Troty Would Have Been Proud

G'Day Footy Fans -

Trisha Broadbridge Honored
Trisha Broadbridge, 24 was named Young Australian of The Year for her work with teens and her involvement in helping raise money for other victims of the tsunami which claimed the life of her husband Troy.
Trisha is one of the Reach Foundation's original crew (young leaders), and since 2000 has been facilitating and inspiring groups of teenagers in activity based educational programs helping them improve overall levels of self-esteem. She specializes in leading workshops and camps that give teenagers a place where they can go a little crazy, connect with others and be heard. After the tsunami, Trisha joined forces with the Reach Foundation to establish the Reach Broadbridge Fund which she now manages on a part-time basis. She has, with the help of the Melbourne Football club, established The Broadbridge Education Center on Thailand's Phi Phi Island. A number of Melbourne players traveled to the island last year to help build the center. This center assists young people affected by the tsunami, allowing them to continue to learn after such devastation. Trisha believes that no matter what happens, you have to keep going .

GENERAL NEWS
Australia Mourns Media Mogul
Just days after the AFL accepted Kerry Packer's bid on behalf of Channel Nine, he passed away. Packer, who underwent a kidney transplant in the US several years ago, had a history of kidney and heart disease. Packer was 68 and left behind a massive fortune and a multi-billion dollar media empire. His estimated wealth is close to $7 billion. His son James, already the chairman of PBL, has stepped into the breach as head of PBL, which owns Channel Nine as well as a string of magazines and other media outlets.
As the former chairman of Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd, Packer controlled a number of influential publications, including The Australian Women's Weekly, The Bulletin, Australian Business, Cleo, Woman's Day, Dolly, Mode, and Harpers Bazaar.
Packer was described as hard-nosed businessman, respected by some, feared by others.
A similar attitude existed amongst his employees. Sometimes described as a feudal lord, at times impossible and overbearing, he could also be extraordinarily generous and indulgent, particularly with those who had served the company for a long time.
Born on December 7, 1937, as the second son of Sir Frank Packer, he was educated at Cranbrook School in Sydney and Geelong Grammar in Victoria. He married Ros Weedon in 1963 and has 2 adult children, Gretel and James.
The Packer empire has its roots in his grandfather, Robert Clyde Packer. Robert started as a journalist in Sydney, then became a newspaper executive, and was one of the founders of
Smith's Weekly and the Daily Guardian.
But it was Kerry's father, Sir Frank Packer, who created the empire. A bombastic man who in 1967 advocated the killing of 500 Negroes as a cure to stop black revolutionary violence in the US, Frank Packer started The Australian Women's Weekly and transformed the Daily Telegraph into one of Sydney's leading newspapers. He was also responsible for bringing television into the homes of Australians with his Channel Nine in 1956.
An arch conservative, Sir Frank unashamedly used his media outlets to voice his political views.
A one-time heavyweight boxing champion, polo devotee and keen sailor, Sir Frank had two sons, Clyde and Kerry. Clyde was always expected to take control of the business but, after falling out publicly with his father, he went into state politics before leaving for the USA.
Until that time, Kerry had been thought of as nothing more than an idle playboy. In 1972, he bought Clyde's share of the business and took over the family company, Consolidated Press, when Frank died in 1974.
Much was written about the poor relationship between Frank and his sons and Kerry was keen to avoid a similar experience with his own children.
In a 1984 interview on a rare return to Australia, Clyde Packer remarked of his younger brother: He's a clone of my father, only he's much better at personal relationships. He's much softer.
In later years, Kerry Packer was to remark that his father was a just and fair man. But there is ample anecdotal evidence that his father was an authoritarian who was never particularly close to anyone, including his sons, both of whom were introduced into the family business but given no favors. They were subjected to constant derision and public humiliation by their father in the office, leading one employee ask whether Clyde was a saint or an imbecile for smiling throughout such dressings down. In particular, the young Kerry was forced to perform the most menial tasks at The Daily Telegraph and Woman's Weekly, including cleaning ink from the printing cylinders - tasks for which he showed little enthusiasm and for which he reportedly resented his father. But Kerry stayed while Clyde quit as managing director of Channel Nine and briefly adopted an alternative lifestyle, mixing with the emerging counter- culture before moving overseas.
Kerry accepted the challenges thrust upon him by his father and the responsibilities of running a big corporation. But unlike his father, he nurtured a strong bond with his two children. Fiercely protective and proud of his children, Kerry Packer on occasion was moved to defend them physically them from incursions by the media and other outsiders.
Packer was an unashamed devotee of television and his Nine Network dominated the airwaves with a combination of news, current affairs and sports telecasts.
Long before many of his international rivals, Packer, a passionate sportsman, identified business opportunities that sport could offer television. He proposed an international golf circuit. But it was his incursion into the staid world of international cricket administration that created an uproar and later revolutionized and reinvigorated the game.
In 1976, with the introduction of color television in Australia, Packer bid for the exclusive Australian rights to televise Test cricket matches. But he was beaten by the ABC, despite offering more than seven times the amount of money the Government network had bid.
Compared with other sports, cricketers were poorly paid. So when a rival Packer competition, World Series Cricket, was launched the following year, many leading players rushed to join, splitting the game and throwing the establishment into crisis.
Rather than white flannels, the new teams were sometimes dressed in colorful pajamas and played shortened versions of the traditional five-day Test matches. After winning a resounding victory in the High Court against the cricket establishment, Packer's rival tour faced a rocky start. Access to traditional venues was denied, audiences shunned the games and sponsors were disappointed. But in its second year, Australians warmed to the new game, particularly when night matches were introduced.
In 1979, a truce was called between the warring factions. Full-length Test matches and limited over games were played under the auspices of the cricket establishment. Not surprisingly, Packer's Channel Nine gained exclusive rights.
Besides cricket, the Nine Network devoted itself to other sports broadcasts and frequently set technical benchmarks against which international networks measured themselves.
Packer was an active devotee of sport himself, playing cricket and rugby in school, and becoming a boxing champion like his father. Although he had a flair for all ball sports, he was by no means brilliant, and earned his place in the teams through persistence and determination.
He sailed on yachts in the Sydney to Hobart race, was an accomplished golfer and in later years, despite his size, became an adept polo player. He compensated for shortcomings in natural ability with a fierce competitive streak which earned him widespread admiration from his competitors.
A poor school student, later discovered to have been caused by dyslexia, the young Kerry found himself isolated and friendless, particularly at Geelong Grammar, where his fellow pupils looked down on his family as being nouveau riche. He was forced to repeat a year in primary school and again in high school. He described himself as academically stupid, a dolt , but his later penchant for business and strategic investment belied that assessment.
To counteract his poor scholastic performance, he turned into something of a thug at school, bullying classmates and behaving belligerently towards teachers. As in primary school, he concentrated on his sporting prowess.
Although thrown into the business world, initially by Clyde's departure and then his father's death, Kerry Packer proved he was no dolt and had strong ideas on television, in particular, and on the future of magazines.
