AFL 2022: League pledges chartered flights during September as Covid threatens competition
The AFL is bracing for a peak as players continue to be sidelined due to Covid protocols. Here is what the league and clubs are putting in place.
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The AFL has pledged every team will have access to commercial charter flights through September as the league braces for a mid-August Covid peak.
Clubs continue to be hit hard by Covid each week as they make plans for players to heighten their protocols at the business end of the season.
AFL teams are fully aware a poorly-timed outbreak of Covid could easily cost them the premiership given West Coast’s early struggles and Brisbane’s Covid-ravaged loss to Essendon.
The AFL is putting on chartered planes for clubs flying to and from Perth from eastern seaboard locations but simply cannot access enough private flights for every team to fly privately.
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The league is facing the same flight cancellations, lack of flights and pilots that all Australians are battling when travelling after spending much of 2020-21 chartering flights for all teams.
It means clubs are at risk of the kind of outbreak that saw North Melbourne interim coach Leigh Adams and four players contracting Covid playing Hawthorn in Tasmania.
Aidan Corr, Paul Curtis and Aaron Hall are all in Covid protocols from that clash with Ben Cunnington also unavailable given health and safety protocols.
The league told clubs in a briefing last week its health advice was the peak of the winter Covid wave would be in mid-August as clubs prepare for finals.
But the Herald Sun understands the majority of Covid cases across the league are still players who are contracting the virus for the first time and not as a secondary infection.
It means the league is still confident Covid will not wipe out a club’s first-choice team leading into a cutthroat final given so many players have already contracted the illness.
Teams in finals contention are already upgrading health requirements with more mask-wearing and good hygiene and plans to further curtail social activities in September.
Clubs plan to tell players the more they can follow a simple routine — train, go home, play and keep away from restaurants and nightclubs — the more likely they are to maximise their premiership chances.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has already told clubs the team that wins the premiership will have been one of the most diligent in regards to sidestepping a Covid outbreak.
Bevo’s radical plan to replace sub rule
— Nick Smart and Marcus Beeck
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has come out in support of a five-player interchange bench as a “buffer for concussion.”
A five-man bench would replace the AFL’s contentious medical substitute rule, which has come under fire in recent weeks with coaches being accused of manipulating the system.
Beveridge revealed he had promoted the five-player plan when he was asked for his opinion by the AFL.
“Don’t make it a sub, just say you’ve got five on the interchange and you can use them if you want. It’ll add a bit of tactical intrigue,” Beveridge said.
“You could introduce that player for a quarter here and there and it creates a different angle, but all it does is removes all the red tape.
“And we (coaches) don’t have to explain ourselves if you take a player out of the game.”
The Bulldogs coach said the AFL should avoid the mistake of adding more policies and rules to the game, and instead should look for a more straightforward approach such as a five-player interchange bench.
It came as Richmond coach Damien Hardwick called for teams to be able to use a sub at any time during the final quarter of matches.
“It’s good to have a sub, but once the last quarter comes into play I think you should be able to activate a sub,” he said.
“For me it’s a good position for a young dynamic player to come on like an MJ (Maurice Rioli Jr) on the weekend.”
Hardwick said he was unsure whether defender Ben Miller would back up this week after he was subbed out last Friday.
“What I will say is we find it quite challenging at various stages that a medical practitioner is challenged in regards to the sub,” he said.
“Ben had an incident in the first quarter, he has pain management before the game, he had pain management during the game, and the fact of matter is we make a decision.
“(And that is) Ben can either try and push on but he’s a possibility of missing two weeks, or we can get Ben off.
“I don’t know why it became a bit of a Richmond thing, but the fact of the matter is there are a lot of players that got subbed off last week that could possibly play this week.”
Club doctors revolt over sub rule
– Jon Ralph, Exclusive
The head of the AFL Doctors’ Association has told the league it must change its sub rule amid concern club doctors are being coerced into ruling out players with minor injuries for tactical reasons.
