Michael Gleeson is a senior AFL football writer and Fairfax Media's athletics writer. He also covers tennis, cricket and other sports. He won the AFL Players Association Grant Hattam Trophy for excellence in journalism for the second time in 2014 and was a finalist in the 2014 Quill Awards for best sports feature writer. He was also a finalist in the 2014 Australian Sports Commission awards for his work on ‘Boots for Kids’. He is a winner of the AFL Media Association award for best news reporter and a two-time winner of Cricket Victoria’s cricket writer of the year award. Michael has covered multiple Olympics, Commonwealth Games and world championships and 15 seasons of AFL, He has also written seven books - five sports books and two true crime books.
The AFL has taken the unprecedented step of appealing against its own tribunal's decision to give Bachar Houli a discounted two-match ban because of his impeccable character for the intentional strike that knocked out Carlton's Jed Lamb.
There's no question Houli is an outstanding character. But two weeks for deliberately hitting someone and knocking them out?
Character references from Malcolm Turnbull and Waleed Aly persuade the AFL tribunal to halve the Tiger's penalty for knocking out Carlton's Jed Lamb.
The AFL tribunal has found West Coast defender Will Schofield not guilty of striking Melbourne's Clayton Oliver.
Tom McDonald went forward because they needed him to. Tom McDonald went in the ruck because they needed him to.
Multiple injury concerns and fears captain Joel Selwood may miss next round sour comeback win over Dockers.
Geelong had only one player on the bench with the side playing horrible football. Fremantle were outrunning them, outworking them, out-pressuring them and the Cats were fumbling and flagging. Then, of course, they came back.
Geelong captain Joel Selwood was knocked out in the first minute of the clash with Fremantle at Kardinia Park. A clash of heads barely 30 seconds into the game left Joel Selwood lying motionless on his back, unconscious.
Adelaide didn't pay the price they needed to last October to secure Bryce Gibbs. It is a non-deal that looks more damaging now - not only for how the Crows are travelling but for how important he is to the Blues.
Last year the moons needed to align for the seventh-placed Dogs to win the flag. This year it has not taken one big moment but a small shift of those moons to see them now they sit outside the eight.
Search pagination
Save articles for later.
Subscribe for unlimited access to news. Login to save articles.
Return to the homepage by clicking on the site logo.