In today’s AFL briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- Star forward Jeremy Cameron was headbutted in an unprovoked attack in a Geelong hotel after last week’s game against the Dockers.
- After almost 11 weeks, it was back to business as usual at North Melbourne on Wednesday with coach Alastair Clarkson hitting the training track.
- Max King a chance for surprise return at St Kilda
- Swans frank about missing Buddy already
Star forward Jeremy Cameron was headbutted in an unprovoked attack in a Geelong hotel after last week’s game against the Dockers, but the Cats expect him to play against Port Adelaide on Saturday night.
Jeremy Cameron was headbutted at a Geelong hotel on Saturday night.Credit: AFL Photos
Geelong confirmed that the incident, first reported on AFL Media on Wednesday, had occurred at about 10.30pm last Saturday as Cameron and friends watched the cricket on a television at the pub, and a patron became violent.
The Cats have notified the AFL integrity unit of the incident.
Cameron has trained since the incident and will line up inside 50 against Port Adelaide at GMHBA Stadium as the Cats hunt for a finals spot, having put their chances of finishing inside the top eight at risk when they suffered a shock loss at home to Fremantle.
The 28-year-old will have a big job with Tom Hawkins and Mark Blicavs both missing with hamstring injuries.
Cameron suffered a concussion against Melbourne in round 15 and has kicked five of his 44 goals for the season since he returned in round 18. He kicked 1.5 in the loss to the Dockers.
Clarkson back on track
After almost 11 weeks, it was back to business as usual at North Melbourne on Wednesday with coach Alastair Clarkson hitting the training track for the first time since taking mental health leave.
Clarkson was reunited with Kangaroos players at his first main training session before regaining the reins from interim coach Brett Ratten for Sunday’s clash with Melbourne in Hobart.
The club said Clarkson, who spent Tuesday with his coaching staff, addressed the team as he normally would and oversaw a team meeting before putting his players through their paces at Arden Street.
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson takes training for the first time since taking leave in May.Credit: Getty
Clarkson returns to the helm with the Kangaroos without a win since round two. A loss this week against Melbourne would stretch their streak to 18 – the club’s third-longest in their 98 years in the VFL/AFL, and their worst run since they dropped 35 in a row in 1933-35.
North will be without young gun George Wardlaw and veteran Liam Shiels for at least another week due to injury.
Clarkson wrote of the difficult circumstances he faced in deciding to take indefinite leave from the game in May due to the toll taken on him from the inquiry into historical allegations of racism at Hawthorn.
An investigation by an independent AFL panel made no findings against Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt of mistreating First Nations players. The three have strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
Alastair Clarkson returns to the North Melbourne coaching boss this week.Credit: Getty
“The time away from the club has been difficult but imperative,” Clarkson wrote in a letter sent to Kangaroos members on Tuesday.
“Stepping aside was challenging, isolating, confronting and even a little embarrassing. I’ve now come to realise that nothing is embarrassing when it comes to addressing your physical and mental wellbeing.”
Lyon ponders King for Carlton
Less than a month after his AFL season looked over, Max King could return for St Kilda’s big clash with in-form Carlton.
The Saints’ key forward stocks will suddenly look unusually healthy if King can prove his fitness for Sunday’s match at Marvel Stadium.
St Kilda’s Max King could be in line for selection this week, less than a month since he injured his shoulder (right).Credit: Getty
The spearhead needed a reconstruction on his right shoulder in the pre-season and returned in round 10, playing seven games.
He dislocated the same shoulder early last month in the loss to Melbourne, with the Saints initially fearing the injury spelled the end of his season.
But surgery a few days later went better than expected and King now is on the verge of returning.
“That’s a really good question … he’ll train and have more contact,” coach Ross Lyon said before Wednesday training when asked about a timeline for the player’s comeback.
“This morning he gave me a pat on the shoulder. I don’t know how to interpret that, whether he feels sorry for me or [was saying], ‘It will all be OK, coach’.”
