Australian rules football

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has taken a swipe at critics of his two-pronged ruck division after Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson shone in a 92-demolition of Max Gawn's Melbourne in Alice Springs. The Dockers' pressure, contest work and ball movement were levels above their lacklustre opponents' in the thumping 22.9 (141) to 7.7 (49) victory at Traeger Park on Sunday. Darcy was at his physical best in limiting ruck star Gawn's influence as Fremantle improved to 7-4-1 and added 10.8 percentage points in the process, surging above the Demons into sixth on the ladder. Jackson also stood out with three…

Geelong have left out 840 games of AFL experience in a selection gamble for their clash with Gold Coast in Darwin after opting to rest premiership stars Tom Hawkins, Mitch Duncan and Rhys Stanley. The trio did not travel with the Cats' squad this week, joining fellow veteran Jeremy Cameron (concussion) on the sidelines as coach Chris Scott attempts to negotiate a six-day break between matches. Scott's "complicated" selection call comes with Geelong on a two-match losing skid heading into the Suns encounter at TIO Stadium on Thursday night. "You can't satisfy every requirement every single week, but as a…

A Northern Territory club could join the AFL within a decade and play at a multi-purpose 20,000-capacity stadium in Darwin, NT powerbrokers say. AFL greats Andrew McLeod and Nathan Buckley, and former AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, have joined a NT taskforce examining the feasibility of an AFL club in the territory. The taskforce on Thursday released a strategic business case estimating an AFL club would create 260 jobs and provide annual economic benefit of $116 million to the territory. A Tasmanian team will enter the AFL in 2028 and the league's hierarchy are yet to commit to further expansion.…

Melbourne have again been left to lament their wastefulness after GWS star Josh Kelly snatched a dramatic two-point upset win that leaves the Demons' top-four spot vulnerable. The Giants appeared destined to fall short with about two minutes left in the final quarter in Alice Springs when Kelly marked, played on and launched the winner from close to 60m out. GWS held on for a dramatic 7.5 (47) to 5.15 (45) victory that puts the Giants (28 points) four points outside the eight and leaves the Demons' top-four spot vulnerable. "I can't question the players' effort, I can't question their…

Adelaide have lost key defender Tom Doedee for the rest of the AFL season with an ACL rupture in his right knee. It is a significant blow to the finals hopes of the Crows, who are coming off an upset loss to Gold Coast that dropped them out of the top eight. Doedee suffered the injury in the first term of Saturday night's loss to the Suns. Scans on Sunday in Adelaide confirmed the rupture, and Doedee will need surgery. "Unfortunately it's not the news we were hoping for and scans have confirmed that Tom has ruptured his ACL," Crows…