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Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
BY BRAD KLIBANSKY
SYDNEY Swans coach Paul Ross has admitted he is interested in talking to wayward Carlton forward Brendan Fevola.
Speaking at a news conference this morning, Roos dismissed claims the Swans had contacted Fevola, but admitted they would if Fevola’s contract talks with Carlton hit an impass.
“If he said he wanted to leave, I’m sure there’d be a number of clubs that would entertain having him,” Roos said.
Footyheads’ own Craig Hutchison broke the news that the Swans were on the verge of offering the 27-year-old a four-year, $3 million contract on Channel 9s The Footy Show last night.
Claiming he was ‘dumbfounded’ by the news, Roos said neither he nor football operations manager Andrew Ireland had contacted Fevola.
He did not say, however, if there had been any contact with Fevola’s management.
Fevola would seemingly be a good fit for the Swans, with key forwards Michael O’Loughlin and Barry Hall close to retirement.
Fevola refused to comment on the on-going negotiations last night, which are believed to have broken down at Carlton.
FOOTYHEADS: Should the Swans chase Fev?
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 9:34 am
BY STEPHEN BAKER
SYDNEY coach Paul Roos says he is keen to see his side snap a four-match losing streak against Collingwood.
The 2005 premiership coach said that he, like a number of other clubs, is using the break to assess whether his team has improved or not.
“We’ve got nine and a half wins and have been going really well,” he said.
“We generally don’t play real well after the bye, but we have done things differently (this year).”
“I think Collingwood are a high quality team and last year, we were coming down after back-to-back Grand Finals when they were going up,” said Roos.
“So it’s one of those games as a coach you get really excited about going into because you will get a feel for where you sit.”
The Swans also look to be bolstered by the return of ruckman, Peter Everitt to cover the loss of Adam Goodes through suspension.
“‘Spida’ looks like he’ll be okay, so we will name him in the team to play Collingwood,” said Roos.
“He’ll come in as a straight swap.”
Saturday night’s clash against the Magpies kicks off an arduous month for the Swans, with upcoming matches against Hawthorn (MCG), Adelaide (SCG), the Western Bulldogs (Manuka) and Geelong (ANZ) over the next five weeks.
FOOTYHEADS: Can Sydney snap their four game losing streak to the Pies on Saturday night, or will Collingwood continue its recent stranglehold over the Swans?
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Monday, June 23rd, 2008 at 5:51 pm
BY FRANK IENCO
SYDNEY Swans star Adam Goodes is again facing the prospect of a one-match ban, after he was charged by the match review panel for the third time this season.
Goodes was charged with rough conduct for head-high contact he made on Melbourne’s Clint Bartram during yesterday’s win in Canberra.
The incident was deemed negligent, low impact and high contact and in doing so carries a 125 point penalty.
But Goodes’ reprimand just a fortnight ago for the same offence on West Coast’s Adam Selwood means even with an early guilty plea he would still have 164.06 points - and a one game ban.
If the Swans challenge the charge and lose Goodes would have 218.75 points and a two-game suspension.
A suspension would also mean Goodes, who has played 204 consecutive senior games, would miss out on the chance to break Jim Stynes’ all-time record 244-game mark.
In other news arising from the match review panel today, both Adelaide’s Nathan Bassett and Port’s Matt Thomas find themselves in a similar position to Goodes.
Bassett was charged with striking Brisbane’s Jed Adcock, an incident that earnt him 80 points.
But with 60 carry-over points, even an early guilty plea will give Bassett 105 points and a one game ban.
While Thomas was charged with a level one rough conduct charge on Richmond’s Joel Bowden, giving him 125 points.
With a suspension within the last three years, Thomas’ penalty increases to 137.5 and even an early guilty plea will only reduce this to 103.13 - again a one game suspension.
There was better news for Geelong’s Steve Johnson who was cleared for an alleged incident on Adam Selwood during Saturday night’s match at Subiaco.
While St. Kilda’s Brendon Goddard was fined for wrestling.
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
BY FRANK IENCO
Sydney midfielder Adam Goodes will avoid suspension if he pleads guilty for a high bump on West Coast’s Adam Selwood during the Swans win at Subiaco on Saturday night.
