The league is looking at setting aside $3 million annually for struggling clubs...

G'Day Footy Fans -

AFL TO ASSIST STRUGGLERS
The AFL announced last week it would give financial assistance to clubs which are currently in strife. $15 million over the next five years Originally, the money was to come out of the revamped equalization funds. However, a number of clubs have rejected this idea as it would severely dent their own annual dividends. The AFL will explore other avenues to raise the funds. Wayne Jackson has ruled out the sale of Waverley as a source. Once the funding is in place, it will not be a blanket handout as clubs must show that they are not spending frivolously, open their books to independent audits, and show that they do have strategic financial plans in place. Clubs will also be required to make a commitment to the growth of grassroots footy, by having personnel - coaches and players, available for various functions such as speaking engagements and clinics.

GENERAL NEWS

Umpires Want Cameras
AFL umps want cameras at juniors matches for crowd surveillance after one of their own as well as a junior umpire were assaulted by spectators in recent weeks. AFLUA CEO Rob Anderson said more safeguards needed to be put into place. But Vic Metro general manager Paul Milo said the number of violent incidents at games was small and that, despite adequate security, the recent incidents occurred only because they were so unexpected. He also said cameras would be impractical.

AFL Docs Push for Indemnity
Club doctors are poised to demand more protection from legal actions by players and former players over the use of painkillers. One idea is that all players sign a form stating they understand the risks of such treatment during games. Once club doctor said that while most coaching staffs err on the side of caution these days by not risking players, doctors are often caught in the middle as players keen to hold their places in a side are willing to risk the short term solution, only to pay the consequences later.

Draft Changes
Several major changes will be introduced next year.

First up the bottom 4 clubs placed in a lottery with the winner getting first selection.

Clubs will no longer be guaranteed sons of former players as they can now decide which draft pick they wish to sacrifice. However, if another club bids a higher draft selection, "junior" goes there instead of Dad's team.
Nor will the father son rule apply only to Victorian clubs. SANFL clubs will be shared by Port and Adelaide with sons eligible if dads played 150 games or more. WAFL clubs will be split between the Eagles and Dockers, with a required minimum of 200 games.

Player Lists Go Up Again
The AFL will allow clubs 40 players to a team, with the rookie list being slashed from 6 to 4.

Fila Gives Up Monopoly
Still being investigated by the ACCC, major apparel sponsor Fila has written a letter to retailers stating it will relinquish its exclusivity policy and allow stores to carry other brands of AFL apparel. Earlier in the year, Fila had threatened to pull its products if retailers did not carry Fila exclusively. But retailers complained to the ACCC.

24-Hour Footy Channel Confirmed
Foxtel will launch a pay-TV 24 hour footy channel next year. All things footy will be seen on the station from day one of the Ansett competition through the Grand Final.
Games which Foxtel will carry - Sat. afternoon and night, and Sunday afternoon - will be shown 3-4 times. Other programming plans include:

~Nightly half-hour AFL news service.
~Every club to have a weekly program devoted just to it, featuring coach and player
interviews, game highlights and coverage of special events.
~A Friday night preview-variety show, rumoured to include a spot for music guru and
St. Kilda diehard Molly Meldrum.
~ A Sunday night panel-based review of the round.
~ A footy quiz show featuring players and fans.
~ Club best and fairest vote counts at the end of the season.
~ Fans to interview sports journalists in a show titled How Many Games Did You
Play?
~ Grumpy Old Men featuring stars from the past such as Bob Davis.
~ A traveling footy memorabilia show where experts put a dollar value on fans'
treasured possessions.
~ Replays of half-time Auskick game coverage with kids commentating as part of a
Saturday morning line-up.

THE 2002 LINE-UP
Fox Footy Channel: 24 hours, seven days a week devoted to Aussie rules, from the
Ansett Cup through to the Grand Final
Three games live - Saturday afternoon and night, Sunday afternoon
All eight games to be shown up to four times before the next round
Offseason, six hours a day from 6pm to midnight

CHANNEL 9
Three games live - Friday night and two on Sunday

CHANNEL 10
Two Saturday games live; All finals; Brownlow medal

The commentators
Dennis Cometti, Anthony Hudson and Peter Daicos.
Possibly Bruce McAvaney. While McAvaney is remaining with Channel Seven, he could possibly call games with the ABC network - which currently broadcasts games on the AFL website.
Negotiations continuing with a number of potential recruits

Negotiations are also continuing with the AFL over the airing of tribunal hearings.

Players To Help Youth Combat Depression
Approximately 70 footballers have embarked on a campaign in speaking to young people about depression and how to overcome it. It is part of a program called Beyond Blue. It is believed that because players are looked up to that kids might feel more comfortable talking to them than anyone else. One of the players involved is St. Kilda's Jason Cripps, who endured a 3 year horror stretch with chronic hamstrings and several surgeries. Cripps said spending 4 months in bed was the lowest point of his life and that the hardest part was learning to walk again.

TRIBUNAL
Bulldog Craig Ellis and Hawk Luke McCabe were reported on video evidence for striking, and Kangaroo Glenn Archer was reported on video evidence for head-butting Darren Jarman.
All three were cleared of the charges. However, Ellis ($5000) and Hawk Trent Croad ($1200) were fined for wrestling.

