Brooklyn Nets governor Joe Tsai voiced his support Monday night for the front office and coaching staff after Kevin Durant told Tsai to choose between him and the team’s general manager and coach.
Tsai and Durant recently met in London, ESPN sources confirmed, and Durant reiterated his desire to be traded and suggested the franchise needed to choose between him and coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks.
Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.
Durant initially asked for a trade on June 30, and he hasn’t backed off that request. At 33 years old, Durant has four years and $198 million left on his contract, which means Brooklyn can be patient in waiting out teams for the kind of return it believes will eventually emerge for a star player reaching the trade market in his prime.
The meeting between Durant and Tsai was first reported by The Athletic, which also noted it occurred on the one-year anniversary of Durant signing his extension.
Durant, along with Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, joined the Nets in the summer of 2019 after Marks and then-coach Kenny Atkinson had helped lead the franchise out of the doldrums and to a surprising postseason berth.
Since then, nothing has gone the way the Nets planned.
Durant sat out the 2019-20 season while recovering from an Achilles tendon tear, Jordan was traded, Nash was hired to replace Atkinson, James Harden has come and gone, and Ben Simmons has yet to make his Nets debut.
Irving, who played in 29 games last season after choosing to not get the COVID-19 vaccine, has also pursued an exit from Brooklyn this offseason. He created a list of teams he would have liked the Nets to consider working with on a sign-and-trade deal, but when none materialized, he opted into the final year of his contract. The Nets could still trade him as an expiring contract (although Irving would have no formal voice in a potential landing spot) and have until June 30 of next year to work out an extension before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Durant averaged 29.9 points in 55 games last season, after leading the United States to Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games last summer.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
West Coast star Tim Kelly has failed in his bid to have a one-game suspension downgraded at the AFL Tribunal and will miss Saturday’s western derby against Fremantle.
Kelly was cited for engaging in rough conduct against Adelaide’s Sam Berry during Sunday’s clash at Optus Stadium.
His dangerous tackle was assessed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact, resulting in the offer of a one-game suspension.
West Coast lawyer David Grace QC said the club agreed Kelly’s tackle was careless but the Eagle did everything possible to protect his opponent.
Kelly pinned Berry’s right arm in the tackle and spun his body as he took him to ground, but Grace said the lack of injury or treatment required for Berry meant the incident was the “epitome of low impact.”
“He got up straight away and took a free kick,” Grace said.
But AFL counsel Andrew Woods pointed to AFL guidelines stating that a lack of injury should not prevent impact from being rated higher given that the potential to cause injury can be taken into account.
He described the level of head high contact with the ground as significant.
He said there was clearly a risk of concussion or a serious neck injury.
Kelly said the pair’s weight shifted when Berry attempted to kick the ball and that it contributed to them spinning during the tackle. Kelly conceded Berry was in a vulnerable position and that he increased the level of force when taking him to ground.
Tim Kelly was cited for this dangerous tackle Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images
But Kelly said the Crow had his left arm free during the tackle and used it to brace for contact.
“My intention was not to cause any harm to my opponent,” Kelly said.
“It didn’t look like there was much impact at all. He got straight up and took his free kick and played out the rest of the game.
“My intention is to tackle him and try to disrupt him. I’m trying not to give him an opportunity to get rid of the ball. I know he’s doing everything he can to get his foot from him to the ball. I’m trying my best to not allow him to make that kick.”
The court disagreed.
“The key issue was the potential to cause injury,” court chairman Jeff Gleeson said.
“We consider here the potential was significant. Mr Berry was swung a full 360 degrees with force, his feet were off the ground and that arm that might have protected him was pinned. His head hit the ground with considerable force.
“We found the impact was medium.”
Kelly won the Glendinning-Allan Medal in western derby 52 after a dominant performance where he won 42 possessions and 13 clearances.
Kelly had 26 disposals and won seven clearances against Adelaide.
The All Blacks have had a good, hard look in the mirror after their Mbombela misfire, and some of the reflections have been decidedly unpleasant – never mind their coach’s bizarre post-game positivity.
Backup No 10 Richie Mo’unga, who may be required for starting duty depending on selection whims and Beauden Barrett’s health, spoke on Monday in Johannesburg about unacceptable basic errors digging them a hole in the Rugby Championship opener last weekend, while midfielder David Havili says the players have to take more accountability around executing under the relentless Springboks pressure.
