AFL

Western Bulldogs

Bulldogs slash debt in premiership year

Marcus Bontempelli and the Dogs enjoyed a stellar season.

The fairytale of the Western Bulldogs' on-field success has translated into an off-field windfall for the club, with the Dogs wiping more than $6 million from their debt in a year.

Murphy back on track for Bulldogs

Robert Murphy couldn't play in the grand final, but was a huge presence for the Bulldogs.

Western Bulldogs skipper Bob Murphy is ready to take the next step in his recovery from a knee reconstruction when the reigning premiers hit the training track on Monday.

Drafting to stay ahead of the game's curve

Marcus Bontempelli gets a handball away in traffic against the Lions.

As the AFL national draft nears, will clubs look more towards players with less immediately obvious attributes as they chase the game's developmental curve? It seems to have worked for the Western Bulldogs.

Bulldog Hayes chases footy dream but riding is his DNA

Keeping his hand in: Will Hayes, VFL premiership player with Footscray and the son of horse trainer David Hayes.

Will Hayes went out and did a couple of laps with brothers on Wednesday morning, nothing usual for an aspiring AFL midfielder in November. Only Hayes did it in the saddle of  a group 1 winner He's Our Rokkii around Flemington.

AFL trying to reinvent Etihad as a fan-friendly venue

Fans queue outside Etihad Stadium.

Gillon McLachlan's acknowledgement that supporters deserve better treatment at Etihad Stadium has seen the AFL second the Melbourne Football Club's marketing boss to work over the summer to help transform the venue in time for 2017.

Round one 2017 AFL fixture announced

Bombers v Hawks

The first round fixture of the 2017 AFL season has been released, with Essendon's banned players to return on Saturday night against Hawthorn at the MCG.