Daniel Pockett – Michmutters

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AFL: Showdown win in Adelaide last thing for Crows and Port to play for

AFL: Showdown win in Adelaide last thing for Crows and Port to play for

With Port Adelaide’s prison bar guernsey out of bounds, skipper Tom Jonas has declared he’ll be happy to beat Adelaide in whichever guernsey he’s given on Saturday night.

Club chairman David Koch has been fighting a losing battle to gain permission from Collingwood for Port’s players to don the fabled prison bars in their home Showdown at Adelaide Oval.

But winning, not his wardrobe, is on Jonas’s mind in a natch that matters no matter when it’s played in a two-team town, more so given the Crows won the first stoush in 2022.

“It would be nice to wear the prison bars, but that’s a decision that is well beyond me,” Jonas said on Monday.

“I’ll run out there and beat the Crows in whatever they want me to wear.

“Certainly, we were on the wrong end of it last time and we want to make amends for that, for sure.

“I don’t think there’s any such thing as a dead rubber when it comes to a Showdown. There’s a huge amount of pride on the line.

“Essentially, there’s bragging rights around the state and you can walk around with your chest puffed out.”

The clash of cross-town rivals could be Robbie Gray’s farewell match, with the five-time Showdown Medal winner mulling retirement.

The four-time All-Australian, who was rested for the 84-point thumping of Essendon, has played 15 games this season to take his career tally to 270 but has been hampered by persistent knee problems.

Jonas remains unsure which way the 34-year-old is leaning as he considers his future.

“Robbie is a very private person,” he said.

“He’ll make the decision that’s right for him at the right time.

“I’m sure that he’s consulting all of the people that are important in his life.

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s an absolute champion of our club … he’ll do what’s right for him and the club at the right time.”

The Power bounced back into form in emphatic fashion against the Bombers, with the lopsided victory at Marvel Stadium snapping a four-game losing streak that dashed finals hopes.

While pleased with the performance, many fans will be left asking why Port was unable to perform at the same high standard more consistently in a season that started with premiership aspirations.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into that,” Jonas said.

“We’ve played some really quality sides in the last four to six weeks and Essendon are probably at a similar point in their season where you’ve got to find motivation and I think we had a great purpose and that made a huge difference.

“We got a good run on and played some exciting footy.

“Why we haven’t been able to do that consistently is the question we’ll be asking ourselves over the pre-season.”

The 52nd meeting of Adelaide’s AFL rivals will bring both clubs’ seasons to a close, but there is no shortage of motivation for each side despite the lack of a finals angle.

The Crows, who will take the momentum of a three-game winning run into the clash, famously claimed Showdown bragging rights earlier this season when Jordan Dawson kicked the winner after the siren.

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St Kilda Saints urged to put stars on trade table, Leigh Montagna, list management, Brad Hill, Zak Jones, Jack Billings, Jade Gresham

St Kilda Saints urged to put stars on trade table, Leigh Montagna, list management, Brad Hill, Zak Jones, Jack Billings, Jade Gresham

St Kilda great Leigh Montagna has implored the club to trade out some of its star senior players to bring more youth into the club in a “reset”, saying he thinks it “needs to go back to go forward.”

The Saints had their final hopes dashed after losing to Brisbane, falling to 11-10 to continue St Kilda’s drop off after a promising 5-1 start to the season.

Since Round 7 St Kilda has ranked bottom six in the ‘Core Four’ stats — with the footy (15th), without the footy, clearance and post-clearance contest (all 12th).

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“They’re in a real predicament … this is 15 rounds of football, it’s a bottom-four profile, so they have really struggled with their game,” Montagna said on Fox Footy’s First Crack.

Asked if their issues lie with personnel or system, Montagna said: “I think it’s a combination of both.”

