Carlton leaves McGovern out, contract extension hopes dashed
Carlton defender Mitch McGovern will not trigger a contract extension for 2026 after he was left out of the senior side for the final game of the season.
McGovern has failed to meet a games-based trigger, which would have guaranteed an automatic extension for next season.
But he was not picked in the final side, instead named as an emergency.
He could still remain at the club in 2026, but the re-negotiation would give Carlton and new CEO Graham Wright more flexibility.
However the uncontracted defender will likely draw attention from rival clubs as a versatile key position player.
Carlton made two changes for the clash, recalling Lucas Camporeale for his second game of the season, as well as Will White.
The father-son pick will strangely bookend the season, having debuted in round 1.
Lachie Fogarty and Cooper Lord will miss through injury.
Meanwhile, Essendon veteran Dylan Shiel has been recalled for what could be his last game in the red and black.
The defender was suspended for the controversial push on Mark O'Connor that led to friendly fire on teammate Luamon Lual.
But he will play on Thursday night – with a growing likelihood he is not at the club in 2026 considering he has not been offered a contract.
The 32-year-old will play game 13, which is the highest tally he has reached in his past three seasons.
Zach Merrett will return for Essendon alongside Shiel, with Saad El-Hawli and Ben Hobbs both omitted for the clash.
Originally published as The latest AFL team news ahead of round 24
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West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
RICHO'S TOP 10: Crows star Izak Rankine has only himself to blame over AFL ban for homophobic slur
He would be contrite and remorseful. His brain fade is going to cost him and the Adelaide Crows dearly. Without he and Josh Rachele, suddenly the Crows' class inside forward 50 is diminished severely. But this is a very black and white issue — the AFL will not tolerate homophobic slurs — as it has shown time and time again. The precedent is clear. West Coast's Jack Graham received four weeks only last month so that should have been fresh in Rankine's mind. The AFL was right in making Rankine's suspension the same length as Graham's. If it hadn't, then we would have needed a very clear reason why. The seemingly never-ending sagas of player movement that free agency creates is now part of our game, as NAS was a restricted free agent and had the right to make sure he got top dollar for his services. There is always a go-home factor with some players. One rusted-on Saints fan told Dale Thomas and me over the weekend it would be worse than when they lost Tony Lockett to the Swans in 1995 if NAS had jumped ship. Some Saints fans have still not recovered from Plugger going north. Win and you're in. Lose and you can book those plane tickets to Bali. Now that's a bitter pill to swallow if you're a Freo fan, as your team will have won 15 games. But the good thing is it's still in the Dockers' hands, 'just win baby,' as the late great Las Vegas Raiders owner Al Davis would say. The Dockers will also be motivated by Nat Fyfe playing his final regular season game. There have not been many better players in the AFL era than Fyfe at the peak of his powers. Those peak years were 2013–19, during which he won two Brownlow medals. One of the best marking midfielders we have seen. Not many, if any, have been as courageous and tough in the contest. Fyfe also has a bit of mystery about him and an aura that draws people in. Unfortunately, his career was at times plagued by injuries, which must have worn him out mentally. He never showed it though. Let's hope this weekend isn't his final game and the Dockers can take him into a final September run. It will be must-watch Sunday footy on Channel Seven. To me, it's pointless holding it in mid-February with Victoria taking on WA at Optus Stadium. It will be circle work, nothing more than an exhibition game. And I doubt all the stars will be there either. Why? Because it will never be supported by the clubs who don't want their star players injured. Imagine the Western Bulldogs' reaction if The Bont was injured in this game. It will never be the pinnacle of the game like it is in the NRL to the players. So, to me, it is pointless unless it's fully supported by all stakeholders 100 per cent. Some stars of the game have said they want it, but need to show it's more than ticking it off on their career achievement list. As a small forward with 553 goals to his name, it puts him at the very top of the tree in that position. Incredible numbers in a position that at times you're living off scraps. He is so hard to tackle with great movement and footy IQ. He was a huge part of the Hawks' threepeat from 2013–15 – one of the all-time great teams. He sits comfortably among Stephen Milne, Eddie Betts, Jeff Farmer and Boomer Harvey as the best small crumbing forwards of the AFL era. A potential Hall of Famer, no doubt. The AFL would be pumped as well, with a Port win making the Suns' final game against the Bombers do-or-die. More so than that, he just deserves to walk off the Adelaide Oval with a win and a chance to sing the song one last time for the Power. He is a players' man to the end that never lost his group over his entire career. He only suffered two losing seasons in 13 years at the helm, and in four of those, he made the preliminary final. Always an honest straight shooter with no BS when dealing with him in the media as well. Put the feet up, Kenny. A job in footy awaits somewhere when he's ready. Maybe at Carlton with Vossy? Look back at the last four years. In 2022, they