Brisbane's Clarke Keating and Docker Simon Eastlaugh were both cleared of wrestling. Eagle Scott Cummings was cleared of a striking charge.

In Archer's case, the panel viewed the video and ruled that contact was an accidental clash of heads. Archer, who stated he was trying to block Jarman's lead when the pair clashed heads, lightened things up a bit when he said, "If I was going to walk up and head-butt someone, I would go for there indicating between the eyes) - not that I'm an expert on head-butting,"
(
Hawk Shane Crawford was suspended for two matches for striking Bulldog Tony Liberatore. Crawford apologized for his actions and admitted it was an undisciplined act. Crawford said it was not his intention to hit Libba but merely to make a push to his upper body in a show of strength. This was Crawford's 3rd suspension for striking. He served one match penalties in 1996 and 1998.
He could also be fined by the club for his indiscretion.

Carlton's Scott Camporeale was suspended for one game for tripping Saint Jason Blake. Campo admitted to a tangle of legs, but denied an intentional trip. The reporting umpire testified that Campo changed his stride and clipped Blake's leg. The panel took into account his near perfect record - one charge of striking in 7 years - but concluded that the trip occurred with the potential to cause harm.

Brisbane's Darryl White was suspended for one match for striking. The incident happened during a goalsquare scuffle with Docker forward Matthew Pavlich. This was White's 8th appearance before the Tribunal. Previous charges have been striking, kicking, abusive language, wrestling, and melee involvement.

MILESTONES
200 games -- Peter Riccardi, Geelong
200 games -- Andrew McKay, Carlton
150 games -- Chris Johnson, Brisbane Lions
100 games -- Shaun McManus, Fremantle. Shaun is due to become the fifth
Fremantle player to reach 100 games since the club joined the competition in
1997. The full Fremantle list is Dale Kickett, Shane Parker, Jason Norrish
and Daniel Bandy.
50 games -- Nick Davis, Collingwood
50 games -- Daniel Ward, Melbourne
50 games -- Matthew Robbins, Western Bulldogs

TEAM NEWS

ST KILDA
President Ron Butterss has excluded himself from the subcommittee assigned to finding a new senior coach because of his long time friendship and business involvement with caretaker coach Grant Thomas. Butterss will still have some input when the committee reports on its findings.

Jason Cripps was out this week after injuring a hand at training. He is unlikely to be risked in the final round.
Troy Schwarze is out for what is left of the year with a stress fracture in his foot.

Better news is that Robert Harvey is ahead of schedule in his rehab after a knee recon and looks set to at least begin running in 3 weeks. This should put him in good stead for preseason training come January.

GEELONG
Garry Hocking underwent 6 painkilling injections before and during his farewell game at Shell Stadium. Club doctor Hugh Seward said he had discussed the consequences with Hocking but that Buddha was willing to accept the risks. It is not new to Hocking who has no cartilage left in his right knee and will undergo surgery for the 11th time at the end of the year.
Hocking will walk a lap of honor at the end of the game and there will be a press conference with him and Coach Mark Thompson also.
Good luck messages can be sent to garry_hocking@start.com.au

WESTERN BULLDOGS
Are expected to be the first to benefit from the new $3 million/year AFL assistance. fund. Both president David Smorgon and Coach Terry Wallace welcomed the influx of cash. Smorgon believes the assistance will help clubs erase long term debts and get themselves into better financial positions. Wallace said the cash would give a measure of security to the players and also said that while supporters were passionate, one of the club's problems remained a low membership.

ADELAIDE
CEO Bill Sanders will step down at the end of the year and the club has already begun advertising nationally for a replacement.

Peter Vardy returned to the seniors after just one game in the reserves. He has battled knee and groin problems for the past month.

And the mystery surrounding Mark Ricciuto's midseason breathing problems has been solved. He took a heavy knock in an Ansett game which cracked several ribs, causing the muscles to tighten up around the area. The tightening made breathing difficult when he ran flat out in games. Constant physical therapy is improving the condition.
And Ricciuto urged all Crow supporters to show respect to Shaun Rehn on his first visit to Football Park in a Hawk guernsey. Ricciuto said Rehn would always be remembered as a great player for the Crows and a key to their 1997-98 premiership wins.
Ricciuto and his vice-captain Ben Hart have both signed new two year contracts.

FREMANTLE
New CEO Cameron Schwab took the opportunity at last week's AFL meeting to speak with several clubs regarding their assistant coaches and the possibility of one of them heading west. He assured the clubs of a "hands off" policy until season's end to those who might be involved in finals campaigns.

Luke Toia, who suffered a near fatal broken neck in June, is making rapid progress for a return to football. His orthopedist has given him the go ahead to begin light exercise, running, and swimming to get himself right for preseason. It was feared his career would be over after the injury, but all is well. Though he can expect to develop arthritis later in life (with or without football), and he still has restless nights in trying to get along without painkillers. And even a healthy sneeze still causes him to flinch.
But Toia said after 7 weeks of doing nothing, he is looking forward to training.

