Carlton's Brock McLean set to face sanction from AFL and Blues after offensive response to fan on Twitter
Carlton midfielder Brock McLean looks certain to face a sanction from the AFL after directing a foul-mouthed response to a fan on social networking site Twitter.

As reported on FOX FOOTY's AFL 360 on Tuesday night, the incident came after the Blues hard man tweeted "Today can f*** right off" to his 9,000 followers.



A fan responded by asking McLean: "did you finally get delisted?"

McLean tweeted back "No, you're mum has given me aids".

McLean's tweet came after injured Blues players Jeremy Laidler, Marc Murphy and Jarrad Waite were fined a total of $7500 by the AFL last week for making comments about umpires on Twitter.

Neither Carlton or the AFL have commented on the McLean matter.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/carltons-brock-mclean-set-to-face-sanction-from-afl-and-blues-after-offensive-response-to-fan-on-twitter/story-e6frf3e3-1226409505932

Goodness me, the Sydney Swans are champions at just about giving me a heart attack....

Problem is that people bait players so they can show the media .

Now for AFL austerity measures June 28, 2012

THE AFL has embarked on a severe campaign of cost cutting to slash $5 million from its annual budget and is encouraging clubs to follow suit in tightening their belts.

The AFL's acting chief executive, Gillon McLachlan, last night confirmed the austerity campaign but refused to say which football and competition initiatives would be hardest hit.

McLachlan denied the cuts were related to alleged blowouts in funding for Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, despite some scepticism from the existing clubs. He stressed that the $220 million originally committed over six years for the Suns and the Giants would not increase.

''We're having a look at our cost base like most businesses are at the moment,'' said McLachlan. ''We've had sustained periods of growth but we are looking at all departments and programs and we're reviewing that cost base and reviewing the budget structure for the 2013 budget process.

''It's the right time after a period of widespread growth and development to consolidate and maybe spend less in more areas across all departments.''

All AFL departments including football, game development, strategy and club support, and marketing and commercial operations are looking at cost cutting and must report back to the league's financial boss, Ian Anderson, by August.

It is now unlikely there will be an exhibition game played in London in October, as previously forecast - although McLachlan said that game was a separate issue - and, while unrelated, Richmond will not contest a pre-season game in India next year. No budget has been put in place by the AFL for that game and the Tigers have put their plans off for a further 12 months.

While McLachlan would not put a figure on the cuts, The Age believes the AFL aims to cut $5 million from its budget forecasts each year for the next three years. This is despite the competition expecting better-than-forecast results over that time, largely thanks to corporate and sponsorship agreements.

The AFL has recently struck impressive new 10-year deals with Carlton United Breweries, the ACT government and, before that, NAB.

McLachlan denied the substantial pay rise afforded the players in the five-year $1.144 billion wage deal secured by the AFL Players Association led to the austerity measures.

The players won a rise of 7 per cent in clubs' total player payments for next season, 4 per cent in 2013 and just over 5 per cent in 2014.

However, many of those increases have been absorbed by the clubs, including next year's 40 per cent increase in marketing payments outside the salary cap, an increase in rookie payments of up to 20 per cent and additional injury payments.

The clubs were also horrified - and some kept in the dark until February - to learn they had to budget for an extra $100,000 to cover AFL-related expenses including footballs and development technology.

Ian Anderson has again warned clubs about failing to meet budgets, with the AFL increasingly concerned at Brisbane's abysmal off-field performance and looking closely at Port Adelaide and St Kilda, to name two.

AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick recently stated that the AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou's ''unfinished business'' included working with close to half the clubs still failing to break even, with many of those still in multimillion-dollar debt.


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/now-for-afl-austerity-measures-20120627-212xp.html#ixzz1z23yaNVq

Rivalries to stand the test of time

by: Neil Cordy From: The Daily Telegraph June 29, 2012 12:00AM

THEY are the future of the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants rivalry - and the envy of rival clubs.

They are also the stars the AFL hopes will capture the imagination of Sydney sports fans for years to come.

The expectation is especially high for Giants teenagers Jonathon Patton and Jeremy Cameron.

The AFL has invested $200 million in their club to win over western Sydney's rugby league-loving public and the two youngsters will play a vital role in achieving that aim.

It's so far, so good because they are already being compared with some of the greatest goalkicking combinations.

But older and wiser Swans duo Sam Reid and Lewis Jetta will be standing in their way in the battle for the hearts and minds of Sydney fans.

Not surprisingly, the entrenched Swans have the upper hand this season with nine wins from 12 matches to sit second on the ladder.

The Giants, also not surprisingly, have won just one match from 12.

But the new kids on the block have earned many admirers for their hard-nosed brand of contested football.

It is a style that looks very similar to their cross-town rivals and one which will stand them in good stead when they mature as a side in a few years.

