AFL news: 2022 fixture delayed as WA border woes bites
WA’s refusal to play ball on its border has forced the AFL to delay the release of its 2022 men’s fixture as it eagerly awaits the lifting of restrictions.
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The AFL will delay the release of its 2022 men’s fixture until December as it works through complicated WA border issues, the pandemic impacting footy for the third season.
WA premier Mark McGowan will only drop border restrictions when the state reaches 90 per cent vaccination rates, which is expected to be in late January or early February.
But, with the WA government still to confirm reports it might let cricket’s Ashes participants into the state after only a five-day quarantine period, the AFL could potentially benefit from a similar ruling.
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With the AFLW season kicking off on January 6, the league will have to find a work-around for its fixture, given it has already delayed it once.
The AFL will watch with interest any decision made by the WA government on quarantine provisions for the Ashes and the precedent for rival sports.
The league is aware of the blowback about suggestions of special treatment for cricketers so would wait until a policy is set that might also impact sports like the AFL and basketball, rather than lobbying the McGowan government.
The most likely outcome is a western derby in Round 1 of the 10-round AFLW season but then there are multiple options.
The league could put West Coast and Fremantle on the road for weeks while they play rival sides, until the border is down.
But the AFL is very aware of the balance of outside commitments for AFLW players who have university, family and work commitments and mostly part-time AFL wages.
It has consulted with the AFLPA on the maximum time WA-based players could be on the road and is keen to limit that time.
GWS was forced into a hellish AFLW season with a month on the road last year, after initially relocating to Albury because of the pandemic. The Giants left on January 1 and did not return until February 1.
The league could attempt to broker a deal with the WA government that sees teams flying into Perth and playing WA-based sides while in quarantine, as many AFL sides did this year.
A five or seven-day quarantine would still put teams on the road for a maximum of eight days.
The women’s fixture is likely to come out in late November, followed by the AFL pre-season fixture.
The men’s home-and-away fixture will come in early December.
Clubs anticipate the AFL will schedule two official games in the pre-season community series, as it did last year.
Clubs only ended up playing one pre-season game as Covid issues forced travel to be minimised.
The AFL will be keen to get games back to regional and country settings after being forced to schedule all of last year’s Victorian games at Marvel Stadium to minimise Covid risks
Highly-rated assistant locks in next career move
—Jay Clark
Former Carlton and Geelong assistant coach Dale Amos has been appointed head of footy at Xavier College.
Amos, who has served as an AFL assistant coach for the past nine years, will take charge of the elite junior footy program this month.
Amos was part of the coaching overhaul at Carlton at the end of the season when former senior coach David Teague was moved on with one year remaining on his contract.
Michael Voss heads a new-look coaching panel including Ashley Hansen, Aaron Hamill and Tim Clarke, but the club has already taken an off-season hit with the retirement of key defender Liam Jones due to his unwillingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Amos has an impressive coaching resume including three premierships as senior coach of South Barwon in the Geelong Football League in 2005-07.
He was the Cats’ VFL coach from 2009-11 when the AFL team won two premierships under Mark Thompson and Chris Scott in his first year in charge.
Xavier College senior campus director Michael Ilott was thrilled with the appointment and the experience Amos would bring to the program.
“Coming off a premiership year for our First XVIII and a highly successful campaign across our junior teams, the College is incredibly pleased and affirmed to appoint Dale to this position to carry our football program forward,” Ilott said.
“Dale brings an extremely strong focus on educating young people and clearly demonstrates a capacity and desire to teach elements of leadership and culture both within the football program but in other aspects inside and outside of the classroom.
“His appointment, while having a specific remit in football, is a holistic one which transcends sport”.
Dons on alert after club boss tests covid positive
—Nick Smart
Essendon is confident Covid has not spread among its players and staff after chief executive Xavier Campbell tested positive on Tuesday.
The Bombers said Campbell, who is fully vaccinated, has not attended their Tullamarine headquarters since last Wednesday, and has had no direct contact with the football program under the AFL’s football department protocols.
Campbell’s positive result came following a test on Monday morning.
As a precautionary measure, Essendon has asked all administration to be tested and await a negative result before returning to the office.
“I experienced very mild symptoms on Monday afternoon and out of caution, got tested which has since returned a positive result. My family and I are now isolating as we await all results,” Campbell said in a statement.
“We’ve seen similar examples with other clubs in recent days, and it is a reminder of the importance of being vaccinated and getting tested as soon as symptoms present themselves.
“These measures in our community are in place for a reason as life returns to some form of normal for us all, and it is our shared responsibility to follow the advice in place from health and medical officials.
“Per Government advice, I have immediately contacted any individuals who I have been in direct contact with over the past 48 hours, advising them to be tested.
“Importantly, our football program has not been impacted and can continue training as normal. I will continue to work from home throughout my quarantine period.”
Hesitant Eagles will get jab: club boss
West Coast chief Trevor Nisbett has been assured by every player they would be vaccinated in time to play in 2022 despite reports some are hesitant to get jabbed.
