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Essendon Bombers v Port Adelaide Power, big loss, record, coach Ben Rutten, Alastair Clarkson, David King, First Crack, fan anger, criticism, AFL standard

The Essendon hierarchy will “rue” the decision not to pursue four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson, Fox Footy’s David King has warned as the Bombers hit a new low on Sunday.

Players were booed by their own fans as they left Marvel Stadium after the 84-point loss to fellow non-finals contender Port Adelaide.

King said questions needed to be asked of the decision to implement the Ben Rutten handover from John Worsfold back in 2020.

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“For six months, if not 12 months, Alastair Clarkson has been sitting idle ready to be grabbed by a football club,” King said on First Crack.

“Why haven’t Essendon taken that step?

“Right now they lack system, they lack motivation and they lack standards as a footy club and I reckon the Essendon faithful are sick of it.

“Why are they gambling on a coach that is still developing when the absolute finished product is there?

“OK you’ve got to jump through a lot of hoops to get over the line, but if (Clarkson) signs at North Melbourne this week and Essendon could have got him with the list they’ve got right now, I think it’s a mistake they will rule for years.”

Essendon Press Conference | 03:59

Rutten remains contracted until the end of 2023, but has managed just seven wins this season.

The loss to Port Adelaide is their worst for 2022, and both the worst defeat and the most points conceded under Rutten.

King said matches late in a season showed the faith in a coach and the set up at a club when there was nothing but pride to play for.

“It’s very hard to get motivated and that’s when you find out what sort of football club you’ve got,” he said.

“That’s when you find out, can your coach continue to drive standards and continue to enforce non-negotiables?

“I’m looking at the Essendon hierarchy – are they ruthless enough from the top down?

“The 2020 Worsfold handover year, six and a half wins – Rutten was in charge of the tactical side of the game then. They won 11 games last year, they’ve won six this year.”

King showed vision from the second quarter when Bombers players were walking and allowing their opponents to get forward of the ball.

“This is Essendon in a nutshell,” King lamented.

Port Adelaide Press Conference | 03:57

“How lax is this? Have a look at them just standing around, ambling around. This is the forward 50. There’s 10 players within arms reach of this stoppage. That (game style) is going nowhere.

“I can’t understand what they look at when they review games at the moment if that is the output of a weekend.

“We can only judge the actions they put in front of us – that is not AFL standard.”

King said now was the time for “honest conversations” at the club after 2021’s surprising finals finish.

“I’m not just talking about the captain and vice-captain, I mean the whole football club,” he said.

“These guys have signed Ben Rutten – if they have to assess their own role in the football club and move on well so be it.

“When was the last time Essendon were genuinely ruthless as a football club? It was a long time ago.”

Speaking after the shocking loss, Rutten apologized to the club’s fans for the lack of effort on Sunday.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

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Manchester United loss to Brentford, Gary Neville reaction, Joel Glazer, David de Gea interview, Erik ten Hag press conference

Manchester United legend Gary Neville says his former team hit “a new low” during its embarrassing loss to Brentford before unleashing on the club’s owners for a hands-off approach that has created a “toxic” environment.

Erik ten Hag’s bad start as Manchester United manager descended into an embarrassment on Sunday morning (AEST) as a 4-0 thrashing by Brentford left the Red Devils bottom of the Premier League for the first time in 30 years.

United have now conceded four goals or more seven times in the Premier League since the start of last season.

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Brentford, who only ended a 74-year absence from English football’s top flight with promotion to the Premier League in August 2021, punished a series of errors to score four times in the first 35 minutes to spark joyous scenes at their west London ground.

United fell behind in woeful fashion when goalkeeper David de Gea somehow let a Josh Dasilva shot slip through his grasp before Mathias Jensen struck as the visitors failed to play out from the back. Ben Mee then exposed United’s frailty from set-pieces for his first Brentford goal and Bryan Mbuemo rounded off a stunning counter-attack 10 minutes before half-time.

David De Gea of ​​Manchester United acknowledges fans following the defeat in the Premier League.  Picture: Catherine Iville
David De Gea of ​​Manchester United acknowledges fans following the defeat in the Premier League. Picture: Catherine IvilleSource: Getty Images

De Gea took the extraordinary step of voluntarily fronting the media post-game to take responsibility for the loss, telling Sky Sports: “I think I cost three points to my team today to be honest. It was a poor performance from myself… It was a horrible day.”

But ten Hag said he was the “main responsibility” for a humiliating loss.

The jubilant home support taunted Ten Hag with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning”. But the Dutch coach has inherited a rabble rather than being the root cause as United lost a seventh consecutive away league match for the first time since 1936.

“We all have seen the game. I think Brentford were more hungry and we conceded goals to individual mistakes,” said Ten Hag.

“You can have a good plan but that puts the plan in the bin.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Redknapp pointed to stats from the game that showed Brentford covered 109.4km during the match compared to Manchester United’s 95.6km

“That for me is just not good enough by any stretch of the imagination,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.

Manchester United’s striker Cristiano Ronaldo reacts as Brentford players celebrate. Picture: Ian KingtonSource: AFP

“You’re not always good, you can’t always play great – but you can always run around. That is so damning for that Manchester United team – I don’t care who the manager is, I don’t care who the owners are, that has got nothing to do with it. That is running for the shirt.

“That is a disgrace from their point of view. If you’re the manager and you go into the dressing room and you show them that, I would be so embarrassed a footballer

“From the players that started and finished that game, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more abject performance from a club that I would regard as one of the biggest in the world to play like that.

“I just don’t think they showed they cared.”

Neville said Manchester United players had now come under three different managers “they don’t work as hard as the teams they’re playing against”.

“How long have we been saying in football ‘hard work will beat talent when talent doesn’t work hard’? That Manchester United team don’t run hard enough, they don’t run fast enough,” Neville told Sky Sports.

