ESSENDON coach James Hird remains defiant in the face of continuous speculation that he will resign from his position.
Speaking today, Hird put to bed any concerns Essendon supporters may have by replying with a steely “no” when asked about the issue.
Twitter was rife with rumours of an impending announcement yesterday, as a journalist with The Conversation tweeted of breaking news surrounding coaches and the use of substances banned for athletes.
The tweet was followed later by a barrage of tweets claiming Mike Sheahan had told the crowd at an Assumption College event that Hird would be standing down at a press conference today.
The rumours were slammed yesterday by Essendon spokesman Justin Rodski, who took to twitter last night to reaffirm that the Hird speculation was “NOT true – I repeat, James Hird is not standing down”.
The speculation comes as News Limited last night reported that Essendon are expecting to be charged by the AFL in the coming days for bringing the game into disrepute, though are preparing to vigorously fight any sanction involving the removal of Essendon from this year’s finals.
New Essendon Chairman Paul Little last night issued an open letter to the club’s members, emphasising that the player’s welfare remains the top priority of the club.
“Our primary consideration in this process has always been the welfare of our players. This hasn’t changed,” Little said.
Meanwhile, the AFL Players Association do not expect any infraction notices to be issued to players.
AFLPA boss Matt Finnis today said it his expectation that no infraction notices will be issued, however, he couldn’t 100 per cent rule out that outcome.
“I’ve got no information before me that would suggest that is going to happen, but clearly ASADA have labelled the report as interim, so I don’t think we can rule that out,” he said.
“That’s unfortunate, but it’s the reality.
With no infraction notices seemingly due to be issued, News Limited report that Jobe Watson will keep his 2012 Brownlow Medal.
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HAWTHORN champion Lance Franklin will miss tomorrow night’s clash with St Kilda after a hamstring injury.
Franklin had a scan earlier in the week after complaining of tightness, the scan reveales no serious damage.
Hawks coach Alastair clarkson confirmed this morning that a cautious approach will be taken with his key forward.
“We’ve been a bit more cautious with his hamstring this time around. Last year he thought he was OK and aggravated it,” Clarkson said.
“He’s an important player, we want to make sure he’s right for the last part of the year.”
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BRISBANE has lodged a formal request for help to the league in order to pay 100% of the club’s salary cap.
Fairfax Media today report that the Lions are expecting another loss totaling seven figures.
Lions chairman Angus Johnson confirmed the approach to the league.
”We’re seeking financial help from the AFL to enable the club to pay 100 per cent of the salary cap and to put resources into our football department,” Johnson said.
WESTERN BULLDOG star Tom Liberatore has extended his contract by a further three years.
At only 21-years old, the hard-nut leads the league in clearances, are remarkable statistics for someone so young.
Western Bulldogs list manager Jason McCartney was full of praise for the father-son player.
“It shows any of our young players that with an extra pre-season, with a quality coaching program in place, they can come on pretty quickly.
“We were confident we had a quality player on our hands, but it would it be fair to say, ‘Did we think he would be in that upper echelon with some of those KPIs (key performance indicators) against the AFL benchmarks this year?’ Probably not, but he’s been able to do it.”
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THE NAB Cup looks set to be abolished in it’s current form as the league look to shorten the pre-season.
The clubs and league are in agreement that the pre-season schedule needs to be shortened, but have yet to decide whether clubs will play two or three practice matches from next year.
It means that the regular season would likely be brought forward by a week to accommodate the addition of an extra bye for each club.
The AFL commission is likely to decide on the format of the 2014 fixture when it meets this coming Monday.
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COLLINGWOOD is set to play swing-man Ben Reid in a forward role for the rest of the season.
Reid has been a revelation up forward for the Pies, who have lacked a genuine foil to Travis Cloke.
Buckley confirmed that he plans to let Reid establish himself at the front end of the ground, with the likes of Lachie Keffe to fill the void left down back.
“Lachie Keeffe has come in and arguably defended better than Reidy did, so that’s a win-win on both sides,” Buckley said.
“Reidy is telling us with his form that he wants to be a forward, so we will keep playing him there. (He) had six shots on goal (against Essendon) and should have kicked five or six himself (he finished with 3.3). He has relished his opportunities there.”
Buckley also confirmed that star duo Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury will both play this week, despite not training.
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ST KILDA looks set to make an assault on the free agency period this off-season after rectifying salary cap issues that plagued the club in recent years.
Saints coach Scott Watters was today confident of luring talent in this year’s window.
“I don’t think people understood how bad a position we were in and we are only now in a position to be on the offensive this year,” he said.
“We will be going out to get the players we think will help our club.”
THE AFL is investigating ways to tackle drugs and supplements in the sport in light of the scandals surrounding Essendon and Ahmed Saad.
Fairfax Media report that the AFL is working towards creating an approved list of supplement and suppliers in order to minimise the risks of performance-enhancing drugs entering the sport, and to provide a clear picture of what is and isn’t permissible.
