AFL Record, Round 5, 2011 by The Slattery Media Group

INSIDE

» ANSWERING THE ANZAC DAY CALL P57

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round 5, april 21-26, 2011

Matthew Scarlett reaches 250 games.

features 57 SACRED DAY

Three former players recall their experiences of playing on Anzac Day, well before Essendon and Collingwood started their traditional Anzac Day rivalry in 1995. BRUCE EVA reports.

regulars 4 7 25 40 70 74 76

Backchat The Bounce Matchday Team line-ups Answer Man Kids’ Corner NAB AFL Rising Star

Port Adelaide’s Jasper Pittard.

78 Talking Point

Ted Hopkins reveals how Essendon can break down the might of the Magpies.

BRIGHT BRIG GHT F FUTURE

Tom Roc Rockcliﬀ ckcliﬀ, Jack Redden Daniel Rich are leading and Dan niel Ric the Lions’ Lion ns’ revival. reviv

THIS WEEK’S COVERS The national cover features three young Lions making an impact. There is also a cover for the EssendonCollingwood Anzac Day clash. NATIONAL COVER PHOTO: BRADLEY KANARIS ANZAC COVER PHOTO: SEAN GARNSWORTHY

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Your say on the world of football EDITOR’S LETTER

Rebuilding with youth

» If they’re not seriously Worsfold still the man

PROMISING ROMISING SIGNS:

Most had West Coast pencilled in for this year’s wooden spoon and John Worsfold the odds-on favourite to be the ﬁrst coach sacked. But the Eagles have shown their kids are a lot better than many thought. Worsfold has never lost faith in them and hopefully the Eagles show the same faith in him.

ack Darling is one Jack off the young breed ading West Coast leading ut of the wilderness. out

BRYCE McGOVERN, EAST FREMANTLE, WA.

Cats written oﬀ too soon

Too old, no Ablett, no Thompson, they said. The Cats were no chance in 2011. Well, what do you say now, Geelong doubters? After four rounds, we’re undefeated. And we haven’t just done it on the back of the ‘usual suspects’ either. Kids like Daniel Menzel, Mitch Duncan and Taylor Hunt have shown we’ll be a force for a while yet. GERARD WHITTEN, DAYLESFORD, VIC.

From Blue to local star

I read the story in round three (Answer Man), under the heading ‘Genuine Senior Footballers’. It states Carlton’s oldest living player is Max Wilson and, as a small boy, I saw him make his debut in July, 1943, in a winning side against Collingwood. Ten years later, I won Macleod’s best ﬁrst-year player award as a half-forward

GENERAL MANAGER, COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS Darren Birch AFL CORPORATE BUSINESS MANAGER Richard Simkiss AFL RECORD MANAGING EDITOR Geoﬀ Slattery

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PRODUCTION EDITOR Michael Lovett WRITERS Nick Bowen, Ben Collins, Paul Daﬀey, George Farrugia, Katrina Gill, Luke Holmesby, Ted Hopkins, Peter Ryan, Callum Twomey, Andrew Wallace SUB-EDITORS Gary Hancock, Howard Kotton, Michael Stevens STATISTICIAN Cameron Sinclair

AFL RECORD EDITOR Peter Di Sisto

ﬂanker. My good fortune was to have Max Wilson as our centre half-back and, at the age of 39, his accurate left foot ensured the ball kept hitting me on the chest. Max was tough, had a great pair of hands and great timing in his kick.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Andrew Hutchison

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The best letter each round nd will receive the 2011 AFL Record Season Guide. Email aﬂrecordeditor@ slatterymedia.com or write to AFL Record, Slattery Media Group, 140 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, VIC, 3008.

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challenging to win a premiership, one of the things clubs might do is tell their fans and the broader football public they are strategically building towards a timed-to-the-minute assault on a flag. The Brisbane Lions, after only seven wins last season, are clearly in a transitional/ rebuilding phase, but they’re doing it relatively quietly and without fuss, as Nick Bowen writes about in this week’s edition. The Lions dominated the 2000s, winning three straight premierships and appearing in four consecutive Grand Finals. But, since that last Grand Final (in 2004), they’ve won only 42 per cent of their matches and played in just one finals series (2009, in coach Michael Voss’s first season). The Lions have lost a host of talent in recent years and, although they still have a core of experienced stars, they know they need to re-shape the squad. They are putting their faith in an impressive bunch of youngsters Voss hopes will help catapult them back up the ladder. The rider: Give us time, he says. The Lions are yet to win a game this season, but they have shown signs of improvement. Watching them reinvent themselves is likely to be intriguing. PETER DI SISTO

PRINTED BY PMP Print ADDRESS CORRESPONDENCE TO The Editor, AFL Record, Ground Floor, 140 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, Victoria, 3008. T: (03) 9627 2600 F: (03) 9627 2650 E: peterd@slatterymedia.com AFL RECORD, VOL. 100, ROUND 5, 2011 Copyright. ACN No. 004 155 211. ISSN 1444-2973, Print Post approved PP320258/00109

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MATTHEW SCARLETT

Peter Ryan pays tribute to Geelong’s 250-game star.

MODEL CLUB

East Fremantle is a breeding ground for AFL players.

HEATH HOCKING

Bomber hard nut emerges from the pack.

er,, so He’s a super player, there’s not a lot I have to do with Aaron (Sandilands) andilands)

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THE

A hero on the battleﬁeld and the football ﬁeld

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE: Cliﬀ

Rankin gave up a promising career to serve his country but returned to lead Geelong to its ﬁrst premiership in 1925.

MICH A EL LOV ET T

liff Rankin was 18 when he made his debut for Geelong in 1915, appearing in the last four games of the season. Less than a year later, he was ﬁghting for his country on the Western Front. To put that in perspective, it’s the equivalent of impressive Essendon youngster Dyson Heppell, who is also 18 and has played four games for the Bombers, heading off to serve Australia in the Middle East. In 1915, however, there weren’t too many choices for young men, no matter how talented they were on the football ﬁeld. World War I had started the previous year and, despite showing promise in his four games at the end of the 1915 season, Rankin was determined to enlist. The following April, he set sail for England and served in Europe for the next four years. That Rankin could forgo four years of a blossoming football career was not all that unusual then but, in today’s context, it is remarkable. In We Are Geelong, The Story of the Geelong Football Club (published by the Slattery Media

Group in 2009), Jim Main wrote of Rankin: “He had a varied and unusual military career as he served in AIF (Australian Imperial Force) sports committees, was trained to handle carrier pigeons used for messages, and also spent three days in conﬁnement for refusing to obey an order.” A plumber before enlisting, Rankin also played rugby while serving in Europe. When he returned to Australia, sailing on the Oronsay in March 1919, he lifted the spirits of a town and a football team ravaged by the effects of the Great War (Geelong was one of ﬁve clubs that chose not to compete in

the VFL in 1916 because of the impact World War I was having on the country). In Rankin’s case, it didn’t matter as he had already set sail to Europe. He served his country with distinction but few would have imagined then Rankin would become one of Geelong’s ﬁrst genuine superstars and a hero to thousands of success-starved fans. Rankin’s return journey from Europe in 1919 took the best part of ﬁve months, but it did not stop him pulling on a Geelong jumper virtually the moment he set foot on home soil. He joined elder brother Bert in the team that took on Carlton at

Corio Oval in round 13, kicking three goals in a losing team. In all, Rankin played the final six games of the 1919 season and the flyweight forward – he stood 175cm and weighed just 69kg – kicked 12 goals. By the following season, Rankin was much fitter for the rigours of League football and set about guiding Geelong through its first successful era in the VFL. The nippy left-footer booted 48 goals in 1920, 63 in 1921 to be the VFL’s leading goalkicker of the season, 42 in 1922 and 43 in 1923 – the year he sensationally withdrew from the semi-final side against Fitzroy after his brother Bert was dropped. Geelong lost by 35 points. But all was forgiven and, in 1924, Rankin kicked 31 goals, giving him 227 goals at an average of three a game in his five completed seasons since returning from active service. But his crowning moment came in 1925 when he was appointed playing coach, replacing teammate and fellow forward Lloyd Hagger, who held the job in 1924 but wanted to concentrate on playing. After a shaky start – Geelong lost the opening match of the 1925 season to newcomer North Melbourne – Rankin guided the Cats* to a 12-game winning streak, finishing the home and away season on top of the ladder with a 15-2 win-loss record. The Cats were in rare territory. They were founding members of the VFL in 1897 but, apart from two AFL RECORD

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Melbourne launches Trident Girls Football Academy to support females wanting to progress at all levels of the game.

wins in the round-robin system that season, they had lost their only six finals appearances (1901, 1903, 1912, 1914, 1921 and 1923). They put aside one of the biggest controversies of the 1925 season when regular senior players Arthur Coghlan and Stan Thomas were suspended for 26 games each after a fiery return clash with North Melbourne at Arden St. The loss of Coghlan and Thomas, who never played again, seemed to galvanise the Cats. Star centreman Edward ‘Carji’ Greeves, winner of the inaugural Brownlow Medal in 1924, former Essendon premiership player Tom Fitzmaurice, defenders George ‘Jocka’ Todd and Dave Ferguson and ruckman Eric Fleming helped Geelong to top place, together with Rankin and Hagger, who were among the best forwards of the day. Rankin had also kicked 10 goals for Victoria against Western Australia at the MCG that season. Geelong advanced to its first VFL Grand Final, despite losing to Melbourne in the semi-final, courtesy of its top-place finish at the end of the home and away season. In the Grand Final, the Cats met Collingwood – shaping up for its 13th Grand Final and sixth premiership – and with thousands trekking to the MCG by train and car from Geelong, Rankin stood tall when it counted. He kicked the first two goals of the game to set Geelong in motion, finished with five of his side’s 10 goals for the game and led the Cats to a 10-point victory and their first VFL flag, despite the best efforts of the fast-finishing Magpies. After the game, Rankin was carried shoulder-high to the dressing rooms where the celebrations started in earnest. Dave Hickinbotham, captain of Geelong’s last premiership team in the VFA in 1886, told the masses: “For 39 years, you (Rankin) have let me stand up alone – now I have got a cobber.” Rankin’s father Ted, a former Geelong player, declared: “I am the happiest man in Melbourne. I never thought I would live to see the day.” 8

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Later, it was mayhem at Geelong railway station when the players returned by train. About 4000 fans flocked to the station to greet the team; some players were taken by car to the Geelong Town Hall for the celebrations, but Rankin was carried there on the shoulders of supporters. The mayor, Cr Ritchie, stood on the Town Hall steps and grabbed a whistle from a band member to quieten the delirious mob. But he had to wait until the crowd gave three cheers for Rankin, the undisputed premiership hero. Several speakers, including club president Dr J.E. Piper, addressed the masses, then it was Rankin’s turn to say a few words. Again, he was carried shoulder-high by the crowd to the steps and, after some urging, finally spoke. “I don’t think I can speak. I’ve got a terrible crook throat,” he said. “Today, I captained the finest lot of players one could wish to meet on the football field. I ask you, in fairness to them, are you going to give them three cheers? It may never come again, and you have been looking forward to it. “Make the most of it. On behalf of the members of the football team, I wish to thank you very sincerely. I may be captain, but a player is as good as the captain in his own position. I thank you very much.” Rankin continued as playing coach until the end of 1927 and played 153 games and kicked 400 goals before retiring after the 1928 season. His place as a true champion of Geelong – and the game – is assured. THE STORY OF GEELONG’S 1925 PREMIERSHIP WILL BE PART OF A BOOK GRAND FINALS VOLUME 1 TO BE PUBLISHED BY THE SLATTERY MEDIA GROUP LATER THIS YEAR. THE FIRST OF A THREE-VOLUME SERIES WILL DETAIL EVERY GRAND FINAL FROM 1897-1938. *FOR MANY YEARS, GEELONG WAS KNOWN AS THE PIVOTONIANS AS THE CITY HAD BEEN CONSIDERED THE ‘PIVOT’ OF RURAL VICTORIA. IN 1923, HERALD CARTOONIST SAM WELLS DREW GEELONG CAPTAIN BERT RANKIN RUNNING INTO GOAL CARRYING A BLACK CAT. AFTER LOSING FIVE OF ITS FIRST SEVEN GAMES IN 1923, GEELONG FINALLY DEFEATED CARLTON AT PRINCES PARK, PROMPTING RANKIN TO SUGGEST THE CLUB ADOPT THE BLACK CAT MASCOT. “I BELIEVE IT WAS THE BLACK CAT THAT DID THE TRICK,” RANKIN SAID. AND SO THE CATS WERE BORN.