There is a lot to fix after the 26-10 defeat at Mbombela Stadium – the worst against the Boks in 94 years, and the team’s fifth loss in the last six tests – and just a week to get it done, with the rematch at Ellis Park, here in the Highveld, early Sunday (NZ time).
The All Blacks, looked at one of their worst funks in the professional era, made some improvements in Mbombela in the wake of their historic Irish series defeat, but they were marginal. Their maul defense was better, as was the lineout, and there were flashes of attacking spark amid an otherwise disappointing evening. But they were bossed at the breakdown, struggled to cope with the Boks’ renowned bomb squad and looked bereft of ideas in the face of the home rush defence.
The review, Mo’unga confirmed, had matched their immediate thoughts when they trudged off after an electric night in Mbombela.
“There were a lot of opportunities left out there, and it just confirmed how good this South African team is, and how they’re able to build so much pressure, and put teams into a cycle that’s hard to get out of… set piece , round the corner, penalties and shots at goal,” he said.
1 news
Questions are mounting over Ian Foster’s coaching position.
The adjustment, said Mo’unga, was strictly physical. “It’s just skill error. You don’t have to be in the right frame of mind to catch a ball, or to complete your job, or to do the basics well. Not executing put us under pressure and into a cycle that South Africa rugby do so well.”
Christiaan Kotze/Photosport
All Blacks captain Sam Cane and his team sink to another defeat as their losing run in 2022 continued apace.
Mo’unga admitted to a degree of concern that the same sort of errors were cropping up. “It is frustrating it’s the same errors – it’s not frustrating that the intent, care and effort is there. We’re all trying our best. But they call them test matches for a reason. They test you mentally, and they test your skill.
“But at this level you have to learn and adapt and if you don’t, you’re going to keep coming off second best which we have the last couple of games.”
In terms of why these basic errors are occurring in highly capable rugby players, Mo’unga had no doubt about the root of the problem.
“It’s pressure. Pressure can do that to you – scoreboard pressure, all sorts. This is test match rugby where you can’t execute the most basic skills for a lot of reasons. What I will say is we’re so close. Close isn’t good enough at the moment, but we’re looking to build on the missed opportunities last week.”
Havili was a little more circumspect, though that was probably a personality thing. He’s a man who chooses his words from him carefully, and he was in that mode as the All Blacks launched preparations for what is a must-win encounter – for championship prospects, and their coach’s slim hopes of survival.
“The effort was there – we’re trying bloody hard,” he said. “It’s just a few things that aren’t sticking and when they do I know we’ll get back on the horse.
Christiaan Kotze/Photosport
Sam Whitelock and the All Blacks had their moments, but couldn’t deal with the Boks’ pressure in Nelspruit.
“We’re creating opportunities, just not executing at the right time. It’s taking accountability and making sure we execute that stuff under pressure, understanding where we need to be at the right time, and taking those short passes.”
Havili, like his Crusaders mate, feels a breakout display is close. “The Boks did a great job of starving us of ball and putting us under pressure. We’re working on that this week.”
In terms of the lack of impact in midfield this year, Havili felt it came down to one important factor. “We’re not setting deep enough, but they’re doing a great job of taking our time and space away. There’s a lot of good stuff we took out of the review and are looking to implement this week.
“We’re trying our best, and so is the coaching staff. It’s not clicking at the moment but our effort is there, we’re creating chances and now we’ve just got to take them.”
Sounds simple. But the way these guys are in, it’s anything but.
Alpine suspects the fight over Oscar Piastri will go beyond Formula 1’s Contract Recognition Board to the High Court in the UK.
But its reason for that belief also implies it might be resigned to losing him to McLaren and its battle is now more about compensation than any genuine possibility of Piastri being Esteban Ocon’s 2023 team-mate.
Alpine is awaiting a CRB ruling on whether it has the legal right to Piastri’s services for the 2023 season.
Across a bizarre nine-hour period last Tuesday, Alpine hinted it might be losing Piastri, then declared he was secure for 2023, then received a public snub from him.
It announced him as Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso’s replacement just hours after saying Piastri’s management appeared to be exploring other options – believed to be a deal to replace the struggling Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren.
Piastri then swiftly rejected Alpine’s assertion that he was signed for 2023 with an extraordinary social media post insisting there was no deal and he would not be racing the car.
In an interview with Reuters, Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer outlined a court scenario that he believes might now develop.
“Going to the High Court is over 90% certain what we’ll do,” he said.
