Latest news with #AFLClubs
The Australian
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
AFL: Brisbane Lions star Josh Dunkley backs in-season tournament
Brisbane Lions star Josh Dunkley has backed the idea of an in-season tournament, believing it would not only create excitement but also help reduce the 'competitive advantage' that exists in the AFL. Reportedly discussed last week at a meeting of club chief executives, a lucrative secondary tournament, similar to the NBA Cup concept, is apparently being considered for 2028 when Tasmania enters the competition . It would lead to clubs playing each other only once in the regular season, most likely in addition to Gather Round and Rivalry Round matches. 'It'd be great,' Dunkley said on Tuesday. 'If we can play every team once and then have a little in-season tournament, like the NBA do … it'd be really exciting for the competition.' Dunkley said it would also lead to a 'fairer' regular season schedule that was compromised by all teams not playing each other the same amount of times. Lions vice-captain Josh Dunkley says an in-season tournament would be 'exciting' for the competition. Picture:'When you play everyone once, it's good, it's fair, and you get to see how you go against opposition in one game,' he said. 'At the moment, there are times where we're playing different teams and other teams are playing different teams, and the competitive advantage is always a bit of a question mark for a lot of people. 'For us, it's about playing the best, and everyone, once, and then that mid-season tournament would be pretty cool.' Dunkley also supported the introduction of a wildcard finals round and the return of State of Origin football. '(This year) we saw the Indigenous All-Stars play that game before the season started, and that was really exciting,' he said. 'To be able to do that across the states of origin that you can represent, and go back to your state and enjoy that moment with other players that are from similar areas, that's priceless. 'I'm not sure the time of year that it's played, but if it is played mid-season, it'd be exciting.' Former Western Bulldog Dunkley and the second-placed Lions are chasing a hat-trick of wins when they meet struggling Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night. The Blues are in 12th place on the ladder with just six wins from 16 games, with pressure mounting on coach Michael Voss, who captained the Lions to three successive premierships from 2001 to 2003. Josh Dunkley and Lions are chasing a hat-trick of wins on Thursday night. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images 'I've experienced when you're a bit under pressure at a Melbourne footy club, and it is hard, but you also (feel) there's nothing to lose,' said Dunkley in anticipation of a desperate Blues performance. 'That element of their mental thinking behind the game will be that their backs are against the wall. They've got nothing to lose, so we've got to really prepare for that. 'You get the best footy out of teams when they're thinking like that, and they've got that freedom in their game, so we're going to have to be on edge on Thursday night because they'll be rocking up, and we know that they'll play their best footy.' The Brisbane vice-captain said the Lions would relish another road trip, having lost just once in eight games outside of Queensland this season, as well as winning three successive matches interstate in last year's finals series to clinch the premiership. 'We love getting away together. We talk about our brotherhood, our mateship, and relationships that we have, not only as players but with the staff and the coaches,' Dunkley said. 'It's been nice to be able to have a good record, but we don't really look at that. We look at what we're facing this week, and that's the Blues, who will be red-hot.' Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde
News.com.au
08-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Brisbane Lions star Josh Dunkley says introduction of secondary tournament would help reduce ‘competitive advantage' in AFL
Brisbane Lions star Josh Dunkley has backed the idea of an in-season tournament, believing it would not only create excitement but also help reduce the 'competitive advantage' that exists in the AFL. Reportedly discussed last week at a meeting of club chief executives, a lucrative secondary tournament, similar to the NBA Cup concept, is apparently being considered for 2028 when Tasmania enters the competition . It would lead to clubs playing each other only once in the regular season, most likely in addition to Gather Round and Rivalry Round matches. 'It'd be great,' Dunkley said on Tuesday. 'If we can play every team once and then have a little in-season tournament, like the NBA do … it'd be really exciting for the competition.' Dunkley said it would also lead to a 'fairer' regular season schedule that was compromised by all teams not playing each other the same amount of times. 'When you play everyone once, it's good, it's fair, and you get to see how you go against opposition in one game,' he said. 'At the moment, there are times where we're playing different teams and other teams are playing different teams, and the competitive advantage is always a bit of a question mark for a lot of people. 