The Saints’ finals hopes are over (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS

It comes after St Kilda has aggressively recruited players via trade and free agency over the last four years, bringing Paddy Ryder (35 years old), Dan Hannebery (32), Tom Campbell (31), Brad Hill, Dean Kent, Mason Wood, Brad Crouch (all 29), Jarrod Lienert, Zak Jones (both 28), Dougal Howard (27), Dan Butler, Jack Hayes (both 26) and Jack Higgins (24) into the fold.

Looking at the age profile of those players combined with the rest of the senior core, Montgana questioned how much upside the Saints’ list has.

“This is the concern for St Kilda supporters when you think about where the improvement is going to come from in the years to come,” he said.

“How much room for improvement have they got these guys? How high is their ceiling? And that’s in conjunction with their core group of Seb Ross, Tim Membrey, Jimmy Webster, Jack Sinclair, Jack Billings, Rowan Marshall and Jack Steele, who are all 26 plus years old as well.

“There’s not a lot of ceiling room within the core group of players on top of that profile… the upside is a very small margin.”

“Heartbreak” awaits whoever finishes 6th | 02:27

Montagna did praise young guns Max King, Cooper Sharman (both 22), Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (20), Marcus Windhager and Mitch Owens (both 19), who’ve joined the club over the same four-year period, but said he had “question marks” on their other youngsters.

He believes St Kilda should follow Port Adelaide’s blueprint from post 2018 and trade out their players with currency to try and bounce back quickly.

“I think they need to go back to go forward,” Montagna said.

“I think they need to trade out some of those players they’ve brought in and bring in some more young talent and reset — Brad Hill, Zak Jones and maybe Jack Billings or Jade Gresham to try and get some other young talent in.

“I look at Port Adelaide — they went through a period for five years where they were mid-table — then traded Chad Wingard, Jasper Pittard and Jared Polec when they were playing good footy — Jack Hombsch, Paddy Ryder and Dougal Howard.

“They made some change and got in those young players — Zak Butters, Xavier Duursma, Connor Rozee and Mitch Georgiades — then all of a sudden played in back-t0-back preliminary finals (in 2020 and 2021).

“I think there’s some concerns there for St Kilda, they need to have a real hard think about where their list is at moving forward.”

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NRL Rich 100 2022: Props overtake playmakers as rugby league’s best-paid players

NRL Rich 100 2022: Props overtake playmakers as rugby league's best-paid players

Jesse Bromwich is the highest paid prop in the game with the front-rower leading a clear attitude shift over how much props should be paid.

In a game-changer for the code, the front-row position is now the highest-paid position in the NRL.

The second highest-paid prop is Roosters recruit Matt Lodge on $900,000. A portion of his current salary is being paid by former clubs, the Warriors and Broncos.

From the Rich 100, 26 of the top-earners are front-rowers.

The next best grossing position across the NRL is back rowers (15) and locks (14).

Halfbacks (10) are ranked fourth overall for position in the 2022 Rich 100, a possible insight into the death of quality halves currently in the NRL.

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Bromwich’s $1.05 million salary with the Melbourne Storm will shock league fans, who routinely rate Penrith’s James Fisher-Harris, Eels prop Junior Paulo, Broncos spearhead Payne Haas or Roosters powerhouse Jared Waerea-Hargreaves as the best go-forward merchant in the NRL.

Climbing from a 53rd ranking on the Rich 100 last year to be 13th overall this year, Bromwich has hit pay dirt in his final year in Melbourne on the back of a stellar career at the Storm which has included three premierships and three Player of the Year awards.

The Kiwi International and Storm captain is edging closer to 300 first grade games in what is his final season in Victoria before moving north to become an inaugural franchise player with The Dolphins.

The 33-year-old will take a major pay cut to join the NRL’s newest baby, but could still figure inside the top-50 highest-paid players next year.

The stunning increase in salaries for props is in direct contrast from a long-held view of supercoach Wayne Bennett, who historically refused to spend big-money in his pack.