250 GAMES OF PURE GENIUS

‘Scarlo’ is all class but with a mean streak PETER RYA N

atthew Scarlett gives the impression he might be an annoying type, but that’s only part of his charm. Short kicks to advantage. Chest marks when necessary. Toe-pokes that win premierships. Keeping his private life private. Giving stick to sacred cows such as Robert Harvey. Dressing up as Kevin Bartlett or Dermott Brereton on ‘Mad Mondays’. Confounding reporters by speaking only when the team loses (or wins the ﬂag) … and always cutting off goals. In the theatre of football, he plays the antagonist role. No wonder Cats fans (and footy fans) love him. The truth is, it’s nearly impossible to see how good Scarlett is on television. Last Saturday night, commentator Luke Darcy articulated why Scarlett is one of the game’s greats. Darcy said Scarlett forces

the opposition to kick to spaces it would prefer to avoid. That makes him his coach’s dream – and the opposition coach’s nightmare. Teams can plan to counter him and he can still outsmart them. Up close, you can see him spread or push up or drop back or close space or direct a teammate to cover space or the dangerous player or improve his starting position.

BOLTON STREAKS AHEAD AS LONG RUN ENDS » In round four, the two longest

active streaks of consecutive games came to an end. Just a week after overtaking Richmond legend Kevin Bartlett (173 consecutive games) and establishing the ninth-best streak in League history, Port Adelaide midﬁelder Kane Cornes’ run of 174 straight games was halted. In a heart-breaking twist, it wasn’t injury, illness or even suspension that ended Cornes’ streak. The premiership player and dual All-Australian was left out of the Power team to play Adelaide, proving coach Matthew Primus isn’t afraid to make the tough decisions and also that there’s no room for sentiment in today’s game.

Collingwood ruckman Darren Jolly had an opportunity to take over from Cornes as the player with the longest active streak. However, Jolly’s run of 142 straight games, which started back with the Sydney Swans in round eight of 2005, also ended last weekend, because of a knee injury. The longest active streak is now held by Jolly’s former teammate, Swans veteran Jude Bolton (135). Remarkably, Bolton’s total ranks only fourth overall at the Swans. Dual Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes played 204 games in succession before accepting a one-match ban for rough conduct against Melbourne

Fremantle midﬁelder Nick Suban aims to be back mid-season after surgery earlier this week on his broken right leg.

QUIET ACHIEVER:

Matthew Scarlett has a special place in the hearts of Geelong fans.

This week, he is due to play his 250th game. During it he might play on Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin. That would be a title ﬁght worthy of the highest billing. Scarlett doesn’t like losing much. That’s obvious from outside the fence. However, the fact he makes himself available to speak to the media after a loss suggests a dark sense of humour lurking underneath.

defender Clint Bartram m 08. in round 13, 2008. Goodes has since nother embarked on another streak (52), sed not having missed he a game since the al elimination ﬁnal of that year. ns Former Swans skipper Brett Kirk 00 retired after 200 mes, wh ile consecutive games, while defender Jared Crouch ght made 194 straight appearances before efore missing a handful ful of games with a shoulder injury. y. Melbourne legend egend Ji Jim m he all-tim me Stynes holds the all-time

When he talks, he delivers the message straight. In defeat, there is no need for spin or forced humility. When he speaks after a premiership – the other time we hear from him – it is clear how much he loves those he plays alongside. After the Cats’ 2007 Grand Final win, we received a glimpse of the competitive streak within. “We just really wanted to bury them. We spoke about not going to take the foot off the pedal. Anytime we started thinking we were going to win, we just cut it out with the talk out there. We just wanted to play to the final siren and I think it showed how ruthless we are,” he said. Scarlett was perched in the corner, surrounded by reporters, delivering his words with conviction and class, just like he delivers the footy. Many Scarlett moments stand out, but the one I remember best happened at Skilled Stadium in round seven of 2007. This was before the Cats were the greatest team of all, sitting sixth with three wins and three losses, and taking on the undefeated defending premiers, the Eagles. The previous season, the visitors had overcome a 36-point three-quarter time deficit to win and deflate the Cats. This time, the Eagles had dragged a 39-point three-quarter time deficit back to 21 points

record of consecutive co ons games (244) from frrom 1987-98. An noth Another Me lbo Melbourne player, Ad dem Yze was on Adem tr rac to break track Sty S Stynes’ mark unt u until he was dro d dropped after 22 26 games g 226 on end. Yz e’s achievement Yze’s was eeno enough for secon nd p second place on the all-timee le leader board. Several of the t longest streaks, incl including lud Bartlett and Jack Titus Tiitus (202), date back moree than th 40 years or, in the case cas of Jock McHalee (19 (191), almost a cent tury century.

with time to spare. Shivers were racing up and down Cats fans’ spines. Enter Scarlett with an attacking ‘time to believe’ run down the Reg Hickey side of the ground into space to set up a Cameron Mooney goal, a steadier. From that moment, the Cats looked like premiers. Scarlett had read the game, as he always does, and kept attacking when doubts were descending on others, as they promised to do. He stamped himself on the moment; it was an encore to his goal-saving tackle on the three-quarter time siren. It was his 168th game. After it, coach Mark Thompson said of his full-back: “(That was) as mean as I have ever seen him play.” In his ﬁrst 100 games, the team lost 50. In the next 100, it has lost only 31. In his past 49, he has been on the losing side only eight times. He has been there in good times and in hard. Since that 2007 run down the outer wing, there have been two ﬂags and the despair of a Grand Final loss … and 81 more games showing that brilliant meanness we have come to love.

MILESTONES ROUND 14

250 GAMES Matthew Scarlett Geelong

AFL 200 CLUB Michael Gardiner St Kilda James Kelly Geelong

150 games

Matt Stevic Field umpire

100 1 GAMES Mark Blake Geelong Shannon Byrnes Sh S Geelong Mark Jamar Melbourne Hamish McIntosh Ha H North Melbourne No N Sean Dempster Se S St Kilda

SCARLETT, A FATHER-SON SELECTION IN 1997, GAVE THE CATS’ LONG-TERM RECRUITING PLANS A BIG BOOST THIS WEEK WHEN HE AND WIFE MILLA BECAME THE PARENTS OF TWIN BOYS, HARRY AND OLIVER.

50 5 GAMES

Stephen Hill Fremantle Daniel Rich Brisbane Heath Hocking Essendon Brent Renouf Hawthorn

Port Adelaide defender Troy Chaplin, who has played all but one of his 105 AFL games alongside Cornes, said the increased physical and mental demands of the modern game meant Stynes’ record was unlikely to be broken. “Those long streaks are a thing of the past,” Chaplin said. “It’s hard enough to play a full season let alone 100-200 straight games and the rule changes are going to make it even harder. “I don’t know how Stynes played 244 games without missing one. When you put it in perspective, that’s 11 seasons, and some guys struggle to play 11 seasons in their career.”

50 CLUB GAMES MES Rhyce Shaw w Sydney Swans ns Josh Kennedy dy West Coastt Brad Symess de Port Adelaide

50 GAMES COACHED AC CHED Michael Voss Brisbane Lions

KATRINA GILL The list includes those not necessarily selected but on the verge of milestones.

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Port Adelaide raises more than $1 million as part of its Back in Black debt reduction program.

MEMORIES OF 2000

Dream Anzac Day match-up between Magpies and Bombers

2011: HOW THEY COMPARE

NEW ROLE: James Hird (here battling Magpie Nick Maxwell) was a star for the Bombers on Anzac Day but this year he will be in the coach’s box.

Collingwood Essendon

BEN COL LINS

his week’s Anzac Day clash between Essendon and Collingwood could well be a preview of a ﬁnal. Collingwood is the undefeated reigning premier, while Essendon is exhilaratingly resurgent under favourite son James Hird – a man who made Anzac Day his own as a player – and the parochial fans of these two powerful clubs are certain to pack the MCG in perhaps the biggest Anzac Day blockbuster for more than a decade. In terms of ladder positions – with the 4-0 Pies on top and the improving Bombers sixth – it’s the second-biggest Anzac Day clash between the two clubs. To ﬁnd a season where both teams were higher-placed on the ladder, and collectively in better form, you have to go back to 2000 – when the premiershipbound Bombers were 6-1 and on top, and Collingwood, under new coach Mick Malthouse, was 5-1 and third.

That match, 11 years ago, was enthralling, with the younger Pies leading until midway through the third quarter before the Essendon machine relentlessly ground them down. Many are predicting a similar result this time, except in reverse, with the underdog Bombers expected to provide some cheek before the Pies overwhelm them (a result that would give outgoing Pies coach Mick Malthouse a 6-6 record in these games). But such has been the Bombers’ form this year that few followers would be totally surprised if they caused an upset to square overall the head-to-head clashes at eight apiece (and a famous draw in the inaugural match in 1995). Indeed, it is a dream Anzac Day match-up. The Pies could not have done any more to this point of the season in dispatching several mediocre teams, while the injury-hit

Bombers have been impressive against four top-eight teams from last season. The Pies have won four of the past ﬁve Anzac Day games by an average of seven goals. Although the Bombers’ improved hardness and greater defensive emphasis should ensure a tighter contest, the Pies are in an ominously invincible mood, and they are entitled to be, given they have lost just one game since last May. A key to the Bombers, as always, will be veteran defender Dustin Fletcher, who has played 14 of the 16 Anzac Day games – more than anyone. What little the game’s oldest player has lost in the way of pace and mobility, he makes up for in experience and smarts, as he showed against Carlton in last week’s draw. Another close one – perhaps a fourth draw in ﬁve rounds – would be something to behold.