“If the CRB says, ‘Your license is only valid at Alpine’, and then he says, ‘That’s great but I’m never driving for them, I’ll just sit out a year’, then you’ve got to go to the High Court for compensation.”
There might be two possibilities that could result in that outcome.
The first is, as Szafnauer describes, the eventuality that the CRB rules Piastri’s deal with Alpine is the valid one but the reigning Formula 2 champion still refuses to drive for the team.
The other is that the CRB rules against Alpine, but the team believes that, regardless of the contractual situation, it is entitled to some form of reward given what it has invested in his career so far during his time in its Academy system and as its book drivers this year.
Szafnauer’s comments this week about the “loyalty” Alpine feels Piastri owes it illustrates this stance, though it is not yet clear whether the team would push that as far as a legal case if it’s been proven that it doesn’t have a valid contractual right over Piastri beyond 2022.
There is a potential parallel in the English football regulations, where a club signing an out-of-contract player under 24 is required to pay a fee to the player’s former club to cover its contribution to their training and development so far.
But there is no current precedent for this in F1.
In his conversation with Reuters, Szafnauer did suggest Alpine expects to have to demonstrate the financial value of its investment in Piastri’s development, including the cost of the mileage he’s has in its F1 cars so far – covering an appearance in last December’s young driver test in Abu Dhabi plus running in older cars.
“We haven’t sat down with the accountants to figure out everything we’ve spent,” said Szafnauer.
“We will have to do that if we go to the High Court.”
F1 teams are required to respect CRB rulings as one of their terms for participation in the championship.
The CRB’s remit does include deciding on compensation payments in the event that there are genuinely conflicting contractual situations, but the scenarios of Piastri refusing to drive for Alpine regardless or Alpine compensation seeking for its wider investment may both go beyond what the CRB’s jurisdiction covers.
Its power is effectively only as great as what the parties involved will accept, although its usual practice is to meet with those parties to try to agree to a resolution before reaching the point where it has to pass judgment itself.
There’s good and bad news for the Storm with Nick Meaney returning at fullback but also star halfback Jahrome Hughes out with a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile, interim Warriors coach Stacey has recalled young five-eighth Daejarn Asi, allowing Wayde Egan to shift back to hooker for Friday’s clash with the Bulldogs.
And the Sharks and Tigers have had to fill holes in their backline after injuries to key players last week.
Read on for all the NRL Teams for Round 22.
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THURSDAY
Penrith Panthers vs Melbourne Storm 7.50pm at BlueBet Stadium
panthers team: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Taylan May 3. Izack Tago 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Brian To’o 6. Jaeman Salmon 7. Sean O’Sullivan 8. Moses Leota 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Matt Eisenhuth 11. Chris Smith 12 Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Mitch Kenny 15. Scott Sorensen 16. Spencer Leniu 17. Sunia Turuva 18. Charlie Staines 19. J’maine Hopgood 20. Robert Jennings 21. Kurt Falls 22. Viliame Kikau
storm-team: 1. Nick Meaney 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Marion Seve 4. Justin Olam 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Cooper Johns 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Harry Grant 10. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 11. Tom Eisenhuth 12. Kenny Bromwich 13. Josh King 14. Brandon Smith 15. Tui Kamikamica 16. Chris Lewis 17. Tyran Wishart 18. Alec MacDonald 19. Dean Ieremia 20. Young Tonumaipea 21. Jordan Grant 22. Jack Howarth
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FRIDAY
Warriors vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6pm at Mt Smart Stadium
warriors team: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Viliami Vailea 4. Marcelo Montoya 5. Edward Kosi 6. Daejarn Asi 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Tohu Harris 11. Euan Aitken 12 Jack Murchie 13. Josh Curran 14. Freddy Lussick 15. Bunty Afoa 16. Eliesa Katoa 17. Jackson Frei 18. Bayley Sironen 20. Adam Pompey 21. Taniela Otukolo 22. Tom Ale 23. Rocco Berry
bulldogs team: 1. Jake Averillo 2. Jacob Kiraz 3. Aaron Schoupp 4. Braidon Burns 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Matt Burton 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Max King 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Josh Jackson 12 Jackson Topine 13. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 14. Zach Dokar-Clay 15. Joe Stimson 16. Harrison Edwards 17. Chris Patolo 19. Declan Casey 20. Kurtis Morrin 21. Bailey Biondi-Odo 22. Jeral Skelton 23. Phillip Makatoa
Parramatta Eels vs South Sydney Rabbitohs 7.55pm at CommBank Stadium
