inside football 16 april
DESCRIPTION
Inside FootballTRANSCRIPT
Vol. 42 No. 10 • Issue 1368 APRIL 18 – APRIL 24, 2012
• $A5.95 inc GST • $NZ6.95 inc GST
www.insidefootballonline.com Proudly published by
Maher's Attacks! Andy writes for us
Fated menThe game's fallen stars
�
WHARF-ARE! Dockers, Saints put it on the Lyon
Ph: (03) 9532 5845Fax: (03) 9553 0858
Russell HolmesbyASSISTANT EDITOR
Ben CasaneliaCHIEF SUB EDITOR
Mick EllisGRAPHIC ARTIST
Jason CroweRESIDENT IRRITANT
Jim MainSTATSMAN
Brett AndersonPUBLISHER
Barrie Quick NATIONAL ADVERTISING
David Hung03 8420 1151
SUBSCRIPTIONS One year Australia —
$A195 incl GSTRest of world –
please contact us! SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES
For any inquiries, please call 1800 809 233
Overseas callers: +61 8 9362 4134email: [email protected] We don’t have facilities to accept foreign currency.
PRINTER
MPD – printing the news everyday
Unit E1, 46-62 Maddox Street
Alexandria NSW 2015
Ph: 02 8898 1211
http://www.mpd.com.au
INSIDE FOOTBALL is published by
Inside Football Pty Ltd.
ABN: 26 153 972 804
Ph: (03) 9532 5845
Fax: (02) 9553 0858
Distributed by Network Services Company
Re-orders & supply: www.netonline.com.au
© 2012 Inside Football Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
EMAIL US:
WE WELCOME YOUR THOUGHTS: [email protected]
the Guts
IT’SWHARF-ARE!
The Dockers and Saints are devel-oping a fine rivalry, only heightened by the Ross Lyon defection. See Page 26-27.
Cover
Inside views2
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
By RUSSELL HOLMESBY
It’s not often that I find myself in front of a TV at 6pm on a Thursday.
But last week I was in that position and remembered that Channel 7 – you know, the one that loves footy – has the exclusive rights to release that most basic of football fodder – the line-ups for the weekend games.
Those of us old enough can remember back to a childhood when, as football-mad kids, we would listen to the radio on a Thursday night to hear the ins, outs and line-ups as read by Ron Casey and Lou Richards on 3DB at 9pm.
Then came the iconic League Teams on Seven. Those of us who were in our teens and early 20s by then would chortle away when we arrived home from a few beers after football training.
For many years after Lou, Bob Davis and Jack Dyer departed our screens there were various forms of broadcasting the teams.
I know from a Seven staffer that a suggestion was made in the late 1980s to revive the Thursday night show at an earlier time in the evening and add a touch of comedy. That idea was dismissed as retro and past its use-by date.
In 1994, Channel 9 ran with the concept when raised within its four walls and The Footy Show remains strong to this day.
Great thinking, Seven, especially given it has made several lame attempts since to match Nine’s offering.
But despite the parade of drivel that Seven’s esteemed programmers have tossed up, it clearly places a value on being first with the teams.
As a result Seven threw a clause into the most recent TV rights deal that it would be first to announce the teams on its 6pm news bulletin.
So it’s come to this. I thought I would
Selfish Seven not exactly teeming with information
n Collingwood fans blaming everything on Nathan Buckley are ignoring factors of injuries, decreased depth and loss of Leigh Brown.
n When scores were flashed on Saturday night, Gold Coast had more fans than they’ll ever have again in their existence.
n Fremantle’s con-fidentiality gag on Mark Harvey is a graphic illustration of its guilty conscience.
n It’s time Nathan Buckley had the Mark Neeld-Jack Watts talk with Chris Dawes.
n Brian Taylor’s switch to TV com-mentary has shown him to be perfectly suited for radio. Player identification isn’t his strong suit.
n North Melbourne’s patience with Aaron Edwards is finally paying handsome dividends. On track for 50 goals.
n I propose a five-week ban on com-mentators talking about Israel Folau. We get it, he’s strug-gling!
n Making big state-ments about players and teams after three weeks is inane. It’s a marathon.
n Interchanges should be allowed to be made only after a goal to protect players from big hits like the one on Luke Breust.
n It’s fair to say the Bulldogs haven’t grasped the new coach’s game plan...yet.
n Sydney is a quiet achiever that will trouble every other team.
n If we are going to use TV technology on the goal line, get bet-ter cameras!
n Gary Ablett should have polled nine Brownlow votes already.
n You never realise how truly painful Carlton barrackers can be until they put their heads above the parapets.
n Without Moloney and Sylvia, Melbourne has no hard nut in midfield that is so vital in today’s footy.
n Any semblance of tactical edge the Magpies enjoyed over the competition last year is gone.
n Mick Malthouse has landed straight in the Grant Thomas class of pontificating former coaches.
n GWS is not only damaging its own “brand” but along with the Suns threatens to skew the entire competition for this year and beyond.
RUSSELLHOLMESBY
BENCASANELIA
BRETTANDERSON
NATHANBURKE
CRACKERSKEENAN
MICKELLIS
WE LEARNT THIS WEEKTHREE THINGS
tape the teams so I could look back at them because, after all, there were 18 to get through.
But I needn’t have bothered. When it came to the moment that Sandy Roberts and Matthew Richardson announced the teams there was a surprise in store – and it wasn’t the fact that Collingwood
had given Cameron Wood another go in the ruck.
Now Roberts and Richardson are estimable fellows and can only deal with what they are directed to do.
Roberts read the ins and outs for Carlton-Collingwood, he read them for Richmond-Melbourne and he read them for Gold Coast-Essendon.
That was it! We were straight on to Richo’s tips.
Had I missed something? Weren’t there another six games, i.e. 12 teams, that hadn’t been mentioned?
I replayed the tape just in case they had been broadcast subliminally, but no, it was just teams from three games.
And here is a bizarre coincidence. Those three games just happened to be the first three games telecast by Seven at the weekend.
It didn’t worry about its fourth game, Hawthorn-Adelaide. After all it only
gets a squad for Sunday games, so why bother.
So the whole football world has to wait for Seven’s team announcements – 12 of which never make it to air.
Clubs have been forbidden to release any selection details before 6.20pm. Coaches can’t tell press conferences on Thursdays who is going to be in their teams.
It’s just another case of Seven spitting – note the “p” – in football fans’ faces.
Maybe it’s not as grievous as taping over or throwing out the game’s historic footage, inflicting such inane items as the Megawall upon the viewing public, or creating awkward start times so viewers can be corralled into watching second-rate pap, but it got my goat.
Sure, they love their footy at Seven.Well so do I. That’s why next week
I’ll be waiting another half hour and catching the teams on Foxtel.
ICONIC: It’s mostly downhill since League Teams.
FOOTYTHURSDAYNIGHT19 APRIL
www.liveatyourlocal.com.au
SPECIAL GUESTS SPORTS PERSONALITY
JOSH GIBSON+ COMEDIAN
+ SPORTS WRITERJOHN RALPH
HANDBALLCOMPETITION
$4,999PRIZE TO BE WON!
SEE STAFF FOR DETAILS
MEALS FROM 5PMSEN FOOTY SPECIAL
$10 GRILLED CHICKEN FILLET WITHGREEK SALAD OR PARMA DEAL
SHOW 6PM
KEYSBOROUGHHOTEL
CNR CORRIGAN & CHELTENHAM RDSKEYSBOROUGH P:9798 2055
FOOTYOOTPANELPANEL
WITH
KEVIN BARTLETT& ANTHONY HUDSON
WITH
KEVIN BARTLETT& ANTHONY HUDSON
Inside news
InsIde Football
‘ ’
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
By RUSSELL HOLMESBY
The key to St Kilda’s prospects this year is not the elite group of big names, but the mid-range players in the 21 to 24-year-old bracket.
It is an area the club has been criticised for not developing during the heights of 2009 and 2010, but one of that group – David Armitage – believes they are about to blossom.
“It’s exciting. We’ve just got to build and keep getting confidence,” he said.
“Blokes like myself, Jackie Steven, Rhysie Stanley – that’s where the growth has got to come from.”
Armitage said the improvement of that group would ease the pressure on the older heads.
“It will make it easier for the more experienced now that blokes like Jackie Newnes and “Head” Simpkin have come in,” Armitage said.
“Tommy Simpkin is a great defender who’ll beat anybody one-on-one. He’ll keep progressing and we need him to.
“He is tough as nails and we need his bounce off half back.”
Armitage was surprised by the extent of the win over the Western Bulldogs last weekend.
“We prepared all week for a nice hard contest and early on it was,” he said.
“(But) we applied massive pressure and got some turnovers and kicked some goals.”
For the Saints it was all about getting a good start.“That was the focus all week, coming in from the
start and making an impact,” he said.Armitage certainly did that on a personal level
with a big opening quarter.“That’s two good first quarters in a row I have had
and now I’ve got to keep going and keep building consistency,” he said.
“I’m going into my sixth year now. You go up and down and play a good game and then play an average one. It’s time to really put a stamp down and be consistent.”
Over summer he has worked on his speed with new fitness chief Peter Burge.
“I’ve also done a lot of leg weights and squats, that kind of thing, to build a bit more power to be quicker over the ground,” Armitage said.
Friday night’s home game against Fremantle will herald the return of ex-Saints coach Ross Lyon, who departed in the off-season in dramatic fashion.
“It doesn’t matter who’s coaching,” Armitage said. “We’ll focus on what we’ve got to focus on.”
Why is Collingwood playing the way they have been? Well, I can guarantee it’s got nothing to do with the coach, it’s got to do with the players and the leaders around the football club. – Nick Maxwell on Crunch Time
Saints’ mid-range players looking...
ARMITAGED AND DANGEROUS!
ARMITAGE: “It’s time to really put a stamp down and be consistent.”