Goodes was charged by the match review panel with a level one offence for rough conduct for the incident, totalling 125 demerit points, but this can be reduced to 93.75 points with an early guilty plea meaning Goodes will be available to face St. Kilda this weekend.
Selwood himself was charged with a level two striking offence on Amon Buchanan, but will also beat a suspension with an early guilty plea.
In other news coming from the match review panel, Western Bulldogs ruckman Ben Hudson will also avoid a suspension for striking St. Kilda’s Leigh Montana with an early plea.
But Fremantle’s Heath Black was not so fortunate, with the match review panel placing a possible three match ban for striking Brisbane’s Troy Selwood, or two matches with an early plea.
Black, Troy Selwood, Geelong’s Paul Chapman and North Melbourne’s Michael Firrito were all fined for wrestling incidents from the weekend’s matches.
Any incidents from today’s Melbourne-Collingwood match will be announced by the match review panel tomorrow.
FootyHeads, what do you make of the match review panel’s assessment from this weekend’s matches?
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 10:42 am
BY BRAD KLIBANSKY
SYDNEY Swans coach Paul Roos says the AFL has a lot of work to do to ensure the proposed new Western Sydney team is a success.
Speaking on SEN this morning, Roos said the city of Sydney was not ready for a second team at the moment.
“The city is not ready at the moment,” Ross said
“The AFL know they got some work to do, and I think it depends how much work goes into next three or four years how successful it will be.
“The AFL will make the decision accordingly and if that work gets done i think it can be successful eventually.”
Roos also said he was happy at the Swans and did not want to coach anywhere else.
“At this tage I really enjoy the Swans and the time I have had here,” he said.
“They have ben really good to me and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 11:18 am
BY FRANK IENCO
SYDNEY assistant coach John Blakey believes his side’s younger players have done enough to fill the breach left in the Swans forward line following the injury and suspension to Barry Hall.
As FootyhHeads reported last night, Hall is set to return in a fortnight’s time for the Round 12 game against St. Kilda, following a seven week suspension for striking West Coast’s Brent Staker.
Hall injured his wrist in the same match following a collision with an advertising board, but media reports today have quoted Sydney doctor Nathan Gibbs saying the fracture is healing well and Hall will have a minor procedure to remove a pin next week.
Blakey, who also serves as the Swans’ forward coach, says Geelong recruit Henrry Playfair has stepped into Hall’s shoes.
But he also gave specific praise to couple of the club’s younger forwards in Ed Barlow and Jared Moore, who kicked three goals in last Saturday’s win over Port Adelaide.
“Obviously it was a big loss for us because (Hall) is such a great player for us and runs a lot of our set ups in our forward line,” Blakey told the club’s website.
“But it made opportunities for other guys and other people had to step up.”
FootyHeads, which Swans players have made the step up in the absence of Barry Hall? Is there room in the forward line for Nick Davis to return?
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 11:53 am
BY FRANK IENCO
THE Sydney Swans say defender Tadhg Kennelly is a chance to play against Richmond next weekend, only days after dislocating his knee against Essendon.
Swans physio Matt Cameron says Kennelly started doing weights with his knee yesterday.
“It looks like he hasn’t done as much damage as he did (to his knee) last year,” Cameron said.
“Last year he injured his medial ligament and his knee cap ligament. This time it’s only the knee cap ligament, so it’s a much shorter recovery time. He may even be okay to play next week.”
Cameron also defended the controversial ANZ Stadium surface, saying the softer ground may have caused less damage for Kennelly.
The Swans physio also had good news on spearhead Barry Hall, who is still recovering from his wrist injury, saying his fitness should be fine by the time his seven-game suspension ends at the end of Round 11.
While Sydney will also monitor the fitness of Nick Malceski, who made miraculous return to senior action last weekend after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, and Nik Fosdike, who has returned to the Swans reserve side following his own knee injury.
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
BY STEPHEN BAKER
CHANNEL Seven has decided to show the Sydney Swans versus Essendon game on a one hour delay, despite the match being played interstate.
