Tigers open to Waverley Park move; Voss says his message is still resonating with Blues

The Age

3 days ago

Dunne said even if umpires began to use Waverley as a permanent base, the venue could still accommodate an AFL club temporarily, although such discussions had not yet been had.
Hawthorn played Richmond the first time either team played at the venue in 1970.
Melbourne are still working on the business case to develop a training and administration base at Caulfield Racecourse and have ruled out Waverley as a permanent home for training.
The Demons believe modern training facilities require more than one oval and they also argue the $100 million development they are attempting to launch in partnership with government and the AFL will provide the community with significant benefits.
'Melbourne Football Club has been progressing plans for a new training and administration facility that better supports our players, staff and the wider community,' a club spokesperson said.
'The club has been working on a suitable location in the Caulfield Racecourse reserve. We are in productive discussions with stakeholders regarding our preferred location.
'We are working closely with stakeholders to deliver facilities that not only serve the needs of both our men's and women's football programs, but also provide long-term benefits to the local community.'
The club's new CEO Paul Guerra does not start in the job until early September. Interim CEO David Chippindall and the board, led by president Brad Green, have been developing the business case.
'Impressive to watch': Voss backs message but hasn't met club chiefs
Jon Pierik
Michael Voss says he has not addressed his future with club chiefs, but insists all parties remain unified as the Carlton coach fights to save his job.
The blowtorch has been put on Voss – and the Blues – after they were humbled by North Melbourne last weekend and endured the loud boos of supporters, leaving them with a 6-8 win-loss record and clinging to hopes of making the finals ahead of Thursday night's pivotal clash against Port Adelaide in Adelaide.
Speaking in Adelaide on Wednesday, Voss declared the Blues, with their contested possession mantra, were still 'a pretty impressive brand to watch' when asked whether he was confident his game plan would stand up against the league's best teams, but conceded they had failed to consistently produce a rounded game plan.
'Nah, I do. I think it's a pretty impressive brand to watch. It's hard to talk down being the No.1 contested team in the competition, so it's something that if you want to be good at and known for, it's in the effort indicators of this game,' Voss said.
'Whether that's tackling or whether that's contested footy, you want to be good at it. I don't think there would be a team in the land that wouldn't want to be sitting in that spot.
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'But, obviously, clearly, you have got to be able to balance that out with other things in your game. What we acknowledge is that we are not that balanced profile yet. We are busily working away at it, and we have had two parts right in games, but we haven't got the third part right.'
The Blues' inability to generate enough run, carry and spread from stoppage, and their poor execution into attacking 50 where they also lack a match-winning crumber, have become major issues.
'Sometimes we have got all three right, but we haven't done it for four quarters. That is still, obviously, an aim to get right,' Voss said, adding he was confident his message was still being heard by the players.
The Blues' hierarchy, including president Robert Priestley, have this week not spoken publicly about Voss, who is contracted until the end of 2026.
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Voss, who led the Blues to a preliminary final in 2023, said he had not directly discussed with outgoing chief executive Brian Cook, incoming chief Graham Wright nor Priestley whether he will remain in the top job come next season.
'No, it's an unnecessary conversation right now, other than being in complete communication with them at all times,' Voss said.
'That has been really valuable as I think we have stated plenty of times before that having the leadership of those two guys, and even Rob as our president, they are outstanding leaders. They are only interested in alignment, and they are only interested in [sticking] together, and that's the support I feel.'
Voss refused to buy into questioning whether he was fighting to save his job over the final nine rounds of the home-and-away campaign.
'I don't deal in hypotheticals like that. You can go for your life. But as far as what we are concerned, as I have said, we have come off a game, what, only four days ago … you focus a lot of your energies on turning around what has been a disappointing loss, and turn that into something else,' Voss said.
'We focus on what we can control, that's first and foremost what we do. Speculation about what is happening … we don't tend to shift our eyes a hell of a lot.