Manchester United’s manager Erik ten Hag. Picture: Ian KingtonSource: AFP

“They are absolutely drained of all confidence, they’re struggling badly – ​​and they have been now for 12 months.

“Today was a new low. It seems that continually Manchester United can surpass their previous lows – and when is the lowest low going to come? Because the reality of it is this is really, really bad.”

United were last crowned champions of England in the 2012/13 season in manager Alex Ferguson’s final campaign before retirement.

The arrival of £57 million ($69 million) centre-back Lisandro Martinez from Ajax has done little to shore up United’s leaky defense and questions will be asked of why Ten Hag has left Raphael Varane on the bench in favor of the Argentine and the out -of-sorts Harry Maguire.

While Ten Hag was keen to bolster his squad, he was adamant the team he sat out at Brentford was far better than this result indicated.

“It is clear we need players but I don’t want to think about that at this moment,” he said.

“The good players we had should have been better. I hoped for a better start, but still I have to believe because I have seen good things but the two games from now are disappointing.”

Former England full-back Neville – a longstanding critic of the Glazer family, the club’s US-based owners – slammed the hierarchy at Old Trafford for failing to give Ten Hag adequate support.

United fans are fuming. Picture: Catherine IvilleSource: Getty Images

“Manchester United have known for eight to 10 months they needed to rebuild the squad for the summer,” said Neville, now to Sky pundit.

“To not get the players in early, the quality of the players, the number of players that Erik ten Hag needed to be able to start the season, is baffling and difficult to forgive.”

Neville said the only money spent by Manchester United on players was from cash generated or borrowed “through its incredible fan base and a great commercial operation”.

“There’s a family over there in America who are just literally letting their employees take all the hits for them – and that is unforgivable,” Neville said.

“Joel Glazer has got to get on a plane… get over to Manchester and he’s got to start to divert the issues away from the club and tell everybody what the hell this plan is with the football club. What is he doing?

“You can look at the players all you like, but there are that many big things that need to be put right first, they’ve got to show up and basically face the music. Now’s the time. You can’t keep hanging over in Tampa and thinking that nothing’s going to come back to you.

Manchester United’s defender Harry Maguire. Picture: Ian KingtonSource: AFP

“These owners since Sir Alex Ferguson have proven in 10 years they cannot manage a forward-thinking football club. It’s been overtaken in every single department and it’s painful and it’s woeful.

“At this moment in time, there has been a toxic culture and atmosphere created at the club over a 10-year period without its leader, Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill, who were propping the club up whilst the family sat there in America glorifying the fact that they were part of it. We’re now seeing what has happened without Sir Alex Ferguson, without David Gill, without leadership. We’re now seeing what’s happening and it’s a mess.

“It cannot continue to go on.”

United host Liverpool, who beat their historic rivals 5-0 and 4-0 last season, in their next game on August 22.

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Port Adelaide chairman David Koch slammed for comments on Ken Hinkley coaching future

Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has been slammed by AFL journalist Caroline Wilson and former coach Ross Lyon for bending to the will of the club’s fan base.

The Power have had a shocker of a season, the worst under Ken Hinkley’s tenure, leading to calls for the coach’s head.

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Certain supporters even plastered a “sack Hinkley” poster over a sign near the club’s headquarters last week.

Port Adelaide has just eight wins from 20 matches and sits 12th on the AFL ladder with two rounds remaining.

But while many footy pundits expect Hinkley to still be in charge at Port in 2023, Koch sparked a furore when he appeared to deliver a warning for his coach.

“Obviously this year will be the worst finish that we’ve had in the last 10 years and something’s got to change. We’ve got to get better. We’ve got to make some hard decisions,” Koch told FIVEaa on Monday.

“It’s not just about one individual person, it’s the whole program. Turn it around or watch out.

“Every single person’s role will be assessed at the end of the year, as we do each year.”

Speaking on Channel 9’s Footy Classified on Wednesday night, Wilson said Koch’s comments didn’t sit well with everyone at the Power and he will address them this week.

“I gather there will be some comments made regarding what he said on Monday night, comments that really inflamed the football club and really put Ken Hinkley under enormous pressure,” she said.

“I don’t think I know of another footy club in the AFL who is so beholden to their supporters as Port Adelaide.

“What this has done is forced some pretty robust conversations with the chairman and some of his senior people. I think hopefully, for Ken Hinkley’s sake, his job will be guaranteed tomorrow (Thursday) night.

“Until that happens, I’m still not convinced GWS, if they miss out on Alastair Clarkson, they won’t make a late play for Ken Hinkley.

“I should also mention Chris Davies, who is the head of footy at Port Adelaide, and a big Ken Hinkley supporter and has put this program together, North (Melbourne) have had a crack at him. They’re not the only club.

“I don’t think Chris Davies will go anywhere as long as Ken Hinkley stays at Port Adelaide. But what an environment to be going into next year.”

Ex-Fremantle and St Kilda coach Lyon said Koch’s comments threatened to divide the club in an attempt to appease outspoken fans.

“I think everyone in the AFL now talks about connection, harmony, environment,” Lyon told Footy Classified. “And David, for the sake of a sugar hit for his supporter base, to make them feel better that we’re ruthless and we’ll turn them over, the damage to the people that work there, grind their way through an AFL season , it’s disappointing.

“It comes from the top. It’s symbolic of how you feel about the people working for you.”

Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd said although it was not the ideal way to share the message, he agreed with Koch’s sentiment.

“He may not have said that publicly, but I agree with everything he said,” Lloyd said.

“Even if Ken Hinkley stays, what he (Koch) said there, it may have to look at the support staff, recruiting.”

But Lyon argued: “That should be a given you do that every year.

“You don’t need to sugar hit the door publicly and insult your people. He’s injured staff that have committed and for a long period of time have gone close. Not necessary.”

Koch was also slammed earlier in the week by Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes.

