Two incidents have emerged from the round 9 clash between St Kilda and Collingwood, after rival fans were filmed violently brawling at Etihad Stadium.
The first incident allegedly occurred on level 1 of the stadium between rival fans, before the more violent incident occurred at the EJ Whitten Legends Bar. Channel Nine showed the footage which was posted on social media platform Snapchat, and was later shared on other social media platforms. Police are working with the AFL to investigate the incidents. It is believed the incident at the EJ Whitten Legends Bar was started over comments made about the 2010 Grand Final. A witness to the incident told Channel Nine that the brawl occurred during the first half, when St Kilda were playing well, and a Collingwood supporter said, "Pity you didn't do that in 2010". In the footage posted on social media, it shows at least half a dozen people throwing punches and glasses in the bar, which overlooks the ground from behind the goals on the Coventry end. Several people involved were told to leave the stadium. During this season alone, there have been several incidents of crowd violence. These include a scuffle on the Anzac Day match between Collingwood and Essendon, and a brawl at the round 5 match between Port Adelaide and Geelong at Adelaide Oval. The investigation of the brawl is ongoing.
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The 2018 Premiership Season got off to a roaring start last Thursday night as the reigning premiers got a slight scare from a young, but tough Carlton side. Port Adelaide made a statement with some of their new recruits, defeating the Dockers by 50-points to kick-start their season. The Giants were out in full force, overcoming the injury-ridden Bulldogs by 82 points. Gary Ablett made his return for the Cats after a nail-biting 3-point win against the Dees. Missed something from Round 1? It's all here for the Round 1 Wrap-Up. Richmond v Carlton - Thursday, March 22 Round 1 kicked off with Richmond unveiling their premiership flag in front of more than 90,000 spectators at the MCG on Thursday night. Despite an early scare from the Blues with almost five-straight goals, the Tigers put on a show to win their fifth consecutive season opener and their seventh consecutive win against the Blues. Midfielder Patrick Cripps was predicted to play an outstanding match, and so he did. The young Blue had 36 possessions and broke his personal record for contested possessions, earning 25. Brownlow medallist and star midfielder Dustin Martin started his season off with a brilliant performance, finishing the match with 32 possessions, with 17 of those contested, and six clearances to back up his massive 2017 season. At least six 50-metre penalties were given out during the match, with five of them going to Carlton. The umpires promised to crack down on players running through the 10-metre protection zone and the Tigers paid the price, allowing the Blues to have five shots at goal from each penalty received. While the Blues had the majority of the game in their hands, two of their players were hit with injuries. Matthew Kennedy sprained his ankle in the first quarter and tried to play on in the second, but found himself on the bench for the remainder of the game. Ruckman, Matthew Kreuzer suffered a groin injury, but it is believed not to be too serious. Tigers: 17.19 (121) Blues: 15.5 (95) Essendon v Adelaide Crows - Friday, March 23 Coming off of last year's Grand Final loss, the Crows were outplayed by a defiant Essendon side at Etihad Stadium. a 3-goal haul from both Cale Hooker and James Stewart kept the Dons alive, resulting in a 12-point win which stunned the Crows in the final quarter. Former Bulldog Jake Stringer debuted for the Bombers, racking up 16 disposals. Former Blue Bryce Gibbs finished with 2 goals and 35 disposals, cementing his spot as a key part of the Crow's team. The night ended quickly for Zach Merrett, who sat on the bench for the remainder of the game due to concussion. Crow Richard Douglas made head-high contact against the All Australian midfielder which resulted in a one-match suspension. Douglas contested the matter and the incident will be presented to the Tribunal on Tuesday night. It was Merrett's second concussion within a month after suffering the first concussion during the JLT clash against the Tigers, copping a stray elbow from midfielder Kamdyn McIntosh. Adam Saad, who debuted for the Dons after shifting from the Suns, had 12 disposals and kept Crows star forward Eddie Betts goalless. Former Giant Devon Smith, had 23 disposals and impacted the Crows' ability to score with intense defensive pressure. Dons: 14.15 (99) Crows: 12.15 (87) Port Adelaide v Fremantle - Saturday, March 24 Port Adelaide got their season off to a big start after a 50-point win against the Dockers at Adelaide Oval. The recruitment of former Cat Steven Motlop, former Lion Tom Rockliff, and former Demon Jack Watts, paid off as each debutant positively impacted on the Power's performance. Watts racked up 20 disposals and kicked three goals, Motlop kicked two goals with 19 disposals, and Rockliff kicked one goal with 12 disposals. While Port Adelaide finished on a positive note, All Australian ruckman Paddy Ryder missed the second half of the game after