Lance Franklin will not be risked for the opening round of the season
Sydney spearhead Lance Franklin will not be risked in Round 1. When can the Swans fans expect to see him? Get the latest on how the superstar is tracking.
Jon Ralph
2 min read
March 12, 2020 - 1:42PM
Lance Franklin will not be risked in Round 1.
Sydney spearhead Lance Franklin will not be risked in Round 1 but the Swans haven’t ruled out a Round 2 Friday night home return against Essendon at the SCG.
The Swans are determined to get Franklin in the type of shape that will allow him to train with his teammates all season as he recovers from early January knee surgery.
He has been back running for some time and has even completed some skills sessions but isn’t yet in regular full training.
Sydney kicks off its season next week against Adelaide on Saturday 21 March before playing the following Friday against the Dons.
Lance Franklin will not be risked in Round 1.
Franklin was in awesome shape in the pre-Christmas training block, rag-dolling defenders and in prime condition before needing a knee scrape.
But the club is determined not to rush him back without a solid training regimen under his belt.
Sydney captain Josh Kennedy told the Herald Sun Franklin was making strong progress.
“He is probably unlikely Round 1. They will be pretty cautious with him and make sure he is absolutely strong,” he said.
“He is certainly fit and the continuity of having him in training as much as games is as important for the team as a whole.
“Our team looks very different when he is in the side and if he’s not training it makes it pretty hard on game day. Having said that he has kept himself absolutely fit. It won’t take him long and it won’t take us long to integrate him back into the team.”
Swans chief executive Tom Harley said the club would make a decision that would give Franklin the best chance to thrive after managing injuries in recent seasons.
“Lance had up until Christmas a full pre-season which we all got excited about,” he said.
“They are the deposits in the bank and he’s building up his running and starting to get into skills.
“He will play when he is right go and as far as how you make the decision, you put in all of those things.
“How much work has he done to get there, how is he going to go from that moment on.
“You have to weigh that all up and I am sure the right decision will be made.”
The Swans will likely tackle Adelaide with Isaac Heeney playing closer to goal and Tom McCartin, Nick Blakey, Tom Papley and Will Hayward as attacking targets.
Updates
English set to be dangerous up forward
Liam Twomey
LUCY BISHOP
The Bulldogs latest emerging ruckman Tim English has caught the eyes of his coaches and teammates in the preseason and is expected to spend more time forward this year.
Kicking eight goals in his 20 AFL games last year, English looks to be the next option to assist the Bulldogs’ newest key forward Josh Bruce and young gun Josh Schache.
“To be able to play that dual-position is something I see as an important aspect of my game,” English told SEN.
“It can be the difference between being really effective as a ruckman and being that sort of one-dimensional ruck-based player.
“If I’m able to add that forward craft to my game, then I think it will be really beneficial not only this year, but for my development going forward.”
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge is adamant that English won’t always play in the ruck after showing signs of becoming a developing forward.
“He’s going to create some nervous moments for opposition defences when he is forward, and our challenge is to best utilise his abilities,” Beveridge said.
“He probably should’ve ended up with three goals in Whyalla, and was an important staple in that ruck area throughout the course of the day too.
“He’s showing those signs that he’s maturing all the time – it doesn’t matter which recognised ruckman he is (against) from a hit-out and stoppage point of view…Tim’s going to be that player, but more than that, we need to take advantage of his abilities.”
The Bulldogs will head into their season-opener in front of a home crowd at Marvel Stadium against Collingwood on Friday 20 March.
AFLW's 'no touching' policy
Dan Batten
Lucy McEvoy
Collingwood AFLW’s ruckman Sharni Layton has confirmed that the AFLW has implemented a no-touching policy to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Layton has concerns over her own ability to resist touching her teammates during celebrations and encouragement in the games.
“We’re not even allowed to ‘high-five’ at the club anymore,” Layton said on RSN 927’s Breakfast Club.
“We’ve got to be super, super-safe in regard to the coronavirus. We have to have our own drink bottles.
“I don’t know how I’m going to go…I do get a lot of my energy from that physical touch.
“But you can tackle people. It’s very unusual but it (coronavirus) is a very serious matter.
“But we want to keep playing our games so we need to do whatever is possible to make sure we still play.”
