Buckley, Ricciuto, Goodes the best

G'Day Footy Fans -

3 Clubs, 3 States, 3 Charlies
If the league ever needs another affirmation that footy is truly a national game, it need look no further than the 2003 Brownlow count. With Collingwood's Nathan Buckley, Sydney's Adam Goodes, and Adelaide's Mark Ricciuto pulling a 3 way tie for the Brownlow Medal. It is the first Brownlow win for an Adelaide player.
The last time there was a 3 way tie was in 1996 between James Hird, Michael Voss, and Corey McKernan but Corey was ineligible due to an early season suspension.
One has to go back to 1930 for the last true triple win. Stan Judkins of Richmond, Allan Hopkins of Footscray and Collingwood's Harry Collier all tied for the medal - Judkins was declared sole winner on countback but, in 1989, Hopkins and Collier received retrospective medals along with six other players beaten under the abandoned countback system.
Ironically, all 3 of this year's winners were born in South Australia.
It was one of the closest counts in memory, three votes separated 10 players at the start of the last round. Ricciuto polled one vote to take the lead, Buckley polled one to join him, and then Goodes polled two to give all three 22 votes.
One vote behind were Hawthorn captain Shane Crawford, West Coast captain Ben Cousins and former Port Adelaide skipper Gavin Wanganeen.
Goodes, 23, the youngest of the trio, became the second Aboriginal Brownlow medallist after Wanganeen (1993).
He thanked Swans coach Paul Roos for letting him "just go out and play footy like in your school days". His date for the glamour count was his mother, Lisa May, who was overcome as she watched her son collect the medal.
Oddly enough, Buckley and Goodes each scored only two best-on-grounds. Ricciuto scored four.
Ricciuto is Adelaide's first Brownlow medallist, Buckley is the first Collingwood winner since Peter Moore in 1979 and Goodes is the Swans' 12th.
Adelaide's Andrew McLeod, a perennial favorite who was not fancied this year, polled six best-on-grounds in the first 13 rounds. But he did not get another vote. Also on 18 was two-time winner and sentimental favorite Robert Harvey.
After a slow start - just 8 votes to Round 11 - Buckley polled heavily in the second half of the season, just as his team's form improved after the break. The 31-year-old polled in seven games in the second half of the season and grabbed one vote against Essendon in the last home-and-away game to grab his share of the medal, the Magpies' first since Peter Moore's victory in 1979. Ricciuto, 28, polled one vote in round 22 against Port Adelaide to win Adelaide's first Brownlow since it entered the AFL in 1991. The Crow started even slower than Buckley. He had just five votes after round 11, before storming home with 17.
To underline the closeness of the count, with just one round to go, there was a three-way tie for the lead between three captains. Buckley and Ricciuto were tied with West Coast captain Ben Cousins, each with 21 votes. Cousins failed to win a vote in the last round, when his team lost to Fremantle. Goodes had held the lead with Cousins for a short period after round 18. The early surprise of the night was Adelaide midfielder Andrew McLeod. A beaten favorite in 2001, the dynamic Crow had not been considered in betting and did not make the All-Australian team this year. However, his brilliance caught the eyes of the umpires. He was rewarded with best-on-ground performances in six matches in the first 13 weeks of the season to lead the count. He did not poll again after round 13, but held the lead all the way through to round 16.

The TV broadcast was also a huge ratings success, with a share of 48.4 per cent. It outrated the Emmy Awards.

GENERAL NEWS
Grand Final Umpires
South Australian boundary umpire Darren Wilson is the only non-Victorian official taking the field for the grand final. Announcing the umpires, the AFL opted for age and experience.
They squad was: Brett Allen, 37, who has umpired 23 finals, including 1999, 2000 and 2002 grand finals; Hayden Kennedy, 37, who has umpired 26 finals, including the 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000 deciders; and Stephen McBurney, 35, having umpired five finals and the 2002 grand final. Emergency field umpire is Scott McLaren. Gordon Muir and Matthew Vitiritti are the other boundary umpires, and Anthony Black and Mark Harrison will wave the flags. They will be the first umpires in history to not wear white, with gold the color du jour.