Lodge has landed at the Roosters for the remainder of this season on a cut-price deal, although his full salary continues to be supplemented by payouts from both the Brisbane Broncos and New Zealand Warriors, the latter of whom have paid him out in full for next season.

Lodge is hoping to earn an extension with the Roosters.

A mainstay of the Rich 100, the next highest-paid prop is Andrew Fifita, who will farewell the list at the end of this season.

The off-contract Sharks prop is in the final year of a five-year contract that is valued at $850,000 a season.

His current overall ranking of 19 on the Rich 100, is shared with fellow front-rower Addin Fonua-Blake.

The Warriors scored a coup when they managed to get Fonua-Blake from Manly for the 2021 season.

He was already one of the game’s premier props when he arrived at the Warriors and he continues to lead from the front for a side that has faced plenty of recent adversity.

Locked in until the end of 2026, Fonua-Blake’s challenge will be delivered upon his worth at the back-end of his contract.

Knights prop David Klemmer is the next highest-paid prop. He is ranked 28th overall on the Rich 100 on a salary of $850,000.

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AFL news 2022: Essendon Bombers torn to shreds after capitulation vs Port Adelaide

AFL news 2022: Essendon Bombers torn to shreds after capitulation vs Port Adelaide

Port Adelaide ended a turbulent week with a statement win against Essendon at Marvel Stadium by 84 points.

The Power kicked nine goals in a row, including seven in a second-quarter onslaught, to put an at times insipid Essendon to the sword and condemn the Bombers to their biggest loss of the season.

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It was an emphatic response from Port, whose embattled coach Ken Hinkley was given assurance during the week from club president David Koch that he would remain as coach in 2023, after losing its past four games.

Essendon recorded several unwanted milestones including coach Ben Rutten’s biggest-ever defeat — his most points conceded as Bombers coach and Essendon’s second-biggest loss against the Power.

Rutten slammed his side’s “embarrassing effort” after fans booed players from the ground.

On the Fox Footy coverage, a spectator was overheard screaming: “This is f***ing embarrassing.”

Former Port Adelaide star Kane Cornes told SEN: “Essendon is just been a nice team. At not one point today has someone thrown their weight around. They’re too nice, and that’s been on full display this afternoon. Not one Port Adelaide player will be sore after this game.”

After announcing a record number of members during the week, Rutten apologized to Essendon fans.

“We’re bitterly disappointed,” he said.

“It was the sort of game that our members and supporters who came to the game or were watching on TV… it’s not the sort of thing they should have to watch.

“It was an embarrassing effort from our guys. It’s not something we want to stand for and not something our members and supporters should have to watch at any stage.”

Rutten said he couldn’t put his finger on where it fell apart for the Bombers, who had the better of territory and seven shots to five in the first quarter.

But from there it was all the Power, who slammed on 18 goals to six.

The Essendon coach said while the result wasn’t acceptable, it didn’t shake his belief in where his side is going.

“At the back end of the first quarter we got ourselves back into the game,” Rutten said.

“But from the second quarter it was really poor.

“It doesn’t shake my belief in where we’re going. It’s not a great result in terms of tonight’s performance.

“It’s about us being strong and clear on where we’re going and what we’re trying to build because it’s never going to be a clean progression in becoming a great team.

“Performances like that is not stuff we can accept or tolerate, and we won’t.”

Rutten stopped short of saying whether he would give his players a chance to bounce back next week against Richmond or if there would be wholesale changes, but said everyone connected to the side felt the loss.

“It hurts me, it hurts the players and everyone who is putting in to get us to where we want to get to,” he said.

“I’ll have to have a look at that (making wholesale changes).

“The good thing is there is one week to go for us and an opportunity for us to finish the year playing a brand of footy the way we want to.”

Michael Hurley took another step towards an AFL return by getting through a VFL game on Sunday, and Rutten hinted the veteran swingman could play his first game in more than two years.

“That’ll be a discussion point for us, he got through the game at VFL level, that’s certainly something we’ll be looking at,” Rutten said.