"There is a little bit of Swans about them but we are going out to show them who's boss," Reid said.

The Swans ran out comfortable 63-point winners in the first Sydney Derby in March. But the Giants now have a dozen games under their belts - and their first win.

"They're doing a lot of things right," Reid said.

"We expect nothing less than what we would get from a top side, so we'll go out like any other game and try to hit them as hard as we can."It's a game we want to put our stamp on. Sydney's our place."

Patton missed the first local derby through injury and can't wait for his chance to perform on the big stage at ANZ Stadium tomorrow night.

While the Swans have the upper hand at the moment, Patton believes the Giants will be ahead in the wins column when the budding rivalry reaches the 10-year mark.

"I think we'll have them pretty comfortably by 2022," the AFL's No.1 draft pick said.

Patton and Cameron already look very accomplished in front of goal.

Cameron has been a real sharpshooter, booting 21 goals and just five behinds in his 10 games.

Reid struggled with his accuracy last year, kicking 22 goals and 26 behinds.

But hard work over the pre-season has brought a better reward of 13 goals and 11 behinds this year.

"I've been putting a lot of work in with a lot of coaches who are supportive and it's starting to pay off," Reid said.

"Last year what I was doing in training was slightly different from what I was doing in games and it was a matter of doing what I was doing at training and transferring it over.

"I've been able to do that most of the year and it has helped."

Reid hopes to emulate the turnaround of Jetta.

After booting 19 straight behinds in his debut season (2010), Jetta finished with seven goals and 21 behinds.

Last season it was nine goals and 12 behinds and this year a stunning 28 goals and 10 behinds from just 12 matches.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/rivalries-to-stand-the-test-of-time/story-e6frexx0-1226411627539

Is anyone tired of AFL changing the rules? the games losing its skill.

The game has turned to reward faster players purely for being fast. It's a shame, you've seen in the last 5-10 years how much kicking has regressed in technique.

Yeah=\ i wish there was a bigger push to reverse rule changes.

Is anyone tired of AFL changing the rules? the games losing its skill.

Not necessarily skill, more the hardness that's leaving the game.

Its hard to describe but theyve made the game more atking as well losing defensive and mental skill.

Edited by glory recruit: 30/6/2012 09:20:01 PM

The write stuff

July 1, 2012

Read later.Dear draftee,

On behalf of the AFL, we congratulate you on your selection in the 2012 national draft. Before you embark on an exciting and lucrative career, we would like you to be aware of some of the social responsibilities that come with being an AFL footballer.

There has never been a better time to play in the AFL, despite the scrutiny that some players receive. The player of today plays in magnificent stadiums, is paid more than a cabinet minister or plumber, and will get to the front of any nightclub queue and spring carnival marquee. But these privileges also bring responsibilities, which we as a competition take very seriously.

Your starting salary will be a base of about $70,000, plus match payments, which will put you well ahead of any uni student or apprentice. Even moderate players can make $300,000, about $600,000 if they are willing to live and work in greater western Sydney and a million dollars if they are well-known rugby league stars without basic skills.

In return for that wage, you will have to forfeit some basic freedoms and liberties that are enjoyed by most people your age. We remind you that you are a role model and thus subject to higher standards. You should be careful about how you behave in public. You will find it harder to take drugs or drink regularly — we test for drugs and will not let you play if you keep taking them, and your skinfolds will suffer if you drink beer.

As mentioned, footballers are VIPs, you will get free entry to nightclubs and drink cards, but once you're inside you are every chance to be filmed on an iPhone when staggering around, fighting, trying to pick up girls and acting stupid. Even if you are just having a quiet one and some hoon takes a swing at you, rest assured it will be your picture in the paper, and questions will be asked as to why you were out so late.

Conversely, the upside is, even if you did belt him, your club will call it an unprovoked attack.

Speaking of mobile phones, you may be surprised to learn that tweets aren't private text messages. You will be fined if you bag the umpires on Twitter. You will be fined as much as $5000 for making tasteless comments, just as you will be fined or suspended if you say something similar on the field, or to a spectator who is abusing you. Do not make gestures to ugly members of opposition cheer squads.

If you do anything criminal, such as being caught in a drug deal, assaulting a cab driver or bashing someone, you can count on your club to help out with hiring lawyers and, if possible, trying to get you off the charge on a technicality. But at the same time, you will have to front your club's leadership group, which may decide to suspend you, regardless of what happens in court.

If your teammates go soft, then we may step in and suspend you anyway. We would not be pre-judging your guilt or innocence, of course. We have had a player involved in an incident where a person was attacked with a machete, and we didn't have any idea what to do, so we said we would let the courts deal with it. We are just trying to maintain standards.

If you are suspended, it is likely that you will have to stand in front of the cameras and make a statement. You will apologise for your actions and read a prepared statement, saying: “I have let myself down, my teammates and club down, and my family.” Remember to look down and sound as though you mean it.