Scalping Law Working
The State Government claimed a victory for its anti-ticket-scalping legislation when auction website eBay last week removed an advertisement for grand final tickets. Bidding for the three corporate tickets had reached $2800 before the ad was pulled in compliance with the Sports Event Ticketing (Fair Access) Act. The Collingwood-Brisbane grand final was the first real test of the legislation since its introduction last year, and Victorian Premier Steve Bracks said it was working well.
Details of several scalpers who advertised on the internet were passed to police.
The legislation makes it illegal for people or organizations not authorized by the AFL to sell grand final tickets. Scalpers and buyers face fines of up to $6000.
But the Government faces a problem of mathematics: the number of fans far exceeding the number of tickets. The usual shortfall has been exacerbated this year by MCG renovations, which have reduced capacity by 16,000 to about 80,000.
Newspaper ads by scalpers were replaced by fans pleading for tickets.
Some fans who were willing to comment said they were offered tickets anywhere from $500 to $1500. One scalper was asking $12,500 for five seats in a corporate box.

Who's the Fastest of Them All?
That question was answered prior to the GF this year with the following players lining up for the 1/2 time sprint contest: Kris Massie (ADE), Anthony Corrie (BRIS), Anthony Franchina (CARL), Glen Freeborn (COL), Damian Cupido (ESS), James Walker (FRE), David Wojcinski (GEEL), Campbell Brown (HAW), Shannon Watt (KANG), Luke Williams (MELB), Jared Poulton (PA), Greg Tivendale (RICH), Leigh Montagna (STK), Jared Crouch (SYD), Damien Adkins (WCE), Kieran McGuinness (WB)

The contest consists of several heats and Fremantle's James Walker won it, netting himself and the Dockers $5000 each in prizemoney.

Bill Deller New AFLUA Chief
AFL umpiring great Bill Deller has been appointed the new chief executive officer of the AFL Umpires Association.
Deller, who umpired 251 matches – including five grand finals – from 1967-81, said that his position would be a challenging role.
Since his retirement, Deller has spent 16 years as the AFL’s national director of umpiring, while he is an AFLUA and AFL life member and was an inaugural inductee of the AFL’s hall of fame.
Deller has also received an Order of Australia Medal for services to Australian football, the Australian Sports Medal and was a former chairman of the Australian sports commission’s national officiating committee.
He will commence his new position on November 3.

VFL Rumblings and Grumbles
For most of the year, there has been some discontent among the VFL clubs. One problem is the AFL aligned teams versus the independent teams. Some of the independents have called for a limit as to how many AFL listed players can line up in any one side at a time. The gripe is two-fold: one, that a team stacked with AFL listed players gives it an unfair advantage over non-aligned teams; two, that with so many AFL players coming into sides, it gives less opportunity to the regular VFL players, especially younger ones who are hoping for a chance at AFL level.
One club has also called for non-aligned clubs to be allowed a larger salary cap to recruit and retain players. Their argument is that aligned clubs don't have to pay the salaries of the AFL players as they are paid by their own AFL clubs, which allows those aligned clubs a large chunk of extra cash.

TRIBUNAL
Port's Nick Stevens was reported on video evidence by umpire Brett Allen for striking Collingwood's Brodie Holland during the preliminary final.
Stevens will miss the opening two rounds of the 2004 home-and-away season after he was found guilty of striking.
Stevens was found to have dealt a ‘short, sharp blow’ to the midriff of Holland in an incident during last Saturday’s preliminary final. It was Stevens' 4th suspension in 4 years for striking.
Holland fell to ground after Stevens swung his left arm into his stomach region.
Stevens argued he had been frustrated at being held and pushed by his opponent after losing his boot in a pack. Stevens attempted to get his shoe on before the ensuing bounce, but threw it into the air after Holland disallowed him.
Stevens said his fist was not clenched, but admitted to ‘pushing off’ Holland ‘too hard’.
Holland said he was winded by the contact, but added he was conscious of the opportunity to receive a free kick about 15 metres from Collingwood’s goal. He could not be certain whether the contact came from a fist or a push.
Tribunal chairman Brian Collis said Stevens’ poor record at the tribunal had been unfavorable to his cause.

