Recent news

By Barry Kennedy, AFANA Reporter in Melbourne

On the same day Australia returned to the World Cup of soccer, a display by two indigenous players with the oval ball showed just what a world class show piece Australian football can be at its best. Aaron Davey is showing by the week that he has so much more than speed at his disposal with unselfishness, class ball usage and instinctive awareness.

Byron Pickett, now at his third club, was described as unemployable by former coach Mark Williams after a bad year with suspensions in 2005. Now any coach would have him in their side. Yesterday at the MCG, Pickett and Davey slotted in perfectly to a Demon machine that played scintillatingly well and whose toughness and work rate was exemplary in a 47 point dismantling of the highly fancied Collingwood. The game at the MCG was played in a finals-like environment, and like all great finals  players rose to the occasion.

by Barry Kennedy, reporting for AFANA, from Melbourne, Australia

In a season where injuries have cast a long shadow, Richmond fans can take joy from the fine comeback from play-maker Nathan Brown in a good win over the Kangaroos yesterday. An unusual mist, brought on by bitterly cold Melbourne weather shrouded the MCG yesterday. The lights were turned on shortly after the game began around the time Brown took to the field. Brown's performance was assured  with two polished goals and nice touch. With many young players showing excellent form for Richmond yesterday on the back of Brown's comeback, the Tigers may be emerging from a foggy past. The Kangaroos with noticeably tepid support, ongoing speculation about the club's future and few exciting players currently on its list, the mist engulfing the MCG was an omen a little too close to home for the Roos.

AFL Commission chairman Ron Evans has been made a Member in the Order of Australia (AM) in this year's Queen's Birthday honours list, for his contribution to Australian Rules Football.

"When the chips are down, there's no one better you want on your side than Ron Evans, " former AFL chief executive Wayne Jackson was quoted as saying.

Similarly honoured are veteran entertainer Bert Newton, former Australian cricketer Dean Jones, unionist Greg Combet and broadcaster Les Murray, host of Australian TV coverage of soccer World Cup for the past 20 years.

Singer Olivia Newton-John, now based in the US, was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for community work supporting breast cancer treatment and for her work on behalf of the environment. In recent months her life was overshadowed by the mysterious disappearance of her boyfriend Patrick McDermott, who was thought to have drowned almost a year ago off the Californian coast, until recent evidence suggested he had faked his death and was hiding in Mexico.

Saints 7.10 (52) d. Swans 7.8 (50) @ the SCG

Frank Ienco reporting exclusively for AFANA from the SCG

St. Kilda have secured their most important and dramatic win under Grant Thomas’ reign following a heart stopping two-point victory against the Sydney Swans at a wet and miserable SCG tonight. The win, however, may have come at a cost, with captain Luke Ball taken off the ground with concussion early in the last quarter following a nasty collision.

The Saints appeared in control of the match for most of the night. St. Kilda held a significant lead for a low-scoring match at every change.  But as has been custom at the SCG, the Swans appeared to come from nowhere to nearly snatch victory, kicking the only two goals of the last quarter to reduce the margin to two points. St. Kilda though managed to weather the storm, both on and off the field, and held on.

According to the Australian Playstation site, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust) and the AFL have inked a two-year agreement, granting SCE Aust exclusive publishing rights to footy video games. The game, AFL Premiership 2006, is slated for release in July of this year for the PS2 gaming system. A version for the PSP (Playstation Portable) is slated for release in 2007. There is no word as of yet whether the title will be playable only on Australian/New Zealand units though history suggests it will be.

The Victorian Government and the AFL have announced a $55 million upgrade of seven former VFL/AFL grounds in Melbourne: Punt Road, Princes Park, Moorabbin, Windy Hill, Victoria Park, Waverley Park and Arden Street.

Under the plan, iconic grandstands at Princes Park and Moorabbin will be demolished and replaced by community sports centures. The other five grounds will also be partly redeveloped.

Every grandstand at the Saints' Moorabbin base, as well as the social club and all existing buildings, will be torn down and replaced by a multi-purpose venue including a pool and sports hall. The club's HQ, including the infamous "animal enclosure" that was home to the most parochial fans, will boast a futuristic all-in-one complex.