The Silvagni family is royalty at Carlton – but as Jack celebrated his 100th game as a Blue in Thursday night’s thrilling draw with Richmond, becoming the third generation of Silvagni to reach the mark, there was a notable absentee.
Club legend Stephen wasn’t present post-match as the Blues celebrated his son’s achievement, choosing instead to remain in his car, according to Channel 7 reporter Mitch Cleary.
Silvagni, who played 312 games for Carlton between 1985 and 2001, including the 1987 and 1995 premierships, is currently serving as list manager at St Kilda.
He previously worked in a similar capacity at the Blues, including drafting Jack in 2015, before departing the club in acrimonious circumstances in 2019.
Silvagni senior’s absence was quickly slammed, with Seven presenter Jim Wilson deeming it ‘disappointing and petulant’.
Cleary took to Twitter to report the incident, after which he received a sarcastic response from Silvagni’s son and Jack’s brother Ben, who said Stephen was ‘really tired and wanted to go home’.
“Really good story Mitch,” he added.
Since making his debut in 2016, Jack has become an integral part of the Blues’ line-up, particularly under Michael Voss.
Playing as a third tall forward and undersized part-time ruckman, he managed a career-high 21 games in 2022, though was quiet in his milestone game, with just five disposals and an early goal.
Jack Silvagni and Jesse Motlop of the Blues celebrate a goal. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Richmond’s draw with Carlton in the 2023 season opener was a significant one for Jack Riewoldt: the Tigers veteran has now played in eight ties in his career, the most by a player in VFL/AFL history.
Having trailed by six points deep into the final term, a mark and goal by Tom Lynch saw the Tigers level things up, with the Blues unable to muster another score from one last forward foray in the dying seconds.
Speaking after the match, Riewoldt described the mood in the Tiger rooms as being ‘flat as shark s–t’.
“It’s a bit of a weird feeling down here at the moment,” Riewoldt told Fox Footy.
“Everyone’s a bit flat as shark s–t down here, to be honest. It’s pretty boring down here – it’s like a morgue.
“It’s a hard one to take. We had our opportunities, we felt like the game played on our terms. 60-odd inside 50s… is a pretty good number that most games you’d win. Our pressure rating was up, too.
“Probably just didn’t make the most of our opportunities tonight.”
As is now tradition in the AFL, the draw has reignited debate over whether extra time should be introduced to the home-and-away season.
Currently, the league only uses extra time for finals; speaking on Fox Footy, former great Jonathan Brown called for every match to have a winner and a loser.
“The spectator in me wants to see five minutes each way,” he said.
“Our game is so fast, dynamic and high scoring – it could be 2.5 minutes each way.
“We saw what happened in the last 90 seconds here tonight!”
Fellow AFL legend Nathan Buckley agreed, citing the experience of Carlton coach Michael Voss – whose Blues missed finals last year by a fraction of a per cent – as proof teams would be willing to risk losing two premiership points to earn all four.
“We heard in the play on, ‘Vossy’ was looking for point six of a per cent or one point [last season] – he’s still looking for that point,” Buckley said.
“He probably would have loved the opportunity to get that in the next 10 minutes of play.
“Golden point or golden score? I reckon get a result.”
However, another former great in Jordan Lewis disagreed, saying teams need to earn the right to win a game.
“If you’re not good enough to win on the night, bad luck,” the former triple-premiership Hawthorn midfielder said.
“I like the draw… it’s pretty simple for me. If you’re not good enough to close out a game or stay in front – whatever it may be – then you really don’t deserve to win.”
Speaking post-match, both coaches were non-committal on the draw debate.
Voss said he was ‘not too fussed either way’, while Hardwick simply answered: “It is what it is.”
Essendon spearhead Peter Wright has sent a scare through the Bombers’ camp just days out from their first match of 2023 against Hawthorn, leaving training with a suspected shoulder injury.
The news came just hours after he re-signed until the end of the 2027 AFL season in a massive show of confidence in the Bombers’ direction under new coach Brad Scott.
Wright is coming off a career-best 53 goals in 2022, when he claimed Essendon’s best and fairest, and was due to come out of contract at season’s end.
The four-year extension continues Wright’s remarkable career turnaround since he was offloaded by Gold Coast for a future fourth-round draft pick at the end of 2020.
“I’ve loved my time so far at the Bombers and am extremely grateful to the club for the opportunity,” Wright said.
“I am especially grateful for the time both players and coaches have put in to help me continue to develop as a player and a person at the club.
“I’m very excited about the direction that Brad is taking us, and this Sunday is a great opportunity to take the first step and put into practice the work we have done over the pre-season.
“We’ve got a young and exciting list that I am excited to build and grow with. But we know there is a lot of hard work ahead for us to ensure that we get where we aspire to be.”
Pick No.8 in the 2014 draft, Wright booted 85 goals in 66 games at Gold Coast before joining Essendon.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
The 26-year-old’s re-signing is a huge boost ahead of Sunday’s season opener against Hawthorn at the MCG.
“Pete is a very important part of our side. He provides a fantastic target up forward, with strong marking and goalkicking ability,” list boss Adrian Dodoro said.
“He is extremely dedicated and has excellent work ethic. Pete is constantly striving to improve, evident in his growth over the past two years.
“At 26 years of age, Pete is a long-term player for our club who will play a key role in this young group moving forward in the years to come.”
Essendon’s focus will likely now turn to re-signing free agents Darcy Parish and Mason Redman.
(with AAP)
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