The AFL Tribunal should be wary of robbing players such as Anthony Rocca of the chance to play in a grand final, according to Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy. Speaking after Rocca was ruled out of Saturday's grand final with a two-match suspension, Sheedy called on the AFL to introduce an alternative penalty, such as a delayed suspension which is done in horseracing.
He said a suspension from a preliminary final was much harsher than during the season as chances to play in a grand final don't come around often.
But Wayne Jackson told 3AW that he did not support the suggestions. "I think you would be getting on very dangerous ground if you started saying we're going to apply different penalties in finals than we do in home-and-away matches," he said. "If somebody was on a wrestling charge or shook the goalpost or it was a marginal decision, I guess the tribunal may take that into account, but if it's a serious offence . . ."One questions why a player should be able to put another player out illegally and that player not go on and then the player who creates the offence just gets a game next year. "The tribunal has that discretion at the present time. The tribunal knows it is grand final week. They know what is at risk and so do the players."

MILESTONES
150 games -- James Clement, Collingwood
50 club games -- Jarrod Molloy, Collingwood
Longest Premiership Span -- Leigh Matthews, Brisbane Lions. If Brisbane wins this week's Grand Final, Leigh Matthews will have been involved in premierships 32 years apart (Hawthorn 1971 as a player). This will break the record he established last year and currently holds with Kevin Sheedy (1969 player at Richmond and 2000 coach at Essendon).
Coached Two Clubs to Premierships -- If Collingwood wins this week's Grand Final, Mick Malthouse will become the eighth coach in history to have led two separate clubs to premierships, joining Jack Worrall (Carlton and Essendon), Checker Hughes (Richmond and Melbourne), Percy Bentley (Richmond and Carlton), Ron Barassi (Carlton and North Melbourne), Allan Jeans (St Kilda and hawthorn), David Parkin (Hawthorn and Carlton) and Leigh Matthews (Collingwood and Brisbane Lions).

Premierships with Different Clubs -- Blake Caracella, Brisbane Lions. If Brisbane wins this week's Grand Final, Caracella will join Gordon Abbott (Geelong/Essendon), Frank Caine (Carlton/Essendon), Jack Carney (Geelong/Carlton), Brent Crosswell (Carlton/North Melbourne), Barry Davis (Essendon/North Melbourne), Brighton Diggins (South Melbourne/Carlton), Edward Drohan (Fitzroy/Collingwood), Horrie Edmonds (Collingwood/Richmond), Tom Fitzmaurice (Essendon/Geelong), Mick Grace (Fitzroy/Carlton), Darren Jarman (Hawthorn/Adelaide), Peter McLean (Melbourne/Carlton), Jim Martin (Essendon/Fitzroy), Charlie Norris (Collingwood/Fitzroy), Martin Pike (Kangaroos/Brisbane Lions), Keith Stackpole (Collingwood/Fitzroy), Barry Rowlings (Hawthorn/Richmond), Ian Stewart (St Kilda/Richmond), Doug Wade (Geelong/North Melbourne) and Bryan Wood (Richmond/Essendon) as the 21st player to have played in a premiership with two clubs.

TEAM NEWS

PORT ADELAIDE
The bitter fallout from Port Adelaide's finals failures continued last week with one of the club's two joint major sponsors criticizing coach Mark Williams and the Power's board of directors. Millionaire businessman Allan Scott, chairman and managing director of Scott's Transport Industries, said Port could never win an AFL premiership under Williams and, if he (Scott) had his way, he would pass a vote of no-confidence in the club's board.
Scott said he wrote a letter to the club urging a call for a meeting of members, sponsors, and supporters.
Port president Greg Boulton was quick to react to the comments, saying he was "a bit disappointed" but that Scott was "a very passionate man" who had a right to express his views.
At a July sponsorship re-signing, Port described Scott as "the single largest financial contributor in the history of the club" and said his donation (believed to be more than $1 million) "helped build the Power's $4.5 million state-of-the-art training and administration facility in 1999 - the Allan Scott Power Headquarters".