Ladder position

1st

6th

Win-loss record

4-0

2-1-1

Quarters won

Ave. winning margin

Against ﬁnalists from 2010

1-0

2-1-1

Ave. points for

140

105

Ave. points against

Highest score

161

136

Lowest score

102

Highest against

Lowest against

Inside 50s per game

Players with 10plus goals

Kicks per game

243

212

Handballs per game

154

137

Contested marks per game

Tackles per game

Players used

Football in France » Fighting on the front line during World War I was one of the toughest assignments to face any military unit. But it did not stop a group of Australian men playing regular games of football, often just a few kilometres from their enemy. This photograph, taken in France in 1916, was recently uncovered among a collection of memorabilia belonging to former long-serving Geelong president Jack Jennings. 10

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AFL history and statistics consultant Col Hutchinson would like to hear from anyone who might know more about the team and the circumstances of the games they played. Former Geelong player Neil Freeman (45 games from 191114) is believed to be in the team (front row, second from left) but the remainder are unknown. MICHAEL LOVETT CONTACT COL HUTCHINSON ON (03) 9643 1929 OR COL.HUTCHINSON@AFL.COM.AU IF YOU CAN ASSIST.

IT’S HOW WE CONNECT

West Coast defender Mitch Brown to miss up to 10 weeks with a thumb injury.

MODEL FOR SUCCESS

Sharks a breeding ground of stars LUK E HOLMESBY

ave a look at the ﬁrst-round picks in recent drafts and there is a fair chance you will see an East Fremantle product. The WAFL club has earned a reputation as one of the AFL’s most productive breeding grounds, with 20 former East Fremantle players on AFL lists this year. They are not just list-ﬁllers either, as some of the brightest young stars in the game grew up wearing a Sharks guernsey. Last year’s No. 1 draft pick David Swallow came through the East Fremantle system, following in the footsteps of older brother Andrew (North Melbourne). When David Swallow’s name was read out, he joined All-Australians Mitch Clark and Simon Black (Brisbane Lions), Daniel Kerr (West Coast), Harry Taylor (Geelong) and Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle) as East Fremantle alumni in AFL ranks. Throw in Patrick Ryder (Essendon), Rhys Palmer Ke (Fremantle) and Josh Kennedy

(West Coast) and you’ve got a handy group of graduates. It’s no fluke that East Fremantle has such a high rate of success with its draft picks, according to its football operations manager Damien Gaspar. “All our junior clubs are often utilising our facilities and our coaches’ smarts. The juniors are in contact with the senior club,” Gaspar said. “The relationship is such that it is not unusual for the under-13s coach to be contacting our senior coach to ask for tips, direction or oach s box to see getting in the coach’s erate.” how things operate.” Jamie Crippss (St Kilda) was n the first also selected in ea ar’s draft round of last year’s ng g through after progressing e’ss system. East Fremantle’s harrks were Three other Sharks htt and picked that night n the the NAB another four in afft a AFL Rookie Draft month later. y The previouss year pa ard saw Brad Sheppard and Kane Lucass selected in the opening round,, by West Coast and Carlton respectively. But East o Fremantle’s two ve draft most impressive 00 07 and 2005. classes were 2007 harks featured In 2007, the Sh Sharks st seven picks twice in the first astten (West when Chris Masten m stayed in mer Coast) and Palmer te.. Geelong their home state.

used its first pick on the matureaged Taylor just minutes later. Two years earlier, few could split tall trio – Kennedy, Ryder and Clark – snaffled up in the first nine picks by Carlton, Essendon and the Brisbane Lions. Gaspar, who played 29 games for Melbourne before finishing his career at the Sharks, said he had fond memories of the class of 2005. “That was my last year as a player and it was incredible to see all those kids come through. It s unusual to se It’s see three quality tall players comi coming through ma together and making the , he said. transition,” The Sharkss have consistently p provided talent to the th he national com m competition, as p proven by a ph h phenomenal rate o Brownlow of medallists who have come from t club. the Sha a Woewodin Shane h Melbourne (with 20 00 Black in 2000), (Brisb b (Brisbane Lions 200 0 and Ben in 2002) Cousin n (West Coast in Cousins w Brownlows 2005) won spa a of six years in the space gradu u after graduating from the Frema a East Fremantle system.

Close calls a quirk » We’ve read and heard a

TIED UP:

Mitch Robinson ponders last week’s draw.

AFL RECORD

bit about this season being one of the tightest in recent memory, with last week’s draw between Carlton and Essendon – the third draw of the season – being oﬀered as yet more evidence. Many have tried to put that ‘evenness’ down to the new substitute rule leading to closer contests. The reality, however – at least from the point of view of ﬁnal results – is that there have been more ‘blowouts’

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(10) than close games (eight) this year. The 10 blowouts represent the most in the ﬁrst four rounds of a season since 1996, when there were 12. The three draws (last weekend, MelbourneSydney Swans in round one and St Kilda-Richmond in round two), according to statistical analyst Ted Hopkins, should only be considered a statistical quirk. CALLUM TWOMEY

The West Australian powerhouse has won 29 premierships in its 114-year history, but is in the middle of a drought of sorts. Its last WAFL flag was in 1998. But Gaspar said the club took just as much pride from developing future stars as it did from its history of premiership success. “There aren’t many AFL games that don’t feature a former East Fremantle player,” he said. “We’re really proud of the ability to produce quality kids who can step straight into the AFL system.” EAST FREMANTLE GRADUATES AT AFL CLUBS Brisbane Lions: Simon Black, Mitch Clark Carlton: Kane Lucas Collingwood: Brad Dick, Alex Fasolo, Jack Perham* Essendon: Cale Hooker, Patrick Ryder, Kyle Hardingham Fremantle: Luke McPharlin, Jonathon Griffin, Garrick Ibbotson, Aaron Sandilands, Rhys Palmer. Geelong: Harry Taylor Gold Coast: David Swallow Greater Western Sydney: Rhys Cooyou* Hawthorn: Sam Menegola* North Melbourne: Liam Anthony, Andrew Swallow Port Adelaide: Domenic Cassisi St Kilda: Jamie Cripps, Brett Peake West Coast: Jacob Brennan, Daniel Kerr, Bradd Dalziell, Chris Masten, Josh Kennedy, Brad Sheppard Western Bulldogs: Jayden Schofield, Jason Johannissen* *ROOKIES

YOUNG SHARK: Gold Y Coastt star David Swallow cam through the East came Fremantle system.

THRILLERS v BLOWOUTS: ROUNDS 1-4, 2000-11 Games decided by 10 points or less (including draws) in opening four rounds

Games decided by 50 points or more in opening four rounds

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

6.6

6.8

AVERAGE

GRA23160

Sydney Swans Academy coach Paul Roos predicts the number of NSW/ACT players on AFL lists will increase as a result of the new club-based academies.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

GOOD CAUSE:

Richard Osborne is raising funds to help Vietnamese children learn to swim.

Osborne’s Vietnamese odyssey to help save lives C A L LU M T WOMEY

hrough his work in the furniture industry, Richard Osborne, the former half-forward ﬂanker who played 283 games with Fitzroy, the Sydney Swans, Footscray and Collingwood over 17 years, has visited Vietnam nine times. His 10th trip, however, might be his most memorable. This weekend, 13 years since he ﬁnished his career with the Magpies in 1998, Osborne will be in Saigon to represent the Vietnam Swans in their Anzac friendship match against the Hong Kong Dragons. About a year ago, Osborne was approached to be a guest of the game and help promote it.

As he became more aware of the dual causes behind the match – to honour lost lives and save young ones – Osborne wanted to become more involved. More than 10,500 Vietnamese children drown each year, and money raised from the friendship match will be used to help teach Vietnamese children how to swim. “Initially, it was to go over there and help promote the cause, but then when I found out how many children drown,

I thought I had to get more involved,” Osborne said. “It’s a wonderful thing they do to help remember the people lost in the war on all sides, and also raising money for the orphanages.” On Saturday morning, players and ofﬁcials will visit local Vung Tau orphanages with the game played that afternoon. On Sunday, the group will travel on battleﬁeld tours and, on Monday, it will take part in a dawn Anzac service at Long Tan Cross, one of only two memorials to foreign

adversaries that have been permitted by the Vietnamese Government. Osborne, 46, expects it to be the pinnacle of the trip. “The dawn service at the Long Tan Cross is going to be absolutely amazing. That is going to send shivers down my spine,” said Osborne, who played in both Anzac Day matches against Essendon in his two-year stint at the Magpies. Football in the Asian region is strong. This match will be one of three friendship games played over the Anzac weekend, with the Thailand Tigers and Borneo Bears also hosting games. As well as hoping to raise enough money for swimming lessons, plus transport services to help Vietnamese children reach the lessons, Osborne would also like to get a kick. “I’ve been playing basketball a couple of nights a week and I’ve been doing that for 13 years, so that keeps me in a bit of condition but, obviously, a footy oval and a basketball court are two completely different things,” he said. “I might have to bribe the umpire to give me a free kick near goal if I’m struggling.”

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Brisbane Lions place Brent Staker on long-term injury list.

WORKING TO THE TOP:

After a life of enjoying football and travelling, David Honybun is now an assistant tax commissioner.

From crunching packs to crunching numbers, Honybun has done it his way PAU L DA FFEY

avid Honybun was 21 when he joined Carlton as a ruckman in 1984 and was given the number of the club’s premier big man of the previous decade, the No. 3 worn by Mike Fitzpatrick. In hindsight, he wonders whether the honour was a good thing. “I think I wanted to be my own man,” he says. At his second League club, North Melbourne, he struck an individual note straight away. He joined the Roos before the 1986 season because of a lack of opportunity at Carlton. His ﬁrst night of training with his new club was at Trinity Grammar. The Roos’ coach was John Kennedy, who had made his name as a disciplinarian at Hawthorn a generation earlier. After the players had spent more than two hours running in the heat, Kennedy ordered a race of two laps around the school grounds, a distance of several kilometres. Honybun by this stage was staggered the players had not been allowed a drop of water during such a long session; it was the opposite of Carlton’s approach, where players hydrated regularly. The ruckman’s solution during the run was to take off his singlet and shoes and dive into the school lake.