Before his father's death, he launched the ground-breaking Cleo magazine for women, against his father's advice and their advertising agency. It was to prove a runaway success.
He learned three important lessons from his father: be loyal to your allies, tough with your adversaries, and not to care too much about other people's opinions.
While he stuck to that philosophy, Kerry Packer was extremely hurt by damaging allegations that arose out of the Royal Commission into the Painters and Dockers Union in 1984.
Documents leaked from the commission were published in the now defunct Fairfax weekly, The National Times, identifying a central figure, codenamed the Goanna, involved in tax evasion, fraud, pornography, drug importation and murder.
Several weeks after they were made public, Packer identified himself as the Goanna and then proceeded to demolish each accusation. In time, all were to be proven false. But Packer harbored deep resentment over the allegations and his treatment by the commission and the media.
A formidable businessman, he was a feared negotiator in business deals. He pulled off his most famous coup in January 1987 when he sold his Nine Network to Alan Bond for $1.04 billion. Desperate to reduce debt, Bond and a coterie of executives had flown to Sydney in their private jet to sell their interest in Perth's Channel Nine. Once at Packer's Park Street headquarters, however, Packer convinced Bond that the pair should negotiate without advisers. When he finally emerged, an elated Bond confided to his shocked entourage that rather than sell Perth, he had bought the entire national network. Three years later, he bought back the station with an expanded network for just $200 million in one of the deals of the decade. In 1983, he had showed similar business acumen in privatizing Consolidated Press. He used $110 million of the company's money to buy assets valued at least double that.
During the latter part of the 1980s, Packer teamed up with two friends, British financier Jimmy Goldsmith and banker Jacob Rothschild, to launch a $28 billion bid for British American Tobacco which, if successful, would have been the second biggest takeover the world had seen. The trio also launched an $880 million bid for food group Ranks Hovis. Both bids failed. Mr Packer lost an estimated $80 million.
In 1987, Mr Packer acquired a strategic interest in rival publisher John Fairfax. He sold the stake to Warwick Fairfax during his takeover bid for the company for a handsome profit and bought Fairfax's magazines for the bargain price of $220 million.
His interest in Fairfax was rekindled three years later after Fairfax was plunged into receivership. Packer became an integral partner in the Tourang consortium that included Canadian publisher Conrad Black.
Although he quit the consortium before Tourang took control of Fairfax, several years later Packer built a key stake in Fairfax. When he died he still had an interest in the group through a separately listed trust.
Packer survived a number of serious illnesses throughout his life including childhood polio, the removal of a cancerous kidney and a diseased gall-bladder in 1986, and diabetes.
But a massive heart attack in 1990, which left him clinically dead for nearly 10 minutes, prompted him to begin an overhaul of his business empire, paving the way for James to take control. A drastic cost-cutting program which shed many superfluous businesses was followed by a stock market listing for a new company, Publishing and Broadcasting, which was controlled by the Packer-owned Consolidated Press.
James formally took the job as managing director of PBL in 1996 with American-born Brian Powers as chairman, although Packer maintained an active interest in the day-to-day running of the business. Powers later became chairman of John Fairfax and James took over as chairman of PBL.
Although he kept a watchful on eye on his son's business activities and his advice was often sought, Kerry gave James the freedom to take the business in new directions. It was a decision that delivered enormous profits as James was instrumental in building up PBL's gaming division, which now accounts for about half of the group's earnings. Last year, James spearheaded the successful acquisition of Perth's Burswood casino, despite opposition from his father. He is currently looking at picking up gaming assets in Asia.
James also moved PBL and the family-owned Conspress into new technology ventures in telecommunications and the internet, such as the jobs website Seek and ninemsn, a joint venture with Microsoft.
But there were some failures, including the spectacular collapse of telecommunications company One.Tel in 2001, which prompted Kerry to once again become more engaged with the day-to-day running of PBL.
Kerry Packer's property purchases reflected his business philosophy of domination. The amalgamation of a number of properties around his Bellevue Hill mansion, Cairnton, extended the family estate to an estimated 11,100 square metres. His property at Scone, Ellerston, became one of the world's best polo facilities after a $10 million revamp in the late 1980s. In 1989 he bought the 37.6-hectare Great House Farm in West Sussex, England, which he also transformed into a polo estate.
When in London, Packer usually took five luxury suites at the Savoy. He would often stay for the entire northern hemisphere polo season and conduct business from the hotel.
Along with polo, which took him to tournaments in Europe and South America, his other great passion was gambling and he was a frequent visitor to Vegas and London casinos. He was a high roller and could win or lose as much as $20 million in a single sitting of his favorite game, blackjack. For the owners of Caesar's Palace or the Las Vegas Hilton, two of his favorite establishments, a Packer win could severely dent annual returns, while a Packer loss could help the house to a bumper profit for the year.
He once was so annoyed by the boasts of a millionaire gambling beside him that he proposed a coin flip for the $200 million the American said he was worth. The offer was declined.
His gambling interest prompted Packer to make a serious but unsuccessful tilt for control of the Sydney casino in 1994, while his company became a large investor in the Crown Casino in Melbourne and in his friend Lloyd Williams's company, Hudson Conway, which ran the casino. When Hudson Conway ran into difficulties, James Packer, in his first big deal at the helm of PBL, bought out Hudson Conway and took control of Crown.
Meanwhile, Kerry's love of blackjack and his spectacular wins and losses provided endless fodder for gossip columns. He also loved gambling on horse races and once famously made a killing at the Melbourne Cup when he and Lloyd Williams reputedly picked up more than $10 million.
After his 1990 health scare Mr Packer lost an enormous amount of weight and gave up smoking, a habit he readily admitted was an addiction. But he took up cigarettes again and gradually replaced his weight. Although a big drinker in his youth, he gave up alcohol after being involved in a serious car accident as a young man in which another person died.
Packer's kidney complaint eventually deteriorated to the point where he was kept alive by dialysis until kidney surgery in the US in 1998. That operation failed to ensure his health, and a kidney transplant was seen as the only alternative.
In recent years his health problems continued. Besides diabetes, he had a melanoma removed from an ear, experienced heart problems and returned to hospital complaining of tightness in the chest, shortness of breath and loss of appetite. Though he continued to take a close interest in the running of his businesses, recent public appearances suggested considerable weight loss and ill-health.
At the news of his death, tributes poured in from around the country, with sportspeople and media people praising him.
AFL bosses praised Kerry Packer for his contribution to sports broadcasting, including his network's coverage of Australian rules football.
AFL Commission chairman Ron Evans and chief executive Andrew Demetriou said Mr Packer's contribution to all Australian sport as a broadcasting innovator was unmatched in the nation's history.
Mr Packer was a towering figure across Australian business life and through television. He has left a lasting legacy for Australian sport, they said in a statement.
Broadcasting of all sport in this country benefited from Mr Packer's vision and he will be greatly missed as someone who has enabled sports, particularly cricket, rugby league and the AFL, to grow and expand and ensure their success into the future.