With a very real possibility that the games may not go ahead in the coming weeks, Layton said the ban has extended to players being restricted from signing autographs for fans at the end of the match.
“We have to walk straight off the field after games.”
Collingwood will continue business as usual this weekend for now, as they take on Brisbane in Queensland.
Jon Ralph reports…
Andrew Gaff could walk away from West Coast as a free agent simply by notifying the club mid-season he wanted to enact the get-out clause in his radical contract.
But Gaff’s determination to be part of the club’s premiership window and his father’s improving health will soon see him trigger a four year extension to stay at West Coast.
West Coast wingman Gaff’s contract is one a number of left-field deals that are long-term but include triggers which hand players significant power to set their own destiny.
Greater Western Sydney wingman Josh Kelly’s long-term deal of up to ten years also contains an escape clause next year which would see him become a restricted free agent.
The exact date of Gaff’s contract trigger is not known but it is believed to be mid-season in around June or July.
It would give both club and player time to work through the list management drama if he was to decide to move back to Melbourne
That will almost certainly not happen and in effect he could ignore that deadline and continue on with the next four seasons of his deal.
But he will likely meet with his management at some stage in the near future to confirm the last four years of his deal.
Ironically, former West Coast list manager Brady Rawlings is now the football boss of North Melbourne, which pursued Gaff so hard with a mega-deal in 2018.
The Roos have massive cap space to chase a rival player but Gaff would seem untouchable and North Melbourne is keen to continue drafting and developing its own talent.
West Coast captain Luke Shuey told the Herald Sun this week he couldn’t be more impressed with Gaff’s buy-in or club engagement.
“He is a really good guy, I think even throughout that year when he was out of contract he was so invested into the club and he has had a really good summer, performed really well for us on the weekend against Fremantle even though we lost and he looks set for a really big year.”
Andrew Gaff set to stay at Eagles
Jon Ralph reports…
Andrew Gaff could walk away from West Coast as a free agent simply by notifying the club mid-season he wanted to enact the get-out clause in his radical contract.
But Gaff’s determination to be part of the club’s premiership window and his father’s improving health will soon see him trigger a four year extension to stay at West Coast.
West Coast wingman Gaff’s contract is one a number of left-field deals that are long-term but include triggers which hand players significant power to set their own destiny.
Greater Western Sydney wingman Josh Kelly’s long-term deal of up to ten years also contains an escape clause next year which would see him become a restricted free agent.
The exact date of Gaff’s contract trigger is not known but it is believed to be mid-season in around June or July.
It would give both club and player time to work through the list management drama if he was to decide to move back to Melbourne
That will almost certainly not happen and in effect he could ignore that deadline and continue on with the next four seasons of his deal.
But he will likely meet with his management at some stage in the near future to confirm the last four years of his deal.
Ironically, former West Coast list manager Brady Rawlings is now the football boss of North Melbourne, which pursued Gaff so hard with a mega-deal in 2018.
The Roos have massive cap space to chase a rival player but Gaff would seem untouchable and North Melbourne is keen to continue drafting and developing its own talent.
West Coast captain Luke Shuey told the Herald Sun this week he couldn’t be more impressed with Gaff’s buy-in or club engagement.
“He is a really good guy, I think even throughout that year when he was out of contract he was so invested into the club and he has had a really good summer, performed really well for us on the weekend against Fremantle even though we lost and he looks set for a really big year.”
A cricket fan who attended Australia's World Cup final triumph on Sunday night has now been diagnosed for coronavirus.
The MCC issued a statement saying:
"The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), as ground managers of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), is aware that a person who attended the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Final at the MCG on Sunday March 8 has now been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has advised of the patron’s diagnosis and has classified it as a low-risk of spreading COVID-19 to surrounding members of the public and staff. The patron sat on Level 2 of the Northern Stand at the MCG in section N42.
The DHHS recommends that those who were seated in N42 at Sunday’s event should continue to go about their normal routine, with an increased focus on hygiene measures, and should any flu-like symptoms emerge to consult with a medical professional.
The MCC is working closely with the Government and the DHHS and the advice is to operate business as usual, including hosting major events, however are prepared should that change at any stage. The MCC is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for those visiting the MCG and as a precautionary measure have undertaken intensive cleaning of the affected section.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has a hotline for public information on COVID-19 which is 1800 675 398 and further information is also available at https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus"
World Cup final attendee tests positive to Coronavirus
Dan Batten
A cricket fan who attended Australia's World Cup final triumph on Sunday night has now been diagnosed for coronavirus.
