In today’s AFL Briefing, your wrap of footy news:
- A racism class action against the AFL has had a major development, with Nicky Winmar declaring he does not want to be a figurehead.
- Despite missing a preliminary final berth by less than a goal in 2024, Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell says his side wasn’t good enough and won’t get caught up in external expectations this year.
- Dean Cox and the Swans are preparing to open the season with a host of star players on the sidelines.
Jon Pierik
A historical racism class action against the AFL has plunged into confusion, with uncertainty surrounding the role of former St Kilda star Nicky Winmar.
Two days after lawyers running the case, speaking outside the Supreme Court of Victoria, said Winmar had been approached to be the co-lead plaintiff with North Melbourne great Phil Krakouer, those same lawyers, and Winmar’s long-time agent, are at loggerheads.
Opting out: St Kilda great Nicky Winmar will not be a co-lead plaintiff in a racism concussion action.Credit: ABC
Winmar’s agent, Peter Jess, fired off a letter to Margalit Injury Lawyers, who are running the case, informing them Winmar was not interested in being a figurehead.
Jess forwarded a text message to this masthead from Winmar, which said: “I wish to not be a co-lead plaintiff.”
This masthead has repeatedly contacted Winmar for comment.
However, lawyer Michel Margalit said Winmar had told her on Wednesday he could yet be a co-lead plaintiff.
“I am formally retained to act on behalf of Mr Neil [“Nicky”] Winmar. I have always, and continue to, act in accordance with Mr Winmar’s instructions,” Margalit said in a statement provided to this masthead.
“Mr Winmar’s instructions to me have not altered since Monday, 3 March 2025. Those
instructions have again been confirmed by Mr Winmar to me today.
“Any potential application seeking to join Mr Winmar as a co-lead plaintiff to the class action proceeding brought by Mr Phil Krakouer is still being considered by our legal team and is ultimately a question for the court.”
However, Jess, in his letter to Margalit, said Winmar did not wish to be heavily involved in the case.
“Nicky has advised me that, whilst he supports every endeavour to eliminate racism in sport and society in general, he will not be a co-lead plaintiff in the racism class action,” Jess wrote in the letter, also obtained by this masthead.
“Nicky Winmar requests that you cease and desist identifying him as a co-lead plaintiff in the racism class action.”
Regardless of any potential role as co-lead plaintiff, Winmar still remains a part of the class action, unless he opts to stand aside entirely.
Class action: Margalit Injury Lawyers’ managing principal Michel Margalit arrives at the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday.Credit: AAP
Krakouer is leading the class action that includes six other players, including his brother James Krakouer. The players were at VFL/AFL clubs between 1975 and 2022 and claim they were racially abused on and off the field.
Winmar played 230 games for the Saints between 1987 and 1998, before finishing his career with the Western Bulldogs in 1999.
He was subjected to incidents of racial vilification through his career, most notably against Collingwood at Victoria Park in 1993 when he lifted his jumper and, facing the crowd, pointed to his skin.
His name was not directly mentioned at a directions hearing in court on Monday when prosecuting lawyers told judge Andrew Keogh they were likely to have a fresh co-lead plaintiff.
However, lawyer Mark Costello, representing the AFL, questioned whether a secondary co-lead plaintiff should be allowed to join Krakouer, as the case had not progressed in 18 months. He also said he doubted whether Winmar would take a more prominent role.
“We think it will transpire that that gentleman will not be joining as [co-lead] plaintiff,” Costello said.
Lawyers acting for the players are due to provide their updated statement of claim by April 24.
‘We didn’t finish that well’: Mitchell says Hawks weren’t good enough in 2024
Angus Delaney
Despite missing a preliminary final berth by less than a goal in 2024, Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell says his side wasn’t good enough and won’t get caught up in external expectations this year.
Mitchell, speaking two days out from his side’s Friday night clash with Sydney, now the AFL season opener, said his team needed to improve its consistency and late-game performances.
