McKenna, Morris magic lifts Lions to vital big win over Pies
With the battle for third spot coming down to percentage, Brisbane Lions will have to put their foot down against Collingwood to get a big break over rivals Hawthorn.
The Lions go into the final round with a 2.2 per cent advantage over the Hawks.
However Hawthorn has the advantage of playing West Coast in Melbourne on Sunday, needing a winning margin at least seven goals more than Brisbane — if the Lions win — to take third spot.
With the prize of a first final against a depleted Sydney Swans at stake, the Lions will be looking for a big win at the MCG, while Collingwood is preparing for the wildcard round next week.
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Women in Swans scandal suffering 'severe stress and anxiety', lawyer says
A lawyer representing two of the women involved in an alleged sexual assault scandal engulfing the Sydney Swans says his clients are suffering "severe stress and anxiety".
Several adult entertainers are understood to have joined players at Melbourne's Pullman Hotel after being hired in the hours after the Swans' win against Essendon on Sunday night.
Players Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon have been stood down by the Swans for breaching the club's standards on drinking and staying out late following last Sunday's win over Essendon in Melbourne.
Separately, police are investigating a report of sexual assault, which the ABC understands centres on a player allegedly touching one of the women without her consent.
Police have not made any arrests or laid charges.
Lawyer John Karantzis is representing two of the women, who he said would be claiming damages for "pain and suffering" following the incident.
"They're suffering severe stress and anxiety as a result of the events occurring on Monday morning," Mr Karantzis said.
You can read more about this in our story here:
Sydney AFLW coach and skipper support sanctions for banned men's players
The Sydney Swans AFLW captain Lucy McEvoy and coach Colin O'Riordan have also spoken to the media in the wake of the scandal.
McEvoy said the women's program supports the sanctions imposed on Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon.
Those five players will miss the remainder of the AFL season following club-imposed suspensions for breaking team standards in Melbourne earlier this week.
Victoria Police are investigating a sexual assault allegation, where it is alleged one player touched a woman without her consent. No charges have been laid, and no-one has been formally interviewed.
"On behalf of the playing group, we also support the club in the sanctions that were handed down," McEvoy said.
"To the players, we are incredibly disappointed, as a lot of people were.
"We know that the actions of those five players are not a reflection of the broader club."
McEvoy also said it had been a big week for the women's program - who will face Essendon at the Sydney Cricket Ground this weekend - and that the AFLW players had been working through their emotions following this week's events.
You can read more about what she and coach O'Riordan said to the media in our story here:
Swans skipper Mills denies player rift amid scandal
Sydney Swans coach Dean Cox and captain Callum Mills faced the media this morning amid the ongoing scandal at the club.
Five players — Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon — have been stood down by the Swans for breaching the club's standards on drinking and staying out late following last Sunday's win over Essendon in Melbourne.
Police from Victoria's sexual crimes squad are investigating a report of sexual assault, which the ABC understands centres on a player allegedly touching one of the women without her consent.
Police have not made any arrests or laid charges.
Mills said he was "deeply shocked and disappointed" and said he had not witnessed anything like this behaviour before.
He was also questioned about the state of the playing group after the week's events and he denied suggestions of a rift among players.
You can read more about what Mills and Cox had to say in our story here:
A note regarding Sydney
As the weekend of footy continues, we'd just like to advise that while we will post stories in the blog relating to updates on the Sydney Swans and the ongoing investigation, we will not be posting any comments relating to the team or the situation.
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Welcome to Friday footy
Hello, good evening and welcome to ABC's live coverage of round 24 of the AFL.
It's Friday night footy, and it's a big MCG clash between Collingwood and Brisbane.
There's always plenty of motivation when these two sides play, but the Lions have a little extra this evening as they try to ensure they end the round in third spot.
With only a couple of per cent between them and Hawthorn in fourth, and the Hawks finishing their schedule against West Coast on Sunday night, Chris Fagan's men will want to create as big a buffer as possible.
Meanwhile the Magpies will want to knock off the premiers to tune themselves up for the wildcard round next week.
I'm Andrew McGarry and I will be bringing you the action tonight, plus all the news that's around.
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