Former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has delivered one other backhander for legendary Hawks coach Jeff Kennett whereas hailing the succession plan which landed Sam Mitchell within the high job.
Mitchell’s Hawks are the toast of the footy world after their elimination remaining win over the Western Bulldogs cemented their speedy enchancment in season 2024, with the staff heading to the Adelaide Oval to face Port Adelaide on Friday evening as favourites to e book a preliminary remaining berth.
Kennett orchestrated the controversial handover which noticed Clarkson, now teaching North Melbourne, depart the membership at which he’d received 4 premierships in acrimonious circumstances on the finish of 2021, unwillingly handing the reins to Mitchell.
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Regardless of the brutal fallout, which noticed Kennett closely criticised and a wedge firmly pushed between Clarkson and Mitchell, the Hawks’ 2024 success has prompted the previous Victorian premier to once more take to the media to reward the transfer he and the membership’s board made, whereas once more criticising Clarkson’s conduct.
“Our choice to go along with Sam was that Clarko had been cooked for quite a lot of years and it was time for a change,” Kennett informed the Herald Solar.
“However extra importantly there was nobody within the competitors who we knew higher – regardless of who else was going after him – who was higher suited to us and who had brown and gold in his veins.
“We recognised Sam was a younger man with values, who was excited concerning the alternative to place into place what he had learnt and the way he thought the sport ought to be performed.
“We made the change, and Clarko, to a point, wrecked it as a result of he determined to not see out his time period, which prompted a little bit of angst. It was the best choice.”
Kennett additionally revealed the daring targets he and then-Hawks soccer director and former captain Richie Vandenberg set Mitchell forward of the 2022 season, his first on the helm.
“Once we appointed Sam, I stated to him, ‘Use the following two to 3 years, construct your teaching panel, get your gamers on board, and I need you within the finals from 2025 onwards,” Kennett stated.
“2025 is our one hundredth yr [in the AFL]. I stated to him, ‘I then count on you to be within the finals for the following 10 years and to have received two premierships.
“We’re a yr forward of ourselves, so no matter occurs over the following few weeks, come rain, hail or shine, we’re heading in the right direction.”
(Photograph by Dylan Burns/AFL Photographs through Getty Photographs)
Greats involved with Port’s semi-final tall name
Former greats Kane Cornes and David King consider Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley’s name to load up on tall forwards for his or her semi-final conflict with Hawthorn is enjoying a harmful recreation.
Within the eyes of many, Hinkley is teaching for his future on the Energy on Friday evening, with the much-maligned coach selecting to recall Todd Marshall whereas retaining fellow key forwards Charlie Dixon, Esava Ratugolea and Mitch Georgiades, ostensibly to try to stretch an undersized Hawks defence lacking injured tall Sam Frost.
Nonetheless, with the Hawks’ power their military of pacy rebounding defenders, Cornes and King consider the transfer might backfire on the Energy, leaving their assault too top-heavy to deal with the pace of their opponents.
“My first ideas are, ‘Jeez they appear tall’, is {that a} option to beat the Hawks? I’m not precisely positive,” King stated on SEN Breakfast.
“Nobody has been in a position to get the ball in there sufficient to problem the Hawthorn again six.”
King put the onus on veteran tall Charlie Dixon to ship, with the soon-to-be 34-year outdated managing simply three disposals and no objectives within the Energy’s nightmare 84-point qualifying remaining loss to Geelong.
Dixon has managed simply 23 objectives in 17 matches for this season, with 9 of these objectives in three matches in opposition to the lowly West Coast and Richmond.
“If there’s ever a recreation the place you want Charlie Dixon to face up, it’s this one,” King stated.
“He’s kicked 23 objectives for the season from 17 video games, and most of his objectives have come in opposition to the poor groups. You simply want one thing from him tonight.
“It’s unfair to place the outcome on him – it’s not – however he’s going to get a match-up he’s going to get pleasure from tonight.
“For those who’re going to win this recreation, you’re going to wish Georgiades, Dixon and Marshall to fireside.”
Cornes, who performed 300 video games for the Energy, went even additional, claiming his outdated aspect are nearly unattainable to tip regardless of having completed the home-and-away season second to the Hawks’ seventh.
“Can the midfield and Port Adelaide transfer the ball sufficient to provide them an opportunity?” Cornes requested.
“They’re most likely going to wish 60 entries to kick an enormous rating. This ahead line goes to wish that many entries.
“As we’re speaking, we can not give Port Adelaide an opportunity, there’s no means you can provide Port Adelaide an opportunity on this recreation.”
The winner of Friday evening’s do-or-die semi-final on the Adelaide Oval will head to the SCG to tackle Sydney in subsequent weekend’s preliminary remaining.
Dejected Port Adelaide gamers. (Photograph by Darrian Traynor/AFL Photographs/through Getty Photographs)
Canines sweat on star’s harm in dying minutes of newest AFLW loss
West Coast have moved to 2-1 in Daisy Pearce’s first season as coach after coming from behind to defeat the struggling Western Bulldogs by 11 factors.
After scoring only one aim throughout their first two video games, the Bulldogs kicked the primary two of Thursday evening’s AFLW conflict on the Whitten Oval to leap the Eagles.
However West Coast steadied to kick the following 4 objectives and arrange the 5.2 (32) to three.3 (21) victory.
After failing to attain a aim through the second and third quarters, the Bulldogs acquired a lift when star Ellie Blackburn diminished the margin to 4 factors early within the remaining time period.
Blackburn had one other shot minutes later, however her long-range effort dropped quick, with debutant Octavia Di Donato then snapping the sealer for West Coast with 4 minutes left.
Blackburn hobbled off the sphere within the dying seconds after hurting her foot.
Bulldogs coach Tam Hyett stated they had been uncertain on the severity of Blackburn’s harm, however the three-time All-Australian would have scans on Friday.
“We’re not 100 per cent positive on what it’s,” Hyett stated.
The Eagles have claimed two picket spoons of their quick AFLW historical past, and completed sixteenth and seventeenth respectively through the previous two seasons, however they could possibly be on the rise after appointing arguably the most important identify in ladies’s footy as coach.
West Coast shocked Richmond with a win within the opening spherical, earlier than dropping to final season’s finalists Essendon final weekend.
Eagles younger gun Ella Roberts set the sport alight with a dominant third quarter that included a long-range aim on the run.
The 19-year-old completed with 25 possessions to display why she could possibly be one of many future stars of AFLW.
Former Gold Coast midfielder Alison Drennan confirmed why she was such a precious recruit for the Eagles within the low season, having 25 possessions and eight clearances, laying 11 tackles and kicking a aim.
This match was the primary of a condensed interval for the AFLW when golf equipment can have shorter breaks than regular to participate in mid-week video games.
The Bulldogs have ready for the robust schedule, opting to relaxation younger gun Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner in opposition to the Eagles regardless that the No.1 draft choose has solely performed two video games.
(AAP)