“Either make a call or back him (Hinkley) in … ‘turn it around or watch out’, what a ridiculous thing to say,” Cornes told SEN on Tuesday.

“The thing that David Koch needs to do is make a call, is he your coach or is he not your coach?

“And if he’s not your coach, you have to tell him now so that he has the opportunity and you give him the respect to go and find another job.

“There are two vacant coaching jobs right now that Ken Hinkley would absolutely be in the mix for it, but he can’t be in the mix for it if he thinks he’s going to be coaching Port Adelaide next year.

“Conversely, if he is your guy and you’ve contracted him for next year, which they have, back him in now. There’s nothing to be learned in the next two weeks that you don’t already know and you haven’t already discovered in the last 10 weeks.

“It was a stupid thing to say, it sent the media into a spin and it now has everyone questioning if Ken Hinkley will be there next year.”

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Port Adelaide Prison Bar jumper feud with Collingwood, teal stripes offer, David Koch vs Eddie McGuire

The ongoing Prison Bar jumper feud has taken a fresh twist, with Collingwood reportedly prepared to offer a teal-coloured alternative to Port Adelaide.

Power president David Koch was fuming earlier this month when he claimed he’d “been played” by the Magpies after the Power’s request to wear their heritage jumper, which features thin black and white stripes in a panel, was again knocked back by the Victorian club.

But the Herald Sun reported on Tuesday night the Pies were prepared to make a minor concession and allow the Power to wear their prison bar jumper once a season … if Port was happy for the white in the panels of the jumper to be replaced by teal stripes.

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Collingwood believes the compromise would allow Port to combine its proud SANFL heritage, which includes 36 SA league premierships, with its 25-year AFL history as teal has featured heavily in many Power jumpers since they entered the competition in 1997.

An agreement was put in place when Port Adelaide entered the AFL that the Prison Bar jumper could only be worn in AFL heritage rounds. But as there’s no longer one dedicated AFL-driven round by the AFL, the Power want to don their Prison Bar guernsey for one Showdown against the Crows per year – a request the Magpies have so far denied.

Connor Rozee wearing the Prison Bar strip at training in 2021. Picture: Dean MartinSource: News Corp Australia

“We always have discussions,” Magpies chief executive Mark Anderson told SEN last month, Port is a great football club and we do have great respect for them, so (we are) always happy to sit down and have a conversation and we have since signing that agreement as well,” he said.

“But as we stand here now, the agreement is the agreement.”

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Koch said earlier this month he was hopeful clubs could move “past these trivial arguments”, saying the club’s request was “logical, harming nobody and promoting the history of Australian football”.

“What we are asking for is entirely reasonable. To wear our iconic Prison Bar Guernsey in Showdowns to celebrate the heritage of Port Adelaide and South Australian football. Not against Collingwood, just two times a year, in Adelaide. I don’t see how it impacts anyone negatively at all,” he said.

Last year, the Power were threatened with the loss of premiership points if they wore the Prison Bar jumper against the AFL’s ruling for a Showdown.

Cheekily, the team waited until post-match to change out of their playing strip to don the heritage jumper.

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Adelaide Crows camp, Eddie Betts book, Bryce Gibbs, Josh Jenkins, reactions, response, commentary, AFLPA

Fox Footy pundits have called for those at the Adelaide Football Club responsible for the infamous 2018 pre-season camp to take accountability for the wrongdoings, saying the “cover-up is the issue” and the misuse of players’ personal information is “harrowing. ”

Shocking new details of the pre-season camp emerged this week in Eddie Betts’ recently released biography, while fellow former Crows Josh Jenkins and Bryce Gibbs also spoke out on their distressing experiences.

While Crows CEO Tim Silvers, who wasn’t at Adelaide in 2018, apologized to Betts, five-time All-Australian Nick Riewoldt believes current club bosses shouldn’t necessarily wear the brunt of the criticism given many weren’t at West Lakes at the time.

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Jenkins full statement on infamous camp | 15:39

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily about punishing the Adelaide Crows. Because a lot of the people who were at the Adelaide Crows at the time have moved on. So is it fair to punish the Crows?” I have posed.

“I think the responsible people need to put their hand up and actually show some accountability. There were people saying in the aftermath, ‘we laugh at the some of the things we hear about the noise around the camp.’ Well it clearly wasn’t a laughing matter, it was a really, really serious matter.

“Those that were responsible for the investigation and actions need to be held accountable.

“I think actually putting your hand up and being on record and explaining why and how. And why the cover up? Why has it taken four years for this to happen and reach the point that it is.”

Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley agreed that concealing the details of what happened is most damning and concerned players were pressured into staying silent.

“The cover-up is the issue, because I’ve got no doubt the leadership of the Adelaide Football Club didn’t think they were going to undermine the fabric of the organisation,” he said.

“When you hear the anecdotes of the players and the way that information was used, it’s harrowing.

“It seemed to me the way the exit was planned, saying, ‘this is how you should talk about this,’ that there was an element of keeping that in the same little (group).

“Collective Minds, who were the outside facilitators, they’ve been quite litigious with this. They’ve slapped, rigged and tried to quiet this down. I’ve got no doubt it’s been very difficult for the Adelaide Football Club to be fully transparent in some ways, because of the litigious nature of the third party, and that makes it pretty tough for them.”

“Our game betrayed him” Robbo on Betts | 01:02

Triple-premiership winning Lion Jonathan Brown says it highlights the risks of bringing “outside facilitators” into a footy club.

“At the end of the day if that’s the player’s experience and that’s the way they perceived what happened, you have to take those things on face value,” the ex-Brisbane skipper said.

“It’s a great lesson, you need to get on the front foot and you need to apologize and own up to your mistakes, because people make mistakes all the time.

“I’m not sure about outside facilitators, you’ve got to be careful you bring outside facilitators into your football club. You’ve certainly got to check their CV and make sure what their reputation is and experience, because that was a bad decision for the club to bring them in.”

