Australian Football League News

After being subbed out of the Saturday game against Essendon in Round 20 with a calf injury, Lance "Buddy" Franklin decided to retire. He will not see out the season. It ends several weeks of speculation as to whether or not he would play on in 2024. Scans the next day revealed a six to eight week injury so it was doubtful that he would play again this year even if the Swans do get to the finals. Franklin, 36, leaves with a record of 354 games and 1066 goals to his name. He is only the sixth player in league history to kick over 1000 goals. He sits fourth in the standing for goals.

Drafted by Hawthorn in 2004, he played 182 games and kicked 580 goals for the Hawks and was a member of the 2008 and 2013 premiership teams. At the end of 2013, he said he wanted to move to Sydney, and it was expected that the newest club - GWS - would get him. When GWS dropped their interest, the Swans swooped and gave him a ten year contract worth $10 million. He played 172 games and kicked 486 goals for the Swans.

North Melbourne great and former club captain Jack Ziebell announced he will retire at the end of the season. He said he could leave the game knowing he gave his all, " ... it’s always a hard decision to give up the thing you love the most, but ... I think my body will thank me for it. From the time I walked into the place I’ve felt right at home, and I’ve made some amazing lifelong friendships and connections. This is a special place and I’ll always cherish being part of the club. I’ve given everything I can ... but I think the time is right for me to pass the baton to others to take us forward. I truly believe we have the building blocks to eventually go far as a club. I think back to those finals wins in 2014 and '15 and how amazing the feeling around the club was and I know those times aren’t too far away. To our fans - you have been amazingly supportive ... I can’t thank you enough and I look forward to seeing the joy on your faces when we do turn things around ... ".

The Fremantle Dockers stunned the Geelong Cats with an upset victory at the Cattery. The Cats started as clear favorites in the match but were caught by the intensity of the Dockers' attack on the ball. The reigning premiers were on a path to the finals but hit a significant road bump on the day that coach Chris Scott set the record for the number of games as a Geelong coach.  Although visiting teams rarely win on the narrow ground at GMHBA Stadium, it is the third time in the last six visits that the Dockers have won. The Cats kicked with a breeze that should have offered a three goal advantage in the first quarter but struggled to break free from the pressure the Dockers applied on the ball. The Cats locked the ball in their forward line for long periods but couldn't convert.

The Sydney Swans kept their finals flame flickering with a victory over the Fremantle Dockers at Optus Stadium. The game was won by their stronger bodied midfielders setting up a four goal lead in the first quarter, which the Dockers couldn't to bridge. The Dockers fielded with the most inexperienced team in the competition, with only five players who have played more than 100 games. In total games played, the Sydney team had more than two thousand more games of experience and it was their experienced players who did what needed to be done to keep the Dockers from getting back into the game.

Exactly 2 months (May 18) after Alastair Clarkson stepped away from coaching North Melbourne, he returned to the club. For the time being, however, assistant Brett Ratten will continue to coach the senior side while Clarkson eases himself back to the position. Before his official return, he had been working off and on in different areas of the football department. Clarkson will spend the next month integrating back into the program with his initial focus on game analysis, game trends, opposition analysis, and working with the coaching group on game plan and strategy. He will resume his coaching duties ahead of Round 21 (another week).

Just ahead of round 18, Tiger defender Robbie Tarrant announced his immediate retirement. Tarrant, 34, was drafted by North Melbourne in 2007. A string of injuries restricted him to just two games in his first three seasons, but he fought his way through to establish himself as a consistent defender. He played 194 games for the Kangaroos before being traded to the Tigers at the end of 2021. He played 20 games for the Tigers last year. The worsening injury to his hip left him no choice but to retire. He expressed an "overwhelming sense of appreciation" for his long AFL career. He said, “I know if I do not announce it today, that I will keep trying to play, and I am worried about where that will land me come season's end. Having missed the draft as a 17-year-old, I knew from then on that if I was going to make it, I was going to have to work as hard as I could. And I finish up today knowing that I have done that. I have got nothing left in the tank.”

The Richmond Tigers defeated the West Coast Eagles to move to within two points of the top eight. The Tigers had moments of individual brilliance, punctuated by long spells of indifferent form as they ground out a victory against the spirited West Coast. The Eagles have been enlivened by the return of some of their best players but ultimately fell short of what was required to overcome the more talented Tigers. The struggling Eagles have now won just three of the past forty-four matches and this year sit at the bottom of the ladder, with just one win, way back in the second round against the GWS Giants. The Tigers have won three of their past four games and are within striking distance of the top eight, but would need to show much more than they did against the Eagles to get ahead of the log jam in front of them.

Shortly after Round 17, Gold Coast informed senior coach Stuart Dew that his services were no longer needed. In recent weeks, reports had leaked out that Dew would lose his position despite CEO Mark Evans recently stating that Dew would remain. Dew, 43, departs the Suns with a 36-84-1 record from 121 matches. The Suns are currently in 13th place.

Dew was appointed in 2017 and his best season in charge was 2022 when the Suns won 10 games. He was contracted through 2024. Assistant coach and former Geelong player Steven King will take over for Dew for the remainder of the season. There is already speculation that former Richmond coach Damien Hardwick is favored to replace Dew.

The Carlton Blues crushed the Fremantle Dockers at Optus Stadium to move within one win of the top eight. The Carlton victory was emphatic. Their bigger more experienced players pressured the young Dockers all over the ground, causing multiple turnovers. The Blues were dominated in the ruck by the Dockers big man, Sean Darcy, but they won more clearances and were much cleaner with their use of the ball. Carlton got numbers to the ball and won contested possessions 155 to 135, with their twin tower forwards, Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow, sharing 24 marks (catches) and booting three goals each. The inexperienced Docker forwards were out-hustled by Jacob Weitering, Nic Newman and Mitch McGovern, who either intercepted or spoilt Jye Amiss and Josh Treacy's attempts to mark . The Blues dominated the midfield battle and set up sixty forward entries, with former Docker Adam Cerra completing eleven, whilst the home team struggled to get clean entries due to the pressure applied by the Blues' midfielders.

It couldn't have looked much worse for the West Coast Eagles. Last week the Eagles were smashed 205 points to 34 by the thirteenth placed Sydney Swans. The Eagles' reserves team mirroring their senior team by anchoring the ladder of the local competition, were yesterday thrashed by East Fremantle 215 to 31. Their best player Tim Kelly was ill and unable to play against the St Kilda Saints - and the Saints gunning for a percentage boost (percentage calculated by dividing points for by points against) to get them into the top four. The Saints had their first goal on the board after just fifteen seconds of play courtesy of youngster Mitch Owens. The script said the Saints would win convincingly but the problem was that the Eagles hadn't read the script.