Ruck and rule changes help restore the game we knew

For all the hand-wringing over its abolition, the third man up at ruck contests has hardly been a cornerstone of AFL football.

At least nine AFL coaches disapprove of penalising third man up

Half of the AFL's coaches were against the outlawing of the third man up at ruck contests, according to league football operations manager Mark Evans.

Tall forward Peter Wright to stay at Gold Coast Suns

The Gold Coast Suns got some happy Christmas news on Thursday, when tall forward Peter Wright signed a new contract to stay at the struggling expansion club.

New stats behind the death of 'third man up' tactic

Statistics that proved the "third man up" does not help ease congestion gave the AFL the green light to ban the tactic from next season. 

Footy's top 10 people of 2016

Fairfax Media's top 10 people of the football year aren't necessarily the most popular, or the most successful, but each left a sizeable imprint on the game's landscape in the past 12 months.

Heritier Lumumba retires from AFL football

Melbourne defender Heritier Lumumba has retired from the AFL after struggling with repeated concussions.

Roos Thompson and Wright suffer injury setbacks

North Melbourne is confident that gun defender Scott Thompson will be fit for round one despite suffering an injury relapse that required surgery. 

Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury and wife Alex expecting first baby

Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury is expecting his first baby with wife Alex in May next year.

Essendon confident their forward thinking will reap dividends

Essendon coach John Worsfold is desperate to rectify his club's disastrous recent inability to score before the start of next season — and believes he now has the right pieces to solve the puzzle. 

Best of the best: The top 10 games of 2016

The 2016 AFL season saw great comebacks, neck and neck tussles, and several kicks to win games, one in a final no less. These, in our view, were the 10 best games of 2016.

Docker Shane Yarran retires from AFL footy following off-field dramas

The Dockers released a statement on Monday evening announcing the double WAFL premiership player was to retire in a mutual decision just one year after joining the club.

Bryce Gibbs proud to be Blue, but hits out at suggestions his partner pushed for move

• EXCLUSIVE

His desire to move back to his native Adelaide was thwarted, but Carlton's Bryce Gibbs has reassured the Blues that with three years left on his contract, he's more than content to see out his AFL career at the one club.

Geelong Football Club likely to be debt-free at end of next season

Geelong Football Club should be debt free for the first time in over half a century at the end of next season.

Gibbs clears up 'misinformation' about his request for a trade home

The Carlton on-baller has plenty he wants to get off his chest. And in an exclusive interview with Fairfax Media, the first since the drama blew up, he does.

Martin to spend more time in attack

Richmond's new-found midfield depth is set to allow superstar Dustin Martin to spend more time forward in season 2017. 

The Age unveils footy columnists for 2017

Three of the greatest players of their generations will be part of The Age's footy coverage in 2017.

The Age partners with Outer Sanctum podcast for AFL Women's season

The Outer Sanctum, the unconventional footy podcast that broke one of the biggest stories in the game this year, has struck a partnership with The Age for the historic first AFL Women's season. 

Carlton star Cripps right for round one

Sam Docherty confident Blues midfield powerhouse Patrick Cripps will be fit and firing in 2017.

Rohan Connolly's 2016 in review: Bulldogs best in show

Highs, lows, quotes, controversies, stories and stars - but the year's biggest news-makers were the premiership drought-breaking Western Bulldogs.

SEN reveals its men-only footy line-up

Women's football has never been so popular, but for a least one sport radio station talking about the game remains a male-only domain.

Hawks star Rioli extends contract

Already signed until the end of 2019, Cyril Rioli's contact at Hawthorn has been extended by a year.

Heeney puts hand up for Swans midfield

Exciting Sydney youngster Isaac Heeney will urge Swans coach John Longmire to give him more time in the midfield after committing to a five-year contract extension.

Heeney signs five-year contract extension with Swans

Swans young gun Isaac Heeney has signed a five-year contract extension that will keep him in the red and white until at least 2022.

Swans' move to SCG vindicated by sixth straight net profit

Sydney Swans Ltd has posted a net profit for the sixth-straight year, despite a reduction in AFL funding and substantial compensation payments to ANZ Stadium.

Cats' draft call goes all the way to Uganda

Geelong’s Sam Simpson found out he'd been taken by the Cats in the recent AFL rookie draft in pretty unusual circumstances

A manual for footballers from a 600-game centre half-everywhere

Matt Zurbo is as romantic a figure as exists in Australian football. He's like Neale Cassady and Jack Kerouac rolled into one if they'd both been Australian footballers and not members of the American Beat generation.

Son of a Magpie had to choose: Carlton or Essendon?

James Stewart shares a birthday with Joe Daniher. He hopes to share a meaningful partnership with Daniher in the Essendon forward line.

Tweak AFL third-man up rule: Sam Jacobs

The AFL should tweak its third-man up ruck rules rather than ban the tactic, Adelaide tap-man Sam Jacobs says.

Demons hunting for jumper sponsor

As Melbourne seek to resolve the Heritier Lumumba situation by year's end, they are also chasing a sponsor for the back of their jumper.

Life membership for star Tiger pair

Richmond stars Dustin Martin and Alex Rance have been honoured with life membership of their club.

Mitchell and Cotchin have their 2012 Brownlows. Jobe, it's time to hand yours back

• COMMENT

Comment: Tuesday's Brownlow Medal ceremony was well handled with two truly wonderful footballers anointed as the new medallists for 2012. It brings closure to a delicate issue. Or does it?

Pay dispute in AFL a slow process: Port Adelaide defender

Players say their pay dispute with the AFL will drag on well into next year but are hopeful of a resolution before the new season starts.

Port defend handling of Impey hit-and-run incident

Port Adelaide's leadership group has defended its handling of Jarman Impey's hit-and-run case, saying the defender's wellbeing is their prime concern.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says Dockers club culture isn't eroded

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon denies the club's culture has been eroded by a series of off-field incidents, but says he's not in a position to speculate on the AFL futures of Michael Johnson and Shane Yarran.

Who got Lade? Port did

Brendon Lade is returning to Port Adelaide after seven years as an assistant coach at AFL rivals Richmond.

Dogs won't be hoodoo gurus

The Western Bulldogs won't look back at their painful history of preliminary final losses in the lead up to their Saturday night clash with GWS Giants.

Hogan departure won't be 'catastrophic': Schwarz

Melbourne great David Schwarz says the potential defection of Jesse Hogan would not be "as catastrophic" now as it would have been last year.

Football romance, or the road to the future?

There’s two very contrasting narratives developing heading into the penultimate weekend of the AFL season. And sentimentally, they’re at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Chris Judd: It's time to deny the top four clubs access to free agents

The thing that AFL fans love about the game is risk and the unknown outcome accompanying it: the risk players take when they commit to a physical contest, when they launch three deep in a pack to stand on someone's shoulders in a marking contest, when they have a shot from the boundary. All are weekly features on highlights reels.