“
State of the Nation By MICK ELLIS, national affairs correspondent
Pos TEAM P W D L FOR AG % Pt Streak COMMENT
1 WEST COAST 3 3 0 0 452 214 211.2 12 W3 Possibly the best put-together side in the comp. Hard for WA teams to stay on top, but a top-two finish and home prelim looks within their powers. 2 CARLTON 3 3 0 0 401 206 194.7 12 W3 Planets are aligning – there’s class, great pace, motivation, their best team is on the park and their draw is the best of the contenders. This is it, Blues. 3 SYDNEY SWANS 3 3 0 0 299 201 148.8 12 W3 Going to cause a lot of teams a great deal of bother. The old “eight-point” game against North should be a clinker this week. 4 ESSENDON 3 3 0 0 320 276 115.9 12 W3 Let’s be serious for a moment: was never going to lose that game to Gold Coast. But what a testing week – Blues then Pies on a four-day break! 5 ST KILDA 3 2 0 1 327 176 185.8 8 W2 Misty-eyed fans enjoying something of a Prague Spring with Lenny Hayes reprising the glory days. A good old-fashioned grudge match next. 6 NTH MELBOURNE 3 2 0 1 416 272 152.9 8 W2 Finally took a big scalp (although did cop the Cats on a let-down week). Another one to fit into the eight. 7 HAWTHORN 3 2 0 1 367 291 126.1 8 W1 Put Crows away impressively. Pre-season predictions were slightly over the top but more in underestimating strength of rivals. Top four bound. 8 ADELAIDE 3 2 0 1 303 272 111.4 8 L1 Troubled Hawks for a period but really no match, giving us a more accurate read on their level, which with a featherbed draw is about here. 9 Fremantle 3 2 0 1 250 230 108.7 8 W1 Not set the world on fire since upsetting Cats in Round 1, and a fired-up St Kilda (players, supporters, suburb) awaits on Friday night. Win? No way.10 Richmond 3 1 0 2 278 284 97.9 4 W1 Competitive for long periods against Pies and Blues, then far too strong for Demons. Can push to outskirts of the eight.11 Geelong 3 1 0 2 307 326 94.2 4 L1 Expect this win-loss pattern to continue as hunger is waning. When they are roused, though, they are possibly still the best in the business.12 Port Adelaide 3 1 0 2 258 301 85.7 4 L2 Might be the most improved outfit of the lot – and there are plenty of teams on the rise right now. Won’t beat Pies but can make it a battle.13 Collingwood 3 1 0 2 262 323 81.1 4 L1 “Is that the Ball game?” read the clever headline. Optimists should take the flag odds now as they will hit back, but Ball loss is like Hayes at St Kilda.14 Brisbane Lions 3 1 0 2 217 296 73.3 4 L2 Got into an arm wrestle with a Lyon-coached team, set a new low for inside-50s, yet limited the damage to five goals.15 Western Bulldogs 3 0 0 3 191 321 59.5 0 L3 This is starting to get ugly. In fact, it’s Melbourne this week so we’re declaring them officially one loss away from a crisis.16 Gold Coast 3 0 0 3 203 381 53.3 0 L3 After a week of flak, dug in admirably against the Bombers, the mob that humiliated it most last year. Ablett appears utterly unstoppable.17 Melbourne 3 0 0 3 210 418 50.2 0 L3 Another salutory lesson on the consequences of talking up a big pre-season (as the Tigers have been prone to do). Cracking draft for early picks.18 GWS 3 0 0 3 160 433 37.0 0 L3 Raised some resistance once Eagles set the cruise control but it’s apparent the AFL erred in not forcing them to take more senior men.
4
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
Inside news
By LEIGH PHILPOT
Essendon’s tough 17-point victory over the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium last Saturday night was probably not the type of game it was looking for heading into a hectic schedule.
But the Bombers expected nothing less from the Suns despite their poor start to the season, according to emerging defender Kyle Hardingham.
“Our first quarter was really good, we played the way we wanted to play,” Hardingham said.
“In the second quarter we let them get to us a little bit and went away from our structures.”
The Suns dominated the second and third quarters and were looking the goods, holding a seven-point lead at three-quarter time against a Bombers outfit that looked out on its feet.
However, Essendon, with full back Dustin Fletcher playing his milestone 350th match, fought back and secured its third straight win to open the season 3-0 for the first time since its last premiership year in 2000.
Hardingham admitted the Bombers had made mention of Fletcher’s milestone in the three-quarter time huddle.
“There was a bit of that (talk
of winning for Fletcher), but it was more about us playing our structures and not going away from the things we wanted to do,” he said.
“At the end of the day it was a big milestone and it was good to get over the line for Fletch, and Hurls (Michael Hurley) and Pearsy (Tayte Pears, who both played their 50th matches).”
Essendon faces two block-busters in the next week, starting with Carlton on Saturday and followed by the traditional Anzac Day clash against Collingwood four days later.
Hardingham acknowledged that the Bombers’ powers of recovery would be vital in the next fortnight.
“It is probably the most important thing, more important than the actual training side of things,” he said.
“We have to make sure we are doing our hot and colds, and extra recoveries down at the beach, so that when we get to the actual game we are right to go.”
Hardingham was hopeful that some of his injured teammates would be available for the clash with Carlton.
“I reckon what you saw tonight is probably most of the (likely) line-up, but hopefully we can get a few more guys back and ready to go,” he said.
By CHARLIE LAURENDI
Having sought greener pastures after originally being picked up by Geelong, Sydney big man Shane Mumford is now one of the AFL’s premier ruckmen and, at age 25, is likely to lead the Swans for many years to come.
Yet even after producing a dominant, 40 hit-out performance against Port Adelaide’s three-game novice Jarrad Redden last weekend he had nothing but praise for the young buck.
“Jarrad Redden is a good young player and in a few years’ time, with more experience and a few more tricks up his sleeve, he will be quite the player,” Mumford said.
Even though the Swans hadn’t lost to Port Adelaide since 2006, Mumford and his teammates knew they were in for a tough match.
“We knew it was going to be a tough battle against Port Adelaide after their impressive start to the season,” he said.
“They have made contested football their number one
Grinding win leaves Bombers with no time to draw breath
Mumford generous despite towering over foeHARDINGHAM: Recovery now the most important thing.
MAGPIE: You quite often hear players like Nick Riewoldt say that footy observers – those of us outside the inner
sanctums of clubs – are several years behind in understanding what’s happening strategically in the game. Even if that is true, my sense now is that we have a tactically even competition. CROW: Every club is up to speed with presses and “structures”. MAGPIE: So those clubs previously ahead on tactics – Hawthorn, then St Kilda, then Collingwood – have lost any stra-tegic edge. Everyone is doing a version of a pressing zone, and knows how to counter it, and every coach puts a premium on tackling pressure and “contested possession”. Nothing new in that either – it used to be called winning the ball. So we’re now ready and waiting for the next big tactical innovation.CROW: I agree, that’s why the play has opened up and the game has regressed five years and become a better spectacle. We’re back to playing proper footy!MAGPIE: And all because of the sub rule! But my point is that if you take out tactical advantage, that leaves talent.CROW: This is your explanation for getting pantsed by Carlton?MAGPIE: Collingwood looked like a bunch of bush handicap-pers trying to take on the Group 1 thoroughbreds. The likes of pick 62 Ben Sinclair trying to take on silk like Bryce Gibbs.SAINT: Come on, you’ve got your share of A-graders – Cloke, Pendlebury, Thomas, Shaw … you’ve had a string of untimely injuries and as Burkie is pointing out in his column, your mid-field was unaccountable. I thought Saints were the pessimists!MAGPIE: I simply float the possibility that Collingwood’s tacti-cal edge from mid 2010 until late 2011 caused us all to some-what overrate individual players. Take the Brownlow medallist – with a record vote tally – who has not hit a target this year, for one of several examples. Maybe they overrated themselves.CAT: Name names, Magpie.MAGPIE: Well, let’s call them out of form then: Darren Jolly, Chris Dawes, Harry O, Sharrod Wellingham. I could continue.CROW: You’ve jumped off quick smart!
MAGPIE: You have to believe your eyes. Colling wood is superbly led and will respond – Daisy will take on the
Luke Ball role and be great – Ben Johnson, a much-needed line-breaker will return, and their draw encourages a revival over the next four weeks. But it was only 18 months ago that the Magpies’ high-rotating double midfield was the envy of all. This year, even before Ball went down, it looked thin. That’s what I’m saying – the tactics of high rotation of an eight-man midfield, a press-up zone, a territorial mindset, intense forward pressure and tackling – it’s been partly brought undone by the bench change but mainly it’s been matched or superceded by others. CROW: If the game right now is not about tactics, just about talent, how do you explain Melbourne?MAGPIE: We can safely say that everyone is now playing “finals footy” every week. That means you must have hard, seasoned bodies. It explains everything about the hidings we are presently seeing. And the AFL was too soft, by the way, on the expansion clubs. It should have forced them to create ready-made teams. CROW: Mick Malthouse says Collingwood is struggling because the players are indecisive about Nathan Buckley’s game style.MAGPIE: On the basis of Alan Toovey missing targets? He didn’t know whether to kick it an inch inside the line or 15 metres inside? I know Mick’s a genius but he did admit he was guessing.CROW: You’re not missing him?MAGPIE: I reckon Malthouse’s great strength was motivation. He maximised their competitive spirit – traditionally a coach’s No.1 job. But if he was still there advocating his gameplan with the same list, I think they’d be toast just the same.CROW: So the Pies are gone?MAGPIE: It’d be a good year to dip into the draft pool! (Joke!)CROW: Good, maybe then we can change the subject and talk about the 94.5 per cent of the league that is not Collingwood.
COFFEE
URNAround the
‘Take the Brownlow medallist who has not hit a target this year.’
Monday morning in the InsIde Football offices ...
MUMFORD: “Our young players are really firing.”
priority, which is also a strength of the Swans so we were happy to come away with a win.”
Although Sydney has started the season with three straight wins, Mumford knows the side still has plenty of hard work to do.
“Even though we have started the season well, great teams like Geelong and Collingwood produce wins week in, week out,” he said.
“We need to get to that level of consistency to be considered good.”
Mumford credits his team’s resolve to each and every member of the squad, especially some of the young excitement machines.
“Some of our young players are really firing at the moment,” he said.
“Lewis Jetta, Gary Rohan, Sam Reid, Daniel Hannebery and Luke Parker are giving the senior players a new lease of life.
“But it’s not just those guys; everyone is playing their role within the team. We have a great mix of experience, youth and medium-aged players all playing well together.”
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
Collingwood supporters are supposed to be a hardy lot. But they left the MCG in droves last Friday night once they knew they were well beaten. I spent 10 years at Collingwood and we won the premiership in 1990. Allan McAlister was as going to be president for life and Leigh Matthews was going to be the eternal coach. But as we all know it didn’t work out that way. Big Al fell by the wayside and Matthews vacated the coaching post, only to go on and win a few more premierships at Brisbane. Even Matthews admitted he had run out of oxygen at Collingwood. A few years back we saw one of the strangest things ever to happen in league football when black-and-white supremo Eddie McGuire announced a coaching handover plan with all the fanfare of a papal succession. Mick Malthouse’s body language made it look like he had swallowed a cat. He reminded everybody that these blokes were “his boys”. Now it all seems to be going pear-shaped. Journalists with Collingwood leanings are jumping off rapidly. They reckon they wouldn’t back Collingwood to win a flag with counterfeit money. It’s too early in the season to pull the rug on Collingwood, but as I said when the succession plan was announced, it was the wrong time to move along a premiership-winning mentor and take on a new coach as raw as an egg. As Malthouse said, you can sit in the back seat as long as you like, but when you grab the steering wheel it’s a different matter altogether. New coaches should have those words emblazoned on their clipboards. It’s a hard job, coaching. You need to have
a thick hide and if a president and committee make a mistake it usually is a big one. McGuire should just remember two names – McAlister and Matthews (right).
In the race to enter AFL ranksFootball and horse racing don’t usually mix. I’ve dealt with horses all my life. A good mate of mine, Greg Mance, who trained Cole Diesel, isn’t very interested in football. He had a cousin, Alan Mance, who trained horses in the 1950s. And lo and behold his stepson, Cody Mance, is playing with the Sandringham Dragons and starting to turn heads. He’s a big kid who will be playing school football for the next two or three months. Some recruiters have jotted his name down. I’ve watched this kid play and like a lot of 17-year-olds he has got a definite chance. He’s a very dedicated kid and wants success. As I said to his grandfather, there’s no chance of Cody being a horse trainer and he replied “that’s because he doesn’t like getting up early”.
