Cats rally around Kolodjashnij; Will Carlton’s Hayward be rushed back?; MCG finals tickets in high demand

Updated August 31, 2026 — 7:22pm,first published 3:35pm

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In today’s AFL Briefing, your daily wrap of news:

Tom Atkins says the last thing Jake Kolodjashnij would want is for the furore around the controversial agreement he entered into in 2024 to affect the Cats in the finals.

Carlton forward Will Hayward is pushing for a recall, while veteran Nick Haynes will need to prove his fitness.

The MCG is on track for another bumper finals crowd after public and AFL Reserve tickets were exhausted for Cats vs Blues.

Geelong midfielder Tom Atkins says the last thing Jake Kolodjashnij would want is for the furore around the controversial agreement he entered into with the club in 2024 to affect the Cats’ performance in this year’s finals series.

Kolodjashnij has not played VFL or AFL since the revelation he had entered into an agreement at the start of 2024 following an amber concussion panel finding which endeavoured to mitigate the club’s risk so he could continue playing.

On Thursday, the Cats were fined $140,000 for failing to lodge the document with the AFL however their officials were cleared of engaging in deceptive conduct in findings made by James Peters KC after he interviewed 10 people during an investigation into the matter.

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“The last thing he would want [is] to distract from our performance,” Atkins said.

He said the only concern among teammates was the welfare of Kolodjashnij with premiership teammate Mark O’Connor saying they were wrapping their arms around him after the controversy.

“It has been a very tough period for ‘Kola’ but he has been awesome. He has been smiling around the club and he has just been very positive in and around the club and in front of everyone,” O’Connor said.

“I am sure in private he would have had his tough moments. But he has always been a great teammate because he always manages to put on a brave face.

“I’ve definitely felt for him over the past few weeks with what has been going on but as teammates we are just trying to support him as best we can and have his best interests at heart.”

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It’s unclear whether Kolodjashnij will play again but he has continued training with both the AFL and VFL teams in finals.

Peters found that Kolodjashnij was not coerced into signing the letter and made no adverse findings in relation to the club’s decision to enter into an agreement with the player to mitigate its legal exposure.

The AFL, who were liaising with the Cats about Kolodjashnij’s future after the concussion panel finding, said the waiver clause included in the agreement would not have been allowed if the final document had been lodged with them as it should have been under league rules.

Kolodjashnij played in the Cats’ 2022 premiership and has played 54 games since the start of 2024. He has played 219 matches with Geelong.

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Who makes way for Will Hayward if he is recalled?

Carlton forward Will Hayward is pushing for a recall, while veteran Nick Haynes will need to prove his fitness when the Blues have their major training session ahead of Friday night’s elimination final against Geelong.

Hayward was close to returning against Melbourne in the wildcard clash, after hurting his ankle landing a high-flying mark in the draw with the Western Bulldogs in round 23, but the Blues opted to give him another week.

The former Swan trained strongly on Monday before a large crowd of boisterous fans at Ikon Park, and will put pressure on the selection committee to return him to a side that has won 12 of its past 15 games, including a four-point win over the Cats in round 12 when he booted a team-high three goals.

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Hayward has booted 24 goals this season, including nine in the last four games he played, and is one of six Blues with at least 20 in a well-rounded forward line.

Blues vice-captain Jacob Weitering said on Monday that Hayward was in the mix for the return.

“Yeah, definitely. I mean, he’s a test, short turnaround this week, so a six-day break means that we’ve got the day off tomorrow, more recovery, and then just the one training session on Wednesday,” Weitering said.

“So, there’ll be some boys that’ll be obviously quite sore. [Ben] Ainsworth wasn’t out here [on Monday], but he’ll be out there on Wednesday, and yeah, boys will certainly push the selection.”

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Weitering said Hayward had made a seamless transition to the Blues this season after nine years with the Swans.

“Oh, he’s a barometer, just an energy guy, very easily could be a vice-captain, in my opinion,” Weitering said.

“He’s that valuable … I actually haven’t seen too many players integrate as well as what I guess all the boys this year have done.”

Haynes, a robust defender, is sore and will need to prove his fitness. He could be a straight swap for Hayward should injury force a change.

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The Blues made two changes after the draw with the Bulldogs, an injured Haynes exiting with Hayward, while Lewis Young and Ollie Hollands returned. Hollands was among the Blues’ best on Saturday night, while Young was named on the bench.

Skipper Patrick Cripps hurt his knee against the Demons, but completed training, albeit with the knee bandaged. He was all smiles while signing autographs for the fans.

“He had a knock on his knee. He’s good. A bit like Haynes, he played the game out, short turnaround, so we’ll make sure that they’re recovering well over the next couple of days,” Weitering said.

Cripps, said Weitering, no longer needs to “carry the load”, pointing to Jagga Smith’s dominant display against the Demons.

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“But he [Cripps] had some really important smothers, incredible tackles and efforts, and, obviously, a captain’s goal in there as well ... he doesn’t have to carry the load any more,” Weitering said.

“We’ve got some guys to spread it, but he’s continuing to lead us. And he might not be maybe having his Brown low-type form, but it’s been referenced that he’s probably leading as well as he ever has.”

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Tickets in high demand for MCG elimination final

Scott Spits

The MCG is on track for another bumper finals crowd on Friday night after the general public and AFL Reserve ticket allocation for the Geelong versus Carlton elimination final was exhausted on Monday.

After the venue hosted a combined crowd of 172,769 for the AFL’s first wildcard finals on Friday night and Saturday night, a crowd exceeding 90,000 fans could be on the cards for the first Blues versus Cats final since 1995.

General public, club member and AFL Reserve tickets went on sale on Monday, while Melbourne Cricket Club members have their chance to secure tickets from 9am Tuesday.

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One night earlier, at the same venue, a crowd of 81,036 witnessed the Western Bulldogs’ thrilling win over Collingwood. The Dogs played in front of their second-biggest crowd since their famous grand final win over Sydney a decade ago.

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More:

AFL 2026

Carlton Blues

Geelong Cats

AFL injury ward

Peter Ryan is a sports reporter with The Age.Connect via X or email.

Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.

Scott Spits is a sports reporter for The Age.Connect via X or email.

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