Power forward Membrey makes impact

Old-fashioned footballer who is strong overhead, has a thumping kick, and sports a palm tree tattoo.

Big wraps: Gippsland Power coach Nick Stevens says Tim Membrey is a more accurate kick for goal than Brendon Fevola. Source: Herald Sun

TIM Membrey's September was over almost before it started.

The power forward decided to pull the boots on for Gippsland Power 20 minutes before its qualifying final after not training because of a groin injury.

A month later and the Traralgon lad was locked in as a first-round draft pick.

Likened as a player to West Coast's Jack Darling, Membrey kicked 8.2 in the preliminary final to drag Gippsland to the grand final, where his fourth goal handed the Power a last-quarter lead.

"It was awesome. One of the best efforts I've seen, from a junior footballer," Power coach Nick Stevens said of his captain's haul.

"He was marking really strongly. He beat everyone that came to him. They had two on one in the end and he was still catching everything.

"He kicked three goals from outside 50m at crunch times and one from about 58m to put us in front."

Stevens said Membrey was a better kick for goal than Brendan Fevola.

"He's such a powerful and penetrating kick for a kid his age and he just doesn't miss many," he said.

Recruiters have told Membrey to work on his endurance as he is too short to hold down a key position.

While Darling was pick No.26, Stevens said Membrey deserved to go in the top 10.

"I rate him as a top-10 pick and think it'd be crazy if he doesn't go top 10," he said.

"He'll end up being a high half-forward and he's ready. I've got no doubt he'll line up (for) Round 1 next year."

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Arizona revitalises Suns star Brennan

Gold Coast Suns star Jared Brennan breaks a tackls against the Giants. Picture: Darren England Source: The Courier-Mail

JARED Brennan hated football last season. So much so the thought of giving up the sport which shot him to stardom constantly crossed his mind.

"There were a lot of times I thought about giving up," Brennan admitted.

"All my family is from Darwin and there was always the whisper that if we are not happy we will just head back to Darwin and be happy again."

The former Brisbane Lions star who came to the Suns on a seven-figure deal conceded he didn't sit at home watching AFL and that training was a chore. Last year he didn't even like the sport.

He didn't even hang out with his teammates.

"Because I don't watch football or live football it's very easy to take myself away from it."

Sensationally dropped for the second time in 2012 for the Suns clash against Carlton in Round 22, Brennan's 10-year career had hit a new low.

Senior coach Guy McKenna publicly questioned his passion and intensity but Brennan knew he had already lost both qualities long before then.

"I guess a month into the season I felt that way, that I didn't care about football much any more," he said.

"It was a chore to go to training every day and like anything when you don't love it and have the passion for it you just don't want to do it any more.

"It was hard to take at the time (when I got dropped for the second time last season) but looking back now it was warranted.

"I had no love for the game and I didn't feel like playing football."

The end of the season couldn't come quick enough for Brennan.

While the Suns had already made it clear he wasn't going to be traded at season's end, the 28-year-old still had to work out if he wanted to play on.

"I went away at the end of the season and turned my phone off for about a month and I just had to see what was really important to me," he said.

"Whether that was to stop playing football or (keep going)."

He chose the latter and so far the choice has been the right one.

Brennan has been one of the big improvers on the Sun's pre-season camp in Arizona, surprising McKenna and even his teammates.

"This camp was a big test for me to see if I still love the game and so far all the signs are pretty good," Brennan said.

"This is the first pre-season for a while where I haven't been coming off an operation and I've tried to make the most of that.

"I didn't do much weights over the break and pretty much just ran all the time.

"I wanted to hit the ground running from day one."

And it's not the only change Brennan has made this pre-season.

Apart from his rejuvenated attitude, the quietly spoken individual has made a conscious effort to develop relationships with his teammates in Arizona.

He conceded keeping problems to himself was his biggest mistake.

"I'm a pretty private person and I didn't say much around the group last season and I didn't want to be there," he admits.