Seven-Ten Win Rights
On January 4, 2 days before the deadline, the Seven-Ten alliance matched the $780 million bid made by Channel Nine on December 23.
Details of the breakdown of games between networks, finals allocations and coverage in the northern states is yet to be made public with the AFL set to hold discussions with the successful consortium in the coming weeks.
It's understood however, that the networks have agreed that the AFL grand final coverage in the first year of the deal should be decided by the toss of a coin. The telecast of grand finals will alternate thereafter. The remaining finals matches in any given year will be split between the networks, four apiece.
It is believed that Nine's continued commitment to air rugby in prime time in NSW and QLD led the AFL to accept the Seven-Ten offer.
The AFL still has to negotiate with pay outlet Foxtel. Foxtel so far has refused so far to meet Seven and Ten. Those negotiations will prove pivotal to a future agreement with Foxtel. Under the new agreement, which gives Seven and Ten the right to televise all games on free-to-air TV, the 2 networks can onsell games to Foxtel.
The breakdown of the money — far and away the biggest broadcasting deal in the history of Australian sport — saw Seven and Ten initially offer an annual $110 million a year in cash with an annual escalation rate of 4% while the PBL offer was valued at $130 million in cash with a 3% annual escalator.

THE FINAL CARVE-UP: How Seven and Ten will share the spoils:
One network gets three grand finals between 2007-11, the other gets two, with the split decided by a coin toss.

Each network gets four other finals.

The network not broadcasting the grand final gets the Brownlow medal and the pre-season competition grand final.

The deal was applauded by the AFL clubs, which can now count on massive dividend increases under the new five-year agreement and the assurance of survival of the weaker clubs, at least until 2011, because the new agreement has been underlined by the insistence from both the AFL and the networks upon eight games each weekend.
The clubs' only issue remains its fears that the players will attempt to extract an unreasonable amount of money from the new increase, which has been estimated at about $50 million a year more than the last agreement.
Each of the eight games has been given a monetary value, with Seven paying the greater proportion of the annual $130 million should it televise — as expected — three games a weekend compared to Channel Ten's two. Seven also holds the right to the prized Friday night timeslot.
Under the deal, the networks will pay a combined cash figure of $138.5 million each year for the broadcast rights to all eight weekly games. Direct advertising revenues from the football are expected to deliver between $60 million and $70 million to free-to-air television a year. In addition, TV industry analysts believe the flow-on effects from broadcasting football adds nearly two ratings points to a network's prime-time audience, which in current market terms equates to more than $60 million between Seven and Ten.
West Coast CEO Trevor Nisbett said it was crucial that West Coast matches are broadcast free-to-air, We think that it's particularly important for a State such as ours that is so big and vast. We need coverage to all parts of Western Australia so that everyone gets an opportunity to watch our games.
Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy said he was confident the new partners would do a good job.
Melbourne chairman Paul Gardner said he wasn't at all surprised that Seven and Ten elected to match Channel Nine's $780m offer of December 23.
Carlton president, Ian Collins described the new arrangement as a very good deal for football. , with more free-to-air games reaching a wider audience than Nine could reach solo.
Brisbane Lions chairman, Graeme Downie, whose club has a vested interest in the continuation of free-to-air telecasts into the northern markets, said he was pleased with the new deal.
A Sydney Swans spokesman said the club preferred not to comment on the new arrangements until the nuts and bolts of the coverage had been sorted out.
On December 29, the AFL rejected a request from the Seven-Ten alliance to extend the 14-day deadline for their final rights bid. They had to meet or better Nine's $780 million bid by January 6 or be out of the running.
Executives from the 2 networks had to cut their holidays short to review the details of Nine's offer. And they had to proceed without Seven CEO David Leckie, who was overseas until January 3. Seven's Melbourne head, Ian Johnson, admitted that Nine's announcement just before Christmas came at the worst possible time of the year .
Sources close to the Packer camp revealed that the late media mogul had been resigned to losing out in the bidding war — so long as his massive bid inflicted the maximum possible damage to the rival networks. Packer also knew that matching his bid could financially cripple Seven and Ten in other areas of programming.
It is believed that Packer worked hard in his final weeks to get the AFL deal finished before Christmas in order to maximize the pressure on his rivals. Johnson — who played a pivotal role in the last successful AFL rights bid when he worked at Nine — said there was little between the rival network offers in dollar terms, but that the real complications were in the contra components of Nine's offer, which include cross-promotional deals for the AFL and its 16 clubs.
Seven and Ten must also count on the support of pay TV provider Foxtel — a company quarter owned by the Packer family's PBL — before any bid is signed off.
Foxtel would pay the Seven-Ten consortium substantially less than Nine, as Seven-Ten would only be offering the subscription service three live matches a week instead of four.
Opinion remained divided among media commentators as to whether losing out on the AFL rights would spell the end to Nine's reign as the dominant force in commercial television.
Seven finished just 64,000 viewers behind Nine in average number of prime-time viewers in this year's ratings race. But Seven is gaining in ratings with US imports such as Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Grey's Anatomy. But the network could still face a tough time staying within reach of Nine until 2007.
With the money saved by not having to invest in the AFL, Nine could throw massive resources behind new programs and boost its news and current affairs line-up, where Seven has stolen a narrow audience lead.

