Australian Football League News

The Sydney Swans strengthened their position at the top of the ladder with an eight-goal victory over the inaccurate Fremantle Dockers. The Dockers matched Sydney in the midfield with good clearance work but were inefficient in attack. At the other end Sydney were ruthless and kicked accurately to punish any Docker turnovers. The pressure applied by both teams was strong with tackling from both sides a feature of the match. Sydney's Brodie Grundy dominated in the ruck, but the Dockers got first use of the ball through the strong clearance work of Andrew Brayshaw, Luke Jackson, and Caleb Sorong. As the game progressed Chad Warner, Errol Gulden, and James Rowbottom became more involved in play to cement the early good work of the Sydney forwards.

The game started with four forward entries by the Dockers for just two behinds (worth a point each).  After ten minutes of the Dockers dominating the midfield, Sydney broke through to launch an attack through with a snapped goal by Logan McDonald. Five minutes later Will Hayward booted the Swans second goal when the Docker defenders were caught out of position. Sydney's pressure on the ball then generated a forward-half intercept and Jake Lloyd goaled. The Dockers booted their first goal after an intercept in their own forward half and some fancy footwork by defender Brandon Walker, who kicked truly.

The Essendon Bombers survived a late challenge by a determined West Coast Eagles to win by one goal in a thriller at Optus Stadium. The Bombers had more of the play for three quarters but couldn't finish scoring opportunities off the strong work of their midfield. Whereas the Eagles launched less attacks but were more efficient in attack. The Bombers used handball to break out of packs but the Eagles' players were more inclined to "roll the dice" and take on the tackler to get out of tight situations. Veteran ruckman Todd Goldstein, was dominant in for Essendon and for three quarters the Bombers won more clearances through his combination with Darcy Parish and Zach Merrett at ground level. Goldstein tired in the last stanza and an improved second half by Tim Kelly of the Eagles in the packs brought the hosts back into the game.

In late April, Adelaide star Rory Sloane announced his immediate retirement from football due to ongoing issues with an eye injury. Sloane, 34, made the decision after consulting eye specialists. He required surgery for a detached retina in 2021 and required a second surgery this past January after suffering the same injury during preseason training. He also suffered a torn retina in 2013 and a fractured eye socket in 2017.

He said he did everything he could to return to playing, including exploring goggles options, but felt the risk to his health was just too great. In making the announcement he said, ... I really wanted to make sure I'd left nothing in the tank. And I tried absolutely everything to get back. And yeah, I was close ... "I love my job. I've loved being a part of this for 16 years. And it's probably the realization that you've got to let that go ... for the betterment of my future health was just pretty tough for me ... ". He also said he was "spooked" by stories of detached retinas. He said in the end, goggles would not have worked as detached retinas are caused by head knocks rather than pokes in the eye.

The Western Bulldogs have been hot and cold this year. At Optus Stadium they were hot, but they met a group of Dockers who were stinging from a loss to West Coast the week before. The two desperate teams, with three wins each, put on a thrilling display of everything that Australian football should be. Kicking skills came to the fore as players passed with precision. High marking contests thrilled at each end of the ground and play transitioned with lighting speed from defense into attack. The tackling from both sides was brutal and the pressure on the ball carriers was relentless.

2023 Collingwood premiership player Nathan Murphy succumbed to the after-effects of concussions (including his 10^th in the 2023 Grand Final) and announced his retirement. He is only 24 years old. Earlier in the year, he stepped away from the club in an attempt to recover and return to play. However, on advice from the medical concussion panel, he has decided to retire. In making the announcement, he said, “I feel it is the right time and the right decision for me to hang up my footy boots. I love my football, but my priority is on my future and ensuring I live a full and healthy life. I’d like to thank the Club, coaches, teammates, staff, and the Magpie Army for all their support throughout my playing career and for allowing me the opportunity to live out my childhood dream of playing AFL. To my family and friends, I couldn’t have gone through this journey without your continued love and support which I am so grateful for. It is not lost on me how fortunate I am to have been able to experience premiership success ... I hope I did the jumper proud and thank the many people and supporters who helped me along the way. I will forever cherish the memories and friends I’ve made ...”.