needed one win to secure a finals spot, only to give up the last two goals of the game against Melbourne in round 22 to lose by five points, and in round 23 they kicked 0.6 in the last quarter to Collingwood's 5.1 to lose by one point and surrender a finals berth. In 2023, they made a preliminary final. But on closer inspection, when the pressure and expectation was on that year after a 4–0 start, they went 1–8. Then, when there was a nothing-to-lose mentality, they made a run. Last year, they were second on the ladder by round 18, then stumbled into a finals campaign after they lost to the Saints and had to rely on other results. They will probably finish this year with a win tonight to finish 11th at best with a 9–14 record. It feels like the pressure valve went down after the club backed Vossy in for 2026, but over the summer they have to find a way to deal with the expectations of being a big four club, if they really want to be one. He's a fan favourite already at West Coast, and when he was at Richmond, he was the same. A committed, total team player. Desperate and willing to play any role for his team. But, and I'm sorry for this Liam, he is about to become just the fifth AFL player to win back-to-back flags (at the Tigers in 2019–20) and back-to-back wooden spoons with the Tigers in 2024 and now West Coast in 2025. The other players with this unwanted honour are all Lions: Marcus Ashcroft, Shaun Hart, Chris Johnson and Martin Pike. Now that's a quirky footy trivia question for your next club fundraiser. I get it, he's different and marketable and controversial. He draws heaps of attention for all the obvious reasons. But I love it. As I've said before, we need more personalities in our game who are not afraid of being themselves. Apart from that, he gets the job done on the field every weekend. Smith has been massive for the Cats and will be a key factor in a strong September run for Geelong. As a player, Simpson had a top score of 311 and was known as just about the best slips fielder of all time. But it was as Australia's coach that I remember him the most from 1986 to 1996 – my peak cricket-watching years. Under his tutelage and Allan Border's captaincy, Australia was transformed as a team. Think of the players that came through in that time. Too many to name, but I will single out my childhood hero and great Tasmanian Boony. Some of the team's greatest achievements in his time as coach were winning the 1987 World Cup and regaining The Ashes in England in 1989. I vividly recall both those achievements. What a time it was for Aussie cricket fans.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Izak Rankine only has himself to blame for costly mistake
He would be contrite and remorseful. His brain fade is going to cost him and the Adelaide Crows dearly. Without he and Josh Rachele, suddenly the Crows' class inside forward 50 is diminished severely. But this is a very black and white issue — the AFL will not tolerate homophobic slurs — as it has shown time and time again. The precedent is clear. West Coast's Jack Graham received four weeks only last month so that should have been fresh in Rankine's mind. The AFL was right in making Rankine's suspension the same length as Graham's. If it hadn't, then we would have needed a very clear reason why. The seemingly never-ending sagas of player movement that free agency creates is now part of our game, as NAS was a restricted free agent and had the right to make sure he got top dollar for his services. There is always a go-home factor with some players. One rusted-on Saints fan told Dale Thomas and me over the weekend it would be worse than when they lost Tony Lockett to the Swans in 1995 if NAS had jumped ship. Some Saints fans have still not recovered from Plugger going north. Win and you're in. Lose and you can book those plane tickets to Bali. Now that's a bitter pill to swallow if you're a Freo fan, as your team will have won 15 games. But the good thing is it's still in the Dockers' hands, 'just win baby,' as the late great Las Vegas Raiders owner Al Davis would say. The Dockers will also be motivated by Nat Fyfe playing his final regular season game. There have not been many better players in the AFL era than Fyfe at the peak of his powers. Those peak years were 2013–19, during which he won two Brownlow medals. One of the best marking midfielders we have seen. Not many, if any, have been as courageous and tough in the contest. Fyfe also has a bit of mystery about him and an aura that draws people in. Unfortunately, his career was at times plagued by injuries, which must have worn him out mentally. He never showed it though. Let's hope this weekend isn't his final game and the Dockers can take him into a final September run. It will be must-watch Sunday footy on Channel Seven. Nat Fyfe deserves a final AFL finals run. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper / The West Australian To me, it's pointless holding it in mid-February with Victoria taking on WA at Optus Stadium. It will be circle work, nothing more than an exhibition game. And I doubt all the stars will be there either. Why? Because it will never be supported by the clubs who don't want their star players injured. Imagine the Western Bulldogs' reaction if The Bont was injured in this game. It will never be the pinnacle of the game like it is in the NRL to the players. So, to me, it is pointless unless it's fully supported by all stakeholders 100 per cent. Some stars of the game have said they want it, but need to show it's more than ticking it off on their career achievement list. As a small forward with 553 goals to his name, it puts him at the very top of the tree in that position. Incredible numbers in a position