Footy Tour In Africa
The AFL is poised to stage a series of exhibition matches in South Africa next month, with Sydney's Adam Goodes and former Essendon champion Michael Long to lead a team of 22 indigenous players on a goodwill tour of the country.
It is understood that Goodes and Long will leave with a team of 16 and 17-year-olds for South Africa on February 19, for a stay of two weeks that will include three matches and visits to a number of the nation's impoverished black communities.
The trip will be the most significant development exercise in South Africa since Brisbane and Fremantle played a preseason match in Cape Town before a crowd of 10,000 in 1998.
In 2000, Damian Cupido became the first player of South African heritage to reach AFL level and in 2004 St Kilda held a preseason camp in Potchefstroom. While leagues and teams are sprouting up, it is still very much a grassroots effort.
The league, with financial backing from Tattersall's, has been supporting a development program in North West Province where the code has been on the region's Academy of Sport curriculum since 2001.
Eleven district leagues involving more than 3000 registered players at junior and senior level have been established in the province, where four full-time staff, including head coach Mtutzeli Hlomela, who played a season with Sturt in the SANFL, are based.
Goodes and Long will head up a team of teenage players, Most of the players have been drawn from the Clontarf Academy in WA, headed by former Docker coach Gerard Neesham.
Long said the experience of the tour for the indigenous teens would go beyond just footy as it will give them an opportunity to learn about different cultures. He went on to say that the tour said the tour was just another step in his dream to double the involvement of indigenous players at AFL level over the next five-to-ten years and would help young players learn how to cope with being away from home, become more professional, and become role models.
The community involvement will include clinics conducted by the young players, giving both them and the participants a learning experience.
The Australians will be playing a South African line-up drawn primarily from youngsters from the North-West Province in one International Rules match to be played in Potchefstroom and two Australian Rules matches in Mafeking and Cape Town.
The tour will coincide with the Australian cricket team's three-Test tour of South Africa and it's expected that the groups will link up for some cross-promotional events.
The players will go on a two-day safari and travel to Robben Island where former president Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Meetings have also been arranged with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and South African President Thabo Mbeki.
The 3 game tour will be accompanied by a league party which will look at the possibility of including South Africa in the international hybrid games.
AFL general manager of game development, David Matthews, said that it was the league's hope to have South Africa playing Ireland and Australia at under-17 level by 2008 and at senior level by the end of the decade.
League officials discussed the inclusion of South Africa' during a video-link conference with the Irish authority, the Gaelic Athletic Association.
Matthews said that the AFL and especially Neesham had been able to use football to improve the lot of indigenous communities in Australia and it was hoped this could be shared with the South Africans.
Neesham, with his pioneering Clontarf Academy in Perth, has, successfully encouraged indigenous teenage males to remain in school. There are now six football academies in WA and there are plans to expand into far north Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Neesham said Australian football should be played in a serious manner somewhere else .
Andrew Demetriou said he expects the two-week tour starting on February 19 to be the first of many and that it was hoped they would take place every second year.

Wayne Jackson Hits Hoops
Former AFL boss Wayne Jackson has been enlisted by the South Australian Government to help restructure basketball in the state, where the sport is in financial crisis.
After propping up the Basketball Association of South Australia for several years, the Government has made more funds available on the condition that the current BASA board stand aside to allow Jackson and a hand-picked administrator, Bruce Carter, to oversee an overhaul of the sport.

Rookies Deserve Raise
So says Peter Bell, president of the AFLPA.
Bell and the union executive will meet association CEO Brendon Gale next month to discuss its requests before the final two years of the present collective bargaining agreement is completed and total player payments for 2007 and 2008 are set.
In 2005, the annual base payment for rookie-listed players was $25,750. Each club nominates roughly four rookies, who can be promoted to the senior list during the year, and pays them an extra $2200 fee for any senior appearances.
Bell would not nominate what he thought was a reasonable minimum annual salary for rookies, but said those players often worked harder than their senior listed teammates and deserved to be looked after better.
When the players' union executive meets, it will also consider its stance on the possible expansion of senior lists and, most likely, the matter of twilight games - a concept that has not been well received by the playing body previously, but which is set to become permanent once the new broadcasting arrangement begins in 2007.

MCG Heritage Listed
An Australian sporting icon, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), has been given the country's highest heritage honour with inclusion on the National Heritage List.
Federal Treasurer Peter Costello said the Australian Heritage Council had assessed the ground as having three key heritage values: strong social links for the sporting community; its key role in the development and history of Australia's two most popular spectator sports, cricket and Australian Rules Football; and its special association with sportsmen and women who have excelled there.
Former Melbourne Australian Rules Football club captain and coach, Ron Barassi, whose bronze statue stands outside the ground, said the MCG held many memories for him and described the heritage listing as fabulous.
His father, Ron Barassi senior, who was a premiership player with the Melbourne Demons, was killed in action at Tobruk in World War II.
Barassi, who was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 1996, said the atmosphere was special at the ground. He said even sitting alone in the stands one could visualize cricketers and footballers playing on the ground.
The MCG was built by the Melbourne Cricket Club in 1853 on the eastern end of the city's central business district. Three years later the inaugural inter-colonial first-class cricket match between Victoria and New South Wales was played at the ground.
It has had many expansions and revamps in its history, including the $435 million northern stand redevelopment project, just completed in time for 2006 Commonwealth Games.
The stadium hosted the 1956 Olympics, which were dubbed the friendly games .
It also played host to one of Australian cricket's most controversial moments, when Trevor Chappell was ordered by his brother, Australian captain Greg Chappell, to bowl underarm against New Zealand in a one-day international in 1980.
The ground has not only been home to sports events - on March 15, 1959, 130,000 people turned out to listen to American evangelist Billy Graham.
The MCG joins 21 other places on the National Heritage List including the Sydney Opera House, the Port Arthur convict site in Tasmania, and Melbourne's Exhibition Building.
Costello said having the G recognized was a great day for Melbourne, a great day for Victoria and for Australia.

