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Better Luke next time

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 08 Desember 2012 | 22.43

Luke Ball has taken the slow road back to full fitness in a bid to be ready for the 2013 AFL season. Source: Supplied

LUKE Ball and patience have never been the closest of companions.

But knee injuries - like the one Ball suffered in Round 3 this year, requiring a season-ending reconstruction - have a habit of teaching even the fiercest of competitors to sometimes temper their natural instincts for the greater good.

So when Collingwood's director of sports science David Buttifant told Ball yesterday he was being excused from the club's hike into the Utah mountains, the 28-year-old didn't argue back.

That's not just because snow started sweeping in towards Park City, where the Magpies are in the early stages of their high-altitude training camp.It's because Ball knows his pathway back to the AFL is something that shouldn't be rushed - even if he remains on track to play in Round 1, 2013.

"I've just been told that I probably won't be going on the hike," Ball said.

"It's just a precaution, and I didn't argue too much, to be honest.

"A handful of us will be staying back and I'm sure they will be flogging us. But I will be doing it with a smile on my face, thinking about the guys going up the mountain with their sleeping bags."

Ball looks - and feels - good, confident he is well placed in his quest to return to the game in good shape, just as his old mate Lenny Hayes did this year after a knee reconstruction in 2011.

He believes if he does the right thing in a patient return to the game that he missed so much this year, it might even extend his playing career.

"When you can't do the things you want to do, you realise how much you love it and what you are prepared to do to get it back," he said.

"Hopefully, this can add another year on the end (of his career)."

The ever meticulous Ball is leaving nothing to chance. But he won't be putting any extra pressure on himself until he has to.

"My knee is 100 per cent. I saw the surgeon (Julian Feller) the other day," he said.

"But the hamstring, where they took the graft, is just taking a little longer. It's just (a matter of) getting that up to full strength or stronger than it was before, which is taking a little longer.

"But the surgeon is happy with it all. It means I have to be patient, which I don't normally enjoy, but we will get there.

"There's no rush to the starting line. With a serious injury, there is a good chance if you push yourself too hard, you might have a little setback."

Ball is taking part in plenty of Collingwood's pre-season drills, but isn't yet going 100 per cent. He plans to crank that up in early January, to ensure he can have a few hit-outs in the NAB Cup.

"I am really enjoying training at the moment." he said.

"The knee feels great and in my head at this stage, I am looking towards Round 1 next year."

There was a brief flicker of hope that Ball might have made a unlikely return late in the 2012 season, but he says now that realistically it was never likely.

"The fact that Andy Krakouer and Brent Macaffer came back gave a bit of hope," he said.

"I looked at it, and thought I might be able to push it a bit to see if there might be a slight chance.

"But realistically, the docs and the surgeons say you are supposed to sit out six months. That was going to take me right up until Grand Final week. And I don't think the coach would have been silly enough to pick me having not played for 25 weeks, if we had made it.

"I probably got my head around it pretty early that I wasn't going to play (again in 2012)."

The decision to put a line through this year, which was a no-brainer for the club, given how crucial he remains into the future, allowed him to travel overseas for a few weeks and take in the Tour de France and the London Olympics.

The late July-early August trip could not have come at a better time for the hard-working midfielder, who took the chance to do some homework on other elite athletes, including some recovering from knee reconstructions.

"My head was about to explode here watching the boys," he said.

"We were playing pretty well at the time and winning, and heading into another finals campaign."

So it was good for me to get away for a little bit and it fell into a time when two of the world's greatest sporting events were on.

"I was able to get away and look at how some amazing athletes operate and realise how small we are down under and what a big world it is."

Ball has done some research on recent returns from serious knee injuries - here and abroad.

"I've been watching the NFL a fair bit and it might be a bit of a stretch, but one of the guys who is being talking about as a candidate for the MVP this year is Adrian Peterson," he said.

"He has come back from a knee reconstruction last year and has probably had the best season of his career."You look at those things when you are having doubts, and use that as inspiration."

It's the same with Ball's close mate and former St Kilda teammate Hayes, with whom he has spoken on a number of occasions.

"We've had a few chats, and we caught up at 'Rooey''s (Nick Riewoldt's) wedding," he said.

"Just talking to him, and watching him, shows it is possible. He is clearly an example to follow."

Ball said the club's switch from its long-time training camp Arizona to Utah was designed to keep the group fresh.

"Flagstaff (Arizona) was great. But it's been good to come to Utah. The accommodation and the facilities are first-rate.

"I remember speaking with Alisa Camplin (Winter Olympic gold medallist and Collingwood board member) before we came and she used to come here for training camps."

Ball said the recruitment of Quinten Lynch, Clinton Young, Jordan Russell and Ben Hudson as well as the highly-rated draftees was exciting.

"It feels like a a pretty young group to me, even though we have brought in some experienced players. There is just a really good mix."

For Ball, just being a part of it again - with the calendar not far away from turning over to 2013 - feels as invigorating as the chilly air in Park City.


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Swan sets standard in Utah

Luke Ball has backed Dane Swan, saying he is setting the standard for his teammates on their pre-season camp in the US. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

LUKE Ball has backed Dane Swan over claims he had a damaging impact on Collingwood teammates, saying he had set the early standard on the high-altitude trip to Utah.

Ball dismissed suggestions that Swan was a bad influence and his position within the club was in jeopardy.

"Swanny has been terrific over here," Ball said yesterday.

"He is one of those players who has come out and really set the standard in training so far.

"Whether he has used that (criticism) as a spur, I don't know, but he is a very proud bloke and he sets a high standard for himself.

"I think so far over here we have seen a huge showing in his demeanour and work ethic around the club."

But Ball acknowledged every member of the team needed to take their game to a new level to once more challenge for the flag.

"I can't speak for the guys who went through the pain of the finals loss late in the year, but I would expect that they would still be stinging from that," he said.

"All of a sudden it will be three years since we won one (in 2010).

"We've been up there, but haven't won one since.

"Some of the younger guys who got a taste of it in 2010 maybe thought that will be us for the next few years.

"Now they know how hard they are to win and how many little sacrifices you have to make.

"You need to try and find every per cent you can because they (premierships) are just so bloody hard to win.

"You have to tick every box to give yourself a chance and if we do that, we can still be around the mark."

Ball, who is still recovering from a knee reconstruction, remains confident he will be right to play in the club's Round 1 game against North Melbourne on March 31.

"The knee feels great and, in my head at this stage, I am looking towards Round 1 next year," he said.


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Garlett faces second draft snub

OVERLOOKED: WA teenager Dayle Garlett is hoping for more interest from clubs in Tuesday's rookie draft. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

GIFTED WA youngster Dayle Garlett is facing the prospect of being snubbed for the second time in Tuesday's AFL rookie draft.

Garlett, named in the under-18 All-Australian team this year, had been expected to win a lifeline from Essendon.

The Bombers invited the Swan Districts product to train with them after he was overlooked in the national draft and are yet to make a final decision but are leaning against drafting the potential star.

"No doubt there's a lot of talent there and the way he plays his football excites everyone," Essendon coach James Hird said.

"We've just got to work out whether someone like Dayle fits our group."

The Garlett situation will play out this week against a backdrop of increasing debate over the apparent reluctance of AFL clubs to recruit indigenous players.


Recruiters around the country were of the view that the 18-year-old was a first-round draft pick based on talent alone, but Garlett has been dogged by bad publicity over off-field issues.

He was kicked out of the elite AIS-AFL Academy last summer and missed several WAFL games through internal club suspensions. Social media photos of him drinking and smoking did further harm to his reputation.

No other AFL club, including local teams West Coast and Fremantle, appears willing to take a punt on him.

Swan Districts is astounded at Garlett's predicament, with coach Greg Harding saying yesterday he was "staggered we're even having the conversation".

Harding said Garlett's issues related mostly to poor time management and said AFL clubs would be passing up a potential 200-game player.

"I'm not saying that he's an angel, but show me exactly what he's done that's been horrible," Harding said.

"These AFL clubs spend millions and millions of dollars on their footy departments. They have an exorbitant amount of resources at their disposal in terms of manpower and not one of those 18 clubs is going to back themselves to put the kid in their culture and give him an opportunity.

"At this stage they've left a kid still at WAFL level who is quite clearly in the top-five players, on talent, in the country."

Harding said Garlett was finding it tough to come to terms with the fact he was required to live differently to his mates.

"He's like any other young 18-year-old bloke that's just got his licence and can get into a nightclub or a pub and have a beer," he said.

"But what he needs to understand is that he's not like any other kid. I think he's got the potential to be an elite AFL player and if you're going to be able to do that then you have to prepare yourself differently to other 18-year-old kids."


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Nicoski's hard road at an end

BACK ON TRACK: West Coast's Mark Nicoski is hoping for better things next season after injury cruelled his 2012 campaign. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper Source: PerthNow

MARK Nicoski doesn't feel sorry for himself and he doesn't want you to, either.

He might be challenging Beau Waters and Sam Butler for the title of unluckiest Eagle, but Nicoski is the first to see a silver lining to his horror 2012.

Coming off his best season in the AFL in 2011, the West Coast veteran tore his left hamstring from the bone in the NAB Cup Grand Final in March.

The thought of a comeback ahead of the finals initially drove his recovery, before a further tear in July ensured his entire season would be lost.

Having battled long-term injuries throughout his career, including one that cost him a place in the 2006 premiership side, Nicoski might have been entitled to think his rotten run was over, once he was re-cast as a forward, to great effect.


