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It has been debated in the wider footy media on various occasions in past years that these two teams might no longer deserve the season opening blockbuster. But tonight's classic match saw scores level at the final siren and in front of a vibrant and vocal crowd of 88,084, between two teams that finished 7^th and 9^th last year, should guarantee them both at least a few more years in this opening slot. 

The crowd was mostly in early for the first bounce of the 2023 season. The first ruck contest resulted in a free kick that saw Nankervis kick the ball long into the Richmond forward line and Dustin Martin put the first goal of the year on the board when his Carlton opponent spilled the mark. A great sign for Richmond supporters.

The reply was quick as Zac Fisher for Carlton returned the favor snapping on his left across the body from 25 meters out. Jack Silvagni got a good ride on his Richmond opponents to rise above them and mark, but it was the resulting goal that mattered most. A good sign for the Blues, too.

At the end of February, three-time premiership Tiger forward Jason Castagna, 26, announced his retirement. In making the announcement, he said he had lost his love for the game, “I love everything about this club and everyone in it, which has been the thing that has made this decision the hardest. This game is such a demanding one physically and mentally, and something I have given my all to since I first walked in the doors here and for the years before that. Now that I cannot give that same energy, it has made me realize that I would be letting the boys and the club down if I just coasted through and did not give it my all until the end, which has led me to this call.”

He also said he was grateful for the connections he had made and for the opportunity to share his milestones and achievements with family and friends, “One of my favourite things about playing ... has been that I got to go out on the MCG each week, warm-up with the Castagna name on my back, and represent my family. I will always be proud of that. The connection I feel to this group and the past players that I spent time with here ... is something I will have forever and I am so grateful for that.”

In recent years, a number of players have signed on to file a class action suit against the AFL to seek compensations for the effects of concussions they suffered during their careers. The Melbourne Margalit Injury Lawyers law firm is preparing to take the case to the Victorian Supreme Court. The firm has already spoken to a number of former players and believe they could get up to $2 million in compensation for each player.

The firm has also called for an overhaul of the existing workers' comp plans. One issue is professional sport players are exempt from coverage The firm's managing principal Michel Margalit said, "As it stands, AFL players are excluded from seeking WorkCover in Victoria which stop them making claims for medical and other expenses and weekly payments. AFL is big business and it is appalling to think that players are excluded from receiving care and compensation, while AFL executives on astronomical wages hold these entitlements.'' She used the precedent of USA NFL players suing the NFL for compensation.

(Ed. note: this is another story in our on-going coverage of the effects of concussion on AFL players.) Please read on... 

The AFL will be holding their annual Life Membership and Jack Titus Award ceremony in early March. There are eight new inductees for their services to the game. Five inductees automatically qualified having reached 300 total AFL games: Trent Cotchin, Todd Goldstein, Josh J. Kennedy, Paddy Ryder and Steele Sidebottom. Lisa Hardeman, Bruce McAvaney and Eddie McGuire were awarded life membership for their ‘Special Services to the Game’. Peter Haby was awarded the Jack Titus Service Award for outstanding service to football as the Hawthorn Football Club Historian and Museum Curator. The AFL Commission confirmed their awards at a meeting late last year.

THE INDUCTEES

TRENT COTCHIN

The Supplemental Signing Period (SSP) started several months ago and ended February 15. It allows clubs with available spots to sign players as rookies. Below are the clubs and the players they signed.

ADELAIDE

The Adelaide Crows had two spots open on their list with Fischer McAsey and Paul Seedsman both being placed on the inactive list for the 2023 season. They signed former Collingwood midfielder Tyler Brown as a rookie for this season. Brown has signed a one year deal. Brown is the son of former Magpie premiership player Gavin and played 27 games for Collingwood before being delisted at the end of 2022. He had battled illness and injury in stint with the Pies.

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The AFL released the 2023 men's schedule on Saturday, 10^th December. The unexpected announcement (at 6:00PM AEDT, 2:00AM US EST) came after a copy was apparently leaked to The Melbourne Age, which published it online in the afternoon. It was the second straight year that the schedule was launched in December. While the venues had been set, the League has only confirmed the dates and times for the first 15 rounds. The schedule for Round 16 through to 24 will be progressively revealed during 2023 with advance notice.

The AFL National Draft and Rookie Draft were held in late November. All the selections are listed below by team so readers can scroll to their favorites. The listings are as follows: the first number is the selection, followed by player name, (junior club), age, height and weight, in metric with the conversions in ( ), and position. Many players tested at the draft combine. Twenty meters is 65 feet and 2 kilometers is 1.24 miles. Many also represented their state at the national tournament which is referred to here as the U-18's.

ADELAIDE

17) MAX MICHALAMEY (Norwood, SANFL), 18, 190 (6'1"), 78 (171), medium defender
Disciplined and team-oriented, uses his reach and speed with great effectiveness against opposition forwards, runs well and uses the ball well. Represented South Australia at the U-18's and was best on ground against the Allies and Vic Country, winning All-Australian honors. Played three senior games for Norwood. Has already signed with the Crows as a father-son selection as his father John was a four-time premiership player with Norwood and played over 200 games. Showed his athletic prowess at the draft combine with 3.03 seconds for the 20 meter (65 ft) sprint and 6:30 minutes for the 2km (1.24 miles) time trial.

43) WILL DOWLING North Adelaide, SANFL), 18, 187 (6'), 80 (1767), medium midfielder

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan may have resigned back in April, but the date of his actual departure is still up in the air. After almost 20 years in the AFL, he said he wanted to spend more time with his family. His line has changed now and he said recently there are several pending issues which he still has to oversee, not the least of which is the Hawthorn racism investigation. It's not clear why the next CEO can't handle them. He told The Melbourne Age, “The timeline is, I’m leaving, but I ... there are a few things going on that I feel it’s my responsibility to be settled down enough and on an even footing when I leave ... The priority is for the leadership to feel comfortable, that you feel stable so that when you handover it’s in a good spot. What that date is I can’t tell you, but it’s not going to be into late next year, but over the coming months ...".

First year field umpire Michael Pell and three others were arrested in mid-November for leaking Brownlow votes. Apparently. the votes from specific matches were leaked. The AFL was alerted by one of its betting partners who detected suspicious betting and the AFL launched an investigation, leading to the arrests. The irregularities and leaks did not compromise the Brownlow count on the night according to the AFL. The bets which raised red flags ranged in size up to several thousand dollars.

However, the fallout could be severe in that it allegedly involves a match official divulging information. A police statement said in part that, " ... The criminal offenses police are investigating are engaging in conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome of event or event contingency, and using corrupt conduct information for betting purposes ...". When the three others were arrested, cell phones and computers were also seized. Criminal charges are pending, but conviction carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Police are investigating how many matches potentially had votes released and the magnitude of the bets involved. If the allegations are found to be true, the umpire could also face AFL sanctions.