GIVEN all the AFL has done to stamp out racism from our game, it was galling to flick to the back page of Tuesday's Herald Sun and read Lance Franklin had been racially abused by a spectator last Saturday.
The abuse occurred during Hawthorn's match against West Coast at Launceston's Aurora Stadium. It was limited to just one fan, but his comments were as offensive as comments can get. We're not going to dignify them with column space here, even with letters blanked out.
Hawthorn, the AFL and the AFLPA were quick to condemn the spectator's behaviour, with the Herald Sun reporting the AFL was determined to identify the spectator involved. While the only action the AFL could take against the culprit would be to revoke any club membership he holds, AFL media relations manager Patrick Keane told the tabloid the fan could be charged by police with crimes under equal opportunity and discrimination laws.
Media Watch hopes that's what happens.
As a sport, Australian Football has come too far to turn back to the dark ages now.
Since Indigenous icon Michael Long took his public stand against on-field racism in 1995, it has become a thing of the past. Players have realised the old mentality that 'what's said on the field, stays on the field' is no longer defensible.
By and large, fans have taken their lead from the players. Where going to the footy was once seen as a licence to cut loose from everyday life and say virtually anything you wanted - often in misguided attempts at humour - today there are limits.
As there should be. Franklin and the rest of the competition's players have a right to take the field knowing the most they will cop from opposition supporters is some good-natured ribbing.
'Fletch' lives… on and on
Essendon key defender Dustin Fletcher saved the day for his side last weekend.
With Jeff Garlett streaming in to a seemingly certain goal that would have sealed a Carlton win, Fletcher drew on his deceptive pace and improbably long arms to catch the Blues speedster holding the ball. Ultimately, Fletcher's actions helped the Bombers escape with a draw.
In one sense, Fletcher's heroics were no surprise. He's performed similar heroics countless times in his 332-game career.
But to still be performing such feats at 36 is remarkable. Remarkable enough for The Age's Greg Baum to seek some answers to the longevity of a player who debuted in 1993 as a 17-year-old.
Two Essendon officials who have followed Fletcher over his career, Dr Bruce Reid and football manager Danny Corcoran, helped Baum in his search.
Ultimately, Baum pinpointed the following reasons for Fletcher's survival: his slim and sinewy physique that resembles those of the competition's only 400-game players, Michael Tuck and Kevin Bartlett; he has retained his speed; his long limbs, together with outstanding timing and reflexes, make him an outstanding kick, mark, spoiler and tackler; and his unflappable temperament under opposition barrages.
Dr Reid also pointed to Fletcher's competitive streak, Corcoran to his relaxed attitude to training, which has ensured he has preserved rather than pushed himself on the track.
Finally, talk turned to Fletcher's standing in the game. Dr Reid put him in the top two fullbacks of the past 15 years. Corcoran noted that he along with his era's other great full-backs - Stephen Silvagni, Matthew Scarlett and Darren Glass - had all been father-son recruits.
It prompted Baum to observe DNA as much as anything may explain Fletcher's career.
It will be interesting to see how much longer Fletcher can keep his heroics up.
Longing for Saturday afternoons of old
It's not uncommon to hear footy fans long for the old days when Saturday afternoon was the home of footy. After all, many of us grew up in the days of a 12-team competition, with six matches a round, all of which were played on Saturday afternoons.
Such nostalgia seems at play in a Herald Sun report that laments the fact no Saturday afternoon match will be played at the MCG from rounds five to 13.
In an accompanying breakout headed "Saturday Afternoon Wasteland", the little paper ran the results of a 2009 survey that showed Saturday afternoon was the preferred timeslot of almost 50 per cent of players and fans.
Two pages earlier, Mike Sheahan had added his two cents, proposing the AFL schedule fewer games on Thursdays, Mondays and Tuesdays and more on Saturday afternoons.
"Not everything old belongs in the past," Sheahan said.
However, while the MCG will host two fewer Saturday afternoon games this year, there will be four more Saturday afternoon games in Victoria this season, with an additional three to be played at both Skilled Stadium and Etihad Stadium.
AFL media relations manager Patrick Keane said concerns about the weather had been behind the League's decision to fixture more Saturday afternoon games at Etihad Stadium, given its games can be played under a closed roof.
Keane also said strong demand from TV broadcasters for blockbuster games on Friday and Saturday nights meant the MCG, as the competition's highest capacity stadium, had a "heavy focus" on those two timeslots.
Interestingly, the Melbourne Cricket Club is not complaining. Chief executive Stephen Gough noted that with the ground averaging crowds of 50,000 over the past two home and away seasons, the AFL's fixturing was "standing up well".
Live football a reality
The negotiations for the TV rights have had more than their fair share of column space recently at Media Watch, but given the end is growing ever closer, we thought a quick update was in order.
First, the Herald Sun reports that no matter which network(s) win the free-to-air television rights for 2012-16, all nine games a week will be telecast live.
Channel Seven is still the front-runner to win the free-to-air rights, The Age and Herald Sun report.
The existing free-to-air partnership between Channels Seven and Ten may not continue, with the Herald Sun reporting Seven had put its own offer of $450 million to the AFL. The Age said while it was believed Channel 10 would agree to pay its contracted share to continue telecasting its allotted two games a week, it had not yet guaranteed to do so.
Both papers said if Seven were ultimately announced as the successful free-to-air bidder by the AFL, the exact make-up of which networks televised those games would be unclear for some time to come.
After making its final bid on Monday, the Herald Sun reported Channel Nine was "pessimistic" about its chances.
All should be revealed later this week.
In short
The Age's Emma Quayle has urged North Melbourne to elevate rookie Majak Daw into its senior side, saying he was ready and, just as importantly, would give the Kangaroos a much-needed dose of dare, skill and excitement.
Gold Coast Suns captain Gary Ablett has hit back at widespread criticism of his commitment to the club on Twitter, saying some critics were motivated by their hatred of his decision to leave Geelong at the end of last season.
Advertiser columnist Mark Ricciuto has called on the SANFL to improve its financial deals with the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide, saying if it didn't, the gap between them and the AFL's strongest financial clubs would only get wider.
Fremantle is set to reward Nathan Fyfe for his outstanding start to the 2011 season with a three-year contract of about $1 million that will keep him from the clutches of GWS, The West Australian reports.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