"Looking back it probably made things worse.

"I didn't really go to anyone to seek help last season and that probably escalated my lack of passion for AFL.

"So I've made a conscious effort to get around the boys as much as I can this pre-season."

Building friendships within the club is the way Brennan hopes to re-ignite his passion for the game.

A strong friend base was pivotal to his success at Brisbane and after all this is why he decided to play the game in the first place.

"The only reason you play football is to play with teammates," he said.

"Otherwise I would be playing golf, boxing or something like that."

Despite the positive early signs, Brennan admits he has a long way to go.

With the club only into its third week of pre-season, Brennan knows the real test is still to come.

"This is probably the time when you really need to love the game, in the pre-season," he said.

"I knew during last season I hated playing footy but I guess we will wait and see at the end of the pre-season."

With this in mind, Brennan is making no guarantees.

Unlike most players his age, he isn't preaching that he still has a few good seasons left.

But rather just taking it one step at a time.

"I will just take it season by season from here," he said.

"All the signs are good so far and hopefully this camp holds me in good stead."

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Lions not tempted on Tippett

Kurt Tippett leaves Adelaide for Queensland back in October, before his controversial decision to leave the Crows. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: adelaidenow

ADELAIDE was prepared to cash in and trade Kurt Tippett to Brisbane last year for a boom SA youngster and a draft pick, it has been revealed.

As the Crows await their punishment from the AFL for salary cap breaches, a key Adelaide insider said the club tried to deal for either Jared Polec or Jack Redden when the Lions pushed hard to sign Tippett in last year's trade period.

Queenslander Tippett had agreed to a move north but a trade fell through when the Lions refused to offer anything more than pick 12 and their compensatory selection at No. 30.

"If Polec or Redden was offered to us then Kurt would probably be a Brisbane player now," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Kurt was under contract at the time but we feared we might lose him at the end of this year anyway so we tried to work what we thought would be a good deal for both clubs.

"Jared was certainly keen to come home but unfortunately Brisbane didn't come to the party."

Adelaide would have accepted either midfielder, Polec or Redden, and draft pick number 30 for Tippett.

The Crows have long been admirers of former Woodville-West Torrens wingman Polec, who was drafted at pick five in the 2010 national draft, while it also rates former Glenelg ball-magnet Redden highly.

Lions national talent manager Rob Kerr - who now looks certain to miss out on Tippett for a second consecutive year as the key forward pushes for a move to premier Sydney - said his club wasn't prepared to give up one of its key midfielders.

"Had we agreed to move one of our South Australian youngsters, then a deal may have been done," Kerr said.

"Kurt and his management had, at that time, agreed to the move if a trade could be completed.

"But just like Adelaide, we valued our players and are backing ourselves in as a club to retain these highly rated youngsters."

The Crows' attempts to get draft pick eight from Brisbane also failed as it kept the selection to draft classy teenage tall Billy Longer from Northern under-18s.

Brisbane made another big play for Tippett in this year's trade period but looks set to lose him to Sydney, which he surprisingly nominated as his preferred club.

The AFL quashed a trade because of side deals in Tippett's last contract but will likely allow him to enter the national draft on November 22.

The Lions pick well before the Swans but Tippett is understood to have put a $1 million-a-season price tag on his head, which makes it tough for rivals to match as Sydney has extra money in its salary cap.

Kerr said quality key forwards were "rare beasts".

"As one of our recruiters outlined, there are about 12 genuinely good ones in the world, and the rest are either hopefuls developing or are not going to make it," he told the AFL website. "Hence our interest in Kurt Tippett."

Kerr said the Lions were still monitoring Tippett's availability but admitted that Sydney was well placed as its initial offer would be very difficult for other clubs to match.

Kerr hit out at the Swans being allowed to have an extra 9.8 per cent total player payment allowance because of the harbour city's cost of living expenses, claiming it was too much of a free kick.

"The AFL is now managing several questions about the evenness of the competition," he said.