The MCC issued a statement saying:
"The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), as ground managers of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), is aware that a person who attended the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Final at the MCG on Sunday March 8 has now been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has advised of the patron’s diagnosis and has classified it as a low-risk of spreading COVID-19 to surrounding members of the public and staff. The patron sat on Level 2 of the Northern Stand at the MCG in section N42.
The DHHS recommends that those who were seated in N42 at Sunday’s event should continue to go about their normal routine, with an increased focus on hygiene measures, and should any flu-like symptoms emerge to consult with a medical professional.
The MCC is working closely with the Government and the DHHS and the advice is to operate business as usual, including hosting major events, however are prepared should that change at any stage. The MCC is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for those visiting the MCG and as a precautionary measure have undertaken intensive cleaning of the affected section.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has a hotline for public information on COVID-19 which is 1800 675 398 and further information is also available at https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus"
JAY CLARK
AFL and AFLW umpires will train by themselves to help combat the rapidly escalating threat of coronavirus.
Football’s whistleblowers will train in isolation or maintain their distance in small groups to avoid contracting the virus.
They will be coached online where possible.
The AFL confirmed it had taken steps to help protect the officials.
“As a precautionary measure we have advised AFL and AFLW umpires of alternative training arrangements for the time being,” an AFL spokesperson said.
The AFL is hopeful of completing the first round of the season as normal, however daily discussions with the country’s top medical experts will govern their decision-making.
It seems certain games will be played in front of empty stands as early as Round 5.
The NBA today suspended its season.
Umpires to train in isolation
Dan Batten
JAY CLARK
AFL and AFLW umpires will train by themselves to help combat the rapidly escalating threat of coronavirus.
Football’s whistleblowers will train in isolation or maintain their distance in small groups to avoid contracting the virus.
They will be coached online where possible.
The AFL confirmed it had taken steps to help protect the officials.
“As a precautionary measure we have advised AFL and AFLW umpires of alternative training arrangements for the time being,” an AFL spokesperson said.
The AFL is hopeful of completing the first round of the season as normal, however daily discussions with the country’s top medical experts will govern their decision-making.
It seems certain games will be played in front of empty stands as early as Round 5.
The NBA today suspended its season.
Lucy Bishop
Carlton coach David Teague is calling for the competition and fans to stop panicking after the Blues worrying preseason defeats.
“We believe strongly in the game style and we think that we can be really competitive, we’re going to be competitive in every game we run out in if we play to our best,” Teague said on 3AW.
“We played some pretty good footy, we just haven’t done it consistently for four quarters at the moment.
“We’ve got that footy in us and I think our players have that belief.”
Teague provided an update on how some of the Blues key players are tracking post preseason.
Mitch McGovern:
"Possession-wise, he didn’t have a big influence but some of the things that he did… we actually need more players like Mitch.
"Some of his defensive positioning and pressure was quite strong. It was his first run and we only see him getting better and better.
Paddy Dow:
'We’re still looking for the right balance in terms of how many mids we play: Zac Fisher and Paddy Dow probably spent a bit more time forward than in the midfield."
"You’ll probably get sick of me saying this but I think too many people get seduced by possessions. We want our players to play roles and sometimes your role is to win the ball, other times it’s to hold balance.
Sam Petrevski-Seton:
"Samo played three quarters in the VFL before. He’s back in the mix and will be putting his hand up for Round 1.
Tom De Koning:
"He’s a great talent and we’re really excited about the prospect of him. He showed some good contest in the air and follow up on the weekend."
Sam Docherty (pictured below):
"He’s done a really good job considering he hasn’t played for a couple of years. He had a really good pre-season. We can see him slowly getting better each game."
Giants star's take on coronavirus
Dan Batten
GWS Giants star Phil Davis can see a trend developing in world sport in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Champions League football matches in front of no fans, the NBA suspending its season following a player testing positive to COVID-19.
Could we see similar result in the AFL? It is certainly in the realms of possibility.
Wow. NBA suspends the season just after PSG play in front of 0 fans. Wonder what we are going to be doing!?!