Seven forms one half of the AFL’s TV broadcast partnership with cable TV network, Foxtel.
The network regularly screens Sunday AFL games on delay at 3pm, with the majority of games chosen for broadcast involving matches in Melbourne.
Seven has long held a policy of not broadcasting against the gate in order to maximise attendances at grounds
A statement released by the network today said that “in order to keep a consistent timeslot in our Sunday AFL programming, Channel Seven will show the Sydney-Essendon match at 3pm in Melbourne.”
League chief, Andrew Demetriou today defended the move.
“There must be a very good reason, but I suspect that it’s probably due to another commitment,” he said.
“It doesn’t happen that often. Seven’s a great broadcast partner and they’ve obviously got some legitimate reason for that.”
Seven will screen a replay of the classic 1996 preliminary final between Sydney and Essendon from 2pm.
FOOTYHEADS: Should Sydney versus Essendon be shown live into Melbourne instead of on delay?
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 at 9:00 am
BY FRANK IENCO
THE Sydney Swans will send representatives this week to examine their controversial second home base, ANZ Stadium, ahead of this Sunday’s match against Essendon at the venue.
It will be the first match played at the ground since Swans spearhead Barry Hall broke his wrist after crashing into an advertising hoarding in the round 4 win over the West Coast Eagles.
Padding will now be added to the temporary fencing and signage, which is specially used for AFL matches as some seats are rolled back to allow for the extra field space.
Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reports NRL clubs have also raised concerns over the stadium’s surface, with two rugby league matches and an AFL reserves game taking place within 24 hours of the Swans and the Bombers taking the field.
But Swans coach Paul Roos believes the stadium will be fine for Sunday’s match and says the club usually checks on the condition of the ground.
“We usually send somebody out to look at it,” Roos said.
“(Swans football manager) Andrew Ireland will probably do that this week but we’re confident things will work out,” he said. ”They (ANZ Stadium) usually prepare it pretty well for us.”
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 10:26 am
BY FRANK IENCO
Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos says the character clause that is included in the selection criteria for the AFL Hall of Fame is difficult to police, but it should be taken seriously.
His comments come as the decision on whether Wayne Carey will be one of this year’s inductees will be made at tonight’s Hall of Fame dinner.
Carey is due to face a Melbourne court later this month following an incident at his home last January, after being charged with assaulting police and resisiting arrest, and is also due to face court in the United States in July.
It is expected that Carey, who is this year eligible for selection in the Hall of Fame after retiring in 2004, will miss out on selection because the criteria takes into account a person’s character and integrity.
But Roos, who himself was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005, says while it is difficult to assess someone’s character it still remains in the selection criteria.
“While the character clause is there you have to take it seriously,'’ Roos told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
“It’s a really loose term and everyone is going to have different interpretations of what determines good character and what character trait rules you out of the Hall of Fame,” he said.
“It’s an extremely delicate one and I must admit in a way I’m glad I’m not a part of the Hall of Fame selection panel because I’d feel uncomfortable judging someone else’s character if I didn’t really know the full circumstances.'’
Stay tuned to FootyHeads for updates on tonight’s Hall of Fame dinner.
FootyHeads, should Wayne Carey be inducted in the AFL Hall of Fame this year? Or should he wait for several years as Gary Ablett Senior did?
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at 10:35 am
BY FRANK IENCO
Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos has confirmed small forward Nick Davis will be dropped from the senior side for the second time this season.
Roos says Davis’ defensive pressure remains a concern, the same reason why he dropped the 28-year-old following the Swans’ round one loss to St. Kilda.
Davis also uncharacteristically missed two gettable shots during last weekend’s draw against North Melbourne.
Roos admitted his gamble to play Davis last Sunday failed.
“Out of necessity with Hally (Barry Hall) out, we tried him (Davis) for a couple of weeks and it didn’t work and that is fine,” Roos said, adding that Davis would spend around a month in the reserves to improve his confidence.
“The issue with those pressure things, a lot does come with confidence and I think missing those early goals which he normally kicks.”
Davis will be replaced by former Geelong forward Henry Playfair, who will play his first match in the red and white, for the match against the Western Bulldogs.