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Taking Aussie football to the world

Shao Liang Chen, from the Guangdong Province in China, was tested at this year's AFL draft camp. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: Herald Sun

AUSTRALIAN football envisages having semi-professional competitions overseas to draw talent to the AFL.

Australian football is in an expansion phase, with an estimated 100,000 players outside of Australia expected to rise to 200,000 by 2016.

But as much as Australia's indigenous game is spreading across the globe, it is becoming more mindful that its core is in and around Australia, with the growth markets being Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and China.

Players from all of those regions are now being scrutinised, with the best invited to be tested by the AFL this year including Chen Shao Liang from the Guangdong Province in China, Gideon Simon from Mt Hagen in Papua New Guinea, Kurt Heatherley from New Zealand's Bay of Plenty, Sean Hurley from Ireland's Kildare and Eric Wallace from Winston-Salem, a former basketballer from Seattle University.

Talent scouts believe interest in overseas players will explode if they begin to take the game more seriously in other countries.

"Right now, all international competitions are amateur competitions, but I can see a time soon when overseas leagues are semi-professional and there are more events overseas," AFL international development manager Andrew Dillon said.

With that comes commercial opportunities overseas, through companies wanting to break into or increase their market share in Australia.

It is not dissimilar to domestic cricket teams signing up Indian sponsors who know their uniform sponsorship will be seen on television by an audience with an insatiable appetite for cricket.

Airline Etihad is one of the success stories of branding in football, with the Docklands Stadium, and as a result has become a household name in Australia after previously being virtually unknown.

There are broadcast opportunities, with expats wanting to watch the code while living in places like England and the US, and the game growing traction in the South Pacific.

There are other benefits to selling the game, as much as several commentators reckon it's a waste of time and money to try to break into established markets.

AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan echoed the thoughts of Tony Woods, a former Fitzroy, Collingwood and Hawthorn player, who reckoned Canadian Mike Pyke was an illustration of the opportunities ahead.

"For me that really crystallised the vision of the wider footy public to see what can be done," Woods said.

The enthusiasm of overseas adventures by clubs is tempered by the costs involved.

Port Adelaide has spoken highly about its trip to Italy and England for an exhibition game against the Western Bulldogs last week, but also relied on the AFL for much of the funding.

The Crows' view is that one trip every three or four years is adequate, but could be of great benefit.

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Laws to combat AFL's hard knocks

Kurt Tippett in the hands of Crows medical staff after being concussed. Picture: Tait Schmaal. Source: adelaidenow

THE AFL's concussion management guidelines are set for another overhaul following an international conference on the issue.

Soon after fining North Melbourne $20,000 for a lack of co-operation with an investigation into the way it handled Lachlan Hansen's heavy head knock in round 20, the league said it would revise its concussion rules for the 2013 season.

This comes after the AFL had three representatives, including AFL Medical Commissioner Dr Peter Harcourt, attend the Fourth International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport in Zurich last week.

"This global conference has again provided us with invaluable information that can be applied to our own concussion management policies," Dr Harcourt said.

"The AFL had strong representation at the conference and the management of concussion in the AFL was discussed.

"It confirmed that the AFL concussion strategy is robust and reflects current best practice."

But changes are in the wind.

The AFL is proposing to include a requirement for club doctors to make greater use of video footage of the injury incident in their assessment of player fitness.

There will also be a necessity for medical supervision of any follow-up self-assessment tests conducted by players.

The AFL will also adopt a "completely new approach" to the management of concussion in children, including those involved in the Auskick program.

The conference reinforced the AFL's approach that there is no scientific evidence that helmets prevent concussion or other brain injuries.

On the advice of the AFL and medical staff, wantaway Crow Kurt Tippett did not wear a helmet this year despite being concussed three times in five weeks.

"The evidence presented reinforced the AFL's current approach to the use of helmets, that is, there is no definitive scientific evidence that helmets specifically prevent concussion or other brain injuries in Australian football," Dr Harcourt said.