Hawks full of Kennedy regretWhen players get cleared to another club you shake their hand, wish them well and silently pray that they don’t get a kick against you. They even said about Collingwood under Leigh Matthews that the Magpies would only give away smiles and handshakes. But Hawthorn officials must be
shaking their heads in disbelief. The grandson of their greatest figure John Kennedy, and the son of premiership winner John junior, is setting the world on fire – at Sydney. Alastair Clarkson, who made the call on Josh Kennedy, would hate watching him go about this business. Dare I say it, but Kennedy, in his short time at Sydney, has become an elite player – a ball magnet. He is tough, durable and very team oriented. There are some strange things in life. I saw a young Kennedy play for Box Hill years ago and he went OK. After the game I saw his father John junior and said if his son ever felt like moving to Port Melbourne for a change of scenery to help relaunch his career we would be happy to have him. When I mentioned it to Port coach Gary Ayres he said Kennedy was destined for bigger things and all he needed was time. He was proven right.
Demons on a slippery slopeThey were raising money in Mansfield last week to help a young kid competing in motocross and while I was there I ran into the boss of Mt Buller, who told me that it is an actual fact that when Melbourne plays badly you do get more people up in
the hills. After what has happened to Melbourne so far this year, when it was supposedly going to be pressing for a spot in the eight, there will be plenty of Demon fans flying down Bourke Street throughout the winter. To be honest, clubs that talk themselves up should be very wary. St Kilda, which I think will do OK, hardly said a word in the pre-season. Geelong just ticked along quietly as it always does and went about its business. But we heard that the Western Bulldogs were going to play confrontation football and look what’s happened to them. And Melbourne? Well, nothing needs to be said. The best advice is this: just play football every week and keep your head down and the season will take care of itself. Forget the smoke and mirrors stuff aimed at generating membership sales. When fans see it is false they just drop off at a million miles an hour.
One Al of a cautionary tale for el presidente Eddie
with CRACKERS KEENAN ... the man who hears EVERYTHING
TheOVAL OFFICE
Bubble, bubble toil and troubleThere is a new “big thing” in football jargon. First we had the forward press, then there’s the transition with exit players. But one or two clubs are now employing “the bubble”. The idea of the bubble is to pack all the opposition players into one corner of the ground on the backline. You have outriders on the bubble and when you get it you kick it to the far end of the bubble and all the little bubbles run after it. Hawthorn does it and so does at St Kilda. The only trouble is the little bubbles become very tired footballers running from one end of the ground to the other. The big thing that people are concentrating on now is clearances out of the centre. How many times do you see goals kicked in the first 20 seconds when there’s no press and no bubble and you can get the ball downfield quickly. St Kilda kicked one against Gold Coast recently – through Terry Milera – before the Suns players’ feet had even touched the ground. A few years ago we were calling ruckmen dinosaurs, but now a good ruckman is like gold and they are the clearance kings.
Not happy about missing folksFor years we have been hearing about Hawthorn being the “family club”, but that all went out the window with last week’s celebration of Sam Mitchell’s 200th game. Apparently his mum and dad weren’t invited to the pre-game dinner, as is usually the case when a player reaches a milestone. I’m not sure who was responsible, or whether there was some family reason why it didn’t happen. Either way it’s not a good look for a club that so frequently spouts its family ideals.
THAT WAS THEN: Former compadres Malthouse, McGuire and Buckley.
MILERA: Lightning opening.
Fielding ideas about third man
Don’t be surprised if the AFL doesn’t look really
hard at the issue of the third man up at ruck
contests at the end of the season. I know they
have already tried to contain it, but it will be
examined more closely. It is definite weapon that
is used to great effect and any move against it
would be a bad rule change. At the moment it
means the ball can be pushed into the open and it
helps relieve the congestion.
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
Inside news6
By CRAIG O’DONOGHUE
Fremantle midfielder Michael Barlow says any disappointment about his battle to recover from a broken leg disappears whenever he plays an AFL game.
Barlow badly broke his leg midway through his stunning debut season in 2010.
He returned last year, but often experienced pain and has been eased into this season after battling soreness after an intra-club match.
While many players would bemoan their lack of luck, Barlow’s positive attitude reflects how happy he is to be an AFL player after being overlooked in so many drafts.
“I’ve had a few peaks and troughs, but I’m back playing
elite AFL football. It’s the best game in the world I’d say,” Barlow said.
“I couldn’t be happier with where I’m at. The club’s been fantastic and really diligent with my management.
“Ross (Lyon) taps me out every now and then of training, which is nice of him. I’m really looking forward to another step forward.”
Barlow played his first game of the year against Sydney in Round 2 as a substitute, but started last weekend’s game against Brisbane on the interchange bench and finished the match with 25 possessions, six clearances and eight tackles.
He said proving that he could play a full game was extremely important and admitted finding it hard to adjust to the
game physically at times.“Today was a massive step
forward for me playing a full game. That match conditioning is so vital,” he said.
“I was tonguing it a bit. It was a scrappy kind of game to be involved in first up.
“That’s probably one of the harder ones to be involved in because it’s repeat effort, repeat effort, repeat effort.
“But I’ve come out the other end of it feeling really confident personally and really good to work with that midfield group.”
Barlow will get another test when Fremantle plays St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
That match will have plenty of feeling as Freo coach Lyon returns to face his former club for the first time.
BARLOW TAKES NEXT STEP, STARTS TO STRETCH HIS LEG
BARLOW: Match conditioning vital.
X
1. Gary Ablett (GC) ........25 (68) 2. Brent Stanton (E) .........12 (59) 2. Dane Swan (Co) ..........19 (59) 4. Matthew Boyd (WB) ..21 (53) 4. Shannon Hurn (WC) ..15 (53) 6. Marc Murphy (C) .........22 (51) 6. Callan Ward (GWS) ....21 (51) 8. Andrew Gaff (WC) .....16 (50) 8. Brendon Goddard (St) 12 (50) 8. Brent Harvey (NM) .....19 (50)
1. Gary Ablett (GC) ........20 (60) 2. Daniel Cross (WB) .....18 (59) 3. Andrew Carrazzo (C) .19 (53) 3. Chris Judd (C) ..............17 (53) 5. Ryan Bastinac (NM) ....12 (52) 5. Matthew Boyd (WB) ..18 (52) 7. Marc Murphy (C) .........17 (50) 8. Scott Selwood (WC) ..16 (48) 8. Scott Thompson (A) ...18 (48)10. Michael Firrito (NM) .13 (47)
1. Jarrad Waite (C) ...........10 .(30) 2. Alex Rance (R)................ 9 .(29) 3. Sean Dempster (SK) ...14 .(26) 4. Brendon Goddard (SK) 10 (25) 4. Shannon Hurn (WC) .... 7 .(25) 6. Scott Selwood (WC) ..10 .(24) 7. Grant Birchall (H) .......... 9 .(23) 7. Jason Blake (SK) ............. 8 .(23) 7. Brad Ebert (PA) ............12 .(23) 7. Dylan Grimes (R) .......... 9 .(23)
1. Gary Ablett (GC) ........45 (128) 2. Matthew Boyd (WB) ..39 (105) 3. Marc Murphy (C) .........39 (101) 4. Scott Thompson (A) ...25 (98) 5. Chris Judd (C) ..............35 (94) 6. Dane Swan (Co) ..........31 (94) 7. Scott Selwood (WC) ..31 (92) 8. Andrew Carrazzo (C) .29 (91) 9. Brent Harvey (NM) .....38 (91)10. Josh P. Kennedy (Sy) ..27 (90)
1. David Armitage (SK) ..... 8 .(26) 1. Ben Howlett (E) ............. 5 .(26) 3. Craig Bird (Sy) ................ 6 .(23) 4. Lenny Hayes (SK) .......... 8 .(23) 5. Sam Mitchell (H) ............ 7 .(22) 6. Michael Rischitelli (GC) 11 (20) 7. Rory Sloane (A) ............. 3 .(20) 8. Nathan Foley (R) ........... 8 .(19) 9. David Mackay (A) .......... 6 .(19)10. Matt Thomas (PA) ......... 2 .(19)
1. Zac Dawson (Fr) ........ 4 ( .....6) 2. Tom Simpkin (SK) .......... 1 .. (5) 2. Nick Suban (Fr) .............. 4 .. (5) 4. Jason Blake (SK) ............. 2 .. (4) 4. Eric Mackenzie (WC) ... 2 .. (4) 4. Drew Petrie (NM) ......... 1 .. (4) 4. Adam Selwood (WC) ... 1 .. (4) 8. Matthew Broadbent (P) 0 ... (3) 8. Brandon Ellis (R) ............ 0 ... (3)8. Sam Fisher (SK) ............... 1 ... (3)
1. James Kelly (G) ............... 3 .(15) 2. Scott Pendlebury (Co) . 0 .(14) 2. Matt Priddis (WC) ........ 0 .(14) 2. Andrew Swallow (NM) 2 .(14) 5. Gary Ablett (GC) .......... 8 .(12) 5. Sam Mitchell (H) ............ 2 .(12) 7. Domenic Cassisi (PA) ... 3 .(11) 7. Chris Judd (C) ................ 5 .(11) 7. Marc Murphy (C) ........... 3 .(11)10. Matthew Boyd (WB) ... 3 .(10)
TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN
KICKS HANDBALLS MARKS DISPOSALS TACKLES SHEPHERDS OUT OF CENTRE
BROWN: “It’s exciting to have a local blockbuster.”
Brown comfortable sticking his face back into the action
PLAYERRATINGSRound 3 leaders
ABLETTGary GC 10 CARRAZZOAndrew Carl 9 HARVEYBrent NM 9 JUDDChris Carl 9 KENNEDYJosh Syd 9 MURPHYMarc Carl 9 SHUEYLuke WC 9 BARLOWMichael Frem 8 BASTINACRyan NM 8 BETTSEddie Carl 8 FISHERSam STK 8 GIBSONJosh Haw 8 GRIGGShaun Rich 8 HANNEBERYDaniel Syd 8 HARTLETTHamish PA 8 HAYESLenny STK 8 HENDERSONLachie Carl 8 HOWEJeremy Melb 8 KREUZERMatthew Carl 8 LEWISJordan Haw 8 MONFRIESAngus Ess 8 MUMFORDShane Syd 8 MZUNGUTendai Frem 8 PARKERLuke Syd 8 PEARCEClancee Frem 8
Season leaders1. ABLETTGary GC 282. CARRAZZOAndrew Carl 252. KENNEDYJosh Syd 252. SELWOODJoel Geel 255. JUDDChris Carl 245. MURPHYMarc Carl 245. SELWOODScott WC 245. THOMPSONScott Adel 249. HARVEYBrent NM 239. SHUEYLuke WC 239. WELLSDaniel NM 2312.ANTHONYLiam NM 2212.BARTELJimmy Geel 2212.BOYDMatthew WB 2212.FISHERSam STK 2212.GODDARDBrendon STK 2212.KREUZERMatthew Carl 2212.SWALLOWAndrew NM 2219.ADAMSLeigh NM 2119.BASTINACRyan NM 2119.BETTSEddie Carl 2119.CORNESKane PA 2119.DALSANTO Nick STK 2119.DANGERFIELDPat Adel 2119.FIRRITOMichael NM 21
By CRAIG O’DONOGHUE
Brisbane captain Jonathan Brown says he had no concerns about his previously battered face during his return to the AFL last weekend.
Brown has endured three terrible facial injuries in the past 12 months and received one test against Fremantle when he crashed into a pack during a marking contest.
It was one of the few big contests he was involved in because the star forward managed just three possessions – all in the first term.
The Lions managed just 20 inside 50s for the match, which was a record low, and that left Brown battling to get involved in the match.
Brown said his face felt fine, but he was disappointed to have had such a limited impact on the game.
“It felt all right. You don’t really think about it once you’re out there,” Brown said.
