If the annual ANZAC Day clash this Saturday wasn't big enough already, Adam McPhee will play his 150th AFL game and Matthew Lloyd will enter the match needing just one six-pointer to reach the magical 900 career goals mark.
 
Those two key milestones head Essendon's involvement in this week's AFL news.
 
Don't forget, here are a limited number of seats still available in the chairman’s ANZAC Day function.
 
For more information contact Nicole Harper on (03) 9230 0353 ornharper@essendonfc.com.au
 
PROGRAM OF MATCHES (all times are local)

Round Five

Friday April 24

Port Adelaide v St Kilda at AAMI Stadium, 7.45pm

Saturday April 25

Essendon v Collingwood at the MCG, 2.20pm

Hawthorn v West Coast at Aurora Stadium, 5.20pm; Curtain Raiser – Northern Bombers v South Launceston, 1pm

North Melbourne v Richmond at Docklands, 7.20pm

Fremantle v Sydney Swans at Subiaco, 6.45pm; Curtain Raiser – AFL / AIS Academy v Peel Thunder, 3.30pm

Sunday April 26

Geelong Cats v Brisbane Lions at Skilled Stadium, 1.10pm

Western Bulldogs v Carlton at Docklands, 2.10pm

Melbourne v Adelaide at the MCG, 4.40pm; Curtain Raiser – Gold Coast v Tasmania, 2.10pm

IMPENDING MILESTONES

250 games coached – Rodney Eade. Rodney is due to become the sixth person in the history of the game to both play and then coach 250 games, after playing 259 games for Hawthorn and the Brisbane Bears. He will join in order Jock McHale (261 games played and 714 games coached), Dick Reynolds (320 games played and 415 games coached), Ron Barassi (254 games played and 514 games coached), Kevin Sheedy (251 games played and 635 games coached), Robert Walls (259 games played and 347 games coached) and Leigh Matthews (332 games played and 461 games coached) to have achieved the feat.

200 games – Stuart Dew, Hawthorn

200 games – Brett Kirk, Sydney Swans

200 games – Simon Prestigiacomo, Collingwood

150 games – Adam McPhee, Essendon

150 club games – Craig Bolton, Sydney Swans

150 games umpired – Michael Avon

100 games – Rick Ladson, Hawthorn

100 games – Matt Maguire, St Kilda

100 games – Adam Selwood, West Coast

100 games umpired – Matt Stevic

50 games – Josh Drummond, Brisbane Lions

50 games – Joel Selwood, Geelong Cats

900 goals - Matthew Lloyd, Essendon. Matthew needs one goal to become the eighth player in the history of the game to reach 900 goals, joining Tony Lockett (1360 goals for St Kilda and Sydney Swans), Gordon Coventry (1299 goals for Collingwood), Jason Dunstall (1254 goals for Hawthorn), Doug Wade (1057 goals for Geelong Cats and North Melbourne), Gary Ablett senior (1030 goals for Hawthorn and Geelong Cats), Jack Titus (970 goals for Richmond) and Leigh Matthews (915 goals for Hawthorn).
 
TRIBUNAL MATCH REVIEW PROCESS

The expected process for the 2009 AFL Season under the AFL Match Review system is that the AFL will issue a media release late on the Monday afternoon after each round detailing the penalties to be offered to players for incidents from that round of matches, or the reasons why no further action was to be taken.

The clubs and players then have until 11am on the Tuesday morning to decide whether to accept the penalty on offer, or whether they wish to contest the charge at a Tribunal hearing, to usually be held on the Tuesday night. The AFL will formally detail all instances on the Tuesday of whether cases will proceed to the Tribunal or not.

Match Review Panel Chairman Andrew McKay will not be available to media queries, as he and his team assess all games and consider all incidents. The following players were reported over the weekend:

Byron Schammer, Fremantle, reported by umpire Michael Avon for making forceful contact from front-on against Farren Ray, St Kilda, during the third quarter of the Round Four match between Fremantle and St Kilda, played at Docklands on Saturday April 18, 2009.

Matthew Warnock, Melbourne, reported by umpire Rob Findlay for striking Tom Hislop, Richmond, before the start of the Round Four match between Melbourne and Richmond, played at the MCG on Sunday April 19, 2009.

TRIBUNAL HEARING LOCATION

The AFL Tribunal is held in the AFL media room on Level LB2 at Docklands. The AFL wishes to advise that all media covering the Tribunal hearings need to park in the B2 car park (entry off the Bourke St extension) and report to stadium security, with their media accreditation, to gain admittance via the internal ring road as there will be no access via AFL House to any AFL Tribunal hearing through the season.