The new consensus guidelines will be released in March.

The Kangaroos, meanwhile, have been hit hard in the hip pocket after the AFL found them guilty of breaching a rule that requires clubs to fully co-operate and provide all relevant information and evidence to AFL investigators. Half of the club's $20,000 fine will be suspended for three years.

Football operations manager Adrian Anderson said the AFL found insufficient evidence to substantiate a breach of its concussion rules over the treatment of Hansen but that it was extremely concerned by North's lack of co-operation during an investigation into his welfare.

"Whilst there was no finding that there was any attempt to deliberately mislead investigators, North Melbourne now accepts that its conduct at times was not at a standard acceptable to an AFL investigation," Anderson said.

Key forward Hansen was assisted from the ground in a groggy state and later returned to the field during North's 24-point win against Essendon in round 20.

The AFL investigation was sparked when Roos' co-vice-captain Drew Petrie said on radio that he had seen Hansen vomiting at half-time.

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My five-year plan for a Giants leap

GWS assistant coach Leon Cameron succeeds Kevin Sheedy as senior coach in 2014. Picture: Michael Klein. Source: Herald Sun

LEON Cameron may be a year away from succeeding Kevin Sheedy as head coach, but he has already outlined his plan to propel the Greater Western Sydney Giants into the AFL's top four within five years.

The Giants finished their inaugural season in top-flight footy in last place with just two wins.

But with a collection of the country's best young talent at their disposal after successive drafts weighted heavily in their favour, Cameron is bullish about his club's future.

"We've got an outstanding list of what could be 17 or 18 A-graders in two years," Cameron told The Daily Telegraph.

"I'm confident in four or five years' time we will be competing at the pointy end, which in my mind is the top four.

"There's pressure at any club in the AFL whether you are 18th, fifth or first. There is expectation everywhere. They're an exciting group."

Cameron will inherit one of the plum jobs in the AFL at the end of next season when he replaces Sheedy at the helm of the Giants.

It is a measure of how highly Cameron is is rated that he was awarded the post ahead of Mark Williams, who led Port Adelaide to a premiership and boasted an impressive 55 per cent win-loss ratio over his 12 seasons at the Power.

Cameron turned down the Port job to be part of the Giants' succession plan and to nurture some of the best young talent in the land.

The 40-year-old has an impressive football resume, but Giants chairman Tony Shepherd told The Daily Telegraph it was his character that won him the job at the Giants.

"When Leon made his presentation to us he didn't start talking about football - he told us what sort of a person he was and what he valued," Shepherd said.

"He spoke about teamwork and how everyone at the club was all in it together."

We've got a lot of talent but they're also a bunch of competitors

After 256 games as a player for the Western Bulldogs and Richmond, Cameron spent seven years working with Rodney Eade at the Western Bulldogs and the last two under Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn.

Cameron will serve as an assistant for another season under Kevin Sheedy before ascending to the top job.

That's when the pressure will come, given the expectation that after two full seasons and a couple of favourable drafts the Giants should be ready to climb off the bottom of the ladder.

"I don't shy away from the fact we've got an exciting group," Cameron said. "We've got a lot of talent but they're also a bunch of competitors.

"You wrap talent, excitement and competitiveness all in one then it allows the team to do well.

"The challenge is to mix that all into a strong culture - like the Sydney Swans."

The Swans are officially the competition benchmark after a stunning 2012 campaign, and Cameron is unapologetic about his intention to replicate Sydney's strong footy culture at his fledgling club.

"The talent they have is fantastic but the culture they have created is absolutely outstanding," Cameron said. "Everyone knows what their role is at that footy club.

"If we can take a bit of what Sydney have done then we're heading in the right direction."

A year under Sheedy will complete an impressive coaching apprenticeship for Cameron.

"He's been in the game for 40 years as a coach and player," Cameron said of Sheedy. "The next 12 months are a great opportunity to run my ideas past Kevin. That's the attractiveness of coming to the Giants.