"Life's really good with timing: it tends to challenge you when you least expect it," he said.

"I thought I'd gone through, in terms of football, enough challenges  but there was another one left in store."

The past nine months instead became a personal journey that included a mid-season sabbatical to his mother's homeland of Croatia and a realisation he could feel the warmth of those closest to him most acutely when life was at its toughest.

"It's funny, you know, through the difficult times of your life or career, you tend to find out who those people are that are genuinely concerned and genuinely worried about your wellbeing," he said.

"Some people have been absolutely amazing. So I do feel really lucky. It's made my character a lot stronger than what it could have been."

Nicoski is especially grateful to club CEO Trevor Nisbett and coach John Worsfold for their assurances he was still a required player, along with fitness coach Warren Kofoed and physiotherapist Mark Finucane.

It was the support of a fellow player Adam Selwood he found most touching.

The pair arrived at the club together a decade ago. Nicoski's misfortune is illustrated by the fact Selwood's tally of 178 games, compared with his 112, is equivalent to playing three more seasons of football.

"He has really been a true friend," Nicoski said. "He's someone that was in hospital every time visiting me.

"We came into the system at the same time, so we've got a bit of a bond like that. (But) I saw an element of loyalty and friendship in him that I didn't particularly realise we had at this stage."

Nicoski needed surgery three times following his original hamstring tear.

Having powered through a rehabilitation program he began in mid-August, he is now looking forward to joining the main training group after Christmas and is even eying Round 1 of the NAB Cup in mid-February.

Nicoski, the last player to leave the track after Friday's session at McGillivray Oval, is hopeful of recapturing his 2011 form next season.

At 29, Nicoski knows he is closer to the end than the beginning.

After being handed another one-year contract, thinking about retirement is superfluous, anyway.

"You just live in the moment," he said. "I don't think anybody likes to think about that.

"But I've always thought if you take care of what you can control, then the things outside that circle will work out okay.

"I'm a realist like anyone and I realise I can't play football till I'm 35  which I would love to  but at this point it's just a step by step process and I'm pretty excited about 2013."

The most obvious question left to ask involved the possibility of Nicoski finally tasting premiership glory, after he was forced to watch on in 2006.

"I'm hanging out for the fairytale, don't worry," he said.

"I don't need it, but I want it.

"That fairytale's driving me and that's what I hang on to."


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Giants swoop on ex-Blue

Bret Thornton could be headed to Greater Western Sydney in this week's pre-season draft. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

GREATER Western Sydney is expected to throw an eleventh-hour AFL lifeline to delisted Carlton defender Bret Thornton in Tuesday's pre-season draft.

The Giants have ruled out former Essendon ruckman Jason Laycock after he failed a recent fitness test, but will re-draft Dean Brogan and almost certainly take Thornton on Tuesday.

Thornton was delisted by the Blues at the end of the season and was on the lookout for a new club after 188 AFL games.

The 29-year-old is seen as a back-up for defenders Chad Cornes and Phil Davis, while Brogan was delisted in mid November as the Giants briefly considered making a play for Kurt Tippett.

Laycock flew to Sydney last Thursday to meet Giants officials and undergo testing but the club was not prepared to take a risk on the 28-year-old - yet.

Laycock, who was best afield in the TSL grand final, strained a medial ligament in his knee during the third quarter of the game and it had not fully healed to satisfy Giants medicos.

They left the door ajar to pick Laycock in 2014 if he can shed some weight and maintain state league form.

Brogan - who turns 34 next week - will be back in the AFL system this week, while Collingwood recently threw a lifeline to 33-year-old Ben Hudson, showing if Laycock can get himself fit he could be back in the mix.

"Their only concern was past injuries I've had and whether I could get through that full year or not," Laycock said yesterday.

"I've had two years injury-free and it came down to them wanting to see me get another year under my belt.

"It was a bit disappointing but a bit of relief in the end as well. I had a go at it but it didn't work.

"Obviously I had a bad record at Essendon with games missed, it was going to be a big risk for them to take. I don't hold anything against them."

Laycock is already widely regarded as the most dominant player in the state and if he got a solid pre-season under his belt he would simply elevate his game to another level.

"The last couple of years I've been playing fairly overweight and just sort of lumbering around, I'm probably lucky I'm a bit older and a bit wiser and can run where the ball is going to go.

"If I get that extra fitness behind me I will be able to do a whole lot more, which is what I'm looking to do and stand out that little bit more.

"It (the AFL dream) might not be over, it will be pretty tough with my injury history, that might hold me back but if I can get three years together without getting injured, who knows?"


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Maric Tigers' mane man

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 07 Desember 2012 | 22.43

Ivan Maric quickly developed cult hero status in his first year at Richmond. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

IVAN Maric stood at the microphone.

The rugged ruckman had just finished third in his first Jack Dyer Medal count when he delivered the words that make football fans melt.

"The way the playing group has welcomed me to this football club has made me feel like I was always meant to come here and wear this jumper," Maric told the Richmond faithful at Crown Palladium.

It was the humble full-stop to a remarkable debut season in yellow and black. A season that silenced critics, shocked supporters and surprised even Maric.

As the plaudits flowed throughout the year and the mullet-inspired cult following grew to epic proportions, the softly spoken big man remained largely silent.

Just over 12 months since he walked in the door at Punt Rd, Maric offered the Herald Sun a candid insight into the most remarkable year of his football life.

The former Adelaide ruckman was traded by the Crows to the Tigers for pick 37 in the 2011 draft after playing only six games in 2011. It wasn't the sort of form that screamed blossoming talent.

And Maric admitted 2012 started in a cloud of doubt.

"When I was training all through pre-season I was fighting demons," he said.

"Always that thought would pop into my head; 'Was I good enough?' and I questioned myself. But I suppose that happens to every player. It was just a matter of persisting.

"I didn't know how it was going to turn out, but when I met with (Richmond coach) Damien (Hardwick), I'm not sure what it was, but something about it felt right, like it was the right move and we established a connection straight away.

"You have to believe in your ability and I think that's really important if you want to achieve anything. For me, I got a lot of enjoyment out of last season, playing the way I played because that's how I want to play footy."

Maric has the great characteristic that endears players to supporters. He plays with heart.

You can't really market me like other players in the competition, like a Lance Franklin or something like that.

The 26-year-old will never be a ruckman blessed with freakish athletic talents. But what the Tigers got in exchange for that late 30s draft pick was a player with truckloads of desire and one who thrives on hard work and a team-first environment.

"You can't really market me like other players in the competition, like a Lance Franklin or something like that," Maric said with a laugh.

"I'm just what you see is what you get. I love that mateship and the strong bonds you build with teammates through the hard work that you do."

Richmond assistant coach and Port Adelaide premiership ruckman Brendon Lade said Maric just needed a chance.

"Ruckmen take a little bit longer to develop as everyone knows and most of them just need an opportunity to play and to have a crack at being the No.1 ruck," Lade said.

"We thought if we gave him an opportunity he could flourish and he was almost an All-Australian because of it. He's had a big impact, especially on the midfield group."

Richmond last season won a centre bounce clearance 47.5 per cent of the time Maric was involved - ranked No.1 of the top-10 centre bounce ruckmen in the AFL. He made the All-Australian squad of 40 and, according to some, was stiff not to make the final 22.

The wrecking ball to Richmond's silk-laden midfield was quickly elevated to cult hero status - complete with mullet mania.

It's difficult to recall a traded player so immediately loved and respected by the Tiger army.

Maric sheepishly admits the hype was "big", but it's clear he's uncomfortable.

"I suppose that attention, I don't really like it," he said.

"I like and appreciate people recognising that I was playing my role and that's a good part of it.

"But I just really wanted to stay focused on what I needed to do each week and that was to play well. I didn't want to get caught up in everything that was happening.

"You can't control how people see you and who they like and dislike and things like that. I really wanted to make sure I was getting all my positive feedback from my coaches and teammates and not so much from the TV and the newspapers and stuff like that."

Ivan Maric is tackled by Essendon's Tom Bellchambers. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun


So positive was the feedback from his colleagues that Maric was voted into the club's six-man leadership group during last week's pre-season camp in Cairns.

In typical Maric style, he's not likely to get carried away by the honour.

"I just want to make sure it doesn't change anything about me or how I go about it in regards to training and setting standards around the footy club," he said.

"They voted me in for how I acted last season so I don't want to change that. I want to keep improving and building relationships with the guys and supporting the other leaders."

Maric has made a slower start to the pre-season than he would like, after he was bothered by soft-tissue problems towards the end of last season.

"I'm feeling good. I'm just taking a bit longer to ease into training because I was really battling towards the end of the year with my groin," he said.

"So I'm just really trying to strengthen everything up so these problems don't happen. I didn't have an operation, it was more rest and rehabilitation."

Ivan Maric kicks a goal against Hawthorn. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

Lade said the club would give Maric all the time he needed to get right.

"We're not going to push him at all. We pushed him last year to play some games when we probably should have rested him and with (Tyrone) Vickery going down that hurt Ivan more than anyone," Lade said.

"He gets a bit worried that he's not training and not doing what he needs to get his body right, but we know he works hard and when he does get back into training he'll be up and going."

And when he is, Maric will set about building a better understanding with Richmond's growing band of influential onballers, something he admitted has proven more difficult than at Adelaide.

"It's been a bit harder only because of the fact that we've got so many good midfielders.

"At Adelaide 'Thommo' (Scott Thompson) was the really dominant midfielder and he wanted the ball all the time and you'd build that relationship really quickly and you've seen that with Sam Jacobs and Scott who've done that really well," he said.

