Samantha Lane
Samantha Lane is a sports writer with The Age's sports section. She joined The Sunday Age's sports team in 2005, where she specialised in the coverage of Australian Rules football, before joining the daily Age in 2007. She has a wealth of multi-media broadcasting experience since starting her journalism career in 2002 at www.afl.com.au. She is also a panellist on Network Ten's Before the Game. Samantha covered the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and will be reporting extensively on the 2012 London Olympics.
AFL
AFL puts knee blame on grounds
Samantha Lane AFL poised to commission new research into serious knee injuries but is linking this year's extraordinary spate to ground hardness after unseasonably warm weather.
AFL
Women in line to join AFL ranks
Samantha Lane Pioneer football coach Peta Searle and the man who helped her break a glass ceiling, Gary Ayres, do not doubt that women will join AFL coaching ranks.
AFL
AFL to call Demons' doctor over Dank link
Samantha Lane Melbourne's doctor and other officials will be called before the AFL following claims the club had a relationship with the man at the centre of the Australian sport anti-doping investigation.
AFL acts on threats to Demetriou
Samantha Lane AFL acts on serious threats sent to chief over his handling of the drugs crisis.
AFL
AFL club officials taped on drug use
Samantha Lane AFL club officials recorded discussing use of human growth hormone in the game.
AFL
AFL sees the light on women's footy
Samantha Lane A match under lights at the MCG in June will be a contest between two AFL clubs unlike any before. In an historic curtain-raiser, women will play for Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs before a...
AFL
Drugs expert doubts AFL passport claims
Samantha Lane Expert says it will take more time and money before the AFL could build a system comparable to cycling's.
AFL
Bid to lure AFL youth to Olympics
Samantha Lane Australian Sports Commission wants to direct young football rejects towards Olympic pursuits.
AFL open to drug testing coaches
Samantha Lane The AFL indicates an openness to drug testing its coaches – provided they are willing – in light of revelations that Gavin Crosisca was a high functioning addict while mentoring young footballers.
Kangaroos, AFL clash over Hansen
Samantha Lane Row erupts between AFL and North Melbourne over concussion incident.
AFL fixture to stay 'imperfect'
Samantha Lane AFL to be more scrupulous about who plays Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast twice in 2013.
AFL
Gays a 'cold topic' for AFL
Samantha Lane The AFL's effort to combat homophobia became 'too hard' after a campaign to promote inclusiveness backfired, a former boss of the Players' Association said.
AFL players 'at high risk of brain damage'
Samantha Lane The American concussion expert who met with an AFL Players' Association boss last month has described Australian rules as a sport with a ''very high risk for brain trauma'' and says it would be...
AFL
US concussion study may not apply to AFL: doctor
Samantha Lane An AFL Medical Officers Association boss objects to the assertion of a Boston University expert that it would be 'naive' to think Australian footballers aren't suffering the same degenerative brain...
AFL
Not our fault: AFL players on sexist web group
Samantha Lane and Kara Irving Three North Melbourne footballers have been caught up in the controversy over a men-only Facebook group that posts revealing photographs of young women without their consent.
AFL
Stabbed Don to attend big match
Samantha Lane Nathan Lovett-Murray has been told to rest for a week while his stab wounds heal, but remains intent on attending the Dreamtime match on Saturday.
We assumed foreign treatments were clean: doc
Samantha Lane Hugh Seward admits it has historically been 'assumed' - but not always reliably verified - that footballers who have travelled overseas to treat injuries had not breached anti-doping rules.
Bail for junior coach suspended for 'indecent dealings' with boy
Samantha Lane Reeling after a full-time employee, Mark Heaney, was charged for indecent dealings with a teenage boy, the AFL says it conducted appropriate background checks on the coach as recently as this year.
AFL
League to quiz Carlton duo on secret recording
Samantha Lane AFL will conduct formal interviews with two members of Carlton's high performance team over recorded meeting they had last June with chemist who supplied substances for Essendon's supplements regimen.
AFL
Laid-up Hinkley to have game hotline
Samantha Lane Rules permit coach to communicate with assistants throughout Saturday's contest.