COLLINGWOOD
Is negotiating with Nick Davis for a new 3 year contract.

Lost Tarkyn Lockyer this week due to concussion.

SYDNEY
Another stalwart of the game is calling it a day. Troy Luff announced his retirement last week. Luff has played 154 games over 11 seasons and played in 12 of the first 13 games this year before being dropped to the reserves. But he earned a recall for this week's game at the SCG, the last home game of the year for the Swans, unless they earn a home final.

Out of form ruckman Greg Stafford was dropped to the reserves this week. Stafford has had form problems all year. Coach Rodney Eade hopes Stafford can regain tough with Port Melbourne.

Nic Fosdike also returned to the reserves this week after 4 weeks out with injury.

And on a sadder note, many from the club, including Paul Kelly, Coach Rodney Eade, and CEO Kelvin Templeton attended the funeral of Jack Stone, the 14 year son of assistant coach George Stone. Young Jack was born with a heart condition.
The entire club was in shock at the announcement just 2 days before they faced Melbourne. Eade believes the shock and grief which descended on the club was the reason the Swans lost that match. The rooms were completely silent before the game and training that Friday had to be canceled because it was such a shambles.
To give an idea of the impact young Jack had on everyone, here is a tribute written by Herald Sun columnist Mike Sheehan. I have included the full text simply because a summary by me would not do it justice.

Boy who touched hearts of heroes
Mike Sheehan - Herald Sun
August 22, 2001
A 14-year-old boy died in Sydney on Thursday and sent an entire AFL club into shock, sorrow and introspection.

Don't take my word for it. Contemplate the fact the Swans will be represented by 30 players, officials, staff, and partners at a funeral in Melbourne this afternoon.

The group will include chairman Richard Colless, chief executive Kelvin Templeton, coach Rodney Eade and captain Paul Kelly.

The immediate impact of the death was so profound, Eade was moved to postpone training last Friday morning to allow everyone in the club to come to terms with the overnight news. The club called in a counselor for players and staff that afternoon.

As young as he was, Jack Stone had a powerful impact on his clubs: the Swans in recent years and Hawthorn before them.

In Channel 7's magnificent tribute to the boy before Sunday's Sydney-Melbourne game at the SCG, he was shown leading the Swans on to the SCG in his Sydney guernsey, Kelly's No. 14 on his back.

The vision was supplemented by Sandy Roberts' tribute and extraordinary softness and affection from commentators Jason Dunstall and Tony Lockett.

We're not used to such an outpouring of emotion at a football match, to words like ''love'' from mouths of such big, tough guys.

Before Paul Kelly withdrew from the game with a leg injury, he told Eade he wasn't sure he was in the right frame of mind to play a game of footy.

Kelly and Dunstall were Jack Stone's heroes, and, as strange as it sounds, he theirs.

His father, George, a former VFA star, is an assistant coach with the Swans after several years in a similar role at Hawthorn; and Jack became part of the furniture at both places. Literally.

George Stone's close friend, West Coast and former Hawthorn coach Ken Judge, tells the story of a Hawthorn team meeting on a Saturday at Glenferrie Oval in 1997 in preparation for a Sunday game. Only the players and coaches were in the room. Or so they thought.

As Judgey's voice rose to the pitch all his players know so well, he asked his trademark question: ''Do you understand what I'm talkin' about?''

Silence. He repeated the message with more gusto. Still silence. When the booming voice delivered the same question for the third time, a little voice came from the back of the room: ''Yeah, I do.''

George Stone jumped to his feet and shyly escorted his previously unseen son from the meeting.

''Everyone just cracked up,'' Judge said yesterday. ''Jack had an infectious personality; the players loved him.''

Judge was in no doubt the boy's death affected the Swans at the weekend.

''I said to someone on Friday, ''It'll hit 'em this week','' Judge said.

Coach Eade suspects Judge was correct.

''These things are hard to quantify, but it did really affect the guys,'' he said.

''To be honest, the place was flatter that I would have believed it would be for anyone passing away.

''He touched a lot of people. Especially the older blokes, the married blokes, the blokes with kids.''

Jack Stone was born with a heart problem, but seemed to have had it in hand.

He was a fixture at the footy club, and the bond between father and son was apparent to everyone who knew them at Hawthorn and Sydney.

A heartbroken George Stone told a friend on Friday: ''I've lost me best mate.''

Sydney's general manager of football Colin Seery said last night the entire coaching staff -- Eade, Paul Roos, Steve Malaxos -- and selector and former captain Dennis Carroll would attend the funeral as a mark of respect to a colleague and his family.

The player group will be represented by seven players, headed by Kelly and vice-captain Andrew Dunkley.

''Jack used to lead the boys out on to the ground in Sydney and join in the club song after the game,'' Seery said.

''He'd help hand out the lollies and drinks before and after games. He was a terrific kid who impacted on a lot of people.''

He achieved quite a bit in 14 years, Georgie and Penny's boy, Jack.

BRISBANE
Leigh Matthews has ruled out asking for the center circle to moved off the cricket pitch at the Gabba. He met last week with the ground's general manager who said curators can install a wicket block which will provide a soft surface over the area.

