Emma Quayle joined The Age as a cadet journalist in 1999 and has been covering football since 2001. She has won awards from the Australian Football Media Association and AFL Players Association for her feature writing, and specialised for many years in covering junior football and the AFL draft. Emma's two books - The Draft and Nine Lives (the story of former Essendon wingman Adam Ramanauskas' battle with cancer) - were published in 2008 and 2010.
Chris Yarran and Michael Walters are in Nic Naitanui's living room, sitting squeezed into a two-seater couch. They are trying to remember the first time they met, and it's hard; they can't remember not knowing each other.
Stewart Crameri feels a strange mix, rusty but fresh, as he returns from his season supplements suspension to join the Bulldogs premiership defence.
Almost 28 years after taking her Year 12 homework with her to the "Save the Bulldogs" rally at Whitten Oval, Kylie Watson-Wheeler has been appointed the club's new vice-president.
Kobe Mutch grew up playing in the same junior teams as Isaac Cumming and Lachlan Tiziani, who were drafted like he was two weeks ago. Their North Broken Hill side used to win by a pile of points every weekend, so his dad would send him out to play with something specific to work on. "One week he said, only kick with your left foot,' he said. "And the next week, it was my right."
The 12 young Hawthorn players who walked the Kokoda Track last month were each asked to lead the group for half a day or longer.
Veteran administrator Geoff Walsh has returned to Collingwood as the club's new head of football.
Port Adelaide spent several hours searching for Jarman Impey after he left the scene of an accident on Saturday night, abandoning his car after damaging four parked cars.
Drew Petrie will move to Perth and play for a 17th season after being drafted onto the West Coast rookie list on Monday.
Emma Quayle runs the rule over the unlucky prospects overlooked in last week's national draft.
Emma Quayle runs the rule over each AFL club's new cohort of young talent.
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