The club was fined $10,000 again by the AFL for not complying with match-day requirements for its entry time on to the ground for the Qualifying Final against Collingwood.
Port Adelaide entered the arena more than two minutes later than the time scheduled on the match-day running sheet, meaning the match day manager had to keep the Collingwood team in its rooms and delay its entry on to the ground, potentially affecting that club's preparation.

Midfielder Nick Stevens has quit Port Adelaide and will return home to Melbourne to play for a Melbourne-based club next year.
Port CEO Brian Cunningham said the club was disappointed but understood Stevens’ decision to leave the Power to return home to be closer to his family.
Stevens, 24 next January, has written to Port to thank the club for his six years at Alberton.
Stevens, from Preston under 18s (Northern Knights), played 127 AFL games for Port after being the club’s second pick (No.25 overall after Chad Cornes was taken at No.9) in the 1997 National AFL Draft. He made his debut in round six, 1998, aged only 18.
He finished second in the Power’s best-and-fairest award in 2000 and third in 2001, won the Michael Tuck Medal as best afield in Port’s winning grand final of the 2002 Wizard Home Loans Cup preseason competition and played for Australia against Ireland in the International Rules series in 2001.
Stevens was a Collingwood supporter before he joined Port and the Magpies are the obvious favorites to gain his services, provided, of course, they can negotiate a satisfactory trade deal with the Power.
Other club's interested in his services are the Western Bulldogs, Carlton, Essendon, Hawthorn, and Melbourne.

And the club has begun its post season cleanout with defender Stephen Paxman being advised that he will not receive a new contract for the 2004 season and Adam Kingsley and Che Cockatoo-Collins have been advised that they will be either traded or delisted.
Port’s football operations manager, Mick Moylan said the club was sad to let Paxman go, but it was time that young players were given a better go.
He said that Kingsley and Cockatoo-Collins had been fine contributors to the club and believed both had plenty to offer other clubs.
Three other players, Adam Morgan, Brent Guerra and Paul Koulouriotis have indicated that they would like to return home to Melbourne, and the club has agreed that it is in the best interest of all parties that a suitable trade be arranged.
Player Profiles

Stephen Paxman
DOB: 4/12/1970
240 AFL games (102 Fitzroy 1991 – 1996, 138 Port Adelaide 1997 – 2003)
Paxman’s career finishes at 240 AFL games, including 102 at Fitzroy from 1991 to 1996. He joined the Power for its inaugural AFL season in 1997 and has gone on to play more games for Port Adelaide in the AFL than any other player, despite enduring a knee reconstruction two years ago at age 30. Paxman won the club’s best and fairest in 1999 and finished third in 1997. He was part of the preseason premiership side in 2001 and was vice-captain of the club in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Adam Kingsley
DOB: 20/8/1975
125 AFL games (Port Adelaide 1997 – 2003)
Kingsley’s rise to the AFL was a Mark Williams success story. Plucked from the Essendon reserves where he played three seasons until he was 21, Kingsley joined the Power’s inaugural list in 1997 and by 1998 was a best and fairest winner. He went on to play 125 AFL games for the club. He won the Michael Tuck Medal in the 2001 preseason premiership side.

Che Cockatoo-Collins
DOB: 5/3/1975
Recruited from Essendon (previously played for Port Adelaide in SANFL)
160 AFL games (75 Essendon 1994 – 1998, 85 Port Adelaide 1999 – 2003)

Brent Guerra
DOB: 29/5/1982
From Bendigo U18 (1999 National Draft, no. 28)
65 AFL games (Port Adelaide 2000 – 2003)
SANFL Premierships (Central District) in 2000 & 2001.

