Matthew Bate

Round 12 Injury

Lisa Albergo — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 22:48:03 -0500

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

ADELAIDE
Andrew McLeod, knee surgery**
Chris Knights, plantar fasciitis (foot), indefinite
Trent Hentschel, knee, 1-2 weeks
James Craig, hamstring, 2 weeks
Will Young, knee, 5 weeks
Brad Moran, knee, indefinite
Brodie Martin, knee, indefinite
Andy Otten, knee, season

**Depending on the results of the surgery, the best case scenario is that McLeod could return in several weeks. The worst case scenario is that he would miss the rest of the season which could spell the end of his career as he was not expected to play beyond 2010

Source: David Burtenshaw, Club Media Release and www.sen.com.au

BRISBANE
James Polkinghorne, thigh, 1-2 weeks
Xavier Clarke, knee, 4 weeks
Jamie Charman, ankle, indefinite
Jed Adcock, foot, indefinite
Josh Drummond, knee, indefinite
Matt Maguire, tendinitis (foot), 2-4 weeks
Callum Bartlett, ACL rupture, knee reconstruction, season
Ashley McGrath, hamstring tear, 4-6 weeks

Source: Sam Lord, Club Media Release

CARLTON
Chris Johnson, wrist, 3 weeks
Rhys O’Keeffe, back, indefinite, long term injury list
Simon White, knee, 1-2 weeks

Source: Stephen Wilson, Club Media Release

COLLINGWOOD
John McCarthy, hamstring, 1 week
Sean Rusling, calf, 1 week
Anthony Corrie, knee, 1-2 weeks

Source: Nick Hulett, Club Media Release

ESSENDON
Jason Laycock, broken bone in foot, season
Angus Monfries, hamstring, 2 weeks
David Hille, hamstring, 2 weeks
Cale Hooker, hamstring, 1 week

Source: Cara Pelchen, Club Media Release

FREMANTLE
Greg Broughton, foot, 1-3 weeks
Des Headland, knee, 3 weeks
Luke McPharlin, knee, 5-7 weeks
Brock O'Brien, quad, 5 weeks

Source: afl.com.au

GEELONG
Joel Corey, knee, 1-2 weeks
Marcus Drum, achilles, 4-6 weeks
Tom Hawkins, hot spot (foot - suspected stress fracture, ongoing assessment)
Steven Motlop, shoulder, indefinite
Brad Ottens, foot, 2-3 weeks
Max Rooke, knee, indefinite
Matthew Scarlett, hamstring, 1-2 weeks

Source: afl.com.au

HAWTHORN
Max Bailey, knee, indefinite
Campbell Brown, knee, 3-4 weeks
Josh Gibson, hamstring, 3-4 weeks
Simon Taylor, broken leg, indefinite

Source: afl.com.au

MELBOURNE
Sam Blease, leg, 2 weeks
Jake Spencer, knee, 3 weeks
Rohan Bail, fractured cheekbone, 3-4 weeks
Liam Jurrah, shoulder, 3 weeks
Luke Tapscott, hip, 4 weeks
Max Gawn, knee, 5 weeks
John Meesen, ankle, indefinite
Ricky Petterd, shoulder, season

Source: Ryan Larkin, Club Media Release

NORTH MELBOURNE
Liam Anthony, shoulder, indefinite
Aaron Black, hip, indefinite
Luke Delaney, wrist, 3 weeks
Ayden Kennedy, foot, 4 weeks
Drew Petrie, foot, indefinite
Ben Ross, hip/groin, indefinite

Source: afl.com.au

PORT ADELAIDE
John Butcher, back, indefinite
Robbie Gray, back/hamstring, 1 week
Nathan Krakouer, groin, 3-4 weeks
Andrew Moore, groin, 4-5 weeks
Marlon Motlop, fractured foot, indefinite
Michael Pettigrew, patella tendon, 8-10 weeks
Warren Tredrea, ankle, 10-11 weeks**

**Tredrea underwent the procedure, which uses synthetic fibers to replace damaged ligament tissue. Sydney's Nick Malceski was the first player to undergo the procedure in 2008. Hawthorn's David Rodan and Carlton's Brad Fisher also underwent the procedure in 2009.
For more information, go to www.larsligament.com

Source:Daniel Norton, Club Media Releae and ed. note

RICHMOND
Mat Dea, foot, season

Source: Judith Donnelly, Club Media Release

ST KILDA
David Armitage, medial ligament strain (knee), 4 weeks
Jason Gram, groin/hamstring
Steven King, hamstring
Luke Miles, stress fracture (leg)
Nick Riewoldt, torn hamstring, 3-4 weeks

Source: Felicity George, Club Media Release

SYDNEY SWANS
Craig Bolton (Achilles) - 4 weeks
Daniel Bradshaw (knee) - 1-2 weeks
Tadhg Kennelly (knee) - test/1 week
Jake Orreal (back) - season
Mark Seaby (ankle) - 7 weeks