Gold Coast club doctor and ADA boss Barry Rigby told the Herald Sun on Monday he had made a submission to the league to either enforce a hard line 12-day break or allow subs to be made for tactical reasons.
Richmond was the latest club caught in the crossfire on Friday when Damien Hardwick was forced to defend the club’s substitution of Ben Miller, who had a tight groin and calf cramping.
Rigby said many players missed the following week after being substituted, but admitted there was real concern from club doctors that they were being pushed into decisions to substitute players for fresh legs.
“Generally speaking we would like to see the rule changed. It is not something we would like to continue and we have made some representation to the AFL and they have taken it on board, and my understanding is that will be reviewed at the end of the season,” he said.
“We are concerned we can be under the microscope and under pressure to interchange a player for reasons other than medical reasons,” Rigby told the Herald Sun.
“We try to make decisions based on what is in the best interests of the health and safety of the player. The issue becomes whether there is some undue pressure brought to bear from sources outside the medical sphere, and it may or may not be occurring. But there is a suggestion that it may well be. That is something we would push back against in terms of what we think should be happening for the player.
“There is no doubt pressure would be brought to bear (on doctors) should this rule continue beyond the end of the season.
“We think that if you are going to have a rule that the player is subbed out and cannot play for 12 days along the lines of concussion, then that’s the rule. The player wouldn’t return for 12 days. Or you allow a substitution to occur and it can be at any point in the game and it’s a sub for tactical reasons or medical reasons. At the moment it is neither one nor the other and it’s creating some angst and some confusion.”
Rigby said club data showed that in eight out of 10 cases a player subbed out did not play the following week.
But he said it was difficult to make a decision on that 12-day guideline when players with a history of injury presented with ailments.
“For someone who has got a history of soft tissue injuries and comes off with a tight hamstring in the fourth quarter, we have a duty of care to that player,” he said.
“Do we put him back out there and let him tear his hamstring completely? Or pull him off and he might make some recovery over the subsequent week and be able to play.
“I am not saying there isn’t a problem. But making those decisions can be very difficult. It’s not just about waiting for a serious injury, it’s about trying to prevent one from happening.”
The Suns provide medical evidence of each substitution to AFL medical boss Michael Makdissi after games and also update him on the reasons why a player who was subbed off is able to make a recovery to play the following week.
Blues hope to dodge injury bullet
Carlton coach Michael Voss is hopeful both Sam Walsh and Jacob Weitering will be OK to play next week after playing on through respective injury scares in the Blues’ 36-point win over GWS.
Walsh rolled his ankle in a tackle by Giants midfielder Callan Ward, which saw him helped off the ground by two trainers while Weitering suffered a corked thigh only minutes later in the third quarter.
Both players went into the rooms to receive treatment, but returned to the field soon after and played out the remainder of the contest.
The Blues coach thinks the duo will get up for their trip to Adelaide to take on the Crows next Saturday evening, but will wait until early in the week before making a definitive call on their status.
“I think they’ll be OK,” Voss said post-game.
“But I always wait until Monday. So it might be another day, but I always wait a little while longer.
“We’ve had some where we hoped they’d go well and it didn’t so we will just wait but we think they’ll be OK.
“I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him (Walsh) get up on the sidelines myself, to be honest. So just to see him come back out on the field and know that he was OK … was really good.”
After a treacherous run of injuries, Voss is hopeful that the injury bug is slowly starting to subside, with a number of players putting their hand up for selection next week including George Hewett.
“Yeah, possibly,” Voss said regarding whether Hewett will return.
“Matt Owies is another who will have recovered and got through another week. Jack Martin will be available as well.
“We are slowly getting some momentum. Pitto (Marc Pittonet) played as well in the VFL so he gets another run under his belt which is really pleasing and (Caleb) Marchbank came back as well.
“Hopefully the momentum is actually going in the right direction now.”
The Blues were pushed by a resilient Giants outfit who provided a stern test for much of the contest, until Carlton kicked away late with eight goals to three in the second-half.