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“It was an act of protest,” he and the recent family holiday says. “But, quite practically, it at what he describes as a was also to get a drink.” middle-class hippie camping North honchos Kennedy, site in East Gippsland. Honybun John Dugdale and Greg Miller is renowned as great company. looked on in stunned silence He’s different. as their recruit emerged from During winter, he wards the water. Honybun’s young off the cold by wearing a long teammates were agog. He lasted coat and a 1950s-style fedora a few reserves matches before he hat to work. His emergence was sacked. For the rest of that from Parliament train station footy season, he played golf. on to Spring Street never fails to Honybun turn heads. tells of his Despite his life in footy individuality, and work in Honybun a coffee shop is expert at off the top of uniting people, Lonsdale Street especially in in Melbourne’s his workplace. CBD. The Now 48, he DAVID HONYBUN interview started at the detours early to Australian a viewing of his Taxation Ofﬁce 14 years ago knuckle, mangled during with a team of one – himself. a match in a mining town He now has a team of 65. If he in north Queensland when were a footy coach, he would he was 19. It looks like a be regarded as a remarkable coral-coloured growth nurturer of talent. on his third ﬁnger. Instead, he’s an assistant Our interview also detours tax commissioner in what is through travels with his wife described as “the large business and two daughters in the and international” area of north of Western Australia the ATO, with a specialty in

I think I had a good reputation as a clubman

economics and tax issues relating to international businesses. There are two sides to his role. He’s an analyst of figures and a manager of people. They are skills honed during his childhood on a farm near Coleambally, about 400km from Melbourne in the Riverina district, and during his rather varied life as a footballer. As a mid-teenager on the farm, Honybun pored over the figures that told of fluctuations in crop and livestock prices and margins. “I loved studying the business of the farm,” he says. “I was a real numbers head. Dad rarely accepted my enthusiastic advice, but it was a good grounding.” His father, as well as being a farmer, was a director of an agricultural consulting firm in Albury. He stressed to his son the importance of education. It was advice born of the uncertainty of life on the land. “Farming breeds a certain conservatism,” Honybun says. Honybun completed secondary school at Scotch College in Melbourne before enrolling in agricultural science at Melbourne University. At 19, he deferred the second year of his course to work for a short time on the farm at home before taking off for northern Queensland. He and a mate from the University Blacks club drove a Kombi van to Mackay, where they worked on a sugar cane farm. On weekends, the pair played for Mackay City. By 25, Honybun had played at six clubs in four states, including Carlton and Richmond. His last stop before finally settling into an AFL career in 1988 was East Devonport in Tasmania. At East Devonport, he and a tearaway teenager called Graham Wright (who later was a star Collingwood wingman) almost dragged their club to a premiership. Kevin Sheedy, renowned for studying tapes, saw footage of that finals series. As Essendon was choc-full of big blokes, he recommended Honybun to his mate, Kevin Bartlett, the incoming Richmond coach. ‘KB’ stuck his head over the fence of Honybun’s Brunswick home and asked him down to Punt Road.

AFL seeking to identify fan who allegedly racially abused Hawk Lance Franklin during last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game at Launcestonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aurora Stadium.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I identiďŹ ed with Richmond,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was almost a country footy club. There was still an old tiger skin in the directorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; boardroom.â&#x20AC;? At Tigerland, Honybun wore 42, a number he could truly make his own. He had a day out at Waverley when he had a career-high 33 possessions and caught the speedy Nicky Winmar holding the ball. The next week, a Carlton defender crunched his back to the extent it remained a problem for the rest of his career. Honybunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s words about the insurance aspect of education came back to him. At Richmond in the early 1990s, there were ďŹ ve players who were joked about as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the educated onesâ&#x20AC;?. Besides Honybun, there was Sean Bowden (law), Trevor Poole and Mark Stockdale (physiotherapy) and Brendon Gale, whose academic interests were wide-ranging. At this time, Honybun and Gale reďŹ&#x201A;ected on their role model, Brent Crosswell, who once said it was an aim during his footy career to stay at university as long as possible.

When Honybunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back injury ďŹ nally ended his career at 30, he was still studying his research masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in agricultural economics and tax. He worked and studied at Melbourne University for another 18 months or so, and was starting to work for agricultural consultants. hen left the Honybun then university to work for consultants, often crunching ll into the night, data until well hen he joined the but it was when ATO that his interests and strengthss came together. on ns Of the lessons om m he learned from in ns footy, he begins g by cautioning against sss. impetuousness.

FACT FILE

David Honybun ny ybun

Born: April 3, 3, 1962 Games: 60 Goals: G 41 Debut: Round nd d 1, 1984 Last game: Round R 24, 1992

At Carlton, he was behind Justin Madden and Warren â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Jones in the pecking order. After ďŹ ve senior games in three years, he chose to make his move to North Melbourne. His coach at Carlton, David Parkin, believed he should have stayed and kept kep pushing for an opportunity. lea Honybun later learned the incoming coach in 1986, 1 Robert Walls, rated him. Jones Jon was not in the Bluesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team that won the 1987 premiershi premiership. The unh rald d Warre unheralded Warren McKenzie was their second big b man on the day. Carlton n he At Carlton, also learned learned about leadership p. The Blues leadership. had manyy premiership players w h passed who on their k knowledge. Rod Ash h Ashman and Geoff S Southby were g great role m models. Ro R Rod Austin ha d a wobbly had kic ck kicking action bu ut prospered but be e because he worked

hard and was an excellent team player. Honybun also liked the inclusiveness at Carlton. A student like him was just as accepted as an electrician. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They never tried to ďŹ t square pegs into round holes,â&#x20AC;? he says. Finally, Honybun liked the raucous social life at Carlton. He knew then that he was enlivened by the energy of others. This self-knowledge, gleaned from football clubs and the collegiate atmosphere at the university, was among the reasons he left the consultants (where he spent much time on his own) to join the ATO. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I quite like a crowd,â&#x20AC;? he says. A few years ago, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon did some research on Honybun to see whether he might become a ruck coach. Lyon put some questions to Gale, who told him Honybun was a top clubman, but he â&#x20AC;&#x153;walks to the beat of his own drumâ&#x20AC;?. Honybun took the assessment as a compliment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think I had a good reputation as a clubman,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But possibly I was a bit of an individual as well.â&#x20AC;?

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MELBOURNEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OWN AFL RECORD

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Collingwood forward Chris Dawes cleared by AFL Tribunal of striking Richmond’s Reece Conca.

FLAG NOT OUT OF REACH

BEYONDBLUE CUP

Saints’ plight parallels history

Hawks, Cats unite to ﬁght depression

» Here’s an historical

PETER RYA N

awthorn president and beyondblue chairman Jeff Kennett arrived at the MCG last Monday to discuss depression and anxiety in the lead-up to this round’s Hawthorn-Geelong match at the MCG (with the team playing for the beyondblue Cup). Raising awareness about the issue of depression has been a significant part of Kennett’s life since the turn of the century. And football has played a part in starting, and continuing, the conversation he knows the community should keep having. “If you have an injury, immediate sympathy is extended, everyone feels sorry and you go and see a specialist,” Kennett said. “The same should happen if there is an issue to do with the mind and there should be no discrimination.” This weekend, more than 300 players from various backgrounds will play AFL matches. Life will be throwing as many challenges at them off the field as the game hurls their way on the field. Extend that thought to where you are watching the games from and think about the people around you: there are challenges everywhere you look. Some will be major and others will be minor, but one answer will be consistent. Seeking support to deal with challenges makes overcoming them easier. Those involved at the coalface hope that awareness-raising games such as the beyondblue Cup will prompt people to start the conversation that may help them deal with anxiety or depression if it arises in their lives or the lives of loved ones around them. “Bringing the topic of depression and anxiety into the sphere of talking about footy 18

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GOOD CAUSE: Rival presidents Jeﬀ Kennett and Colin Carter with the beyondblue Cup.

does help de-stigmatise the issue,” beyondblue CEO Dawn O’Neil said. “The AFL has been fantastic at helping to remove some of the fear and stigma and shame often associated with mental illness.” That’s important because effective treatments for depression and anxiety are available – and with the right treatment, most people recover. “If your symptoms have been around for more than two weeks, if it is impacting upon your life, your ability to work and function or if your friends and families are worried about you, those are signs and symptoms,” O’Neil said. “The earlier you get in and see your doctor and get treatment, then the less impact it is likely to have on your work, your family and your relationships.” Talking it up might be a football cliché, but it is the best way to deal with mental health issues. Kennett’s straight talking sometimes raises eyebrows in the supposedly straight-shooting world of the AFL, but it has been a boon to raising awareness about an issue hidden from view for too long. “People are talking about it now. They are open about it. That is not to say everyone who is not well is seeking help, but we are a lot better than we were,” Kennett said.

“The moment an individual recognises they need help with anything, that is the ﬁrst step towards recovery. It is a monumental step.” This attitude-changing role football can play is well understood by Geelong president (and former AFL commissioner) Colin Carter. It is why he says the game is selective about the issues it puts its weight behind. “If you are trying to change attitudes, a few targets done well, rather than many superﬁcially, is the way to go,” Carter said. “The issue of depression is such a widespread community issue and it also affects our game – and elite athletes aren’t immune from that either because of the pressure they are under – so it’s a good initiative and one we are happy to support.” Football understands its role, providing a forum for people to talk about life’s realities. Hawthorn, Geelong and beyondblue have led the charge and many local sporting clubs have taken up the running, devoting time to communicate issues surrounding depression and anxiety. “If the footy can enable people to deal with (the issue) more head-on, rather than hiding it, then that would be a very good thing,” Carter said. ANYONE SEEKING INFORMATION, CAN VISIT BEYONDBLUE.ORG.AU OR PHONE 1300 224 636.

parallel so outlandish it’s worth relaying, for novelty value at least. St Kilda fans can look to Essendon’s back-to-back flags in 1949-50 to restore hope in 2011. Midway through 1949, Essendon appeared doomed. It had lost the 1947 Grand Final to Carlton by a point after leading by 12 points with 10 minutes remaining. The next year, Essendon finished three-and-a-half games on top then drew the Grand Final with Melbourne after kicking 7.27 in the decider. Melbourne got the jump on Essendon in the replay before winning by 39 points. The progression has eerie similarities to the Saints of 2009 and 2010. In 1949, with John Coleman in his first season, Essendon won the first three and was sitting on top of the ladder. It then lost six of the next eight games and went into round 12 eighth on the ladder, two games out of the four with eight games to play. Captain Dick Reynolds, then 34, was injured. There were four changes, with Harold Lambert, George Hassell, Ken Newton and Greg Tate, coming into the side to play Hawthorn. Essendon smashed the Hawks by 70 points. The Dons won the final 10 games of the season to take the flag by 73 points, with Coleman kicking six to bring up his century. “Our form was the best for the year, despite our tough uphill fight for the last 12 weeks,” Reynolds said after the game. Essendon lost one game in 1950 to make it back-to-back flags. PETER RYAN

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Essendon’s Jason Winderlich and Courtenay Dempsey to miss rest of the season after ACL injuries against Carlton last week.

EMERGING LEADER

Hocking the prototype modern Bomber C A L LU M T WOMEY

ames Hird’s third-last game as an Essendon player was Heath Hocking’s first. Neither was influential in that match – a 10-point win over Carlton in round 20, 2007. Now, Hird is coach and Hocking is one of the reasons for the Bombers’ resurgence. Hocking has developed from a tough defender with an awkward kicking style to one of Essendon’s most important midfielders, a reliable warrior in contested situations and, at 23, the youngest member of the club’s leadership group. In last week’s draw with Carlton, Hocking was entrusted with the role on Chris Judd. The week before, the Bombers

IMPROVER: Heath Hocking has made giant strides in the past couple of seasons.

used him to stop St Kilda star Brendon Goddard. This week, as he prepares to face Collingwood, Hocking is in line to play his 50th game. Hird said he saw Hocking’s capacity to develop early on. “I played a couple of years with Heath and he wasn’t a senior player then, but I left the club with the knowledge that this guy works at his game as hard as anyone I’ve seen,” Hird said.