“I would have liked a lot more
contests in the game situation.“I felt a little bit disappointed
walking away from the game not being in the amount of contests I normally would be.
“I just need to keep getting myself to the contest in the next few weeks and get used to it again.”
Brown will play in his first Q-Clash this weekend, after missing both games against Gold Coast last season.
With both clubs having had poor starts to the season, the match represents a key chance to get four points and build confidence.
Brown said it was exciting for Queensland football to have a rivalry building between the two clubs and he wanted to be part of it.
“It’ll be good. It’s obviously bragging rights for Queensland and it’s exciting to have a local blockbuster now,” he said.
“It was 1-1 last year and no matter where the sides are on the ladder there’s always that pride factor.”
InsIde Football
Inside news ‘ ’
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
TIGERS WILL LOOK AT OTHER WAYS TO NAB AN ADVANTAGE
By BEN CASANELIA
While Richmond fans’ optimism about securing a victory over Geelong on Sunday is underpinned by a NAB Cup thrashing of the Cats seven weeks ago, star Tiger Brett Deledio has a vastly different take.
Asked if the Tigers’ nine-goal belting of the Cats would give his side an edge going into the Simonds Stadium clash, Deledio said: “Probably not. It’s a different game against a different side and we’ll be a little different as well.”
While taking little from a pre-season win, the dual best-and-fairest winner was happy to hang his hat on his side’s midfield depth, which he believes can match the league’s elite.
“You’ve got to have depth to go with the big boys and we’ve got it now I think,” Deledio said.
Last weekend against Melbourne the Tigers gathered 160 more disposals and won the inside-50 count 65-30 on the back of a rampant midfield.
Deledio, who turned 25 this
week, said it was incumbent on the midfielders to assist Trent Cotchin when he was heavily tagged.
“We’re doing our best now to look after him, but it’s something we’ve got to get better at,” he said.
“You look at Gary Ablett who gets 40 (possessions) despite getting tagged, so we’ve got to help Trent and make sure he’s got every opportunity to get 30 plus.”
Deledio paid tribute to young defender Dylan Grimes, whom he likened to Essendon star Dustin Fletcher thanks to his ability to produce a last-minute spoil.
“It’s a big rap, but he’s got some Fletcher-like traits,” he said.
“He’s really blossomed and his kicking and decision making is getting better with every minute he plays.
“Together with Alex Rance they are giving our defence some real structure.”
That structure will get tested on the weekend by Cats duo James Podsiadly and Tom Hawkins, who have combined for 23 goals in three matches this year.
In 2007 we told Gary (Ablett) you don’t train hard enough, you don’t work hard enough in the gym, you’re lazy, you’re a sook cause you always think you have got injuries. – Cameron Mooney on Saturday Football
2 BONUS
PACKSALBUM+
BONUS
CARDREDEMPTION
insta
nt win
1:72 PACKS
$19.99 RRP*
AVAILABLE NATIONALLY IN NEWSAGENCIES, 7-ELEVEN, HOBBY AND AFL STORES Select AuStrAliA Pty ltd ABN 49 003 881 052 8/53 Myoora road, terrey Hills, NSW 2084 www.selectaustralia.com.au
liKe uS oN –
facebook.com/selectaustralia and twitter.com@selectaustralia
PREMIUM AFL coLLEctoR cARdschAMPIons
2012
10 cards per pack 36 packs per box
$2.99 RRPper pack*
*AUSTRALIA ONLY
SHARPSHOOTERS1. James PODSIADLY Geel 12 - 12 52 Aaron EDWARDS NM 11 - 11 43. Tom HAWKINS Geel 11 - 11 44. Josh KENNEDY WC 10 - 10 25. Lance FRANKLIN Haw 10 - 10 36. Bryce RETZLAFF Bris - 10 10 47. Mitch CLARK Melb 9 - 9 28. Eddie BETTS Carl 9 - 9 59 Jarrad WAITE Carl 9 - 9 3
AFL STATE TOTAL LW
DELEDIO: You need depth to go with “big boys”.
Coniglio family yet to develop orange crushBy FRANK RUSSELL
Greater Western Sydney young gun Stephen Coniglio had about 20 family and friends in the stands when the Giants took on West Coast at Blacktown last week.
Unfortunately for the Perth native, they weren’t cheering for him.
The Coniglio entourage headed east to catch up with their son and to cheer on their favourite team – the Eagles.
Flag hopeful West Coast duly won the game against the baby Giants by 81 points, but Coniglio is hopeful he can persuade some of his clan to switch their allegiance from Eagles blue-
and-yellow to GWS orange.
“A few family and friends came over from Perth and they’re all West Coast supporters,” Coniglio (left) said.
“Mum and Dad, my two brothers and little sister and then a few cousins and friends came over as well.
“We’ll have to try to get them an orange scarf and orange hat.”
Coniglio said he took plenty from the result.
“I played on a lot of good mid-fielders,” he said. “Scott Selwood, (Chris) Masten played really well and (Luke) Shuey too. It was the first time we’ve got 10 goals in a game and that’s really positive.”
JUST like in life, the choices you make can either make or break you. Unfortunately for Collingwood the choices its midfield made
on Friday did more than just break them, it killed them.
And if the Magpies don’t learn to make better choices against good opposition then they may as well write this season off.
I need to make it clear that I am not saying the Collingwood midfielders are no good. In fact I believed the hype before last week’s game that it was the two premier midfields doing battle.
In terms of pure skill, ability and even hard work, they are up there with the best.
The problem lies with what the Collingwood players do when the going gets tough.
In a game of football, players are asked to make thousands of decisions. I won’t even begin to start listing them as it would take days.
The decision that the Collingwood players got wrong is not a fundamental decision like kicking the ball to the right spot or punching instead of marking.
It relates to their defensive mindset or lack of it when the tide was turning against them.
Let me try to explain.Whenever there is a stoppage in play, players
converge to the umpire and inevitably end up next to an opponent. This is where important decisions need to be made.
The decision you make often depends on the state of the game.
a) If you are winning easily you can look to attack. Maybe throw in a “hail mary” run hoping the ball, punched by a third man up, will land in your path. What your opponent does doesn’t really matter as getting the ball is your focus. Ideally you manufacture the situation so you can win the ball in space and with time. In this situation you can dictate your own starting position.
b) If the score is close you may want to be mindful of your opponent but still have an attacking bent to your game. Instead of winning the ball in space you want to win it in a contested situation. At worst you make it difficult for your opponent if you lose the contest. Your starting position is dictated by your ruckman’s dominance or lack of it.
c) If your team is trailing or the other team has a run on, your first focus is to not let your opponent win the ball, and secondly to win the contested ball yourself. Your opponent dictates your starting position. The aim is to win the ball, cause a ball up or force the opposition into a mistake through extreme pressure … in that order. This doesn’t have to be for the rest of the game, just long enough to change the momentum.
And this is the area where the Collingwood midfielders completely made the wrong decision.
From early in the game it was evident that Carlton’s midfield had the upper hand. Judd and
Murphy had 11 touches each and another onballer in Carrazzo had eight.
The scoreboard at quarter time showed seven goals to three. There were enough warning signs to say we need to change our mindset and wrest
control back.But what game plan did the Pies go with? From
the above they chose plan (a). The problem with plan (a) against a team like
Carlton is it gives Judd, Murphy and co even more space and when you have Kreuzer jumping all over Jolly then it is a recipe for a disaster or, in football terms, a 10-goal defeat.
Now it is difficult in a small way to be too critical of the Collingwood players. For the past few seasons the tactic has worked.
If Pendlebury only has two touches in a quarter he goes to the next stoppage, thinks attackingly, and racks up 10 or so to get him back on track.
Swan and Thomas do the same while Sidebottom and Beams have learnt from them.
Basically their class has gotten them through the
tight situations without having to change the way they play.
Is it arrogance? Well, it is a little bit, but you can’t deny it has worked.
And it will continue to work until you come across a midfield that meets and possibly exceeds your level of class. Then the arrogance works against you, like it did on Friday.
I understand Collingwood people don’t like to be criticised.
I cop it every time I mention them, but the fact is Collingwood has too many good players to let Murphy rack up 39 possessions and kick two goals.
Even Judd, as much a champion as he is, shouldn’t be allowed to get 35 touches unchallenged.
Throw in Gibbs 32, Carrazzo 29, Robinson 28 and Scotland 35 and you cannot possibly excuse the Magpie players.
You cannot possibly say that they changed the way they were playing in order to take control back or at worst square the contests and slow the game down.
If Collingwood did change the way it was playing after quarter time there is no way the Carlton players could’ve racked up the possessions they did.
OK, Carlton smashed Collingwood in contested ball by 28, but the real telling statistic is it won by a whopping 59 uncontested possessions.
I nearly tore my eyes out watching Judd and Murphy stroll to contests and be given two metres by their so-called opponents.
No doubt the Collingwood player was thinking, “great I have two metres on Judd so I can get the ball!”
This will work against GWS but not against Carlton.
The other missing element from the Pies is this: where is their Andrew Carrazzo?
Where is their Cameron Ling type who in the big games can do a vital job?
This won’t be popular but it wouldn’t hurt Dale Thomas to fill that void for the rest of the year.
If the Pies are going to be considered threats at the pointy end of the season, they need to find a stopper. All-out attack won’t be good enough any more, they need to be smarter.
Nathan Buckley needs to stress to his players that sometimes sacrificing five of your own possessions to reduce your opponent’s by 10 is the only way to win a game.
Burke's Lawwith Nathan Burke
The free-wheeling Magpie midfield met its match in Carlton.
How downhill skiers came a cropper
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
‘The fact is Collingwood has too many good players to let Murphy rack up 39 possessions and kick two goals.’
GOING NOWHERE: Marc Murphy puts the pressure on Alex Fasolo. LEFT: Nathan Buckley needs some stern words.
Shaw Shot
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
9Preview� Inside�Round�4
St KildaCarlton
CollingwoodAdelaide
West CoastBrisbaneGeelong
North MelbBulldogs
Adelaide
St KildaCarlton
CollingwoodAdelaide
West CoastGold Coast
GeelongSydneyDraw
Carlton
St KildaCarlton
CollingwoodAdelaide
West CoastBrisbaneGeelongSydneyBulldogs
Collingwood
St KildaCarlton
CollingwoodAdelaide
West CoastBrisbaneGeelongSydneyBulldogs
St Kilda
St KildaCarlton
CollingwoodAdelaide
West CoastBrisbaneGeelongSydneyBulldogs
Geelong
St KildaCarlton
CollingwoodAdelaide
West CoastGold Coast
GeelongSydneyBulldogs
Adelaide
CRACKERSKEENAN
BENCASANELIA
CRAIGO’DONOGHUE
CHARLIELAURENDI
NATHANBURKE
BRETTANDERSON
HOWARDKOTTON
DANIEL HARFORD
ROBERT SHAW
JIMMAIN
St KildaCarlton
CollingwoodAdelaide
West CoastBrisbaneGeelongSydneyBulldogs
Adelaide
St KildaCarlton
CollingwoodAdelaide
West CoastGold Coast
GeelongNorth MelbMelbourne
Collingwood
Fremantle Carlton
Port Adelaide Adelaide
West Coast Gold Coast
Geelong Sydney Bulldogs
Carlton
RUSSELLHOLMESBY
EXPERT PANEL
Saints to hammer home the point to Lyon
TOTAL: 21 TOTAL: 23 TOTAL: 21 TOTAL: 19 TOTAL: 19 TOTAL: 19 TOTAL: 21 TOTAL: 18 TOTAL: 22 TOTAL: 24 TOTAL: 22
PAST 5: 5-8-8 PAST 5: 7-8-8 PAST 5: 5-8-8 PAST 5: 3-9-7 PAST 5: 6-8-5 PAST 5: 3-8-8 PAST 5: 6-8-7 PAST 5: 4-8- 6 PAST 5: 7-8-7 PAST 5: 7-9-8 PAST 5: 7-7-8
L 4
W 92
W 63
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
PA GC WB FREM MELB HAW CARL WC SYD RICH GC ADEL BYE NM ESS BRIS SYD WB COLL MELB GEEL GWS CARLAS ES ES ES MCG MCG ES PS ES ES MS AS ES ES GAB SCG ES MCG MCG ES ES ES
W 4
L 13
W 29
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
GEEL SYD BRIS STK CARL GC PA HAW WC ADEL RICH BYE ESS COLL WB MELB GWS PA WC ADEL RICH NM MELBPS SCG PS ES PS MS PS AUR PS PS MCG PS MCG PS ES PS AS PS AS PS ES PS
Tensions are likely to be high at Etihad Stadium on Friday night as Ross Lyon makes his much-awaited return to face the club that he walked out on over summer.