Paul Koulouriotis
DOB: 21/2/1982
From Calder U18 (1999 National Draft, no. 12)
3 AFL games (Port Adelaide 2000 – 2003)

Adam Morgan
DOB: 28/10/1981
From Oakleigh U18 (1998 National Draft, no. 37)
3 AFL games (Port Adelaide 1999 – 2003)

ESSENDON
Recently-retired Bomber Paul Barnard has quickly found a new role for himself within the fold by being appointed the general manager of the VFL's Bendigo Bombers.
Essendon re-affirmed its commitment to the Bendigo Bombers alignment for the next three years.
Barnard said he was looking forward to life on the other side of the fence.

Post season surgery:
Dean Solomon - groin
James Hird - knee
Scott Lucas - plate removed from leg
Matthew Lloyd - wrist
Damien Peverill - plate removed from arm
Marc Bullen - finger
Dean Rioli - thumb

WESTERN BULLDOGS
After weeks of speculation by some, and stalling by Nathan Brown, Brown has told the club he wants to be traded.
The club has demanded that Brown, along with all the players on the list, agree to a greater off-field commitment and leadership roles. Sources around the club say Brown has a propensity to delegate off-field responsibilities and make excuses as to why he cannot attend planned commitments.
Smorgon would not comment on Brown's behavior or elaborate on what the Bulldogs required him to agree to. But Smorgon did reveal one of the sticking points in the negotiations was the money Brown was asking.

Post season surgery:
Matthew Robbins, Knee
Matthew Croft, Shoulder
Simon Garlick, Knee
Mitchell Hahn, Shoulder
Shane Birss, Eye

ADELAIDE
Post-season surgery.
Michael Doughy, finger
Mark Ricciuto, ankle
Mark Stevens, knee
Jason Torney, ankle
Simon Goodwin, nose

BRISBANE
Jason Akermanis agreed last week to a new 2 year deal believed to be worth about $750,000
The Lions have a raft of uncontracted players, and face a big task to keep their premiership stars - including Luke Power, Nigel Lappin, Mal Michael and Chris Johnson - together while slicing $1 million from the club's wages as a whole. A four-year deal for captain Michael Voss is thought to be imminent, while Michael yesterday said his negotiations had been put on hold until after the grand final and Martin Pike said he would seek another year.

Injury:
Jared Brennan, groin, tore a groin muscle during the opening term of the July 26 reserves game against Morningside. Indefinite

Beau McDonald, knee, hurt his posterior cruciate ligament at a ruck contest in the opening term of the Round 14 loss to Fremantle. Underwent another arthroscope four weeks ago. Indefinite

Brad Scott, ankle, suffered a fractured fibula six minutes into the Round 22 game against the Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome. Missed the GF.

Daryl Bradshaw's brother, Darren won the SANFL's goalkicking award. He booted 88 goals this year for West Adelaide.

HAWTHORN
Wingman Simon Cox announced his retirement after 93 AFL matches with the Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs Football Clubs.
Cox, 26, made 35 senior appearances over two seasons for the Hawks since being recruited to the club via the 2001 AFL national draft.
An elegant left footer, Cox made a major impression in his first season finishing runner-up in Hawthorn’s 2002 Club Champion Award.
Simon Cox played 21 games last year for Hawthorn and 14 games in 2003. His last senior appearance was against West Coast at Subiaco in Round 17.
More recently, he has been a valuable contributor for the Box Hill Hawks and their quest for a second VFL premiership in three years.
Unfortunately, Cox injured his foot against Williamstown in the VFL qualifying final on August 30 and played no further on-field role during the finals campaign.

Kingsley Hunter has also retired.
Hunter played two matches – in Rounds 16 and 17 - in his only season for Hawthorn after 98 senior appearances for Fremantle and Western Bulldogs.
Hunter played his 100th AFL match in front of his hometown crowd of Perth in Round 17 against West Coast. He played 41 matches with Fremantle from 1995-98, 57 with Western Bulldogs from 1999-2002 and two with the Hawks in 2003.
The 28-year-old has sold his Melbourne home and plans to return home to Western Australia.