We ask you to actually read our respect and responsibility policy for women and listen when you are briefed on it.

The media is a key partner for us. In effect, it provides most of the money via broadcast rights and exposing sponsorship, so you should always be polite to them, no matter how annoying they are. Your club will train you to speak in cliches and never to say anything interesting about yourself (apart from a family tragedy), not to divulge slightly revealing game plans and, above all, never to say anything that the opposition coach could use to motivate the players. If you kick 10 goals, the club will be pleased when you say “the boys had a great win, everyone really put in”, because you aren't getting ahead of yourself.

When you are coming out of contract, journalists will try to trap you into saying either that you want to “stay for life and be a one-club player”, an easy headline on a slow news day, or that you will wait until the end of the season — generally, the latter is code for “I'm leaving”. The best way to answer, given that we now have free agency, is to say, “I've left it all in the hands of my manager, and I hope it gets sorted out.” This could mean anything and keeps your options open.

You will have to learn to speak like an AFL player and to use the correct jargon for what happens on the field, making it sound much more scientific than it is. You will be the “hit up” (leading) player, try to “spot up” (kick it short) and become your team's “plus one” (loose man) while sticking to the all-important “structures” (team rules).

As an AFL footballer, people will be interested in your social views. You might not have strong opinions on climate change, refugees or gay marriage, but many of your peers will venture opinions, via social media, on important matters such as the pre-season play-offs, Lebron James, the NFL and the English Premier League.

The average AFL careers lasts three or four years. Some of you will go on to become household names with high profiles and T-shirt businesses, then subsequently coaches and commentators. If you are offered a media gig — a newspaper column especially — you're going to have to start thinking for yourself. In any case, we encourage you to take it, while it lasts.

All the best,

Mike and Andrew.


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/the-write-stuff-20120630-219wf.html#ixzz1zKq1zyH0

Cats' smallest crowd for 20 years

July 1, 2012 - 5:25PM

Geelong's players and coaching staff will wake up on the Gold Coast on Monday morning, choosing to escape the Victorian winter for a training camp for the second year in a row as they search for their 2011 premiership form.

The Cats jumped on a bus to the airport soon after their 38-point defeat of Port Adelaide at home and disappeared north with a respectable 8-5 record, but no sign of the dominance of the previous few seasons. They meet Gold Coast Suns next Sunday, but the players will be given several days off to rest up in the lead-up to that game. Geelong had a similar interstate jaunt last year and rolled into the back half of the season playing at their best.

"This has been planned from a long way out," said coach Chris Scott. "We've got to get up there at some stage so we thought it best to get there early, have a long preparation for the Gold Coast. there's a bit of room for some downtime for the players as well. I thought the weather today at Geelong was a pointer to why we're getting up to the Gold Coast."

Once again Scott's team was subdued before 13,736 people, the smallest home crowd since a game against the defunct Brisbane Bears in 1991. While the cold, wet weather and the demolition of the Hickey Stand would have been factors, it added to the feeling that Geelong has slipped back to the pack in more ways than one.

Angered by his team's poor starts previously, it was the third quarter that annoyed Scott, when Port outscored Geelong 4-2 to 3-2 and threatened to cause a boilover. The Cats responded to his three-quarter time spray with a good last quarter, but it was not the demolition that observers would have expected of a premiership contender. "I was pretty firm with the players," said Scott. "There were a few things we tried to put in place that weren't done well enough. We were still in relative control on the scoreboard but we've got to be better than falling back into bad habits when the scoreboard's going our way."

Port, missing half a dozen of its best players, had numbers behind the football and created a contest whenever it could, slowing Geelong down. The tactic worked well in the wet conditions. "It was obvious from a couple of hours before the game it was going to be a slippery sort of game, tough to get your offensive game going," said Scott. "We thought for the most part we were pretty good, but not much more than that. The opposition was certainly enthusiastic. They were very good in the that third quarter but we thought we were poor. In the end we probably did what we needed to do, but not much more than that."

Veterans Paul Chapman (groin), Josh Hunt (toe) and David Wojcinski (soreness) should be available to play on the Gold Coast. In their absence Geelong played a young side - nine players with fewer than 50 games' experience - and drew a fine debut from 20-year-old Jordan Murdoch as well as an outstanding on-ball game from Allen Christensen.

"We've got a few guys in that 30 to 40 game mark who are starting to become quite dependable players," said Scott. "Now they're not Jimmy Bartel yet, so we've got to accept some inconsistencies, but we've got to be firm during the week in the way we coach during the week that those things are ironed out quickly. Sixty three inside 50s to 37 or something, we dominated the game. We could have won by a little bit more but I don't want to get too picky at this time of year."


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/cats-smallest-crowd-for-20-years-20120701-21akp.html#ixzz1zM38dFe9