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AFL news 2022: Brad Crouch beats hit vs Darcy Gardiner video, St Kilda vs Brisbane score

AFL news 2022: Brad Crouch beats hit vs Darcy Gardiner video, St Kilda vs Brisbane score

St Kilda midfielder Brad Crouch could be staring down the barrel of a stint on the sidelines following a late hit on Brisbane Lions defender Darcy Gardiner during Friday evening’s AFL match at Marvel Stadium.

During the second quarter of Brisbane’s 15-point victory, Crouch’s shoulder made heavy contact with Gardiner’s head near the boundary line.

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The dazed 26-year-old required medical attention following the ugly incident, which sparked a brief melee.

“That’s not good I don’t think,” footy icon Brian Taylor said on Channel 7 commentary.

“That’s head contact with a bump and it could’ve been a tackle.”

Melbourne AFLW footballer Daisy Pearce continued: “That’s weeks. At least a week and anything upward of that hinges on what those doctors are working out right now.”

Channel 7 commentator James Brayshaw replied: “You say that, but in the current landscape how would anyone know?”

Crouch will almost certainly come under scrutiny from the Match Review Officer, but the severity of his punishment remains unclear.

Earlier this week, the AFL Appeals Board overturned the AFL Tribunal’s decision to uphold Carlton captain Patrick Cripps’ two-match ban for rough conduct due to a lack of procedural fairness.

The outcome baffled the footy community, and the AFL Appeals Board could face further scrutiny following Crouch’s late hit at Marvel Stadium.

“Good on Carlton for pursuing it and getting their player free but I thought we were all about protecting the head and Cal Ah Chee had no chance whatsoever to protect his own head last week,” Lion coach Chris Fagan told reporters in the post- match press conference.

“And he was off early in the game last week and he’s not playing this week as a result of it so we get penalized for that and unfortunately Cal gets injured.

“We’ve just got to protect the head – it’s as simple as that.”

Melbourne great Garry Lyon fumed on Fox Footy: “It’s the greatest raffle in sport right now… it’s a farce.

“We don’t know what’s going on. ‘Procedural fairness’, come on.

“I hope this is not the start of a long concussion run for Callum Ah Chee, because we’d go back to this moment and go, ‘This is an AFL that makes a lot of noise but (doesn’t do enough)’ .”

St Kilda will need a minor miracle to qualify for the finals after Friday’s 12.9 (81) to 9.12 (66) defeat.

Brisbane opened up a 26-point buffer late in the second quarter, but for the third game in a row, they either gave up a sizeable lead, or had one eaten into significantly, as the Saints exploded in the third quarter to lead by five points, putting the Lions’ top-four ambitions in peril.

However, Brisbane’s pursuit of a double chance would’ve been severely impeded if Saints spearhead Max King kicked straight, but he could only must five behinds, including four missed set shots from directly in front in the second half when the Saints enjoyed all the momentum .

In response, Rayner stepped up to the plate, showing King how it’s done, booting three of Brisbane’s four final-quarter goals, to finish up with a team-high four majors, and prove to be the match winner.

The Saints will likely drop to 10th this weekend, meaning they will have to not only beat the Swans in Sydney in the final round next week, but will also need a raft of other results to go their way to make the finals.

– with Ronny Lerner, NCA NewsWire

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Max King goalkicking, bad technique, choking, Brett Ratten press conference, Matthew Lloyd training, St Kilda coaches

Max King goalkicking, bad technique, choking, Brett Ratten press conference, Matthew Lloyd training, St Kilda coaches

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten has said star forward Max King “won’t be seeing anybody outside the club” to help improve his set-shot routine, instead backing in those at the club to help steady the 22-year-old’s game.

King imposed himself in the air during Friday night’s loss to Brisbane at Marvel Stadium, but kicked five behinds and ended up goalless as the Saints’ final hopes were all-but dashed.

Speaking post-game, Ratten was staunch in his defense of King.

