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“It’s disgusting”: Why ex-NRL star refused to attend Thursday’s AFL blockbuster

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Former NRL star Scott Sattler turned down an invitation to attend Thursday night’s AFL blockbuster between Brisbane and Collingwood at the Gabba due to his moral stance on the competition’s Illicit Drug Policy.

Details of the Policy came to light during the week with allegations in federal parliament revealing that internal off-the-book drug tests are conducted during the week to ensure that players don’t test positive for illicit drugs such as cocaine on game days.

The AFL confirmed the report by admitting that they encourage club doctors to complete drug tests which allows clubs to pull players that test positive from match day lists.

Sattler thinks that the policy is appalling and he described the AFL’s secret tests as a case of fraud.

While Sattler is typically a fan of the AFL, he couldn’t bring himself to go to the Gabba to watch Collingwood’s win after learning of the policy during the week.

“I'm not on my own, I think everyone has been appalled by how the AFL have handled this,” Sattler told SEN Sportssday NSW.

“I was invited to go to the Lions tonight (Thursday) to watch them play Collingwood in the Grand Final rematch and I'm not going to go because I think it's disgusting the way this has played out.

“The AFL have admitted that they've been across this systematic process around players and weekly drug tests and, ‘If you do test positive, well, it's best probably not to play on the weekend in case WADA or ASADA get you’.

“It's a case of fraud in some cases, you're deceiving people for possible return of money.

“There's gonna be a lot more to play out with this, not from an AFL point of view, but possibly from a legality point of view as well.

“I felt as though that I'd be very hypocritical if I went to the AFL tonight.

“I'll end up going and watching AFL again because I do love the game and I'll watch it again on TV. But at the moment I can't do it.”

Sattler can’t understand why the AFL backs this process as he feels that the competition is enabling its young athletes to do illicit drugs and not suffer any consequences.

He thinks that the policy could end up having some genuinely bad outcomes for the players.

“I was astounded that the AFL are ok with this process,” Sattler said.

“As a competition that likes to bang on about the health and wellbeing of their athletes both male and female or whatever it may be, they're actually in essence, enabling young athletes to engage in a really dangerous practice.

“In some cases that can have really, really bad outcomes for individuals.

“What they're saying is if you take drugs, you tell your club representative and they drug test you and you're a positive, well, ‘We've got a process we can follow so the game isn’t seen in a bad light’.

“But, ‘If you have got it in your possession and the police catch you, well, you're on your own, we're not here to help you’.

“You can't have your cake and eat it also.”

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Lingering calf injury sidelines Tigers superstar for Swans clash

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An ongoing calf issue will keep Richmond superstar Dustin Martin out of the clash with Sydney at the MCG on Sunday

Dustin Martin looks on after the R1 match between Richmond and Carlton at the MCG on March 14, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

RICHMOND superstar Dustin Martin has been ruled out of the round three clash with Sydney as he manages a calf issue.

Martin was named in the Tigers’ extended squad for Sunday’s game at the MCG.

But the 32-year-old was ruled out by coach Adem Yze on Friday morning.

“Dusty’s going to miss this week … he’s actually had an interrupted couple of weeks with his calf,” Yze said.

“He didn’t train the other day and he’ll only do a little bit today, so we’ve got to just break the pattern of him getting through week to week.

“We’re going to break that cycle this week and give him a lighter week so that he’s pain-free.

“He’s just been battling a little bit the last couple of weeks with his calf and still trying to perform as he normally does.

“His first half last week was terrific, but you could see that he just gets a little bit sore, so we’re going to help him through that.”

The coach expects Martin to be fit to return against St Kilda in Gather Round.

“We want a 100 per cent fit Dusty, so to do that we’ve got to break the cycle by giving him a lighter week this week so that he’s pain-free next week,” Yze said.

‘Not even safe in our homes’: Footy legend Eddie Betts’s family targeted in racist attack

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AFL champion Eddie Betts has posted security camera footage of a vile racist attack outside his Adelaide home, while his children were playing basketball in their yard. 

The Crows and Blues legend posted the footage on Instagram, showing a car slowly driving down the street outside his home before someone in the car yells the N-word four times as they pass.

A second angle of the footage shows children playing in the yard as the attack happens.

“Aboriginal kids deserve to be able to play safely, free from racism and abuse over the fence,” Betts wrote on the post.

“We are not even safe in our own homes. If you know who this is please let them know that I’m open to having a chat about how much this hurts our kids.”

Former AFL player Eddie Betts stands in a suit on stage in front of a microphone during an awards ceremony.