Ruckman Clarke Keating has signed a new 3 year deal but was out the side this week after suffering an abdominal muscle injury at training. With McDonald also out with a hamstring injury, second-gamer Dylan McLaren was the only ruckman available to the side.

CARLTON
The club is in the process of reviewing plans which could see it shift games from Optus Oval next year to either the MCG or Colonial or both. They are currently speaking with the AFL, the MCC, and Colonial boss Ian Collins.

Lost ruckman Matt Allan to a groin strain, leaving Trent Hotton and Mark Porter to share the ruck duties this weekend.

Former Carlton wild man David Rhys Jones has been banned from the amateur competition as player or coach for 2 years and fined $3000 after clashing with an opponent in a game last weekend. Rhys-Jones, 39, coaches Heidelberg in the Diamond Valley league and was playing in their seconds because of a player shortage. He delivered what he believed to be a fair bump on 21 year old Adam Grills. The clash left Grill with 3 fractures in his cheekbone and eye socket, for which he had surgery last week. Rhys-Jones, who holds the record for VFL Tribunal appearances with 25 for 11 convictions, plans to appeal the ban and fine.
Rhys-Jones played 76 games for South Melbourne 1980-94, joined Carlton in 1985 for 106 games until 1992. He won the Norm Smith Medal in 1987.

PORT ADELAIDE
After recent signings by Roger James, Cain Ackland, and Toby Thurstans, the club has put off remaining contract negotiations until after the finals. Those coming out of contract at the end of the year include, Gavin Wanganeen, Che Cockatoo-Collins, Fabian Francis, Brendon Lade, Darren Mead, Jarrad Schofield, Adam Kingsley, Michael Wilson, Shane Bond, Brayden Lyle, Brent Guerra, Bowen Lockwood, Mark Harwood, Paul Koulouriotis, and Nathan Steinbrenner. The club will face some tough decisions at season's end though regarding who to cut to make room for 5 more via the draft and the rookie list.

MELBOURNE
Is facing several months of post-season board room acrimony with the elections probably not taking place until mid-December. The delay is due to the club's need to sort out its financial standings for the season, draw up the annual financial report and get it out to its members a minimum of 3 weeks prior to the election.

ESSENDON
The club has called upon the AFL to elevate the late Bill Hutchinson to Legend status. Hutchinson was one of the original inductees in 1996. Hutchinson played 290 games 1942-57, won the Brownlow twice, was a seven time B&F, captained the team 1951-57, and played in 4 premierships.

Dean Wallis, Justin Blumfield, and Michael Long both played in the reserves this week. Long has been out most of the season - between suspension, a knee injury, and illness. With these 3 returning to play, Essendon has no injury-listed players going into the finals.

RICHMOND
Welcomed back defender Duncan Kellaway, who has been out since Round 11 with an achilles injury.

KANGAROOS
Shannon Motlop's younger brother, Daniel, debuted this week.

RICHMOND
Nick Daffy will be able to postpone knee surgery until the end of the season but was still relegated to the reserves this week. Daffy has battled with cysts on the back of his knee all year, which limits his movements and sometimes becomes inflamed.

HAWTHORN
Nick Holland, out most the year with two separate shoulder dislocations, played in the reserves this week in a bid to comeback for the finals.

The club resigned Ben Dixon and Nathan Thompson to new 3 year contracts. Other recent signings include rent Croad and Daniel Harford. Joel Smith and Angelo Lekkas are still in negotiations.

Shaun Rehn is preparing to launch a lawsuit against the AFL, the SANFL, and Adelaide for the knee injury he suffered after slipping on a cricket pitch circle at Football Park in February 1999. It was his third knee reconstruction.
And a minor knee injury he's carried since last November has been revealed as the cause for his calf problems this year, which have restricted him to just 11 games. The minor cartilage tear was undetected until scans were done on his third calf injury and arthroscopy cleared up the problem.

Unless post-season rest and rehab clear up his case of osteitis pubis Luke McPharlin could miss all of next season. He will return home to WA where he will be restricted to rest, swimming and walking. His condition will be assessed when he returns to the club in January. He has not played since Round 10.

GENERAL SILLINESS
On the eve of Dean Kemp's retirement, Eagle forward Scott Cummings dished out a few stories about his illustrious teammate:
As a teenager, Kemp once had a job in construction. One day, for morning tea, Kemp scarfed down 3 pies, a sausage roll, a large chocolate milk, and a chocolate bar. Later, and with little wonder, his workmates found him prostrate on the roof of a house they were working on.

He arrived in Perth with no money and the club arranged several jobs for him. Garbage collecting and sports distribution both lasted just a few days.

Former teammate Brett Heady also recalled a time when he had made a deal with Coach Mick Malthouse to work on the coach's lawns. He arrived to discover that Kemp had finished all the yardwork and was working on the gutters. Heady reckons that's why he was relegated to the reserves for 3 weeks while Kemp was named to the seniors.