The AFLPA (Players Association) this week indicated it would effectively reopen its investigation into the pre-season event and contact all players for a “better understanding” of what occurred, saying it would’ve taken more immediate action had it known all the information from the outlet.

However Riewoldt questioned why the players union didn’t probe the incident more thoroughly four years ago.

“Why wasn’t it investigated properly? The people who represent the players — the Players Association — why didn’t they fight the fight properly for the players back then?” I have posed.

“Aren’t we resilient enough?” | 02:00

“They’re all questions that need answering… a lot of people have let them (the players) down. But if the Players Association don’t exist to fight for the players in situations like this to protect the players then what do they exist for?”

Former Adelaide coach and current Swans assistant Don Pyke also apologized for the 2018 pre-season camp amid growing scrutiny for his role in it.

Pyke departed the Crows at the end of 2019 and has been linked to several coaching vacancies amid praise for his impact at the Swans, admitting the idea of ​​being a senior boss again was enticing.

Asked if it hurts his future coaching aspirations, Brown said: “It does at the moment, whether it does in years down the track.”

Buckley agreed that “in some ways it does” affect Pyke’s chances in the short term, but pointed out that other coaches have previously pushed the boundaries with programs.

“You think back to legendary coaches of the past, I reckon if you got the worst things they’d done… there’s probably been some pretty average things players have been exposed to in the view of building resilience and being tougher and drawing the group together,” he said.

“Not all of them have gone right.”

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AFL world reacts after Collingwood defeats Melbourne, smashes Ed Langdon

Collingwood has done the unthinkable, winning their 11th game straight in yet another thriller at the MCG.

The 15.6 (96) to 13.11 (89) result was yet another nailbiter for the 2022 Magpies, who have become the masters of the heart-stopping victory. The Pies have gone undefeated since round 9 and claimed eight of the streak for less than 10 points.

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The streak is the longest since the club’s 14-game run in 2011 but an absolute shock after a horrible season in 2021 – 17th-placed finish that saw Nathan Buckley’s tenure as coach end and significant boardroom upheaval.

What a difference a year makes.

Despite the close results, it’s clear it’s no fluke as the Magpies have firmed into premiership contention and now sit second on the AFL ladder, behind only Geelong on percentage — although the Cats play St Kilda on Saturday night for a chance to move a win ahead in the minor premiership race.

Speaking after the result, the Fox Footy team were blown away.

Demons great Garry Lyon said: “This football club, what they’re doing here now, it’s one for the ages, I can’t remember anything like it.”

Lions champion Jonathan Brown added: “The belief now, it’s become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The belief they’ve grown out of these close games, it’s no luck now. They train themselves and they believe in themselves in those situations late.”

Lyon said the result “doesn’t make sense”, as the Magpies were behind on disposals (409-316), contested possessions (161-139), clearances (52-32) and inside 50s (65-41) and yet still claimed the victory.

Fans were blown away by the result.

The Guardian’s Antoun Issa posted: “We are not pretenders. We’re the real deal.”

Presenter Nat Edwards wrote: “What a quacking final quarter of football from the Pies. Pressure out of this world.”

Radio presenter Andy Maher said: “You just gotta laugh, dip your lid and embrace the utter madness of it all.”

Nine’s Paddy Sweeney added: “This is off the charts. And if it’s a slice of what’s in store come finals, bring on September.”

Footy great Jude Bolton commented: “Sensational game of footy. Dug so deep once again the Pies. Huge win against the reigning Premiers. 11 in a row.”

Broadcaster Daniel Garb noted: “Collingwood’s pressure has been incredible. Seven of their last eight wins before tonight may have been narrow victories against bottom eight sides but they built up the most valuable thing in sport in that run – momentum.”

Journalist Jack Hudson added: “Heart, pressure and just raw hunger. Collingwood unbelievably impressive.”

Former footy star Robert Shaw posted: “Next level footy… Feet into 2nd spot.”

There was no shortage of spite during or after the match either as fans revealed in comments from Demons star Ed Langdon.

“They’re sort of all duck, no dinner in a sense. If they’re playing fast footy on their terms they’re a very hard team to stop,” Langdon said earlier in the week.

“They’re a bit of a one-trick pony at times, so hopefully we can dampen the way they want to play and off the back of that go out and offensively play the way we want to play.”

Ducks were all over the tweets after the game, while the players made sure they let Langdon know they’d heard his comments.

Pies came from everywhere after Brayden Maynard smashed Langdon early in the game.

“There’s his duck dinner right there,” commentator Luke Hodge said.

“They’ll come at him all night,” Brian Taylor added.

“It’ll be interesting to see how Langdon deals with that. He’s normally out on the wing… he’s going to be looking over his shoulder, ”Hodge said.

Speaking to Maynard after the match, he revealed the Pies had made it personal.

“We did use it as a source to look back on because I feel like Ed Langdon sometimes speaks in the media and doesn’t realize what he’s actually saying,” Maynard said. “When I got that first tackle on him, I let him know about it.”

This does not seem to be a Collingwood side you want to get on your bad side.

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Caroline Wilson slams AFL, Mark Ricciuto over Eddie Betts camp revelations

The AFL has been shamed for its lackluster response to Eddie Betts’ damning revelations about the infamous Adelaide Crows 2018 pre-season training camp, which has been branded a “miserable failure”.

Betts thrust the controversial camp — which followed Adelaide’s 2017 grand final loss to Richmond — back into the spotlight on Tuesday night, detailing behind-the-scenes information on it in his upcoming autobiography The Boy from Boomerang Crescent.

The three-time All-Australian alleged confidential information shared in counseling sessions had been misused, writing that the camp misappropriated sensitive Aboriginal cultural rituals.

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Following the ordeal, Betts said he approached the Crows and voiced his concerns with the camp, only to be dropped from the leadership group three weeks later.