The West Coast Eagles shocked an out-of-sorts Fremantle Dockers. They defeated the match favorites by applying pressure at the ball and using direct attacks into a well-organized forward line. The Dockers appeared jaded after two games on the road where they lost narrowly to Carlton and Port Adelaide. The Eagles built on last week's comprehensive victory over the wounded Richmond Tigers to record consecutive victories for the first time since 2021. The addition of number 1 draft pick Harley Reid, combined with an injury-free and resurgent Elliot Yeo, has provided the Eagles with the midfield strength they have lacked for three years. Their clean delivery into the forward line enabled Jack Darling to feature more prominently; however, it is the re-emergence of full-forward Jake Waterman that is the big story of their forward line. The Dockers were due to have a poor game after playing intense pressure football for the first five weeks of the season. However, nobody expected such a sudden drop in form.

Welcome to AFANA’s new column where we look around the league to check in on which players are dominating and who is struggling as the new season starts to take shape. With all teams heading to sunny South Australia for the AFL’s second iteration of “gather round”, these are the names you want to keep an eye on as they are currently the difference makers for your favorite teams.

HOT:

Shortly after Round Two concluded, Andrew Wilke (Australian Member of Parliament, Independent) dropped a bombshell statement regarding Australian rules players and clubs. The allegations, denied by the league, doctors, and the AFL Players Association (AFLPA), state that club doctors would test players midweek. If any player tested positive for an illicit substance, that player was instructed to fake an injury to be ruled out of the upcoming game to avoid match day testing and subsequent ramifications. The allegations also claim that the midweek tests were "off the books". The tests allegedly took place at a clinic away from the clubs with former AFL chief medical officer Peter Harcourt helping to facilitate the tests. Wilkie said the information was given to him by Melbourne Demons president Glen Bartlett, club doctor Zeeshan Arain, and Shaun Smith, the father of a player accused of drug trafficking. (Ed. note: we have been critical in our editorial view on this matter for many years, as far back as the Essendon scandal of a decade ago: AFL Drug Policy, Essendon, and Predictable Outcomes)

In late March, the Victorian State Coroner's office, after an inquest concerning the death of former player Shane Tuck, made recommendations for the health and safety of players, mainly with regard to concussion protocols The AFL replied in an official statement and will implement the recommendations as part of the ongoing process of the prevention and management of concussion and other head trauma in Australian Football. (Ed. note: left unsaid is that the AFL, like many professional sports leagues, would really rather not talk about the long-term health effects of the sport or the numerous results of post-mortem exams which show even players from recent decades with significant long term brain damage.)

The recommendations are:

The Fremantle Dockers defeated the desperate Adelaide Crows in a Good Friday game that was anything but good for the struggling Crows. The Crows, who were robbed of a place in the finals last year by a goal umpiring error that could not be corrected, are now winless from three starts. In contrast, the Dockers have made their best start in nine years. The game was a tense struggle for three-and-a-bit quarters before Fremantle broke free of the Adelaide pressure, to hammer home four final-quarter goals to the delight of the record non-derby crowd of fifty-one thousand raucous fans. (Ed. note: "Derby" games against the other local team, the West Coast Eagles, are usually close to a sell-out.)

In near perfect conditions the game started at a cracking pace. Adelaide was the first to score a goal (worth six points) after bringing the ball deep from defense, using a quick transition to the running Ben Keays. Both teams missed gettable shots on goal in the first quarter, which set the pattern for the rest of the night. Michael Walters benefitted from a quick transition from a kick in when Nat Fyfe and Hayden Young combined to move the ball to Walters who kicked truly. Two minutes later, Ned McHenry was tackled high in the right forward pocket. His free kick gave the Crows their second goal. A similar free kick to Matt Taberner at the other end gave the Dockers their second goal. The quarter was notable for the end-to-end transitions by both teams, as the defenders thrived in the pressure. The quarter finished with frenetic defense by the Crows as they successfully held out the Dockers in the last line.