Eddie Betts’s family was the target of a vile racist attack in Adelaide.(Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)

Betts, a fan favourite who played 350 games across a 16-year career, has been the target of racism in the past, including having a banana thrown at him from the crowd during a match in 2016. 

ABC presenter and former Adelaide footballer Tony Armstrong said on News Breakfast he was upset but not shocked by the attack.

“We talk about shock, horror, all this kind of stuff. I’m not shocked. I’m not shocked that it’s happening,” Armstrong said.

“I’m more disappointed that people think that this doesn’t happen and that this is out of the blue.

“Every day you walk out of the house, you have the hard hat on, going out into public, the same way people go onto social media and feel like it’s a war zone, I don’t know what I’m going to cop. Anything could happen.” 

Armstrong said the footage of the children running from the backyard was particularly harrowing.

“This is in the home,” he said.

“This is in the home, over the fence and we saw the reaction of the kids. Running inside. You’re telling me they don’t have PTSD?”

Armstrong said Betts, who is known for trying to educate people who make racist remarks, was well within in his rights to be furious.

“[If Betts was to express anger] there are people who will sit here going ‘why is he reacting like that? He’s got to be the bigger person’. He’s had bananas thrown at him and he still fronts up,” Armstrong said.

“He wants to extend the olive branch. He’s always the one who is taking the higher ground and he’s well within his rights to go, nah, that’s enough.”

ABC

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Life after Buddy going fine for high-scoring Swans

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Sydney may have lost a great of the game but it hasn’t stopped the goals, in fact they’re coming even faster

Chad Warner celebrates a goal during the round two match between Sydney and Essendon at the SCG, March 23, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

LANCE Franklin is long gone, and Isaac Heeney is now a midfielder, yet Sydney’s scoring efficiency is through the roof early in 2024.

The Swans knew for a while ‘life after Buddy’ was coming, and early indications are they’ll be just fine as one of the game’s best ever has sailed off into retirement.

Through three rounds, John Longmire’s team is scoring almost three goals a game more than 2023 from just a handful more inside 50s.

They’re taking more marks in the danger zone and are more efficient when going in there.

And although it’s a small sample, they haven’t exactly played competition cellar dwellers. Melbourne was the second most frugal defence last season, Collingwood the third, and Essendon (15th) – well, not so good.

So how are the Swans doing it?

Firstly, let’s look at their scoring sources, courtesy of Champion Data.

Last season just shy of 60 per cent of their scores came from turnovers. It accounted for 53 points a game. Turnover is generally where most scores in the competition come from and the best correlation to success.

This year that number has skyrocketed to 72 a game and almost 68 per cent of their score.

Sydney’s forward improvement

  2023 2024 Change
Points for 89.1 106.3 +19%
Points from turnover 52.8 71.7 +36%
Points from clearance 33.2 34.0 +2%
Inside 50s 53.8 58.3 +8%
Marks inside 50 11.9 15.7 +32%
Score per inside 50% 44.9% 50.9% +13%

The entire extra three goals Sydney is scoring in each match is coming directly from turnover. Force a mistake and counter-attack against a less set defence – seems easy, right?

With just four extra inside 50s each match, Sydney is taking an extra four marks inside 50 and scoring better than every second time it goes in there.

While Buddy was clearly the player most targeted last year – and even in his farewell season, why wouldn’t you? – this year is so much different.

Swans forward 50 targets – 2023

Player Targets
Lance Franklin 95
Logan McDonald 71
Tom Papley 65
Hayden McLean 63
Isaac Heeney 61

Hayden McLean (13), Logan McDonald (12), Tom Papley (10), Will Hayward (10) and Heeney (10) are not far apart as the player looked for most.

Subsequently the scoring has been shared. McDonald and Papley have six goals apiece, as does Chad Warner, while Hayward and McLean have five and Heeney four.

Swans forward 50 targets – 2024

Player Targets
Hayden McLean 13
Logan McDonald 12
Isaac Heeney 10
Tom Papley 10
Will Hayward 10

Whether the Swans can continue scoring so heavily from turnover we’ll only know later in the season, but one thing is for sure, they’re playing to a multi-dimensional forward line that has a host of avenues to goal.

The 8 certainties for Good Friday footy

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Back for another year, the SEN.com.au team gives you an insight into how every game will play out across the weekend.

Labelling something a ‘certainty’ in any sport is fraught with danger.

But we’ll attempt to find some anyway.

Here is what we consider certainties for the Good Friday games between North Melbourne and Carlton as well as Fremantle and Adelaide.