Six players requested a trade out of Adelaide between 2018 and 2020, while an additional four free agents left the club following the camp.

Speaking to Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Wednesday, Betts claimed those running the camp told them not to say “anything to anybody”.

“We weren’t even allowed to tell teammates. To this day, our teammates still don’t even know what we did in our group … that’s how we feel very divided and the club kind of broke down from that point,” he explained.

“I could see that we were all hurting and we tried to make change at that point. But it felt like you couldn’t speak up and it felt like you couldn’t tell all.”

Initial investigations into the damning camp received the all-clear from the AFL’s integrity unit and SafeWork SA.

The AFL Players Association will now open a fresh investigation into the camp, set to contact all Adelaide players to seek a “better understanding” of what occurred during the trip. However, the AFL and SafeWork SA confirmed on Wednesday they would not re-open investigations into the camp.

Adelaide chief executive Tim Silvers apologized to Betts in a press conference on Wednesday.

“Anyone who leaves our club that doesn’t have a positive experience, we’re sorry,” he told reporters.

“I think we can move forward, but we’d like to say sorry to Eddie and anyone else that had a negative experience throughout the camp.”

Speaking on Channel 9’s Footy Classifiedveteran reporter Caroline Wilson criticized the AFL and WorkSafe SA for not taking substantial action after their initial investigation.

“It required discipline and a punishment,” she said on Wednesday night.

“The AFL is saying to me today they broke no rules. What about bringing the game into disrepute, or conduct unbecoming?

“Surely what we’ve heard from Eddie Betts is bringing the game into disrepute?

“How could they not take action? I know they put measures in place, but that wasn’t good enough for me.

“They knew all of this and they did nothing.”

Adelaide board member Mark Ricciuto, who represented the club for 15 seasons, has also copped backlash for his response to Betts’ damning allegations on Wednesday morning.

“Player welfare is always number one, no matter what’s going on,” he told Adelaide’s Triple M Breakfast with Roo, Ditts and Loz.

“You always want everyone to be happy and all that. It’s very sad that Eddie’s written that, and I think the club’s been on record at times to say that they’ve acknowledged that it wasn’t handled perfectly.

“It had all good intentions, but it didn’t go perfectly. They’ve acknowledged that.”

Wilson blasted those comments on Footy Classified: “It’s obviously devastating, what Mark Ricciuto says is so inaccurate.

“(They say) ‘we’ve moved on from this as a club’, they’ve never moved from it. The AFL will tell you that’s part of the problem.

“How can you describe some of those revelations as not perfect? They’re horrifying.”

Meanwhile, SEN broadcaster Gerard Whateley called the AFL’s statement a “miserable failure”.

“It took 28 words to acknowledge the hurt Eddie Betts experienced. And 177 words of pathetic self-justification of all the good the league has done and no one put their name to it. No sorrow, no regret, no commitment to action,” he said.

“Reading between the lines you’d guess the AFL lives in fear of a class action from the players who were mistreated.”

Wilson also called out AFLPA chief executive Paul Marsh, claiming she had urged him to further investigate the Crows camp several times to no avail.

“I spoke to Paul Marsh on countless occasions… I repeatedly called him over an 18-month period,” she said.

“How he can say he wasn’t aware (of details Betts’ book reveals)? I’m shocked by that more than anything.

“Then I rang him with other allegations, terrible allegations from other players.

“How he can say this now … they (AFLPA) get paid a lot of money, surely their investigative resources are better than that.”

The Age’s Sam McClure continued on 3AW’s sports day: “The statement from Paul Marsh, to put it bluntly, is convenient.

“The AFL and the AFL Players’ Association had access to all the information that journalists reporting the stuff had access to. All they had to do was pick up the phone and have a private conversation.

“They’re now saying this is all new information and will go back and reinvestigate – I’m sorry that’s too little and too late for mine.”

Marsh confirmed the AFLPA first became aware of issues from the Crows camp following media reports, but emphasized that players initially told the union “there was nothing to it”.

“It’s not that we haven’t had conversations – and I’m certainly not saying we didn’t know there was a level of angst about this,” he told SEN Breakfast on Thursday morning.

“I’m open to a view from some maybe that we could’ve tried harder, so I’m not saying everything that could’ve been done was done. But we certainly tried to get to the bottom of what happened with players — and I don’t feel as though we did.

“Players I think were silent on this issue for fear reasons and some players had good experiences, so we understand some of the reasons as to why that happened. But it’s made this issue quite a difficult one.

“Maybe with Eddie now having spoke about it, it might empower other players to want to speak about it.”

Meanwhile, Geelong Cats champion Patrick Dangerfield, who currently serves as the AFLPA president, said it would have been difficult for the union to take immediate action due to the circumstances at the time.

“We’ve gone off the information we were given at the time. And quite clearly, it’s difficult to articulate that, I think, for the players that were there at the time when they’re still playing for Adelaide. So we, as much as we could and as best we could, got the information that was relevant,” Dangerfield told sports day.

“Had we known all the information from the outset, I clearly think a more immediate reaction would have taken place. But that wasn’t the case.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the fact that we didn’t do anything. I think we exhausted a lot of our resources around how we could support the players, but at the same time, you need that open, free-flowing communication between two — and that was a challenge.”

AFLPA Statement

“The details outlined by Eddie Betts in his new book about the 2018 Adelaide Crows training camp are extremely concerning and difficult to read. We commend Eddie on the courage he’s shown in telling this story and are troubled by the ongoing hurt caused to Eddie and his family from him.

Much of the information detailed in Eddie’s book about the camp is new information to the AFLPA and we are extremely concerned about this information on three levels. Firstly, the lack of psychological safety afforded to the entire playing group, secondly the cultural appropriation of Indigenous artefacts and, thirdly, the deliberate gathering of confidential information on players for the purpose of harmfully misusing the information.

