AFL NEWS
Thursday, 6 November, 2008
Adam Simpson has stepped down as North Melbourne captain, and, depending on which newspaper you read, Brent Harvey is a certainty to win the job, or he’ll face a titanic struggle with Drew Petrie, among others.
According to Michael Gleeson of the Age, Harvey, who skippered Australia in the recent International Rules series against Ireland, is hot favorite to get the job in what is expected to be his final year as an AFL player. He lists Petrie and Brady Rawlings as other possible replacements.
But Damien Barrett of the Herald Sun says that while 30-year-old Harvey is a “marginal favorite”, he says the battle with Petrie is expected to “go to the wire” and lists Queenslander Daniel Pratt and Michael Firrito as bolters. Barrett writes that the Roos will give strong consideration to appointing 26-year-old Petrie.
According to all media reports, North coach Dean Laidley said the club was highly unlikely to select multiple captains. He was open to the idea that with such a young list, the club select a young captain to be the long-term leader, but there was a sense it would look to the best credentialled of its leaders.
Of his decision to stand down, Simpson, who turns 33 next February, said: "I think it is time to pass it on. I always said I would like to pass it on going into what could be my last year of footy and it gives me a real chance to work with some young kids and a bit more one-on-one stuff. I want to help the new skipper get through his first years and take it from there."
Simpson admitted the experience of Melbourne's David Neitz, who carried the captaincy into what became an injury-plagued final season, weighed heavily on his mind. "If you are captain in your last year and it doesn't go well it could create a bit of a void for the next captain … so worst-case scenario we wouldn't want that to happen," Simpson said.
"We have a couple of leaders I reckon might be ready, so I thought why wait? And instead of making a tough decision mid-year we could start fresh now. There are a few obvious candidates there with Brent Harvey, Drew, and Brady being in our leadership group, so I would say they would make a decision out of those three — but then there is Daniel Pratt who is an exceptional leader as well."
Simpson held the job for five difficult years, with the club facing relocation to the Gold Coast and the on-going battle to survive."It was pretty tough because you are always thinking of the survival of the club and I think we have just about got over that horizon … I don't think some of the leaders from other clubs have that pressure although it was never put on me personally. You just feel that being an older player and the captain, you feel like you need success for us to survive. It's a new era now … but there was always that pressure that, gee, if we have a couple of bad years in a row, you don't want to be the last captain of the footy club."
Simpson has been in the role since the end of 2003. He replaced Anthony Stevens at the end of 2003 and, with 110 games at the helm, is North's third longest-serving skipper behind Wayne Carey (184) and Wayne Schimmelbusch (150).
A BLUE SHIRT FOR HARVEY, JOHNSON
Robert Harvey still speaks of his new club Carlton as "them" not "us", suggesting 20 years of indoctrination cannot be forgotten in days, but he has at least learned to pull on the new navy blue shirt of his new club. Harvey began as an assistant coach on Monday but it took until yesterday to pull the new shirt over his head. "I was keen to get away from the place I have been for so long — I think that will give me the answer in the next couple of years whether that (ambitions for senior coaching) is the case." Harvey joins former West Coast assistant Darren Harris and former Blue David Teague in setting up the Blues' development academy, which will focus on the under-22 bracket.
Joining Harvey at Carlton training yesterday was ex-Melbourne star Chris Johnson after the club confirmed an interest in taking Johnson in the pre-season draft.
NO RUSH ON RULE CHANGE
The AFL Commission will next month make the final decision on a new rule to curb rushed behinds, reports Mark Stevens of the Herald Sun. A Laws of the Game Committee meeting on 27 October fine-tuned a list of recommendations, but any new rule must be rubber-stamped at the commission meeting on 15 December, he writes. Once a decision is made, the rule will be trialled in the pre-season NAB Cup. If successful, it is likely to be implemented from Round 1, 2009. Several options have been considered to stem deliberate rushed behinds, including a free kick from where the ball is rushed through the goals, a throw-in from the behind post and a bounce 25m out. But AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson would not be drawn yesterday on which option the Laws of the Game committee preferred. "Each option has been considered and a recommendation will be made for a trial in the NAB Cup with a view to it potentially coming in for the premiership season," Anderson said. "The commission is the body that makes the decision."
The commission could also discuss the issue of four field umpires, which the AFL last month announced as another potential change to the game. The league revealed West Coast had pushed for four umpires to offer more protection for onballers. Expanding the umpiring numbers would allow an extra whistle-blower at every stoppage, watching for illegal holding tactics. "It's more of a question for the commission and executive. The Laws of the Game Committee has really been more of a sounding board on that," Anderson said.
ROCCA PUTS NFL ON HOLD
Anthony Rocca is determined to extract every last AFL game from his body before he even considers trying American football, reports Jon Ralph of the Herald Sun. Rocca will soon sign a one-year deal and says he is "absolutely flying" after recovering from a foot stress fracture. While some fans have wondered whether the 31-year-old might retire to take up NFL punting, but Rocca said he was committed to the Magpies. He said yesterday he would play AFL football until he was no longer wanted and only then would he consider joining his brother Saverio as a punter in the NFL. Rocca said that because of his age and injury-prone body he would play like it was his "last year" in the AFL. But if there was a chance to extend his career beyond 2009, he would take it.
"I am in the process of nutting out a one-year contract and whether I am still good enough to keep going after that, we will see how my year goes," Rocca said. "If I feel the body can go again and the club wants me to go again, I will play. I want to get everything possible out of my body in the AFL scene. Once I have done that, well that's when I will move on. In a sense I am playing like this is my last year, because I don't know where next year will take me. I don't want that to be a headline, it's just that it's the way I see every year now."
BETTING FIRM EYES AFL MONEY
The AFL will rejig exclusive deals with two gambling companies that are threatening to block new sponsorship money entering the sport, according to Dan Silkstone of the Age. But despite a host of likely changes aimed at funnelling more gambling money into football, a ban on bookmaking companies sponsoring clubs is set to continue, putting the league's interests on a possible collision course with its poorest clubs. As the Western Bulldogs, Richmond and Melbourne struggle to attract major sponsors in a difficult economic climate, a flood of new gambling money is rushing into sports sponsorship. Corporate bookmakers, mostly Darwin-based, had been prevented from advertising in Victoria and NSW or sponsoring sporting teams. But the removal of those obstacles by the two state governments has started a scramble for sponsorship properties across Australian sport. Already, agencies have signed as naming rights sponsor for the A-League's Newcastle Jets and as major sponsor of the Australian Masters golf tournament. But while many betting companies say they are interested in backing AFL clubs, they have been prevented by the league's exclusivity deals with Betfair and Tabcorp.
The five-year "partnership" deals were signed in 2005 as part of an agreement expected to net the league a share of gambling revenue valued at up to $10 million. They also included a requirement that the two companies provide client lists to the league to ensure that players are not betting on football. Several bookmaking firms, including Sportsbet and Centrebet, have held talks with the Western Bulldogs hoping to secure an agreement to sponsor the club. Centrebet has received an official proposal from the Bulldogs, outlining the level of contribution that is required. Richmond confirmed yesterday it had also held talks with bookmaking agencies about sponsorship. But neither Centrebet nor Sportsbet are currently permitted to sponsor a club, under the AFL's exclusive deals with Betfair and Tabcorp.
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