suffering an Achilles injury to his left leg. Ryder was named the top ruckman for the All Australian last season and even won Port Adelaide's best and fairest. Star midfielder and 2015 Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe was a key part of Fremantle's midfield, finishing with 22 disposals and kicking one goal. Lachie Neale was impressive in the midfield as well, with 38 disposals. Alex Pearce played his first game in 672 days after suffering complications with a broken leg. Power: 16.14 (110) Dockers: 9.6 (60) St Kilda v Brisbane Lions - Saturday, March 24 St Kilda managed to hold off a strong Brisbane side at Etihad Stadium, after playing for the first time without club legend Nick Riewoldt. While the Lions gave the Saints a scare by cutting the margin early in the final term to six points, a five-goal turn around from the Saints sealed the game with a 25-point margin. Star Saints midfielder Jack Steven played a massive part in getting his side over the line, finishing with two goals and 34 disposals, with 13 of them contested. Steven almost missed out on a spot in the final 22 after injuring his ankle in the JLT clash against Melbourne. Midfielder-forward Blake Acres was a key player in the Saints' win, earning 30 disposals and kicking one goal. Seb Ross had a positive impact in the midfield with 32 possessions and seven inside 50s. Jade Gresham and Josh Bruce both kicked three goals each, proving their importance in St Kilda's competitive forward line. Former Crow Charlie Cameron and former Hawk Luke Hodge made their debuts for the Lions. Cameron scored three goals with 17 disposals, while Hodge kept the Saints forwards busy, earning 25 disposals. The number 1 draft pick from last year, Cameron Rayner made his debut, while Hunter Clark made his debut for St Kilda. Both debutants kicked their first goals and both making an impact inside 50. The Lions' back-line was impacted early in the second term, when Daniel Rich injured his ankle after landing awkwardly on his left foot during a contest against Saints forward Josh Bruce. The star defender did not take any further part in the game. Saints: 16.11 (107) Lions: 12.10 (82) Hawthorn v Collingwood - Saturday, March 24 Hawthorn midfielder Tom Mitchell had a field day against the Pies, breaking Gary Ablett's record for most disposals in an AFL match, accumulating 54 in total. But Mitchell wasn't the only player making a statement for the Hawks. Jaeger O'Meara collected 27 disposals, 14 of them contested, and six clearances after suffering a long-term injury to his knee for the past two seasons. Luke Breust was the Hawk's leading goal-kicker, with four goals. Jack Gunston celebrated his 150th game by kicking two goals and collecting 22 disposals. While Cyril Rioli only had 14 disposals and kicked one goal, it was his first game since round eight last year after suffering a hip injury that put him out for the rest of the season. Pies forward Ben Crocker scored two goals as the leading goal-kicker for Collingwood. Darcy Moore was a key part of the Pies' defence until he was thrown into the forward line late in the game in a desperate attempt to make an impact on the scoreboard, but only kicked one major. Adam Treloar collected 33 disposals, but many mistakes with the ball cost the midfielder. It was not a good night for Collingwood key forward Mason Cox, who only collected six disposals and managed four contested possessions. But that wasn't all, with the tall American collecting Hawthorn defender Daniel Howe with a stray elbow, which has cost him a week on the sidelines. Hawks: 15.11 (101) Pies: 9.13 (67) Gold Coast Suns v North Melbourne - Saturday, March 24 It was a wet and muddy day at Cazaly's Stadium, as both the Suns and the Roos battled it out. Despite the horrible ground conditions, the Suns made an impact as their new coach Stuart Dew took the club to their first victory of the season. The game was almost delayed as torrential rain poured down in Queensland 45 minutes before the first bounce. Massive puddles made it impossible to bounce the ball, with the only three bounces in the entire game going to the Roos. Shaun Higgins managed to score the only goal in the first term, thanks to the high use of contested ball from his teammates. After the Roos attacked early, the Suns made a comeback towards the end of the first half, kicking five-straight goals to put themselves in front. Ben Ainsworth was the leading goal scorer for the Suns, kicking two. Darcy Macpherson, Alex Sexton and Aaron Young also made scoreboard impact. North Melbourne gave the Suns a slight scare in the second half, with the Roos kicking four goals to reduce the margin to within only one goal at three-quarter time. North skipper Jack Ziebell pushed forward to nail two of the goals and assisted in scoring on another occasion. Scoring was highly ineffective in the final term, with the Suns scoring five behinds and two goals. The Roos only scored two behinds. Suns: 7.13 (55) North: 5.9 (39) GWS Giants v Western Bulldogs - Sunday, March 25 The Bulldogs suffered in their first match of the season against the hard-hitting Giants, with a premiership Dog ending his season early due to injury. Star Giants forward Jeremy Cameron had a massive impact, scoring six goals which included