AFL #1 With Fans
According to a recent telephone survey in Australia, footy is the most popular sport, with 59% of those polled stated an interest in footy. The survey is the Sweeney Sports Report - a twice-yearly telephone survey of Australians' views on 21 different sports. This year's figure is a 6% rise on 2004.
AFL General Manager Marketing and Communications, Colin McLeod said the result mirrored the AFL’s own tracking and results across all areas for the last 12 months.
The Sweeney statistics have the AFL on top for the most patrons, the biggest media coverage and highest pay-television audiences.
As well, followers of the game have kept in touch through the internet and, in particular, the AFL-Telstra Network in record numbers. The only survey category in which Australian Rules does not lead is in overall participation where tennis and swimming are the leaders.
The AFL Grand Final came out on top as the most important single sports event ahead of the Melbourne Cup and Australian Open Tennis tournament.
Swimming had been the leading sport before being displaced by Australian football. Cricket, which is placed fourth on the list, managed to attract an interest rate of 53% during the survey period which coincided with last year's Ashes Series in England.
McLeod said numerous factors had played a role in the increased interest including community camps, themed rounds, a record number of player appearances in the community, the work of clubs, AFL matches in every state and territory, and the continued support of sponsors and broadcasters.

The Top 10 were: AFL, Eq 2.Swimming, Eq 2.Tennis, Cricket, Rugby League, Soccer, Rugby Union, Car racing, Golf, Netball.

Games Disrupt Routine
Melbourne, Richmond, and Collingwood are all going to be affected by the Commonwealth Games, with the Demons concerned that they could lose up to $250,000 in revenue.
Much of the club's executive, marketing and commercial operations will move from the usual base at the MCG. Adding to the extra costs will be the renting of new facilities, travel costs between temporary facilities and a wide range of lost revenue streams.
The clean stadium arrangements for the Games mean that organizations like Melbourne who own corporate boxes at the MCG lose the rights to use or rent them to clients during the Games.
Collingwood and Richmond will also be affected by the Games restrictions with their respective bases at the Lexus Center and Punt Road both in the heart of the Games precinct. Collingwood players will car pool to reach training because of fewer parking spots.
The AFL and the State Government have reached preliminary agreement on a compensation payment of $1.19 million for the 2006 season. The payment is largely determined by the number of matches that cannot be played at the MCG during the Games.
MCG tenant clubs such as Melbourne argue that flow-on effects from relocating matches - such as lost membership and merchandise sales - should be taken into account.
The MCG will host its first AFL match of the 2006 season on Anzac Day, provided a dispute between builder Grocon and the Government can be resolved.

AFL-GAA Summit
Representatives of the AFL and GAA met recently in Melbourne for a 2 day meeting to discuss a range of issues concerning the International Rules series as well as the recruitment of junior Irish players by AFL teams.
The two bodies agreed that the series has been a great success since it was resumed at senior level in 1998, with matches tied at seven apiece with two draws and average crowds of nearly 47,000 per game, but that unsporting behavior of some players during the 2005 series was totally unacceptable and not in accordance with the rules or the spirit of the matches.
AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou and GAA President Sean Kelly said it was agreed the following initiatives would be implemented for any future series:

Any player guilty of a red card offence would automatically be sent off for the rest of the game with no replacement, and a penalty kick awarded to the opposition. A tribunal hearing would then determine any further penalty, with a minimum 1 game suspension for any guilty verdict.

Any player guilty of a yellow card offence would be sent off for 15 minutes, with a replacement allowed, and no penalty kick. If a player received two yellow cards, it would equate 1 red card with its resultant penalty and tribunal hearing.

Demetriou and Kelly Mr Demetriou and Mr Kelly said the Joint Control committee for the series would conduct a detailed review of the playing rules and the conduct of the series, and this would take place in May of this year.
Demetriou said the AFL had also agreed to re-examine its rules on international player drafting, to address the concerns expressed by the GAA. The Irish want to protect their younger players and ensure they complete school and become established in their own country. To this end, the AFL will review its drafting polices and present a proposal to the GAA. Both organizations would then review the proposal before making a final decision.

TEAM NEWS

ADELAIDE
The club has appointed former Brisbane recruiting manager Kinnear Beatson as its first full-time Victorian recruiting officer.
Beatson, who parted with the Lions just days after last November's Draft, spent 12 years with Brisbane and was instrumental in helping the club develop its list which won a hat-trick of premierships from 2001-03.
Adelaide recruiting manager James Fantasia said the appointment would significantly boost the club's recruiting network.
Beatson was a development officer and under 19s assistant coach at Carlton from 1988-91 and was regional manager of the Western Jets from 1992-93. He joined Brisbane in 1994 as its Victorian office manager and took on the club's recruiting position in 1997-98 based in Melbourne.

COLLINGWOOD
The club has reached an agreement with the Yarra City Council and the AFL on the future of Victoria Park. The park will be retained as a venue for the local community.
As part of the agreement, Yarra City Council will receive $3 million towards the upgrade and maintenance of Victoria Park, which includes $250,000 from the AFL to upgrade the Ryder Stand undercroft.
Club president Eddie McGuire, said it had always been Collingwood's hope that McHale Stadium at Victoria Park should remain a fixture in the local football landscape.
The Ryder Stand undercroft will be redeveloped to become a base for the VFL Umpires' operations and the ground will continue to host TAC Cup team training and TAC Cup matches, as well as some AFL Club training and AFL practice matches.
The club is using some of its financial resources for several plans for the future. The club has hired 2 permanent scouts in New South Wales and Queensland. Both positions are part time for the moment, but that could change.
And having trouble finding suitable families with whom to place their interstate recruits, the club recently bought a million dollar home in Williamstown which be home to up to 5 new recruits each year. A full time overseer/trainer will live there as well, looking after the youngsters. The house, currently with just 4 bedrooms, is undergoing some remodeling to add a 5th bedroom. The club chose Williamstown because that is the VFL club with which the Magpies have their affiliation and it will be there where new recruits will play and train until they earn senior spots. It is also close to Collingwood HQ at the Lexus Center.
The home will make the Collingwood players new neighbors of Western Bulldog Rohan Smith, who lives in the street, and Brad Johnson, who lives nearby.
The bayside suburb is a popular choice of residence for AFL footballers and executives, with Swann himself a lifelong resident.

KANGAROOS
Adam Simpson is on a modified training program as he tries to recover from a foot injury which has been nagging him since last season. He played through the second half with the injury and he is still hampered by it.