“And when you’ve got that character and you’re willing to listen and to learn from the people teaching you, there’s a good chance you’ll get there. “He’s been a good player for two-to-three years now and it’s no surprise he’s getting even better. Congratulations to him for the football he’s playing.” At ﬁrst, Hocking’s improvement was steady. But once he got the basics under

BECOME AN AFL

control – he was on Essendon’s rookie list for two seasons, in 2006-07 – he pieced together a game style based on hardness, strength, fierce tackling and improved foot skills. In many ways, Hocking personifies how Hird wants Essendon to play. Under pressure, he defends. With time, space and confidence, he attacks. Durability, too, has been a key to his rise. In 2009 under Matthew Knights, Hocking played 19 of 23 games but did not finish in the top-10 in the club’s best and fairest. Last year, Hocking was Essendon’s only player to feature in every game. That effort was rewarded when he finished second in the best and fairest and was subsequently officially named a team leader. “I’d like to think the reason was based around the way I prepare and train and that’s something I want to continue to do,” Hocking told essendonfc.com.au at the time. “Hopefully, I can provide some real leadership to the younger blokes who I feel I can really help.”

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The round nine Brisbane Lions-North Melbourne match at the Gabba to now start at 7.40pm (local time).

HANDS-ON MENTOR

A tall order, but Burton providing a wealth of advice

BACK WHERE HE STARTED: Matthew

Burton was a ruckman for Fremantle and is now working with star ruckman Aaron Sandilands.

NATH A N SCHMOOK

t has been seven years since giant Fremantle and North Melbourne ruckman Matthew Burton played the last of his 147 AFL matches, but the man known as ‘Spider’ has found his way back to the game he loves. Since retiring at the end of the 2003 season after 70 games with the Dockers and 77 with the Roos, Burton has forged a successful career in business as a financial adviser. It is an industry the 40-year-old is passionate about and he became a shareholder in the company Zest Wealth Advisers in 2006. Still, leaving the game was tough for Burton and, when the opportunity presented to re-enter the AFL system this year and mentor the man who eclipsed him as the AFL’s tallest player, it simply made sense. “It’s logical (that I’m working) with Aaron Sandilands,” says Burton, whose 210cm frame is as rare in the business world as it was on the football field. It took three attempts for Fremantle football manager Chris Bond to secure his friend and former teammate as a part-time ruck coach, with Burton joining the club officially in February. Sitting in the boardroom at his Subiaco office with a Fremantle

jumper hanging on the wall and and, on arriving at North red, green and purple through Melbourne for the 2000 season, his tie, Burton explains what is he sought work experience at now an old-fashioned concept Zest Wealth Advisers through of mixing full-time work Tony Payne, a Kangaroos coterie and football. group member. The AFL, of course, is a fullHe never left and, after buying time business itself and Burton is into the company in 2006, glad to be back in the game. Burton has been building its “I’m amazed at a lot of things,” operations in Perth for the past he says, three years. comparing It is a role the current that has also AFL landscape allowed with his ﬁrst Burton to pre-season in give back 1994. “In a lot to the AFL of ways, I’m industry, jealous of the teaming up current playing with another group and former the education Fremantle MATTHEW BURTON they receive.” teammate, As a player, Brad Wira, Burton developed into a reliable to offer ﬁnancial advice to and intelligent tap ruckman, but players through the AFL he says he spent his career on Players’ Association. edge, knowing life after football Wira, a private client adviser could start at any time. with Shadforth Financial Group, It made him proactive in his oversees the West Australian planning for a career in business and South Australian sides of the

He’s a super player, so there’s not a lot I have to do with Aaron

venture, with Burton in charge of the eastern states. “We were in each other’s bridal party, so we know each other well and it was a mutually beneficial idea to join as a joint venture,” Burton says. “A lot of what we do is financial education, so it meant that we were able to give something back to the industry that has been so kind to both Brad and I. “We really think we’ve added some value to thousands of players now. It started in ’03, so we’ve had a lot of people go through the program. We developed it and it’s something we’re really proud of.” The AFLPA role has kept Burton in touch with football contacts and given him his “football fix” in his years out of the game but, with two young children and a successful and growing business, a hands-on role in football hadn’t been possible until now. It is surprising to learn Burton and Sandilands had rarely crossed paths before this year. They met at a testimonial night for former Fremantle captain Shaun McManus and played on each other once, in 2003. Their partnership has been encouraging so far. “I’m definitely a support mechanism for him, and a lot of the time it’s just about giving him some feedback,” Burton says. “He’s really got a lot of great skills, and he’s a super player, so there’s not a lot I have to do with Aaron. “There’s definitely an art to ruck work and he’s obviously got a great grasp of it. But I think sometimes it’s the small things that matter and it shows how important that role is that there’s a specialised coach for it.”

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ANSWERING THE

ANZAC DAY CALL

Collingwood and Essendon have made Anzac Day their own in the past decade and a half, but April 25 has long been a special day on the AFL calendar, a joint celebration of our diggers and the national game. Three players who have risen to the occasion on the sacred day share their recollections. BRUCE E VA

nzac Day is Australia’s most sacred day. It is also an important day on the football calendar – an opportunity for this nation’s favourite sport to honour the brave servicemen and women who have represented the country, including those who made the ultimate sacriﬁce, and to acknowledge the ongoing wonderful work of our armed forces. It is 51 years since the ﬁrst League games were played on April 25; the decision was made due to torrential rain forcing the postponement of matches on Saturday, April 23.

Two games were played on the Anzac Day Monday in 1960: Fitzroy-Carlton at Brunswick Street Oval and St Kilda-Melbourne at Junction Oval. Ironically, Collingwood and Essendon had never met on Anzac Day before their 1995 draw in front of 94,825 fans at the MCG. This year is the 17th edition of the annual match between two of the AFL’s power clubs. Given that Anzac Day football started more than half a century ago, it’s timely to look back at other Anzac Day football stories.

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1975

ESSENDON 16.8 (104) d CARLTON 12.15 (87) VFL PARK, CROWD: 77,770

es Tuddenham knows a thing or two about performing for big crowds, having played in front of the biggest attendance ever (121,696) for a football match in Australia. That was the 1970 Grand Final. That day, he was one of Collingwood’s best in its heartbreaking 10-point loss to Carlton. It was the same year the League opened its own venue at Mulgrave in Melbourne’s outer south-east, the expansive VFL Park, and, in 1975, a week after the stadium’s fifth birthday, Tuddenham made the journey out there as Essendon’s captain-coach. In what was the last of his four years in charge at Windy Hill, Tuddenham’s Bombers were undefeated after three rounds and facing arch rival Carlton, also undefeated heading into the Anzac Day blockbuster, which fell on a Friday. “I always say it was one of the best games of football I ever played in,” Tuddenham, 68, recalled. “It was a magnificent day – no wind – and it was just a ripper atmosphere, like a final, and I played on ‘Jezza’ (Alex Jesaulenko).” The reason the atmosphere was so good was simple: Waverley was bursting at the seams. “When I got to Wellington Road on the way to the ground, the cars were banked back for miles, and I thought, ‘I’m going to miss the game’,” Tuddenham explained. “So I slowly drove up the wrong side of the road until we came across a policeman and he

UP FOR GRABS: Bomber Simon Madden

(above right) and Blue David McKay featured in a great Anzac Day match at VFL Park, with Essendon, captain-coached by Des Tuddenham (left), prevailing.

I always say it was one of the best games I ever played in DES TUDDENHAM

escorted me into the ground. It was packed.” A then record 77,770 had crammed into the League’s showpiece, smashing the previous mark by 17,000 and setting a new mark for home and away match receipts at any venue of $80,788. The record crowd ﬁgure for Waverley stood until 1981, when it was topped twice in the space of a month. The following week’s Record noted: “It is estimated that almost 8000 fans stood on the

concourse behind the terraced seating and at the rear of the stands in the public reserve. Another 52,000 were seated, a record number of VFL Park members at 11,000, plus a record 6000 members’ guests were in attendance.” The massive crowd wasn’t disappointed either. Scores were level midway through the final quarter before the Bombers kicked the final three goals to win by 17 points, with the two youngest players on the field starring for the red and blacks.

Simon Madden was only 17 and playing just his 10th game, but booted six goals from a forward pocket, while 18-yearold Garry Foulds, in only his ninth match, blitzed on a wing with 25 kicks and three handballs. “Simon played a beauty, took a series of brilliant marks, and Garry, he played a ripper game on the wing, while Neville Fields – I don’t think I ever saw a better game (played) than ‘Fieldsy’ that day,” Tuddenham said of the brilliant centreman’s game-high 29 disposals and two goals. As a reminder it was the 1970s, Tuddenham added: “I was in the midst of things – I flattened (Trevor) Keogh in the first few minutes of the game, made him a bit giddy, and then probably 10 minutes later, I’d just kicked the ball and the next second, as I was watching it, ‘Whack’. I got this enormous whack across my eye and it was Keogh splitting my eye open.” Tuddenham rated the win as “one of the best four or five” he was part of in his decorated 251-match career, but conceded while the young Bombers won the battle that day, they couldn’t maintain their focus, winning only six of their remaining 18 games to finish eighth. “It was a great match and it was a really terrific win. I remember (club president) Allan Hird, James Hird’s grandfather, was jumping over the moon that night, we’d done so well,” Tuddenham explained. “(But) sometimes you get ahead of yourself and you think you’re there, and players just didn’t knuckle down after that. It’s just one of those things that happen in football.”

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1977

COLLINGWOOD 17.24 (126) d RICHMOND 14.16 (100) MCG, CROWD: 92,436

om Hafey is Richmond’s longest-serving and most successful coach (248 games from 1966-76 and four premierships). When he coached against the Tigers for the first time, it was always going to be a special occasion. That afternoon came on Anzac Day in 1977, a Monday, when Hafey’s new club, Collingwood, faced the Tigers, now led by one of Hafey’s disciples, Barry Richardson. Both teams had won two of their first three games, but neither likely expected 92,436 fans to turn up to the MCG to watch. At the time, it was the second-highest attendance for a home and away game (now fourth on that list). A teenager trying to make sense of the madness descending on the MCG that day was David Miller, who, before Richmond training the previous Thursday night at Punt Road Oval, was told he would be making his senior debut against the Magpies. Despite bad shoulders, Miller had been a junior star at Tigerland for three seasons before his call-up. He finished second in the under-19s best and fairest in 1974-75, was the club’s leading goalkicker in the under-19s in the premiership year of ’75 with 69, and won the Tigers’ reserves goalkicking award in 1976. An athletic, leading forward and the only debutant among the 40 players in the game, Miller enjoyed a fairytale start, booting five goals as the

AMONG THE BEST: Kevin Bartlett

was in the thick of the action as the Tigers battled Collingwood.

Tigers went down by 26 points in a high-scoring affair. He admitted he still struggled to explain the experience, next to the likes of Kevin Bartlett and other Richmond legends. “To get a game is one thing and to have a fairly good game was a bonus, because I had obviously never come across a crowd like that before, so it was fantastic,” he said. “The pace of the game was just incredible

and you didn’t think you’d be able to keep up for the whole day – your biggest fear was to make sure you got a kick and didn’t disappoint your friends and family. “The biggest thing I can remember is I knew a lot of my friends were going to the game and many told me afterwards they didn’t even get in before quarter-time. I remember being aware of the

(size of the) crowd when we ran out and thinking, ‘Geez, I hope I get a kick and don’t make a fool of myself’, because I was so conscious of justtrying to play a reasonable game.” Miller believes he kicked a goal with his ﬁrst kick, and some famous Magpie names also spring to mind when contemplating his opponents that day.