"Shane Tuck, Trent Cotchin and Brett Deledio are probably the one's I've got the best understanding with. I spend the most time with those guys.

"But it's really funny, Reece Conca will come in for five minutes here and there and I'll have a good understanding with him and Shane Edwards as well and he's hardly ever in there.

"I don't know, I suppose it goes back to how they are as a playing group and how welcoming they are - they really make you feel comfortable. I think that reflects on the field in the relationships around the stoppages. I believe that's really important."

Maric recently returned with teammates from the Cairns camp firm in the belief that the foundations are in place at Punt Rd to finally take that next step - finals.

I just don't want to be part of a group that didn't achieve anything or didn't have finals success.

But he doesn't want to tempt fate, and for a player who has only been a Tiger for a year, he's grown tired of talk about September droughts and crushed expectations.

"Look, we've got the players, we've got the talent, we've got a few more mature recruits in Chris Knights, Troy Chaplin and Aaron Edwards and that's really strengthened our list," Maric said.

"We've got it, but it's all about doing it now and just putting our heads down, training hard and wanting it.

"And it's about doing it on game day. I've only been here 12 months and I'm sick of hearing how every year it's the same thing.

"I just don't want to be part of a group that didn't achieve anything or didn't have finals success."


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Port set to pass on Liam Jurrah

Liam Jurrah training with Port Adelaide. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: adelaidenow

THERE is growing speculation Port Adelaide will adopt a no-risk policy and overlook Liam Jurrah at Tuesday's AFL drafts.

The Power last night delayed making a decision on the troubled former Melbourne forward's future until Monday, saying "we want to watch him and our other train-on players have one final session with us before drawing any conclusions".

But it is understood Port - which had intended to make a call on Jurrah yesterday - is not sold on the value of the high-flying excitement machine, despite fans calling for him to be signed.

There also is speculation Jurrah arrived late to one of the Power's training sessions this week, disappointing club officials who had put strict guidelines on his recruitment.

Football operations manager Peter Rohde denied this, saying Jurrah had "ticked all the boxes".

But he admitted the club was torn over whether to throw the freakishly-skilled Jurrah an AFL lifeline.

"It's a tough decision for us, no doubt," Rohde said.

"As we've said before, Liam's talent is unquestioned. It's other things we have to weigh up. There are off-field issues and he's had a couple of serious injuries, so we'll work through all of that.

"We're in the process of doing that now and and we'll make a decision at our final (draft) meeting on Monday."

Jurrah, 24, kicked an impressive 81 goals in 36 games for the Demons before walking out on the club in August.

He is due to face an Alice Springs court hearing in March after being charged with aggravated assault and unlawfully causing serious harm over an altercation in March this year.

Former Port star Warren Tredrea has declared Jurrah isn't worth the risk, saying while the high-flier is talented he could have a detrimental effect on a young playing group.

The Power already has committed to taking ace SA teenager Sam Colquhoun, from Central District, with its sole pre-season draft selection (No. 3) on Tuesday.

Only GWS and the Western Bulldogs pick before Port and they have indicated they will take other players.

Rohde said Port would look at a mature-age player and a young player with its two remaining rookie-list picks.

The Power has eight unlisted players still training with it - Jurrah, Colquhoun, Norwood's Jaryd Cachia and the Port Magpies' Sam Gray, Kory Beard, Justin Hoskin, Aseri Raikiwasa and Sean Lemmens.

"You get players out to train with you because you've got some interest in them and want to have a look but you don't just want to limit yourself to those players you have train with you. We'll look at others too," Port recruiting manager Geoff Parker said.

As few as 20 untried players could be given AFL opportunities at the pre-season and rookie drafts because clubs have been forced to cut their rookie lists from six to four this year and several have committed to re-drafting players they have already cut.

The AFL yesterday announced 11 clubs were in position to participate in the pre-season draft but there could be as few as seven selections.

Premier Sydney must wait until pick 11 to take former Crow Kurt Tippett, who has priced himself out of being taken by another club by putting a $900,000-a-year price tag on his head.

Adelaide has committed to re-drafting Woodville-West Torrens midfielder Nick Joyce with its pre-season pick.


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New executive for Adelaide Crows

Adelaide Crows board vice-president Nigel Smart. Picture: Mark Brake. Source: adelaidenow

ADELAIDE is advertising for another executive with the Crows' business expanding and because of the 2014 shift to Adelaide Oval.

The Crows hope to appoint a chief operating officer early next year, which will take some of the heavy lifting off the chief executive.

The COO will serve as another layer of support for the CEO and be a link between sales, events, marketing and communications, the Westpac Centre, merchandise, community projects and membership, reporting to the chief executive.

Vice-president Nigel Smart said the move had been considered well before the upcoming AFL suspension of Steven Trigg for his role in the Kurt Tippett affair.

"We looked at a lot of models and this is something that's been on the agenda for a while," Smart said.

"The organisation, because of its size and complexity and also with the move to Adelaide Oval, needed to look at how we were doing things and how we could be as effective as possible."


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Voss excited about Lions' midfield

Tom Rockliff and Daniel Rich are a crucial part of the Brisbane Lions' emerging midfield. Picture: Mark Cranitch. Source: The Courier-Mail

BRISBANE coach Michael Voss has flagged the emergence of a potential premiership-winning midfield as the Lions embark on the next stage to playing finals football again.

Voss isn't predicting a fourth AFL flag for the club next season.

But he spoke excitedly about the young midfield group continuing to mature and learn behind the experience of the club's ageless veteran Simon Black.

Boom prospect Daniel Rich, vice-captain Tom Rockliff and Jack Redden are three 21-year-old midfielders who've now played more than 50 AFL games each.

Black, 33, is the only survivor of the club's famed "Fab Four" midfield of Jason Akermanis, Nigel Lappin and Voss and later joined by Luke Power.

Throw in the hard edge provided by the Scott twins, Brad and Chris, and coached by the game's toughest man Leigh Matthews, and it was an AFL dream team.

Voss, Akermanis and Black were Brownlow medallists by the time Brisbane became only the fourth club in AFL history in 2003 to win three straight premierships.

After Brendan Fevola's failed stint at the club, which many believe set the club's recovery mission back on its heels, Voss has implemented his strategies on and off the field to get the club back to contesting finals.

September action is something they've qualified for only once in eight years since their three consecutive titles.

Voss, who has stuck solid to his youth policy for the past few years, believes his side is beginning to mature.

"I've been backing it (youth) for a few years now and we've got an exciting, young midfield group," he said. "I joked about it last year that we had Simon Black at 33 years of age and our next oldest (midfielder) at 21."

Brisbane have to get two things right in 2013, according to Voss. The first is pulling fans back to the Gabba to make it a tough venue for visiting teams.

"The second is bridging the gap between us and the better teams in the competition," he said. "We're still losing to those teams by 40 to 60 points. Does that mean we close the gap by turning those games into wins?

"We'll have to wait and see.

"Certainly we must make significant ground on those teams to warrant an improvement by this group."


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Bombers protect Scott Gumbleton

Scott Gumbleton, right, at Essendon pre-season training with Dustin Fletcher and Paddy Ryder. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: Herald Sun

ESSENDON has wrapped Scott Gumbleton in cotton wool after the injury-prone forward complained of hamstring tightness yesterday.

Gumbleton, who has a history of hamstring problems, will be given next week off training - the Bombers' last week on the track before their Christmas break.

Gumbleton, 24, is expected to resume when pre-season training returns early in the new year.

Gumbleton has played only 28 of a possible 134 games since arriving at Essendon - the lowest total of any current player chosen in the first round of 2006's national draft.

He was on the long-term injury list at the start of last season as he recovered from back surgery, but, encouragingly for the Bombers, he found fitness to play six of the last eight matches of the year.

The No.2 draft pick was almost packing for the trip to Western Bulldogs in recent months, but he signed a one-year deal with Essendon in October.

"The sell to Scotty was that we believed he can play," coach James Hird told the Herald Sun this month.

"He just needs that consistency of training again.

"If he gets that he will be a very good player of the competition.

"But there is no player in the competition who can play well if they don't train.

"He hasn't missed a session in the pre-season.

"At the moment it's looking good for him."


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Best and worst of pre-season draft

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 06 Desember 2012 | 22.43

Ben Cousins was picked up by Richmond with the final pick in the 2009 pre-season draft. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

THE last hope for a shot at the big time, the AFL pre-season draft has yielded some nuggets - and its fair share of bombs.

Since the pre-season draft was introduced in 1989 - two years after the birth of the national draft - more than 500 players have been offered a lifeline.

Most of those were in the early years, when more than 50 picks were used at the end of the year to give a second (or third) chance to players who missed out on the national draft or were delisted by another club.

In recent years the pre-season draft has taken a back seat to the rookie draft, with an average of just five live picks in each of the past five seasons.

Last year GWS had the first six selections and passed on all of them, effectively making Gold Coast's No.7 selection the No.1 pick - which they used on Aaron Hall. He played eight matches in 2012.

Back in 1989 it was a very different story - sort of. Brian Winton, the very first No.1 pick, played just five games for the Saints after getting the chop from Essendon. Pick two was more successful - the Lions picked up a bearded defender named John Gastev who went on to play 113 matches for the Lions after starting career at West Coast.

With the increasing science behind recruiting, the pre-season draft still offers clubs something of a free hit. Richmond couldn't use a national draft pick on Ben Cousins, but a pre-season pick was worth the risk.