eels team: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Tom Opacic 5. Waqa Blake 6. Dylan Brown 7. Jakob Arthur 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Isaiah Papali’i 13. Ryan Matterson 14. Ofahiki Ogden 15. Bryce Cartwright 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Marata Niukore 18. Makahesi Makatoa 19. Bailey Simonsson 20. Ky Rodwell 21. Sean Russell 22. Elie El Zakhem
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SATURDAY
Sydney Roosters vs North Queensland Cowboys 3pm at SCG
roosters team: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Paul Momirovski 4. Joseph Manu 5. Joseph Suaalii 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Sam Verrills 10. Matthew Lodge 11. Angus Crichton 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley 14. Connor Watson 15. Egan Butcher 16. Drew Hutchison 17. Terrell May 18. Adam Keighran 19. Fletcher Baker 20. Kevin Naiqama 21. Ben Thomas 22. Siua Wong
cowboys team: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Peta Hiku 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Chad Townsend 8. Coen Hess 9. Reece Robson 10. Reuben Cotter 11. Tom Gilbert 12. Jeremiah Nanai 13. Jason Taumalolo 14. Jordan McLean 15. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 16. Luciano Leilua 17. Griffin Neame 18. Brendan Elliot 19. Ben Hampton 20. Jake Granville 21. Riley Price 22. Connelly Lemuelu
Wests Tigers vs Cronulla Sharks 5.30pm at Scully Park, Tamworth
tigers team: 1. Daine Laurie 2. Brent Naden 3. James Roberts 4. Asu Kepaoa 5. Starford To’a 6. Adam Doueihi 7. Jock Madden 8. James Tamou 9. Fa’amanu Brown 10. Zane Musgrove 11. Alex Seyfarth 12 Kelma Tuilagi 13. Joe Ofahengaue 14. Fonua Pole 15. Austin Dias 16. Thomas Freebairn 17. Tyrone Peachey 18. Luke Garner 19. Jake Simpkin 20. Brandon Tumeth 21. Junior Tupou 22. Justin Matamua
sharks team: 1. Kade Dykes 2. Lachlan Miller 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Toby Rudolf 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Braden Hamlin-Uele 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Dale Finucane 14. Teig Wilton 15. Cameron McInnes 16. Aiden Tolman 17. Andrew Fifita 18. Kayal Iro 19. Royce Hunt 20. Luke Metcalf 21. Jesse Colquhoun 22. Matt Ikuvalu
Brisbane Broncos vs Newcastle Knights 7.35pm at Suncorp Stadium
broncos team: 1. Te Maire Martin 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Brenko Lee 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Jake Turpin 15. Rhys Kennedy 16. Corey Jensen 17. Keenan Palasia 18. Cory Paix 19. Ryan James 20. Jordan Pereira 21. Delouise Hoeter 22. Zac Hosking
knights team: 1. Tex Hoy 2. Enari Tuala 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Dominic Young 6. Anthony Milford 7. Adam Clune 8. David Klemmer 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Brodie Jones 13 Mathew Croker 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Simi Sasagi 18. Jack Johns 19. Sauaso Sue 20. Chris Randall 21. Edrick Lee 22. Hymel Hunt
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SUNDAY
Canberra Raiders vs St George Illawarra Dragons 2pm at GIO Stadium
raiders team: 1. Xavier Savage 2. Albert Hopoate 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Zac Woolford 10. Emre Guler 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Adam Elliott 14. Tom Starling 15. Ryan Sutton 16. Corey Horsburgh 17. Corey Harawira-Naera 18. James Schiller 19. Ata Mariota 20. Matt Frawley 21. Peter Hola 22. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
dragons team: 1. Moses Mbye 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Jack Bird 4. Zac Lomax 5. Tautau Moga 6. Talatau Amone 7. Ben Hunt 8. Jack de Belin 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Josh Mcguire 12. Jaydn Su ‘A 13. Michael Molo 14. Tyrell Sloan 15. Aaron Woods 16. Tyrell Fuimaono 17. Billy Burns 18. Jayden Sullivan 19. Jackson Ford 20. Jaiyden Hunt 21. Cody Ramsey 22. Jack Gosiewski
Gold Coast Titans vs Manly Sea Eagles 4.05pm at Cbus Super Stadium
titans team: 1. Jayden Campbell 2. Sosefo Fifita 3. Phillip Sami 4. Brian Kelly 5. Patrick Herbert 6. AJ Brimson 7. Tanah Boyd 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Erin Clark 10. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 11. David Fifita 12. Beau Fermor 13. Isaac Liu 14. Greg Marzhew 15. Herman Ese’ese 16. Jaimin Jolliffe 17. Sam McIntyre 18. Corey Thompson 19. Toby Sexton 20. Paul Turner 21. Klese Haas 22. Jarrod Wallace
Sea Eagles team: 1. Reuben Garrick 2. Jason Saab 3. Morgan Harper 4. Tolutau Koula 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Toafofoa Sipley 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Martin Taupau 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12 Andrew Davey 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Dylan Walker 15. Ben Trbojevic 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Josh Aloiai 18. Josh Schuster 19. Kurt De Luis 20. Brad Parker 21. Kaeo Weekes 22. Morgan Boyle
Leading AFL journalist Caroline Wilson has labeled the actions of Lance Franklin’s management team as “sloppy” as the champion forward navigates his options for 2023 and beyond.