Whether Lyon made the right decision from a football view-point won’t be determined for some time, but his former club can gain some degree of revenge – or closure – with a win over Fremantle.
Both sides enter the contest with two wins from their first three outings, but they have gone about their business in differ-ent ways.
Maligned for their defensive style of play under Lyon, the Saints have released the shackles a bit under new coach Scott Watters and the inclusions of Rhys Stanley and Terry Milera have added a new dynamic to the St Kilda front half.
Lyon, on the other hand, has taken his strangling tactics west and has transformed a typically attacking, free-flowing Dockers side into a defend-first, attack-second unit.
This mindset saw Lyon come within centimetres, or minutes, of being a back-to-back premiership coach at the Saints. So much of the attention will surround how he elects to attack his former line-up.
The loss of Nat Fyfe is a huge blow for Fremantle, which has historically struggled to compete with the Saints’ band of high-class on-ballers.
With Nick Dal Santo, Lenny Hayes and Brendon Goddard all in good touch, the Dockers look to have their work cut out again unless their new coach has some inside tricks up his sleeve.
VERDICT: St Kilda by 17 points.– BRETT ANDERSON
PAST THREE2010, R12, PS – St Kilda 12.13 (85) d. Fremantle 10.7 (67) Milne�booted�four�goals�in�his�200th�game�and�Goddard�starred�across�half�back.�Brownlow: 3 – Goddard (SK) 2 – Gilbert (SK) 1 – Milne (SK)
2011, R10, PS – St Kilda 15.12 (102) d. Fremantle 7.14 (56) An�eight�goal�to�one�first�half�saw�St�Kilda�jump�Fremantle�en�route�to�an�easy�win.�Brownlow: 3 – Dal Santo (SK) 2 – Steven (SK) 1 – McEvoy (SK)
2011, R20, ES – St Kilda 16.17 (113) d. Fremantle 10.12 (72) St�Kilda�won�its�eighth�straight�game�over�the�Dockers�with�Milne�kicking�four�goals.�Brownlow: 3 – Jones (SK) 2 – Dal Santo (SK) 1 – Mzungu (F)
ETIHAD STADIUM Friday, April 20, 7.50pm
OVERALL: St Kilda 15 Fremantle 11 Drawn 0AT ETIHAD: St Kilda 6 Fremantle 0 Drawn 0PAST 5 YEARS: St Kilda 8 Fremantle 3 Drawn 0
VIC SA WA NSW QLDChannel 7 7:30pm 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm* 7:30pm*Fox Footy 7:30pm 7:00pm 5:30pm 7:30pm 7:30pm
INJU
RIE
S
SAINTS DOCKERSJames Gwilt (knee) . . . . . . . . . . .1-2 weeksAdam Schneider (hamstring) . . .1-2 weeksRaphael Clarke (hamstring) . . . .4-5 weeksSam Gilbert (back) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . test
Anthony Morabito (hamstring) . . . 1 weekAlex Forster (hip) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TBCViv Michie (foot) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TBCGavin Roberts (sinus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . TBCNathan Fyfe (shoulder) . . . . . . . . indefinite
TV
TIP
PIN
G P
OIN
TS n St Kilda has won the past eight games
between the clubs.
n Fremantle has won just three of its past 21 matches at Etihad Stadium.
n The Saints produced their second best fourth quarter against the Dockers (6.4) in their Round 20 meeting last year.
n Stephen Milne (right) has booted 14 goals in his past four matches against the Dockers.
n Nick Dal Santo and Brendon Goddard have both polled Brownlow votes in two of their past four games against Fremantle.
OUR TIPSTERS – St Kilda 10 vs Fremantle 1
St Kilda Carlton
Collingwood Adelaide
West Coast Brisbane GeelongSydneyBulldogs
Geelong
St Kilda Carlton
Collingwood Adelaide
West Coast Brusbane GeelongSydneyBulldogs
GeelongSAFE BET SAFE BET SAFE BET SAFE BET SAFE BET SAFE BET SAFE BET SAFE BET SAFE BET SAFE BET SAFE BET
InsIde Football
10 Preview� Inside�Round�4�
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
W 44
W 91
W 60
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
RICH BRIS COLL ESS FREM GWS STK ADEL MELB PA GEEL WC BYE HAW COLL NM WB RICH SYD BRIS ESS GC STKMCG Gab MCG MCG PS ES ES ES MCG AS ES PS MCG MCG ES ES MCG ES ES MCG MS ES
W 2
W 25
W 17
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
NM PA GC CARL COLL BRIS WC RICH GWS MELB SYD BYE FREM WB STK PA GEEL HAW ADEL NM CARL RICH COLLES ES MS MCG MCG ES ES MCG SKO MCG ES PS ES ES AS ES ES AS ES MCG MCG MCG
L 22
W 21
L 60
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
HAW RICH CARL PA ESS WB BRIS GEEL ADEL GC MELB BYE WC FREM CARL GEEL HAW GWS STK SYD NM WC ESSMCG MCG MCG ES MCG ES GAB MCG AS MCG MCG MCG MCG MCG MCG MCG SKO MCG ANZ ES PS MCG
W 4
L 25
L 22
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
STK ESS SYD COLL ADEL RICH FREM NM GC CARL HAW WB BYE GEEL ADEL ESS MELB FREM GWS HAW WC BRIS RICHAS ES AS ES AS AS PS AS MS AS AS ES SS AS AS TIO AS SKO Aur AS AS MCG
Both unbeaten but Carlton a true contenderTwo undefeated heavyweights clash at the MCG on Saturday afternoon, but despite their identical win-loss records there appears to be daylight between the pair.
Carlton, on the back of a disappointing pre-season where it went winless, has opened up the season proper in devastating touch.
So impressive have Brett Ratten’s men been that they have been installed as joint premiership favourites alongside Hawthorn.
Just three weeks ago, some experts, including yours truly, were tipping Richmond to roll them in Round 1.
The saying that a month is a long time in football certainly rings true.
Essendon, on the other hand, has spluttered its way through the opening three weeks against inferior opposition, but the important stat remains that it has won three from three.
But this is the Bombers’ first genuine litmus test for the sea-son.
The injury curse continues to plague James Hird’s side with both Courtenay Dempsey and David Hille the latest casualties.
Considering the speed of the Blues’ front half, the loss of Dempsey looms large while the task of combating the in-form Matthew Kreuzer and Shaun Hampson will be a big ask for Paddy Ryder and Tom Bellchambers.
The difference in their past two meetings has been 62 and 74 points both in the Blues’ favour and six months on little is expected to change.
And while the margin of victory most likely won’t be as great, another Carlton win appears to be on the cards.
VERDICT: Carlton by 35 points.– BRETT ANDERSON
PAST THREE2011, R4, MCG – Carlton 11.13 (79) drew Essendon 11.13 (79) Dons�scrap�two�points�after�knee�injuries�to�Dempsey�and�Winderlich.�Brownlow: 3 – Fletcher (E) 2 – Duigan (C) 1 – Murphy (C)
2011, R18, MCG – Carlton 24.9 (153) d. Essendon 12.7 (79) A�career-high�eight�goals�from�Betts�paved�the�way�for�a�Carlton�romp.�Brownlow: 3 – Judd (C) 2 – Betts (C) 1 – Murphy (C)
2011, EF, MCG – Carlton 21.23 (149) d. Essendon 13.9 (87) The�attendance�of�90,161�set�a�new�record�for�an�elimination�final�and�the�Blues�overcame�a�shaky�start�to�crush�their�long-time�rival.
MCG Saturday, April 21, 1.45pm
OVERALL: Carlton 120 Essendon 110 Drawn 5AT MCG: Carlton 23 Essendon 30 Drawn 3PAST 5 YEARS: Carlton 5 Essendon 6 Drawn 2
VIC SA WA NSW QLDChannel 7 3:00pm 2:00pmFox Sports 2:00pm 1:30pm 12:00pm 2:00pm 2:00pm
INJU
RIE
S
BLUES BOMBERSTom Bell (adductor) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testBlake Bray (shoulder) . . . . . . . . .1-2 weeksAndrew Walker (quad) . . . . . . . .1-2 weeksDylan Buckley (finger) . . . . . . . .3-4 weeksRhys O’Keeffe (heel) . . . . . . . . . .4-5 weeksLevi Casboult (knee) . . . . . . . . . .7-8 weeksSimon White (knee) . . . . . . . . . . . 8 weeksMarcus Davies (shoulder) . . . . . . . 9 weeks
Scott Gumbleton (back) . . . . . . . . . . . . testBrent Prismall (knee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testDavid Hille (calf) . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-2 weeksMark McVeigh (soreness) . . . . . . . . . . . testNathan Lovett-Murray (hamstring) . 2 weeksDavid Myers (hamstring) . . . . . .1-2 weeksMichael Ross (ankle) . . . . . . . . . .1-2 weeksTravis Colyer (thumb) . . . . . . . . . . 3 weeksJason Winderlich (hamstring) . . . . 3 weeksCourtenay Dempsey (hamstring) . . . . TBC
TV
TIP
PIN
G P
OIN
TS n Essendon is winless in its past four outings
against Carlton.
n The Blues won the two encounters in 2011 by 62 and 74 points respectively.
n Eddie Betts (right) has kicked 12 goals in his past two matches against the Bombers.
n Essendon has been forced to use their substitute in the first quarter in each of their three games thus far in 2012.
n The Blues have kicked 21-plus goals in their past three wins over Essendon.
TIPSTERS SAY – Carlton 11 vs Essendon 0
Buckley to right the ship as it heads for PortSo what do you think of this coaching caper now, Bucks?
It has been a disastrous start to the year for new coach Nathan Buckley with injuries and patchy form threatening to sink the once mighty ship.
Port Adelaide supporters will have painful memories of their last meeting with the Magpies, a night in which the Power recorded their lowest ever score in the AFL and were belted by 139 points, another unwanted record.
But plenty has changed at both clubs in the following eight months and despite the fact they will enter the game as heavy underdogs one can mount a case for the Power.
Despite having just the one win from three outings, their performances in the two defeats have been full of merit.
Couple that with the Collingwood injury crisis, especially to its key defenders, and Port will back itself in to give the Pies a run for their money.