It was reported on Sunday that three unvaccinated Eagles were still working with through the process with the club, with the trio needing their first shot by January 21.
Nistbett confirmed staff had been given an update by the club on Tuesday around the situation and was confident the entire list would meet the February 18 deadline to be fully vaccinated.
Swans, Giants given cost of living pay bonus
—Jay Clark
The AFL has given its two Sydney clubs the scope to spend extra money on staff outside the football department soft cap to help combat soaring house prices.
News Corp understands GWS Giants and Sydney Swans have been permitted to pay some staff an extra $7000 each as part of an accommodation allowance for next season.
Across approximately 20 staff at each club it is worth about an extra $140,000 per year outside the football department soft cap.
But the allowance must be club-funded and can only be used on full-time staff who earn under $250,000 a year.
The assistance has been gratefully received by the two clubs, but discussions remain ongoing about whether more is required to help keep quality staff at the Swans and Giants.
Both clubs face a fight to retain staff in Sydney in the face of soaring house prices and increased cost of living expenses compared with other states such as South Australia, and regional areas such as Geelong.
The clubs believe it costs about 30 per cent more to live in Sydney than other areas.
After losing highly-rated assistant coach Lenny Hayes last year, the Giants were unable to keep assistant coach Adam Schneider, who last week left the game due, in part, to the cost of living in Sydney.
The Giants are working on a replacement to help support head coach Leon Cameron for next season.
The Giants and Swans in 2014 lost their Cost Of Living Allowance which allowed them to pay players outside the cap after the Swans pulled off a blockbuster bid for Lance Franklin.
But the Giants in particular have been calling on the AFL to help support the club’s attempts to better remunerate staff and keep up with housing costs.
It was made more difficult last year when the soft cap was slashed from $9.7 million to $6 million in the wake of the COVID-19 financial crisis, but that is set to rise by about $250,000 for 2022.
Top Tiger pushes hard for Tassie team
—Glenn McFarlane
Richmond triple premiership player Jack Riewoldt plans to meet with Tasmanian premier Peter Gutwein in the coming weeks to offer to help the state’s push for a stand-alone AFL side.
Riewoldt returned to his home state recently for the first time in almost a year and will remain there with his family until at least the middle of next month.
But while the 33-year-old is committed to playing with Richmond next year and possibly beyond, he is happy to help with any long-term planning or promotion in his home state’s bid for a team.
“As a Tasmanian, I am really excited about the prospect of having our own team,” Riewoldt said. “I would love to catch up with the premier while I am down here.
“I’m happy (to help) clearly in any capacity. At the moment Alastair Clarkson has got a role ahead of him in terms of the next six months in terms of Tassie footy.”
Clarkson, who is currently on an education tour in the US, was last month appointed to the Tasmanian task force in seeking to become the AFL’s 19th franchise.
While Riewoldt will play out his days at Punt Rd, he is open to working behind the scenes in whatever way to help provide a pathway for AFL football to be played in his native state every second week.
“The place (Tasmania) is actually buzzing now,” he said. “We have been starved of big sport and international sport for a long time and hopefully we can have teams to call our own.”
He insisted the state was ready, willing and able to host an Ashes Test in Hobart next year if Perth is not in a position to hold it, saying it would be a perfect situation for Tassie’s Australian Test captain Tim Paine.
“We’ve pushed the agendas. We pushed for an AFL final — and we got two (in 2021). We’ve been pushing for a Test match, and unfortunately that Afghanistan Test was postponed.”
“Fingers crossed, if that (Perth) Test becomes available, it would be perfect for Hobart.
“All this sport just opens the door for young boys and girls to live the dream. The dream is open for the NBL now with the JackJumpers kicking off on Friday December 3.
“It’s exciting for the whole state and hopefully an AFL team won’t be that far away.”
This year has been a significant one for football in Tasmania with the Carter report being released and with 14 AFL matches played in the state, including two finals.
A meeting of the presidents of the existing 18 clubs will take place early next year where debate on a future AFL club from Tasmania will resume.
Riewoldt: ‘Reality check’ will make Tigers huge threat in 2022
Jack Riewoldt expects Richmond to be mentally and physically fresh, hungry to regain its mantle among the elite AFL sides and eager to prove the knockers wrong in 2022.
Having returned to Tasmania for the first time in a year with his young family, the Tigers veteran is having a well-earned break, but couldn’t be more buoyant about next season.
Richmond had won three flags in four seasons before spectacularly falling out of the finals this year, but Riewoldt says the opposition should underestimate the Tigers at their own peril.
“We are so excited about next year,” Riewoldt said as part of an interview to help launch the 30th anniversary of McHappy Day, the annual fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House.
“The build-up of fatigue over what was really a long four-year period, especially being away for the last two years (due to Covid), probably caught up with us in the end.
“Combine that with injuries, we just didn’t get a good run at it this year. We know we have to improve and we know we need to hit the ground running.
“But it is good to sit back now and have a small reality check in terms of where we are at and in terms of all aspects of the football program and the business.