Franklin released a statement on Saturday declaring he had put contract talks on hold until the end of the season.
The news, dropped by Franklin’s new manager Adam Finch, came after the 1000-goal superstar was linked to a move to the Lions as he nears the end of his nine-year, $10 million contract with the Swans.
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Lance Franklin (Getty)
Given the strong relationship between club and player and the constancy of finals appearances since Franklin joined in 2014, Wilson told Nine’s Footy Classified she was surprised to see one of the game’s biggest names at a “vague cross road” with Sydney.
“It feels sloppy from the Franklin camp – from his management,” she said.
“I think if Sydney had a wish, they would probably wish that Liam Pickering was still managing Lance Franklin.”
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Pickering was the man who brokered Franklin’s historic $10 million deal in 2014.
He spoke on radio over the weekend after reports of the potential Lions deal and Swans stalemate were leaked.
“”I certainly wouldn’t be doing this in the press… I have no doubt he’s playing at the Swans (next year) and they’ll get there. He’s not going to leave on $100,000 (difference),” Pickering told SEN.
“I think he’s worth $700,000, Sydney needs to work out whether they can fit him into the salary cap.”
Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes was also surprised the Franklin negotiations are being played out publicly.
Buddy weighing up retirement amid Lions links
“(The Swans) kept the biggest, most high profile contract ever so secret that no one knew about it, and all of a sudden this has played out through the media so it’s been handled poorly,” Cornes said.
In the statement, the 35-year-old said where, or if, he would pull on the boots in 2023 would be a “family decision”, with wife Jesinta reportedly motivated to relocate north to be closer to family on the Gold Coast.
“I think he’s genuinely anxious about whether he plays on or not and it’s stressing him out,” Wilson said.
“I don’t think this is about money. I don’t think they had agreed on the money, but I think – say it was half a million dollars – I think they could have come to terms on that.”
This prompted AFL great Matthew Lloyd to ask what Franklin could be concerned about.
“About what he does next year, about where he is going to live – he was always going to live in Sydney, now they’re going to live on the Gold Coast we hear, or somewhere in Queensland,” Wilson said.
“I don’t think it’s about money.”
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The backstories and controversies that have ignited feuds involving athletes
Veteran Aussie golfer Cameron Percy has made a staggering revelation, claiming countrymen Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman are “gone” from the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.
Speaking ahead of the first of three FedEx Cup playoffs, Percy – a top-10 finisher at the Wyndham Championship – said the Australian duo were the latest players to sign with the financially lucrative rebel league.
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Aussie golfer Cameron Smith. (Getty)
The report comes amid a court hearing into whether three suspended players, who joined LIV Golf, should be granted a temporary restraining order.
Smith, who captured The Open Championship last month, was taken aback when probed about his name being thrown around as a potential defector to the rival tour – a claim he did not exactly deny.
“I just won the British Open and you’re asking about that. I think that’s pretty, not that good.”
Pressed further, Smith did not rule out a move, stating his team handled those affairs.
“I don’t know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff. I’m here to win golf tournaments.”
Now ranked world No.2, if Smith were to jump ship, he would be the highest-ranked player to leave the Tour for LIV.
