The coaches of the AFL’s top three draft picks have refused to put pressure on their new recruits to play in 2009, despite their clubs’ desperate need for the trio to be up and running as soon as possible.

The closest Ben Cousins came to the 2008 AFL national draft was his photo on a large banner hanging from the wall, recalling past glories.

Tom Hislop would want to make the most of this AFL second chance. The 20-year-old former Essendon midfielder was the first delisted player named on Saturday in the national draft.

Ben Cousins’ hopes of an AFL comeback have received a major setback, with St Kilda becoming the latest club to decide against recruiting the fallen star.

That the AFL readmitted Ben Cousins to the fold was no great surprise. That Cousins declared he wants to return, despite the stringent conditions imposed by the league, was even less so.

News late last week that the A-League’s new team from Townsville will be known as North Queensland Fury prompted all sorts of response - good and bad – and generally, got people thinking, yet again, about the best and worst sporting team names kicking around.

Gifted onballer Shaun Burgoyne appears set to captain AFL club Port Adelaide after Warren Tredrea today relinquished the role.

How the 16 clubs fared in the 2009 AFL draw released today.

Australia Coach Mick Malthouse says Ireland’s band of amateurs are just as professional and better prepared than his professional AFL stars for the international rules series.

Shaun Burgoyne says pace rather than power will give Australia the advantage over Ireland in Friday night’s International Rules clash at Subiaco Oval.

Sydney coach Paul Roos says there’ll be “no animosity” between the Swans and Ryan O’Keefe who today agreed to play on with the AFL club after failing to organise a trade.

Adelaide United’s remarkable run in the Asian Champions League has posed a real dilemma for the club regarding where to stage its knockout matches. With officials ruling out the option of moving to the bigger AAMI stadium, thousands of Reds fans are missing out.

Before he is a permanent captain in the AFL, Brent Harvey will lead his country. The four-time All-Australian and four-time best and fairest winner at North Melbourne was the obvious choice to be made skipper of the young 25-man squad for this month’s International Rules series against Ireland.

Adelaide is a nice enough town and the Crows play finals regularly, but both were again unpopular in trade week. Recruiting manager Matt Rendell admitted there is a stigma over the city, making it tougher to attract players.

The Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide face the same issue as the Utah Jazz, the Cleveland Browns and any professional soccer team based in an English city that isn’t London – how do you recruit young men to live in a hole of a town?

Australian coach Mick Malthouse will not ask his players to rein in their natural aggression despite the future of International Rules depending on their behaviour.
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Former North Melbourne great Glenn Archer says he can not see the logic in the club looking at trading away talented young ruckman Hamish McIntosh.

Chris Judd’s not available, but recruiting conservatism is. They’re the two compelling factors which should make clubs tread carefully in AFL trade week, which starts tomorrow.

Despite kicking 10 goals in the AFL’s best shop window, Steele Sidebottom has arrived at the draft camp still unsure of his best position.

The AFL’s poor finals attendances continued tonight when the MCG experienced its lowest crowd for a final in almost a decade.