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Port Adelaide have made the “significant call” to play captain Tom Jonas in the reserves after serving his one-game suspension.
Jonas missed last week’s win over Richmond at the MCG after being hit with a ban for a dangerous tackle against Melbourne.
But the Power have made the bold decision to ease Jonas back through the SANFL with the Port Adelaide Magpies instead of in Saturday’s clash with Hawthorn.
Port coach Ken Hinkley acknowledged how rare it is to leave a captain out of the team when fit and available.
“It is a big call, a significant call, but it’s a call for a team in really good form,” Hinkley told reporters on Thursday.
“Really consistent with our behaviours and we don’t separate, whether it be the captain or a first-year player.”
Hinkley said the key defender accepted the news with humility and was prepared to play his role with Port’s reserves team.
“We’re in really good form, Tom’s missed a bit of footy now over the last month,” the coach said.
“As a good leader of our football club, he understands the players who came in played really well.
“He understands the team’s going really well and he would never put himself in front of the team regardless of his position. He’s very accepting of what’s going on.”
Hinkley failed to guarantee Jonas would return for Port’s round-13 match, a Friday night blockbuster against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on June 9.
Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines and defender Darcy Byrne-Jones are Port’s vice-captains.
(Photo by Jono Searle/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
Four former Hawthorn players at the centre of the club’s racism saga had their careers “maximised” because of the support they received, according to Jason Burt.
The ex-Hawks welfare officer has joined Chris Fagan in blasting the investigation into the claims made by the four players, among others.
On Tuesday night the AFL ended the inquiry into the allegations, finding Burt, Fagan and Alastair Clarkson had not reached the league’s rules.
But the matter is far from settled, with the complainants considering their legal options.
In his Linkedin post on Wednesday, Burt again strongly protested his innocence.
“This is a case of four men (former players) that spent time at Hawthorn who all needed substantial guidance, support and care,” Burt said.
“This is what they, and so many other players, received from many people over their time at Hawthorn, including from Alastair, Chris and myself.
“All four former players have spent time in my house, with my family as part of the club’s method of helping each to resolve their issues. Their time at Hawthorn was maximised because of the on and off field support offered to each.”
Burt also made the claim that one of the former players and his partner are not Indigenous.
So far, all the complainants have remained anonymous since the bombshell claims were leaked to the media in September last year.
“It’s important to clarify that ‘Zac’ and ‘Kylie, who continue to make allegations to the media, are not indigenous Australians,” Burt said.
Burt also said the allegations against himself, Fagan and Clarkson were awful and vile.
Burt added he and his family had suffered greatly because of the allegations.
“If the outcome of this ‘imperfect resolution’ appeases the complainants, then I wish them well,” he said.
“Unfortunately, this outcome has done little to diminish the anguish and hurt experienced by my family throughout this ordeal and most likely well into the future.”
Burt now works at a Melboune school, while Fagan coaches Brisbane and Clarkson is on indefinite leave from coaching North Melbourne as he deals with the stress of the controversy.
Last Saturday, Burt also gave an extensive media interview and again denied the allegations.
The AFL is coming to Tasmania – permanently (Photo by Steve Bell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
West Coast have snared vastly improved Victorian forward Ryan Maric with the top pick in the AFL mid-season rookie draft.
A total of 13 players were selected on Wednesday night, with Quinton Narkle and Caleb Poulter given career lifelines at Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs respectively.
Tears flowed for Maric when his name was called by the Eagles, vindicating his decision to embark on a rapid body transformation over the last two years.
The 18-year-old Gippsland Power product dropped 24kg with his personal-trainer brother’s help to reach his current playing weight of 83kg.
He has emerged as a serious talent, making his VFL debut with Box Hill this month.
“It means a lot. I’ve worked very, very hard to get in and it’s all happened very quickly,” Maric said on the AFL website’s broadcast.