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has been appointed the Kangaroos' new No.1 ticket holder. Ponting replaces Federal Shadow Minister, Simon Crean who has been appointed Patron of the Kangaroos - a newly-created position.
Ponting, a self-confessed football tragic , said he chose to barrack for the Kangaroos when he was younger because his mother and the uncle he idolizes - former Australian bowler Greg Campbell - both followed the Kangaroos.
Ponting said he was thrilled and honored with the position. He joked that the players were going to have to put up with him a bit more this year when he has a 3-4 month break midseason.

GEELONG
Rising Geelong star Gary Ablett will be with the Cats at least until the end of the 2009 season after signing a three-year contract extension early in December. Ablett was always keen to stay with the Cats and the new deal is believed to be worth more than $1 million.
Ablett's contract was due to expire at the end of 2006 before the extension.
Ablett has played 76 games since his debut against Essendon in Round 1, 2002. Although he isn’t yet in Geelong's official on-field leadership group, he is seen as a future leader.
Ruckman Steven King has been reappointed team captain for the third consecutive season after a board meeting at the club last week. In a break from tradition, he will have 3 vice-captains, who will be named next week.
Late last year, Geelong decided to revamp its leadership group and seven players, including King, Cameron Ling, Matthew Scarlett, Cameron Mooney, Paul Chapman, Tom Harley, and Joel Corey, were named as the club's leadership group for 2006. The vice-captains will be selected from that group. Last year, the retired Brenton Sanderson was the lone vice-captain while Ling acted as deputy vice-captain.
While King and Sanderson had injury-plagued seasons, Ling captained the club on several occasions. King is determined to make a fresh start after having several seasons ruined by injury. Last year he missed matches because of a groin injury and broke his hand late in the year.

Ben Graham, who came close to setting a new punting record for the Jets, has signed a contract extension.
Graham received plenty of chances to show off his left leg because of the team's sputtering, injury-ravaged offense. He recorded the second-highest net average in franchise history at 37.9 yards (the record is 39.7) and had a 43.7 gross average on his 74 punts, 18 of which were downed inside the 20. Plus, he did a nice job as the holder.
Specialist coach Mike Westhoff had nothing but praise for Graham, who got better as the season progressed.

PORT ADELAIDE
Veteran midfielder Josh Francou required arthroscopic surgery last week to clean debris from his left knee which was causing some irritation during training. He is not expected to resume full training for at least 4 weeks, putting his involvement in the NAB Cup in some doubt.
In a prepared statement, the club said Francou's complaint is quite separate from his two reconstructions and there are no problems with his anterior cruciate ligament. The club is confident Francou will be on track to play in Round 1 of the premiership season.

BRISBANE
Michael Voss will again captain the club in 2006, his 10th season as skipper. 2006 is his 15th season with the club and he is confident the Lions can return to finals football following the dramatic slump at the end of 2005.

Midfielder Luke Power recently signed a new 5 year contract, which should see him remain a Lion for the rest of his career. Power will be close to 30 when this new contract expires.

Jonathan Brown could be sidelined for the majority of the AFL preseason after he had emergency knee surgery last week. Estimated time on the sidelines is 2-6 weeks after Brown had a cyst removed from the cartilage in his right knee.
The cyst had not prevented Brown from training at full speed, but was causing him some mild discomfort and he was unable to get maximum distance with his kicking. Medical staff expect Brown to be available to play by the second round of the NAB Cup preseason competition in the first weekend of March.
Brown, 24, has played 107 games and booted 156 goals in his role at CHF. He kicked 33 goals from 14 games last year and the Lions notched eight of their 10 wins for the season when Brown was in the side. He finished an equal career-high sixth in club champion voting despite missing the eight games, and polled 11 Brownlow Medal votes.
While Brown will have an interrupted preseason, veteran Justin Leppitsch has declared he has all but overcome a debilitating back injury. Leppitsch said an irritable nerve in his leg was the last remaining pain from the ailment that kept him out of the Lions' final eight games last season. Both Leppitsch and Nigel Lappin (ankle) are still on modified training.

ST KILDA
St Kilda finalized its coaching panel with the appointments of former Magpie champ Mick McGuane and bush legend Jason Mifsud as assistant coaches.
They join senior Coach Grant Thomas and assistants Jason Cripps and Matt Rendell on the coaching panel. Thomas also expressed his delight at the appointments.

SYDNEY
The Swans announced a net profit of $282,000 for the year ending 31 October, 2005.
Sydney Chairman Richard Colless said the board was pleased with the result which, while down on the 2004 result - a profit of $889,000 - reflected the reality of the club's operating environment. According to Colless, the revenue increase was offset by increased costs in football operations and the added costs of participating in the finals.
Colless said Sydney's football operation costs tended to be high because the majority of players and coaches are required to relocate to Sydney which has the highest cost of living in Australia.
Colless said the trading outlook for 2006 was encouraging across all major revenue sources, reflecting the club's premiership success in 2005.
Colless acknowledged the contribution of management, staff and players led by Myles Baron-Hay, Andrew Ireland and Paul Roos and paid a special tribute to former captain Stuart Maxfield for his leadership and contribution to the club’s on-field success in 2005.
At the time of the announcement, Colless also called on the AFL to increase the Grand Final prize money from the current $250,000 to at least $1.5 million. He believes the current prize money does not adequately reflect the significance of winning the premiership.
That sentiment was echoed by Bulldog Coach Rodney Eade, who pointed out that the preseason winner received nearly the same amount and also agreed with Colless regarding the extra costs to clubs - approximately $2-300,000 - who make the finals.

HAWTHORN
Hawthorn's home ground at Glenferrie Oval has been unusable since Christmas, after the entire field was burnt in a heat wave, forcing the club to relocate its skills sessions for the month of January.
The Hawks have had to use several different grounds, including Sandringham Oval and Victoria Park in recent weeks while the burnt grass was replaced by new turf.
Spotless is contracted to keep the oval at AFL standard but, according to the club, the full-scale dry-up did not occur through negligence.
Poor water pressure at the oval, which is covered by a particularly sensitive type of grass, was proving problematic before the heat wave this month.