We've all seen frustration of coaches as times - Mick Malthouse barking orders over the phone, David Parkin's neck veins close to bursting as he addressed his Carlton boys, etc. Now the Swans have taken a bit of a precaution with Coach Rodney Eade. They've installed padding on the bench in the coach's box to prevent Eade from hurting himself. Eade says he also probably breaks two phones a year as he vents his spleen. But when he comes home, says his wife, he's just a dad to their 4 year daughter. She does concede that she's seen him have more than a few sleepless nights and says they've had quite a few footy chats at 2 AM.

And there are few others who have gone further in the box:

Former St. Kilda coach Tim Watson once broke two phones in one day.
Former Adelaide coach Graham Cornes once broke the glass on the coach's box.

There's an old adage that "they grow `em tough" in the bush. Melbourne's James McDonald is a case in point. He says his brothers, Alex and Anthony, once threw him into a fire. All McDonald would of the incident was that Mom wasn't too happy about it! He also says while he would like return to the farm when he finishes playing, he doubts that Alex will come home to the farm and wouldn't "...know a head from a tail".

Australian TV star Madeleine West says she became a barracker for Essendon after she once accidentally tipped over a bottle of beer while working as a waitress. The bottle hit Bomber Coach Kevin Sheedy in the mouth and as a way of apology, Madeleine swore allegiance to the Bombers!

Brisbane's Justin Leppitsch and Bulldog Paul Dimattina were once teammates in a juniors Auskick team. The red-headed Leppitsch says he and the dark-haired Dimattina both were sporting afro hairdos for awhile. He said side by side, they were "shockers".

On to the scores:

RICH 5.4 9.6 12.11 13.14 (92)
KANG 5.2 9.4 10. 8 13.10 (88)
GOALS: RICH - Broderick 3, Richardson 2, King 2, Ottens 2, Knights, Bowden, Rogers, Fiora; KANG - Carey 3, Grant 3, Rocca 2, Archer 2, McKernan, Jones, Clayton
BEST: RICH - Ottens, Richardson, Broderick, Gaspar, King; KANG - Archer, Grant, Simpson, McLaren

INJURY: RICH - Gale (jarred elbow)

REPORTS: KANG - D. Motlop for striking Torney

UMPIRES: Sheehan, McBurney, Rowe

ATTENDANCE: 37,776 at MCG

Richmond kept its hopes of a top-four finish and a double chance barely alive with a nail-biting four-point victory over the Kangaroos. A mark and goal to Matthew Richardson with three minutes' play left enabled the Tigers to regain a lead they had held all night, albeit tenuously. It was no "gimme," the errant forward's kick gave him two majors from eight scoring shots. He had also spoiled the memory of a legitimate contender for mark of the year with an ill-judged play-on and poor kick. But this shot from 15 metres brought roars of elation and relief from Tiger fans.While his kicking on goal was shocking, Richardson dominated the air with 17 marks for the game. The Tigers kicked the first five goals of the game and shot to a 33 point lead before the Roos clawed their way back with five goals of their own to trail by 2 points at 1/4 time. Richmond again fired in the second term to lead by 21 points, but once more the Roos hit back to match the Tigers' scoring to again trail by 2 points at 1/2 time. The 3rd term was a low-scoring affair as both sides missed opportunities, with the erratic Richardson the main offender missing 3 gettable shots. But the early dominance of the Tigers was key to them holding a 15-point lead at 3/4 time. That lead was whittled down by the Roos in the final term and a goal to Carey late in the term put the Roos up by 3 points. Richardson took his 17th mark for the night and kicked truly to give the Tigers the lead once again. The Roos had a chance to steal the lead back with just seconds left, but Daniel Motlop's nightmare debut continued. After being reported in the opening term, he had a chance to help his side, but a dropped a mark 60 meters from goal.

CARL 4.3 8.3 12.6 20.10 (130)
COL 2.2 6.4 7.6 9.8 (62)
GOALS: CARL - Whitnall 5, Lappin 3, Bradley 2, Houlihan 2, Plunkett 2, Koutoufides 2, Silvagni, Ratten, Fevola, Hickmott; COL - L. Davis 2. Holland, Clement, Burns, N. Davis, Tarrant, Kinnear, Lane
BEST: CARL - Whitnall, Plunkett, Bradley, Lappin, McKay, Porter, Silvagni, Manton, Hickmott, Ratten; COL - Buckley, Clement

INJURY: CARL - Hulme (concussion), Houlihan (concussion); COL - Lonie (shoulder)