'For us, it's about playing the best, and everyone, once, and then that mid-season tournament would be pretty cool.' Dunkley also supported the introduction of a wildcard finals round and the return of State of Origin football. '(This year) we saw the Indigenous All-Stars play that game before the season started, and that was really exciting,' he said. 'To be able to do that across the states of origin that you can represent, and go back to your state and enjoy that moment with other players that are from similar areas, that's priceless. 'I'm not sure the time of year that it's played, but if it is played mid-season, it'd be exciting.' Former Western Bulldog Dunkley and the second-placed Lions are chasing a hat-trick of wins when they meet struggling Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night. The Blues are in 12th place on the ladder with just six wins from 16 games, with pressure mounting on coach Michael Voss, who captained the Lions to three successive premierships from 2001 to 2003. 'I've experienced when you're a bit under pressure at a Melbourne footy club, and it is hard, but you also (feel) there's nothing to lose,' said Dunkley in anticipation of a desperate Blues performance. 'That element of their mental thinking behind the game will be that their backs are against the wall. They've got nothing to lose, so we've got to really prepare for that. 'You get the best footy out of teams when they're thinking like that, and they've got that freedom in their game, so we're going to have to be on edge on Thursday night because they'll be rocking up, and we know that they'll play their best footy.' The Brisbane vice-captain said the Lions would relish another road trip, having lost just once in eight games outside of Queensland this season, as well as winning three successive matches interstate in last year's finals series to clinch the premiership. 'We love getting away together. We talk about our brotherhood, our mateship, and relationships that we have, not only as players but with the staff and the coaches,' Dunkley said. 'It's been nice to be able to have a good record, but we don't really look at that. We look at what we're facing this week, and that's the Blues, who will be red-hot.'
ABC News
03-07-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
AFL round 17 Kangaroos vs Bulldogs live updates — blog, scores and stats
As North Melbourne marks 100 years in the VFL/AFL, the Western Bulldogs will be intent on climbing inside the top four on the ladder as round 17 gets underway at Docklands. Follow the live blog below, keep up to date with all the latest stats in our ScoreCentre, and tune in to our live radio coverage.
News.com.au
25-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
The logistics behind State of Origin in the AFL
State of Origin has once again risen as a point of discussion in the AFL with talks developing.
News.com.au
08-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL round 13 North Melbourne v West Coast, Carlton v Essendon: Live scores, updates and SuperCoach scores
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has challenged his young group to use the second half of this season as a platform to springboard the team into a more substantial 2026. The Kangaroos are sitting second bottom with two wins and a draw from their first half of the season, but Clarkson is anticipating an even more competitive back half of the season off last week's bye, starting with the club's first 'home' game in Bunbury, against West Coast. They take on the bottom of the ladder Eagles on Sunday, the first of back to back home games in Western Australia, as part of a lucrative three-year deal with the WA Government. 'We had a pretty good four or five weeks leading into the bye in terms of competitiveness, even the Collingwood game, we were only three or four points down at three-quarter-time,' Clarkson said in Bunbury. 'We were disappointed with how we finished that game … (but) they (Collingwood) are top of the ladder for a reason. 'We would have liked to continue to play, but the rest (the bye) was probably good for us. It's a reset … it is really important that we can use the second half of this season to launch us into next year.' Clarkson said he wasn't concerned about the recent negative narrative of clubs selling home games interstate, saying the Kangaroos were committed to making their West Australian deal a successful one. '(It's) each to their own in terms of how they generate their revenue to support their clubs, but this was a no-brainer for our football club,' he said. 'We are pretty excited about making it work for our club.' He said the Eagles represented a challenge, given their recent solid form, including forming a plan to limit explosive midfielder Harley Reid. 'They have been pretty impressive over the last month … So we are expecting a really fierce contest (between) two sides that have invested a lot in youth and the future, and hopefully we will see some of that on display (on Sunday). '(Reid) is a very, very good player and just so powerful, and sometimes even when you have got a tag on him, he is able to use that fend off almost as good as Dustin Martin. 'He is a really good up and coming player. We will have some plans in place, but they have got a few others who are capable as well. We can't just put our focus into one player.'
