Herald Sun: St Kilda coach Grant Thomas admits the Saints have adopted a now-or-never attitude with forward Aaron Hamill, who will play his first game since Round 7 tonight.
St Kilda's Matt Maguire has had an eighth operation to correct compartment syndrome which threatened his recovery from a badly broken right leg.
Every footballer faces challenges. Eighteen months ago Jordan McMahon faced two pretty big ones: sceptical fans, after he pulled out of a marking contest early in his career and, worse, a sceptical new coach in Rodney Eade. Motivated by a desire to prove the critics wrong, McMahon put his head down and his workrate up. If you want to know the result, ask the Adelaide players who couldn't catch him as he kicked the winning goal in the biggest match of his career last weekend.
Enigmatic Sydney forward Nick Davis has been recalled to the Swans line-up after a six-match exile from senior football.
Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley will miss Sunday's clash against Carlton -- but not because he is resting.
The chances are slim but Geelong is still mathematically a chance of making the final eight.
Dean Rioli will play his 100th and final game for Essendon tomorrow night after an agreement was reached yesterday on paying out his 2007 contract.
It's been an action-packed 70th birthday year for Ron Barassi -- he's traversed the Kokoda Track, walked on water and survived a mid-air plane scare. And now the AFL legend has been honoured as Melburnian of the Year.
Melbourne captain David Neitz will be given until tomorrow morning to prove his fitness before his side's crucial clash with Geelong at Skilled Stadium.
The AFL has provided clubs a fourth -- albeit extremely speculative -- avenue upon which to add players to their official lists. Dubbed the international scholarship scheme and effective immediately, clubs will be able to add overseas talent aged between 15 and 23 at a minimum cost of $20,000 a year.
The AFL's ability to conjure $20 million, virtually out of nowhere, in 1997 by offering the right to bid first and last on its next two broadcast contracts was lauded for a long time as one of the organisation's finest moves. But, yesterday, that deal was one of many being blamed for the wreckage that was Wednesday's announcement of the demise of Fox Footy.
The AFL is set to crack down on head-high contact and will consider tougher sanctions and even rule changes to stamp out the problem.
The AFL weaved some Magic yesterday to ensure the Hawthorn-Kangaroos game in Launceston would be covered on Melbourne radio tomorrow. But the AFL and Southern Cross Broadcasting came up with a compromise yesterday with the match to be broadcast on Magic 1278.
The famous Kangaroos' No. 18 guernsey is back. No, Wayne Carey hasn't emerged from retirement. But for the first time since the two-time premiership captain left the club in 2002, there will be a senior player wearing the famous number. Brad Moran, a 200cm, 103kg goliath taken with the 58th pick in the 2004 national draft, will debut for the Roos against Hawthorn in Launceston tomorrow.
Wayne Schwass: Michael Voss, Mal Michael and Glenn Archer share more than just football ability. They also share the disturbing view that AFL football is not as enjoyable to watch as it was even a few years ago. That's a powerful message from three of the game's greats. The game needs something to win back the Vosses, Michaels and Archers of the world. That something is State-of-Origin footy.
Nick Stevens you know, but not so Nicholas Cobbold - born with Down Syndrome. Caring for a Down Syndrome child is demanding and that's where Nick and partner Megan Hanna come into play. Stevens is an ambassador for the Interchange Victoria program which supports families with disabled children by providing respite care.
The Advertiser: Crows veteran Andrew McLeod has labelled Sunday's Showdown XXI as the "most important game of the year" for his team.
To Brenton Sanderson, the resemblance was uncanny. Sanderson, the former Crow and Cat who is now Port Adelaide's development coach, had seen this type of tough, no-nonsense player before - in a former foe. "The Junkyard Dog, Dean Laidley!" he thought to himself. And so Tom Logan - the last player on the Power's 2006 list after being selected with the No. 52 pick at last year's rookie draft - was given a new nickname.