At the time that some details of the camp started to emerge, the AFLPA spoke to a number of Adelaide players about the camp. What we now believe is clear from our discussions with those players and the information contained in Eddie’s book is that players felt pressured into remaining silent about the details of the camp.

On the back of the new information that has emerged, the AFLPA will be contacting all Adelaide players since 2018 to seek a better understanding of the details of the camp and any individual issues that may have arisen from it.”

AFL Statement

“The AFL acknowledges the hurt Eddie Betts, his family, his community, and by extension all Indigenous players experienced as a result of Adelaide Crows’ pre-season camp in 2018.

The AFL investigation in 2018 into the Adelaide Crows camp concluded there were failings in the manner in which the football club identified, implemented and managed the pre-season program however it was ultimately determined there was no violation of industry rules. As a result of the investigation, the AFL made recommendations (which were adopted), on improved governance and compliance in relation to the protection of the players, officials and staff at the Club, including further investment into the Adelaide Crows’ integrity area. Further, the investigation led to the introduction of an agreed AFL approval process ahead of any club pre-season camp or activity that involves an external provider.

Additionally, over the last 15 months the AFL CEO has had regular conversations with a senior Indigenous players group which provides a sounding board for key industry and club decisions impacting our Indigenous players. One of the most important outcomes of the regular dialogue with the group has been the introduction of mandatory Indigenous Player Development Managers at all 18 clubs to provide cultural guidance and support for players.”

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Chris Judd Josh Kennedy trade 2007, who won, West Coast Eagles champion retires

It’s one of the most famous and unique trades in footy history.

Famous because it involved two players, Chris Judd and Josh Kennedy, that end their careers with stacked CVs, with surely the latter to join the former in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

And unique because both Carlton and West Coast could claim they ‘won’ the trade.

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Debate over the famous 2007 deal between the Blues and Eagles has, inevitably, emerged this week after Kennedy announced West Coast’s upcoming match against Adelaide would be his 293rd and final AFL game.

The soon-to-be 35-year-old will depart as the Eagles’ greatest goalkicker, as well as several accolades including a dual Coleman Medallist, seven-time Eagles leading goalkicker and triple All-Australian. He was also a pivotal member of West Coast’s thrilling 2018 premiership triumph over Collingwood.

‘Josh is the greatest Eagle ever!’ | 03:56

Kennedy’s achievements came almost exclusively at the Eagles after Carton’s No. 4 pick from the 2005 draft was central to one of footy’s most famous trades.

In late 2007, Judd – West Coast’s 2005 premiership captain and arguably the best player in the AFL at the time – wanted to return to Victoria, with the Blues keen to secure his services.

After 11 goals from 22 games at Carlton, Kennedy moved back to Western Australia – although he was happy and settled in Melbourne at the time.

As part of the deal, Carlton acquired Judd and Pick 46, which it used to select Dennis Armfield, who played 145 games for the Blues). The Eagles got Kennedy, as well as Picks 3 (Chris Masten – a premiership Eagle that played 215 games for West Coast) and 20 (Tony Notte, who played two games in three seasons).

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The struggling Blues not only needed a star player, they sought a leader and standard-setter, hence he was made captain in his first year. In his first four seasons at the Blues, Judd made the All-Australian team in each year, won the Blues’ best and fairest in the first three, claimed the 2010 Brownlow Medal and won the AFL Players’ Association’s MVP award.

Judd was four years older than Kennedy when the 2007 trade went down. He was also already a Brownlow Medallist, Norm Smith Medallist and premiership captain.

But as Judd was coming to the end of his career, Kennedy reached his prime. He kicked 59 goals as a 23-year-old before a golden run where he booted 60, 61, 80 (Coleman Medal), 82 (Coleman Medal) and 69 majors across five seasons. Most crucially, the next year he kicked 3.2 from 18 disposals and 11 marks in a winning Grand Final.

Ex-Carlton coach Brett Ratten with Chris Judd on the day he officially became a Blue. Picture: Simon MossmanSource: AAP

Injury forced Judd to retire at 31 following a couple of seasons where it was clear he was part of his incredible prime. Kennedy will retire after a mighty, warrior-like finish to his career that’s seen him kick 43, 49, 34, 41 and 29 goals from the past five seasons. Considering the Eagles’ plight, the poor delivery inside 50 and his own injury niggles, the fact Kennedy has booted 29 goals this year is remarkable.

Ultimately, the Blues got seven seasons out of Judd and the Eagles got 15 out of Kennedy.

So all things considered, who won the 2007 Judd-Kennedy trade?

Fremantle legend Matthew Pavlich perhaps put it most diplomatically.

“Probably West Coast in the long run, but it’s one of those ones where you could probably argue the case either way on who had the better result,” Pavlich told foxfooty.com.au.

“Judd was captain and All-Australian and took the Blues to a finals win in 2013. So maybe the short-term winner was Carlton, but definitely the long-term winner has been West Coast in terms of Josh Kennedy being an incredible forward for a long, long period of time, All-Australian, Coleman Medalist and eventually a premiership player in 2018. He’s been a star for a long time.

Eagle calls time on phenomenal career | 04:15

“So short-term Carlton, long-term West Coast – it’s not usually you get a trade like that where both teams could argue that they got a better result.”

Ultimately, the business of footy is winning, which is what swayed two Fox Footy pundits to the Eagles.

“Without judging the individual players but judging from the time of the trade, I would feel West Coast won the trade,” triple premiership Lion Alastair Lynch told foxfooty.com.au. “That’s not reducing or belittling Judd’s contribution because he is one of the all-time greats of the game, but post-trade, West Coast got a flag out of it and I suppose Carlton didn’t, so I’d have them just in front.”

Bulldogs games record-holder Brad Johnson told foxfooty.com.au: “Well West Coast won a flag, so I think with what West Coast got out of Kennedy was absolutely spot on for what they needed as a team.”