The absence of both Chris Tarrant and Ben Reid will be eased a touch by the likely return of Nathan Brown, but if the Power persist with their three-tall-forwards strategy it still leaves the Magpies a quality defender short.
Where Collingwood holds the decisive advantage, however, is in the middle of the ground and in its own forward half.
Dane Swan has been largely ineffective to date but has made a habit of toying with Port over the past few years and this is the perfect chance for him and his team to bounce back. And watch Scott Pendlebury (right) respond to his first bad game in memory – tag from Kane Cornes or no tag.
VERDICT: Collingwood by 32 points.– BRETT ANDERSON
PAST THREE2010, R15, AS – Collingwood 16.9 (105) d. Port Adel 12.7 (79) The�Pies�came�from�31�points�down�at�the�first�break�to�run�over�Port.�Brownlow: 3 – Rodan (PA) 2 – Swan (C) 1 – Dawes (C)
2011, R1, ES – Collingwood 24.11 (155) d. Port Adel 12.8 (80) The�reigning�premier�flexed�its�muscle�with�13�goalkickers.�Brownlow: 3 – Pendlebury (C) 2 – Swan (C) 1 – Johnson (C)
2011, R20, AS – Collingwood 23.21 (159) d. Port Adel 3.3 (21) Port�Adelaide�was�held�to�the�lowest�score�of�its�343�AFL�matches.�Brownlow: 3 – Blair (C) 2 – Swan (C) 1 – Beams (C)
ETIHAD STADIUM Saturday, April 21, 2.10pm
OVERALL: Collingwood 12 Port Adelaide 9 Drawn 0AT ETIHAD: Collingwood 3 Port Adelaide 0 Drawn 0PAST 5 YEARS: Collingwood 7 Port Adelaide 1 Drawn 0
VIC SA WA NSW QLD7 Mate 3:00pm Fox Sports 1:30pm 1:00pm 11:30am 1:30pm 1:30pm
INJU
RIE
S
MAGPIES POWERDaniel Farmer (hip) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testChris Tarrant (calf) . . . . . . . . . . .2-3 weeksAndrew Krakouer (knee) . . . . . . indefiniteBrent Macaffer (knee) . . . . . . . . . indefiniteJosh Thomas (foot) . . . . . . . . . . . indefiniteLuke Ball (knee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . seasonBen Reid (quad) . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4 weeks
John Butcher (hamstring) . . . . . . . . . . . testTom Logan (knee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testMatt Lobbe (hip) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 weekNick Salter (foot) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 weeksJasper Pittard (hamstring) . . . . . . indefiniteAlipate Carlile (quad) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . test
TV
TIP
PIN
G P
OIN
TS n Collingwood has won the past five matches
against Port Adelaide and eight of the past nine.
n The Magpies set a new record winning margin (138 points) against Port in the last encounter.
n Port was held to its lowest score in the history of the club in Round 20 last year.
n Dane Swan (right) has amassed 110 pos-sessions and kicked seven goals in his past three outings against the Power.
n Travis Cloke booted 3.6 in his last match against Port.
TIPSTERS SAY – Collingwood 11 vs Port Adelaide 0
InsIde Football
13 13‘ ’Preview
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
W 69
W 18
L 56
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
GC WB HAW GWS PA SYD GEEL CARL COLL FREM BYE STK NM RICH PA GWS WC GEEL ESS FREM BRIS MELB GCMS AS MCG AS AS SCG AS ES AS PS AS ES AS AS SKO AS SS AS AS GAB MCG AS
L 63
L 129
L 81
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
SYD NM WC ADEL WB CARL GC BRIS ESS GEEL BYE RICH MELB SYD HAW ADEL FREM COLL PA GC MELB STK NMANZ BA BLA AS MO ES MO GAB SKO SS SKO MCG ANZ MCG SKO PS SKO SKO MS MO ES SKO
W 49
W 108
W 81
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
WB MELB GWS HAW RICH NM ESS STK FREM BRIS BYE CARL COLL GC NM SYD ADEL BRIS FREM GEEL PA COLL HAWES PS BLA PS ES PS ES PS PS GAB PS MCG PS BA PS AS PS PS PS AS PS MCG
W 22
L 2
W 56
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
COLL GEEL ADEL WC SYD STK MELB FREM RICH NM PA BRIS BYE CARL GWS WB COLL ESS GEEL PA GC SYD WCMCG MCG MCG PS AUR MCG MCG AUR MCG AUR AS MCG MCG MCG ES MCG ES MCG Aur MCG SCG MCG
Getting more assistant coaches on board has helped Ratts, it has taken some work off his plate and helped him get to know the players more. – Matthew Kreuzer on Crunch Time
Giants need to keep their ambitions smallWhen previewing a Greater Western Sydney game, we need to take an opposition win as a given. It will be the same this week when the young team journeys to Adelaide.
So what do we look for in this game? Apart from the stock standard lines about Israel Folau’s
value for money or otherwise, there are elements that war-rant attention.
On the GWS side of the exercise it will be intriguing to see how the ex-Port Adelaide boys Dean Brogan and Chad Cornes take the contest up to their old sparring partners from Adelaide.
Brogan’s ruck mate Jonathan Giles also returns to his native state and will be keen to put his best foot forward after a strong start to the season with GWS.
In addition to the promising work of individuals such as Dylan Shiel, Stephen Coniglio and Tomas Bugg, GWS has shown resilience as a team in the past two weeks when it has looked likely to be slaughtered after quarter time.
The game will give Adelaide’s forwards the chance to make small amends for last week’s display against Hawthorn.
But even if Taylor Walker kicks a bag it won’t silence the questions raised by his lacklustre showing against strong defenders last week.
Expect the likes of Bernie Vince, Rory Sloane and Nathan van Berlo to be keen to make a more penetrating impact than they did against the Hawks.
Sloane and Vince didn’t win much of the ball and Van Berlo wasted it.
VERDICT: Adelaide by 65 points.– RUSSELL HOLMESBY
AAMI STADIUM Saturday, April 21, 4.10pm
OVERALL: Adelaide 0 GWS Giants 0 Drawn 0AT AAMI: Adelaide 0 GWS Giants 0 Drawn 0PAST 5 YEARS: Adelaide 0 GWS Giants 0 Drawn 0
VIC SA WA NSW QLDChannel 7 3:00pm 4:30pmFox Footy 4:30pm 4:00pm 2:30pm 4:30pm 4:30pm
INJU
RIE
S
CROWS GIANTSRichard Douglas (hamstring) . . . . . . . TBC Stephen Clifton (wrist) . . . . . . . . . 3 weeks
Jonathon Patton (knee) . . . . . . . .5-6 weeksKurt Aylett (shoulder) . . . . . . . . indefiniteJosh Growden (leg) . . . . . . . . . . . indefiniteDom Tyson (unknown) . . . . . . . . . . . . TBC
TV
TIP
PIN
G P
OIN
TS
TIPSTERS SAY – Adelaide 11 vs Greater Western Sydney 0
Eagles can take multiple avenues to arrive at win
PAST THREE2009, R13, PS – West Coast 16.11 (107) d. Hawthorn 13.9 (87) West Coast trailed by three points at the final break before storming home. Brownlow: 3 – Lynch (WC) 2 – Priddis (WC) 1 – Naitanui (WC)
2010, R7, PS – West Coast 15.12 (102) d. Hawthorn 14.10 (94) Kennedy and Roughead both booted six goals as the Eagles won a cliffhanger. Brownlow: 3 – Kennedy (WC) 2 – LeCras (WC) 1 – Priddis (WC)
2011, R5, Aur – Hawthorn 10.12 (72) d. West Coast 9.11 (65) Franklin booted six goals – three in a pressure final quarter to get the Hawks home. Brownlow: 3 – Franklin (H) 2 – Mitchell (H) 1 – Kennedy (WC)
PATERSONS STADIUM Saturday, April 21, 5.40pm
OVERALL: West Coast 23 Hawthorn 15 Drawn 0AT PATERSONS: West Coast 11 Hawthorn 5 Drawn 0PAST 5 YEARS: West Coast 3 Hawthorn 5 Drawn 0
VIC SA WA NSW QLDChannel 7 Fox Footy 7:30pm 7:00pm 5:30pm 7:30pm 7:30pm
INJU
RIE
S
EAGLES HAWKSAndrew Embley (shoulder) . . .14-16 weeksMark Nicoski (hamstring) . . . .11-12 weeksMark LeCras (knee) . . . . . . . . . . . . seasonMatt Priddis (quad) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testDarren Glass (groin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testMatt Rosa (quad) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testBradd Dalziell (leg) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TBC
Luke Hodge (calf) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testMax Bailey (wrist) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TBCAlex Woodward (knee) . . . . . . . . . seasonPaul Puopolo (hamstring) . . . . . . . . . . . testIsaac Smith (back) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testLuke Breust (concussion) . . . . . . . . . . . testGrant Birchall (knee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . TBC
TV
TIP
PIN
G P
OIN
TS n Hawthorn has won five of the past seven
matches between the clubs.
n The Eagles lost their first quarter for the season last week in the final term against GWS.
n The Hawks have won just one of their past four matches at Patersons Stadium.
n Josh Kennedy (right) has kicked 12 goals in his past three games against Hawthorn.
n The Eagles have controlled the ruck in the past two meetings winning twice as many hit-outs as the Hawks.
TIPSTERS SAY – West Coast 11 vs Hawthorn 0
Both West Coast and Hawthorn’s credentials as genuine premiership contenders go on the line as they clash at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night.
This could well be a Grand Final preview so there’s much more at stake than just the four premiership points.
If either team can gain even a slight psychological advantage it could well prove invaluable come year’s end.
Both teams enter the clash on the back of strong wins.The Hawks dispatched a previously undefeated Adelaide
with relative ease last Sunday with a quality spread of goal-kickers across the board, while West Coast made a mess of Greater Western Sydney early before taking the foot off the pedal.
If Hawthorn is to return to Melbourne with the points a repeat of last Sunday’s performance is a must.
In the past, the Hawks have leaned heavily on either Lance Franklin or Jarryd Roughead to kick a bag to get over the line, but the quality of the Eagles defence suggests any similar reliance will result in a West Coast victory.
At the other end, the Eagles have enjoyed strong score-board contributions from a wide array of players.
Luke Shuey booted five goals from the midfield last week while Chris Masten chipped in with three, following up on his four in Round 2.
They won’t be afforded the same time and space by the Hawks that they experienced against the Giants in Blacktown, but with West Coast key forward Josh Kennedy certain to be a heavy focus, if the Eagles can generate goals from other areas they are going to be hard to hold out.
VERDICT: West Coast by 21 points.– BRETT ANDERSON
n Adelaide boasts a 7-9 record in its first matches against a new opponent.
n The Giants inflicted West Coast’s first quar-ter loss for the season in the final term.
n Callan Ward (right) collected a season-high 36 possessions last week to go with his opening term goal.
n Kurt Tippett booted 3.3 and took seven marks inside forward 50 last week against the Hawks.
n The Crows allowed Hawthorn to have 13 individual goalkick-ers last week, by far their highest tally thus far in 2012.
