Naming Injured Players

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Stop the silly name games
Mike Sheahan
May 23, 2007 12:00am

ST KILDA should be brought to account for Saturday night. For events before and after rather than during the game.

The Saints named Jason Gram and Xavier Clarke in their final 22 to play Hawthorn in the knowledge neither would play.

When it came time to account for the late withdrawals, officials said both had been hit by a virus.

It was yet another example of the absolute disdain of certain clubs for the media and, by extension, supporters, punters and tipsters. The public.

Neither of those players will play against Fremantle on Friday night.

How, then, was either any chance to play last Saturday night? Gram has a hamstring-lower back strain and Clarke a calf strain.

Hawthorn knew that was the case before the game, as did most football writers.

The AFL should hit St Kilda where it hurts most. With a 'please explain' and, when no satisfactory explanation is produced - because there isn't one, a $10,000 fine.

Let the Saints have their fun, but let them pay for it.

Captains are fined for talking to umpires, coaches are fined for veiled criticism of umpires, runners are fined for inadvertently colliding with players, yet intentional deception with teams continues to be ignored.

St Kilda, it seems, still believes in the archaic practice of the 1970s and '80s, when clubs got cheap kicks out of fooling everyone else by naming injured players, making late changes and fabricating juvenile explanations.

Essendon, for example, said Neale Daniher suffered a bruised knee before the finals in 1981. He next played in 1985.

No matter the true nature of a player's injury, generally they were listed with bruises and strains - or viruses.

The virus became the catch-all. Particularly at Essendon.

At the weekend, cynical reporters asked St Kilda officials whether Gram and Clarke were suffering the 'Sheedy virus'.

On Monday, a long-time football reporter with a reputation for being up-to-date and diligent was embarrassed at the St Kilda media conference when he asked for the latest on "the virus".

The room burst into laughter and coach Ross Lyon smiled and sheepishly fessed up to an old-fashioned ruse.

I have a vested interest in this one.

Six weeks ago, I was full of praise for the new coach's willingness to return phone calls and to tell the truth to specific questions.

The quote I liked best was: "I don't want to have things lingering over the club that don't need to linger."

The practice of lying about team selections and injuries has become tiresome and demands AFL intervention.

Seven clubs made eight late changes to their 'final 22' at the weekend.

The progressive total after eight rounds is 48 changes.

The AFL no longer can rely on its old line of: "Why should we get involved in betting on football when we get nothing out of wagering?"

Answer: Betfair and Tabcorp. Oh, and the not-incidental matter of the rights of supporters, punters and tipsters.
 

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Thursday Debate with Adrian Dunn
24 May 2007 Herald-Sun
Adrian Dunn

MIKE Sheahan nailed it (Stop the silly name games, Herald Sun yesterday), Adrian Dunn writes.

The AFL needs to take a forceful financial stance on the charades played by clubs in regards to team selection.

It's an insult to anyone's intelligence that clubs are allowed to treat the public with such disdain.

But it is not only the clubs that are treating punters like mugs.

It's outrageous that the AFL can receive $10 million over five years from Betfair and Tabcorp and give zip in return.

By entering into a commercial arrangement with those betting agencies, the AFL should be legally and morally bound to provide an accurate, easily accessible service to punters.

Sure, this is not the racing industry, which has a professional, transparent system where scratchings, late scratchings, jockey changes and track conditions are broadcast immediately.

And such critical information is also displayed in TAB agencies.

But it is not too much to ask for the AFL to operate professionally and transparently.

Punters need to be made aware of team changes the moment they happen. Surely that's not too great an imposition.

Currently, team sheets are made available to media outlets 40 minutes before a game.

Why so late is another issue, one that we won't get bogged down in at the moment.

Remarkably, any late team changes are not officially relayed to Tabcorp or Betfair, the AFL's wagering partners, from which the league has gladly pocketed $10 million.

How is Tabcorp supposed to display accurate information to its customers before they bet?

Tabcorp spokesman Gary Davies said he was in the ridiculous situation of having staff members monitor radio and/or television to garner information.

If the AFL finds it too difficult to relay price-sensitive information to Tabcorp, post it on the AFL website 40 minutes before the game.

Punters would then have a one-stop shop to check team information and then bet accordingly.

It's time the AFL took its betting responsibility seriously and stopped treating punters as mugs.
 
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All-clear on Saints' changes
24 May 2007 Herald-Sun
Scott Gullan

ST KILDA will not be sanctioned for making four changes to its line-up before Saturday night's game against Hawthorn.


AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said the Saints had not broken any rules as they had informed the league of two of those changes 24 hours before the game, while the other two were within guidelines.

After submitting its team on Thursday night, St Kilda informed the AFL and Hawthorn on Friday that Matthew Clarke and Clinton Jones were out and two emergencies had been added.

However, on Saturday night when the team sheets were produced, the Saints had also left out key players Xavier Clarke and Jason Gram.

"Under the AFL rules you are allowed to have 22 players with three emergencies and you have until 45 minutes before the match to finalise your team," Keane said.

"If they had taken any player from outside the 25 then they would have been fined.

"But in this case on the Friday St Kilda informed the AFL, Hawthorn and all the media of two changes to its line-up."

Punters have argued that the Saints should have also come clean about Xavier Clarke and Gram earlier than 45 minutes before the bounce.

However according to the AFL, clubs are within their rights to do whatever they like with their squad of 25.

"At this point we have not altered our rules," Keane said. "We are running a football competition and for anyone who wants to bet, the teams are always declared 45 minutes before the match."
 

markfarmer

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#6
All is fair in Love and Footy. Its War out there on the field. If it is within the Rules then so be it.

Footy has developed into not only a great Physical Spectical but also a battle of minds on the field, minds in the coaches box, and minds pouring out the media through the week.

Though I did like the way Grant Thomas didn't play the mind games... He told it like it was....which was a mind game in itself...:D
 

joeblow2

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#7
All is fair in Love and Footy. Its War out there on the field. If it is within the Rules then so be it.

Footy has developed into not only a great Physical Spectical but also a battle of minds on the field, minds in the coaches box, and minds pouring out the media through the week.

Though I did like the way Grant Thomas didn't play the mind games... He told it like it was....which was a mind game in itself...:D
Yeah, your right in theiry, but the practice is a little out dated. With the lockout times of Dreamteam and Supercoach, the big business of footy betting and tipping, it would be nice to know that if a team is named it will start unless something unusual happens.

It is within the rules, but it is unnecessary. Hawthorn already knew anyway, so it defeated the purpose.
 
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