Tonight is a new chapter in one of the AFL's most bitter rivalries.
Click here to remember some of the iconic Essendon v Hawthorn moments – from the 'line in the sand' game to Dipper kissing Billy Duckworth.
Legal action? Carlton fan calls in lawyers over Gillon McLachlan claims
A Carlton fan who was thrown out of Marvel Stadium for abusing an umpire has contacted lawyers over allegations by AFL chief Gillon McLachlan and revealed the toll of a week in the headlines.
Footy's flog man has contacted lawyers over AFL chief Gillon McLachlan’s claim he ran "across two bays" to abuse umpire Mathew Nicholls.
Carlton member “Frankie”, evicted from Marvel Stadium on Saturday, has revealed he is on stress leave as a result of the furore, while his heavily pregnant fiancee is also suffering.
McLachlan this morning claimed an official incident report detailed how “Frankie” ran aggressively towards Nicholls while calling him a “bald-headed flog” during the clash against the Brisbane Lions.
The Blues supporter is adamant he never left his seat on Level 1 and believes he has been defamed.
Family friend and business owner Romeo D’Amato told the Herald Sun he had approached solicitors on “Frankie’s” behalf.
“We are exploring legal options to correct the record,” D’Amato said.
“It gives me no joy to see a friend turn up at my home in tears worried about returning to work or whether he can go to the footy again.
“What is happening here is a travesty of justice.”
“Frankie”, who does not want his identity disclosed, is awaiting an official explanation from the AFL integrity department.
“I don’t reckon it was just because of those words,” McLachlan told 3AW.
“Mathew Nicholls is a very experienced umpire, I got the notes about it, I followed it up, he said it was the most intimidated he's been in his hundreds of games of football.”
Told “Frankie” denied running towards Nicholls, McLachlan said: “That was in the report. He will have his views, I don’t want to go into the ins and outs of it.”
Pressed again on whether he had run at the umpire, McLachlan said: “Yes, that was the assessment in the briefing I had, absolutely, across two bays, and the umpire felt intimidated.”
“Frankie” said today: “That’s a load of crap. They’ve thrown me under the bus. Go and get the footage. They (the AFL) own the ground, so it shouldn’t be that hard for them to get the footage of me running across the two bays,” he said.
“If my hand in my pocket and the other hand holding a radio is intimidating, we've got a few issues in society."
McLachlan insisted there had been no crackdown on fan behaviour, despite a spate of bans and evictions.
“Everyone should feel comfortable at the football … there's been no change in policy, I want to be clear that they should go and express themselves at the game, but it has to be respectful, and that's the way it's always been,” he said.
The AFL supremo said he was happy to speak to die-hard Collingwood fan Jeff “Joffa” Corfe, who has vowed to boycott games until McLachlan apologises for the league’s heavy-handed treatment of fans.
“I’ll hopefully see Joffa at the Collingwood game next week,” McLachlan said.
“I’ll talk to Joffa if he wants to talk to me. He’s a great part of our game, he adds colour and theatre and it’s fantastic.”
McLachlan said it was acceptable for fans to boo umpires “unless it’s in situations where it is intimidatory”.
"Booing has been part of our game for 100 years … people boo the umpires all the time,” he said.
“I can't prescribe for you respectful behaviour, what words are and aren't (acceptable) … the fans decide in the end.”
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Updates
No love lost before Friday night lights
Tonight is a new chapter in one of the AFL's most bitter rivalries.
Click here to remember some of the iconic Essendon v Hawthorn moments – from the 'line in the sand' game to Dipper kissing Billy Duckworth.
BROTHER v BROTHER (#10)
On Sunday Rhyce Shaw will make a quirky piece of footy history when he becomes the 10th man to coach a game in which his brother is playing for the other team.
The last time it happened was in 2009 when Jade Rawlings was standing in as Richmond coach against his brother Brady's Kangaroos – prompting this hilariously hammed-up photo.
BANDS OF BROTHERS
There have been 10 known cases of a brother coaching against a sibling in the AFL/VFL
1910: Alan Belcher (Essendon playing coach) v Vic Belcher (South Melbourne player)
1914-15: Vic Belcher (South Melbourne playing coach) v Alan Belcher (Essendon player)
1920: Arthur Hiskens (South Melbourne playing coach) v Rupe Hiskens (Carlton player)
1927: Paddy Scanlan (Footscray playing coach) v Joe Scanlan (South Melbourne, player)
1929-30: Arthur Coghlan (Geelong playing coach) v Davitt Coghlan (Fitzroy player)
1935-37: Syd Coventry (Footscray coach) v Gordon Coventry (Collingwood player)
1935-36, 1940: Jack Baggott (Essendon playing coach, South Melbourne non-playing coach) v Ron Baggott (Melbourne player)
1945: Dick Reynolds (Essendon playing coach) v Tom Reynolds (St Kilda player)
1947-49: Alec Albiston (Hawthorn playing coach) v Ken Albiston (Richmond player)
2009: Jade Rawlings (Richmond caretaker coach) v Brady Rawlings (North Melbourne player)
2019: Rhyce Shaw (North Melbourne caretaker coach) v Heath Shaw (GWS player)
Josh Jenkins’ worst fears have been alleviated with scans clearing him of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
The key forward said scans on Friday showed his ACL was intact and he will now consult club doctors to determine the exact extent of the injury suffered in the dying minutes of Thursday night’s win against Richmond.