'As I said, we are probably focused on the most important things, and the most important things is to get some correction in the most important areas, also to reinforce some other things that we have been doing a hell of a lot of work on to help us get a result tomorrow night.'
Skipper Patrick Cripps this week expressed support for Voss, who is being assessed by the experienced Wright. A former football department boss at Hawthorn and Collingwood, Wright is also analysing other areas, including a playing list which has been overly reliant on its top six players.
The 10th-placed Blues and 12th-paced Power each sit two wins outside the top eight, with Thursday night's clash looming as somewhat of an elimination final.
Voss said key defender Jacob Weitering, who hurt his ankle last weekend but returned to the field, 'should' be right to play, while the Blues will have two debutants, half-back Billy Wilson and mid-year draftee Flynn Young. Young has impressed at half-forward, having 19 disposals, including two goals, last weekend.
Cripps did not join teammates in a light run at training on Wednesday, but will be given as much time as possible to prove his fitness for the clash with the Power.
While the Power are also under pressure, coach Ken Hinkley said he had sympathy for Voss, his former assistant coach from 2015 to 2021.
'Yeah, I have,' Hinkley said. 'Michael knows what the industry is like. I wouldn't be telling Michael anything more than he knows. And we both know, and everyone who is in this game knows, that you have your time when you have just got to stand up, and you have just got to do your job. And it's hard not to get distracted, but you can't let that happen. Michael is a high-quality person who will lead his club well.'
With AAP
Suns-Bombers game forces Rising Star award move
Jake Niall
The AFL will hold its Rising Star award on the night of the Brownlow Medal count this year, in a move forced by the re-scheduling of the Gold Coast versus Essendon game.
The award, which goes to the best young player, based on certain criteria, over a season, has been moved from the awards night, during the pre-finals bye, when the All-Australian team, AFL Players' Association's Most Valuable Player, and the AFL coaches award are announced in one fell swoop.
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But the re-scheduling of Gold Coast's opening round clash with Essendon, postponed due to the cyclone that struck Queensland in March, has prompted the AFL to move the Rising Star award from August 28 – the date of the awards night – to Brownlow Medal night, on the Monday evening of grand final week.
Given the length of the Brownlow Medal count, and the fact that other awards such as mark and goal of the year are handed out on the night, it is reasonable to expect that the Rising Star award will not occupy a large portion of the evening's broadcast.
The Rising Star has a player nominated for each round. The AFL reckoned that it would be logistically difficult to have the postponed Gold Coast v Essendon game played on mid-week of the bye round – likely on the Wednesday – and then have the Rising Star the next day, when there is a need for a player to be nominated and a match review officer's assessment.
The Rising Star is the award to the best-performed young player (21 and under and with less than 10 senior games entering the relevant season). Geelong's Ollie Dempsey took the award last year.
Recent winners include Collingwood's Nick Daicos, North Melbourne's Harry Sheezel, Fremantle's Luke Jackson and Caleb Serong, Carlton's Sam Walsh and past champions Nathan Buckley, Adam Goodes, Sam Mitchell, Nick Riewoldt, Joel Selwood and Ben Cousins.
The AFL informed the clubs of the change on Tuesday and confirmed it to this masthead on Wednesday morning. In effect, the Gold Coast v Essendon game is part of round 24, when it was originally slated to be played on the Gold Coast as part of opening round.
The Brisbane Lions game against Geelong for opening round, too, was re-scheduled to March 29 due to the impact of the cyclone.
Cats sign Dempsey to four-year extension
Geelong wingman Ollie Dempsey will keep his high-flying act at GMHBA Stadium until at least the end of 2029.
Dempsey and the Cats announced on Wednesday that he had signed a four-year extension as he continues to build on his emergence in 2024 where he won the AFL Rising Star award while appearing in every Cats' match.
The 22-year old has kicked 22 goals from 15 games this season and has become known for his ability to push forward, take high-flying marks and kick crucial goals.
Only Coleman Medal leader Jeremy Cameron, 48 goals, has kicked more majors for Geelong this campaign.
Cats executive general manager Andrew Mackie said Dempsey was a prized player.
'Ollie has an infectious personality and is a much-loved member of our football program,' Mackie said.
'Already in his short career Ollie has a great highlight reel and has added a real spark on-field with his energy and hard running, and we can't wait to see him continue to grow as a person and a player over the next four years.'
Tom Atkins, Mark Blicavs and Gryan Miers have also re-signed with the Cats this season.