InsIde Football
12 Preview� Inside�Round�4�
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
W 41
L 91
L 29
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
MELB CARL FREM GC GEEL ESS COLL GWS NM WC BYE HAW WB MELB SYD STK GC WC RICH CARL ADEL PA WBMCG Gab PS GAB GAB ES GAB GAB ES GAB MCG ES GAB SCG GAB GAB PS GAB ES GAB AS GAB
L 69
L 92
L 17
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
ADEL STK ESS BRIS NM FREM GWS WB PA COLL STK NM BYE WC GEEL RICH BRIS SYD MELB GWS HAW CARL ADELMS ES MS GAB ES MS MO TIO MS MCG MS MS PS MS CS GAB MS MCG MS MCG MS AS
L 4
W 2
L 17
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
FREM HAW NM RICH BRIS MELB ADEL COLL WB GWS CARL BYE SYD PA GC COLL ESS ADEL HAW WC STK WB SYDPS MCG ES SS GAB SS AS MCG ES SS ES SCG SS MS MCG ES SS MCG PS ES SS SS
L 44
L 21
W 59
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
CARL COLL MELB GEEL WC PA SYD ESS HAW STK FREM GWS BYE ADEL MELB GC NM CARL BRIS WB FREM ESS PAMCG MCG MCG SS ES AS MCG MCG MCG ES MCG SKO AS MCG CS MCG MCG GAB MCG PS MCG MCG
Lions remain a hotter property than neighboursQueensland bragging rights go on the line on Saturday night when Brisbane hosts Gold Coast at the Gabba.
Having shared the honours last year with one win apiece – the Lions were one of only three scalps the Suns claimed for the season – the game is pivotal on a number of fronts.
For the Lions it’s a chance to square the win-loss ledger at 2-2 by winning a game in which the expectation is nothing other than victory.
For the winless Gold Coast the game is one of few “win-nable” matches the side will play in what is shaping up as a frighteningly long season for the second-year club.
Last weekend’s improved effort against Essendon suggests the Suns have the capabilities to beat the Lions, but can the young group sustain the effort?
It’s a similar scenario for the Lions, who pushed Fremantle last week thanks to a super flood that restricted the Dockers’ scoring, but also left the Lions toothless up forward.
Expect coach Michael Voss to roll the dice in a more attack-ing fashion against a younger and less physically imposing opponent.
How he approaches quelling Gary Ablett will be intrigu-ing given the Suns skipper has run around unattended in the opening three matches.
Much will depend on the scoreboard as far as how the Ablett challenge is tackled.
The Lions will be hurt by the absence of big man Matthew Leuenberger and will rely on Ben Hudson and Billy Longer to shoulder the load in the ruck, while skipper Jonathan Brown will be improved after his first-up effort.
VERDICT: Brisbane Lions by 21 points.– BEN CASANELIA
PAST TWO2011, R7, Gab – Gold Coast 18.16 (124) d. Brisbane 17.14 (116)Five�goals�to�Krakouer�saw�the�Suns�stun�the�Lions�in�the�first�Q�Clash.�Brownlow: 3 – Brennan (GC) 2 – Smith (GC) 1 – McGrath (BL)
2011, R21, Gab – Brisbane 18.15 (123) d. Gold Coast 8.13 (61) Brisbane�evened�the�ledger�at�one�all�with�a�regulation�62-point�victory.�Brownlow: 3 – Black (BL) 2 – Leuenberger (BL) 1 – Bock (GC)
GABBA Saturday, April 21, 7.40pm
OVERALL: Brisbane 1 Gold Coast 1 Drawn 0AT GABBA: Brisbane 1 Gold Coast 1 Drawn 0PAST 5 YEARS: Brisbane 1 Gold Coast 1 Drawn 0
VIC SA WA NSW QLDChannel 7 3:00pm 2:00pmFox Sports 2:00pm 1:30pm 12:00pm 2:00pm 2:00pm
INJU
RIE
S
LIONS SUNSDayne Zorko (hip) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testSimon Black (hand) . . . . . . . . . . .2-3 weeksBrent Staker (knee) . . . . . . . . . . . . season
Daniel Gorringe (achilles) . . . . . . . . . . . testSteven May (ankle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testLewis Moss (hip) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testCampbell Brown (groin) . . . . . . . . . . . . testPiers Flanagan (hamstring) . . . . . . . 1 weekRory Thompson (groin) . . . . . . . . . 1 week
TV
TIP
PIN
G P
OIN
TS n The Q-Clash record is split at one win
each after the first season of matches.
n The Lions have won just one of their past five games at the Gabba.
n Gary Ablett (right) was held to a mere 20 possessions in the first Q-Clash last year.
n Simon Black had 31 possessions in each of his two outings against the Suns last year.
n The Lions have led at three-quarter time in both their meetings thus far.
TIPSTERS SAY – Brisbane 7 vs Gold Coast 4
Humbled Cats can claw back some respectA rebounding Geelong, stung by Chris Scott’s blunt assess-ment of its ability to win the contested football, is the chal-lenge confronting Richmond when it travels to Simonds Stadium on Sunday.
The reigning premier is in unfamiliar territory at 1-2, has a host of key players on the sidelines and comes off a very un-Geelong-like effort against North Melbourne in which it con-ceded 57 inside 50s and 20 goals. It was also comprehensively beaten in contested possessions and clearances.
In recent years Geelong has responded to losses in emphatic fashion – and will be expected to do so again against a Richmond side it has owned since 2007 – but one wonders whether the 2012 version has that capability.
Geelong’s willingness to roll the dice through the midfield last week proved catastrophic given it was comprehensively thrashed around the ball by a hungry Kangaroos group.
Allowing the likes of Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin and Nathan Foley the same latitude will make the Cats’ task infinitely harder.
The key for the Tigers will be the ability of Alex Rance and Dylan Grimes to quell in-form Cats James Podsiadly and Tom Hawkins. Without major contributions from the tall forwards the Cats goalscoring power appears suspect.
While Richmond is coming off a big win against Melbourne, it still has a number of areas of concern.
Over-possessing the ball like it did last week will prove fatal, while the ability of Jack Riewoldt and Brad Miller to provide reliable targets will be pivotal.
While the Cats will start raging favourites, be wary of taking the shorts.
VERDICT: Geelong by 21 points.– BEN CASANELIA
PAST THREE2009, R2, SS – Geelong 15.15 (105) d. Richmond 13.7 (85) Geelong�trailed�at�three-quarter�time�but�finished�too�well.�Brownlow 3 – Richardson (R) 2 – Ablett (G) 1 – S.Johnson (G)
2010, R6, SS – Geelong 24.17 (161) d. Richmond 7.11 (53) Podsiadly,�Mooney�and�S.�Johnson�kicked�15�goals�between�them.�Brownlow: 3 – Selwood (G) 2 – Podsiadly (G) 1 – S.Johnson (G)
2011, R18, ES – Geelong 17.11 (113) d. Richmond 7.9 (61) The�Cats�led�by�61�points�at�half�time�and�were�never�extended.�Brownlow: 3 – Corey (G) 2 – Cotchin (R) 1 – Kelly (G)
SIMONDS STADIUM Sunday, April 22, 1.10pm
OVERALL: Geelong 97 Richmond 85 Drawn 3AT SIMONDS: Geelong 34 Richmond 15 Drawn 0PAST 5 YEARS: Geelong 7 Richmond 1 Drawn 0
VIC SA WA NSW QLD7 Mate 3:00pm Fox Sports 1:30pm 1:00pm 11:30am 1:30pm 1:30pm
INJU
RIE
S
CATS TIGERSDaniel Menzel (knee) . . . . . . . . . indefiniteDawson Simpson (back) . . . . . . . indefiniteTravis Varcoe (foot) . . . . . . . . . . . indefiniteDavid Wojcinski (foot) . . . . . . . . indefiniteNathan Vardy (hip) . . . . . . . . . . . indefinite
Jake King (knee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 weeksBrad Helbig (foot) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TBCDavid Astbury (knee) . . . . . . . . . indefiniteKelvin Moore (hip) . . . . . . . . . . . indefinite
TV
TIP
PIN
G P
OIN
TS n Geelong has won 15 of its past 16 matches
against Richmond.
n The last time Geelong lost to North Melbourne, it beat the Tigers the following week by 157 points.
n The Tigers have kicked 15-plus goals just three times in their past 16 matches against the Cats.
n Jack Riewoldt (right) has kicked six goals in his past two outings against Geelong.
n James Podsiadly leads the Coleman Medal with 12 goals but was goalless last time out against the Tigers.
TIPSTERS SAY – Geelong 11 vs Richmond 0
InsIde Football
13 13‘ ’Preview
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
W 63
W 13
W 22
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
GWS FREM PA NM HAW ADEL RICH MELB STK WB ESS BYE GEEL GWS BRIS WC STK GC CARL COLL WB HAW GEELANZ SCG AS SCG AUR SCG MCG SCG ES SCG ES SCG ANZ SCG PS SCG MS ES ANZ ES SCG SS
L 2
W 129
W 17
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
ESS GWS GEEL SYD GC WC WB PA BRIS HAW BYE GC ADEL STK WC CARL RICH MELB WB ESS COLL FREM GWSES BA ES SCG ES PS ES AS ES AUR MS ES ES BA ES MCG ES ES ES ES ES SKO
L 41
L 108
L 59
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
BRIS WC RICH WB STK GEEL HAW SYD CARL ESS COLL BYE GWS BRIS RICH FREM PA NM GC STK GWS ADEL FREMMCG PS MCG MCG MCG SS MCG SCG MCG MCG MCG MCG GAB MCG ES TIO ES MCG MCG MO MCG PS
L 49
L 18
L 63
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
– –
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
WC ADEL STK MELB GWS COLL NM GC GEEL SYD BYE PA BRIS ESS FREM HAW CARL STK NM RICH SYD GEEL BRISES AS ES MCG MO ES ES TIO ES SCG ES ES ES PS ES ES ES ES MCG ES SS GAB
I reckon now the gloves are off, Eddie has done nothing but pee in Mick’s pocket for the last 12 months. I reckon Eddie might say now enough of that, it’s over. – Robert Walls on Morning Glory
Flying Kangaroos to land themselves an upset
PAST THREE2010, R4, ES – Sydney 14.16 (100) d. North Melb 8.12 (60) An eight goal to two second half saw Sydney swamp a disappointing North. Brownlow: 3 – Hannebery (S) 2 – Goodes (S) 1 – Bradshaw (S)
2010, R15, SCG – Sydney 12.13 (85) d. North Melb 7.13 (55) The Swans led from post to post on a damp night in Sydney. Goodes starred. Brownlow: 3 – Goodes (S) 2 – Kennelly (S) 1 – Mumford (S)
2011. R10, ES – Sydney 10.12 (72) d. North Melb 9.17 (71) Sydney pipped the Roos in a classic arm-wrestle under the roof. Brownlow: 3 – Kennelly (S) 2 – Swallow (NM) 1 – Thompson (NM)
SCG Sunday, April 22, 3.15pm
OVERALL: Sydney 79 North Melb 71 Drawn 1AT SCG: Sydney 11 North Melb 14 Drawn 0PAST 5 YEARS: Sydney 6 North Melb 1 Drawn 1
VIC SA WA NSW QLDChannel 7 3:00pm 4:30pmFox Footy 4:30pm 4:00pm 2:30pm 4:30pm 4:30pm
INJU
RIE
S
SWANS KANGAROOSBrett Meredith (knee). . . . . . . . . . . . . . testMatt Spangher (hamstring) . . . . . . . 1 weekTom Mitchell (knee) . . . . . . . . . .1-2 weeksLewis Roberts-Thomson (cheek) . 2 weeksAlex Brown (hip) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 weeksNick Smith (virus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . test
Nathan Grima (knee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testBrad Mangan (ankle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testRobbie Tarrant (hamstring) . . . . . . . . . . testTom Curran (foot) . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 weeks
TV
TIP
PIN
G P
OIN
TS
TIPSTERS SAY – Sydney 9 vs North Melbourne 2
Dogs to achieve goals against foe with scores of issues
PAST THREE2009, R8, MCG – Bulldogs 15.14 (104) d. Melbourne 15.7 (97) An Akermanis (four goals) inspired Bulldogs overcame a three-point half-time deficit. Brownlow: 3 – Boyd (WB) 2 – Johnson (M) 1 – Akermanis (WB)
2010, R7, MCG – Bulldogs 10.10 (70) d. Melbourne 9.12 (66) Despite a virtuoso effort from Scully, the Bulldogs broke Demon hearts in the rain. Brownlow: 3 – Scully (M) 2 – Giansiracusa (WB) 1 – Higgins (WB)
2011, R15, ES – Bulldogs 19.13 (127) d. Melbourne 8.15 (63) The Bulldogs produced their best performance of 2011 to thump the Dees. Brownlow: 3 – Giansiracusa (WB) 2 – Griffen (WB) 1 – Ward (WB)
MCG Sunday, April 22, 4.40pm
OVERALL: Melbourne 83 Bulldogs 70 Drawn 1AT MCG: Melbourne 43 Bulldogs 25 Drawn 0PAST 5 YEARS: Melbourne 2 Bulldogs 7 Drawn 0
VIC SA WA NSW QLDChannel 7 Fox Footy 7:30pm 7:00pm 5:30pm 7:30pm 7:30pm
INJU
RIE
S
DEMONS BULLDOGSBrent Moloney (groin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . testLucas Cook (groin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 weekLiam Jurrah (wrist) . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 weeksCol Sylvia (back) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 weeksRory Taggert (back) . . . . . . . . . . . 2 weeksJordan Gysberts (ankle) . . . . . . .2-4 weeksMichael Evans (back) . . . . . . . . . . indefiniteNeville Jetta (ankle) . . . . . . . . . . indefiniteMax Gawn (knee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . season
Christian Howard (knee) . . . . . .2-3 weeksTom Williams (shoulder). . . . . . . 11 weeksDale Morris (leg) . . . . . . . . . . . . indefiniteBrodie Moles (ankle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testJames Mulligan (calf) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . testLindsay Gilbee (knee) . . . . . . . . .3-4 weeks
TV
TIP
PIN
G P
OIN
TS n The Bulldogs have won their past five
matches against Melbourne.