Voss described the performance as “solid” and believes he saw signs of growth from his charges who are pushing for a first finals appearance in nine years.
“I thought the game demanded for us to stick to process and it fluctuated from time to time,” Voss said.
“We didn’t deviate from what we needed to be able to do. We probably let them back into the game a couple times, which we could have closed out a little bit better. But I’m pleased that it didn’t discourage the group.
“They stayed on task and they stayed to the jobs that they need to be able to get done and believed in what we’re trying to achieve. Then we finished off the game really strong.
“I thought there were some real sort of growth signs tonight about the way we want to play.”
McVeigh banking on five returning for Battle of the Bridge
Greater Western Sydney interim coach Mark McVeigh is hopeful his side will regain a plethora of important players for the Battle of the Bridge next weekend against Sydney.
The Giants were without Lachie Whitfield (hip), Josh Kelly (concussion) and Harry Perryman (ribs) in their 36-point loss to Carlton, while Jesse Hogan and Tom Green were both managed.
McVeigh believes all five should be available for next week’s clash with their cross-town rivals, but said they’ll take a look at the balance of their team and how they could all fit in.
“I think we do,” McVeigh said regarding whether he will bring them in.
“I mean, you think about Whitfield, Kelly, Perryman, Tom Green, Jesse Hogan, all available next week. You have to argue that they’re in our best team, clearly.
“Again, you’ve got to weigh up the balance and how it looks and you think about Whitfield and Kelly, having them on those loose ball gets probably would have helped us.
“But unfortunately, were unavailable so they’ll have to, particularly probably Whitfield has to pass a few things. Kelly will come out of concussion protocols. Perryman will have to tick off again this week how he’s going. He trained really well last week so he’s still got a main session to get through.
“We will have a good week in the match committee for sure this week.”
Goal review blunder? ‘Lucky this wasn’t a grand final’
Patrick Dangerfield was adamant he got the last touch on the kick ruled a behind by the umpire in the Cats’ narrow defeat of Port Adelaide.
The goal umpire declined to review the decision in the 12-point victory over the Power that saw Dangerfield and Aliir Aliir contesting the ball in the goalmouth.
Dangerfield threw his foot at the ball as Aliir attempted to rush it through, with no review called.
Port Adelaide quickly played on from full-back, which meant there was no chance for the ARC to review the footage and call for its own review.
Geelong football boss Simon Lloyd said on Sunday that Dangerfield was adamant he had kicked the goal. The AFL said the incident would be part of the regulation Monday review.
Lloyd said it was the club’s understanding if the ball was back in play with no official review called it was too late to recall play, even if video evidence emerged showing it was clearly a goal.
“ (Dangerfield) turned to the umpire and called for a review. He felt pretty strongly it was a goal, otherwise he wouldn’t have done that,” Lloyd said.
“It is something the AFL will have a really good look at. As Scotty (Chris Scott) said post-match the ARC is working out really well. It is terrific to have in the game and I am sure, like anything, they will assess what they do and the protocols around it.”
Scott said he was not in favour of a captain’s call in the AFL but said he believed the decision should have been reviewed.
“If we had lost by a goal or a point I would probably be a bit more expansive,” he said.
“I am an advocate for the ARC and everything the AFL is doing there, but it doesn’t completely remove human intervention, especially when the umpire calls a point quickly and the opposition just bring the ball back in quickly,” he said.
“My view is if there is any doubt you should review it, but I don’t like the hold up in the game either. Especially in a close game where if they review it, the umpire was sure, it turns out it was a point and it denies the other team the chance to move the ball quickly out the open side.
“So I don’t think it’s a horror error. I must admit I had a quick look and I thought it was a goal. So all’s well that ends well. If you are going to be critical of the decision you need to look at how the whole operation has worked over a long period of time and it’s been a raging success.”
Cats ruck Rhys Stanley is set for scans on his injured knee as Jonathon Ceglar closes in on a club debut in Saturday night’s blockbuster clash against the Western Bulldogs.