UMPIRES: Wenn, James, McLaren

ATTENDANCE: 70,051 at MCG

Carlton put an end to Collingwood's finals hopes. Mathematically, the Pies are still a chance, but it would require both Adelaide and Sydney losing next week and the Pies demolishing the Roos. Not likely with the Crows to play Fremanlte and Sydney up against St. Kilda in the final round. Neither side gained a clear advantage in the first half, but the Blues maintained control to lead by 13 points at 1/4 time and 11 at 1/2 time. It was the second half in which the Blues obliterated the Pies. Led by forward Lance Whitnall, who booted five goals, and an unlikely hero in the form of former Bulldog Jim Plunkett, the Blues pulled away effortlessly after half-time to destroy the hopes of the young Magpies. Whitnall took 13 marks for the Blues while the usually potent forward line of Tarrant, Molloy, and Rocca could muster just nine grabs against the miserly Carlton defence, led by Silvagni and McKay. Plunkett restricted Pie dynamo O'Bree to just 17 possessions for the day and even those were under pressure and had little impact as Plunkett stayed close to his man and gathered 26 himself. Ratten was also his usual productive self with 30 touches, while Buckley worked hard to keep the Pies in the game. Carlton's experience came to the fore in the second half. Collingwood's Paul Licuria had played well on Blues' skipper Craig Bradley, but as the game wore on, Bradley became more influential. Anthony Koutoufides also took his time to break away from Ben Kinnear, but after half-time he combined with Bradley to set up Carlton's attacks. Kouta ended up with 12 kicks, 13 handballs, 4 marks. Blues full-back Stephen Silvagni was superb all day, outclassing Molloy. After half-time, Collingwood could manage just three goals. The Blues kicked 4 goals to 1 in the 3rd term to lead by 5 goals at 3/4 time. The final nail to the Pies' coffin came in the final term as Carlton slammed on 8 goals to 2.
Perhaps Dermott Brereton was right a few weeks ago when he suggested the long season was taking a toll on the young Magpies. Ruckman Josh Fraser managed just 2 kicks for the day before going off with a leg injury. Carlton experimented with its big men yesterday by playing Mark Porter mostly as a forward. The ploy worked beautifully, as Porter, although he did not get a lot of the ball, split open several packs, which allowed Jim Plunkett, Matthew Lappin and Ryan Houlihan to swoop on to loose balls. While Porter manned the goalsquare, Trent Hotton held his own in the ruck against Anthony Rocca and Josh Fraser.
The percentage boost could give Cartlon a chance at a top 4 finish. Hawthorn has already co-operated with a loss to Adelaide this week. Now it will depend on Richmond losing to Essendon and Carlton beating Geelong next week. Odds are in Carlton's favor for 4th place.

ESS 7.2 10.5 17.7 21.10 (136)
WCE 1.3 2.5 5.9 6.11 (47)
GOALS: ESS - Lloyd 7, Rioli 3, Hird 2, Barnard 2, M. Johnson, Mercuri, Ramanauskas, J. Johnson, Lucas, Heffernan, Jacobs; WCE - Wilson 3, Williams, Pt. Matera, Cox
BEST: ESS - Caracella, Barnes, Hird, Lloyd, M. Johnson, Heffernan; WCE - Taylor, Fletcher, Wilson, Jakovich

INJURY: ESS - Hardwick (corked leg), Henneman (hamstring); WCE - Wirrpunda (ankle), Carroll (thigh)

UMPIRES: Mitchell, Nicholls, Schmitt

ATTENDANCE: 36455 at Subiaco

What can you say about this one other than look at the scoreline? The Bombers have stitched up 1st place with this massacre and may have just finally ended Ken Judge's job in Eagleland. In a match where Judge needed the Eagles to put up spirited resistance, they self-destructed. They lost all semblance of organisation, giving up three 50m penalties and three centre square infringements. With Lloyd returning from suspension, Essendon's forward line fired and the goals flowed with monotonous regularity. Captain James Hird was scintillating before being rested in the last quarter. Essendon dominated from the opening bounce, kicking its first goal after just two minutes before adding six more to quarter time. Essendon endured a relative drought in the second, kicking just three, but with seven in the third and four in the last, proved too strong, skillful and enduring for the insipid Eagles.
After the game, the capacity crowd was treated to a tribute to retiring champion Dean Kemp. Bomber Coach Kevin Sheedy and the whole Bombers team remained out on the freezing ground to honour Kemp. Bomber James Hird was the first to trot over and wish Kemp well. And there was a succession of tributes from past coaches and players.
NOTE: Unfortunately, the ABC broadcast at the AFL site cut out midway through the speeches. A shame really - Lisa

PA 5.5 12.10 17.15 22.18 (150)
WB 2.5 3. 9 7.13 10.13 (73)
GOALS: PA: Tredrea 4, Francis 3, Dew 3, Carr 3, Primus 2, Burgoyne 2, Cockatoo-Collins 2, Wanganeen, Schofield, Stevens; WB - Johnson 3, Eagleton 3, Murphy, Grant, Hudson, Alvey
BEST: PA - Tredrea, Carr, Primus, Wanganeen, Schofield, Cockatoo-Collins; WB - Johnson, Murphy, Liberatore

INJURY: PA - Cockatoo-Collins (concussion); WB - Penny (cut eye), Johnson (concussion)