Triple premiership forward Cameron Mooney also leant towards West Coast – but not by much.

Josh Kennedy with the 2018 Premiership Cup. Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia

“I think it worked out pretty well for both. But if I had to pick, being a forward and knowing how hard it is to kick 700 goals and to win a premiership, which is the main game of the game, you have to think probably West Coast,” Mooney told foxfooty.com.au. “But I would’ve been very, very happy if Chris Judd walked through my doors.

“The thing for Carlton was at the time, the club just wasn’t a good club – and it’s probably the perfect example of one person cannot change a football club. He’s in the top handful of players this century and as great as he is, he couldn’t change a club that, probably until recently, had been seen as a poor club.”

AFL 360 co-host Mark Robinson declared it a win-win for the Eagles and Blues.

“They both won. Judd was a champion and Kennedy played 15 years,” Robinson told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“His second headline in football was ‘Carlton are giving away Josh Kennedy’ – and his last headline will be ‘Josh Kennedy retires a champion of the game’. It’s a great story.”

AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley added: “It’s quite clear Carlton didn’t know what they were trading, because nobody trades THAT player. He was two years in and the forecasting wasn’t he was going to become one of the top 25 goalkickers of all-time. He might’ve been reluctant at the start, but he found his home from him and West Coast and he won his reputation from him at West Coast.

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AFL reacts to Eddie Betts ‘betrayal’ at Adelaide Crows pre-season camp

The AFL community has reacted with disgust after former Adelaide footballer Eddie Betts published a confronting recollection of his experience at a pre-season camp with the Crows in early 2018.

The leadership camp, following the Crows’ 2017 AFL Grand Final loss to Richmond, thrust the club into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

A number of players and officials left the club in the wake of the camp, and now Betts has detailed behind-the-scenes information in his upcoming autobiography The Boy from Boomerang Crescent.

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The four-day camp on the Gold Coast left Betts feeling “like a piece of me was brainwashed”, with excerpts being reported by Nine Newspapers.

Betts alleged that confidential information he shared in counseling sessions had been misused, writing that the camp misappropriated sensitive Aboriginal cultural rituals.

Following the ordeal, the three-time All-Australian Betts said he approached the Crows and voiced his concerns with the camp, only to be dropped from the leadership group three weeks later.

Betts said the camp had a major impact on his form and left the star forward questioning his place in the game. He left the Crows and returned to Carlton at the end of 2019 before retiring at the end of 2021.

Adelaide board member Mark Ricciuto, who represented the club for 15 seasons, responded to the damning allegations on Wednesday morning.

“He’s been one of the greats of the club,” Ricciuto told Adelaide’s Triple M Breakfast with Roo, Ditts and Loz.

“Player welfare is always number one no matter what’s going on, you always want everyone to be happy, so it’s very sad.

“I think the club has been on record at times to say that they acknowledge that it wasn’t handled perfectly. It had all good intentions but didn’t go perfectly.

“We all love Eddie and hopefully Eddie is getting over that… certainly the club moved on from that and are looking towards the future and have made a lot of ground since back then. It has come up in Eddie’s book and that is fair enough.”

Betts’ revelations have angered the footy community. Former Swans star Ryan Fitzgerald, who is a huge Crows fan, tweeted: “Really uncomfortable to read. Particularly the insensitivities around Eddie’s past of him. He is such an integral part of the AFC and their history, so rejected that he left feeling like that.”

Ex-Melbourne captain Garry Lyon also reacted. “When you read those words from Eddie, there is no debate about how it impacted on him,” he told SEN Breakfast.

“He talks about the Indigenous players, the cultural differences or sensitivities that weren’t adhered to. That’s Eddie … and that’s unequivocal, right? You can’t argue with any of that.

“Everyone’s own experiences have been caught up in this and from an Indigenous point of view, a lot of it since Eddie said that cultural sensitivities weren’t adhered to – and that is very, very real.

“In the end, it was untenable. We talk about the atmosphere and environment … take apart who you agree with and you don’t agree with, the fact of the matter is it split the club down the middle. When you get the (Rory) Sloanes and the (Taylor) Walkers, who have their recollection, and then you’ve got Eddie and others I would imagine… no wonder it destroyed that joint.

“You’ve got a section of the football club – and I’m not just putting this at the feet of Walker and Sloane, there may be others in the same boat – saying, ‘I got so much out of this, it was good’. And then on the other hand, right at the other end of the scale, you’ve got, ‘No, it ripped me apart, it ripped my relationship apart’.

“No wonder then from a footy club point of view and trying to stay together and on the same page, it ended up where it was.

“If you are told, whether you’re black or white or otherwise, ‘These camp people want to speak to you and they say to step aside from everyone else privately and we want you to have a conversation where you are open and vulnerable’ … And I go, ‘OK. In terms of building me as a better player and a leader, I’ll share and I’ll give you these really sensitive things that, to me, are important’. Then to have that thrown back in my face, that’s not cultural for me.

“How it affects me and someone else might be different based on culture, but that’s a betrayal for me.”

speaking on SEN SA Breakfastformer Port Adelaide star Kane Cornes questioned Adelaide’s leadership, calling out Crows star Rory Sloane for his public remarks after the camp when he said it made him a better husband and a better father.

“The question is, all of the people who have defended the camp and have said nothing went on, including the Crows fans, including Mark Ricciuto, including the club, what do they do now? Details have come out, Eddie Betts was abused about his mother, ”Cornes said.

“The saddest thing for me, the two most popular players at Adelaide are Tony Modra and Eddie Betts. No one made the Adelaide Oval stand up when they went near the football in Crows history like Eddie Betts. No one has been more popular.

“That’s the echelon that Eddie Betts is held in. To read how he was treated by his own football club, of which he is an icon, that was the saddest part for me.