Cameron Smith celebrates after winning the British Open. (Getty)
In addition to the bombshell revelation, Percy said the PGA Tour had known for some time that a subversive tour was going to challenge.
“I had a long conversation with Adam Scott and he was very interesting talking about it, just where it is,” he said.
“He said he met with these guys (LIV) in 2017 (and) they were ready (to) do all this. So, the Tour has known for a long time that this stuff’s in the works.”
Former world No.1 Scott previously endorsed LIV Golf, saying in April, “the schedule that they’re proposing is very appealing to probably most golfers” and he would “consider” making a move too.
But Percy voiced his criticism of players who had flawed to line their pockets, emphasizing the ethical issues surrounding how the league is financed.
“The more and more you look into it, some people don’t care, some people have got a conscience and do care,” he said.
“It really comes down to, you know, ‘they just executed 80 people this week, just chopped their heads off’. They’re not the nicest people in the world.
“Do you just look past that and go, ‘Oh well, I’m rich I don’t really care’. It’s a tough one, it really is.”
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Nathan Buckley is tipping Carlton to play finals this season for the first time since 2013.
The Blues hold their destiny in their own hands and can sure up a spot in September with a win in one or both of their last two games.
However, given recent form issues and coming up against in-form sides Melbourne and Collingwood in the final two rounds, Michael Voss’ side is suddenly under pressure to play finals.
Buckley stated the side was “out of form”, but said the players will be more responsible than coaches for determining the culture in what is potentially the last two weeks of their season.
“Carlton was in great shape early, their best football early in the season was as good as any. They buffered personnel concerns as well as anyone did throughout the second quarter of the season,” he said on SEN’s Whateley.
“(But) they’re not playing as well now. For whatever reason, they’re out of shape, they’re not connecting as well, there are elements of their game that haven’t quite come together and that was largely around transition and that’s starting to hurt them now, more so than the middle of the year.
“I don’t know how Vossy (Voss) handles it, but once again, the information that you glean inside of an organization, inside of a team, the players will make the determination and direction as much as the coaches will.”
The former Collingwood coach believes the role of Patrick Cripps will be pivotal.
Cripps is facing a two-week suspension if he is unsuccessful at the court on Tuesday night, but will nevertheless have a big off-field role if his ban remains.
“This is where Patty Cripps becomes crucial, he’s still got a big part to play,” Buckled added.
“Not matter if he’s playing or not, his energy and his direction and leadership around the organization is going to be really important over the next couple of weeks.”
Ultimately, Buckley believes the Blues may play finals regardless of whether or not they turn their form around.
Carlton is on 48 points and face two games where they’ll start outsiders to finish the home and away season. Among many scenarios for Carlton to miss the finals, the most likely is the Bulldogs – on 40 points – winning their final two games against GWS and Hawthorn and overtaking the Blues on percentage.
It would mean Richmond and the Dogs will fill 7th and 8th, but as Buckley notes, the Blues aren’t the ones doing the chasing.
“They could lose both games and still play finals, and I still think that’s the most likely outcome is that they sneak in,” he said.
“I don’t reckon they necessarily need to win a game for that to happen… they have to be caught and we’ve seen a lot of teams lose a lot of games when we potentially expected them to win.
“Everyone’s been falling over at hurdles, and maybe Carlton has done enough early in the season to qualify.”
Cripps will learn his court fate when proceedings kick off at 5pm AEST on Tuesday night.
His case will be heard second after West Coast’s Tim Kelly.
Patrick Cripps will miss the final two rounds of the regular season after an unsuccessful appeal at the AFL Tribunal over a rough conduct charge.
Carlton attempted to argue that Cripps’ act – which left Callum Ah Chee concussed – was “not a bump” and was instead a pure contest.
Cripps, giving evidence, insisted his eyes were on the ball at all times, while the AFL argued Cripps had alternatives to how he could’ve contested the ball.
The AFL went as far as to argue Cripps elected to bump.
After a lengthy deliberation period, the Tribunal found the charge should be upheld.
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Meanwhile West Coast star Tim Kelly also fronted the Tribunal, contesting a one-match ban for a dangerous tackle on Adelaide’s Sam Berry, which was assessed as careless conduct with medium impact and high contact.
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Ban likely for Cripps after heavy bump | 02:00
Kelly’s legal representative argued the impact from the tackle should be classified as ‘low’ rather than ‘medium’.
Giving evidence, Kelly said there was little ill feeling from Berry towards him in the aftermath of the tackle, while a medical report showed Berry required no treatment and would not miss any games or training sessions as a result.