Along with King’s looming return, fellow key forward Tim Membrey is back from a knee injury, and the Saints on Tuesday night successfully challenged Anthony Caminiti’s one-game striking ban at the tribunal.
It is a pleasant change in fortune for St Kilda, whose wretched luck with injuries has been particularly glaring among their key forwards.
“Our kids have been incredible. It’s been a bit of a saga … maybe things are coming together at the right time of the year,” Lyon said.
While Lyon was rapt to have Caminiti available, he was unimpressed that his player put himself at risk of a potential ban by tussling with Hawthorn captain James Sicily.
“I wasn’t pleased – I let him know. Put your ego in the pocket and submit to the team’s needs,” he said.
The Saints will start outsiders against Carlton, who have won six on the bounce and last week upset top side Collingwood.
St Kilda have won their last two and are fifth.
Lyon is bullish about his club’s prospects, saying their ball use has improved since the round 18 loss to Gold Coast.
“Sometimes the quicker you go and the straighter you go, the less you score,” he said. “So we’ve added some nuance to our ball movement that has excited us.
“Our whole body of work stacks up. We have real belief in our system and our effort. In saying that, we know it’s a big challenge.”
Lyon mentioned Carlton great Steve Silvagni, now working at the Saints in list management.
“He’s been relentless at my office door – he knows them [Carlton] intimately,” Lyon said of Silvagni’s advice ahead of the Carlton game.
“He’s a great Carlton person, he doesn’t need to be validated at that club.
“But he’s fiercely St Kilda at the moment.”
Lyon was asked whether the Saints might try to sign Silvagni’s son Jack, who is out through injury and also coming out of contract at the Blues.
“It would be romantic, wouldn’t it. But I wouldn’t put myself in that wedge,” he said.
AAP
Franklin leaves big hole, but Swans ready for Giants
Luke Parker says he’s been privileged to play with “the greatest player probably of all time”, but admits Sydney can’t let Lance Franklin’s retirement stop their progress towards the AFL finals.
The Swans skipper reflected on the champion goalkicker’s decision, revealing it came as a shock to the playing group when Franklin told them he’d retired on Monday morning after injuring his calf days earlier against Essendon.
Swans spearhead Lance Franklin retired this week after 354 AFL games.Credit: Getty
But Parker said the AFL’s whirlwind cycle would not allow them to become preoccupied with Franklin’s departure because they tackle red-hot GWS on Saturday night in one of the more anticipated Sydney derbies.
“That’s all we can focus on at the moment … the hard thing is the greatest player probably of all time retires on Monday, and by Monday arvo you’re talking about the Giants this week,” he said.
“It’s all happened pretty quick, to be honest. The main thing is we’ve still got a really important period in our season, we’re hunting for finals and every game is crucial for us.
Giants skipper Toby Greene and Sydney co-captain Luke Parker earlier this year.Credit: Eddie Jim
“Monday morning he announced to the group he was going to finish effective immediately, and he knew his body wasn’t going to get up for the remainder of the season.
“It was a pretty big shock, knowing the competitor he is … he deserved to finish off his career and have a send-off; that would have been incredible, but unfortunately, that’s the hard luck in football sometimes.”
Franklin finished his legendary career with 1066 goals – 486 of them in his 10 seasons at the Swans – having greatly raised the club’s profile with his star qualities after shifting from Hawthorn for the 2014 season.
Captain Parker confirmed the club would not formally mark Franklin’s retirement this weekend but would in the near future, admitting there’d be an odd feeling running out to play without their talisman.
“Bud has been an incredible player and person at the forefront of AFL in Sydney and what he’s done for the code up here has been incredible,” he said.
“Just the status he holds in the AFL community, it’s been a privilege to rock up each day and be able to call Bud a mate and a teammate and be able to go to work with him each day.
“And to see how he goes about his business, how dedicated he’s been to his football and his career and the enjoyment that he’s got out of the young guys coming through and helping them develop.
“It’s something that will be really missed.”
AAP
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