Subbed out for Shannon Neale at the start of the third term in the pulsating win over Port Adelaide, Stanley’s knee was due to be assessed as the Cats made their way back from Adelaide on Sunday.
Scott labelled the injury post-match as “medium term” and that he expected Stanley to miss multiple weeks, but Geelong was keen on Sunday to wait for scan results to know more.
A medium-term injury could potentially sideline Stanley for the final four weeks of the home-and-away season.
The in-form ruck had eight clearances in the first half against the Power and the Cats midfield crashed without him in the third term, as Jeremy Finlayson dominated Neale in the ruck and inspired an eight-goal quarter.
While Stanley has been in excellent touch in 2022 and is likely having his best AFL season, the Cats are flush with options to fill his role against the Dogs and rising ruck star Tim English.
Ceglar has played two VFL games after undergoing foot surgery early in the season and has shown strong form, with the Cats reserves having a bye over the weekend.
The former Hawk is likely to replace Stanley, although Esava Ratugolea is also fit after ankle surgery, Geelong is keen to get experience into draftee tall Toby Conway and Neale bounced back in the final term to play a role in the Power win.
Kangaroo banned for high bump
North Melbourne midfielder Jy Simpkin has escaped suspension despite three fines as Flynn Perez earned a one-week ban fora high bump.
Perez was suspended for taking Jaeger O’Meara high with a bump, assessed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.
He will miss the Roos’ game against Essendon.
Simpkin has been fined for his strikes on Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell and Finn Maginness and also given a melee fine. Both strikes were swinging-arm punches to the stomach.
Gold Coast’s Levi Casboult dodged suspension for the collision that concussed Brisbane’s Daniel Rich.
Casboult’s knee hit Rich’s head as he attempted to slide over Rich as he went for the ground ball, with the incident judged a football accident.
Injury latest: Another setback for Crows star
The frustrations for experienced Adelaide midfielder Matt Crouch will continue in season 2022 as he now looks set to be sidelined by a quad injury suffered at training on Wednesday.
The 2017 All-Australian has battled to force his way into the Crows set-up this season with young midfielders in Sam Berry, Jake Soligo and now Harry Schoenberg preferred ahead of him more often than not in recent weeks.
And after a training mishap this week he’s now set to miss games due to injury.
“He’ll have a scan on Monday but it looks like there might be something there in the quad which is disappointing. He trained really well on Wednesday as well,” Nicks said.
The Crows battled well for three quarters against a star-studded Swans outfit at the SCG despite giving up nine majors in the first term with is their best first quarter against the Crows in their history.
Rory Laird put in a best on ground performance with 38 possessions and fourteen inside 50s despite John Longmire admitting they tried to quell his influence with a tag.
“He’s (Laird) been outstanding right throughout the year, he’s an accumulator. He loves the contest. He’s now got a wingman alongside him in Berry and it’s pleasing to see his development as well,” Nicks said.
The Swans also put some work into one of their former charges in Jordan Dawson who came in for some rough treatment from teammates throughout the game and the SCG crowd who booed him whenever he touched the football.
Dawson would silence his former fans with a big goal just before three quarter time to maintain the Crows hopes of an upset which they were unable to ultimately produce.
“I think Jordy knew it was coming. That’s the game we play, it’s a competitive game and they brought it. He handled that well,” Crows coach Matthew Nicks said.
Along with the performance of Laird and the super impressive Sam Berry, who enhanced his mounting tackle count with another fourteen along with two goals, Nicks was delighted with the showing of raw defender Nick Murray who battled away with Franklin all afternoon and kept him to three majors.
“We’re really pleased with ‘Muz’ and what he’s bringing. He’s a competitor. I thought he had a really strong game, he’s just played on one of the superstars of the game and he can hold his head high,” Nicks said.
Sydney coach John Longmire was full of praise for Swans veteran Lance Franklin, who moved past Gary Ablett Senior into fifth all-time on the VFL/AFL goalkicking list with his three majors to make it 1033 all-time.