Picture countdown: Best pre-season draft picks

The former Eagles champ demonstrates the hit-and-miss history of the draft - even when clubs are punting on what should be a known quantity.

In some cases it's easy to forget players like these appeared for another club - Damian Monkhorst (St Kilda), Darren Mead (Brisbane), Austin McCrabb (Hawthorn), Gavin Excell (Fitzroy), Scott Russell (Sydney), James Cook (Melbourne) and Barry Young (Hawthorn).

Some other big names, including Tim Watson (West Coast) and Gerard Healy (Collingwood), were selected but never pulled on a jumper for their new club.

Some picks would later go on to make bigger names for themselves off the field - St Kilda used pick 81 in the 1993 pre-season draft on Mortlake's Jason Mifsud, a year after Hawthorn picked up former Saint Ricky Nixon.

So who are the biggest hits, and biggest busts, in 23 years of the pre-season draft?

Click HERE to see our countdown of the best pre-season draft picks - and don't miss part two later today when we reveal the selections recruiters would rather forget.


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Power's trading loss is $6.3m

Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas. Picture: Jo-anna Robinson. Source: adelaidenow

A $1.2 MILLION emergency payment from the AFL to Port Adelaide to meet short-term financial obligations has brought the estimated trading loss of the club up to $6.3 million before grants.

The revelation comes after the SA Football Commission and league directors met on Wednesday and were informed of the state of affairs, as they deal with planning for the future with Port's licence expected to be taken over by the AFL for next season.

Port Adelaide met with The Advertiser yesterday and produced its own consolidated overview for the year, which landed at an operating loss of $6.2 million.

Chief executive Keith Thomas said the Power had been congratulated by AFL chief financial officer Ian Anderson for it's open and honest account of its details and was furious at the suggestion the club hadn't reported its result fairly.

"It's a cynical and negative approach (to suggest otherwise) for a club that wants to correct its public perception," Thomas said.

"It's been endorsed by the AFL."

The Advertiser understands the $4.1 million trading deficit the club initially reported did not include the AFL grant of $1 million for the transition to Adelaide Oval, which went with the SANFL's investment of $2 million per year in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Then there is the previously unreported $1.2 million payment which is understood to have come from the AFL as the club was struggling to pay its bills. It is understood the matter was urgent.

The club yesterday said that type of transaction was part of regular business.

Port Adelaide said the goal posts had changed when asked about the missing $1 million - for the move to Adelaide Oval - from its key points on the 2012 results, with chief executive Keith Thomas saying it had been "rolled in together" with the rest of the grants.

They (Collingwood) were really struggling, moved from Victoria Park with a vision, and look at them now

Because of the different reporting methods of the clubs, it has become increasingly difficult to compare financial results, with most clubs choosing not to include AFL equalisation grants because they feel they are entitled to them.

The "have-not" clubs such as Port Adelaide receive a bigger dividend than heavyweights such as Collingwood and Carlton because they don't have the same earning capacity - much of it because of scheduling of blockbuster games.

With Port, it becomes even murkier because of the $9 million rescue package devised by the SANFL and the AFL over three years has now been taken into account when the annual AFL dividends are carved up.

Advice from those scrutinising the financial results provided by Port said the true value of the Power's workings this year - a pre-grant result - was a loss of $6.3 million.

Port's dour financial situation underlines the gap between the rich and the poor in the league with Collingwood reporting a whopping profit of $ 4.6 million before grants.

But Thomas, who is mates with Magpies chief Gary Pert, can see similarities between the Magpies when the new administration took over under president Eddie McGuire and Port Adelaide today.

"I'm not jealous; I think it's inspiring," Thomas said of Collingwood's success.

"I think people forget ... they were really struggling, moved from Victoria Park with a vision, and look at them now.

"But the main thing we take from them is what they did: they embraced who they were, embraced their identity and their supporters.

"There's a lot to learn from that, being yourself instead of trying to be all things for all people."

Port Adelaide believes its shift from West Lakes to Adelaide Oval will cement their new beginning, which has already brought wholesale changes.


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Bomber ties the knot in Echuca

Wedding: Mark Thompson and Jana Clack in 2007. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis Source: Herald Sun

IT'S not only footballers who get married in the off-season.

Former Geelong coach Mark "Bomber" Thompson tied the knot with long-term partner Jana Clack in Echuca last Saturday.

Thompson is the senior assistant to Essendon coach James Hird, who was at the wedding.

Other guests included former Cats players Matthew Scarlett, Tom Harley and Cameron Mooney.


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Bulldogs might produce the Goodes

The Bulldogs have confirmed Brett Goodes is locked in a race with Brent Prismall for a fairytale shot at the AFL. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

THE Western Bulldogs could spring a pre-season draft surprise by snaring VFL journeyman Brett Goodes on Tuesday.

Goodes, 28, has played in two VFL premierships with North Ballarat and is the brother of Sydney Swans superstar Adam Goodes.

He is also the player welfare manager at Whitten Oval, setting up an intriguing selection dilemma for Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney.

Discarded Essendon midfielder Brent Prismall was considered a certainty to be taken by the Bulldogs after knocking back an offer from Port Adelaide.

But the Dogs yesterday confirmed Goodes, a hard-running defender, remained an option and was locked in a race with Prismall, 26, for a fairytale shot at the AFL.

The Dogs signed former Fremantle player Nick Lower, 25, as a delisted free agent on Monday and have just one more spot to fill.

"Brett, along with a number of other players, has trained with the club in the past couple of weeks, with a view to fill the last remaining spot on our list in the lead-up to Tuesday's drafts," Bulldogs list manager Jason McCartney said.

"The club has not yet made a decision on who will fill that spot."

Richmond appears to be warming towards former Geelong player Orren Stephenson as back-up for ruckman Ivan Maric.

The Tigers are likely to select him in the rookie draft.

It means delisted Collingwood ruckman Cameron Wood will be overlooked.

Stephenson, Wood, former Melbourne forward Ricky Petterd and ex-Gold Coast Sun Josh Toy have been training with the Tigers.

Essendon reject Kyle Reimers has walked away from the AFL, knocking back an opportunity to train with Carlton.

Reimers has indicated he will return to Western Australia and play for Peel Thunder in the WAFL.


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Lethal stunned Swans can get Tippett

Leigh Matthews cannot believe that the Swans are in a position to meet the Queenslander's rich demands. Picture: Jay Town Source: Herald Sun

AFL legend Leigh Matthews is stunned premier Sydney is set to recruit Adelaide forward Kurt Tippett.

The Swans are poised to pick up the key forward at Tuesday's pre-season draft with no other club able to match the former Crow's $3.5 million price tag over four years.

Matthews said Tippett had been "creamed" by the AFL Commission with the 11-game suspension for his role in the draft tampering and salary cap scandal and said that Adelaide and its officials had got off lightly by comparison.

But he cannot believe that the Swans are in a position to meet the Queenslander's rich demands.

"You've got the current premiers going and spending a million dollars on a new player," Matthews said.

"Tippett has priced himself out of everyone else's range, except Sydney, and it's not supposed to work like that.

"They are supposed to be getting rid of players."


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Swannies have the last laugh

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 05 Desember 2012 | 22.42

The 2012 premier is about to turn an already power-packed forward line into the most attacking force in football, and Adam Goodes will be part of it. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

A WEEK after Adelaide was seen to escape lightly for its salary cap cheating, Sydney is about to pull off a brazen heist.

Don't look now, but the 2012 premier is about to turn an already power-packed forward line into the most attacking force in football.

And if you thought offering pick 23 and fringe forward Jesse White to Adelaide for Kurt Tippett was laughable, the Swans will effectively get the Crows star for free.

That muffled sound you hear from north of the border is a club giggling at the sheer improbability of securing Tippett for nothing.

Greater Western Sydney yesterday cleared the way for the Swans, saying it would not pick Tippett at Tuesday's pre-season draft.

It means Sydney boasts a forward line brimming with emerging stars (Sam Reid, Gary Rohan, Lewis Jetta), veteran matchwinners (Adam Goodes, Ryan O'Keefe) and unlikely finals heroes (Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Mike Pyke, Mitch Morton). Add Tippett and it becomes close to unstoppable.

Yet somehow beaten Grand Final opponent Hawthorn has opened premiership betting at $3.50, while the Swans are $7.

And there are other reasons the Swans are laughing.

Not only do they get Tippett, but they used their first-round pick (22) on mature-aged VFL flanker Dean Towers, and saw projected first-round pick Tim Membrey slip through to their second pick at No.46.

Key forward Membrey kicked 16 goals in three TAC Cup finals with Gippsland Power.

Instead of giving up an early pick for Tippett, the Swans sacrificed nothing and get Tippett, keep White and, with a first-round pick they never expected to retain, selected Towers, a 22-year-old midfielder from VFL club North Ballarat who is ready to roll straight away.

So Reid (31.19 this year) plays the lead-up centre half-forward, Goodes (37 goals) has his usual roving commission, and Tippett gets 11 weeks' rest to ensure his concussion issues are solved.

Alongside that trio are brilliant half-forward Jetta (45 goals), Ben McGlynn (30 goals) and, in a pinch-hitting role, the ungainly but effective Roberts-Thomson (25 goals).

Then throw in the effervescent Rohan, and goalkicking midfielders such as O'Keefe (20 goals), Josh Kennedy (29), Kieren Jack (27) and Jarrad McVeigh (18). It is a fearsome sight.

Tippett may be overrated, but he still kicked 39 goals from 80 shots last season.

Argue all you want about the validity of Sydney's extra salary cap dispensation and the bizarre circumstances that have thrown Tippett into the pre-season draft.