SYDNEY
After ten years with the Sydney Swans NSW local Daniel McPherson last week announced his retirement. The 28 year-old utility played 111 games for the Swans from his debut in 1994 including the 1996 Grand Final.
Coach Paul Roos paid tribute to McPherson’s resilience and passion for the Swans and said he had been a valuable contributor on and off the field.

Daniel McPherson fact file Born: 5/7/1975Recruited from Ganmain (NSW)Debut: 1994Games: 111Goals: 36Played five finals, one Grand Final (1996)Rising Star nominee 1996

WESTERN BULLDOGS
Seven players last week agreed to new contracts, including emerging utility, Robert Murphy, who has agreed to a new two-year deal.
The others were Ryan Hargrave, Shane Birss, Wayde Skipper, Kieran
McGuinness, Brian Harris, and Mark Alvey.
CEO Campbell Rose said the retention of this group of players is another symbolic step forward for the club.

Since he was drafted with the Western Bulldogs first selection - number 13 overall - at the 1999 National Draft, Robert Murphy has established himself in the Bulldogs senior team. Robert has played 60 games since his debut in 2000. He was a Rising Star nominee in Round 15 2001 and represented Australia in the 2002 International Rules Series against Ireland.

Ryan Hargrave, 22, debuted in Round 1, 2001 against the Adelaide Crows. He was the Bulldogs seventh selection - number 66 - at the 1999 National Draft from WAFL club Perth. Ryan has now played 38 games. He received a National Rising Star nomination in Round 11 2002.

Shane Birss was the Western Bulldogs second selection - number 26 overall - at the 2000 National Draft. Recruited from Sale via the Gippsland Power, Shane debuted in round 2, 2002 against the Kangaroos and has now played 30 games. He received a National Rising Star nomination in round 9 2002.

Wayde Skipper was drafted as a 17-year-old from West Perth with selection 70 at the 2000 National Draft. In his first two years he was plagued by injury but made his debut in round four this season against Essendon. Wayde has now played 12 games.

Kieran McGuinness, 20, has now played 20 games in his first two seasons of senior football. He was drafted with the Bulldogs second pick - 42 overall - from the Eastern Ranges at the 2001 National Draft. He marked his debut against Essendon in round 13 2002 with three goals.

Brian Harris was a 'smokey' at the 2001 National Draft, taken at selection 71 from Woodville-West Torrens. He debuted in Round 22, 2002 and this season he played a further 14 games. Brian is regarded as an emerging key position player at the Bulldogs.

Mark Alvey was the Bulldogs first selection - number 18- overall at the 1997 National Draft. Mark managed only four games in 2003 after under going a knee reconstruction following the round four game against Essendon. Mark has now played 45 games

ESSENDON
Ruckman Steve Alessio has retired.
After making his debut in 1992, Alessio was not selected in the side that won the 1993 premiership - the ruck duties that day falling to Peter Somerville - but played 184 games including the 2000 premiership, a feat he described as his greatest moment in football. At the end of last season he was delisted but told club officials he was willing to go in the draft and return to the club on minimum wages if it would have him.
Sheedy described Alessio as "one of the great stories of the club in my time" and "one of the best persons in our club, for a club".
Alessio said he would like to continue with the club or football in general, potentially in the area of player welfare.

Scott Lucas agreed to a three-year deal last week but Dean Solomon, Danny Jacobs and Dean Rioli are among players yet to be contracted for 2004.

CARLTON
Carlton and Optus Communications have struck a new sponsorship deal with Optus signing on for 2 years with an option for a third.

Ruckman Matthew Allan and Carlton have agreed to part ways. Allan met with Coach Denis Pagan to discuss trade scenarios.
It is understood that it is Allan's preference to play for Essendon next year and while the club did not rule out that possibility it maintained that it will deal on the best offer.
Allan is not contracted for 2004 and after a difficult 12 months - on the field and off - in which his relationship with the club deteriorated and his career waned, wants to re-establish himself elsewhere.
Allan's desire to play at Windy Hill, where he could support David Hille, now that Steven Alessio has retired, and buy more time for the club's young ruckmen to develop, strengthens the prospect of either Joe Misiti or Cory McGrath being traded to Optus Oval in return.
Misiti continues to wait for word from Essendon about his future as the club works its way through its priority signings.