Despite the demotion, Davis’ manager, former NRL player Lance Thompson, says Davis will remain at the Swans next season.
“There’s no problems at all between Nick and club,” Thompson told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph. ”Nick obviously feels the hurt when he does get dropped like he did at the start of the year.”
“He’s still contracted to the club for a little while so he won’t be leaving.”
In other team news for Sydney, ruckman Peter Everitt will make his long-awaited return this Sunday at the SCG, replacing Jesse White.
FootyHeads, is Nick Davis’ future at the Swans under a cloud following this latest omission?
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 at 9:46 am
BY BRAD KLIBANSKY
NORTH Melbourne president James Brayshaw will meet AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson today to talk about the interchange controversy.
Last night, the AFL, which had the power to change the result of the game, opted for the conservative sanction of a fine of $50,000, of which $25,000 was suspended, after the Swans had used a 19th player for 30 seconds late in the final quarter of the Telstra Dome match.
Speaking on SEN this morning, Brayshaw said he was disappointed the Swans escaped with only a fine, and wants answers from the AFL.
“We are not going to be jumping up and down,” Brayshaw said.
“We are going to say we are disappointed, but ask, what are you going to do about this to make sure it doesn’t happen again?”
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 at 6:28 am
BY STEPHEN BAKER
ANZ Stadium’s fence will now be covered in padding, following a safety review in the wake of Barry Hall’s wrist fracture.
Jill Lindsay of the AFL, ANZ Stadium staff, Sydney Swans personnel and an independent risk assessor completed a review of the ground’s signage and fencing set-up and released the findings in the report yesterday.
Hall broke his wrist after crashing through the fence three weeks ago, prompting the investigation.
The Sydney Swans released a statement last night saying that the club fully supports the recommendations made in the report.
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
BY FRANK IENCO
Sydney Swans defender Nick Malceski’s recovery from radical knee surgery could see him return to on-field action within a month.
Malceski ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in the first week of the NAB Cup, an injury that often means an extended period on the sidelines.
Swans assistant coach John Longmire says Malceski has been running for a few weeks, but the test will come when he increases his training regime.
But Longmire says ruckman Peter Everitt may spend a second week in the reserves as he overcomes his own knee injury.
While defender Tadhg Kennelly, who was a late withdrawal for his side’s loss to Geelong last weekend, will need to prove his fitness during tomorrow’s training session to be included in the side to face North Melbourne this Sunday.
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
BY FRANK IENCO
SYDNEY forward Barry Hall is considering stepping down from the Swans’ leadership group following his seven week suspension for striking.
Swans coach Paul Roos says Hall will be given time away and the club will not see its spearhead for the next week.
“One thing I did say to him yesterday was to challenge him to work out why he did it (the strike),” Roos said. ”I think that’s a really important step for him as an individual and as a player. It was out of character for him, we do believe.”
Roos also rejected reports the club’s leadership group was set to fine Hall for his indiscretion.
“The leadership group won’t be fining Barry Hall, I guarantee you that. Because they’ve never fined another player for anything else. So talk of a fine is ridiculous,” he said.
“He’ll meet with the leadership group in due course. He’s treated like anyone else at this footy club, but any talk of further sanctions is quite frankly ridiculous.”
Roos also suggested it would be eight weeks until Hall recovered from his wrist injury, meaning the forward may still not be available for senior action when his suspension expires.
In team news for the Swans, Nick Davis will come into the side to replace Hall, while rookie midfielder Nick Smith is set to make his AFL debut replacing Luke Brennan.
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 7:31 am
BY STEPHEN BAKER
BARRY HALL will continue working with a psychologist in an attempt to explain his “mind explosion” from last Saturday night’s game.
According to “The Age” newspaper, Hall began therapy yesterday as his seven week ban for striking Brent Staker kicked in.
“The most important thing for me now is to try and find out why it happened,” he said.
“There was no real reason to do it… it’s not the worst-case scenario I’ve been in, in terms of people scragging you or giving you verbals. I’ve copped far worse than that.”
“That’s the most worrying thing for me and the footy club going forward, is we’ve got to find out why it’s happened,” said Hall.