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Cripps free to play, ban overturned! | 00:35

“It’s part of the game and you look through great forwards to have played the game, they’ve had a night where they haven’t scored like they wanted to,” he said.

“The pleasing part we know about Max is that Tuesday was a day off for the players and he was at Marvel Stadium for an hour-and-a-half having goal-kicking practice. Every day we’re at the footy club or not at the footy club he’s there having extra goal-kicking and really rehearsing and fine-tuning his game to make sure he gets the opportunity to score on game-day. He’s doing a power of work.

“What I do know is I want Max King in my corner. He’ll be at our footy club for 10 years and when we look back we’ll be saying what a great player he is and what he’s done. Tonight he had a night where it didn’t work for him.

“He did everything right but finish, for great forwards that’s happened in the game. He’s 21 years of age, we love what he brings to the footy club, he’s developing and we know that he’s doing the work. Sometimes you don’t get the reward all the time but he’ll keep doing that and you watch, he’ll turn it around.”

King has enjoyed a relatively impressive season in front of goal, booting 47 goals from his 21 games.

There have been occasions, however, where inaccuracy has plagued him, most notably his return of one goal and seven behinds in round six and two goals and five behinds in round 20 before tonight’s five behinds.

Ratten said a myriad of factors were at play for King.

King kicked five behinds on Friday night (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images).Source: Getty Images

“I wouldn’t say high pressure, I think sometimes the goal-kicking, it’s got so many elements to it,” he said.

“It’s the technical aspect, the mental aspect, the fatigue, what part of the ground, people score from different parts and score easier when the ball is on the right side versus the left.

“I want to go to war with Max because he delivers and he will deliver.”

The Saints in 2021 knocked back Max King’s request for help from Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd – who also coached King at Haileybury College – instead opting to leave King’s goal-kicking practice to those internally.

Asked on Friday night if there had been a change since then, Ratten’s response was firm.

“He won’t be seeing anybody outside the club, he doesn’t need to. We’ve got people with the skillset to keep working there,” he said.

“As I said to you, it’s not just all about the technical aspect, there’s a mental aspect to it as well. With goal-kicking, it’s a closed skill and there’s different elements to it.

“It’s not just we bring somebody in and they fix up the hand drop or anything like that. He hasn’t got many flaws, but sometimes it can go against you.”

Saint in hot water over bump? | 00:41

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AFL 2022: Max King torched, Brisbane Lions defeat St Kilda, finals, ladder

AFL 2022: Max King torched, Brisbane Lions defeat St Kilda, finals, ladder

St Kilda had it all to play for on Friday night against the Brisbane Lions, but they repeatedly shot themselves in the foot.

A thrilling third quarter saw them come back to life and put the Lions to the sword. But when it mattered most, they fell apart.

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The Saints had ample opportunities in the final quarter to run away with the contest, but continually threw it away in front of goal.

Young star forward Max King was the prime culprit, finishing the night with five behinds to his name as his set shot routine abandoned him.

The yips seemed to have taken a hold as his routine changed on multiple occasions.

At the other end of the ground the Lions capitalized on their opportunities. The Lions’ last five scoring shots netted them four goals and one behind. The Saints’ last seven scoring shots were all behinds.

St Kilda fans in the stands were routinely spotted by the cameras with their head in their hands after each miss in front of goal.

“The set shots were relatively easy, they weren’t on tight angles. You just have to go back and suck up the pressure and put them through the big sticks,” Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy.

Former St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt said King had zero confidence in his kicking by the end.

“He’s had four shots from directly in front and in the end he just looked completely devoid of confidence, his routine was broken,” he said.

“To the point that we watched him pretty closely the last five to 10 minutes and I don’t think he wanted the ball.”

Garry Lyon added: “That’s a horrible night. I agree that in the end he was saying I don’t want to go near it.”

Footy fans watching on were quick to lambaste King for his horror night out, when St Kilda were desperate for the win.