“Off the back of a lot of hard work – I’ve dreamed about this for a while, but to finally get read out, it hasn’t really felt real until now. (I am) very emotional.”
Maric models his game on Geelong superstar Jeremy Cameron and Melbourne forward Bayley Fritsch, and hails from the town of Drouin, which produced Cats legend Gary Ablett Snr and Collingwood premiership player Dale Thomas.
The 193cm prospect is known for his booming kick and is a good chance to feature at the top level for injury-ravaged West Coast this season.
North Melbourne took Subiaco small forward Robert Hansen Jnr with the second pick, while Hawthorn snared 204cm Eastern Ranges ruckman Clay Tucker at No.3.
Richmond picked Glenelg small forward Matt Coulthard at No.4 before GWS, who had two live selections at the mid-season draft, passed on both their picks.
Narkle played 41 games for Geelong before being delisted last year and has shone with Essendon’s VFL side this season.
The 25-year-old will add midfield and forward depth to Port Adelaide’s list as they chase a premiership this season.
Narkle is a second cousin and former school mate of tough Power forward Sam Powell-Pepper.
“He is a mature body that can help us now and into the future,” Port Adelaide recruiting manager Geoff Parker said.
“He’s got great character traits and is desperate for a second chance.
“We know he’ll do everything he can to make the most of this opportunity.”
Poulter earned his call-up by the Bulldogs after impressing with the Footscray VFL side this season.
The 20-year-old midfielder was originally a top-30 national draft pick for Collingwood and played 12 senior games with the Magpies but was delisted at the end of last year.
AFL 2023 MID-SEASON DRAFT
First round
1. West Coast – Ryan Maric (Gippsland Power)
2. North Melbourne – Robert Hansen Jnr (Subiaco)
3. Hawthorn – Clay Tucker (Eastern Ranges)
4. Richmond – Matt Coulthard (Glenelg)
5. Greater Western Sydney – Pass
6. Sydney – Harry Arnold (Brisbane VFL)
7. Geelong – Mitch Hardie (Woodville-West Torrens)
8. Fremantle – Ethan Stanley (Box Hill Hawks)
9. Essendon – Jaiden Hunter (Perth)
10. Western Bulldogs – Caleb Poulter (Footscray)
11. Port Adelaide – Quinton Narkle (Essendon VFL)
Second round
12. Hawthorn – Brandon Ryan (Northern Bullants)
13. Richmond – James Trezise (Richmond VFL)
14. Greater Western Sydney – Pass
15. Sydney – Jack Buller (Claremont)
Brisbane Lions veteran Dayne Zorko has another suspension on his lengthy rap sheet after the AFL tribunal upheld his one-match ban for making unreasonable contact near an opponent’s eye.
The tribunal was in an unforgiving mood on Wednesday night, also sentencing Fremantle midfielder Jaeger O’Meara to one match on the sidelines for a dangerous tackle.
Zorko and O’Meara will miss their sides’ respective post-bye clashes with Hawthorn and Richmond in round 13.
Former Lions captain Zorko pleaded not guilty to “unreasonable or unnecessary contact to the eye region” of Adelaide’s Luke Pedlar and was not called to give evidence.
In Zorko’s defence, Brisbane lawyer Adrian Anderson admitted the midfielder made “unusual” contact to Pedlar’s face but argued there was no direct contact with the Crows forward’s eye region.
Anderson also referenced Adelaide’s medical report, which noted Pedlar was checked by the club doctor after the incident but “did not recall incident and reported no contact to eye region”.
Tribunal chair Renee Enbom said video footage captured Zorko’s finger “bent and in a scratching-type position”.
“The finger moves down and in our view into the vicinity of the eye socket,” Enbom said.
“Accordingly, we are satisfied that contact was made to the eye region.
“Contact was not made to the eye itself, which in our view explains why Pedlar did not react to the incident.
“It also provides an explanation for the comment in the medical report.”
