AFL Life Members Announced
Just a quick one, the AFL have announced the newest members of the AFL Life Members group they are:
- Jason Akermanis (Western Bulldogs)
- Peter Bell (Fremantle)
- Peter Everitt (Sydney)
- Dustin Fletcher (Essendon)
- Shannon Grant (Kangaroos)
- Anthony Koutoufides (Carlton)
- Nigel Lappin (Brisbane Lions)
- Andrew McLeod (Adelaide)
- Adam Simpson (Kangaroos)
In addition to the aforementioned group of nine, Geelong chief executive Brian Cook, former Richmond captain and president Neville Crowe and Adelaide chairman Bill Sanders were also awarded life membership for their services to the sport.
50 Hours of Road Trauma Education for Steve Johnson
Well Geelong bad boy Steve Johnson has somehow escaped suspension by the Geelong Football Club. They have decided that Johnson, who was caught by police travelling 128km/h in a 50km/h zone, must undergo 50 hours of road trauma education.
Johnson can count his lucky stars that no one was injured and it was not more serious than it was, he said himself that “in a sense” he is still lucky to be at the club. MY WORD HE IS !, again I just wonder if this had been player number 30 on the Cats list what the penalty would have been? The leadership group at Geelong said they took into account his improvement in behaviour in 2007 (so he stays out of trouble for 12 months and he is in the good books again? Please!). There is no doubt that Johnson has issues and only it is only a matter of time before he is making headlines for some other off field incident.
There was a brilliant article by Trevor Grant on this incident in the Herald Sun, you can read it here if you are interested
Why Akermanis won’t coach an AFL Football Team
I wrote a post the other week about why I thought Nathan Buckley would most certainly coach an AFL Football team and how he just commands respect when ever he speaks etc. I just don’t think Jason Akermanis has that.
No Buckley or Voss
Yes Jason Akermanis will have had a decorated career winning 3 Premierships at Brisbane and a Brownlow Medal when he finishes playing, but I just don’t see the leadership and directional influence on the ground from him that a guy like Buckley or a Michael Voss for that matter display, not that that one factor makes a good coach but you are going to lead a group of men into battle week in week out and I think that is a quality that a coach should have.
On the other side he is a very self confident man and confident in his own abilities and would have no doubt learnt a lot from Lethal Leigh Matthews both positive and negative, and Rodney Eade, two very different but good coaches in their own right. But the question I have is could Akermanis be taken seriously?
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No Home? No Deal!
You don’t have a home for us?, then stuff ya !
They were the words of the North Melbourne Football Club’s chairman James Brayshaw, or as he known among the Kangaroo faithful “GOD” (not those exact words but that’s what he implied).
The North Melbourne Football Club is staying in Melbourne, while the AFL will push on with it’s interests in the Gold Coast it will not be with the Kangaroos. It’s good to see the passion is still alive in today’s football world, you just can’t beat “People Power” !
The North Melbourne fans turned out in droves to the Dallas Brooks Hall to hear their new “GOD” James Brayshaw outline his plans to resurrect the future of the embattled AFL Club. Hours earlier the Kangaroos board rejected the AFL’s rail roading tactics to try to lure them with a $100 million carrot, one I am sure was very tempting. But like most other football followers I am glad they refused, there is still enough room here in Victoria for the North Melbourne Football Club.
The AFL’s appalling tactics
The AFL’s decision to prey on a club that is in a vulnerable position like North Melbourne are just so Mr Demetriou 
and his board to can say they grew the game into uncharted territory is disgusting to say the least. I hope all North Melbourne fans and supporters of other clubs “Stick it up em”, to use one the late great Teddy Whitten’s cliché’s. Remember this is a club with 138 years of tradition here in Melbourne, and what a lot of people may not realise is that this is a club that battled for 30 years to get into the VFL, and then another 50 to win their first premiership !, but the AFL brushed this aside and could only see their own agenda.
What now for the Roos?
The Gold Coast is ready for AFL Football
SHOCKED !!!
They were the words of AFL boss Andrew Demetriou this morning when the AFL announced that they WILL NOT grant the Kangaroos a 12 month extension on their decision on whether they will rellocate to the Gold Coast or not.
What does this mean ?
Well the AFL is desperate to be the fastest growing sport in the country and they will take AFL Football to South Eastern Queensland, there is no question of that, it is just a question of whether the Kangaroos will be the ones to cash in ?
They now have 2 options either take the AFL’s lucrative offer or take a chance on James Brayshaws proposal, which is a huge gamble let me tell you.
Is this a gamble they should take ?
An emotional showdown at tonight’s members meeting is a certainty ! And I can understand the passion that some board members and general members are going to have, but is it really a gamble they should take ?.
This the biggest decision in the Kangaroos history. The AFL should have given the Kangaroos at least the 12 months they were asking !!
