That's a wrap for another huge day of footy news. Scroll down to catch up on all today's headlines and join us again from 7am tomorrow for AFL Daily.
AFL Daily: Live rolling footy news from around Australia for April 1, 2019
Former Essendon star Brendon Goddard has questioned whether the Bombers are all 'on the same page' after a terrible start to the season. Catch up on the Essendon latest plus all Monday's footy news including Wayne Carey's call for AFL staff to quit over the James Sicily free kick saga.
Former Essendon star Brendon Goddard has questioned whether the Bombers are all "on the same page" after a terrible start to the season.
OUTCRY: AFL SAYS UMPIRE GOT SICILY DECISION RIGHT
THE TACKLE: ROBBO'S R2 LIKES AND DISLIKES
The Bombers are facing a crucial clash against Melbourne on Friday night with pressure on coach John Worsfold to help lift the club to its first finals win in 15 years this season.
Essendon’s bolstered midfield has failed to fire in the first two losses to GWS Giants and St Kilda, despite the hype around new recruit Dylan Shiel.
Livewire Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti is also in a form slump with only 12 possessions and no goals in the first two matches.
SCROLL DOWN TO CATCH UP ON ALL MONDAY'S FOOTY NEWS
Goddard said there was a lack of cohesion and clarity in the Bombers' game style.
“There looks like there is a bit of confusion within the team and how to defend and structurally how to setup,” Goddard said on the Don’t Argue podcast.
“It was evident in the game at the weekend when they struggled to get the ball back off the Saints.
“It doesn’t quite look like everyone’s on the same page.
“It looks like there’s a million things, and I know this from experience, when you’ve got a lot of things going inside your head, it’s hard to really have a clear focus on what’s really important.
“And when you can’t play on instinct on the footy field then you are stuffed because it happens too quickly.”
Essendon has made key tweaks to its defensive structure under new team defence coach Ben Rutten over summer, and have lost key bookends Cale Hooker (hamstring) and Joe Daniher (calf) to early injuries.
Goddard, who played six seasons at Essendon amid a sparkling 334-game career, said the Bombers had to show more intensity and effort on Friday night against the Dees.
“I don’t think it’s a win-loss (thing), take that out of the equation now,” he said.
“It’s just about ‘let’s show up, roll the sleeves up, let everyone be able to see it’.
“Everyone is watching with anticipation how the Bombers are going to roll up Friday night, and what it’s going to look like.”
Recap all today's footy news in the blog below.
Updates
Maybe trading Jesse Hogan wasn't such a good idea.
Melbourne won the inside-50s 72-48 yet lost to Geelong by 80 points, and Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson says the Demons' forward line is the most dysfunctional in the competition.
"The forward six at Melbourne have absolutely disintegrated," he said in this week's episode of Tackle TV.
Answering your questions on his Tackle column, Robbo also tackles Eddie McGuire, the one Essendon player who clearly cares, the secret to St Kilda's success and a weekend of "weird" free kicks.
Watch this week's episode below and catch Tackle TV every Monday on Facebook.
– JAY CLARK
AFL legend Wayne Carey has called on league operations manager Steve Hocking to stand down over the James Sicily free kick saga.
The league has ticked off the controversial decision to pay a free kick against Sicily for his late push-and-shove with Bulldog Josh Schache in the thrilling final minutes of the Dogs’ win on Sunday.
Carey said it was “absolutely ridiculous” that the free kick was paid and said “our game is doomed” if it was the new standard.
He said any league official who backed the Sicily free kick as the correct decision should depart AFL headquarters.
“If you were to pay that as a free-kick every time, we would pay 150 free kicks a game. This has gone too far,” Carey said on the Don’t Argue podcast.
“If they sit there and say ‘Yes that is a free kick, then you know what? Sack them’.
“Sack Hocking. If he thinks that is right, that is ridiculous.
“If they don’t say they have got this wrong, then our game is doomed.”
Carey said the Sicily free kick was nothing like the Andrew Gaff punch which broke Andrew Brayshaw’s jaw last season and cost Gaff his place in the premiership win.
“The crackdown was for people being punched either in the shoulder, in the stomach, or in the head, of course pay a free kick,” he said.
“But a little bit of this (pushing) and that and showing of strength. That is beyond a joke.
“If you forcibly hit someone anywhere in the body with a clenched first (pay the) free kick.
“None of those (on Sunday) where anything like that. Sicily’s was a joke.”
Carey: 'Our game is doomed'
– JAY CLARK
AFL legend Wayne Carey has called on league operations manager Steve Hocking to stand down over the James Sicily free kick saga.
The league has ticked off the controversial decision to pay a free kick against Sicily for his late push-and-shove with Bulldog Josh Schache in the thrilling final minutes of the Dogs’ win on Sunday.
Carey said it was “absolutely ridiculous” that the free kick was paid and said “our game is doomed” if it was the new standard.
He said any league official who backed the Sicily free kick as the correct decision should depart AFL headquarters.
“If you were to pay that as a free-kick every time, we would pay 150 free kicks a game. This has gone too far,” Carey said on the Don’t Argue podcast.
“If they sit there and say ‘Yes that is a free kick, then you know what? Sack them’.
“Sack Hocking. If he thinks that is right, that is ridiculous.
“If they don’t say they have got this wrong, then our game is doomed.”
Carey said the Sicily free kick was nothing like the Andrew Gaff punch which broke Andrew Brayshaw’s jaw last season and cost Gaff his place in the premiership win.
“The crackdown was for people being punched either in the shoulder, in the stomach, or in the head, of course pay a free kick,” he said.
“But a little bit of this (pushing) and that and showing of strength. That is beyond a joke.
“If you forcibly hit someone anywhere in the body with a clenched first (pay the) free kick.