But the harder you work, and the more cunning your recruiting team, and the more irons you put in the fire, the luckier you tend to get in the AFL.


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Challenging times at AFL HQ

AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson announces his resignation as AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou looks on. Picture: Mike Keating. Source: Herald Sun

ANDREW Demetriou was not shocked when Adrian Anderson walked into his spacious office at AFL House at 3pm on Tuesday and told him he was leaving.

The pair had been talking about Anderson's desire for "a new challenge" for the better part of three weeks.

The two very public faces of the AFL resolved to keep the decision "in house" for the time being.

The executive was not told until early yesterday, then the staff at AFL House were briefed. It wasn't until a media release was issued less than an hour before Anderson's 12.15pm press conference that news filtered out.

"It's something Adrian and I have been discussing for quite a while, talking about the future and future challenges," Demetriou said yesterday.

"I wasn't surprised. The only surprise was that it happened (so quickly).

"He is looking for new challenges. He has achieved a lot of the stuff he set out to do."

Nine years of controversy

Demetriou - the man who handpicked Anderson in late 2003 for the tough football operations role that he himself once had - said he felt a mix of pride and satisfaction in Anderson's achievements.

He described as "utter garbage" talk that Anderson was unhappy with the way his role had been heading.


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Ablett back on deck for Suns

Suns skipper Gary Ablett has returned to pre-season training. Picture: David Clark. Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

GOLD Coast captain Gary Ablett is set to resume full training after a wrestling injury disrupted his pre-season program for a month.

Ablett strained his back during a wrestling drill on the first week of the Gold Coast's training camp in Arizona and was confined to running drills.

Ablett has done no contact work and little ball work in the past few weeks, but he will rejoin the main group before Christmas.

Suns football manager Marcus Ashcroft said the setback would not stop Ablett being fit for round 1.

"He aggravated it early in the pre-season and it was a bit sore, so we have taken a pretty conservative approach with him," Ashcroft said.

"All of the scans and imaging he had done has shown there are no serious issuesntsD so we are just working towards a point where Gary is pain-freente."

"He's done 11 pre-seasons in his career, so that's 11 years of training load under his belt. It's not going to be an issue getting him back to peak fitness.

"He has been doing everything in his power to get right.

"He has been training hard away from the main group and his skinfold results are spot-on so he'll be right to do a main session with the rest of the boys before Christmas."


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Top executive subs himself off

Outgoing AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson heeded the advice of his father Ken: "Keep your eye on the ball and get on with it." Picture: Mike Keating Source: Herald Sun

WHEN Andrew Demetriou poached a young lawyer from Corrs Chambers Westgarth nine years ago to head the AFL's football operations department, he warned him it could be "a very unpopular role".

Demetriou knew how thankless the job could be, having just had three years in the position. Three months into Adrian Anderson's tenure, Demetriou called the new man into his office and told him he had "vastly exceeded expectations " as far as unpopularity went.

Anderson had been headhunted for his expertise and integrity, but initially was attacked by many football traditionalists for not having a strong football pedigree, in the way former players Demetriou and Ian Collins had before him.

After six months in the job, Anderson was slammed by then Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse who, in defending his right to criticise umpires and the tribunal, suggested Anderson did not understand the pressures on coaches and players, and should spend time on the Magpies' bench.

Instead Anderson heeded the advice of another mentor, his father Ken: "Keep your eye on the ball and get on with it."

Over nine seasons Anderson did just that, helping overhaul the tribunal and introduce the league's drugs policy and collective bargaining and free agency agreements.

The critics, including many among the football public, remained.

Nine years of controversy

But Anderson's diligence and character began to win him wider respect.

At yesterday's media conference to announce his departure from the AFL, 20 to 30 of the league's senior staff were in the room.

Afterwards, Richmond great Kevin Bartlett, who worked with Anderson on the laws of the game committee, described him as an "outstanding administrator who always had player welfare at the top of his list".

Anderson had spent the best part of a decade fronting up when the AFL had unpopular news, deflecting and spinning with the best of them. So it came as no surprise he had little trouble obliquely manoeuvring through the circumstances of his own departure. At 40 it was "time for a new challenge" and "something different".

Twice during the 30-minute media conference Anderson seemed to falter.

First, in answer to rumours he might be North Melbourne's new chief executive. "I haven't had any discussions with, ah, North and, um, yeah. so I ... um, haven't made decisions about, at this point, what I'm going to do next," he said.

It is understood, however, that the ill-feeling from the Roos over Anderson's handling of the Lachy Hansen concussion investigation makes that scenario highly unlikely.

Secondly, Anderson seemed to choose his words carefully when asked whether he was disappointed the AFL Commission had rejected some rule change recommendations, notably for two substitutes on the interchange bench.

There was a suggestion Anderson had felt jilted when Demetriou anointed Gil McLachlan as his successor this year, although in reality that happened in 2006, when then No.2 Ben Buckley moved to Football Federation Australia.

Asked about reports of a fractured relationship with Anderson, Demetriou yesterday dismissed them as "complete garbage". But it is known the AFL is restructuring its football department and intended to diminish Anderson's influence.

Anderson told Demetriou on Tuesday of his decision to leave, but he conceded yesterday he had known for some weeks it was time to go.


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Anderson latest in AFL exodus

Adrian Anderson played key roles in the overhaul of the tribunal system, the introduction of the illicit drugs policy and free agency, and two pay deals with players. Picture: Nicole Garmston Source: Herald Sun

A MAKEOVER of the AFL's top ranks gathered pace yesterday with the sudden resignation of football operations manager Adrian Anderson.

Anderson, 40, handed his resignation to league boss Andrew Demetriou after nine years in the job.

He is the third member of the nine-person AFL executive to leave in recent weeks, following strategy and marketing boss Andrew Catterall and human resources chief Christina Ogg.

Football administration manager Rod Austin also has moved on in a sign Demetriou and the AFL Commission are looking to revamp the game's managerial body.

The changes could see the role of football operations manager diminished.

It had been a difficult off-season for Anderson after a recommendation by the Laws of the Game committee, which he chairs, to cap interchange rotations at 80 a game was rebuffed by the commission.

It also emerged yesterday Anderson had failed in a bid to have the commission hearing into the Kurt Tippett/Adelaide salary cap scandal in public.

But the former lawyer said those losses had played no part in his decision to quit.

Nine years of controversy

Demetriou vehemently denied there was any friction between the pair.

"It's nine years of doing this role and I think it's time for a new challenge," Anderson said.

"I wanted to make that decision at a time that gave Andrew and the guys the opportunity to put someone in place for next season.

"I'll stick around long enough to ensure those arrangements are being looked after."

Those tasks include completing the tanking investigation into Melbourne's 2009 season and a revamp of the contentious illicit drugs policy.

Asked who would fill Anderson's job, Demetriou said: "I'll sit down with our executive team and the commission and discuss our options but, to be honest, ... I haven't given it much thought."

Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale has ruled himself out as a candidate.

"I'm fully committed to delivering success at the Richmond Football Club," Gale said last night.

Anderson played key roles in the overhaul of the tribunal system, the introduction of the illicit drugs policy and free agency, and two pay deals with players.

The Australian Rugby Union was looking for a chief executive, but Anderson said he had not investigated potential new jobs.

"Often people have something organised before they move on, but I haven't felt that's appropriate," he said.

North Melbourne confirmed it had no plan to speak to Anderson about its vacant chief executive role.

There was tension between the AFL and the Kangaroos concerning the league's investigation into forward Lachie Hansen's concussion.
 


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Laycock in the draft and on Giants' list

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 04 Desember 2012 | 22.43

Possible GWS draftee Jason Laycock playing for Burnie in the TSL grand final. Picture: Chris Kidd. Source: news.com.au

FORMER Essendon big man and Burnie premiership ruckman Jason Laycock has nominated for next week's pre-season AFL draft.

He confirmed there had been talks with his former mentor, Kevin Sheedy, now coach for GWS.

Laycock, 28, enjoyed his best season in years as the TSL's most dominant player, including winning the Darrel Baldock Medal as the best player in the grand final.

He played 58 games for Essendon between 2004 and 2010, mainly under then Bombers coach Sheedy.

Laycock said he had caught the AFL bug again last season.

"You sit there watching the footy on the TV on the Friday and Saturday nights and you see players running around that you know you can beat or you've beaten in the past and it gets to you a bit," Laycock said yesterday.

"So I'm keen for someone to give me a chance and get me over there and give me a crack at it again."

Sheedy has visited Laycock's home town of Burnie in recent months.

"Sheeds' has been over in Tassie a couple of times for talks on the North-West Coast and he's always said that I could always do it if I put my mind to it," he said.

"He's one person who has shown a bit of interest but I don't think he actually has a whole lot of say.

"I'm a bit of a long shot, I'm pretty unfit and that, but the body has been really good for a couple of years now. But it is a bit of a long shot for someone to take me.

"But I did have that little bit of interest from three or four clubs towards the back end of the year, so I've put my name forward."

His TSL coach, Brent Plant, has been sounded out by at least 10 AFL clubs - including the Greater Western Sydney Giants - during Laycock's two seasons at Burnie where he got through the vast majority of games after being injury-riddled at the Bombers.

Sheedy was always a big fan of the 201cm, 108kg North-West Coast giant.

With the Giants unlikely to be tempted by the financial demands of former Adelaide tall Kurt Tippett, it is expected they will redraft Dean Brogan.

However, with Brogan turning 34 later this month, there has been some speculation GWS may look for a younger mature-age recruit.