AFL LONG-TERM INJURY LIST

The AFL wishes to advise the following changes have been made to club lists, under the provision of the AFL injury list rules.

Geelong – Upgraded Shane Mumford from the rookie list as the replacement for Matthew Egan, who had already been placed on the long-term injury list.

Hawthorn – Placed Trent Croad on the long-term injury list, with no replacement named at this stage.

2009 NAB AFL DRAFT KEY DATES

The AFL wishes to advise the key dates for the 2009 NAB AFL Draft / Trading period have now been determined. The dates are as follows (all times are EST):

Tue Sept 29 - Commencement of 2009 Draft Camp, AIS Canberra.

Fri Oct 2 - Conclusion of 2009 Draft Camp.

Fri Oct 2, 2pm - Father / son nominations lodged with AFL.

Mon Oct 5, 10am - Father / son bidding meeting (Docklands).

Mon Oct 5 - Commencement of 2009 AFL Exchange Period.

Fri Oct 9, 2pm - Conclusion of 2009 AFL Exchange Period.

Fri Oct 30, 2pm – List Lodgement One. Rookie promotion to Primary List, Retained Second Year Rookies, Retained Third Year International Rookies, Retained Third Year Non-Registered Rookies.

Tue Nov 10, 2pm – Out of Contract Listed AFL Primary List Players Draft Nomination Deadline.

Fri Nov 13, 2pm – List Lodgement Two.

Wed Nov 18, 2pm – Delisted Primary List Player Draft Nomination Deadline.

Sat Nov 28, 10am - 2009 NAB AFL Draft selection meeting (Docklands).

Tue Dec 1, 2pm – Out of Contract AFL Primary List Player Draft Nomination Deadline, NSW Scholarship-Listed Players and International Scholarship-Listed Players Inclusion on Rookie List Deadline.

Wed Dec 2, 2pm – List Lodgement Three and TPP Estimates.

Tue Dec 8, 2pm – Delisted Primary List Player Draft Nomination Deadline.

Tue Dec 15, 10am – NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft (Microsoft Live meeting).

Tue Dec 15, 10.15am – Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans Rookie List Nominations, Third Year Rookie List Nominations.

Tue Dec 15, 10.20am – NAB AFL Rookie Draft (Microsoft Live meeting).

2009 NAB AFL Under 18s Championships

Detailed below are the proposed dates for the 2009 NAB AFL Under Championships. Under the format that will apply this year, to allow for a greater exposure of elite young players, all teams will play five matches. Teams in Division One will play all three other Division One sides and two sides from Division Two. Teams in Division Two will play all three other Division Two sides and two sides from Division One.

Round One

May 23

Qld v NSW/ACT in Qld

Tas v NT in Qld

May 30

WA v SA at Subiaco

May 31

Vic Country v Vic Metro at the MCG

Round Two

June 5

NT v WA in Darwin

June 6

NSW/ACT v Vic Metro in Sydney

Qld v SA in Sydney

June 7

Tas v Vic Country at Aurora Stadium

Round Three

June 13

WA v Vic Metro at Subiaco

June 14

SA v Vic Country at AAMI Stadium

June 20

NSW/ACT v NT at ANZ Stadium

June 21

Tas v Qld at Bellerive Oval

Round Four

June 27

Vic Metro v Qld at Casey Fields

Vic Country v NT at Casey Fields

NSW/ACT v SA at Casey Fields

Tas v WA at Casey Fields

Round Five

July 1

Tas v NSW/ACT at Telstra Dome

Qld v NT at Telstra Dome

Vic Country v WA at Telstra Dome

Vic Metro v SA at Telstra Dome

2009 NAB AFL Under 16s Championships / Key Dates

The 2009 NAB AFL Under 16s Championships will be played at Blacktown in Western Sydney from July 4 to July 11. Please find attached the fixture for Division One and Division Two as follows:

Division One

Saturday July 4

Match 1 - Vic Country v Vic Metro

Match 2 - SA v WA

Tuesday July 7

Vic Metro v SA

WA v Vic Country

Friday July 10

Vic Metro v WA

SA v Vic Country

Division Two

Sunday July 5

Tas v NT

Qld v NSW/ACT

Wednesday July 8

NT v Qld

NSW/ACT v Tas

Saturday July 11

Qld v Tas

NT v NSW/ACT