“We have done a bit of a stocktake and we are moving on to an exciting period at the club.”
Riewoldt, 33, has a year to run on his contract, but he hasn’t put a ceiling on how long he wants to play for.
“I know that I am closer to the end than to the beginning, but at the moment I still feel my form is good enough to deserve a contract in 2022, which I have got.
“When you are over 30, you have to decide one): whether you want to continue to play, two): whether the club wants you to continue, and three): if it is the best thing for the club.”
Riewoldt’s enthusiasm for Richmond’s prospects next year comes from a number of different factors.
For a start, he thinks the players will have had a long and relaxing break having missed the finals for the first time since 2016.
He is excited by the fact the Tigers have five picks inside the top 30 selections at this month’s national draft – a rarity for the Tigers in recent seasons.
“I think any club would be envious of that,” he said of the potential draft haul that could drive future success.
“We are looking forward to adding some young talent to secure our future when a few of the old fossils like myself have moved on.
“I don’t think we have had a really high pick since Nick Vlastuin (pick nine, 2012) and he has proved to be a really exciting player for us.”
Riewoldt has backed forward partner Tom Lynch to have a big 2022 after enduring some injury issues this season.
“From what I have seen of Tom this pre-season, he is looking really fit, so hopefully next year will be another great year for him,” he said.
“You only have to look at the success the club has had in the three years he has been at the club; we’ve won two premierships.
“I understand when big recruits come to a football club, you want to see them dominating week in and week out, but that’s not the way we play.
“We don’t rely on one player … while Dusty (Martin) is a fantastic player, to win games of football, we don’t just rely on him and we don’t just rely on Tom, or Grimesy (Dylan Grimes).
“We play a strong brand of team football.”
Riewoldt can’t wait to see Noah Balta and Ivan Soldo back to full fitness, expects Hugo Ralphsmith to prove himself as “a really exciting player” and thinks Daniel Rioli will develop further in his halfback role.
“Hopefully, we can see five to 10 per cent improvement from a lot of guys and hopefully that will shoot us back up the ladder,” he said.
Riewoldt is back with his family in Tasmania at the moment, coming out of a two-week quarantine on Thursday.
“I haven’t been here since this time last year, so it is great to be back,” he said.
The Tigers’ older players are not due back for pre-season training until early next month, but with Tasmania’s borders not opening until December 15, he might have to stay a bit longer.
But he said the club had been so accommodating for the players, particularly those from Western Australia, who have had to train remotely for a period, to potentially be with families at Christmas.
“The ability to train away from the club, like any worker who has to work from home, has been something the club has been really good with,” he said.
After spending much of the past two seasons on the road, Riewoldt can’t wait to get back in front of the Tiger faithful at the MCG next year.
“Covid isn’t going away next year, but we will work through the issues in the 2022 season and hopefully we can do that more safely due to the vaccinations.”
For the moment, though, he is enjoying the break, spending time with his family and keeping in shape in anticipation for what is coming next year.
RIEWOLDT PULLS ON ‘SILLY SOCKS’ FOR GREAT CAUSE
Richmond star Jack Riewoldt will be bringing out the ‘Silly Socks’ for his daughters Poppy and Hazel and chipping in to support McHappy Day – the annual fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House – on Saturday.
Riewoldt has encouraged people to support the 30th anniversary of McHappy Day, which raises vital funds to help keep Australian families of seriously ill and injured children together.
Ronald McDonald House provides a “home away from home” for families of seriously ill and injured children being treated at nearby hospitals.
“Ronald McDonald House and McHappy Day provides much needed support to people who unfortunately have sick children in their biggest time of need,” Riewoldt told News Corp.
“A lot of people have to travel from rural spots. Tasmania is a good example of that where you have a major hospital at either end of the state, but it is hard to find short and long-term accommodation there.
“It is a privilege to be involved and the importance of what they do at Ronald McDonald House dawns on you a bit more when you have children.”
As part of McHappy Day, $2 from every Big Mac sold will go directly to the charity, while $2, $10 or $50 Helping Hands and $5 Silly Socks will be available at McDonald’s restaurants. Donations will also be accepted at venues and online at www.rmhc.org.au/give.
McHappy Day has raised more than $56 million across the past 30 years.
Riewoldt said his daughters – Poppy, two-and-a-half, and Hazel, ten months – have had great fun with the Silly Socks, dressing their dolls and bears in the brightly-coloured socks with the logos of McDonald’s characters.
“The Silly Socks can become a part of your wardrobe,” he said, confessing that Grimace has been his favourite.
“I busted out a few pairs of the Silly Socks and Poppy loved them straight away and all of a sudden she was dressing up all of her dolls and bears.”
Riewoldt has seen the importance of charities through Maddie’s Vision, which was set up in honour of his late cousin Maddie Riewoldt in an effort to fund improved treatments and ultimately to find a cure for Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes.
“I’ve seen it first hand with Maddie’s Vision, and it’s the same with McHappy Day,” he said.
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