-
It has become common practice this millennium to sack your coach if things aren’t going well, it must be their fault, who else could be blamed! But is changing a coach the answer, are they actually that important?At an AFL level each player has their own position coach and on top of that they may have a goal kicking coach. They are scrutinised via video and given hours of practice a week to improve their technique or game plan. When a team starts playing badly you don’t hear the fans asking for...
-
It is trade week in the AFL, and while most of the action is simply talking at the moment, we can expect a flurry of deals to occur over the next 72 hours. There are many rumours darting in all directions, and one of these raised yesterday centred around Brendan Fevola.It was announced by Fevola’s management that a Melbourne based club had made inquiries about how the troubled star was travelling. The inquiries were made by a List Manager, rather than a coach, and he then took that information...
-
Gubby Allan, Kevin Sheedy and Mark Williams, all the big names you would want on your side when trying to put an AFL team together that will A; be competitive from round one 2012, and B; win a premiership by 2015/2016 but, are they on the right track?It is hard to sit back and criticise a man like Kevin Sheedy who has been such an extraordinary innovator and creator in our great game of AFL, but has he bitten off more that he can chew at the Giants? Sheedy and Allan have recruited a mix of...
-
Earlier in the year, regular AFL Record readers may recall that there was a Short Story competition held which asked the reader to outline their vision of what the AFL would look like in 2022. Whilst a bit far fetched in suggesting that a fully-blown AFL World Cup (in the style of FIFA's own World Cup) would start in 2018, and even more so Japan becoming the first winners, some aspects of this 'World Cup' could yet be introduced to the AFL by 2030. However, there are other key aspects which are...
-
It seems that there is an elephant in the room after the 2011 Brownlow Medal presentation.Another Brownlow Medal count has come and gone, and for yet another season, we have seen the umpires' votes throw up an interesting winner.Before I get too far into divulging why I feel this way, I firstly want to say congratulations to Dane Swan for winning the 2011 Brownlow Medal. Swan is a champion of the game that has been a major reason why the Magpies are where they are today, and certainly deserved...
-
It's that time of year again. Melbourne is abuzz as the Grand Final approaches, captivating even the most casual of football supporters. If there's anything that's sure to attract the attention of a nation, it's a blockbuster Grand Final. Thankfully, that's exactly what we have. As it usually is, the minor premiership winners in the Collingwood Magpies will face the second-placed and surprisingly rampaging Geelong Cats on Saturday afternoon in front of a sell out crowd. In terms of...
-
Fallen AFL star Brendan Fevola has found an ally in North Melbourne legend Wayne Carey, who says the former Carlton and Brisbane Lions forward deserves another chance at AFL level.Carey, himself no stranger to controversy away from the football field, said Fevola's performances for Casey Scorpions in the VFL this season shows the 30-year-old still has a lot to offer at the highest level."I think he's doing everything right, he had a great second half (to the season), he's got himself fit and he...
-
With less than 25% of fans still supporting their team this year, it’s time to look towards the future for the majority.In 2011, the AFL introduced two major rule changes; the sub and the modification of the advantage rule. Have these changes worked and how can they be improved for 2012?When the sub rule was announced, I was against it, thinking it wasn't necessary at all. As the year has progressed I have started to see the benefits. The main thing has been the football played in the last...
-
It’s been an emotional seven days since the controversial and bewildering decision by the Fremantle Football Club to sack Mark Harvey, and seven days since morals and ethics were consigned to the trash can.When I first heard of the sacking I was in absolute outrage and disgust, and immediately began questioning the sanity of the board. There appeared to be no logic or reasoning behind this controversial decision and I immediately started thinking that something substantial had occurred between...
-
AFL boss Andrew Demetriou is confident there won't be any industrial action at Monday's Brownlow Medal count, despite a pay deal yet to be struck with players.The players rejected the AFL's $1.144 billion pay offer over five years last Thursday, saying they want a three-year agreement, which would provide more flexibility.Demetriou said today there had been no further meetings or dialogue with the players' union since last week.The players' union chief executive Matt Finnis has not ruled out...
