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Tiger turmoil prompts list overhaul for 2017Richmond have bitten the bullet and made a decision about the fate of up to a dozen of their players as they forensically review their playing list following a disastrous 2016.ESPN understands forward Ben Griffiths, defender David Astbury and big man Shaun Hampson will be offered new deals by the end of the home-and-away season.But VFL regular Liam McBean, maligned ruckman Tyrone Vickery, injury-prone midfielder Reece Conca, journeyman Shaun Grigg and Jake Batchelor are likely to be offered up as Tigers trade bait.Sources at Tigerland told ESPN the club would be a very active player during the three-week trade period in October.The bold list strategy is designed to rejuvenate a tired squad that has failed to enjoy in any finals success since 2001.Superstars Jack Riewoldt, Alex Rance, Dustin Martin and Shane Edwards will form the centrepiece of the new-look Tigers for the 2017 season, with extensions to be offered to Kane Lambert, Sam Lloyd and Nick Vlastuin.Some 20 players are coming out of contract -- 10 of whom been regulars in the Tigers best 22.But ESPN believes the bulk of those players will be offered new deals.There will be five that get one-year deals, while four will get two-year deals, said a high-profile player manager.ESPNs AFL expert Jude Bolton says the Tigers lack star quality and need to drastically rejuvenate its side by luring A-grade potential.The bulk of any list and its consistency, though, is underpinned by the middle group and emerging leaders. [Richmond have] too many underperforming players who fluctuate in both form and effort, Bolton said.ESPN expects Vickery, who was selected at pick No. 8 in 2008, to find a new home for the 2017 season.No blues here: Hawks offer up man-hugs to CarltonFact no. 1: Launceston isnt the biggest place in the world. Fact no. 2: AFL players enjoy lounging in cafes, often on game days and even more so, to help pass the time away on the road.So there it was on Saturday morning as a bunch of Hawthorn players found themselves in a café in Launceston, just off the main drag, enjoying their pre-match lattes ahead of that afternoons clash with Carlton at Aurora Stadium.The Hawks know all the local haunts; they spend plenty of time there over the course of the year.So what should happen on this particular Saturday morning when a bunch of Carlton players also looking for their coffee fix should stumble into the same café? Perhaps some verbal in anticipation of the afternoons hostilities? Or a collective cold shoulder and a few cold stares from one team to the other?In fact, it was the opposite. Our spy in the café tells is that the two groups of players warmly greeted each other with backslaps, handshakes, a couple of man-hugs and plenty of friendly conversation.Thats how it is in the modern AFL, where all that distinguishes players is colour of their footy jumpers. Perhaps it was the mutual respect and affection for Blues coach Brendon Bolton and Hawk assistant coach Brett Ratten, whose ties run deep to both clubs.Still, we cant imagine this being the case 30 years ago, when the Hawks and the Blues, two powerhouses who shared Princes Park together, absolutely loathed each other both on and off the ground.Robert Dipper DiPierdomenico and Wayne Dominator Johnson sharing a friendly coffee on the morning of a match? Not a hope in hell.ABCs AFL team in Rio lockdownIt is the eve of the Olympics which means once again that TV, radio and newspaper sports departments around the country are depleted as erstwhile AFL journalists and broadcasters travel to Rio where they pretend to be experts on events such as diving, canoeing, handball and the like.Channel Seven has had to call some reserves off the bench over the next few weeks for its footy coverage while Bruce McAvaney, Basil Zempilas and Hamish McLachlan are at the Games.But the interesting case is at the ABC, where ESPN understands that only three of the Grandstand team -- Gerard Whateley, Alister Nicholson and Quentin Hull -- will be commentating the action live from Rio. The rest will be calling games and events off the TV in Sydney.Among them are several more of their AFL commentators, which means that even though theyre perfectly capable of getting to the footy over the duration of the games, the pretence of them being in Rio means they have been relieved of their commentary duties for now.It looks like a strange decision, but in fairness to the Sydney-based broadcasters the time difference between Rio and here means that theyll be working through