No saying in Australian football, let alone any sport, is more inane than the notion a team has "nothing to lose". Port Adelaide starts Showdown XXI with its season shot. It cannot, for the first time since 2000, play in next month's AFL finals. At best, the Power gets the minor consolation prize of shaping how the final eight to the major round settles.
The Age: Brad Johnson and Scott West shared a moment together in the centre of the MCG last Saturday. Six years is a long time between finals, longer than Johnson imagined after the Bulldogs were tipped out of contention by the Brisbane Lions in the elimination final of 2000.
The Telstra Dome playing surface could be replaced by the end of this season following a two-year experiment quietly carried out by the stadium at Windy Hill.
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says a $20 million sports development at Blacktown in western Sydney, to be used by the AFL and Cricket NSW, is one of the four most significant moments in the push of his code into NSW.
Dean Rioli will play his 100th and last game for Essendon tomorrow night after reaching an agreement on a retirement package with the Dons.
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou again tips Sydney to win the flag.
St Kilda president Rod Butterss believes some clubs resist speaking out against the AFL because they are living in fear of being punished.
Furthering its new role as the guinea pig for new rules, the VFL is pushing to introduce "the Kevin Sheedy rule" for kick-ins.
The No. 2 guernsey returns for both Brisbane Lions and Sydney in the match at Sydney's Olympic stadium. The rock-solid Chris Johnson is back for the Lions while the highly talented, but sometimes less solid, Nick Davis finally ends his exile in the Swans' reserves.
After 21 nights and eight operations, Matt Maguire finally will leave his hospital bed for home this weekend.
Mal Michael, who a fortnight ago said he was only a 2 per cent chance of continuing next year, now says he is keen to play on and fulfil the last year of his contract with the Lions.
The Australian: Sydney co-captain Barry Hall is still having trouble with his long distance sight despite corrective surgery, but says it is not affecting his football.
Collingwood, which must win its final two home-and-away games to make the top four, has lost captain Nathan Buckley for Sunday's game against Carlton at the MCG.
Fremantle coach Chris Connolly yesterday branded Sunday's derby against West Coast as the biggest game of the year.
Sydney could have a second Australian Rules team by 2015 under a plan by AFL chiefs to have a home and away game played in the nation's largest city every weekend.
St Kilda has received good news on two fronts ahead of tomorrow night's vital game with the Western Bulldogs.
The Courier Mail: The AFL has paved the way for Michael Voss to retire at season's end by agreeing to the Lions request that his payout be included under next year's salary cap.
The Daily Telegraph: In 2004, Robert Walls questioned whether gifted forward Nick Davis lacked the commitment to capitalise on his abundant football potential. The result? Davis had a career-best season in 2005 and was a major player in the Swans' premiership win.
Barry Hall's message to Swans prodigal son Nick Davis is: play hard.
Geelong Advertiser: Nathan Ablett has been rewarded for a stellar performance in the VFL last week by being recalled to the Cats' senior side to take on Melbourne tomorrow.
Sydney Morning Herald: He famously rubbished Sydney early last season, calling their style of play ugly, but, as AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou points out, by the time the grand final rolled around he tipped them. It's a selection he has made again, two weeks out from the start of the finals.
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou believes the announcement yesterday of a $20 million sports facilities development to be used by the AFL and Cricket NSW at Blacktown is one of the four most significant moments in the push of his sport into Sydney.
Barry Hall reckons that the "old" Nick Davis could have quite easily walked away from the game when he was dropped and made to serve his penance for six long weeks in the club's reserves. But Hall said yesterday that Davis, who was recalled to the Sydney senior side for tomorrow night's clash with Brisbane at Telstra Stadium, had surprised many by working hard and fighting his way back into the seniors.
The West Australian: The explosive potential of Sunday’s western derby at Subiaco Oval could heighten the risk of a crucial injury or suspension for either side ahead of the finals, Fremantle coach Chris Connolly has warned.
Fremantle games record holder Shane Parker has called for calm and perspective in the build up to Sunday’s western derby, saying talk of a top-four finish is still premature.