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 at 11:30 am
BY BRAD KLIBANSKY
SYDNEY Swans defender Tadhg Kennelly says Barry Hall has lost respect amongst his teams’ playing group following over his attack on Eagles defender Brent Staker.
Sydney’s on-field discipline has been the main reason for the club’s sustained success under coach Paul Roos and Kennelly revealed the team was disappointed in Hall’s actions.
“It was a terrible incident that no one wants to see on the football field and Barry has lost a bit of respect from within the club and he is going through a very tough time at the moment,” Kennelly wrote in his weekly Yahoo!7 blog on Wednesday.
“Barry has received a seven-week suspension and will learn a lot from what has happened.”
“What Barry done was unacceptable and as a team and a club we have worked very hard at our culture and what was a brain explosion and a snap (from Hall) has damaged and undermined this hard work.”
But Kennelly says he is confident Hall will eventually regain the respect amongst the players he has lost following the Staker incident.
“Knowing Barry and his character he will work extremely hard at getting that respect back and will come back a much better person and leader for the Sydney Swans.”
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
BY BRAD KLIBANSKY
DUAL Brownlow medalist Adam Goodes has warned his side not to take the West Coast Eagles lightly on Saturday night.
Speaking from training this morning, Goodes said: “I think we’ll be going in very confident now there’s no Judd and no Cousins.”
“But we can’t then switch off thinking that those two guys were the difference when we played them in the past because like us they do rely heavily on a lot of people.”
Goodes, 27, also said he had not hit top form yet, and still had more to give to the side.
“On the weekend I wasn’t at my best … but I was happy with my intent, my running, I tried to get a lot more forward this week and put a bit more pressure on my opposition.”
“I didn’t get a goal on the weekend but I really tried to push forward to make sure that I was an option and really run my opposition off their feet.”
“I’ll continue to try and do that this week out at ANZ Stadium … and try and run the midfielders around.”
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Sunday, March 30th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
BY FRANK IENCO
A seven goal haul to forward Corey Jones has helped North Melbourne to their first win of the season, as the Kangaroos defeated Richmond by 41 points in tonight’s match at the MCG.
The ‘Roos kicked the first goal of the match and were never headed, as they booted seven goals in the first term to lead by 27 points at the first change. Another blistering seven goal burst in the third quarter effectively killed off the match.
Aside from Jones’ seven goal effort, Shannon Grant kicked four, while Matt Campbell booted three. Jay Schultz led the way for the Tigers with three goals himself.
The only negative for the ‘Roos came when Aaron Edwards was reported for charging the Tigers Andrew Raines in the second quarter.
It was a horrible day for Raines, who later injured his left knee during the third term and has possibly suffered a dislocation.
In today’s other games, there were also big wins for Geelong and Sydney. The Cats humiliated Essendon to the tune of 99 points, while the Swans defeated Port Adelaide by 68 points in a morale-boosting performance at the SCG.
Final Score:
North Melbourne 20. 7 (127)
Richmond 13. 8 (86)
FootyHeads, what did you make of North Melbourne’s performance today? Are they back on the right track?
Have your say, FootyHeads!
Thursday, March 27th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
BY FRANK IENCO
WESTERN Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade says he can sympathise with new Melbourne counterpart Dean Bailey, whose side was thrashed by 104 points by Hawthorn last Sunday.
Speaking ahead of his own side’s match against the Demons this Saturday, Eade reflected on his own first match as senior coach, when the Sydney Swans were humiliated by the Adelaide Crows to the tune of 90 points in 1996.
“I’ve been through it and there’s quite a few people who’ve been through it,” he said. “It brought back some memories for myself, there’s no doubt.”
“If Melbourne weren’t playing us (on Saturday), I would have phoned Dean, to be honest, but I didn’t think it was appropriate because we’re playing each other.”
Eade added that clubs can turn around their form slide quickly, given his 1996 Swans heavily lost their first two matches of the season before going on to make that year’s Grand Final.
FootyHeads, how quickly will Dean Bailey be able to change the fortunes of the Demons?
Have your say, FootyHeads!
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