that at times you're living off scraps. He is so hard to tackle with great movement and footy IQ. He was a huge part of the Hawks' threepeat from 2013–15 – one of the all-time great teams. He sits comfortably among Stephen Milne, Eddie Betts, Jeff Farmer and Boomer Harvey as the best small crumbing forwards of the AFL era. A potential Hall of Famer, no doubt. The AFL would be pumped as well, with a Port win making the Suns' final game against the Bombers do-or-die. More so than that, he just deserves to walk off the Adelaide Oval with a win and a chance to sing the song one last time for the Power. He is a players' man to the end that never lost his group over his entire career. He only suffered two losing seasons in 13 years at the helm, and in four of those, he made the preliminary final. Always an honest straight shooter with no BS when dealing with him in the media as well. Put the feet up, Kenny. A job in footy awaits somewhere when he's ready. Maybe at Carlton with Vossy? Look back at the last four years. In 2022, they needed one win to secure a finals spot, only to give up the last two goals of the game against Melbourne in round 22 to lose by five points, and in round 23 they kicked 0.6 in the last quarter to Collingwood's 5.1 to lose by one point and surrender a finals berth. In 2023, they made a preliminary final. But on closer inspection, when the pressure and expectation was on that year after a 4–0 start, they went 1–8. Then, when there was a nothing-to-lose mentality, they made a run. Last year, they were second on the ladder by round 18, then stumbled into a finals campaign after they lost to the Saints and had to rely on other results. They will probably finish this year with a win tonight to finish 11th at best with a 9–14 record. It feels like the pressure valve went down after the club backed Vossy in for 2026, but over the summer they have to find a way to deal with the expectations of being a big four club, if they really want to be one. He's a fan favourite already at West Coast, and when he was at Richmond, he was the same. A committed, total team player. Desperate and willing to play any role for his team. But, and I'm sorry for this Liam, he is about to become just the fifth AFL player to win back-to-back flags (at the Tigers in 2019–20) and back-to-back wooden spoons with the Tigers in 2024 and now West Coast in 2025. The other players with this unwanted honour are all Lions: Marcus Ashcroft, Shaun Hart, Chris Johnson and Martin Pike. Now that's a quirky footy trivia question for your next club fundraiser. I get it, he's different and marketable and controversial. He draws heaps of attention for all the obvious reasons. But I love it. As I've said before, we need more personalities in our game who are not afraid of being themselves. Apart from that, he gets the job done on the field every weekend. Smith has been massive for the Cats and will be a key factor in a strong September run for Geelong. Bailey Smith. Credit: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images As a player, Simpson had a top score of 311 and was known as just about the best slips fielder of all time. But it was as Australia's coach that I remember him the most from 1986 to 1996 – my peak cricket-watching years. Under his tutelage and Allan Border's captaincy, Australia was transformed as a team. Think of the players that came through in that time. Too many to name, but I will single out my childhood hero and great Tasmanian Boony. Some of the team's greatest achievements in his time as coach were winning the 1987 World Cup and regaining The Ashes in England in 1989. I vividly recall both those achievements. What a time it was for Aussie cricket fans.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The AFL is cracking down on homophobia, but only to a point
Is the AFL homophobic? For the most part, I would argue it's not, but with every on-field homophobic slur and ensuing sanction, the question becomes more difficult to answer with anything sounding remotely like conviction. I interviewed AFLW star Darcy Vescio on ABC radio this week, and asked them about homophobia in football and why the AFLW is so much more evolved than its male counterpart. I'm paraphrasing, but within their answer, Darcy referenced that women's football (before AFLW) was born out of the queer community. I wouldn't necessarily think the AFL was formed from the heterosexual community, but a hypermasculine one? We're getting warmer. This week Izak Rankine and the Adelaide Football Club are at the centre of the league's latest homophobia bonfire. The case could have been relatively straightforward. The offensive language was used on the field. There was no official self-reporting, and once the league's integrity unit found out about it, there is (unfortunately) a well-worn path that leads to a five-match suspension. Loading It could have been dealt with on Monday. Alas, the process was still going on Thursday afternoon. And the sanction, when it finally landed, was not five matches but four. So why the delay? It wasn't so long ago that another Crow, Taylor Walker, was in the spotlight for a racist slur. At the time, in 2021, the Crows were not in the mix to challenge for a finals position, let alone a premiership. The process was relatively quick. The Rankine process was more complicated, at least in football terms, because the Crows are on top of the ladder and Rankine is their wildly talented midfielder/forward. Immediately there were questions, some bigger than others. How many matches would he get, and what would it mean for the Crows' flag hopes? My question now is, what does four matches instead of five say about how men's football really feels about homophobia?