Source: afl.com.au

WEST COAST
Jordan Jones, ankle, 7 weeks, long term injury list
Daniel Kerr, hamstring, 7 weeks
Chris Masten, knee, 2 weeks
Adam Selwood, AC joint (shoulder), 2 weeks
Sam Butler, ankle, 2 weeks
Luke Shuey, virus, indefinite

Source: Anna-Carew Reid, Club Media Release

WESTERN BULLDOGS
Injury Update:
Jason Akermanis, hamstring, 1-2 weeks**
Ayce Cordy, shoulder, season
Shaun Higgins, ankle, 2-3 weeks
Brad Johnson, achilles, 1-2 weeks
Shane Thorne, knee, 9 weeks

**after he recovers from his injury, Akermanis will still miss two weeks on a club suspension for a controversial column he wrote without submitting it to the club for approval, He wrote in the column that gay players should stay "in the closet" because he believed that teammates of an openly gay player would find the situation uncomfortable. He was widely criticized in the media and by the gay community and footy fans.

Source:David McNamara, Club Media Release

Eagles Conquer Their Demons

rickb — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:53:45 -0500

Rick Browner reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval

At every West Coast Eagles home game a huge seven foot wingspan Wedge-tailed Eagle flies around the stadium as part of the opening entertainment. Things looked grim for the home team when the eagle did one round of the stadium and wanted to come in to land. Tired? No heart? Was this a harbinger of the Eagles versus Melbourne match to come?

Ben McKinley started with a bang for West Coast, kicking a goal within the first minute. The game then deteriorated to a scrappy affair with both teams missing targets in the midfield and few scoring shots. In an extraordinary snap shot on goal, Melbourne's Matthew Bate booted a fifty meter kick to an empty goal square. The ball looked certain to bounce through but landed on the goal line and bounced backwards. Then to add insult to injury, it bounced again and rolled through for a minor score. It wasn't until the 15 minute mark that Addam Maric kicked the Demon's first goal. In an error filled quarter, Mark LeCras capitalized on a defender's poor kick-in and scored the Eagles' second goal. The quarter spluttered to an end with a meager nine point lead to the West Coast.

Coach John Worsfold was animated when talking to his team at the break no doubt demanding more spirit and commitment to the contests. Adam Cockie responded by kicking the first goal of the second half. From then on goals were traded and the game opened up with more offense from both teams. The Eagles realized that they were up against a good team while the Demons, having the belief that this was a winnable game, threw everything into it. David Wirrpanda, always a crowd favorite, was a stalwart in defense and turned back numerous attacks with his silky pickup and delivery skills. At the end of the quarter both teams had scored five goals and the stage looked set for an exciting second half. At the major break it was the Eagles ahead by four points.

During the half time break the betting odds flashed up on the main scoreboard. A $1 bet on Melbourne would get you a $4 return. Either the bookmakers were watching a game no-one else was or they were asleep on the job!

Melbourne came out of the blocks quickly to start the next half, kicking the first three goals. The pace was frenetic and the humid conditions suited the home team as Melbourne came to a standstill. The Eagles got to work and Le Cras kicked the next two goals to put the Eagles back in the lead by the narrowest of margins. McKinley added another one and the chant went up from the supporters around the ground. The volume went up a notch when Adam Hunter booted a half chance off the ground for a goal as the siren rang. The Eagles were ahead at the end of the third quarter 78 points to 63.

Daniel Kerr had not yet taken part in the second half. The word from the Eagles bench was that he had a muscle strain and would not go back on the ground. Kerr is capable of a match-winning performance and is the spiritual leader of the West Coast team. As the final term got under way, the Eagles sorely missed his presence on the ground.

Maric started with a goal for the Demons to make the game a closer contest but Eagle Chris Masten quickly countered with one of his own. The work rate of the Eagles had dropped off, possibly sensing that the game was over. Melbourne's Ricky Petterd had every belief that the contest was there to be won and kicked two goals to bring the score within eight points. To the home crowd's relief the game ended with the visitors still looking dangerous. In the end, the Eagles ran out winners in a closely fought and entertaining game.

With thirty scoring shots to seventeen, the Eagles encountered the same problem they had last week when they failed to convert relatively easy shots on goal. This week they had the opportunity to seal the game early but, to their credit, Melbourne took the game right up to them. Had a few more breaks gone their way there could have been an upset in the West. Overall it was an uninspiring win to the Eagles and a great effort from the less skilful, at least on paper, Demons.