Kelly added: “To be brutally honest, it didn’t look like there was much impact at all.”
Ultimately, the Tribunal upheld the charge of medium impact and thus upheld Kelly’s ban.
Speaking after the side’s loss, Carlton coach Michael Voss came to the defense of Cripps’ action.
“I thought it was a good answer,” he said.
“The umpire probably told the story, he didn’t pay a free kick, did he? Clearly he felt the arms were out and it was evenly contested and clearly when you have not a lot of time to adjust in those circumstances, it made for a difficult contest.
“From what I’ve seen, the arms were outstretched and it was a pretty even contest.”
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Veteran columnist Caroline Wilson has lashed AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan’s apology over the Crows’ pre-season camp, calling the league’s response to the “pathetic” saga.
Despite Eddie Betts’ powerful revelations regarding what took place on the 2018 camp in the Gold Coast, the AFL did not issue an apology until Betts called for one during the week.
The AFL boss eventually fronted the cameras to apologize, but did so in a short interview on the Seven Network, rather than a press conference, and Wilson was not impressed.
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“For Gillon McLachlan to take four years … to actually apologize in a stand-up at an airport with Channel Seven in an exclusively arranged interview is frankly quite pathetic,” she told Nine’s Footy Classified.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan issued his first apology for the camp four years after the fact in a short interview last week (Getty)
“Why the AFL did nothing then – I’ve been saying it for two years – still baffles me.”
Wilson also took aim at what she deemed a “cover-up” from a number of senior Crows staffers in the months following the camp, including football director Mark Ricciuto, calling the response “astonishing.”
Ricciuto is the only member from the Crows’ 2018 power structure remaining at the club, with key decision-makers such as chairman Rob Chapman, CEO Andrew Fagan, football boss Brett Burton and head coach Don Pyke all having left the club following the camp.
Ricciuto has come under pressure since Betts’ revelations last week and his response to the indigenous great’s comments, where he said “hopefully Eddie (Betts) is getting over” his experience at the camp.
“My prediction would be that Mark Ricciuto will be here until the end of the year and then serious pressure will come upon him,” Wilson said.
Mark Ricciuto remains in the same director of football role at the Crows that he had at the time of the camp (Getty)
“Not pressure from himself; he’s digging in. It’s just impossible to me (that he survives the saga). He was a staunch defender of Brett Burton, who was his man, who was one of the key instigators of the camp.
“The comments he made last week were so bad from a Crows point of view. He caused a lot of angst within and without the club. My view is he is not going to survive.”
Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes and Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd both suggested it was untenable for anyone associated with the implementation of the camp to remain at Adelaide.
Cornes used examples where Ricciuto had praised the likes of former Adelaide coach Don Pyke and ex-Collingwood president Eddie McGuire for stepping down amid controversies, suggesting he should take his own advice.
AFL great can’t believe Crows saga
“It feels like they need clean air. Mark Ricciuto himself has applauded those that have stood down to give clubs historically that clean air,” Cornes said.
“It’s going to be really difficult for the club to get that clean air while Mark Ricciuto is still there.”
“They can’t in their right mind have said you’ll give information and it’ll be used against you. Whoever heard that and allowed for that to happen must go,” Lloyd added.
The Age’s Sam McClure also blasted the response from a number of key stakeholders following the camp.
“For the AFL, the AFL Players’ Association, and elements of people at Adelaide, to come out and say (they) actually had no idea that this stuff was going on… they either knew about it and they deliberately lied or they I didn’t know. I’m not sure which one’s worse,” he told Footy Classified.
The fallout from Adelaide’s 2018 pre-season camp still continues four years later (Getty)
McClure called the criticism of players such as Betts, Josh Jenkins and Bryce Gibbs for only speaking years after the fact a case of “classic victim-blaming”.
“The last people that are responsible for what went on at that camp are the players,” he said.
“It is absolute garbage to think that we could sit here and label any of those players as part of the problem. And yet when people come out and speak the truth, and showed great courage, by the way, we suddenly turn around the responsibility on them.
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“If the AFL Players’ Association wanted to know what was going on at that camp they could’ve asked, because from where we sat it wasn’t that hard to find out.”
A SafeWork SA investigation in 2021 cleared the club of breaching health and safety laws, while an AFL investigation in 2018 determined the Crows had not breached any rules.
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