It is an Australian tradition to rise in the face of adversity and I am positive that will be shown at the meeting. I think the AFL and the Kangaroos will be overwhelmed by the passion that will be shown tonight.
Although I am still a bit sceptical of Brayshaw’s proposal I hope for the Kangaroo fans he can deliver what he says he can and they can continue to be a Melbourne based club in their own right.
“Big Red” returns, this time for the Magpies
Lance Whitnall returned to the park yesterday in Magpie colors, he stepped out for Northern Territory side Palmeston. From all reports he went OK, so he should I suppose. Kicked 3 goals and helped them to an easy win over NightCliff 18.19 (127) to 7.9 (51). I am sure he will attract a great deal of attention for local clubs here in Melbourne and probably attract some good coin as well.
Where will be play in 2008? Maybe he and his brother will go somewhere as a package deal. Maybe that should be on the list of things you won’t see in 2008.
Kangaroo Stars in trouble
Shannon Grant and Aaron Edwards were in strife with on Saturday after what seems like a weekend bender at a Lionel Richie concert at Scotchmans Hill winery. Police used capsicum spray on Grant, and Edwards “was just laying on the ground, they couldn’t get him off the ground he was that far gone” witnesses said. Especially for Edwards this could end up being a serious issue in regards to his playing career at the Kangaroos. It is not the first time he has been in trouble with the police, remember that while at West Coast he was caught on police phone taps talking to convicted drug trafficker Shane Waters. Very ironic that on Saturday there was an article on him in The Age where he states that he was only going to be focusing on his football.
The club doesn’t have a problem with Grant but says Edwards will face disciplinary action this week.
This couldn’t come at a worse time for the Roos, will this affect any sponsorship deals that the Brayshaw led stay in melbourne group fight to keep the Roos from going to the Gold Coast. We all know how sponsors hate to be associated with negative publicity like this? One would hope not.
Ablett’s career in doubt
Well, is it happening to Geelong again. Another Ablett this time God’s son Nathan has walked out on Geelong asking the leadership group for exemption from pre season training because of “extra pressure”. Is this just a coincidence that it comes at the same time that his father Gary Snr’s new book and all his past issue’s come out again. I am sure the players and officials will do all they can to support him.
Nathan has always found it hard to come to terms with the fame and fortunes of an AFL star, it must be difficult when your father is God and your brother is already becoming a superstar if he isn’t already one. He was very reluctant to join the Cats in the first place and one wonders if he has every really enjoyed everything that comes with playing AFL Football. In an interview that he did with the Herald Sun’s Mike Sheahan in mid-march proves my point,
“I don’t want to put footy first in my life. There’s more important things,”
I just don’t think it will be beneficial for the Ablett or the club if they try to persuade him to come back. If he really doesn’t want to be there then it may be more detrimental to the club and to him.
Ablett debuted in 2005 and only played 11 games in 2 years until this year where he kicked 34 goals in 21 games ad was Geelong’s second highest goal scorer. It is a shame to see a player with this much talent in this position.
Kangaroos 100-1 to stay in Melbourne
Shinboner of the Century, Glenn Archer has admitted that the Kangaroos are realistically looking at permanent relocation to the Gold Coast. Archer who is a key figure in the James Brayshaw’s led “Stay in Melbourne Group” is realistic but I hope they don’t give up their battle, it would be a great shame to see a club with 138 years of history in Melbourne gone.
The Roos met the AFL on October 31 and were given 30 days to decide whether the club wanted to be based in Southeast Queensland by 2010. Brayshaw, Archer and the rest of the Stay in Melbourne team will not leave any stone unturned in their battle to keep the club in Melbourne and rightly so.
Archer has said that he can understand the AFL’s position but he is not prepared to let his club’s history and tradition in Melbourne be surrendered. When Archer speaks people tend to listen. I love these two quotes from him
“I totally understand their position, but it’s North Melbourne and I would love to see it stay here.” and
“(The AFL) know what my feelings are”
It’s like him saying to the AFL, I understand where you are coming from but Stuff You this is my club and we are staying here!.
I just reckon the pull and profile that James Brayshaw no has in the media and business circles they might just survive which for all Kangaroo fans and football fans in general would be great to see.
AFL set to suspend it’s stars
The AFL have said they are going to ban players from playing the following week after the Victoria vs Dream Team game if they are selected and refuse to play in the game.
The game is to be the showcase of the AFL’s 150 years of Australian Rules Football celebrations and reiterates the fact that the AFL want, and need this to be a success or else they leave themselves open to never ending critisism. The understanding is that if a player is selected and then becomes ineligible he will not be able to play for his club the next week. There has to be some sort of middle ground for the situation where a player has a legitimate injury.
Considering the backbone of the side will be made up from the All-Australian team of 2007, Geelong is set to have about 7-8 players from their side playing in the game, look out if a couple of them go down with an injury and can’t play Richmond the following week. But with Mark Thompson as coach it will be interesting to see how he handles his Geelong players during the game.