Beau Dowler's recovery is progressing quicker than expected, with Dowler a possibility for Box Hill's first match of the season.
Dowler received fractures to his pelvis in a car crash on October 20 and doctors initially forecast a three-month lay-off before he could begin a modified running program. He was confined to a wheelchair for 5 weeks, but began running just 2 months after the accident.
Dowler attended the player induction camp in Melbourne in mid January and said he was running at near full capacity with only a few restrictions. He still is not allowed any full contact work.

WEST COAST
Forward Brad Smith was given the green light by doctors to resume full training 2 weeks ago after undergoing knee surgery early last year. Smith missed the entire 2005 season when he ruptured his anterior cruciate and medial ligaments in his left knee during an intra-club practice match.
Assistant coach Peter Sumich said he was rapt with Smith's progress and was looking forward to seeing him go flat-out on the training track. Sumich says if all goes well at training, Smith would be a definite chance for the first preseason game.

Michael Gardiner (foot) and David Wirrpunda (knee) are still on light duties following post-season surgery. Sumich said Gardiner's recovery was slower than expected, and was doubtful he would play in the Eagles' first NAB Cup match against Fremantle on February 26. David Wirrpunda won't begin full training until early next month.
Michael Gardiner is unlikely to take any part in the Eagles' pre-season as he makes a slow recovery from a foot problem. However, he is expected to be fit for round one.

And in more bad news for the Eagles, an untimely surfing accident will cost Eagle star star Chad Fletcher at least one crucial month of preseason training. Fletcher fell awkwardly on his left shoulder on to sand while surfing last week, fracturing his collarbone. The injury pretty much rules him out of the NAB Cup matches. But football manager Steve Woodhouse was optimistic that Fletcher would be ready for Round 1 at the end of March.

ESSENDON
Ruckman Jason Laycock required another ankle surgery last week to remove a piece of floating bone and could miss most, if not all, the NAB Cup. Laycock, 21, had knee surgery at the end of last season. The surgery will sideline the 17-game ruckman for at least 4 weeks, meaning Laycock has a race on his hands to be fit to play the Lions on February 24 at Carrara.

MELBOURNE
The Demons announced a million dollar profit for 2005 and have appointed a 3rd female board member.
The Demons significantly expanded on the improved financial result in 2004 and - partly because of an annual $1.5 million payment from the AFL's equalization fund - recorded a profit of $1,035,298. AFL assistance aside, it is a stunning turnaround under chief executive Steve Harris from the losses of $2.2 million in 2003 and $1.6 million in 2002. The club has also reduced its debt from $5.4 million two years ago to $3.07 million.
Melbourne Chairman Paul Gardner told the club's annual general meeting that the rare period of stability after recent years of turmoil, improved on-field performances, growing membership and attendances had contributed to the improved financial position.
Harris also presented plans for Melbourne's new administration and training base in the Melbourne and Olympic Park precinct, saying the dream was becoming a reality.
Harris said that while the club made a $500,000 loss this year before accounting for the AFL's competitive balance fund dividend, next year the club budgeted to break even before receiving the AFL dividend. For the next three years the club will receive a reduced equalization dividend from the AFL of $1 million.
Of perhaps equal significance to the club's future and broadened horizons was the decision to appoint a third woman to the board with the announcement that Karen Hayes had joined the board, filling a vacancy created by Allen Dewhirst's resignation.
Hayes, CEO of project management and business solutions company Planpower, will join Sue Nattrass and Beverley O'Connor.
Hayes is also on the board of the Breast Cancer Network Australia and was heavily involved in last year's Field of Women promotion at the MCG. Charles Sitch, senior director at McKinsey and company, also joined the Melbourne board.
Hayes said she decided to commit to Melbourne when she was overwhelmed by the club's involvement in the Field of Women which demonstrated a commitment to their female members.
The club announced nine retrospective life memberships: Arthur Mueller Pearce, Charlie Streeter, Jack Leith, George Moodie, Charlie Young, Bobby Monk, Les Jones, Ned Keyburn and J.O. Smith. Club doctor Andrew Daff and president of the volunteers Gary Marchant were awarded life memberships.

In what is destined to be a historic season for David Neitz - likely to capture the games and goals record for Melbourne - he will continue in his role as captain for the seventh season.
Whether it will be his last year in the role is something Neitz is keeping close to his chest. But at the announcement last week, Neitz, 31, suggested he would like to play out his career as one of the boys helping a new leader, similar to what James Hird has done at Essendon.
Neitz needs only 7 games and 12 goals to surpass Robert Flower's 272 games record and Norm Smith's 546 goals record, and is already delighted to be the longest-serving captain in the club's history.
After a long process including everyone from the president to the coach, Melbourne has cut its leadership group from nine to five, with a particularly youthful bent. Adem Yze, Jeff White, Clint Bizzell, Nathan Brown, and Alistair Nicholson have been left out of the new group and will be given mentoring roles. The new vice-captains are Russell Robertson, Brad Green, Cameron Bruce and 22-year-old Brad Miller.
In revamping its leadership structure, the club consulted with Mettle, an organization specializing in leadership and culture, in reviewing its leadership structure.
A leadership panel comprising Coach Neale Daniher, CEO Steve Harris, football operations manager Chris Fagan, club psychologist Anthony Klarica, chairman Paul Gardner, and Neitz was set up to determine who was best equipped to lead the club into the new season.
Neitz said he felt there were benefits to be derived from a reduced leadership group, with the smaller group allowing everyone to rely on and help each other.
Neitz said the captaincy was not reviewed as part of the new process and that it was agreed from the start that he should continue as captain and that the new group should be built around him.
If Neitz should happen to be unavailable the club is preparing to rotate the captaincy perhaps from week-to-week, but the precise terms have not yet been determined.
Daniher said the new appointments are part of an ongoing process to develop leadership qualities across the list.

WESTERN BULLDOGS
Coach Rodney Eade has said the club will take no risks with prized youngster Tom Williams who will be sidelined for the next three months after the recurrence of a foot injury.
Williams underwent surgery several weeks ago for the second time to repair the navicular bone in his left foot.
He missed the last of 2005 after a crack in the bone was detected and repaired last June but when it failed to heal another bone graft was required.
NOTE: It is the same sort of injury which James Hird suffered several years ago. The bone is deep inside the foot and is very slow to heal due to low blood flow to the area - Lisa)

FREMANTLE
Midfielder Andrew Browne will resume full training next week after recovering from post-season hamstring surgery. Browne was plagued by injuries last year and did not play a single game for the club after a fantastic 2004 season which saw him receive Fremantle's Beacon Award as the club's best new talent.
Standing at 176cm, the 21-year-old has played 18 AFL games, including 14 in 2004 where he cemented a place in the senior side midway through the season.
Docker' assistant coach Michael Broadbridge, while delighted with Browne's progress, said the youngster wouldn't be rushed back into the squad.
Broadbridge praised Browne's dedication, and indicated a successful string of games in the WAFL could warrant his return to the senior team. Broadbridge hinted Browne could return to the seniors by Round 4 or 5, but said Browne needed to get a few games under his belt in the WAFL.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Former Saint ruckman Chris Oliver was playing for Sturt in SA but just signed on with Frankston.

