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AFL - 2011 Coaches Preview

With the NAB Cup starting this Friday night, The Bear thought it was an opportune time to review where each coach would need to finish at the end of the season to keep their job at their respective clubs.

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Jumping On The Shorter Version Bandwagon

Last week I wrote about the idea of a short form of the game of Aussie Rules as being touted by Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy. What a great concept. Just look what it’s done for the game of cricket. A few traditionalists spoke to me during the week about my article, and whole heartedly disagreed with what I had written.

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AFL 11's

Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy wants to bring a shorter version of football to the AFL, in a “Twenty20” style game that has been so successful for cricket. Sheedy believes an “AFL 11’s” style of game would help the AFL get a foothold in the Greater Western area.

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Underwood Over and Out

In a survey of Herald Sun readers, Aussie Rules fans made it clear that they did not like the calling technique of Kelli Underwood. In fact, 39% found her to be the most annoying commentator of the game on television.

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AFL Video Call

It’s been pretty quite on the AFL front over the past couple of weeks, except for the human headline Brendan Fevola, who once again, has managed to make the news. I will not comment on his latest alleged incident – it’s been commented on enough times already.

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AFL - 2010 Review

The 2010 AFL season wasn’t without its share of drama. With 2011 just around the corner, the Bear takes a look at four of the biggest stories from the 2010 season.

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AFL - When Will They Learn?

The St Kilda scandal continues. In case you haven’t heard, the girl at the centre of the St Kilda sex scandal earlier this year has published nude pictures of Nick Reiwoldt on her Facebook page in what she labels as “revenge” for the humiliation she has suffered even though the St Kilda captain had nothing to do with the girl in the first place.

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AFL - Champions League Disappointment

The Bear mentioned a few weeks ago that he for once was happy with the initiative shown by the AFL with its proposed Champions League competition for state league clubs. The proposed competition showed that the AFL had foresight – something I believe it has lacked for quite a while – by exposing players in the second tier of the game on a national stage and giving the game more exposure nationally.

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AFL - Bomber v Ablett

I know the Bear has already talked about Bomber Thompsons departure from Geelong, but revelations this week that the former Cats coach had a falling out mid season with another former Cat, Brownlow medalist Gary Ablett, means the Bear has more to add to this sorry saga.

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AFL - Whats Zurich got to do with it?

Well what a week it was in Zurich. Australia went into to the all important FIFA World Cup host nation vote full of confidence but came out the other end humiliated after receiving only one vote out of 22. So what does this mean for football in this country?

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AFL - Craigs Tour of Duty

The Bear notes that Adelaide Crows coach Neil Craig was absent from the AFL national draft the other week, while all the other rival coaches were there picking up players for the future…At the draft the Bear was asking, “where’s Craig?”.

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AFL - Williams Deja Vu

Back in 1997 Mark Williams was appointed assistant coach at the start up club Port Power. Two years later he went on to become the Power head coach, taking over from legendary Port Adelaide coach Jack Cahill.

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Punting - A delicate ecosystem

The Federal Court ruled on Thursday that corporate betting agencies must now pay a royalty fee of 1.5% on race betting turnover to Racing NSW for races conducted in NSW. Previously, the royalty fee was paid according to the difference between the value of the bets placed and the value of the bets won, ie the profit made by the agency. It is anticipated that this will now reap an average of $50 million a year for Racing NSW.

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AFL - Club name should be a tangible asset

If you were told “we’re about to be attacked by school of sharks” or “we’re about to be attacked by bunch of giants”, which would make you run for cover? Unless you’re five years of age or under, the warcry of “Giants!” is unlikely to phase you. Yet for some reason the marketers working for some of the newer clubs insist on going down this path.

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AFL - Ex-Cat becomes a Bomber again

Hey, Sports Planet editor, I feel a bit tired of writing articles and am suffering from burnout. Can you excuse me from my last year of my contract? No, no, I won’t be writing for someone else....