The tribunal panel, which included past players Jason Johnson and Scott Stevens, agreed with the match review officer’s grading of Zorko’s actions as intentional conduct, low impact and high contact.
AFL lawyer Sam Bird said of Zorko’s action: “It ought to be seen as an attempt to intimidate a player in a way that, in the current game, has no place.”
Zorko’s latest suspension adds to a tribunal record that includes seven penalties for striking, four misconduct charges and a fine for staging.
The 34-year-old, 239-game veteran was also fined $2000 for making unnecessary contact with Carlton player Marc Murphy’s eye in 2018.
O’Meara was one of 20 players charged with rough conduct over a dangerous tackle across the opening 11 rounds of this season.
The Dockers on-baller attempted to beat his ban by arguing the impact of his tackle on Melbourne’s Charlie Spargo, whose head hit the turf in the incident, was “low” rather than “medium”.
The tribunal panel disagreed with that submission.
The panel said Spargo’s one pinned arm, the rotation in the tackle and a “forceful, driving action” created enough danger to warrant the higher grading.
“Whilst Spargo was not injured in the incident, we consider that there was real potential to cause injury,” Enbom said.
Carlton’s Adam Cerra and Adelaide’s Rory Laird became the first players to overturn bans for dangerous tackles this season when they were successful at the tribunal on Tuesday night.
Sydney co-captain Luke Parker was unsuccessful in his attempt and will serve a one-match suspension.
Nat Fyfe’s sights are firmly set on helping Fremantle win their maiden premiership after spurning free agency to re-sign with the AFL club for a further two years.
Fyfe was due to come out of contract at the end of this season, and his uncertain future was becoming a big talking point given his injury struggles, change in role, and the loss of the captaincy.
The two-time Brownlow medallist was slated to spend this season as a permanent forward, but he has managed to play a hybrid midfield/forward role since returning from a foot injury.
The 31-year-old looms as a key cog in Fremantle’s premiership push, and insists the thought of leaving the Dockers was never a serious consideration.
“I was never going to play footy anywhere else,” said Fyfe, who is now locked in until 2025.
“It’s been an interesting previous contract for me, where we basically went through a complete list turnover and rebuild.
“I haven’t played finals since 2015 and I feel there’s been a lot of investment into the club and the club has invested in me.
“I like to play long games, I like payoffs in the end and I’m really hopeful that at the end of this there’s a really good story.”
That payoff is a shiny premiership cup.
Fyfe, who missed Fremantle’s finals campaign last year due to injury, was part of the Dockers’ losing grand final side in 2013.
The star veteran craves team success, and he will do everything within his powers to achieve it.
“It’s every club’s goal, to try and win a premiership and for us to be part of the first premiership adds a little bit extra, I think,” Fyfe said.
“The last two years has been pretty challenging for me, but I feel the support from the fans has only grown for me and for the club.
“I would never have played footy anywhere else other than here and I’m hopeful (the fans) can be part of a pretty special couple of years coming up for our club.”
Fremantle have won four games on the trot to shoot back into premiership calculations.
Their wins over the Swans in Sydney, Geelong in Perth and Melbourne at the MCG has showcased their potential to battle for the flag.
Fyfe’s role is growing by the week now that he can play out full games again.
“It’s been a progressive build, playing a quarter, a half, three quarters and a full game. It’s a luxury we can do that with modern footy,” said Fyfe, who battled a plantar fasciitis injury earlier this season.
“Everything feels really good and I’ll be on track to play again against Richmond next week.
“I feel like I’ve got to catch up to speed and build some form and confidence in my roles, because I’m playing a midfield/forward mix.”
Drafted at No.20 in 2009, the 2025 season will mark Fyfe’s 16th season at the club, where he is currently the most-experienced player on the list with 214 games.
As well as his Brownlow Medal wins in 2015 and 2019, Fyfe is a three-time All Australian, three-time Doig Medal winner and two-time AFLPA MVP winner.
© AAP
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