Scoreboard
WC Eagles 2.4 7.7 11.12 12.18 (90)
Melbourne 1.1 7.3 10.3  13.4  (82)

Best players
WC Eagles D Cox, M LeCras, D Wirrpanda, D Glass, A Cockie
Melbourne N Jones, B Miller, J Bennell, A Davey, C Bruce

Demons Character Win

janetl — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:16:48 -0500

Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from the MCG, Melbourne

After a nightmare week in the media spotlight, beleaguered Richmond Tigers coach Terry Wallace found no salvation in Sunday's must win game against the Melbourne Demons. Week-long headlines prophesying Wallace's demise should Richmond fail to produce a winning performance were read by all it seems except the Melbourne football team. Twenty-two players, most in their fledgling years of AFL football, ran on to the MCG in red and black Melbourne guernseys. The youthful Demons came with but one aim - to play the best brand of football they could muster. Not only did they turn a deaf ear to the roars of the Tiger Army, they turned the footy tipping world upside down in a display of character football for which the Tigers had no answers. At last the starved Demons have something to build upon for the future.

Before the game began, both Melbourne and Richmond had moved off the bottom of the Ladder to make way for the Fremantle Dockers who have also struggled to get past an abysmal start to the 2009 season. In the first quarter at the MCG, the skills on display were certainly those of two of the bottom sides with clangers and turnovers the order of the day. The game began with a free kick to Richmond before the ball had even been bounced. Melbourne player Matthew Warnock was reported for striking Tom Hislop who received a 50 meter penalty and passed the ball to Mitch Morton who registered the Tigers first major. Matthew Richardson and Brett Deledio squandered easy opportunities before a Nathan Brown free kick brought up Richmond's second goal. Both teams mishandled the ball early but poor skills became the order of the day for the Tigers and the Demons were able to gain momentum through some very messy Richmond turnovers and skill errors. Brad Green and Nathan Jones scored six pointers for Melbourne and there were some very gettable shots wasted as Melbourne racked up a total of four "posters" (when the ball hits the goal post) for the quarter. At the quarter time break three points separated the two sides.

Melbourne broke the game apart in the second quarter, dominating the center possessions and moving the football quickly into their forward line. Brock McLean, Matthew Bate, Brad Miller and Colin Sylvia combined well in an eight goal onslaught by the Demons. Richmond seemed completely overwhelmed by the deluge as the Melbourne players played constructive team football, marking everything that came their way, finding space to lead, kicking to a loose man, running hard and looking for opportunities to score. It took Richmond over half the quarter to score but when they did it came through a handpass from veteran Richardson to first gamer Andrew Collins who kicked his first goal in AFL football. They repeated the play minutes later for Collins' second goal and a Richo assist. With only 13 points separating the teams, it appeared the Tigers had revived but it was to no avail. Lynden Dunn and Matthew Bate goaled for the Demons to return the lead to 25 points and a Brad Miller snap on the siren made it a 31 point margin at the long break.

An early third quarter goal to Michael Newton and an inspirational goal by Aaron Davey made Richmond's task look impossible with the Demons' hard running and fierce endeavor giving them an unbeatable edge. The quarter was interrupted by an unusual accident. One of the central field umpires was injured and had to be carried from the ground and the diversion seemed to refuel the Richmond tank. Young Tiger Robin Nahas sparked a revival with a handy goal assist followed by a magnificent solo effort on goal, narrowing the margin to 27 points. When Melbourne gave away a 50 meter penalty resulting in a goal to Richardson, Tiger fans saw some light at the end of the tunnel but another shocking turnover in defense gave Newton an easy shot on goal and the quarter ended with Melbourne 28 points ahead. Richmond had more disposals for the quarter than the Demons and for the most part their performance was better but they could not make an impression on the scoreboard. Melbourne looked set to score their first victory since Round 20, 2008.

Richmond opened the last quarter with three chances to goal before back man Kelvin Moore finally slotted through a much-needed major. With the Tigers intent on a comeback, Melbourne steadied with goals from Neville Jetta and Ricky Petterd to get back to a 26 point lead. Brett Deledio made something out of nothing to narrow the margin to 21 points with six and a half minutes remaining. The Tigers had their chances with Riewoldt and McGuane goaling but missed shots from Richardson and Morton summed up the Richmond players' day. It was a case of much too little, much too late. Melbourne ran out winners by eight points although this small margin did not reflect their better play and superior attitude.

In the final analysis, Melbourne showed determination and turned it into belief. Richmond showed a fragile psyche and turned a golden opportunity to kick start their season into humiliation, putting the club into the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Tigers were a sorry sight leaving the ground and coach Wallace, grim-faced and no doubt confounded, is left to face another week of heavy scrutiny from within and outside the football club.

Scoreboard
Melbourne 2.6 10.7 13.11 14.16 (100)
Richmond  2.3  5.6  9.7  13.14 (92)

Best
Melbourne C Sylvia, M Newton, A Davey, C Bruce, B Miller
Richmond  J Bowden, N Foley, M Richardson, A Rance, A Collins