CODE Sports’ Daniel Cherny wrote: “There is no more excruciating sight in football than watching Max King kicking for goal.”

St Kilda will now need a minor miracle to qualify for the finals after losing to the Cam Rayner-inspired Brisbane Lions by 15 points.

Brisbane opened up a 26-point buffer late in the second quarter, but for the third game in a row, they either gave up a sizeable lead, or had one eaten into significantly, as the Saints exploded in the third quarter to lead by five points, putting the Lions’ top-four ambitions in peril.

The Saints will likely drop to 10th this weekend, meaning they will have to not only beat the Swans in Sydney in the final round next week, but will also need a raft of other results to go their way to make the finals.

The win launches Brisbane into a second spot on the ladder currently and keeps their hopes alive of securing a final home.

– with Ronny Lerner, NCA Newswire

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AFL 2022: Alastair Clarkson to sign with North Melbourne, contract, GWS Giants, Adem Yze

AFL 2022: Alastair Clarkson to sign with North Melbourne, contract, GWS Giants, Adem Yze

North Melbourne are reportedly set to land the man they covet with the news to be announced next week.

The bottom of the ladder club have offered master coach Alastair Clarkson a monster five-year contract, according to The Age’s Jake Niall.

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Clarkson’s signature has been the hottest commodity around the league with multiple clubs said to be chasing his services.

Along with North Melbourne, the GWS Giants were in hot pursuit of the mastermind who led Hawthorn to four premiership victories.

The Giants have not yet offered Clarkson a contract and while Niall reports Clarkson has not yet responded to North’s offer – Triple M’s Tom Browne says otherwise.

“Coaching update, this is just dot joining according to sources you speak to. There’s not a lot of leaks coming from North Melbourne or the Giants coaching process,” Browne said on Triple M.

“It’s certainly the strong view of sources that I speak to that Alastair Clarkson will end up as soon as next Friday at North Melbourne.

“That remains to be seen but that’s the consistent view that I’m getting is that North Melbourne is very much in the box seat to land Alastair Clarkson for a whole host of reasons.

“The Giants are now looking closely, very closely, at Adem Yze and I think they will also sound out Ross Lyon at some point in their process as well.

“Yze Giants, Clarkson North is the jungle drums in terms of the sources that I speak to at the moment.”

Journalist Mark Robinson believes a Clarkson-North Melbourne deal is “past the post”.

“Everyone’s a little bit scared to declare it because Alastair Clarkson has got the ability to change his mind and say: ‘I’m not coaching’,” he said on 3AW.

“But the further this goes on, I find that can’t happen.”

North have been the reported front runner for Clarkson’s signature for multiple weeks. A report in late July indicated he was seeking an eye-watering contract of $1.6ma year. Clarkson rubbed those reports.

Clarkson and Gerard Whateley co-hosted a function where the Hawks mentor put rumors of his big payday to join North Melbourne to bed.

“How explicit do you want me to be?” Whateley said on SEN when asked about Clarkson’s response from her.

“(He says it’s) bulls**t.

“That was Alastair Clarkson’s reaction to what’s in the public domain about $1.6 million to join North Melbourne.”

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AFL 2022: Jason Horne-Francis axed, reason revealed, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, contract

AFL 2022: Jason Horne-Francis axed, reason revealed, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, contract

The reason behind Jason Horne-Francis’ shock axing has been revealed with the young star failing to meet standards at the club.

North Melbourne’s decision to drop the number one draft pick ahead of his first AFL game back in South Australia, his home state, left fans around the league scratching their heads.

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On Friday night however the reasons behind the decision to ax him where detailed by Channel 7 journalist Mitch Cleary.

Cleary said the 18-year-old was left out of North Melbourne’s squad for “disobeying his coach” last weekend.

“The star teenager was called out by interim coach Leigh Adams and senior players on Sunday for failing to complete his proper ice baths and recovery in front of their very eyes,” Cleary reported.