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answering the anzac day call

“I can remember Billy Picken running past going, ‘Go Billy, go Billy’. I’ve got a vague memory of – and not sure whether he was my direct opponent – Ian Cooper. Andrew Ireland also played, so I’m pretty sure both picked me up at some stage.” More vivid memories surround a shot for goal in front of the MCC Members’ Stand and a bizarre conversation with Richmond premiership player Gareth Andrews at three-quarter time.

I remember Billy Picken going, ‘Go Billy, go Billy’ DAVID MILLER

ATTEMPTED SPOIL:

“I remember having a shot out the front of the old Smokers’ Stand and I was on the boundary. Sometimes you have a feeling you can kick a goal and I went back and had this thought, ‘Oh, maybe I should try and centre it’,” he explained. “I kicked it but it was touched on the line and I was always ﬁlthy that I should have had a shot at it, had a real crack at it, because I had the accuracy and if you’re in form with your goalkicking they seem to ﬂow on,

Collingwood’s Billy Picken, here in a match later in his career, tried his best to put young Tiger David Miller oﬀ his game with his unusual antics.

so I was disappointed I didn’t have the confidence (to have a shot) – probably because it was my first game and I was trying to do the right thing. I should have kicked that, so really I was filthy because I should have kicked six or seven.

“At three-quarter time, I was playing pretty well. Gareth Andrews said to me: ‘You can win this for us’, and I was thinking, ‘I’m a ﬁrst-gamer, you shouldn’t be telling me this’. “We started the last quarter and I took a mark on the lead

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and I kicked one from about centre half-forward and thought, ‘This is all right’, but then Collingwood overran us. “But I was amazed with that comment and it’s always stuck in my mind.” Miller’s star faded almost as quickly as he burst on to the scene. A viral infection laid him low after his second game and, upon his return, he dislocated a shoulder while trying to tackle Geelong full-back Gary Malarkey at Waverley. His fifth and final senior game was against the Magpies at Victoria Park in round 14. A stint with Oakleigh in the VFA, more shoulder problems, another pre-season with the Tigers and finally an industrial work accident finished his playing days, and almost three-and-a-half decades later, he would be grateful to see any vision of his amazing debut. “It’s funny you ask that,” he said. “I’ve tried to find it. If you ever come across something, I’d love to get a copy to have a look at and then show the kids.” Miller, 53, is a development coach at VFL club Frankston, where his son Joel plays. “The greatest thing I got out of Richmond, especially with my coaching, is the philosophies Hafey and Richardson taught me and which still stand up today.”

Or visit marquees outside the ground at any MCG game.

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1986

ONE FOR THE AGES:

CARLTON 10.11 (71) d ESSENDON 8.7 (55) VFL PARK, CROWD: 68,151

Bomber Alan Ezard takes a great grab while Blue Jon Dorotich looks on.

ome Essendon fans describe it as the beginning of the end. Others bemoan the bad luck that “came in threes” as the Bombers tried to win a historic third consecutive premiership in 1986. The all-conquering red and black team started the season as it finished 1985: sweeping aside all challengers. After four rounds, the Dons sat on top of the ladder, undefeated and with a percentage of 175.3, but they had already lost Tim Watson and Paul Vander Haar to long-term injuries. A mouth-watering Anzac Day clash with the emerging Carlton awaited, and the first hint of trouble for the Dons on a grey, showery afternoon at Waverley was when they were still scoreless (and trailing by 14 points) at the first break – the first time in 102 matches under Kevin Sheedy they had failed to score in a quarter. Their only highlight in the first term was one of the greatest marks taken by a Bomber, with 172cm rover Alan Ezard soaring over 206cm ruckman Justin Madden to haul in a freakish grab. “I think on Channel Two it won the ‘Mark of the Year’, but I’m pretty sure a Sydney bloke (Tony Morwood) got the Channel Seven award for one he took in a final,” Ezard recalled. “It wasn’t anything sensational, he just judged it really well. You look back at it and think, ‘I missed out on a car back then’. “I just got the perfect sit and ‘Harry’ (Madden) just boosted me up a little bit. It was fairly early in the game and it’s got better as the years have gone on – I tell everyone I could read the MCG scoreboard from Waverley I was that high up, so I’ve had a bit of fun with it. “I can’t actually remember who kicked the ball. I know it wasn’t a really good kick and I was like, ‘I’m the only one around this area, I better have a crack at it’, and I was just lucky I

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We lost three key players and it threw us out of whack ALAN EZARD

timed everything pretty well and big Harry gave me a good lift up. “I took another one in front of him, actually. It might have been Windy Hill. He was behind me, I was coming back and I out-jumped him and took a mark about 20m from goal and he still shakes his head on that one as well. He’s 20-foot and I’m bloody three-foot and he still can’t work out how I actually out-marked him in front of him. I’ve got a photo of that one.” When the Bombers kicked 5.3 to two behinds in the second

quarter, normality appeared to have returned, but eight goals to three in the second half by the Blues brought Essendon’s 11-match winning streak to a screaming halt. It was the Bombers’ ﬁrst loss since they fell to Carlton by 52 points in round 17 the previous season. Worse, Ezard’s roving partner Darren ‘Daisy’ Williams joined Watson and Vander Haar as a long-term casualty in the dying minutes of the match. “I think we’d been up for so long and our list was probably right at the perfect age bracket to win those couple of Grand Finals. Then the older ones we’d recruited were in their 30s by then,” Ezard said of the rapid decline that followed. “Even in ’86, I thought we were going to be very hard to beat. We won our ﬁrst few games, were up and running, and then all of a sudden lost

three key players and it was a fair bit of our grunt through the midfield and it threw us out of whack. “From then on, we were hanging in there, but I reckon if we’d got over the Fitzroy game (the one-point elimination final loss), we could have been a really big show again.” Ezard, 48, is 73kg and only one kilogram over his playing weight 18 years since he retired from AFL action. He planned to be at the MCG for this year’s Essendon-Collingwood clash, but is having his first year off an active involvement in football since he was a kid. “I’m going overseas a couple of times this year to travel a bit,” he said. “I’m also going to have a run around in SuperRules with my brother Peter. I haven’t been able to play with him since we were back in Broadford, so that’ll be a bit of fun.”

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THE NEXT GENERATION:

Tom RockliďŹ&#x20AC;, Jack Redden and Daniel Rich were all selected in the 2008 draft and head a talented list of youngsters hoping to return the Brisbane Lions to their former glory. PHOTO: BRADLEY KANARIS/AFL PHOTOS

The of the rockliff, redden & rich » The three Rs who are leading the youth-based rebuilding of the Brisbane Lions. NICK BOWEN

West Coast’s Brent Staker – and St Kilda’s Matt Maguire was subsequently snared late in that year’s NAB AFL Draft. At the time, Voss said the strategy was an attempt to bridge the gap separating the Lions and that season’s best teams, Geelong and St Kilda. It was also seen by many as an audacious play to win a premiership while 2001-03 flag heroes Jonathan Brown, Simon Black and Luke Power were still at, or near, their best. The Lions saw experience, more than youth, as the path to their next flag, it seemed. But to focus on the Lions’ 2009 recruiting is to miss the bigger picture. If you ignore that year, the Lions have traded only once for an experienced AFL player since 2002, bringing in Melbourne midfielder Travis Johnstone at the end of 2007.

Consider also the talent and experience the club has lost since 2006: Voss, Jason Akermanis, Brad and Chris Scott, Chris Johnson, Nigel Lappin, Tim Notting, Michael Rischitelli, Justin Sherman, Johnstone and Jared Brennan. Look beyond the more heralded youth-based rebuilds of Carlton and Melbourne – their recent swags of No. 1 draft picks can make that difficult – and consider some of the young talent the Lions have assembled in recent drafts. In 2005-06, they picked up highly rated talls Mitch Clark and Matthew Leuenberger with first-round picks, while key-position prospects such as Tom Collier, Aaron Cornelius and, last year, Pat Karnezis and Ryan Lester, were subsequently added. And in the midfield, the Lions have assembled an even greater depth of young talent. The biggest and most promising PHOTO: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/AFL PHOTOS

transformation is taking place at the Brisbane Lions. But it’s occurring so quietly and attracting so little attention, it’s effectively being done by stealth. “The word I’d use to describe the stage we’re entering as a club is growth,” Lions coach Michael Voss told the AFL Record. “We’re trying to build on a young group that’s coming through in the same age bracket. “If they can evolve together and become close with one another, that will be pretty important. But that takes time.” If you missed this development, you’re not alone. After all, it was just 18 months ago the Lions recycled six experienced players at the end of the 2009 season. Five were acquired by trades – Carlton’s Brendan Fevola, Richmond’s Andrew Raines, St Kilda’s Xavier Clarke, Sydney Swan Amon Buchanan and

the tr transformation ra an n sforma of the lions

haul came at the 2008 draft, with Daniel Rich, Jack Redden and Tom Rockliff, while small forward Todd Banfield may eventually migrate on to the ball, too. Voss and Lions national talent manager Rob Kerr hope last year’s group of midfield recruits – Jared Polec, Josh Green, Bewick and elevated rookie Claye Beams – will be just as good. Add James Polkinghorne (2007) and 2009 draftees Callum Bartlett, Ryan Harwood and Jesse O’Brien, the latter two having made their debuts last year, and the Lions believe they are well-placed for the future. “I think we’ve got a better group of young midfielders than we generally get given credit for,” Kerr says. “Much will depend on how last year’s draftees develop, but I think we’ve got a developing midfield group that stacks up pretty well.” Rich, Rockliff and Redden are the most recognisable faces of this group. This round against St Kilda, Rich will play his 50th game, Redden his 36th and Rockliff his 24th. All are already key parts of the Lions’ present. Voss says they bring a complementary blend of skills to the Lions’ midfield. “You’ve got the smart decision-maker (Rockliff), the hard runner (Redden) and the brilliant ball-user and penetrating kick (Rich),” he says. “You need those different types within your midfield.” The AFL Record spoke with the three players in the lead-up to the round-three match against Melbourne. Although interviewed separately, the camaraderie among them was evident. 66

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THE CLASS OF 2008: Coach Michael Voss believes the future of the Lions’ midﬁeld is in good hands with Jack Redden (left) being a “hard runner”, Tom Rockliﬀ (middle) a “smart decision-maker” and Daniel Rich (right) a “brilliant ball-user”.