Jenkins cleared of ACL injury
Josh Jenkins’ worst fears have been alleviated with scans clearing him of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
The key forward said scans on Friday showed his ACL was intact and he will now consult club doctors to determine the exact extent of the injury suffered in the dying minutes of Thursday night’s win against Richmond.
Has Blues' new coach bubble burst?
Caretaker Carlton coach David Teague says the onus is on his players to ensure they re-create the energy displayed in their breakthrough win over the Brisbane Lions without the high emotion of Brendon Bolton’s sacking.
The Blues played with renewed vigour and freedom to snap a six-game losing streak, but they’ll need to find their motivation elsewhere when they take on the Western Bulldogs tomorrow night.
“In terms of that energy I’ve thrown it back to the players, I’m big on not motivating them as a coach, I’m actually wanting them to motivate themselves,” Teague told reporters on Friday
Teague said he had made slight adjustments to the Carlton game plan he inherited from Bolton.
"They're only slight adjustments," he said.
"The foundations here were pretty good. It's probably just a little bit more aggression in offense, making the ground a little bit bigger.
"Then, because we're going to be more aggressive, we've got to transition a bit quicker and make sure we're ready to defend knowing that errors are going to occur.
"We're getting up and we want to play the game in our half. It's as simple as that."
Archer joins search for Roos coach
North Melbourne has announced the selection committee to find its next senior coach.
Chairman Ben Buckley, CEO and managing director Carl Dilena, former board member and club champion Glenn Archer, current board member Paul Dwyer, and football manager Cameron Joyce will embark on the job of identifying and interviewing – and ultimate choosing – a successor to Brad Scott.
“Together we will identify and interview only the very best the industry has to offer, with a view to making an appointment in the coming months,” Buckley wrote in a letter to Kangaroos members.
“While the panel is made up of North people, we may look to engage highly respected and experienced industry figures from outside the club for another perspective along the way.”
Buckley said the club would look to appoint a coach who can, “get the very best out of players and form meaningful relationships with them”, with a focus on embracing the club’s, “past, present and future”.
Interim coach Rhyce Shaw is putting together the best possible application for the full-time job with two wins from two starts. A third against GWS on Sunday would put the Roos on the edge of the top eight.
"Rhyce Shaw has done a terrific job turning things around and we now find ourselves knocking on the door of the eight," Buckley wrote.
"Rhyce’s connection with the players and style has been exceptional and we thank him for taking the reins.
"While the players continue to do us proud and charge back up the ladder, rest assured we will be doing everything in our power to attract and sign the best possible coach to lead them into the future."
– Jon Ralph and Jay Clark
As Essendon chases another ruckman, the ruck market is going into overdrive.
Sam Jacobs could be available as a free agent given Reilly O’Brien looks the club’s first ruckman and is keen to sign a new deal.
Would Essendon hand him a two-year deal as they wait for their young rucks to come on?
At Port Adelaide Paddy Ryder is looking for a new two-year deal, while the plot thickens at Fremantle and Carlton's Matthew Kreuzer is poised to sign a new contract at the Blues.
Get all the latest trade and contract whispers in the Moneyball column.
Trade talk: Ruck market goes into overdrive
– Jon Ralph and Jay Clark
As Essendon chases another ruckman, the ruck market is going into overdrive.
Sam Jacobs could be available as a free agent given Reilly O’Brien looks the club’s first ruckman and is keen to sign a new deal.
Would Essendon hand him a two-year deal as they wait for their young rucks to come on?
At Port Adelaide Paddy Ryder is looking for a new two-year deal, while the plot thickens at Fremantle and Carlton's Matthew Kreuzer is poised to sign a new contract at the Blues.
Get all the latest trade and contract whispers in the Moneyball column.
Goodes welcomes baby daughter
Memo AFLW recruiters: Sydney Swans champion Adam Goodes and his wife Natalie Croker have welcomed their first child – a baby girl.
The daughter is the couple's first child, with the retired AFL legend and dual Brownlow Medallist having publicly announced the pregnancy in February.
Goodes has told family and friends in the past 24 hours after Natalie gave birth on Wednesday.
The Sydney star is one of football’s great champions, as a dual premiership star who kicked key goals in the 2012 premiership on one leg and won Sydney’s goalkicking title three times.
He is also the subject of twin documentaries about his legacy after the booing controversy that drove him from the game.
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