, and Woewodin leveled the scores. Schwarz and Grgic added two more to give the Demons a 10-point lead at 1/4 time. Throughout the game, White proved to be too mobile for Burton and Farmer was at his magical best as his minder, the usually reliable Pickett could not control him. Blakey and King also had a try at stopping the "Wiz" but to no avail. Pickett was off his game as his attempted dashes from defence were stymied by an onrush of Melbourne forwards.

The Roos opened the second term with 2 goals to Bell, but the Dees hit back with a burst of 5 goals in 10 minutes. Three more, 8 for the term, established a 39 point lead at 1/2 time. Again, it was the midfield brigade of Woewodin, Leoncelli, and Febey which kept the supply going into the forward lines while the Roo playmakers such as Carey, McKernan, Stevens, King, and Abraham had little impact. Bell, Simpson, and Harvey won plenty of the ball for the Roos, but the Demon defence was also rock solid, led by Ingerson with support from younger players Ward and Walsh. Ingerson held Carey to only 8 possessions while Ward and Walsh swooped on everything that came their way. Farmer kicked his 6th to start the 3rd term and the game was effectively over. Three more to the Roos solitary goal and it was 59 points at 3/4 time. The Roos managed to kick 5 goals to 3 in the final term, but now will begin packing for their end of season trip. Martin, Archer, and Blakey tried hard for the Roos, but were overcome by sheer weight of numbers. Despite the loss, the Roos found enough spirit to chair the retiring Craig Sholl from the ground.

Essendon 4.2 8.7 14.13 18.17 125
Carlton 2..3 5.4 6.7 12.8 80

GOALS:
ESS - Lloyd 4, Mercuri 3,.Blumfield 2, Caracella 2, Lucas 2, Alessio, Barnard, Hird, Long, Solomon
CARL - Hickmott 3, Camporeale 2, Fevola 2, Allan, Bradley, Hamill, Hulme, Ratten

BEST:
ESS - Fletcher, Solomon, J. Johnson, Hardwick, Caracella, Wellman, Lloyd, Ramanauskas
CARL - Camporeale, Beaumont, Ratten, Hulme 

INJURY:
ESS - M. Johnson (back spasm)
CARL - Brown (groin) 

ATTENDANCE: 84778 at the MCG

I read a comment once from Eddie McGuire about how Carlton's come from behind 10 point win in the 1970 GF (Collingwood led by 44 points at 1/2 time) ripped the heart out the Magpies. Had Coach David Parkin's miracle materialized and Carlton somehow managed to win this one, it would probably would had the same effect on the Bombers. But it was not to be as Essendon was hellbent on putting to rest the ghosts of last year's final defeat. Carlton was always going struggle without Silvagni in defence and Koutoufides everywhere else. Their defence was stretched against the forward power of Essendon. And the Bomber defence of Solomon, Wellman, and Fletcher were too strong as they choked off the supply from the Blue midfield. Fletcher (on Whitnall) and Solomon (on Hamill) registered 17 and 15 kicks each as they not only restricted the Blues, but provided great drive into attack from their backlines. The Blues opened the scoring with a goal to Allan, but this was answered with one to Hird. When Ratten potted one form 40 meters, the Bombers lifted to snag the next 3 and an 11 point lead at 1/4 time. The Bombers extended the lead to 27 points, but the Blues rallied with goals to Bradley, Hulme, and Hamill to get within 8 points. Goals to Lloyd, Blumfield, and Long gave the Dons a 21 point buffer at 1/2 time. Six goals to 1 in the third term has the Dons leading by 54 points at 3/4 time. They relaxed in the final term and let the Blues outscore them with 6 goals to 4 to make the final score less humiliating. Camporeale worked tirelessly for Carlton while Hickmott, Hulme, and McKay were good in patches. Misiti again was dominant in the midfield for the Bombers. Beaumont had the better of Hird and Hotton kept Lucas quiet and Bomber nemesis Fraser Brown played only 20 minutes off the bench. 

GOALS

  Team Count
Lloyd Essendon 105
Farmer Melbourne 73
Whitnall Carlton 70
Carey North Melbourne 69
Lynch Brisbane 68
Lucas Essendon 57
Bradshaw Brisbane 56
Waterhouse Fremantle 53
O'Loughlin Sydney 53
Power  Brisbane 52


Should be a cracker of a Grand Final. Would be nice after years of blowouts. 

And that's it for this week.

GO BLUES IN `01!!

Lisa

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