Jon Ralph

AFL had to strip Watson of his Brownlow

JOBE Watson had made the agonising decision to hand back his 2012 Brownlow Medal. As JON RALPH wrote a month ago, it's the right call.

How Bulldogs won a flag their way

THE Dogs’ premiership was achieved with emotion and spirit. But this club are also outriders in trends and themes that have stood the test of time as measures for success in the modern era.

Jesse can be a hero for Demons

MELBOURNE finally sealed a two-year extension for Jesse Hogan would stay, but make no mistake, Hogan can still be everything the fans want and need him to be, writes JON RALPH.

Hogan in: Dees can now dream big

THE alternative to Jesse Hogan’s two-year extension was “utterly diabolical” for Melbourne but with the key forward locked away anything is now possible, writes Jon Ralph.

Depth chart: JJ soars, Buddy falls

JASON Johannisen roars to the top of the Grand Final depth chart but the news wasn’t as good for Gary Rohan. Jon Ralph ranks every player 1 to 44.

The play that rewrote Bulldogs history

WITH six minutes on the clock, Lance Franklin looked set to break Bulldog hearts yet again. Enter Dale Morris and Tom Boyd, writes JON RALPH.

Depth chart: Buddy top of the GF rankings

LAST year Eagle Josh Kennedy entered the Grand Final ranked No.1 and finished it as No.43. This year it’s Lance Franklin and if he fires, look out Dogs.

Longmire a coaching genius without plaudits

JOHN Longmire is a coaching genius. Almost without plaudits, he has elevated a team few believed in into the Grand Final, writes Jon Ralph.

Jobe returns a changed man

JOBE Watson, the front man for Essendon’s three years of hell, is gone and the smiling man we once knew is back and ready to move on with the next chapter of his life, writes Jon Ralph.

Jobe still in doubt about a return

EVERYTHING Jobe Watson does indicates he is ready, from hiring a personal trainer to hitting the training track again with teammates on Friday. So why the reservations?

AFL News

Bombers, Watson still have price to pay

JOBE Watson has handed back his Brownlow Medal, as the ugly postscript of Essendon’s supplements experiment drags on. Now he must lose other honours from that tainted year, says Michelangelo Rucci.

Brown waits, ‘the uncertainty hurts’

FORMER Eagle Mitch Brown has opened up about the anxiety of waiting for a phonecall as he hopes for a Victorian club to give him another AFL opportunity.