The Kangaroos can start buying lotto tickets 

An Essendon defender wants out... AGAIN.

The AFL moves to clarify a major blunder between Collingwood and Hawthorn.

And where does Brad Scott sit on Dyson Heppell's farewell game?

All that and more from media buzz.

Roos lucky in umpire oversight

North Melbourne can deem themselves lucky for securing the premiership points against Gold Coast last week.

Former AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain believes the adjudicating umpire should've called advantage when Nick Larkey and Paul Curtis attempted to score when a free kick was awarded to Cam Zurhaar in a marking contest just before the final siren.

"This should be, in my opinion advantage," Chamberlain said.

"Nick Larkey decides to go, not the umpire, and as we saw, he botches it. I suspect the umpire has looked at it and thought he didn't know the whistle went."

Ridley removal once again

Essendon defender Jordan Ridley is understood to want to leave the club for the second consecutive year.

Flagging a long history of injuries, coupled with the uncertain future of the Bombers, Ridley wants a fresh start in Queensland, putting Brisbane and Gold Coast in the conversation.

Intrigue will mount as Essendon is keen on bringing Jed Walter into the club, who has found himself on the outer.

AFL clarifies Pies-Hawks interchange blunder

The league will take no further action on the apparent interchange blunder between Collingwood and Hawthorn that technically could've gifted the Pies the win.

A report on Channel Seven's The Agenda Setters earlier in the week suggested the Hawks' Jack Gunston was the 76th interchange on the night, breaching the 75-max cap.

"On the night, the AFL interchange official had a count of 74 rotations with Gunston being the 75th and final," the AFL's executive general manager of football performance, Greg Swann, said on Tuesday.

"In any event, having recently reviewed the vision, Gunston doesn't enter the field of play before the siren sounds."

It is understood that Champion Data recorded four rotations from the 20-minute mark of the first term, when the official AFL interchange records show three, allowing Gunston to be replaced by James Sicily in the final moments of the match.

Scott no regrets in dropping Heppell for farewell game

Sacked Essendon coach Brad Scott maintains dropping club icon Dyson Heppell for a farewell game in 2024 was the right call.

Heppell was to retire at the end of the season, but his final match in the red and black wasn't in front of the home crowd. Instead, it was against Brisbane at the Gabba.

Scott's reasoning was due to the club still vying for finals, which they ultimately fell short of.

MSD Pick 1 endorses Tasmania living

Essendon recruit Jaxon Artemis says players shouldn't fear moving to Tasmania to continue playing top-flight football as the AFL's newest club prepares for its 2028 introduction.

Artemis moved to the Apple Isle to play with the Devils in the VFL after he entrenched himself as a WAFL star.

The new Bomber, having spent six months in Tasmania, is confident players will still be attracted to the state.

“Tasmania has been amazing. I can't speak any more highly of the club. It's such a new club so there are still some things to work on," Artemis told the Herald Sun.

“The facilities they are getting at Kingston which are going to be done next year are going to be really cool. But as for the city of Hobart itself, the whole state gets around you.

“Early on we felt like our expectations for the club were really high but even when we got that first loss against Carlton, the whole state got around all of us. I am a city boy and I do enjoy golfing but you don't have to like one of those things. It's a great city.”

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