“We do now have a blow-by-blow account which is pretty harrowing that your most popular player in club history was treated like an animal on this camp.

“I think it’s embarrassing for Rory Sloane and Taylor Walker to now hear that that was a rehearsed line and that they were all told and indoctrinated into saying it had made them a better father and husband and child. And to see Eddie Betts relay that that was actually rehearsed, it does not paint Rory and his leadership of him in great light.

“There’s a lot of egg on the face of Crows supporters, the footy club and a few players that were there.”

The Crows were cleared of any work health and safety breaches after an independent investigation into the training camp by SafeWork SA.

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Eddie Betts book, excerpt about Adelaide Crows training camp, trade to Carlton, Don Pyke

Melbourne champion Garry Lyon says it’s no surprise an infamous pre-season camp “destroyed” Adelaide after reading Eddie Betts’ confronting recollection of his experience.

An excerpt from Betts’ upcoming autobiography, ‘The Boy from Boomerang Crescent’, was released on Monday night via The Age in which the triple All-Australian labeled the camp “weird” and “completely disrespectful”.

Several players, including Betts, and officials departed the club in the years following the pre-season leadership camp, which foxfooty.com.au revealed details of in March that year.

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In the most damning first-hand account of the 2018 camp yet, Betts claimed private details shared in a counseling session during the camp were misused, while sensitive Aboriginal cultural rituals were misappropriated.

“There was all sorts of weird shit that was disrespectful to many cultures, but particularly and extremely disrespectful to my culture,” he wrote.

Betts also wrote he was told he would “come back a better husband and father, a better teammate” after the camp – terms veteran players Taylor Walker and Rory Sloane used when defending the four-day event.

speaking on SEN Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Lyon said he was stunned by Betts’ account, but added it provided important context as to the turmoil that followed at the Crows.

Rory Sloane and Eddie Betts during an Adelaide Crows game in 2019. Picture: Scott BarbourSource: Getty Images

“When you read those words from Eddie, there is no debate about how it impacted on him. He talks about the Indigenous players, the cultural differences or sensitivities that he were not adhered to. That’s Eddie … and that’s unequivocal, right? You can’t argue with any of that,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.

“And then you read this from Taylor Walker: ‘The camp that we went on as a footy club, personally I found one of the most beneficial and rewarding camps I’ve ever been on as an individual. I encourage any of my mates, family members to do the same. Our footy club, like most other AFL clubs, are trying to get an edge over (other teams).’ Rory Sloane: ‘I can speak about what I got out of it personally. I absolutely 100 per cent came back from that camp feeling like a better husband, a better son and a much better teammate than when I was before. For me, the experience was unbelievable.’

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“Now, clearly, everyone’s own experiences have been caught up in this and from an Indigenous point of view, a lot of it since Eddie said that cultural sensitivities weren’t adhered to – and that is very, very real.

“In the end, it was untenable. We talk about the atmosphere and environment … take apart who you agree with and you don’t agree with, the fact of the matter is it split the club down the middle. When you get the Sloane’s and the Walker’s, who have their recollection, and then you’ve got Eddie and others I would imagine… no wonder it destroyed that joint.

“You’ve got a section of the football club – and I’m not just putting this at the feet of Walker and Sloane, there may be others in the same boat – saying ‘I got so much out of this, it was good ‘. And then on the other hand, right at the other end of the scale, you’ve got ‘no, it ripped me apart, it ripped my relationship apart’. No wonder then from a footy club point of view and trying to stay together and on the same page, it ended up where it was.”

Eddie Betts was a star for the Crows. Picture: James ElsbySource: Getty Images

Essendon legend Tim Watson said he was shocked by the claims of cultural insensitivities during the camp.

“Given what they did at that camp you would think the planning that went into that – as part of that planning from a football club perspective – they would’ve said to these guys: ‘OK, what is it that you’re planning to do?’ And you would expect them to outline all the different areas that they were going to go, how they were going to go about it, what their objectives were – all those sorts of things,” Watson told SEN Breakfast.

“So you would think somewhere in there, there would be somebody representing the Adelaide Crows and there would be somebody there as part of the Adelaide Crows group who would understand the cultural sensitivities for some of those Indigenous players if they were to present the camp in the way that it was obviously presented. At that point, you would think somebody would say ‘no, you are going into territory now that we shouldn’t venture into’.”

Lyon said Betts’ belief his private details he shared were then misused during the camp was a “betrayal”.

“I’m just reading the excerpt, so I haven’t read the whole book. But if you are told, whether you’re black or white or otherwise, ‘these camp people want to speak to you and they say to step aside from everyone else privately and we want you to have a conversation where you are open and vulnerable’ … And I go ‘OK. In terms of building me as a better player and a leader, I’ll share and I’ll give you these really sensitive things that, to me, are important’. Then to have that thrown back in my face, that’s not cultural for me,” Lyon said.

Crows surprise Blues at Adelaide Oval | 01:31

“How it affects me and someone else might be different based on culture, but that’s a betrayal for me.”

After kicking 310 goals across six seasons with Adelaide, Betts was traded back to Carlton at the end of 2019 to finish his career.

Four-time Power best and fairest winner Kane Cornes dubbed Betts one of the two most popular players to ever represent Adelaide alongside Tony Modra. So for Cornes, to “read how he was treated by his own football club – of which he is an icon of – that was the saddest part for me”.

Cornes said he would be fascinated by how the Crows, as well as South Australian media personalities, would respond to the Betts book.

“The question is, all of the people who have defended the camp and have said nothing went on… what do they do now?” I have asked on SEN SA Breakfast.

“How are they going to deal with that? Because we do now have a ‘blow-by-blow account’, which is pretty harrowing that your second or most popular player in the club’s history was treated like an animal, really, on this camp.”

Cornes added: “There’s a lot of egg on the face from Crows supporters, from the footy club and a few players that were there.”

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