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Melbourne great Garry Lyon has hit out at the AFL’s plan to change its laws around drafting Next Generation Academy players.
After the Western Bulldogs matched a bid on emerging star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan with pick 1 of the 2020 draft, the league brought in a rule that clubs could no longer do the same for Academy prospects bid on with a top-40 pick.
That change saw the Demons miss out on talented young gun Mac Andrew, who headed to Gold Coast with pick 5 in the 2021 draft and has since developed into an outstanding swingman, most notably kicking a goal after the siren to win the game for the Suns against Essendon in Round 21.
Speaking on SEN, Lyon was scathing of the AFL’s plan to walk back those restrictions and allow teams to again match bids on Academy prospects, one of a series of changes being made to the draft from 2024 onwards, saying the 20-year old Andrew would have been the perfect fit to solve the Dees issues in either attack or defence.
“If they put in all that data about the Dees over the last few years it would spit out one name of the player that they needed – Mac Andrew,” Lyon said.
“And they had him as an Academy player.
“It would be like Jamarra Ugle-Hagan just ripped off them [the Bulldogs] and just saying ‘no, I know he’s your player, but you’re not having him’. Then you know what would be worse? Saying two years later, ‘listen, we’re changing the rules back’.
“So if you think I’m bitter about it, 100 per cent I am. He [Andrew] is the number one prototype player that Melbourne needed more than anything else and they had him!
“And the AFL in their infinite wisdom changed the rules, and then in their more infinite wisdom they’ve changed them back again!
“That is disgraceful. These things make or break clubs.”
The Demons aren’t the only team to miss out on Academy talent in recent years, with St Kilda losing access to current Hawthorn midfielder Cam Mackenze and Fremantle being unable to match a bid for now-Carlton small forward Jesse Motlop.
Mac Andrew takes a mark. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Western Bulldogs ruckman Tim English has ended speculation on his playing future by signing a five-year contract tying him to the Whitten Oval until the end of 2029.
As one of the final remaining restricted free agents in a rapidly thinning pool ahead of the 2024 AFL Trade Period, the 27-year old needed to choose between the Bulldogs’ offer and remain at the club that recruited him with pick 19 in the 2016 AFL draft, or take up a six-year deal with West Coast and return home to Perth.
The reigning All-Australian ruckman, albeit having struggled with form at times in 2024, English’s signing is a significant boon for the Bulldogs, who are expected to lose star midfielder Bailey Smith to a trade at season’s end.
In a statement, English revealed a desire to stay in Melbourne and compete for a premiership with the Bulldogs, with the Eagles embarking on a rebuild following a disastrous last few seasons, as central to his decision to recommit.
“I love life in Melbourne,” English said.
“I am really enjoying it at the club and I’ve got some great mates here – it’s my eighth season now and I’ve developed strong friendships over that time.
“There are so many different factors that go into a decision, but I really want to win a premiership, that’s the ultimate goal for me at a football club.
>> FULL LIST OF AFL TRADE RUMOURS
“I feel like we have the opportunity to do that here and that would the best way to give back to the club. As a group we’re capable and everyone is putting in the work to get better and achieve that.”
English will, however, miss the Dogs’ must-win Round 23 clash against North Melbourne, and possibly longer, with a foot injury.
“As the reigning All-Australian ruckman, Tim has been critical in our club’s strong performances throughout the year, regularly impacting games with his athleticism,” Bulldogs list manager Sam Power said in a statement.
“His ability to get involved around the ground and use the ball as a ruckman has been a valuable asset to our side, underlining him as one of the most damaging big men in the competition.
“We still firmly believe Tim’s best football is ahead of him at 27, with a five-year extension highlighting his faith in our program, staff and players moving.”
The Bulldogs will likely need to win one of their final two matches against the Kangaroos and an in-form GWS, and possibly more, to qualify for finals.
Tim English marks over Lance Franklin. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
West Coast’s quest to find their new senior coach has hit another setback, with former player Ashley Hansen officially withdrawing from contention.
Seen as among the leading candidates to replace Adam Simpson at the helm in 2025, Hansen, who played as a key forward in the Eagles’ 2006 premiership team, has chosen to stay in Melbourne rather than vie for the top job at his former club, according to a Herald Sun report.
He will remain as senior assistant coach under Michael Voss at Carlton.
Hansen’s decision is another major blow to the Eagles amid a difficult coach search, with several key names, including club legend Dean Cox, another former player in Jaymie Graham, Port Adelaide assistant Josh Carr and even former Collingwood champion and coach Nathan Buckley all rebuffing the one-time powerhouse.
The latest setback leaves caretaker coach Jarrad Schofield, who has led the Eagles to consecutive victories over Gold Coast and North Melbourne, as the frontrunner to keep the job on a full-time basis, with matches against a wounded Carlton and Geelong in the final two games of the home-and-away seasons ideal chances to continue his impressive audition.
GWS and Collingwood assistants Brett Montgomery and Scott Selwood are also believed to be in the mix.
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