Jake Niall on Nick Maxwell - Real Footy

Jake Niall

Jake Niall is a senior sports writer at The Age, specialising in AFL football. Jake joined The Age in 1998, having previously worked as a sports writer on The Sunday Age. He writes a blend of news, feature articles and a weekly column during the football season. Before joining The Sunday Age, Jake was a freelance reporter in the US and a regular contributor to The Sunday Age and The Age from Los Angeles, covering diverse areas like politics, earthquakes, celebrity trials and American sport. Jake ghost wrote the autobiography (‘Collingwood and Me’, 1991) of champion Collingwood footballer Peter Daicos. While he writes primarily about the AFL, he spends the month of January covering tennis, especially the Australian Open. In 2008, Jake won the Melbourne Press Club Quill Awards' Best Sports Story in any medium for his profile piece on David Schwarz.

AFL

Magpie Dwyer may be recruit of the year, says Maxwell

Jake Niall and Emma Quayle Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley praises all 22 of his players after win over Geelong.

AFL

Buckley mum on Elliott-Koschitzke incident

Jake Niall Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has declined to be drawn on the incident in which his small forward Jamie Elliott was collected by Justin Koschitzke.

Judgment day

Jake Niall The Carlton coach's tactics against the Pies will reveal how he views some of his former players.

AFL

Unleash the mongrel

Jake Niall Mick Malthouse and his Blues need to be more ruthless if they are to mix it with the game's heavy hitters.

Murphy set to lead Carlton

Jake Niall Carlton expected to name midfield gun Marc Murphy as captain for 2013.

Krakouer off to camp

Jake Niall Collingwood has enabled Andrew Krakouer to have to his first high-altitude training camp in the US after the club arranged a last-minute visa for Krakouer, who was unable to go in 2010 and 2011 due...

The big issue: who can back up Jolly?

Jake Niall It will become the selection question of preliminary final week should Chris Dawes lose his battle of wounded knee: Who replaces him and supports Darren Jolly?

AFL

Plan B for the Pies if Dawes is out

Jake Niall In the event that Chris Dawes is unable play on Friday night, replacing him will be the Collingwood match committee's most vexing question.

Hitouts to the Max

Jake Niall Since Leigh Brown retired, Collingwood has struggled with second ruck/forward role.

Hawks three times better

Jake Niall On the ladder, Hawthorn and Collingwood were only one game apart. In reality, the distance was several goals.

AFL

What's a player worth? Just give the AFL a call

Jake Niall Clubs that lose a player to free agency will be able to get an 'indication' of their draft compensation before they decide to match the offer.

AFL

Backs to the wall, Pies will play it for J-Mac

Jared Lynch and Jake Niall West Coast midfielder Andrew Gaff is expecting the Pies to be at their most formidable in Saturday night's semi-final.

Six-day rule costs Swan two games

Martin Blake and Jake Niall Collingwood's hard-line decision based on a season-long ban on drinking alcohol six days before a game.

Swan, Buckley men on different paths

Jake Niall It is clear that Collingwood's past two Brownlow medallists diverge in their approaches to football.

Cloke talks on hold

Jake Niall Collingwood has taken a decisive step in the Travis Cloke contractual saga, putting contract talks on hold until the end of the 2012 season.