“I have spent this morning with a dozen teammates training in Melbourne (instead of traveling with the squad).”

Horne-Francis will now run out in the VFL after failing to live up to the club’s “Monday to Friday” expectations.

Former North Melbourne great Brent Harvey opened up on the Horne-Francis axing.

“There’s some stuff that we call Monday to Friday, it’s preparation stuff – you need to tick the boxes,” Harvey said on RSN Radio.

“This is not just about Jason … (Caretaker coach) Leigh Adams has got very good standards, I’ve got to be a little bit careful … but we’ve got players not playing in our team and I’ll name one right now : Kayne Turner.

“He would run through brick walls for every single one of his teammates and every single one of his supporters – he does everything right.

“If he’s not playing, he’s playing in the reserves at the minute, you’d want to be doing everything right to make sure you’re holding up your end of the bargain. We call that Monday to Friday and if you haven’t got your Monday to Friday in order, that’s just not good enough right now.

“Was it good enough in Round 3, Round 4, Round 5? Maybe.

“But with Leigh Adams in charge, the standards have gone to another level and players have to play their part. Monday to Friday is just as important as performing on game day for us.

“There’s not just one incident where we’ve just said (to Horne-Francis): ‘Nah, you’re not playing because of this’. It’s not that at all, everything comes into calculations, the form side of it, what he’s doing after stoppage. There’s so much that comes into it.”

Horne-Francis immediately postponed contract extension negotiations after he was drafted by the club last year.

His two-year draft deal expires at the end of the 2023 season and both Adelaide and Port Adelaide are said to be heavily circling the teenage star.

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Cancer survivor Ben Cunnington reveals his battle to back to AFL football for North Melbourne

Cancer survivor Ben Cunnington reveals his battle to back to AFL football for North Melbourne

Cancer survivor Ben Cunnington has opened up on the “overwhelming” feeling he had when first diagnosed with testicular cancer as he prepares to play his first AFL game in 13 months this weekend.

Cunnington survived two bouts of cancer that kept him out of the AFL since he last played in round 19, 2021 and revealed things got “pretty real” for the 30-year-old and his family when a check-up last November revealed the recurrence .

Ahead of his return against the Adelaide Crows on Saturday, Cunnington, a two-time North best and fairest, spoke about his battle and the support from his family and the club that helped him fight his way back.

“The first diagnosis was very overwhelming,” he said.

“You never think you are going to be that person. You see and hear and read about it, but when it’s you, it’s very overwhelming.

“We had the operation and we thought that everything went well so you moved on.

“But when it came back in one of my check-ups and then the chemo got involved, that’s when it got pretty real. It was a bit of a battle, yeah.”

A reluctant giver of interviews, Cunnington’s comments were published on the North Melbourne website, where he outlined his battle to get back to senior football, which included a calf issue and then a bout of Covid on the eve of his return and a fear he may not get back.

“I had a couple of little setbacks during the rehab, but when I did that calf pretty good, we thought we might be in a little bit of trouble,” he said.

“But the club were great, they sent me back to the farm for a couple of days to regroup, then I got back on the horse, recovered well.

“It was all looking pretty good, then I came back again and got struck down with Covid, which has been a long time coming. It was always going to happen the week leading up to my first game.

“But finally we’ve got to where we are now.

“It feels amazing. I can’t stop smiling, especially where I have come from.

“You do a little bit of reflecting, but to finally get here, it’s been a bit of hard work and some ups and downs, but to finally get here, I can’t stop smiling.”

Cunnington, who played his first game in the VFL last weekend before getting the nod to return to the AFL team on Wednesday, said his happiness was reflected in that of his family and friends when he told them he’d get back to doing what he You see it.

“It hasn’t just been me on the journey, I’ve had a lot, especially family, close friends and even people within the footy club coming on this journey with me,” he said.

“To tell them, and see their happiness, relief, excitement, it was a nice feeling all around.”

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