“None of those (on Sunday) where anything like that. Sicily’s was a joke.”
Longmire hopeful Heeney can play hurt
Sydney coach John Longmire is hoping young star Isaac Heeney can finally shrug off a lingering ankle injury.
Earmarked for more midfield action this season, the 22-year-old was forced to spend most of last Friday’s loss to Adelaide in the forward line because of the injury he sustained in the Swans’ last pre-season game.
"They can be a bit tougher to get over, particularly early in the year," Longmire said.
"But if he gets through the next couple of weeks, it should be OK.
"At the start of the week he won’t be doing a lot, but at the back end of the week we certainly hope he trains and he’s available to put his hand up and play."
Longmire said he wasn’t sure if veteran defender Heath Grundy would be available for Sunday’s clash against Carlton at Marvel Stadium after missing the Adelaide game with a back issue.
"We’ll wait until the end of the week to see how he pulls up on Thursday," Longmire said.
Longmire doubted whether he would need to look at resting star spearhead Lance Franklin any time soon.
"If he’s pulling up well, he’ll continue to play," Longmire said.
Veteran Kieren Jack and young forward Tom McCartin were among a number of impressive performers in a NEAFL practice match last week. McCartin is pushing for a senior spot against Carlton.
Sydney was caned 27-15 in the free-kick count against Adelaide, with Longmire identifying the stoppages as an area in which his side were frequently pinged.
"We’ve got to make sure we keep our intensity up there, but don’t give away the free kicks," Longmire said.
– AAP
AFL gives Sicily free the thumbs up
JON RALPH – HERALD SUN
The AFL umpiring department has backed in the contentious free kick against James Sicily.
The umpires are still going through their weekend reviews amid a chorus of outcry over the match-defining decision and a host of other incidents.
The officiating umpire believed the strike to Western Bulldog Josh Schache was off the ball and forceful enough to warrant a free kick.
In a review of the incident in the last quarter of the Bulldogs-Hawthorn clash there was no clear footage to show it was a mistake.
Sydney continues to rail against a free kick count against them, with the umpiring department still reviewing all of the relevant decisions.
But the umpires believed the play on call when Jarrad McVeigh attempted to milk a second 50m penalty was correct.
The decision to allow Shane Edwards the free kick on the half-time siren when Kamdyn McIntosh had tackled Steele Sidebottom was also a mistake.
Edwards kicked the goal close to the boundary but McIntosh should have taken the kick.
Tackle TV: Dees' forward line has 'disintegrated'
Maybe trading Jesse Hogan wasn't such a good idea.
Melbourne won the inside-50s 72-48 yet lost to Geelong by 80 points, and Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson says the Demons' forward line is the most dysfunctional in the competition.
"The forward six at Melbourne have absolutely disintegrated," he said in this week's episode of Tackle TV.
Answering your questions on his Tackle column, Robbo also tackles Eddie McGuire, the one Essendon player who clearly cares, the secret to St Kilda's success and a weekend of "weird" free kicks.
Watch this week's episode below and catch Tackle TV every Monday on Facebook.
Concussion forces Picken to retire
Jon Ralph, Herald Sun
Concussion has forced Liam Picken into retirement after a decorated career as one of the Western Bulldogs’ favourite sons.
The Bulldogs premiership player today told the playing list of his decision after battling concussion symptoms for over a season since a brutal collision in March last year.
Picken was the club’s leading goalkicker in 2017 but will always be remembered for his bull-at-a-gate style that typified the club’s 2016 premiership run.
FULL STORY: https://bit.ly/2I3CVu8
St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt has lauded fourth-year Saint Jade Gresham as 'the best player at St Kilda' after his heroics in the club's 11-point victory over Essendon on Saturday.
The 21-year-old had 25 disposals, five marks and kicked two goals in the 10.16 (76) to 9.11 (65) triumph, lifting the Saints to 2-0 after their Round 1 win against Gold Coast.
In his 64th AFL game, Gresham kicked a clutch goal 24 minutes into the final term which allowed St Kilda to hold on despite Essendon kicking the last two majors.
“He’s a star. He’s the best player at St Kilda," Riewoldt told SEN.
Riewoldt questioned why Essendon didn't send a player to either Gresham, Jack Steven or Jack Billings.
“Do you know what surprised me? If you look at St Kilda, who do you need to control? Probably Gresham, maybe Billings, because he is so nice with the footy, and Jack Steven," he said.
“Perfect opportunity, we saw what Port Adelaide did in Round 1.
"They put a name on the board, they circled Max Gawn and they went after him. "I can’t believe Essendon didn’t do that.I can’t believe they didn’t target a player and go after them."
GILBERT GARDINER reports …
THE blowtorch is firmly on Essendon this morning, with 2000 premiership defender Adam Ramanauskas questioning the Bombers' hard edge.
Ramanauskas has attributed the Bombers shocking start to players not being prepared to "fight for the ball when it's a 50-50 situation".
"You see when the ball hits the ground St Kilda were the first in there, prepared to go in there and dish the handballs out," Ramanauskas told RSN 927.
"You see two or three Essendon players just around the edges of that contest looking like they were going to go but didn't really want to go, they were waiting for the ball to flick out or waiting for a teammate to go in."
Join the conversation
Goodwin opens up: Healing, hope and lifting Dees’ heavy cloud
Drugs, culture questions and a big fall from the top – Simon Goodwin’s Demons have been through football hell. But as he reveals in detail for the first time, things have changed – for good.
Read more
King avoids ACL tear, Saints provide Sinclair, Wood update
St Kilda fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief after it was revealed star forward Max King has avoided a serious knee injury. Plus, the latest on Jack Sinclair and Mason Wood.
Read more