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AFL - Craig Foster - Soccer's Mr Negative

I used to love watching Craig Foster play for Adelaide City in the old NSL, and on Ten News @ Five. But now I cringe every time I see you on TV, waiting anxiously to hear your next negative comment. I have watched you during the last two World Cups and you have bored me to tears with your negative attitude to everything.

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AFL International - No thanks

What is the point of this series? A hybrid version of AFL & Gaelic football just doesn’t work! Combining two different types of football codes into one for a couple of games every two years doesn’t excite anyone. What is the AFL trying to achieve?

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National Competition With Local Feel

I know I’ve been critical of the AFL in the past, and quite rightly so, I think you’d agree, but if the rumors are correct then there is a concept doing the rounds at the moment which will move the game of Australian Rules forward, as opposed to the sideways movement for which the AFL administration has become famous for.

AFL

AFL Trade Winds

The AFL is well and truly over for another season. Trade week has been and gone and the national draft is coming up next. With that in mind, we look at some of the movers and shakers so far.

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AFL changing the wrong rules

Once again the AFL is considering changing one of the rules of the game, a rule that doesn’t require a lot of tinkering. And of course they have got it wrong, again! There are more important rule changes that need to be considered other than the interchange rule.

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Lessons for the AFL.

Andrew Demetriou and the AFL Commission may want to take note of the following in preparation for the 2011 season. AFL Grand Final Replay. What lessons can be learned? Well for starters, two Grand Finals in one year aren’t more exciting than one.

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AFL – Grand Final - What an anti-climax.

Take last weeks “Grand Final”. It was a heart stopping and entertaining match which provided a spectacle for everyone watching including neutral supporters. Fast forward one week, and boy is the story different. As a neutral, I was wishing that there was a snooze button on my TV. And in the end, last weeks game counted for nothing.

SANFL

SANFL - Bassett happy to be underdog

Norwood coach Nathan Bassett says that his team are clearly the underdog in their SANFL grand final clash with Central Districts this Sunday. “From the outside, most people would justifiably back Centrals, but obviously that doesn’t mean we’re not capable of playing very good football, which would give us every chance of winning”, Bassett told sportsplanet.com.au.

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SANFL - Norwood into Grand Final

The Redlegs managed to do what the Saints almost did in yesterdays AFL Grand Final – come back from a significant deficit at half time to win a thriller against Woodville-West Torrens at Football Park today.

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AFL Grand Final - Extra Time Please

For all the build up during the week – the Brownlow Monday night, the various Grand Final footy shows, the Friday parade, the traditional North Melbourne Breakfast and all the pre match entertainment – punters could be forgiven for feeling as if it was all for nothing as the final siren sounded and both side walked away empty handed in one of the biggest anti-climax’s in recent AFL history.

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The Brownlow - Is is time for change?

How do you feel if you’re Dane Swan? After going in as one of the hottest favorites in recent history to win the Brownlow he’s walked away empty handed. He didn’t even come runner up. He finished third. Yet while most of the punters in Australia seemed to think he would end the night wearing Charlie around his neck, it seems that the guys in white had a different view.

AFL - Brownlow Medal

It's Judd's Medal

Chris Judd Has won the 2010 Brownlow medal, the second in his career. The Carlton captain finished with a total of 30 points, four points ahead of last year’s winner Gary Ablett, and six points ahead of medal favorite Dane Swan.

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AFL Finals - How things have changed!

In the early to mid part of the new millennium it seemed as if the Victorian clubs could no longer match it with their interstate rivals. Six premierships in a row from 2001 to 2006 to the interstaters (Brisbane 2001-03, Port 2004 and West Coast and Sydney 2005-06) showed that Victorian teams no longer were the dominant force they once were.

SANFL

SANFL Finals - Week 2 Preview & Teams

Glenelg’s record against Woodville West Torrens this year is a sound one – a 39 point win at the Bay coupled with a 33 point win at Woodville Oval. But this could all count for nothing as the Tigers face an increasingly confident Eagles outfit in the First Semi Final at AAMI Stadium on Sunday.