the first goal of the match. Toby Greene made scoreboard impact with four goals and 25 disposals. Stephen Coniglio collected 32 possessions and kicked two goals alongside Josh Kelly and Jonathan Patton. The Bulldogs suffered more injury-related bad luck with premiership player Tom Liberatore suffering a blow to his ACL in the first quarter. He will require reconstructive surgery. Despite the 82-point defeat to the Bulldogs, Lachie Hunter, Jack Macrae and Luke Dahlhaus were an important part of keeping the team alive. Hunter collected 32 disposals, Macrae with 31, and Dahlhaus with 29. Giants: 20.13 (133) Bulldogs: 7.9 (51) Melbourne v Geelong Cats - Sunday, March 25 The Cats finished with a nail-biting 3-point result after a missed shot at goal from Max Gawn. With Gary Ablett making his return for the Cats in front of 54,112 spectators. The Cats were without their star midfielder, Patrick Dangerfield, but still managed with Joel Selwood celebrating his 250th game, collecting 39 disposals alongside Ablett. Daniel Menzel kicked four goals but late in the game missed a set shot directly in front to give the Demons a chance to steal the win. Geelong's backline suffered after star defender Harry Taylor left the ground late in the first quarter due to a left foot injury. While Gawn missed the shot that would have given his side the win, the ruckman wasn't solely to blame for their loss. The Demons gave away three 50-metre penalties in the second term which turned a 10-point lead to the Dees into a 14-point lead for the Cats. Demons forward Jesse Hogan had the biggest scoreboard impact, kicking three goals. Co-captain Nathan Jones racked up 29 disposals and Clayton Oliver collected 28 possessions and 10 tackles. Gawn had 20 disposals while collecting 47 hit-outs and kicking one goal. Dees: 13.16 (94) Cats: 14.13 (97) West Coast Eagles v Sydney Swans - Sunday, March 25
Swans star forward Lance Franklin put on a show for the first ever AFL match at Optus Stadium. He kicked eight goals and collected 21 disposals to assist his side in a 29-point win. Buddy Franklin was on fire against the Eagles, kicking five out of his eight goals in the first half. But his night was almost overshadowed by teammate, Luke Parker. The Swans midfielder kicked a soccer-styled goal over his head from the top of the goal square, becoming a contender for the goal of the year. Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui made his return to AFL after 19 months of recovery following a ruptured ACL. Naitanui had 33 hit-outs and 12 disposals for his side, proving that he was ready to take this season on. Eagles forward Mark LeCras had a big night, kicking three goals and collecting 16 disposals with 5 of them contested. Jack Darling also made scoreboard impact by kicking three goals and had five inside 50s. The Eagles, however, suffered without their key forward Josh Kennedy. The forward underwent ankle surgery in December, but Kennedy's return was delayed even more due to knee surgery. In the end, the grand opening for the new Optus Stadium was a success, despite many of the Eagles fans booing after the final siren due to the game's result. In total, 53,553 people watched the game. Eagles: 13.8 (86) Swans: 18.7 (115) Thursday, March 22
Richmond v Carlton - MCG - 7:25pm AEDT Friday, March 23 Essendon v Adelaide - Etihad Stadium - 7:50pm AEDT Saturday, March 24 St Kilda v Brisbane Lions - Etihad Stadium - 3:35pm AEDT Port Adelaide v Fremantle - Adelaide Oval - 4:05pm ACDT Gold Coast v North Melbourne - Cazaly's Stadium - 6:25pm AEDT Hawthorn v Collingwood - MCG - 7:25pm AEDT Sunday, March 25 Greater Western Sydney v Western Bulldogs - Canberra - 1:10pm AEDT Melbourne v Geelong - MCG - 3:20pm AEDT West Coast v Sydney - Perth Stadium - 4:10pm AWDT Adelaide Crows
Brisbane LionsNil Carlton
Collingwood
Essendon
Fremantle
Geelong Cats
Gold Coast SunsNil GWS
Hawthorn
Melbourne
North MelbourneNil Port Adelaide
Richmond
St Kilda
Sydney Swans
West Coast Eagles
Western Bulldogs
The AFL has confirmed that North Melbourne and Geelong will join the AFL Women's Competition in 2019. The Gold Coast Suns, West Coast Eagles, Richmond and St Kilda will join the AFLW in 2020.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan made the announcement at a press conference on Wednesday morning, alongside AFL Commissioner Simone Wilkie, at AFL House. "As we know, eight clubs put in submissions for a licence, and it has been a challenging, and I believe a very thorough process to get to today's announcement," McLachlan said. "The commission asked a lot of questions, we had to come back to them a couple of times, and we're confident with where we've landed. "Every club has shown their commitment to AFLW. The decision and the obligation of the commission is to weigh up the needs and wants of the clubs with what is best for the new league." Hawthorn and Essendon made applications to join the AFLW, but were unsuccessful. However, they will be able to apply for a licence to join the competition in 2021. Both the Sydney Swans and Port Adelaide decided not to apply for a licence, but will seek to in the near future. The AFL is aiming to increase interest in the Women's Competition in time for the next six teams in 2020. |
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