UPDATE: THE Match Review Panel has have offered four players suspensions this week as Essendon lose two stars.
Essendon’s Dustin Fletcher and Patrick Ryder, Hawthorn’s Campbell Brown and Melbourne’s Mitch Clisby have been offered two, one, three and three weeks respectively.
The suspension means that Fletcher will have to wait until round 23 to break the leading games record-holder for Essendon, after he was charged with a level 3 rough conduct charge for a bump on Jamie Cripps.
St Kilda’s Adam Schneider and and North Melbourne’s Aaron Black can each accept reprimands.
Hawthorn’s Cyril Rioli and Port Adelaide’s Jackson Trengove were both cleared of any wrongdoing for dubious tackles.
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ESSENDON appears set to fight any charge handed down to the club as the AFL are expected to charge Essendon and key personnel with ‘bringing the game intro disrepute’ and ‘conduct unbecoming’ respectfully within the next 36 hours.
News Limited report that the AFL will be seeking the stripping of premiership points and draft picks, the removal of coach James Hird, Doctor Bruce Reid and Head of the Football Department Danny Corcoran from their positions as well as the largest fine in league history.
Essendon will fiercely contest any sanctions involving the loss of premiership points, the sacking of key personnel and to a lesser extent, the loss of draft picks.
Fairfax Media also report today that coach Jame Hird’s legal team will object to Andrew Demetriou deliberating on any charges as part of the AFL Commission on the basis that the league’s CEO has a conflict of interest.
It comes as Hird yesterday confirmed that the ongoing saga is having a significant impact on everyone within the club, as the Bombers were belted for the third consecutive week, this time by 53-points to West Coast.
“There’s no doubt the speculation, the intensity of the press and the expectation of what is to come can’t help but affect your preparation for a game, and I think that’s across the board,” Hird said following the defeat.
“I think the players were affected today and I think they were affected during the week. It was a big week in terms of off-field stuff.”
“It’s been the toughest year that any group of footballers could ever imagine and the toughest that any group of footballers had had to deal with and they have been terrific.”
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FORMER Carlton Assistant coach Tony Liberatore has reiterated his stance that Carlton ‘tanked’ during the 2007 season.
Carlton lost the final 11 games of the season, where a single win would’ve ruled the club out of a priority pick.
Liberatore claims on ‘Open Mike’ that while the players gave their all, they were prevented from being fully competitive by the influence of the coaching staff.
“Players will always try on the football ground, so that’s where the misconception about tanking is.
“I still believe that (tanking) is something that occurred … players at the time were told don’t play for the rest of the year, you have an injured shin. And to me that’s tanking, isn’t it?”
The AFL has already looked into the Carlton case previously, however, after acting on Melbourne based on similar testimony, the league may feel compelled to reopen the investigation.
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HAWTHORN is set to welcome back Lance Franklin ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster with Collingwood.
Teammate Jordan Lewis confirmed this morning that Franklin will return.
“We expect Buddy to play,” Lewis said.
“It was just a little niggly injury that kept him out on the weekend.”
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GIANT prodigy Jeremy Cameron may be rested this week after sustaining an ankle injury in the club’s 113-point loss to Fremantle.
Coach Kevin Sheedy told the media today that Cameron, who sits two goals behind West Coast’s Josh Kennedy in the Coleman medal, would be heavily considered for a rest but the potential for individual honours may prevent that.
“If I thought he could be (a guaranteed) All-Australian, I would give him a rest, but I just don’t know the selectors well enough,” Sheedy said.
“I might have to roll him out there, get 65-70 goals and put pressure on the selectors.”
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CARLTON young defender Matthew Watson has re-signed with the club for a further two years.
Watson, who will sit the rest of the year out with a hairline fracture in his foot, also explained to afl.com.au how the injury occurred and the process from here.
“I went for a kick and I followed through and hit one of the Bulldogs players in his foot or his shin,” Watson said.
“The doc thought it was ligament damage, got a few scans and it showed a hairline fracture at the top of my foot.
“I’ll be in a (moon) boot for the next three to four weeks and then I’ll be back for pre-season, don’t worry about that.
“I’ve got a bit of time off after the season. I’m going to rest up and let it strengthen up before we get back into training in November.”
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FREMANTLE will be without young player Viv Michie after he tore the meniscus in his right knee playing for Peel Thunder on the weekend.
Michie, who made his debut for Fremantle against Geelong in round 14, will travel to Melbourne this week for surgery.
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