“We had a little taste of finals footy [and] obviously, we want to try to get back to there and get more of that. But realistically, we weren’t good enough last year,” Mitchell said.
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell sometimes makes his players train in silence.Credit: Getty Images
“We didn’t finish that well, actually, last year. I mean, we got huge amounts of improvement in lots of parts of our game. I think our consistency, quarter-to-quarter, our close-game scenario training needs to improve.”
After losing their first five games of 2024, the Hawks surged late in the season and finished sixth to make finals for the first time in six years “but this year we’re equal 18th or equal first depending on if you’re a cup-half-full or cup-half-empty type”, said Mitchell.
“I think every coach will be the same: you listen to your internal expectations, your expectations of your coaches, your teammates, and you try and live up to that … the outside world will handle itself.”
The Hawks will be without defender Changkuoth Jiath for their opening game due to hip soreness.
“Risking him at this time of year doesn’t make a lot of sense with us in general. He’s [got a] bit of a nagging hip, which is causing him some issues in some other areas. He could have played probably last week, and we decided it wasn’t worth the risk … we’re going to need ‘CJ’ at some stage, but he won’t play this week, but expect him to be available pretty quickly.”
Despite Jiath’s absence, the back line will be bolstered by recruits Josh Battle and Tom Barrass, who impressed their new coach with strong performances against the Western Bulldogs in a practice match last week. Battle amassed 27 possessions and six marks, while Barrass tallied 11 touches and six marks.
The Hawks picked up two defensive pillars in the trade period; Josh Battle from St Kilda and Tom Barrass from West Coast.Credit: Getty
“ I actually thought they performed a bit better than I thought they might have,” said Mitchell.
“I was pleased with how they performed last week. They’re obviously both going to make a club debut. So that’s exciting to see a couple of new defenders in the side.”
Cox makes no apologies for physical start to Swans’ year
Vince Rugari
Dean Cox has conceded Sydney’s hefty pre-season injury toll can be partially attributed to their summer program as the new Swans coach prepares to take charge of his first match on Friday night.
Sydney’s clash with Hawthorn at a sold-out SCG will open the new AFL season after the two planned opening round fixtures in south-east Queensland were postponed in anticipation of Cyclone Alfred, putting Cox on centre stage for his senior coaching debut.
New Swans coach Dean Cox speaks with skipper Callum Mills.Credit: Getty Images
Cox’s handover from predecessor John Longmire has been smooth – as to be expected from the Swans, given their history of nailing such succession planning with coaches. The only real hitch has been their injury list, which is much longer than Cox would have liked at this stage of the year.
Brodie Grundy (knee) and Tom Papley (ankle) will need to pass fitness tests to be involved against the Hawks, but the likes of Callum Mills, Harry Cunningham, Robbie Fox and Logan McDonald will miss at least the first chunk of the season – and star winger Errol Gulden, who fractured his ankle in Sydney’s final pre-season hit-out against the Gold Coast Suns, won’t be seen for much longer.
While some of those issues, like Grundy and Gulden, were unavoidable contact injuries, others were soft-tissue injuries that came either in training or warm-up games and may have been a consequence of what Cox described as a purposely tough regime to prepare for round one, which exposed them to risks they had to take to be ready for the level that awaits.
“Unfortunately that’s what happens when you’re playing games and trying to get prepared for a season,” Cox said on Wednesday.“If you want to push the boundaries as much as you possibly can to get them in the shape they need to be, you’re unfortunately going to lose one or two along the way.
“It’s not great to lose some of the calibre of players we do, but that’s why you have a squad and you’ve got a large group of young players that can come in and hopefully fill the void.”
Cox conceded there was no like-for-like replacement for Gulden’s silky ball movement but suggested his absence would be covered by a positional reshuffle, and the probable inclusion of ball-winning midfielder Angus Sheldrick, who has impressed over the pre-season.
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