“I just thought his ability to pressure today for a big key forward who’s kicked 1000 goals was as good a pressure from a key forward as you’ll see,” Longmire said. “He was just getting after the opposition and the players really fed off it.”
Freo coach’s surprising observation of latest Fyfe setback
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir described captain Nat Fyfe’s latest injury setback as “a road bump” and is confident his team can cover his absence.
Fyfe hurt his left hamstring in the third quarter of the Dockers’ draw with Richmond at Marvel Stadium on Friday night, and is likely headed for another stint on the sidelines.
The dual Brownlow medallist missed the first half of the year due to shoulder surgery and back issues, but it didn’t faze the Dockers who won nine of their first 12 matches.
“I don’t think we’ve ever been reliant on one person this year,” Longmuir said post-match.
“We’ve got players who can step up and fill the void.
“We’ve got over his (Fyfe’s) big injuries and sometimes when you’re trying to come back and trying to be really committed you can have little setbacks and that’s all this is, just hopefully a little setback.”
Key forward Rory Lobb (shoulder) was no certainty to be available for Fremantle’s blockbuster clash with Melbourne at Optus Stadium next Friday night either, but Longmuir was more optimistic about key defender Alex Pearce being OK after he rolled his ankle early in the match.
The loss of Lobb accentuated Fremantle’s struggles up forward, according to Longmuir, as the Dockers only managed 17 scores (7.10) from 50 inside 50s at just 34 per cent.
“We were one tall short so we were probably relying on someone taking a contested mark which he’s been doing really well,” he said.
But Longmuir was full of praise for his players who stood tall in defence in the frantic final couple of minutes with the ball spending most of the time in Richmond’s attacking zone.
“I thought our players remained on task and in the moment and that was critical and ‘Freddy’ (Michael Frederick) got the spoil on (Noah) Balta, but (Lachie) Schultz was on task in hassling the umpire (about how long Balta was taking to line up for goal) and they were ready to react,” Longmuir said.
“I thought we were really committed and stayed in the moment so it saved us the game.”
Longmuir also praised former Cat Jordan Clark’s crucial tackle on Richmond’s Liam Baker streaming to goal in the pocket to stop a matchwinning scoring opportunity with 30 seconds to go.
“He’s had so many of those crucial acts all year, so, yeah, he’s been a great addition to us,” the Freo coach said.
Longmuir also acknowledged that Richmond were wasteful when going forward, kicking 7.10 from 51 inside 50s, and put the final result down to neither side being able to make the most of their opportunities.
“Sometimes against the teams that bring good pressure you just need to be elite with your skills and we felt like we probably weren’t clean and missed some handballs that were critical,” he said.
“When a draw happens you look at the last moments but there’s going to be moments when you review this tape that we could’ve stopped a score there, we could’ve kicked a score there.
“I know they had had their last couple of moments but we had our moments as well – we dominated the start of that last quarter.”
More injury pain for Dockers champion
Fremantle star Nat Fyfe has suffered a fresh hamstring injury in a huge blow to the Dockers’ finals preparations.
The two-time Brownlow Medal winner pulled up sore after running past a contest in the forward line in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
Fyfe immediately came from the field looking sore and went straight down to the Fremantle rooms.
He emerged about 10 minutes later with a bag of ice wrapped around his left hamstring.
Fyfe was playing just his sixth match back of the season at AFL level, having missed the first half of the year following off-season shoulder surgery.
Fyfe had logged seven disposals and one goal in the first half before being subbed out and replaced by medical substitute Travis Colyer.
Key defender Alex Pearce was also taken down to the Fremantle rooms midway through the third quarter with an injury concern.
The Dockers sat fourth on the ladder entering round 19.
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Nat Fyfe has come from the ground with what looks to be a hamstring injury.
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) July 22, 2022
Travis Colyer has been subbed in. #foreverfreo#AFLTigersFreo
Fyfe has gone down to the rooms. Looks frustrated. Had his hammy work on in the first half #AFLTigersFreo
— Ronny Lerner (@RonnyLerner) July 22, 2022
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