the night and catching up on much-needed sleep during the afternoons and early evenings when the footy is on.Roosters one day, featherdusters the nextThe 134-year-old Victorian club that launched the careers of AFL legends Tony Lockett and Mick Malthouse is under such financial pressure that its future is uncertain.ESPN understands the financial situation at the once-dominant North Ballarat Roosters is so dire that members of the board have unsuccessfully pushed for an exit from the VFL.The Roosters descended into ruin when their eight-year affiliation with North Melbourne ended last season -- after the AFL gave preference to Western Bulldogs establishing a presence in the regional stronghold.Now operating as a standalone club, the Roosters have mustered just two wins this year and languish in last place on the VFL ladder.However, their on-field performance is a mere reflection of the chaos behind the scenes.The club, which won three consecutive premierships from 2008-10, has battled to make ends meet and has even forfeited player payments. The players are paid monthly and were last remunerated at the end of June.Roosters chairman Jen Bromley denied that breakaway board members sought to separate from the state league.I can absolutely categorically deny that that is not true, Bromley told ESPN.When asked if the board was harmonious, Bromley said: Absolutely.AFL Victoria met with the embattled club last week and said it was working with it to balance the accounts.As a board they told us they remain fully committed to having a presence in the VFL and whilst theyre working through some cash-flow issues, they want to remain a state league club, AFL Victoria chief executive Steven Reaper told ESPN.The club sensationally decided to not to reappoint legendary premiership coach Gerard FitzGerald last year, following a controversial review of the football department.Construction works at the clubs home base, Eureka Stadium, is on track to transform it into an AFL-ready boutique stadium by 2017.The $31.5 million project will cater up to 20,000 spectators.The Bulldogs are scheduled to host two matches there from next season.Controversial rules leave umps carrying the canIts all well and good for the AFL Umpires department to come out each Monday and defend some of the contentious calls theyve made over the weekend.But, jeepers, some of their explanations defy belief -- and commonsense.It was cringeworthy watching acting umpires director Luke Ball -- one of the toughest ballwinners of his era -- trying to defend a free kick paid against Essendons Courtenay Dempsey last month for a crunching tackle.Speaking on afl.com.aus Whistleblowers, Ball said the umpire made the right call in penalising Dempsey for a dangerous tackle on Andrew Gaff, despite the Eagle appearing to jump into the Bombers arms.We think that this is a correct call under the current interpretations of the rule thats obviously been tightened the last couple of years due to the impacts of concussion, he said.Then, three weeks ago, the justification from umpires boss Hayden Kennedy for the free paid against Michael Firrito for the Roos deliberate rushed behind at Etihad Stadium - because of the distance Firrito was able to handball while being tackled - was simply mind-boggling.Last week, the umpires pronounced themselves more than comfortably satisfied with two line-ball deliberate out-of-bounds decisions paid against Melbourne - at, surprise, surprise, a West Coast home game.Were more than comfortable that there was enough there to say that they were [both] deliberate out of bounds, Kennedy told Whistleblowers, in hardly a ringing endorsement of the decisions.We have some sympathy for the umps: these new AFL rules have added yet another layer of complexity to an already tough job.But, 19 rounds into the season, the deliberate out of bounds, deliberate rushed behind and ten-metre exclusion zone rules must all be rated as fails, because few fans understand them and are bewildered by their varying interpretations.Random stats of the week34 -- The amount of game time (in percentage terms) that Rising Star nominee Darcy Moore spent on the ground last week. Since 2003, Rising Star nominees who have played smallest percentage of their winning game: 34 - D.Moore (Collingwood, 2016); 45 - R.Hadley (Brisbane, 2004); 58 - C.Oliver (Melbourne, 2016).300 -- Father-son combined games: Melbournes Todd Viney (233) and Jack Viney (67) to reach the milestone this week. As will Essendons Anthony Daniher and Joe Daniher, with exactly the same division of matches, 233 and 67.29 -- Its a fairly nondescript number but it happens to be the one worn by some of the games greatest, and longest-serving, players. Brent Harvey broke the games record (427) last week with the No. 29 on his back. Other notable members of the club are Matthew Pavlich (350 games last week) and former Richmond champ, Kevin Bartlett (403). Custom Eric Staal Jersey . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Cheap Wild Jerseys . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. http://www.customwildjersey.com/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Custom Wild Jerseys . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Custom Wild Jersey China . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. ARLINGTON, Texas -- Andrelton Simmons threw his hands up in disbelief, then put them on his hips and stared toward the mound. In the dugout, all Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia could do was shake his head.Thats not fun, Simmons said about his hard liner on which reliever Nick Martinez made a no-look, behind-the-back snag and turned into a double play. You try to hit the ball hard, and a guy makes a crazy play. Thats baseball, I guess.That play by Martinez came in the fifth inning of the Rangers 5-4 win Tuesday night in another testy game to get them closer to their second AL West title in a row while Los Angeles scuffles in last place.Thats just a reaction. You can try that a hundred times, and maybe get it once, Scioscia said. But he comes out and makes the play.Angels left-hander Brett Oberholtzer and Scioscia were ejected when Elvis Andrus was hit by a pitch in the eighth, an inning after both benches were warned following a fastball by reliever Keona Kela that went near Simmons head.Andrus was the third Texas batter hit by a pitch after Mike Trout was hit by a pitch in the Angels second.Scioscia felt the throw at Simmons was intentional, coming an inning after a play at second base when he tagged out Carlos Gomez, who had advanced on an errant pickoff throw but lost contact with the base while sliding.For some reason, they were upset, saying (Simmons) had his foot in front of the slide when Gomez slid into the base and then overslid the bag and was consequently called out, Scioscia said. I guess they took exception to what was a good play by Andrelton. He wasnt in Gomezs way at all. ... He came up to bat, and they threw a 97-mph fastball at his neck.There was also a short delay in the Rangers seventh when third-base coach Spike Owen walked toward the Angels dugout and had words with a clearly agitated Scioscia.I was upset, Scioscia said. He was the closest guy in an opposing uniform.Banister didnt give any insight about what happened with Owen.I thinkk that my third base coach got asked out to lunch, Banister said.dddddddddddd They were trying to make plans, they interrupted the game, so I went over there and made sure we kept the game going.In the Rangers 3-2 series-opening victory Monday night, Banister (arguing a replay review) and Mitch Moreland (questioning a called third strike) were tossed early.Rangers rookie Nomar Mazaras 20th homer was a 438-foot drive off rookie right-hander Daniel Wright (0-4) in the fourth to make it 4-3. Moreland added an RBI single an inning later after two batters were hit by pitches.In between came the play when Martinez (2-3), who threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings, caught the hard liner and threw to first to force out C.J. Cron, who was already almost to second base.I guess it happened so quick that it happened in slow motion, Martinez said. I just kind of threw my glove up there, theres no real explanation for it, in hopes of knocking it down.BALL 14, BALL 15Martinez, the first of six Texas relievers, came in with two outs in the second after starter A.J. Griffins last 12 pitches were balls, a stretch when he hit Trout with a pitch to load the bases before consecutive four-pitch walks to Albert Pujols and C.J. Cron that made it 3-1. Martinezs first three pitches were balls before an inning-ending groundout by Simmons.TRAINERS ROOMAngels: Wright was hit in the back of the leg by a comebacker in the second, but was OK. ... Scioscia said Jhoulys Chacin, who had a comebacker ricochet off his lower left leg Monday, was sore but should make his next start.UP NEXTAngels: Jered Weaver (11-12) will try to join Chuck Finley (165) as the only pitchers to win 150 games in an Angels uniform. The right-handers 17 wins against Texas are his most against any opponent.Rangers: Lefty Derek Holland (7-8) has lost his last two starts, allowing nine runs in 9 2/3 innings. ' ' '