North Melbourne versus Carlton

Nick Larkey 2+ goals

North Melbourne are going to need to score somewhat heavily to even get near Carlton on Friday night.

Their key man up there will no doubt be Nick Larkey, and while he'll have a returning Jacob Weitering to deal with, the Roo should be good enough to finish a couple of his chances.

Don't be too confident in much else for North Melbourne in this one, but Larkey is a pretty bankable commodity having kicked at least two in 19 of his last 25 games.

Lachlan Geleit

Charlie Curnow 3+ goals

This feels like low hanging fruit, but at the end of the day, we're trying to nail certainties here.

North Melbourne are extremely undersized down back and Charlie Curnow should take full advantage.

He did in this exact match up last year, booting six goals.

Mitch McGovern 15+ disposals

Mitch McGovern is in career best form early in the 2024 season. He has been incredibly effective as an intercept defender, punishing teams with his ball use.

He will continue that hot streak on Good Friday, particularly with the return of Jacob Weitering and Caleb Marchbank.

The Blues will be settled in defence for the first time this season, which will only benefit McGovern, who has had 15 or more in his last five games.

Nic Negrepontis


Fremantle versus Adelaide

Caleb Serong 30+ disposals

Fremantle midfielder Caleb Serong has been dominant to start the 2024 season.

The young midfielder started with a bang against Brisbane, racking up a ridiculous 46 touches before backing that up with 35 against North Melbounre in Round 2.

Simply put, he'll pass the 30-touch marker if he isn't tagged by the Crows.

While they've only played two games so far this year, the Crows haven't looked to tag any of their opposition, so Serong should run around relatively free.

It could be another big game for the 23-year-old.

Lachlan Geleit

Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele to combine for 35+ disposals

While the stats would suggest Adelaide enjoyed a resounding win in the midfield in Round 2, the eye would suggest otherwise.

Jordan Dawson, Matt Crouch and Rory Laird have a sameness to their respective games and lack the speed of a top-class midfield unit.

Fortunately for Matthew Nicks, he’s got Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele waiting in the wings. Rankine and Rachele only attended 11 and eight per cent of centre bounces respectively last week and have the scope to attend more.

After having 33 disposals combined last week, watch that number rise against Fremantle on the back of more midfield minutes.

Seb Mottram


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Picking the six best players in Collingwood’s win over Brisbane

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SEN hosts Sam Edmund and Tom Morris have ranked the six best players on the ground in Collingwood’s 72-92 win over Brisbane at the Gabba on Thursday night.

The Magpies picked up their first win of the campaign and now sit 1-3 after a poor start to their premiership defence, while Brisbane are now 0-3 after dropping two games at home while also losing to Fremantle in Perth.

With the victory one of Collingwood’s best on the road in recent years, the Magpies had many of the best players on the ground and that reflected in the duo’s top performers.

Check out their picks below.

Brayden Maynard

15 disposals, 8 marks, 3 tackles, 4 inside 50s

“I really like the way Brayden Maynard plays,” Morris said on SEN Breakfast.

I think the Collingwood supporters love him.

The question that was asked to me last night by a mate, was, ’Is he real tough or is he fake tough?’. I think he's both.

I think he's real tough because he does put his head over the footy, but I think he's fake tough as well … this is with the greatest of respect because a lot of it is just his persona and it's an act and that's part of the way he plays footy, which I really enjoy.”

Lachie Neale

35 disposals, 8 score involvements, 1 goal, 10 clearances, six marks

“Lachie Neale straight in for me,” Edmund said.

“He was great.”

Dayne Zorko

30 disposals, 4 marks, 3 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s

“I've got Dayne Zorko,” Morris said.

“He got a lot of the ball last night.”

“He went back (into defence),” Edmund added.

“He had to be because McKenna is not there and obviously the injury to Keidean Coleman.”

“I think it a good positional move all because other guys have got injuries,” Morris finished.

Jamie Elliott

4 goals, 16 disposals, 8 score involvements

“Jamie Elliott is in,” Edmund said.

“He has had a good season, not just a good Thursday night.”

Nick Daicos

30 disposals, 7 score involvements, 4 inside 50s, 5 rebound 50s

“Daicos, I know they like flicking him to half-forward on the wing and in the midfield,” Morris said.

“But I just love him off half-back because he can be an offensive weapon off half-back.”

John Noble

24 disposals, 6 score involvements, 5 marks, 4 rebounds 50s

“Noble was big,” Edmund said.

“I've spoken about him a lot today.

“He did a great job last night was his return (to the team) with all the setbacks he's had.”

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