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Power to snap up unlucky Sam

Sam Colquhoun starred for South Australia in the national championships and will earn a chance with Port Adelaide. Picture: Simon Cross

TEENAGE star Sam Colquhoun is heading to Port Adelaide.

In a recruiting coup, the rebuilding Power has committed to taking the Central District running machine with its first pick at next Tuesday's AFL pre-season draft.

Surprisingly overlooked at the national draft, Colquhoun trained with Essendon on Monday but returned to Adelaide yesterday after Port sealed a deal with his management team.

The Power - with pick three - selects before the Bombers in the pre-season draft. Only GWS (one) and the Western Bulldogs (two) have picks before Port and neither has shown interest in drafting Colquhoun, clearing his passage to the Power.

Colquhoun, an All-Australian half-back at under-18 level, trained with Port last week but kept his draft options open by trialling with Essendon, which was "super-impressed" with his running ability on Monday.


But when former Bomber Brent Prismall turned his back on a one-year contract offer from the Power, the Alberton-based club turned its attention to Colquhoun.

"We've liked him for a long time and were very surprised that he wasn't taken at the national draft," Port football operations manager Peter Rohde said, noting the club's last pick at the draft was No.30.

"We were considering taking him as a rookie selection but given Essendon's interest we had to jump in ahead of it. So hopefully we'll officially have Sam on board next week."

Colquhoun's manager Justin Reid orchestrated his return from Melbourne yesterday after talking with Bombers football manager Danny Corcoran.

"Essendon seemed very keen on Sam but when Port made a commitment to draft him it seemed pointless for him to keep training with them," Reid said.

"We're just really pleased that he's found his way onto an AFL list because he's a real talent who was very unlucky not to get drafted last month (at the national draft)."

Colquhoun, 17, starred for SA at this year's national under-18 championships, winning SA's MVP award and making the All-Australian side. He averaged 28.4 disposals and six marks in five games, reading the ball brilliantly at half-back, running hard and using his possessions with great effect.

SA coach Brenton Phillips took some of the blame for Colquhoun's draft failure because he used him as a loose man in defence, which raised questions about his accountability.

But Phillips said he has no doubt Colquhoun has the talent and work ethic to make it in the AFL.

"Once his (AFL) chance comes, that club will stand to benefit enormously," Phillips said.

Colquhoun said he was delighted to find an AFL home after his national draft disappointment.

"Having had a taste of training with AFL clubs in the past couple of weeks it's made me even more determined to have a crack at it," he said.

Colquhoun, 179cm and 72kg, will resume training with Port today. His pre-season selection means the Power can only rookie-list former Melbourne forward Liam Jurrah.

Jurrah, 24, is training at the club every day in the hope of reviving his career, which netted 81 goals in 36 games with the Demons.

Port says it will make a decision on Jurrah's future on Friday after taking into account his attitude, fitness and looming Alice Springs court case in March.

The Power has two picks in the rookie draft, which is shaping as the smallest in history.

Less than 30 picks are likely to be used after the AFL slashed rookie lists from six to four ahead of 2013 following a two-year spike as new franchises Gold Coast and GWS were introduced.

Clubs can list a maximum of 40 senior players and four rookies next year, but many will adopt a 39-5 or 38-6 breakdown for salary cap purposes.

Adelaide has committed to re-drafting Nick Joyce in the pre-season draft and will have one rookie selection.


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Tippett manager faces punishment

Player agent Peter Blucher, right, with Brisbane coach Michael Voss. Picture: Scott Fletcher. Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

BRISBANE-based player manager Peter Blucher would face either a reprimand, fine, suspension or have his AFL agent accreditation revoked if found guilty of playing a role in the Kurt Tippett saga.

The AFL Players' Association announced yesterday it will launch an investigation into Blucher's part in the draft tampering and salary cap rorting scandal.

The AFL Commission handed out heavy penalties to Tippett, the Crows and Adelaide officials last Friday after all parties pleaded guilty but has no power to discipline player managers.

The AFLPA can sanction player agents and will appoint an investigator who will report back to the AFLPA's Agent Accreditation Board and recommend any penalties.

Blucher will be given access to the investigator's report and be given the chance to mount a defence.

The AAB will consider the report and Blucher's defence before making a decision.

It will inform Blucher of any penalties in writing before announcing any sanctions.

Blucher has the right to appeal any sanction if he is found guilty.

A spokesman for the AFLPA said the body could not speculate on the severity of any penalties if Blucher was found guilty.

"Following the AFL Commission hearing into breaches of the conduct prejudicial to the Draft and Total Player Payments (TPP) provisions of the AFL Rules, the AFL Players' Association has now commenced an investigation into the role of Kurt Tippett's Accredited Agent, Peter Blucher," the AFLPA said in a statement.

If Blucher is suspended or has his accreditation revoked, he could not deal directly with players, but the staff at his company Velocity Sports could still represent its stable of clients who include Lions Simon Black and Daniel Merrett, Sydney's Rhyce Shaw and a host of Gold Coast Suns.

Blucher said he had been advised not to comment publicly when contacted by aifThe Courier-Mailaif yesterday.

A Velocity source last night confirmed Tippett would be staying on as a client with the company.

The first player manager to have his accreditation revoked was controversial Melbourne agent Ricky Nixon in 2011. He was suspended for two y


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Sheedy backs Izzy's honesty

GWS Giants coach Kevin Sheedy defends Israel Folau in the wake of his recent contract saga.

As Israel Folau jumps to yet another sporting code, we take a look back at some of the best and worst athlete defections.

Israel Folau announces his retirement from Greater Western Sydney with support from coach Kevin Sheedy. Picture: Sam Ruttyn. Source: The Daily Telegraph

ISRAEL Folau's former AFL coach, Kevin Sheedy, has defended the character of the NSW Waratahs recruit, saying he is one of the more honest people he's dealt with in his 45-year career.

Folau has copped fierce criticism this week for not signing with NRL club Parramatta after it helped secure his release from the AFL, with coach Ricky Stuart saying his side would be "genuinely better off without him".

However, the GWS Giants coach said yesterday he had no problem with Folau's character as he was always upfront and honest.

"I actually admired him for that," he said.

"So, from my point of view as a person, and I've been around the game for 45 years, I think Israel Folau is one of the (more) honest people I have ever dealt with.

"I am glad that when he felt that AFL wasn't his game in the end, that he actually told us the facts and let us get on about our business, which is what I think is a fair thing to do."

However, Sheedy said Folau's switch to rugby union hadn't been in his thinking.

"Everything was pointing towards the Parramatta Eels," he said.

"But he puts himself in the direction of Karmichael Hunt now as a player of all three codes. It's a pretty good effort."

Sheedy said he had no regrets signing Folau, labelling the move as one of the best marketing strategies "since Tina Turner singing Simply the Best  with the NRL".


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Tippett will find form fast

Kurt Tippett leaving the AFL Commission with legal counsel David Gallbally. Picture: Norm Oorloff. Source: Herald Sun

CONTROVERSIAL ex-Crow Kurt Tippett's return to AFL football is shaping as a must-see event for next year's calendar with experts predicting he will come back in immediate and furious form.

Tippett will miss the first 11 matches of next season because of his part in the Crows' and his dodgy 2009 third-party dealings and draft tampering but those who know him best have warned season 2013 will not be a wasted one for Tippett.

The key forward-ruckman, 25, will not be allowed to play football at any level during his sanction - be it state league, suburban league or country league - but he is free to put in a full pre-season with the club that chooses him in the December 11 pre-season draft and continue to train during the year.

He is expected to be snapped up by AFL premiers Sydney, with whom he has had extensive negotiations.

But former Adelaide Crows physical performance manager Stephen Schwerdt predicted he'd be ready once he returned from his spell.

Schwerdt, a former player and long-serving fitness man now at Gold Coast, has overseen the return from injury from champions such as Andrew McLeod and Mark Ricciuto and put Tippett in the elite bracket.

He didn't agree with the school of thought that suggested Tippett's next season would be wasted as he worked himself back into touch and form.

"He's very professional, has a very good work ethic and I wouldn't rule it out (Tippett returning to league football straight away)," Schwerdt said.

"It's a bit like a race horse - I think he'll be very good first up but then he'll be a bit sore, and he'll probably have to be managed for the second and the third week.

"But they'll prepare him for a 15-week season or so; the 11 games of the regular season and then finals. They'll do a lot of match simulation.

"The thing is, he's not like others who have been out of the game for a long time who need a lot of rehab. It's more like guys who have had hand or wrist injuries: they can do all of the work and when the time comes they're ready to step back in straight away."

If, as expected, Tippett is taken by the Swans, the first game he is eligible to play will be against Port Adelaide on June 22 next year which, if he is selected, shapes as a game almost as anticipated as when Ben Cousins returned from suspension with West Coast and racked up 38 possessions.

Sydney has confirmed it is still keen on Tippett after he was suspended last Friday by the AFL commission.

Tippett has lodged his minimum terms for next week's pre-season draft, but it is understood they are shy of a reported early offer from Sydney of $3.55 million over four years, which had bonus clauses that can no longer be fulfilled because of the suspension.

Greater Western Sydney remains the greatest threat for Sydney, with a pick before Sydney in the draft.

GWS coach Kevin Sheedy played down Tippett's suspension, saying it amounted to no more than 22 hours of football and would not dampen his interest.