They are good mates. Rockliff So it seems. Rockliff says Rich and Redden hit it off almost is a good guy, but can’t resist a as soon as they met and have playful dig: “He’s got pretty deep been housemates for nearly pockets and short arms though.” three years. But Rockliff has a serious Like most at the Lions, all side. It was this that convinced three moved from their home the Lions to elevate him to their states to join the club – Rich leadership group this year, in just from Western Australia, Rockliff his third season. from Victoria and Redden from “He’s got great leadership South Australia. qualities that all the boys see and Being away from family and value,” Redden says. friends creates a bond between Voss describes Rockliff as the club’s out-of-towners, a natural leader. “There are they say. some people who don’t have to “Probably 80 per cent of work on it, try to do anything the team is from interstate,” differently or put it on a goal Rich says. sheet,” Voss says. “That’s Tom.” “So we probably spend a bit Rich is well-spoken and more time with each other, and thoughtful when we speak rely upon each with him. other a bit Redden and more, than we Black say he is would if we deep thinker. were in our Redden says he home states.” can sometimes Redden over-analyse is the least the game, but talkative of Black says his the three. thoughts on SIMON BLACK However, the game and Black says contributions Redden enjoys to team prank calling his teammates meetings are often insightful. occasionally and, while not loud He also has the ability to and outgoing, has a “fairly zany balance his football with down personality”. time in the surf or on the golf And, if you believe course, Black says. Rockliff, he is not always a With time and development, dream housemate. Black believes Rich could captain “Jack tends to walk around the the Lions in the future. house with not a lot of clothes Speaking with Rich, Rockliff on,” Rockliff says with a laugh. and Redden, it is apparent they “Which can make it a bit have a high regard for each awkward when you’re trying to other’s games and equally high eat your breakfast.” expectations of one another. In his own defence, Redden As you’d expect, Rockliff says Rockliff is “pretty chirpy in and Redden both praise a smart-alec way”. Rich’s kicking.

They’re a good mix ... they’re the future of the club

His raking left-foot and deft passing have dazzled footy fans since his 2009 debut and made him a unanimous choice as that season’s NAB AFL Rising Star. He also finished sixth in that year’s best and fairest – the highest placing of any first-year Lion since Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears merged in 1996. Just as it was for the Lions, 2010 was more of a struggle for Rich as opposition clubs started to pay him more attention, often tagging him. That said, he still played every game and finished eighth in the best and fairest. Voss says one of Rich’s major focuses this pre-season was improving his endurance so he could get to more contests. Rockliff acknowledges Rich’s efforts and says his running is better. But he says he still has room for improvement. It is not a personal criticism, just an honest assessment. One Rockliff makes with the team’s best interests at heart. “The more contests ‘Richy’ gets to, the more times he’s going to get his hands on the ball and the better it’s going to be for the team,” Rockliff says. Redden and Rockliff did not make the same seamless transition into the AFL as Rich. While Rich already had a well-developed body, Redden needed to add strength and bulk to his frame, while Rockliff needed to lose weight and improve his endurance. Rich says both have since taken “massive steps” to overcome these shortcomings, their hard work reflected in their “great seasons” last year. Redden finished fifth in the 2010 best and fairest on the back of a work rate and tackling intensity that Voss described as “phenomenal”.

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the transformation of the lions Having spent most of that time playing on the wing and at half-forward, Voss says Redden, who played as an inside midfielder for most of his junior career, had learned to balance when to go in and attack the ball and when to stay out and exploit his running ability in open space. While Rockliff praises Redden’s new physique and running ability, he says his ball use is “at times quite good”, gently implying it is an area he can improve. After playing just one game in his first season, Rockliff played 19 last year and finished third in the NAB AFL Rising Star award. The breakout season came after a gruelling pre-season he supplemented with private boxing training. And this pre-season, Rockliff sliced 30 seconds off his best 3km time, running 10 minutes and 40 seconds, which was more than two minutes quicker than his effort at the 2008 NAB AFL Draft Camp. It is soon clear no one at the Lions doubts Rockliff’s ability. “A very smart player,” Redden says. “He’s one of the best I’ve seen with his hands. His decision-making by hand is fantastic,” Black says. Voss says Rockliff’s understanding of the game is one you’d expect of a much older player. “He understands game aspects very quickly and you’ve rarely

ON TRACK: Lions coach Michael Voss

is pleased with the development of his young playing group.

got to teach him something twice,” Voss says. Given their talent, dedication and high expectations of themselves and their teammates, it is no surprise Rich, Rockliff and Redden have lofty ambitions. Ideally, they want to emulate the deeds of the Lions’ 2001-03 premiership teams, and there are parallels between those sides and the current group of youngsters that give them hope. “Every great team in the past has had a batch of younger players coming through,” Rockliff says. “Nigel Lappin, ‘Vossy’, (Jason) Akermanis, Black and Power all came through together. If we can stick together as a group, who knows what will happen in the future.” In this era of cashed-up expansion sides, keeping talented young groups together

is harder than ever. This year, it has been widely reported Rich, who comes out of contract at the end of this season, is in the sights of Greater Western Sydney and his hometown’s two AFL clubs, West Coast and Fremantle. Asked about these reports, Rich says his sole focus this season is on playing good footy. But he is quick to stress he loves living in Brisbane and playing for the Lions. Voss, for one, is confident Rich won’t want to leave a young group with so much potential. It will take the young Lions time to reach that potential. Rich, Rockliff and Redden appreciate that, Rockliff noting Geelong endured inconsistency and harsh football lessons before youthful promise was transformed into on-field dominance. However, all insist they can make the finals this year.

But only if they, and the team’s other emerging youngsters, step up and give Brown, Black and Power the on-field support they need, Rockliff says. While the Lions’ sit 0-3 after their first three games, they could easily be 2-1, with their matches against Fremantle and Melbourne going down to the final siren. Regardless, the draft class of 2008 has stood up. All three are in the Lions’ top-five for possessions (Rockliff is first, averaging 27 a game), contested possessions and tackles (Redden is first, averaging nearly eight a game). Despite their youthful desire to make things happen now, clearly they and the Lions will be at their best in future seasons. Just when that will be is hard to tell. But Black makes one thing clear – when he and Power eventually retire they will be leaving the Lions, in particular their midfield, in good hands. “We’ve got quite a few young guys the footy world doesn’t know too much about,” he says. “But they’re a good mix of inside and outside players and, like Freo’s young guys last year, I think they can really have an impact and drag us back up the ladder. “They’re the future of the club.”

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Anzac Day Essendon V Collingwood

DVD IN STORES APRIL 28th The Tradition Continues

1995 L GURA INAU DAY C ANZA E GAM

There is no more emotional event in the AFL fixture list than Round 5. The Anzac Day game between Essendon and Collingwood is one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the year. For 2011, whichever team wins, the DVD of the game, in a team-specific cover, is available on Thursday 28th April. The DVD features full stats and scores plus presentations. For the first time, the Anzac Day game comes with a Bonus Disc - the inaugural 1995 Anzac Day game which ended in an historic draw and ushered in the modern era of Anzac Day fixtures between Collingwood and Essendon.

AVAILABLE AT LEADING DVD RETAILERS FROM APRIL 28th ...ALSO AVAILABLE NOW AT LEADING DVD RETAILERS...

Collingwood’s sensational preseason win on DVD features uninterrupted coverage and has full scores, stats & presentations. Also incuded is a Bonus disc featuring the 1979 Night Grand Final - the last time Collingwood won a pre-season title!

1979 ND T GRA NIGH AL FIN

THE AFL’S FIRST EVER BLU-RAY!

The 2010 Toyota AFL Grand Final Draw AND the Replay, together on ONE disc, with unseen footage, full stats and presentations, plus alternate radio calls!

...AND EXCLUSIVE TO JB HI-FI...

FIRST EVER AFL 3D BLU-RAY!

The 2010 Toyota AFL Grand Final Draw with unseen footage, full stats and presentations, plus alternate radio calls! Experience the sensation of 3D footy exclusive to JB HiFi!

IN JB HI-FI STORES NOW!

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Our AFL history guru answers your queries. YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD:

Gold Coast Suns defender Michael Coad made his AFL debut as a 27-year-old in round three.

A veteran on debut

Michael Coad made his AFL debut for the Gold Coast Suns at the age of 27. I know James Podsiadly was 28 when he ﬁrst played for Geelong last year. Who is the oldest man to play his ﬁrst senior match? RYAN WALTERS, BRISBANE, QLD.

CH: Charlie Hardy enjoyed

great success with VFA club North Melbourne before joining Essendon in round 10, 1921, as a 157cm, 54 kg rover. He was 99 days beyond his 34th birthday and played 36 matches for the Bombers in

five seasons including the fi ve seasons, 1923 and 1924 premiership wins. Fourteen other players were at least 32 by the time they were given their first opportunity at AFL level. One was Melbourne’s Harry Harker, who played 54 games and scored 146 goals in five years after making his first appearance in 1920. WRITE TO ANSWER MAN The Slattery Media Group, 140 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, 3008 or email michaell@slatterymedia.com

col hutchinson NAME GAME

Making the cut » Jordan Schroder, Geelong’s

third-round selection (No. 54) in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft, has a surname which is a variation of the more common Schroeder. No Schroeders have played League football but a variation of the name appeared in University’s 1914 list with Heinrich Schrader, who also played ﬁrst class cricket for Victoria. The German name Schröder is an occupational surname for a tailor (similar to Baker, Potter etc.), deriving from the older German words schröten, “to cut”. The same term was also occasionally used to denote a shoemaker, whose work included cutting leather. In this sense, he is related in name to the two Schneiders, Adam (St Kilda) and Tom (Hawthorn), Schneider being the modern German word for “tailor”, and in another sense to Hawthorn’s Ryan Shoenmakers (“son of a shoemaker”). And, of course, he is connected by name to the 50 Taylors who have played League football, including his club-mate Harry Taylor. KEVAN CARROLL

GENUINE SENIOR FOOTBALLERS » The following former players were all born in 1921 and played brieﬂy with League clubs during World War II, when leave from military duties permitted. Jack Borlase (Army) represented St Kilda three times in 1941, Roy Rawlings (Army) played 70

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four matches for Footscray in 1945, Ted Ryan (Army) gained selection 33 times for Collingwood in an interrupted career which began in 1941, and Bob Aubrey (RAAF) made ﬁve appearances for the Saints in 1945.

Do you know of other senior players who are close to 90 or older, or who reached such an age before calling it a day? Should you have such information, contact Col Hutchinson on (03) 9643 1929 or col.hutchinson@aﬂ.com.au

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rick milne

Ask the expert about all your footy memorabilia. I have a white football signed by the North Melbourne Football Club when Ron Barassi was coach. Ron has signed it, but spelled ‘Barrasi’. Is it legitimate??

AN EARLY SU SUPERSTAR:

A badge featuring Fitzroy’s Gordon Rattray is valued at more t than $100.

LEX, VIA EMAIL

RM: No, afraid not Lex! A few

of these were doing the rounds a few years back, and a couple of people bought them off the internet for quite big dollars. Those I’ve seen (all signed with a blue texta-type pen) have littlee or no value.

I have the Herald Sun eight-page souvenir of Essendon’s 2000 premiership win. It has a young James Hird being chaired oﬀ the ground holding the premiership cup. Value please? JESSICA ELSEY, VIA PHONE

RM: Jessica, this one appeared

on the Tuesday following the Bombers’ win, and was souvenired by just about every Essendon fan. So, there are still plenty of them around the place, even 11 years later. About $20.

