![Griffin Logue of the Dockers during the round-three AFL match between the Fremantle Dockers and the Western Bulldogs.](/web/20170409191017im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/h/5/c/j/image.related.landscape.460x307.gvh4q3.png/1491734094321.jpg)
A young way to the top
“Play the kids”. It’s an easy call when a side appears to be treading water then loses a few games badly. But even this early in 2017, we’re seeing plenty of obvious benefits of doing so.
Rohan Connolly, a senior football writer for The Age and radio broadcaster with sports radio station 1116 SEN, has been covering the game since 1983. A multi-AFL Media Association award-winner known for his passion and love of the game, he analyses the AFL for the newspaper and contributes a blog and weekly video, "Footy Fix", for The Age's football website, Real Footy.
“Play the kids”. It’s an easy call when a side appears to be treading water then loses a few games badly. But even this early in 2017, we’re seeing plenty of obvious benefits of doing so.
Melbourne's personnel issues took another huge hit on Saturday as ruckman Max Gawn injured his hamstring against Geelong.
Geelong and Melbourne turned on a fast-flowing and high-scoring contest. The result came down to accuracy.
Defeat against Sydney at the SCG on Friday night will consign Collingwood to three losses to start a new AFL season for the first time since their last wooden spoon.
Levi Greenwood looks set to be a shock inclusion for Collingwood, while Jamie Elliott and Daniel Wells remain at least a week away.
Richmond have won their first two games. And done so playing a harder but more adventurous brand of football than we’ve seen them pursue previously.
Classic clashes and game-winning displays, a rush to pass judgement, and the Suns gets shaded up north.
Former Brisbane Lions champion Jonathan Brown has been hit by the Queensland floods, losing much of his memorabilia from his 250-game career and three premierships with the club.
Gary Ablett offered a pale imitation of his best in Gold Coast's shattering 102-point loss to GWS on Saturday. The critics have pounced and the question is being asked again, does he want to be there?
In nearly a decade, just one of 45 AFL teams that have begun a season 0-2 have recovered to make finals. Can Sydney and Hawthorn reverse that trend?
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