Former Demons Guy Rigoni and Chris Lamb have signed with Sandringham in the VFL. Ex-Demon Craig Smoker (1998-99, 17 games) has joined West Perth, his original club.
Delisted Hawk Steven Greene has joined VFL side Williamstown. The club has also signed former Eagle/Magpie Andrew Williams. Williams played 84 games for West Coast and 32 at Collingwood 198-2005.

Ex-Docker Luke Toia has joined Claremont in the WAFL. The club is also working to recruit Daniel Bandy while former Docker Ashley Prescott turned down a coaching offer from VFL club Coburg to remain as coach of Claremont.

Delisted Blue Digby Morrell turned down offers from Bendigo, Port Melbourne, Williamstown, and Frankston to stay with Carlton's VFL partner Northern Bullants, where he spent most of 2005.

Former Saint/Tiger Steven Sziller, who has been playing with East Burwood for 3 years, is now at East Bentleigh in the Southern League.

Brett Ratten has made the rounds on the coaching circuit. He first spent several years as an assistant at Melbourne, He then went to Queensland but failed to get a coaching gig there and turned down offers from both the VFL and SANFL. Last year, he coached the Victoria Country team. This year, he has taken another step with his appointment as coach of 2nd division team Norwood in the Eastern Football League. Which suits Ratten just fine as he lives in the eastern suburbs and it will allow him time to get his landscaping business going.

Former Saint Jason Heatley has been appointed coach of EFL side Wantima South, also in Division 2.

Simon Eastlaugh (Essendon, 1998-99, 17 games & Fremantle, 11 games in 2001) has been appointed coach of WAFL side Perth after 3 years as Fremantle's ruck coach. Also in the side is ex-Docker Paul Maher (1998-99, 5 games).

Eagle premiership player Chris Waterman has replaced former Cat Garry Hocking as coach of WAFL side Peel Thunder.

Ex-Cat/Blue Adrian Hickmott has been appointed to coach Rumbalara, a primarily indigenous team in the Murray League. Hickmott will also teach at the Academy for Sports Health and Education. He was coaching Shepperton in the Central Goulburn Valley League, which has been disbanded.
The club has strong sponsorship links with Collingwood which includes coaching resources and Hickmott, who is working on attaining his Level 1 accreditation, recently went to Melbourne and sat in on several Magpie coaching meetings as part of a learning process.
Shepperton wasted little time in replacing Hickmott, appointing former Fitzroy and North Melbourne player Anthony Mellington as their new coach. Mellington began his career at Shepperton and has been coaching in the Diamond Valley League.

Mark Mickan (Brisbane, Adelaide) is the new coach of SANFL side Glenelg. Mickan began his career with the newly formed Brisbane Bears, then returned to SA to play in the Adelaide Crows' inaugural squad. He spent several years as Adelaide development coach and also coached SANFL side Woodville-West Torrens.

GENERAL SILLINESS
One burglar recently learned a lesson the hard way - if you're going to rob a home, make sure the occupant is out and not an artist. Bill Weg Green - best known for his annual Grand Final caricature sketches of team mascots for the Herald Sun - heard a noise and some loud cursing outside his home one Sunday morning. He confronted the would be burglar, who pushed Green aside and stole his grandson's bike.
Police soon arrived and were initially reluctant when Green offered to draw the burglar. But Green quickly provided a detailed drawing of the burglar's face.
Fifteen minutes later, Croydon police picked up the burglar for an unrelated crime and were amazed at the likeness Green had provided. One of the officers, Senior Constable Roche said he would be the first to hand a victim a pencil next time they say they can draw the suspect. The burglar, who allegedly committed criminal damage elsewhere before intruding on Green, was arrested at a nearby shop.

And for the first time in 2006. it's on to the scores

KANG 2.3 7.5 10.8 13.8.(86)
SYD 1.1 3.1 3.2 6.2.(38)
GOALS: KANG - McIntosh, Jones 2, Hale, McMahon, Brown, Thurley, Harding, LeCras, Perkins, Makepeace, McConnell; SYD - Currie 2, Bevan, J Bolton, Ablett, Dempster

CROWD: 3200 at UCLA

Although both sides fielded young players, it was the Kangaroos who had more experience in their side and it showed. Experienced duo Leigh Brown and Corey Jones got the Roos off to a handy start with 2 goals. The Swans managed their only goal late in the term via a 50-meter penalty to Ablett and trailed by 8 points at 1/4 time.
Sydney recruit Ted Richards was prominent early, gathering a host of possessions while former Cat Cameron Thurley was prominent in his first outing with the Kangaroos.
The Kangaroos kicked 5 goals to Sydney's 2 to take a 28 point lead at 1/2 time.
They added a further 3.3 in the 3rd term to Sydney's solitary behind to make the result safe.
Both teams kicked three goals straight in the final term as the Kangaroos prevailed.
Sydney youngsters Matthew Laidlaw and Kristin Thornton looked very comfortable in elite company. Rookie Paul Currie kicked two of Sydney's six goals playing as a marking forward from the goalsquare.
But it was Kangaroo ruckman Hamish McIntosh who stole the show, being voted BOG and winning warm praise from coach Dean Laidley. According to Laidley, McIntosh arrived at the club 4 years ago as a scrawny 202cm kid who couldn't bench press 40 kg. But the Kangaroos were patient and McIntosh has added 20 kg to his frame and can press 135 kg.
Laidley also appreciated the work of Thurley and former West Coast Eagle Kasey Green as well as new draftees Andrew Swallow and Matt Riggio. Swallow was impressive as he found plenty of the ball in the middle and Riggio played well across halfback.

And that’s it for now. See ya all next month.

GO BLUES