The inaugural NAB AFL Women's competition will remain with the current eight teams after its first season came with huge success.
The AFL believe that developing the talent of players in the current teams, as well as building the fan base of the competition will be their top priority to ensure that the competition can continue to thrive. The AFLW is currently made up of the Adelaide Crows, Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, GWS, Melbourne, and the Western Bulldogs. The AFL have given top priority to football clubs, St Kilda, Geelong, North Melbourne, Richmond and West Coast by giving them provisional licenses. The league have stated that, in 2019, at least two teams minimum will be added to the current competition, with the priority going to St Kilda and Geelong due to their prominent promotion to be included in the competition. Geelong expressed their frustration in the AFL's decision to keep the AFLW competition the same for the 2018 season. "Our club is obviously disappointed that there will not be a Geelong Cats team competing in the 2018 AFLW season," Geelong CEO Brian Cook said. "We believe we made a good case for expansion and we will continue the work we are doing to grow the game and the investment in our VFL women's team." St Kilda also expressed their frustration that their provisional license was not upgraded after the decision not to expand the competition. "As a club we are disappointed that our provisional license has not been upgraded to a full license today with the AFL opting to hold off expansion until 2019," St Kilda CEO Matt Finis said. "We are of the firm belief that the time was right to expand the competition immediately, and capitalise on the current interest and momentum in women's football. "While disappointed, we are encouraged by the AFL's commitment to a timely expansion bid process that will be completed in the coming months." The AFLW is still expected to be broadcast on both free-to-air and pay-TV, as well as continuing to allow free admission to matches for the 2018 season.
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![]() Collingwood legend Lou Richards has passed away in his nursing home at the age of 94. Richards played 250 games for the Collingwood Football Club between 1941 and 1955. He was captain of the team from 1952-55, including their premiership win in 1953. After a prominent career in the VFL, Richards was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, but found further publicity for his work in the media. The Collingwood great managed many Melbourne hotels and begun his involvement in sports media. Richards gained the nickname "Louie the Lip" after working at newspapers The Argus and The Sun News-Pictorial. He then begun his career in calling for both radio and television, working alongside great friends Bob Davis and Jack Dyer. He worked on the show World of Sport and League Teams, before making appearances on The Footy Show and the Sunday Footy Show. In 2008 he retired from hosting the handball segment of the Sunday Footy Show and only made public appearances occasionally. Lou Richards' family have accepted the offer of a state funeral, allowing the public to pay their respects to a legend that shaped football media into a source of entertainment, reminding the public that the game shouldn't be considered so serious. The Match Review Panel has assessed all matches from round 7 and have laid the following charges:
St Kilda midfielder Jack Steven has been charged with a $1000 fine after engaging in misconduct against Giants player Stephen Coniglio. The incident occurred during the first quarter of the clash between the Saints and the Giants, at Etihad Stadium on Friday night. Steven can accept a $1000 fine with an early plea, as he has no applicable record that would impact the penalty. St Kilda player Koby Stevens has been offered a one-match suspension after engaging in rough conduct against Giants player Nathan Wilson. The incident occurred during the second quarter of the clash between the Saints and the Giants, at Etihad Stadium on Friday night. The Panel assessed the incident as "careless conduct with medium impact to the head". Stevens can accept a one-match suspension with an early plea, as he has no applicable record that would impact the penalty. Adelaide Crows player Charlie Cameron has been charged with a $1500 fine after striking North Melbourne player Kayne Turner. The incident occurred during the first quarter of the clash between the Kangaroos and the Crows, at Blundstone Arena on Saturday. The Panel assessed the incident as "intentional conduct with low impact to the body". Due to the incident being a second classifiable offence, it was classified as a $2500 fine, but an early plea will allow Cameron to accept a $1500 sanction. North Melbourne player Jarrad Waite has been offered a one-match suspension after engaging in rough conduct against Adelaide Crows player Tom Lynch. The incident occurred during the second quarter of the clash between the Kangaroos and the Crows, at Blundstone Arena on Saturday. The Panel assessed the incident as "careless conduct with medium impact to the head". Waite can accept a one-match suspension with an early plea, as he has no applicable record that would impact the penalty. Fremantle player Matt Taberner has been charged with a $1000 fine after striking Essendon player Michael Hurley. The incident occurred during the first quarter of the clash between the Dockers and the Bombers, at Domain Stadium on Sunday. The Panel assessed the incident as "careless conduct with low impact to the groin". Taberner can accept a $1000 fine, as he has no applicable record that would impact the penalty. It was a weekend full of upsets for round 7. Every match ended with a winning team that sat lower on the ladder to their opposition. Was anyone lucky to get more than three winners this week?