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Crows will trade to get draft picks

Written By Unknown on Senin, 03 Desember 2012 | 22.42

Crows chairman Rob Chapman has vowed Adelaide will be a big player in the free agent market next year. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: Herald Sun

LIST manager David Noble says the Crows will consider trading away players to get their teeth back into the first round of next year's AFL national draft.

Noble said having effectively lost three first-round selections in two years because of the Kurt Tippett salary cap scandal, the club would carefully examine the significance of gaining one of Australia's gun teenagers next year.

"That's a good opportunity which fortunately is still open to us," Noble said.

"We've copped a fair whack from the AFL but we are still allowed to trade our way back into contention for the top-end talent at the draft if we feel that's the right move for the club.

"It certainly is a mechanism that we can use and something we'll consider next year."

The Crows willingly gave up their first and third-round national draft picks this year to lighten future draft sanctions.

But they also lost Tippett for nothing after the Swans had offered a first-round pick and player (Jesse White) for him and were banned from the first two rounds of next year's draft, which is considered strong.

Noble described it has a "reasonable penalty" but a problem for the club. "That is potentially three very good players we have missed out on," he said.

"But there's no doubt things could have been a lot worse, so we get up and keep batting on."

It was feared Adelaide could have been banned from as many as four drafts for salary cap cheating and draft tampering, rocking the club for a decade.

Armed with an extra $750,000 a season in salary cap room from losing Tippett, the Crows' timing for losing draft picks could not have been better. The advent of free agency will let the club invest heavily in recruits and "fill holes which might be on our list".

Chairman Rob Chapman has vowed Adelaide will be a big player in the free agent market next year.

"Free agency certainly gives us more options," Noble said.

Adelaide will be only a minor player in next week's pre-season and rookie drafts.

Noble confirmed the club would redraft second-year midfielder Nick Joyce - the Crows' fall guy in the Tippett scandal - at the pre-season draft and take only one rookie.


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Something not adding up in this story

Adelaide Crows chairman Rob Chapman has thrown his complete support behind embattled chief executive Steven Triggs. Source: Getty Images

WHO knew what, and when, were the interminable questions that eventually saw an American President resign before he was formally impeached.

There have been no resignations down at the Adelaide Crows but there are far more questions than answers still hanging around.

Something is just not adding up in this story but dragging the complete picture out of the Crows hierarchy is proving as easy as knitting custard.

Chairman Rob Chapman says he too would be demanding the head of Steven Trigg as chief executive if he didn't have all the facts in front of him.

But those outside of the inner sanctum are yet to hear what are the compelling facts that will enable Trigg to return to his job after a six-month ban.

Looking on from the outer it seems that from August 2011 onwards Trigg did not tell his board everything it needed to know - when it needed to know it. Given what has happened of late that should be a sacking offence.

Apparently Trigg regarded the whole situation as a "manageable risk".

He was dead right about the risk factor and totally over-estimated his capacity to manage it.

In such circumstances, Trigg must have exceptional qualities to be attracting such universal and staunch support to keep his job.

His sabbatical to study "world's best practice" at other sporting organisations is going to have to reveal some serious jewels of wisdom to compensate for the situation in which the Crows find themselves.

What has happened to the Crows is far worse than the club is prepared to admit.

Within the space of a few months its reputation has been trashed, its credibility compromised and on-field success placed in jeopardy.

The primary defence of the Adelaide Football Club seems to be, "we're not as bad as Carlton", which is bordering on embarrassing.

Chapman's determination to head the charge to the brave new world is admirable but ill-judged.

Taking phone calls and answering e-mails from fans shows his passion and commitment to righting the listing ship but filling in for Trigg as chief executive is a step too far. The dual roles are not compatible.

Who knew what and when in the Kurt Tippett affair has not been adequately answered.

The Crows need to address these matters without equivocation.

If not the club motto of Natus Ad Magna Gerenda (Born to Great Things), is in danger of being replaced by, "Oh what a tangled web we weave - when first we practise to deceive."


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In Goddard we trust fits nicely

Nine out of 10: Essendon recruit Brendon Goddard tries out the No.9 jumper that he will wear next year. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

IT is what Essendon fans have been waiting to see _ Brendon Goddard in a Bombers jumper.

While the former Saint will don the No.9 next season, exciting father/son recruit Joe Daniher will wear the No.6 guernsey worn by his father Anthony and uncle Neale Daniher.

Michael Hibberd will wear the No.1 jumper.


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One more might be enough for Black

Triple premiership player Simon Black may call it quits at the end of next season. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

SIMON Black says there is every chance that 2013 will be his 16th and final AFL campaign. The Lions legend wants to have no regrets.

From training in the lung-busting high altitude of the snow-capped Arizona to the sweltering Queensland summer, the 33-year-old is determined to be in the best shape possible ahead of what could be his last hurrah.

On a modified training schedule until the new year, Brisbane are slowly but surely getting Black back to peak fitness so the Rolls-Royce midfielder will be purring come Round 1.

"I'm under no illusions that this may well be my last year so I'm just trying to get my body right and into some short of shape so I can play some good footy and really enjoy the year," Black said.

"When you look back at your footy career, you want to have memories of playing good footy and being around your teammates in a winning dressingroom so that's what I'm hoping to do next season.

"If it is my last one, then I can walk away knowing I've had a very enjoyable finish to a very enjoyable journey."

Black signed a one-year contract extension after Brisbane's 2012 home-and-away season and is putting no pressure on himself about a retirement decision.

He said the two-week training camp in Flagstaff had been invaluable.

The triple premiership player, Norm Smith medallist and Brownlow medallist was restricted to swimming, bike riding and some running and football training but even modified work at high altitude can reap great rewards on the return to sea level.

"The first week to 10 days is a real struggle because you are constantly short of breath but you feel better the longer the camp goes on and you really feel the benefits of training at high altitude," he said.

Jordon Bourke, the son of former Geelong and Bears ruckman Damian Bourke, joined the Lions for training yesterday ahead of next week's pre-season and rookie drafts.

Bourke, a 193cm key forward, was overlooked by the Cats as a father-son selection in last month's national draft.

The Suns also bypassed the Brisbane-born Bourke with their local zone selection.

Bourke played for Morningside in the NEAFL last season and represented Queensland in the under-18 national championships.

Both Bourke and injury-plagued onballer Callum Bartlett have been given permission to train with the Lions by the AFL ahead of the drafts.
 


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Expensive outcome for Trigg

Apart from the financial hit, the AFL has put in place some rigid guidlines as part of Steven Trigg's punishment for salary cap rorting and draft tampering. Source: The Advertiser

BESIEGED Crows chief executive Steven Trigg will pay a heavy price for his six-month AFL ban.

Considered lucky to keep his job, Trigg will lose a small fortune and be treated like a leper until he is allowed back into Adelaide's West Lakes headquarters on July 1 next year.

Apart from his once-glowing reputation copping a hammering, Trigg will lose half-a-year's salary, estimated to be worth about $200,000 and be forced to pay his $50,000 AFL fine out of his own pocket.

The Crows also have confirmed they will not contribute "one cent" to his fact-finding national and overseas sporting trips when he is officially suspended on January 1.

"Steven will have to pay the fine and all costs he incurs from January 1 to July 1," Adelaide chairman Rob Chapman said.

"As a club we will absolutely not be contributing to any of that - it is an AFL requirement.

"Steven will not receive one cent of remuneration from the Adelaide Football Club in the six months starting form January 1, 2013."

Apart from the financial hit, the AFL has revealed the full extent of Trigg's punishment for salary cap rorting and draft tampering in the Kurt Tippett scandal.

A notable spectator alongside Chapman at yesterday's Crows training session at Max Basheer Reserve, Trigg cannot have any involvement in the AFL at all from January 1 - when his ban kicks in - to June 30.

The league's guidelines include:

NOT being allowed to step on to the club's grounds or into its offices.

BEING banned from all Crows training sessions and pre-season and home-and-away matches.

NOT being able to attend any AFL match.

MAKING no contact with any Crows or AFL official in person, on the phone or through social media.

If Trigg is found guilty of any offence, he will automatically cop another six-month ban, which would almost certainly end his time in football.

Chapman, who will take over as interim chief executive from January 1, said he would spend the next four weeks working closely alongside Trigg to "ensure all tasks of the chief executive are taken care of".

"I'm not going down there just to keep the chair warm," Chapman said.

"We will be going over the process to make sure we grow from this, we are not going to tread water. I'm across all of the agenda items and there are decisions to be made about Adelaide Oval, the licence and the structure of our football department."

Chapman said Trigg had paid a massive price "for an error of judgment" and had only retained his job after "six weeks of debate, discussion and probing".

"It wasn't an easy decision, we didn't just roll up, have a cup of tea and simply reappoint him," Chapman said of the board's decision not to sack him.

"We did take into consideration every fact that is known to us and we reached the conclusion we did.

"Steven accepted the breach of breaking a rule in sport and while it is a severe case it is not one which should condemn him to life out of football."

Chapman said Trigg would return to the club next year "as a better CEO".

"The one change he will probably make is to share more of the load and make sure the board is aware of every risk involved in the football club," he said.

"He's made an error of judgment, he's admitted that and he's suffering a large sanction, obviously to his reputation and integrity but also personally with a fine and six months with no pay."

Football operations manager Phil Harper, who copped a two-month AFL suspension for his role in the Tippett saga, will today fly to Hawaii for a long-planned holiday. His position will temporarily be filled by list manager David Noble.
 


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Bomber great tired of playing Hird

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 02 Desember 2012 | 22.43

Essendon legend James Hird can see change for the better on the horizon. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

JAMES Hird has been around long enough to know the heat is coming.

