From The Age (realfooty.com.au)
Reported by Brent Diamond
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Poor crowds at the VFL and TAC Cup grand finals in recent seasons have prompted AFL Victoria to change the scheduling back to the Sunday before the AFL grand final.

The VFL has averaged about 13,000 to its grand finals over the past three seasons with its move from Princes Park to Etihad Stadium in 2008 not attracting the numbers it had hoped for.

Source: Geelong Ablettiser

GEELONG mature-age rookie James Podsiadly is a step closer to his long-awaited AFL debut after the Cats yesterday placed young forward Mitch Brown on their long-term injury list.

Podsiadly has firmed as the most likely of Geelong's seven rookies to be elevated if the Cats choose to fill Brown's place on the senior list while he recovers from leg surgery.

From the Bendigo Advertiser
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BENDIGO Pioneers club champion Kallen Geary has signed with VFL club Sandringham.
A shock non-selection in last year’s AFL national draft and AFL rookie draft, Geary was chased heavily by several VFL clubs, including the Bendigo Bombers.

However, the Victorian Country representative decided to move to Melbourne and join the St Kilda-aligned Zebras.

“It’s with no disrespect to the Bendigo Bombers that I signed with Sandringham,” Geary told The Advertiser yesterday.

“I think the Bombers are going to be a good side this year.

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The Williamstown Football Club is thrilled that 10 new graduating TAC Cup players have joined the Seagulls in 2010. The 10 players come from 6 different TAC Cup Clubs –

Western Jets – Dion Lawson and Michael Fogarty

Bendigo Pioneers – Jye Sandiford and Brian Fenton

Gippsland Power – Nick Sing and Ed Carr

Sandringham Dragons – Kwame McHarg and Jack Purton-Smith

Calder Cannons – Stephen McCallum

Northern Knights – Josh Griffiths

The 10 players include two 2009 Club Best and Fairest winners – Nick Sing won Gippsland Power’s Best and Fairest and Stephen McCallum won Calder Cannon’s Best and Fairest in their Premiership year.

From The Sunday Age
Reported by Brent Diamond
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BENDIGO Bombers coach Shannon Grant is confident that former AFL players Jason Cloke and Hayden Skipworth can help lift the team from the bottom of the VFL ladder this season.

Grant, the former North Melbourne premiership player who controversially quit as coach of Frankston last season, said last year's winless Bombers have plans in place to ensure they are more than competitive under a new leadership regime.

"I'm really looking forward to the challenge here," Grant told The Sunday Age. "Cloke and Skipworth bring an enormous amount of leadership to the group and it's a pretty young group … they will learn and benefit a lot."

Seaford ace among Zebra newcomers
From http://www.localfooty.com.au
Reported by Paul Amy

BEFORE Christmas Sandringham general manager John Mennie was fretting about his club's lack of recruits.

``We can't get a deal over the line,'' he said, noting how the Zebras had been outdone by Port Melbourne for AFL pair Shane Valenti and Adam Bentick.

But the past fortnight brought a string of signatures for Sandy, including delisted St Kilda utility Brad Howard, two more disenchanted Frankston Dolphins in James Magner and Nick Benbow, highly-regarded Seaford centreman Chris Irving, former Melbourne and Box Hill forward Cameron Hunter and Daniel Sands from Woodville West Torrens.

Throw in Sandringham Dragons graduates Jonno Nash, Dylan Jones and Sam O'Sullivan, and Dandenong Stingrays James Hallinan and Maddison Andrews, and Mennie's worries have eased considerably.

From the Ballarat Courier
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TWO-TIME North Ballarat premiership coach Gerard FitzGerald will again take charge of the Victorian Football League representative team this year.

FitzGerald will coach the Big V against Western Australian in Perth on May 22.

This is the fourth time he has been at the helm of the VFL for an interstate clash.

He led Victoria against South Australia in 2002 and 2008, and WA in 2004.

From the Ballarat Courier
Reported by David Brehaut
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VFL powerhouse North Ballarat has been stung by the departure of dual premiership player Brett Goodes.
Goodes, who turns 26 next month, is moving to Darwin to take up a newly created position with the NTAFL.

He has accepted the dual role of Darwin-based indigenous employment manager and regional development manager for Katherine. Goodes will also play with the NT Thunder in the QAFL.

An emotional Goodes dropped the bombshell to teammates at a team meeting before training at Eureka Stadium last night.

Goodes leaves the Roosters after 85 senior and 26 reserves appearances since 2004.

He represented the VFL in 2008 - the same season in which he went within two votes of winning the competition's best and fairest, the JJ Liston Trophy.

From the Sunday Herald-Sun
Reported by Tony Sheehan
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NATHAN Ablett is on track to play in the Gold Coast's first match, a Round 1 clash against Port Melbourne in the VFL on April 10.
Ablett has made huge inroads and a lasting impression on his new team as it prepares for the match.

"We have just under three months to go until Round 1 and it's a fairly long and slow build-up, but Nathan is certainly in the right frame of mind and his body is up and raring to go," Gold Coast senior coach Guy McKenna told the Sunday Herald Sun.

Ablett's passion for football was a concern for McKenna, but he has since convinced him he is willing and able.

"We had a chat about that early days. Nathan convinced me enough. I haven't had any reason to change my thoughts that he is passionate about playing, so assuming he ticks all the boxes, we'll pick him for Round 1," McKenna said.