St Kilda soared to victory over premiership-favourites, the GWS Giants. At Etihad Stadium on Friday night, the Saints grabbed a 23-point win to end their Friday night losing streak and prove to the AFL that the side are worthy of the weeknight timeslot. The finals-hopefuls showed their fans what playing four quarters of football was like and they got the results they wanted. However, with many hoping that the Giants could beat the Saints and show their premiership desire, the side fell short in the final term and upset the majority who had tipped them. North Melbourne shocked the league after they defeated the Adelaide Crows at Blundstone Arena, ending the top-of-the-table's six-game winning streak. What the most shocking thing about the match was the score at quarter time. The Kangaroos lead 10.4 (64) to a scoreless opposition. It was only a few days prior to the Tasmania clash that many media personnel believed the Crows could last the entire season without a loss, but the Kangaroos played a strong game to prove the media wrong. Did anyone tip the Kangaroos? After a big win over the Cats last week, Collingwood failed to secure a win over Carlton. The Blues fought hard at the MCG after Dale Thomas returned to the senior list and Jordan De Goey returned for the Pies. Another loss for Collingwood puts more pressure on coach Nathan Buckley to improve his side or face the possibility of losing his position at the end of the season. Carlton's win on Saturday afternoon shows that the side is improving and climbing towards a top eight spot. With a home ground advantage, Port Adelaide were expected to scrape home with a win against the West Coast Eagles, but lost by ten points. The clash at the Adelaide Oval remained tight throughout, as both teams fought to climb higher in the top eight. The Power had 29 more inside 50s than the Eagles, but were unable to convert opportunities into scoring shots. What didn't help Port's case was the lack of impact of star half-forward Robbie Gray, who never hit the scoreboard. The Gold Coast Suns fought hard to get themselves a 25-point win against the Geelong Cats, who lost for a second week in a row. Even though the Suns had the home ground advantage of Metricon Stadium, many tipsters got behind the Cats to improve upon their loss to the Pies in round 6. Gary Ablett had 32 disposals against his former team to help his side to victory. After a tight contest, the Western Bulldogs managed to escape with a five-point win against Richmond at Etihad Stadium. The Tigers lead throughout the entire match, apart from the final term where goals from Clay Smith and a late goal from Lachie Hunter helped lead the Bulldogs to victory. Injuries to Josh Dunkley (shoulder) and Jake Stringer (knee) almost cost the Bulldogs, but the reigning premiers fought hard, with the ball in the Tigers' attacking 50 in the final minute of the game. The Sydney Swans recorded their first win of the season against the Brisbane Lions at the SCG. It took six rounds for the Swans to get off the 18th spot on the ladder, but a 54-point win showed that last year's Grand Final participants were on the road of improvement. Buddy had a great game, booting eight goals after starting the season with consecutive average performances. A close contest at the MCG saw Melbourne losing to Hawthorn by only three points. The Dees almost claimed victory in the final minutes of the game, after the Hawks led at three-quarter time by 35-points. Ruckman Ben McEvoy had 53 hit outs and two goals, while Jarryd Roughead had four goals to his name to help lead the Hawks to their second win of the season. Fremantle played hard to get a 37-point win against Essendon at Domain Stadium. After the Bombers dominated in the first half with a 27-point lead, the Dockers came back thanks to the performances of players Bradley Hill, Lachie Neale and Matt Taberner. Hill had 37 disposals, his personal best at the Dockers since he came over from Hawthorn at the end of last season. Neale had 40 disposals himself, while Taberner kicked four goals for his first game of the season. How many tips did you get correct at the end of round 7?
Sydney Swans defender Aliir Aliir was ruled out of the side after missing the final training session on Saturday.
Aliir had spent the last two weeks in the NEAFL to improve on his defensive work. After pushing for a senior recall, the 22-year old was dropped as a late change. The leadership group, along with the Swans general manager of football, Tom Harley, decided that disciplinary action needed to be taken. "It is disappointing and unfortunate that Aliir comes out of the side," Harley told sydneyswans.com.au. "We had a training session yesterday and it is disappointing that Aliir didn't attend. We can't stand for that as a football club, so he has taken full responsibility for that." Harrison Marsh came in to replace Aliir for the clash against the Brisbane Lions at the SCG. |
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