UMPIRES: Allen, Ellis, McKenzie

ATTENDANCE: 19,649 at Colonial Stadium

How do you combat a side with a potent forward line, the in-form ruckman of year who can rove the ground, and goalkicking midfielders? The Bulldogs certainly don't have the answers to that one as their finals hopes came to a crashing halt. It started in the middle with Primus not only dominating in the ruck but proving too much of a mobile ball-gatherer for Darcy. His efforts gave the running brigade plenty of opportunties and the midfield of Carr, Dew, Francis, Burgoyne, Stevens, & co. tore the Dogs center to shreds. A five goal to two opening term for an 18 point 1/4 time lead was followed by 7 goals to 1 in the 2nd term as Port cruised to a 55 point lead at 1/2 time. Game over. At one stage late in the final term, Croft was sent into the ruck with Darcy headed into defence. It didn't work. Brown fared little better for the Dogs with his normal precise delivery of the ball shattered by a ruthless Power outfit which forced numerous turnovers. The star for Port Adelaide was Tredrea, whose size, speed and silky skills mark him as one of the competition's superstars. As dangerous as he is when prowling the edges of the Power attacking 50, his is but one of a gang of scoring talent that Port can call on. With the likes of Fabian Francis and Stuart Dew capable of scoring from outside the arc at any time, the Power stand a potent attacking force that will test the best opposition back lines come finals time. Tredrea alone had 13 kicks and nine marks. Josh Carr and Jarrod Schofield demonstrated the depth of the Power's midfield rotation to rack up high numbers of possessions. Gavin Wanganeen provided rebound from defence and Che Cockatoo-Collins was instrumental in setting up the big early lead before leaving the fray with what looked like concussion. For the Dogs, Johnson worked hard in a malfunctioning forward line to be among his team's few good players, but also was forced off with concussion in the final term. Youngster Robert Murphy showed some good form and Liberatore battled hard as usual.

ADE 5.2 6.4 10.7 13.13 (91)
HAW 0.0 2.3 4.5 8.5 (53)
GOALS: ADE - Goodwin 4, Stevens 2, McLeod 2, Johnson 2, Eccles, Biglands, Jarman; HAW - Lord 2, Thompson, Barker, Lonie, Barlow, Osborne, Greene
BEST: ADE - Goodwin, Burton, Bassett, Stevens, Ricciuto, Hewitt; HAW - Rehn, Hay, Rawlings, McCabe, Thompson, Barlow

UMPIRES: Coates, Nash, Goldspink

ATTENDANCE: 42,827 at Football Park

Hawthorn now has the dubious distinction of being the first team since North Melbourne (against South Melbourne) in 1934 to be held completely scoreless in an opening term. They do have the small consolation of trailing by only 32 points (instead of 56 points as in 1934). Hawthorn did not score its first goal until almost 13 minutes into the second quarter when John Barker goaled with a 30-metre snap and the Hawks trailed by 25 points at half-time. The Adelaide defence was superb, Bassett on Thompson, Hart on Lord, Hewitt on Croad, and Smart on Barker.
Bassett and Hewitt were also able to help drive Adelaide into attack on several occasions in hard-working games. Burton was also a force in the foward line with Goodwin (35 possessions) and Ricciuto (26) gathering the ball seemingly at will and pushing forward. For Hawthorn, Rehn had a good game in the ruck and was able to take some strong marks in defence, while Hay and Rawlings were also good in defence. The loss left Hawthorn in sixth spot and unlikely to be able to regain a top four position and double chance, even with a win over St Kilda next week.

BRIS 2.2 8.5 15.10 16.14 (110)
GEEL 4.5 6.9 7.12 9.13 (67)
GOALS: BRIS - Power 3, Notting 3, Brown 2, Black 2, Bradshaw 2, Headland, Johnson, B. Scott, Akermanis; GEEL - Spriggs, Graham, Bizzell, Clarke, McGrath, Hocking, Chapman, Milburn, Enright
BEST: BRIS - Akermanis, Black, Voss, C. Scott, Leppitsch, Notting, Hart; GEEL - Sanderson, Wojcinski, Enright, Hocking, Harley

INJURY - BRIS - Lynch (ill) replaced in selected side by Cupido; GEEL - White (foot) replaced in selected side D Spriggs
Lynch suffered a minor relapse of CFS due to the long trip to and from Perth last week, but it is not uncommon for the long trip to its toll on him and the Lions are confident that with a few days rest, Lynch will be OK to play next week.

UMPIRES: Dore, Vozzo, Head

ATTENDANCE: 24,325 at Shell Stadium

The Lions' 12th successive victory all but secured second place on the AFL ladder ensuring they will get a first-up home final at the Gabba. The Cats led by 15 points at quarter time with Hocking kicking a goal in the opening term but after that were totally outclassed. Again, it was the Lion midfield of Voss (27 possessions), Akermanis (29), and Black (34) which dominated proceedings. Brown and Bradshaw also were strong up forward.
There is a small chance that Brisbane could drop to 3rd if they lose to Sydney next week and Port thrashes West Coast.