The baying media and commentariat will start up early, as they do when a side plummets from 8-1 to lose its last seven games of the year.

The boundary-side and armchair medicos will be at it, too, from the instant a player wearing red and black grabs for that first hamstring.

But if third-year coach Hird feels the pressure, it is not from the usual sources.

That pressure comes from a period that now stretches to eight years - September 4, 2004, to be exact. It was Essendon's last winning final, an elimination final against Melbourne in a team containing Justin Murphy, Damien Cupido and Matthew Allan.

And for Hird, the gap between then and now seems like an eternity.

"This is a big year for all of us," Hird concedes.

"I feel the pressure to succeed. We all live and breathe Essendon and I have my whole life. Almost everyone here is an Essendon person and we want to get our club back up.

"I think for our supporters, it's really important we have a big year.

"We haven't had a lot of success since 2004. That was the last time we won a final. So I feel that sort of pressure. It's internal, and I want for our supporters for us to do well. Any other sort of pressure doesn't worry me too much."

Two years into Hird's unlikely campaign as the saviour of Essendon, it is difficult to read his side's progress.

A first year full of unexpected wins and constant improvement ended in a crushing 62-point finals loss to arch-rival Carlton.

This year, the scintillating start - Essendon was 8-1, then 10-3 and 11-4 - ended in crushing disappointment as the injury toll ravaged the club's hopes.

Soon the external blame game started, with fitness staffer Dean Robinson becoming the scapegoat.

Hird makes a valid point about the two contrasting seasons which has so far gone unnoticed.

"It is interesting. We won the same amount of games in 2012 that we did in 2011. But we didn't improve, and it's really important to keep improving."

Three months on, Essendon has reloaded for the 2013 season, and with a fair arsenal.

The soft-tissue crisis has been analysed and Robinson retained, but with former Athletics Australia boss Danny Corcoran taking responsibility for the football department.

St Kilda star Brendon Goddard has been lured under free agency, veterans David Hille and Dustin Fletcher have been retained, and key position prodigy Joe Daniher arrives with massive expectations as the best TAC Cup talent in a decade.

James Hird keeps an eye on his players as they begin pre-season training. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun


None of it matters if the Dons don't stay fit, but after training stints in Colorado and on the Gold Coast, the signs are already promising.

"We have got a pretty healthy list at the moment, which is unusual for us over the last couple of years," Hird says with a laugh.

"We are going well on the injury front and the guys are getting some good quality work in. It is no secret that if you get a good pre-season you get a good head start.

"I can guarantee you we will have a soft-tissue injury next year. It's how many, when they happen, how they happen. Is it a mistake, or is it's just what happened? We will get them, but we are focusing on getting our players fit and healthy and structurally sound, rather than worry about getting constant flak for soft-tissue injuries."

The Dons conducted their own post-season inquiry into the injuries and will filter those results into their pre-season program.

One issue raised was the amount of weight many players carried as the club sought to build the big, strong, competitive animals Hird and assistant Mark Thompson desired.

It saw players like Cale Hooker, Jake Melksham and Travis Colyer battling to cover ground, and contributing mediocre seasons, but Hird says it is not that simple.

"I think it's a number of factors," he says.

"The biggest one is that you have to get your players to a point structurally where they can handle the workload you give them. It takes a number of years.

"It's not a one-year effort. You need to build them up and get them used to it.

There are two ways of doing it. You have to put the work into them and cross your fingers. Or if you don't have the work into them they are going to break down anyway. But we still have a young list and we are trying to make sure they can sustain a full year of football.

The pity is that almost all of Essendon's gains last year have been overshadowed by the injuries and seven-match losing streak.

When this side is at its best, it plays tough, hard football capable of winning multiple finals.

The list is brimming with talent, key position stars, and according to Hird, finally has a midfield core capable of taking it up to the best sides.

Goddard and Jobe Watson are elite, David Zaharakis and Dyson Heppell are on their way there with a bullet, and there are a raft of drafted midfielders we are yet to see.

Not since the dominant years of 1999-2001 has Essendon's midfield been so strong.

Daniher's potential is obvious, with Jake Carlisle, Patty Ryder, Dustin Fletcher, Kyle Hardingham, David Hille, Tom Bellchambers and Stewart Crameri capable of consistent, reliable football.

The question mark is on the health and wellbeing of a wildly talented quartet: Tayte Pears, Cale Hooker, Scott Gumbleton and Michael Hurley.

Hird sees excellent signs in all four over the early weeks of the pre-season.

Pears shaped as the league's best centre half-back before internal injuries and a navicular fracture cut him down in his tracks from the halfway mark of 2010.

James Hird talks with veteran Nathan Lovett-Murray, who has just signed on for another season. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun


Says Hird of Pears: "From Tayte's point of view, this is the first time in his whole career he is running before Christmas. His foot is not coming up sore. I don't think anyone outside our footy club understands how hard Tayte has had to do it. He had a terrific year in 2009, 2010 half-way through the year he got injured and he wouldn't have strung together two training sessions until now."

Scott Gumbleton was nearly on his way to the Western Bulldogs but, in a sign of loyalty, stayed despite no guarantee of games next year.

"The sell to Scotty was that we believed he can play," Hird says.

He just needs that consistency of training again. If he gets that he will be a very good player of the competition. But there is no player in the competition who can play well if they don't train. He hasn't missed a session in the pre-season.

"At the moment it's looking good for him."

Hooker, so dependable on the last line with his closing speed in recent years, had a stinker in 2012 and was within hours of being traded to West Coast.

He stayed, and Hird says he is up and running, but with Essendon's wealth of talls, there is critical selection pressure.

"Cale had a hamstring issue last year, and he's fit. Hopefully, we have a big issue trying to fit those guys into the team. The good thing is we have strength in that area. There will be a number of players - Tayte and Hooksy and Carlisle - who will be playing for two spots.

"There is competition."

Michael Hurley should be this club's franchise player, but needs continuity.

The club sent him to the US for the altitude camp despite a wrist reconstruction, with the 22-year-old determined to build a massive pre-season fitness base.

Several weeks back, Hird said he planned to use him off half-back, but clearly he will play at both ends again.

He kicked 26 goals from 16 games this year, but 11 of them came in two games against Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs.

As Essendon foundered this season, the whispering campaign began in earnest.

Does he kick enough goals? Is his physique as "cut" as it should be for an elite athlete?

Hird is fiercely defensive of Hurley's progress.

"Michael is very self-driven," he says.

"Unfortunately, so far he's had big injuries - a stress fracture in his foot, a lot of soft-tissue issues last year.

"He has had to have his wrist reconstructed but so far this pre-season he's been training every day and hasn't missed a session. You look at all the great centre half-forwards, they are super-fit athletes who are highly competitive. Michael wants to be that."

So where does he play?

"We are training him to play a number of roles.

"He will certainly play some forward for us, and depending on the way the rest of our list is going, he could also play back."

Full-field defence is a clear focus for Hird given the lessons of 2012.

We are trying to play the kind of footy we think can compete come finals. I think we played some really good football last season but we had some flaws that came out under real pressure. We have got to tighten those areas of our game up. So when we play those really good teams, we don't crack under pressure.

There will be no excuses next year, but that's fine by Hird.


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Liam's more X-factor than distractor

Former Melbourne footballer Liam Jurrah (left) at Port Adelaide training. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: Herald Sun

PORT Adelaide believes Liam Jurrah will prove more X-Factor than distraction with the forward's pending court case clouding a recruit with massive upside.

Power great Warren Tredrea has urged the club to cool its interest in drafting the former Melbourne cult figure until 2014 - allowing Jurrah to gain peak physical and mental condition.

Port will decide on Friday whether to hand troubled Jurrah an AFL lifeline at the December 11 pre-season and rookie drafts. Jurrah, 24, must answer assault charges in March stemming from a town camp incident last February near Alice Springs.

An underdone Jurrah fronted at Alberton last Wednesday as part of a 10-man train-on squad and football operations manager Peter Rohde dismissed thoughts his presence - now or next season - was an unnecessary sideshow.

"We obviously have him out there, we don't necessarily think that is the case, he has some special needs but that is not something that will turn us off," he said of the 36-game, 81-goal ace who was also plagued by ankle and wrist injuries this year.

"If we can get him up playing he has some real talent to add to our team."

The Power languished in 14th spot this year and Jurrah's mercurial leap and marking prowess would lift a side craving gamebreakers and potency. Welcoming a recruit with real baggage is a risk but could be worth it.

"There has been a lot of publicity around Liam," Rohde said.

"He is certainly straight up and there are issues going around his court case that we have to get our heads around but more than anything we just want to see him come out and train, how he presents himself.

"At his best he is one of the most talented players in the competition but he hasn't played at that level for a couple of years, that is what we have to measure up."

Rohde said Jurrah was actually a very different package to the one linked with the incidents in Alice Springs.

"He is very quiet, only took up English language late but certainly listens, is quite smart but shy," Rohde said.

Former Essendon and Geelong midfielder Brent Prismall has also been linked to a multi-year deal at Alberton but the Power will be wary of any long-term commitment to a 26-year-old who has spent the past year sidelined with a knee injury.

"It is as not a done deal in the pre-season draft. We would probably be keen to offer one year," Rohde said.

While his counterpart at Adelaide Phil Harper has landed in hot water, Rohde said Port had the protocols in place to avoid a Kurt Tippett-style salary cap issue.

"We have reporting processes to make sure that everything is within the rules," Rohde said. "They may have deviated from their normal processes for some reason."


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