MELBOURNE
has re-signed five players – Brad Green, Mark Jamar, Darren Jolly, Matthew Whelan and Luke Williams – for the next two years.
The five players – all under the age of 24 – have all agreed to new deals that will see them tied to the Demons until the end of 2005.
Both Green and Whelan were members of Melbourne’s grand final side in 2000, while Jolly and Jamar are two of the emerging young ruckmen in the game. Williams was rewarded for his best year at the club in 2003.
The Demons are also set to promote rugged defender Nathan Carroll from the rookie list to the senior list for 2004, after he played seven games this season – including the last six matches of the year.
The 22-year-old was particularly impressive against Sydney Swans forward Barry Hall in Melbourne’s final home and away game for the year.
Fellow rookie list players Adam Fisher and Dale Carson are also set to be retained on the rookie list for 2004.

The Dees are also set to delist former Bomber and 2000 Essendon premiership player Gary Moorcroft, who played just three games in his one season at the club.
Moorcroft, 27, played 95 games with Essendon from 1995-02 and is just two matches short of reaching the 100-game milestone at AFL level.
The Demons will also delist Daniel Breese, who didn’t play a senior game with the club after knee injuries restricted his career.
And Michael Clark, the son of former Demon Denis, has also been released from the rookie list, after playing one game for the club in round 22, 2002.

Defender Craig Ellis has retired. Ellis played 15 matches for the Demons, for a career total of 122, after being traded from the Bulldogs at the end of 2001. A serious knee injury, received in a match against his old club late in 2002, led to the 29-year-old missing all of the 2003 campaign and further surgery set back his hopes of a comeback.

GENERAL SILLINESS
Before the national draft, players came to clubs in a variety of ways, be it clearances from another club, trades, or simply being recruited from another area. But Steven Alessio literally walked into Essendon off the street.
Fourteen years ago, a gangly 17-year-old Steven Alessio came to Windy Hill at the behest of his schoolmate Ross Napoli, not wanting to play AFL but rather hoping to get fit over summer to play local footy. In the pre-draft days, Napoli, a local lad, was training with the Essendon under-19 team and the coach, the legendary Ray "Slug" Jordon, was not perturbed to have a 200-centimetre athletic youngster run around for a while as the team trained alongside the seniors.
"He looked me up and down and said, 'Yeah, no worries, big fella' and gave me an opportunity," Alessio said. "I remember doing one of the first drills; it was like a handball drill and a bit of an agility drill. I remember him calling Ross out of the drill and whispering in his ear and asking him about who is this guy and stuff like that.
"I thought that was it. I lasted 15 minutes in the first training session and he was going to tell me to get out because I was messing training, but in the end Ross came back and gave me a wink and said, 'Keep going . . . just wanted to know who you are', and fortunately enough it kept going from there."
Kevin Sheedy, the only AFL coach Alessio has played under, also recalled that day when Alessio showed up. He was working with the senior group on a larger adjacent oval but kept getting distracted by the sight of Alessio running around with the U-19 side..."wondering who and where and why and what".

It struck Ashley McGrath recently that commentators had trouble distinguishing him from his brother, Essendon fringe player Cory. They may be less confused after Ashley's surprising six-goal effort for Brisbane late in the season and the peculiar-looking torpedo goal that rolled over the line and burst open the Lions' preliminary final against Sydney last week, but still the identity crisis is playing on his mind.
He said he learned that, because of commentator confusion, Cory was getting more games for Brisbane than he was.

Reflecting on the Brownlow ceremony, Nathan Buckley said of his first conversation with Mark Ricciuto: "Roo was pretty stunned; he'd also probably had a few brews. I think he was trying to be careful not to say anything he didn't want to."

On to the BIG ONE

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