Construction is only months away from starting on Hawthorn’s Kennedy Community Centre in Dingley,but the impending board election is still dividing the club.
The AFL is one of few sporting leagues where the best and fairest is selected by umpires. Here’s how others do it.
Bets on Brownlow Medal votes were allegedly laid on more than 10 games of the 16 AFL games in which umpire Michael Pell officiated during 2022.
Rather than plonking a few grand on a player to poll three votes in a particular round,the bets have allegedly been spread,divvied up into smaller amounts,and over a short time period via different betting agencies.
Anti-gambling crusader Tim Costello has called on the AFL to rid itself of betting contracts,coming on a day Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews backed the league’s integrity measures and a club captain called for umpires to be relieved of casting match-day votes.
Under the Brownlow Medal voting system,three AFL field umpires gather after officiating a game and decide on the three best performances from the match. These are the matches Michael Pell knew the votes for in 2022.
Field umpire Michael Pell was one of four men arrested following a Victoria Police investigation into suspicious Brownlow betting that was flagged to the AFL by one of its betting partners.
AFL sources confirmed that the league intended to revert to beginning the men’s season with the Carlton-Richmond game,which consistently draws a hefty crowd,rather than pitting Geelong and the Sydney Swans,the 2022 grand finalists.
Box Hill Hawks president Ed Sill,a business partner of Sam Mitchell’s who is running for the Hawthorn board,has endorsed Andy Gowers to be Hawthorn’s new president.
Charlie Clarke grew up in Port Melbourne community housing,is the son of the local footy team’s “cult figure”,and at his matches,as many as 40 locals come along just to cheer him on.
The Western Bulldogs and Luke Beveridge are keen to lock in a contract extension before the new season begins,but the length of his tenure is an interesting discussion.