SYD 4.4 12.8 18.12 21.16 (142)
STK 4.2 5.3 5.5 8.7 (55)
GOALS: SYD - Nicks 6, Kirk 3, Lewis 2, McPherson 2, Schauble 2, Mathews, Williams, O'Loughlin, Bolton, Goodes, Fixter; StK - Hall 3, Riewoldt 2, Everitt, Knowles, Milne
BEST: SYD - O'Loughlin, Nicks, Ball, Maxfield, Williams, Barry; StK - Koschitzke, Thompson, Riewoldt, Jones, Plapp

INJURY: SYD - Seymour (knee), Kelly (calf) replaced in the selected side by Lewis, Schwass (groin) replaced in the selected side by O'Keefe; StK - Moyle (blurred vision), Powell (corked quad)

UMPIRES: Corcoran, Rosebury, Howlett

ATTENDANCE: 26,334 at SCG

The Sydney Swans qualified for the AFL finals with their crushing win over St Kilda.
The Swans trailed by two points early in the second quarter, but kicked the next 15 goals. Nicks' haul of 6 is the biggest by any Swan this year. The long-serving utility finished with 6.7 while the Saints didn't kick their six goals until the final quarter.
The struggling Saints didn't kick a goal from the third minute of the second quarter to the 10th minute of the final term. Brett Kirk bagged three goals for Sydney, a tally equalled by Saints spearhead Barry Hall. Nicks finished with 26 possessions and 10 marks. Equally effective was O'Loughlin, who gave the Saints grief all over the ground as he gathered 24 possessions, while ruckman Jason Ball and Stuart Maxfield and Paul Williams all maintained their fine form. Even the late withdrawals of midfield veterans Paul Kelly (calf) and Wayne Schwass (groin) proved no obstacle as the Swans prospered during a fierce storm which buffeted the SCG during the second half. Jones and Thompson logged 22 and 21 touches respectively, while the performances of youngsters Justin Koschitzke and Nick Riewoldt were impressive.

MELB 3.2 8.6 11.12 16.18 (114)
FRE 5.3 6.5 7.7 12.7 (79)
GOALS: MELB - Farmer 2, Green 2, A. McDonald 2, Neitz 2, White 2, Godfrey, Robertson, Schwarz, Simmonds, Williams, Yze; FRE - Schell 3, McManus 2, Pavlich 2, Bell, Koops, McPhee, Norrish, Walker
BEST: MELB - White, Schwarz, Godfrey, Johnstone, Funcke, Nicholson; FRE - Woods, Carr, McPhee

INJURY: MELB - Woewodin (shoulder); FRE - Kickett (concussion, cut above eye), Eastaugh (corked thigh)

UMPIRES: Jeffery, Kennedy, Woodcock

ATTENDANCE: 12,566 at Colonial Stadium

After a season of frustration and injury in the AFL, Jeff White turned the torment on his old team. In a game played for nothing but pride in a season which cannot end soon enough, White was outstanding with 33 possessions and 11 marks. White saw off three opponents and by rucking all day, let team-mate Simmonds play effectively in defence on dangerous Fremantle big man Justin Longmuir. White's game was one of few highlights in a dour, error-ridden contest, which Fremantle led by two goals at the first change but Melbourne steadily took control. They booted 5 goals to 1 in the 2nd term to lead by 13 points at 1/2 time. The Demons stretched that lead to 29 points at 3/4 time with a 3.6 to 2.2 term. The Dockers managed to match the Demons on the scoreboard in the final term. The match highlight came with a couple of minutes left, as Melbourne's Russell Robertson soared at centre half-forward for an outstanding mark. His knee collected Fremantle defender Dale Kickett on the way up and Kickett was taken off on a stretcher with concussion. Robertson will now contend with Collingwood's Chris Tarrant and Essendon's Gary Moocroft for mark of the year. Melbourne's Brownlow Medallist Shane Woewodin continued his frustrating season, injuring his shoulder in a collision on the wing with Kickett.

STANDINGS
W L FOR AGST % PTS
ESS 17 4 2465 1788 137.86 68
BRIS 16 5 2445 1927 126.88 64
PA 15 6 2310 1867 123.73 60
RICH 14 7 2019 1890 106.83 56
CARL 13 8 2214 1770 125.08 52
HAW 13 8 2062 1952 105.64 52
SYD 12 9 2059 1740 118.33 48
ADE 12 9 2002 1906 105.04 48

COL 10 11 2106 2005 105.04 40
WB 10 11 2182 2325 93.85 40
GEEL 9 12 1899 1957 97.04 36
KANG 9 12 2078 2245 92.56 36
MELB 9 12 2003 2241 89.38 36
WCE 5 16 1657 2427 68.27 20
StK 3 18 1828 2555 71.55 12
FRE 1 20 1674 2408 69.52 4

GOALS
Lloyd (ESS) 90
Lynch (BRIS) 53
Tarrant (COL) 50
Richardson (RICH) 49
Rocca (KANG) 47
Johnson (WB) 45
Tredrea (PA) 44
Grant (WB) 43
Lappin (CARL) 43
Bradshaw (BRIS) 42
Ottens (RICH) 40
Wilson (WCE) 40
Hall (STK) 40
Dew (PA) 39
Robertson 39
McKernan (KANG) 38

And that's it for this week.

One quick note here regarding the finals. Should Carlton manage to secure 4th place next week, it will not only give them the double chance, but it will mean a first up finals match against Essendon. Considering the Blues beat them twice this year and the clashes these two sides have had recently in end of season and finals battles, this could shape to be THE game of the finals series. Especially as both have few injury concerns and their best players are still in top form.

GO BLUES!!

Lisa