Desperate Blues turning to youth; Hardwick’s fury at AFL

“It’s probably the least of the things that I’m thinking about at the moment. “It’s more about probably the care for our people and we’ve got a job to do and it’s been fairly eyes in. I also know that that sort of connection and alignment will help us.” Young Blue Lachie Cowan could be recalled. Credit: Getty Images The Blues are expected to turn to youth and will make at least three changes to the side that was blown apart by Port last week. Defender Jordan Boyd was not at the Blues’ captain’s run on Thursday, along with injured backmen Jack Silvagni and Adam Saad.

Defender Lachie Cowan, 20, and teenagers Harry O’Farrell and Matt Carroll are poised for recalls, while second-season forward Ashton Moir is also pushing hard for a senior game. Their inclusions would freshen up a 23 that was the oldest team the Blues have fielded since 1944. “For us, it’s now we get on with business and it’s about performance and how we start to turn the form on the field around,” Voss said. “And there’s exciting things to look forward to. We’ve got some youth that that will be playing. Some big games over the last seven, eight weeks of the season. We want to energise that.

“What’s really important to us is that we connect into our supporters. They are very important to us. “We understand that there’s a there’s a style of football that we want to play that they can be proud of and we can be proud of and that they can connect to and we’re all in this together.” Voss said there was still plenty for the Blues to play for in the final eight rounds of the season. “I think it’s to be stated that for us this season’s live, there’s a lot to get out of this year,” Voss said. “There’s nothing parked here. There’s nothing to say, there’s nothing to protect. And we’re going after it.”

‘Collingwood would tear the place down’: Hardwick’s anger at AFL AAP Frustrated Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick is warning the AFL to “look out” if Suns star Matt Rowell is banned under changes to umpire contact penalties. Hardwick is seething that Rowell is among a batch of AFL players facing a possible suspension if he makes contact with an umpire again. The Suns’ prime mover has already been fined four times in a two-year span for careless contact with an umpire.

Under a rule change announced this week by the AFL, any player who makes careless contact with an umpire four or more times in a two-year period faces being sent to the tribunal and a possible ban. Hardwick savaged the “frustrating” late-season change. Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell could be banned if he makes contact with an umpire again. Credit: Getty Images “If it leads to a suspension, look out from our point of view,” Hardwick told reporters on Thursday. “I know we’re the Gold Coast Suns. And don’t get me wrong, Matt Rowell is a superstar. But if this was spoken about with Nick Daicos, Collingwood would tear the place down.

“Let’s sit there and understand what we’re talking about here. We can make changes about umpire adjudication, but we’ve been calling out for change to the tribunal for a period of time. Why can we, with the swipe of a pen, change one and not the other?” The AFL changed the rules after 63 incidents of players making careless contact with umpires this season. All have resulted in a financial sanction. Damien Hardwick isn’t happy with the AFL’s latest decree. Credit: AFL Photos Hardwick said most incidents were at centre bounces. “What can you tell me about the centre bounce of the ball?” he said. “It goes anywhere, so it’s really really hard for the players ... if the ball bounces sideways, they’re going to move.

Loading “Have the AFL spoken to the AFL commission and asked: ‘Can we, for the remainder of the year, take away the centre bounce and throw it up and see if there’s any significant change in the data?’ “Some of those ones against Rowelly, what he’s getting fined for, are quite laughable to be perfectly honest. “We understand the health and safety of the umpires is important. But I think we can look at speaking to the commission about getting rid of the bounce and throwing it up.” The AFL said in the entirety of last season, there were 56 incidents of players making careless contact with an umpire, following only 20 such cases in 2023.

Curator to front up over SCG surface Danny Russell SCG curator Adam Lewis will front the media on Friday to assure the football public his oval’s surface is fit to host Sunday afternoon’s clash between the Swans and Fremantle. Lewis met with the AFL, the AFL Player’s Association and the league’s turf expert Bruce Macphee on Tuesday to inspect the turf and give it the all clear. As a precaution, the Swans agreed not to train at the venue this week to allow the ground extra time to recover.

The slippery surface was heavily criticised after a number of players lost their footing during Sydney’s nine-point loss to the Western Bulldogs last Friday night. The damage at the Paddington End of the ground was blamed on an Andrea Bocelli concert being held at the SCG on April 3. The SCG playing surface has come under massive scrutiny after the Swans’ clash with the Western Bulldogs. Credit: AFL Photos One SCG insider not willing to speak on the record before Friday’s press conference told this masthead the surface was “looking good” even after two days of heavy rain in Sydney and would further improve with expected sunshine. Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir is backing his players to embrace the challenge and handle whatever the SCG turf throws at them.

Loading “Like I said all along, if the AFL ticks it off, we will play anywhere,” Longmuir said on Thursday. “Both teams will have to play on the same surface. We’ll embrace it and just get to work. “We’ve had a fair bit of practice playing at slippery surfaces. Optus Stadium last year wasn’t great, it was a bit slippery. If that’s all it is, we’ll be able to handle it. “We’ll get a good look at captain’s run, and the players will be well-prepared with their boots.”

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