"I'm influenced by everyone I've been coached by.

"Terry Wheeler was my first coach at the Western Bulldogs.

"He was very honest and had great empathy for his players.

"As a 17 year-old, that had a big influence.

"Terry Wallace had a lot of new ideas. He was the one who started warm ups on the ground before we played. He was also a great teacher.

"Allan Joyce showed me the Hawthorn way and Danny Frawley had genuine passion and cared for his group of players."

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Crows score a slam dunk

Jack Osborn will ditch the basektball for a footy to play at the Crows. Picture: James Kerr Source: Herald Sun

ADELAIDE has become the AFL's version of the Harlem Globetrotters.

While the Crows are set to lose one former basketballer, ace forward Kurt Tippett, they yesterday added two more round-ball specialists to their playing list.

Sturt Sabres guard Tim Klaosen and Tasmanian giant Jack Osborn were signed as three-year non-registered rookies, leaving Adelaide with five former highly rated basketballers on its books.

Pick Me: Adelaide is keen on the next Jeremy Cameron

Former Australian under-19 basketball representative Ben Dowdell is on the Crows' rookie list, while senior list players Josh Jenkins and Ricky Henderson gave up promising basketball futures for AFL careers.

Henderson was spotted by new Crows recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie at a basketball training camp in Ballarat three years ago while Jenkins was an NBL development player for the Townsville Crocodiles after touring the US with the under-19 national schoolboys team.

"We're going to field a team in the NBL,'' Adelaide list manager David Noble joked after convincing Klaosen and Osborn to swap the basketball for the Sherrin.

"But in all seriousness we've obviously picked these players because we think they can develop into good footballers. We've seen what Josh and Ricky can do and there are a lot of similarities between the two sports as far as ball skills, agility, athleticism, work ethic and strategy are concerned.

"Tim and Jack are mature age and bring with them great attitude, work ethic and exceptional athletic abilities.''

Noble said the Crows had been scouting Klaosen and Osborn for much of the year and had put them through some physical and skill testing. Both played junior football Klaosen with SA Amateur Football League club Goodwood Saints and Osborn with North Hobart.

Klaosen, 22, has been a standout guard for Sturt for four years while Osborn, also 22, is a man mountain at 205cm and 102kg.

Osborn returned home to Hobart this year after completing a four-year stint in the American College system with Adams State.

The centre-forward joined the Hobart Chargers in the SEABL, where he underlined his athletic abilities and potential in helping the Chargers recover from a slow start to reach the South Conference play-offs. He has trialled with NBL sides Wollongong and Cairns in the past three months.

As Klaosen and Osborn have not been registered in any football competition for the past three years, Adelaide has been able to claim them as "Category B'' rookies. Dowdell is also on that list.

The Crows also have four positions on their regular or "Category A'' rookie list.

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Jacobs turns the Power off

Ben Jacobs has walked out on the Power. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser

BEN Jacobs' Port Adelaide career is over.

The first-round pick the Power invested so heavily in two years ago will today tell the club he has no intention of returning from Melbourne and will nominate for the November 22 national draft.

Victorian Jacobs, 20, sought a trade to North Melbourne last month but was left high and dry after Port refused to accept the Kangaroos' offer of draft pick 38.

Already armed with selections seven, 30 and 31, the Power wanted pick 15 from the Roos.

When North refused to budge on its offer, Port backed itself to talk Jacobs into staying at Alberton.

But it has failed, with the 26-game midfielder this week telling his manager, Paul Connors, he wants to play for a Melbourne-based club.

Pick Me: Adelaide is keen on the next Jeremy Cameron

The Kangaroos remain Jacobs' preferred choice and are understood to have made a commitment to him. St Kilda and Essendon also have expressed interest in him.

Connors, who last night did not want to publicly comment on his client's status, is expected to tell the Power of Jacobs' decision today.