In a bric-a-brac shop in southern NSW, I found a small badge featuring Fitzroy Football Club player G. Rattray. It cost me $4. Was it a bargain, or not? IAN COULTER, VIA EMAIL

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RM: Ian, you are talking

about the team I love! And yes, you have got yourself a bargain. Gordon Rattray was a superstar of the day. He was one of the best in Fitzroy’s 1922 premiership win and had a long and brilliant career with the Roy Boys. Much more than $100.

I have a pristine copy of the ﬁrst Football Record, dated April 27, 1912. Value please?

in 1996. It sells for about $10. On the other hand, the original (yellowing paper, rusting staples) might sell for $20,000. I have been a Port Adelaide member since AFL inception (and earlier SANFL) and have built up a formidable collection of memorabilia over that time, including badges, Records, signed guernseys, club and AFL-endorsed pieces, etc. I have taken great delight in your collectables section of the Record for some time, and I noticed Bob Eisner’s email regarding his nine-year-old son and the desiree to put something together for him. I am willing to gift some things as a kind gesture to get thee lad started. HAMISH GOLDING, VIA EMAIL

RM: That’s a very kind offer,

Hamish. If Bob would contact me, I’ll put you in touch with each other. By the way, I always delete each email after the query has appeared in print.

AIDEN McDERMOTT, VIA EMAIL

RM: Aiden, I get this query on

a regular basis. What you have is a reprint of the ﬁrst Football Record which was a free insert in the regular AFL Record during the centenary year celebrations

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CONTACT RICK MILNE mrpp@iprimus.com.au or drop him a line: 5 Cooraminta St, Brunswick, Vic, 3056 or call (03) 9387 4131. One query per reader.

RICK’S RARITY

» In the 1930s, Dyason’s,

a Melbourne-based sauce company, issued a series of football-shaped cards featuring VFL and VFA team colours. Although the cards are rather plain, they are hugely rare and very collectable. Only six are known. Value? Not less than $500 each. For more information, go to guruofgarbage.com.au. g uofgarbage.com.

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SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

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SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Official AFL Colouring Books out now Great Players, Great Marks and Great Skills make up the new three-part series of AFL activity colouring books. Every AFL team is covered, as well as a selection of superstar players, including Dale Thomas, Jonathan Brown, Nick Riewoldt, Chris Judd, Lance Franklin and Jack Riewoldt. Next to each colouring outline is a matching full colour photograph, along with statistics and information on the featured player.

nab afl rising star

FIVE TO FIND

ONLY

EACH

Available now from all good bookstores. Visit footybookclub.com for more information.

Take the time to colour in Jobe Watson

G t Players, Great Pl G Great Marks and Great Skills are a must-have for every junior footy fan.

THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: Logo on football ﬂipped; bottom stripe on Paul Duﬃ eld’s jumper missing; hoarding in background changed to green; colour on Aaron Sandilands’ boot changed to blue; stripe missing from side of Sandilands’ shorts.

Scrambled Sc S crra am mb blleed Footballer: Fo F oot otb ba all ller er: Cryptic Cr C ryyp pti tiicc Footballers: Fo F oo ottb ba alllleerrss:: BI B IG MOUTH: MO M OU UT TH H:: BIG 74 AFL L RECORD R EC RECO RE CO COR ORD OR RD visit viis vvis isit it afl afl flrec record.com.au rree ord.com.au

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Youngster Jasper Pittard is making a splash p with the Power LUK E HOLMESBY

any sporting fans will be watching what happens at the surfing event at Torquay this weekend, but one local product won’t be home to share the glory. Jasper Pittard moved away from the Victorian coastal town when he was drafted by Port Adelaide with pick 16 at the 2009 NAB AFL Draft. While the Rip Curl Pro is drawing the surfing world’s attention to his hometown, Pittard is as happy as can be on the other side of the state border, celebrating his NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for round four. Pittard was one of Port Adelaide’s best in its surprise win over Adelaide last Saturday night, gathering 25 touches in a running role off half-back. It was an exciting occasion for the 20-year-old on several fronts. Not only was it a Showdown clash and the best performance of his brief career, but it was also his first win at AFL level and the Power’s first for the season. “To see everyone pumping their fists and getting around each other was good. There has been plenty written about the club lately so it was a really good result as a whole,” he said. “It was a bit of relief when the final siren went.” While he has to only flick on the television news to see footage of his hometown this week, he credits another Torquay product, teammate Travis Boak, with helping him adjust to his new life in a new city. “It was pretty convenient having him over here,” Pittard

2011 NAB AFL RISING STAR NOMINEES

ON SONG: Jasper Pittard rd had 25 touches oﬀ r’s half-back in the Power’s s. big win over the Crows.

Round 1 DYSON HEPPELL (ESS) Round 2 LUKE SHUEY (WCE) Round 3 MITCH DUNCAN (GEEL) Round 4 JASPER PITTARD (PA)

THREE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW

His original surname was McMillan-Pittard, but he dropped his mother’s name after he was drafted for the sake of simplicity.

said. “I met him a few times before I arrived at the club. “He always gets back down to Torquay in the off-season. I’d met him a few times there and he was someone to lean on a bit in my ﬁrst month or so when I didn’t know anyone at the club.” “He is living just around the corner from where I’m staying. It’s been good knowing him and having a familiar face and catching up with him in the off-season when we’re back in Torquay. We do some running and weights together. He’s been someone to look up to in terms of his work ethic around the club.” The win over the Crows was an eye-opener for Pittard as he had never before experienced the build-up of a Showdown clash. “Growing up in Victoria, I used to watch the match out of

interest. Once I started living over here and being involved in the build-up during the week, it surprises you how much both fan bases have riding on the game,” he said. “There’s certainly a lot of passion out there between the players, but it’s more so among the fans, I’d say.” Pittard has played every game for Port this year after spending most of last season with SANFL club Sturt. He had a ﬁve-match rest with a hamstring injury. But he did come close to AFL selection, having being named an emergency ﬁve times late in the season. “Every player in the AFL gets injured at some stage and it’s really important how they deal with the injury,” he said. “Hopefully, they try to come

He was selected with the draft pick that originally belonged to St Kilda. The Saints traded it to Essendon for Andrew Lovett; the Bombers gave it to Hawthorn for Mark Williams, with the Hawks in turn giving it to Port Adelaide as part of the Shaun Burgoyne trade.

Was given the nickname ‘The Pilchard’ when he arrived at Port Adelaide because of his light build, but he has put on eight kilograms since he was drafted.

back stronger. I probably didn’t deal with it that well and got frustrated. “It’s all a learning experience and part of my development. Probably the fact I was an emergency spurred me on throughout the pre-season to want to get a game this year. At the moment, I’m holding up all right, but it’s a long season to go though.”

Each week throughout the home and away season, a panel of judges will select the nominee for the 2011 NAB AFL Rising Star. At the completion of the season, one outstanding player will be chosen as the 2011 NAB AFL Rising Star winner. He will receive an investment folio, a dedicated personal banker, a financial planner and the Ron Evans Medal, all courtesy of the NAB. The NAB Rising Star award is the final stage of the NAB AFL Rising Stars Program, which supports grassroots players and football communities and helps young Australians fulfil their dream of playing in the AFL.

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Applying data laterally to analyse and understand the modern game.

Can David beat Goliath?

BOLD MOVE:

Essendon could use Dustin Fletcher’s speed and smarts to its advantage at centre half-back.

an Essendon beat Collingwood in this round’s Anzac Day game? My recommendation to the Bombers is they forget about the Magpies’ forward press. It doesn’t exist. It’s a myth and the best way of dispelling it is for coach James Hird to play Dustin Fletcher in the true position of centre half-back. Rather than playing the ‘third-man-up’ role in defence or the ‘tall sweeper’, Hird should return Fletcher to the role he ﬁrst had in 1993. Last Saturday against Carlton, Fletcher demonstrated he still has the agility, speed, smarts and ﬁrepower to do the job. If David wants to beat Goliath, Hird must not play by Mick Malthouse’s rules. Create your own rules, James. Although Mick has the advantage of power and talent to dictate the rules that suit him, I also suspect he is a cagey man involved in a major conspiracy designed to hoodwink opponents into thinking Collingwood has become a tackling monster inside its forward 50m zone. It’s not true. Fremantle has laid the most tackles inside forward 50 of any team and Collingwood is second. However, in terms of opportunity to tackle as expressed by the number of times the ball enters the attacking zone, the Magpies are just a whisker above the competition average. The Sydney Swans, Fremantle, West Coast and Richmond all have higher tackle rates inside forward 50 than Collingwood. If the Magpies are

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not awesome tacklers (in terms of numbers, anyway), why then the perception they are? What is occurring here is an optical illusion, I suggest, that Mick wants opponents to believe. It’s not hard to be duped. Collingwood is entering its attacking zone a staggering 65 times per game, which is signiﬁcantly higher than the competition team average of 53, and a whopping 16 more times than its combined opposition. In effect, all the action is at Collingwood’s attacking end, making it far too easy to swallow the message. The tackling-rate numbers prove there is no Collingwood monster weapon. Mick’s real modus operandi is not tackling, but congestion.

Goliath’s forwards are trained to ‘kill’ hapless defenders in a highly congested forward line. It has potent ‘assassins’ who trained during pre-season in the United States, at a guess using some secret code name like ‘Combat Congestion’. Some of the arsenal relies on big-muscled dam-busters drilled to burst through opposition ranks and goal. They include Chris Dawes, Travis Cloke, Leigh Brown and Darren Jolly. Equally potent is a ground squadron equipped for weaving and dancing through heavy trafﬁc and goal – Alan Didak, Jarryd Blair, Dayne Beams, Steele Sidebottom, Andrew Krakouer and Dale Thomas.

The odds of Essendon recording an upset win are reasonably good

Add Dane Swan, who is mightily is adept at dambusting and weaving. Allowing Collingwood to super-congest its forward line is a certain recipe for an Essendon defeat. James, don’t fall for it. The message is clear – decongest your backline. Fletcher will know how to do it. When Mick sees it happening, you just might catch him off guard. The odds of Essendon recording an upset win are reasonably good, and more so if it plays on its terms rather than Collingwood’s. In the New Yorker magazine (‘How David Beats Goliath’, May 11, 2009), Malcolm Gladwell refers to examples of unlikely wars won and the analysis by political scientist Ivan ArreguinToft. Gladwell says, “even in lopsided contests, the underdog wins almost a third of the time.” After noting the scientist’s simulation modelling, Gladwell concludes: “when the underdogs likewise acknowledged their weaknesses and chose an unconventional strategy ... David’s winning percentage went from 28.5 to 63.6.” On Anzac Day, I don’t expect Collingwood to do other than what it does best – pummel its opposition with forward-50 entries, protect its centre, flanks and backs, and burst and weave through forward congestion to goal. And I would like to see Essendon take a chance, reflecting the Anzac spirit of one team up against the odds, and the other supremely formidable and highly proficient. TED HOPKINS IS A CARLTON PREMIERSHIP PLAYER AND FOUNDER OF CHAMPION DATA. HIS BOOK THE STATS REVOLUTION (SLATTERY MEDIA GROUP) WILL BE RELEASED MAY 1. CAN YOU HELP IDENTIFY O ANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO APPEAR ON THE COVER OF THE BOOK WITH TED HOPKINS? EMAIL A COM PETERD@SLATTERYMEDIA.COM

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