This will leave Port without compensation for a player it had high hopes for after selecting him at pick 16 at the 2010 draft. It took him ahead of North's Shaun Atley (No. 17), Hawthorn's Isaac Smith (19), West Coast's Jack Darling (26) and Sydney premiership playdher Luke Parker (40), who are on the way to stellar careers.

At the time, Jacobs - from Victorian under-18 side Sandringham Dragons - was described as playing a style of game similar to Hawthorn superstar Luke Hodge.

But he showed only glimpses of that style in 26 games for the Power, which included 14 this year.

Jacobs, who has followed his long-time girlfriend back to Melbourne, was let down by his kicking and decision making.

But, at 20, the left-footer has a big upside.

Port football operations manager Peter Rohde said he was still waiting to officially hear of Jacobs' plans.

"We've spoken to his management a couple of times but until we hear officially of what he wants to do then I guess we're still holding some hope that he will decide to stay,'' Rohde said.

"Now that we're back (from Europe) we'll follow it up but it's fair to say we're not overly confident he will be here next year.''

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D-Day for Scorpions

VFL. Casey Scorpions v Williamstown. Casey Fields. Casey players stand for a minutes silence as a mark of respect for the passing of Melbourne legend Jim Stynes Picture: Colleen Petch Source: Herald Sun

THE future of Melbourne's VFL affiliate Casey Scorpions could be decided today at a meeting with AFL Victoria.

The Herald Sun revealed yesterday the Scorpions were in debt, without a coach and owing players match payments.

Casey could be removed from the VFL, forcing the Demons to find $400,000 to field their own VFL team to ensure development of their youngsters was not compromised.

The alignment ends at the end of 2013.

Casey powerbrokers are confident they will remain in the VFL.

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Pagan: Go easy on Demons

Former Demons coach Dean Bailey during a game in 2009. Denis Pagan says the AFL should show restraint on penalising the Dees. Source: Herald Sun

FORMER Carlton coach Denis Pagan has urged the AFL to show restraint in penalising Melbourne for tanking, as the league's inaction on banning priority picks comes under fire.

Pagan said yesterday that banning Melbourne from the November 22 draft would set the Demons back a decade given their fragile state.

The AFL has promised severe penalties if tanking is proven, yet it was so unconcerned by claims that tanking existed in 2009 that priority picks were rubber-stamped by an official review in November that year.

The AFL review considered whether to abolish the picks or tighten the eligibility criteria to see clubs handed pre-draft selections.

The only change made under the review was to slot the first-round priority pick behind the first three national draft picks of expansion clubs Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.

But that decision was based more on keeping the purity of expansion selections than watering down the priority pick.

Pick Me: The next Jobe Watson could join the Dees

Only this February did the AFL make it all but impossible to win a pre-draft priority pick, with clubs told they need levels of Fitzroy-esque performance over multiple years to qualify.

An AFL executive submission to abolish all priority picks in 2005 was also knocked back by the AFL Commission.

Pagan yesterday said the league had to be careful in how it penalised the Demons, who are hopeful the league will have made no decision by the national draft.

The North Melbourne premiership coach was in charge when the AFL stripped two seasons of draft picks from the Blues for salary cap sanctions and fined them nearly $1 million.

He said yesterday he agreed with Blues ex-president Ian Collins, who believes Carlton should have "handed the keys" back to the AFL.

"It was a nightmare. Every day for five years I thought, 'Is this going to stop?'," Pagan told SEN.

"There were so many innocent people affected by it and all the perpetrators were gone. I don't think people realise how close it was to handing the keys back in.

"They should think long and hard before they do what they did to Carlton because it put Carlton back 10 years. If they do it (to Melbourne) before this draft it would put them back eight to 10 years."

The AFL in 2009 denied repeated claims of Melbourne's tanking, with league chief Andrew Demetriou calling media scrutiny of Melbourne's experimental tactics "absolutely disgraceful".

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