n The Dees have been held to nine goals or less in four of their past five against the Bulldogs.
n Dan Giansiracusa (left) has amassed 85 possessions and kicked four goals in his past three against the Dees.
n Melbourne and the Bulldogs have both lost five of their past six matches at the MCG.
n Mitch Clark (right) has been a shining light up forward with nine goals in the opening three weeks.
TIPSTERS SAY – Melbourne 1 vs Bulldogs 9 vs Draw 1
The Bulldogs will extend their winning run against Melbourne to six when the sides meet at the MCG.
On any normal scale the fact two winless sides are doing battle would suggest the game is up for grabs, but on the evidence thus far the depths of the Demons’ woes appear far deeper then their Bulldogs counterparts.
The key for the Dogs will be to manufacture a winning score. After kicking just five goals against St Kilda last week, including three in the final five minutes, scoring is clearly the side’s achilles heel.
Of great help this week will be the fact that the Demons have been unable to restrict opposition forward 50 entries.
Last week they coughed up 65 to the Tigers, who wasted many of them, but still drew away to record a 10-goal win.
One option for Dogs coach Brendan McCartney could be to use Adam Cooney as a full time forward in the hope he can be isolated one out.
At the very least the Dogs will need some goals from their midfield.
While the Dogs’ major concern is glaring, for the Demons their problems are many and varied.
A lack of midfield depth combined with a distinct lack of ball-winners has rendered an already fragile Melbourne attack all but useless, while a host of key players, including Aaron Davey, Jared Rivers and Mark Jamar, are sadly out of form.
Even with an improved effort from its so-called stars, the Demons’ issues are too numerous to be rectified in a week.
In the battle of the former Ocean Grove coaches, McCartney’s Dogs should get the points.
VERDICT: Western Bulldogs by 27 points.– BEN CASANELIA
n Sydney has won its past five meetings with North Melbourne.
n The Swans have won eight of the past nine matches between the clubs at the SCG.
n North has been held to under 10 goals in each of its past three matches against the Swans.
n Jack Ziebell (right) kicked a career-high four goals in the Roos win over Geelong last week.
n Drew Petrie has been held goalless in three of his last four outings against the Swans.
With its tail up, North Melbourne can produce the upset of the round by downing Sydney in what shapes as a thriller at the SCG.
While the Roos have not beaten the Swans since 2007 – and not at the SCG since 2004 – the reasons for optimism are many heading into Sunday’s clash.
After scoring a breakout win over Geelong last weekend the Roos are on a high. Their midfield bats deep, has speed on the outside and grunt in the middle.
Up forward Hamish McIntosh, Aaron Edwards and Drew Petrie are causing problems for opponents, while North’s defence is doing enough but can get better.
The key to victory will be win to win the contested ball against a side that prides itself in doing likewise.
Having beaten the much-vaunted Geelong in that depart-ment last week the Roos are capable, but should expect a far tougher challenge than the one the Cats put forward.
Having made the SCG something of a fortress in recent years, the Swans’ gritty style is perfectly suited to the smaller ground, while the likes of Lewis Jetta, Sam Reid, Gary Rohan and Dan Hannebery provide the flair.
Jetta, Hannebery and Rohan feed off a battle-hardened mid-field led by Josh Kennedy, Kieran Jack and Jude Bolton. who will need to be quelled by their North Melbourne counter-parts. A Jack-Brent Harvey match-up would be a beauty.
If North can get its match-ups right – as it did last week – the game will go down to the wire.
And with an ounce of luck the visitors might just get the chocolates.
VERDICT: North Melbourne by nine points.– BEN CASANELIA
WARM UPSimpson: A series of short sprinting over 5m. Then moved into a triangle tackling grid and concentrated on tackling the hips. Then took a couple of casual snap shots on goal as he moved into set shots on the edge of 50m. He then did four-point quick hands with the total group.Thomas: Started with some lane work leading and then moved into four versus one grid work trying to intercept handball. Spent time goal kicking followed by a group stretch and Collingwood’s now traditional sprint to its members end.
STARTING POSITIONSSimpson: After the toss Simpson and Heath Scotland met at centre half for-ward and then slowly walked into the centre square. The discussion was very intent and looked to be working out which wing they would start on. Before the bounce both players moved out to the wing and waited for their oppo-nents. Simpson’s position on the centre bounce line is basically from a defen-sive position and he moves to a sweep-ing position on the 45-degree angle. Excellent positioning but traditional for a left-foot wingman. He was picked up by Steele Sidebottom who assumed a similar starting position. Sidebottom was not assigned a close checking role and surprisingly went looking for the football, leaving Simpson unattended on many occasions. On ball-ups and throw-ins, Simpson plays positionally, meaning he sets up in his role as defen-sive sweeper and does not go to a man.Thomas: His starting position was at the true centre half forward. I thought Bryce Gibbs had him for the very first centre bounce before Zach Tuohy was quickly moved onto him. Thomas attacked the contest (centre bounce)
at full pace. He then took up a posi-tion as an extra onballer as he pushed onto the ball and appeared to have a licence to then play all over the ground. Carlton made sure that Tuohy went with him. In the initial match-up Tuohy played a very close disciplined role. Thomas plays a very important role in Collingwood’s switch of play. He would push hard to the opposite flank deep in defence and looks to be part of a set system as Collingwood attempted to switch the play through him. At stoppages he appeared to set up in variety of ways as his role is to hunt the football.
FIRST ROTATIONSIt was quite interesting that although they were not initially opposed they rotated at similar times. Simpson came off at the six-minute mark and went back on at 8min 30sec.The rotations of both players followed similar patterns throughout the day. Thomas brought himself off the ground at the six-min-ute mark but went back on after only 30 seconds. I thought he was concerned about Tuohy’s disciplined tagging and this was an excellent move. He was only off for 30 seconds but it forced Tuohy to another opponent and Thomas came back on the ground without a direct opponent. Great example of one way to beat an early tag.
THE GAMESimpson: Proved his versatility with a number of roles. He is a traditional wingman that works hard from defen-sive 50 to attacking 50. Carlton uses him in the centre bounce particularly when Chris Judd or Marc Murphy are off the ground. At ball-ups early in the game he had a particular role to pick up Luke Ball at all stoppages. Simpson will also push forward and play a tradi-tional flanker’s role where his football smarts and left foot make him a chal-lenging proposition. He did not play as a backman but is excellent at pushing in deep to fill defensive gaps and also offers a very effective outlet for the switch of play.Thomas: After starting in the forward line Thomas would push on and add an extra number to the midfield. Similarly to Simpson he was used in the centre square where his urgency and attack on the football is excellent. For half of the game he played as a traditional wingman and was in direct opposition to Simpson. He also spent time as a for-ward but was always closely guarded, particularly by Tuohy. When the Blues had a big run on in the third quarter Thomas was on the wing opposed to Simpson. As both players were having minimal impact and Collingwood was being overrun, Thomas to the centre square was a move the Pies coaching
panel overlooked. The ball was coming out with monotonous regularity and Thomas’s hardness at the contest was missed.
OPPONENTSSimpson: Initially picked up by Sidebottom on the wing. When Sidebottom went to Curnow on the opposite wing Tyson Goldsack became Simpson’s opponent. Simpson went into the centre bounce and had the responsibility for Luke Ball at stoppag-es. In the centre square Simpson stood shoulder to shoulder with Sharrod Wellingham before moving to Ball. Towards the middle of the quarter we had Thomas and Simpson going head to head. When Simpson spent a short time in the forward line Collingwood had to adjust slightly using Marty Clarke. Thomas: When playing forward Thomas was closely watched by Tuohy who did a very good job. On the wing his major match up was Simpson. Only during rotations was Simpson relieved for a short time by Kane Lucas. At the start of the second quarter he was on the wing opposed to Ed Curnow. Curnow and Tuohy had obvious instructions to play close attention to Thomas. With Andrew Carrazzo play-ing a great role on Scott Pendlebury, Thomas was matched up in the centre
square on Judd. By this time Thomas was exhausted and Judd’s pace blew him away on two occasions. Thomas came off at the seven-minute mark but returned to see out the game.
DEFENSIVE PRESSUREYou rarely escape their tackles once these players get you in their sights. They are not big men by any means but both have outstanding tackling techniques. They watch the hips
closely and go low and hard. Clearly showed that tackling is 80 per cent technique and 20 per cent intent. Both have excellent workrates and are won-derful competitors. Hard running, good tacklers and vital link players fron defence to attack transition. They both showed excellent courage by backing into packs to assist defenders and when the ball is in their area they both com-mit their body. They are constantly on the move and spend very little time walking.
WASH-UPNeither had dominant games. Their match-up was intriguing from a posi-tional point of view. Both seemed very aware of how important each role was particularly at getting the ball out of defence via a switch in play. Both play-ers routinely started 10 metres to the defensive side of their man, and it was obvious they were very concerned with each other’s ability to influence the game. It was close to a nil-all draw for this reason. Thomas was not used in the centre square enough particularly when Carlton was busting through. His energy and hardness were missed and it was a puzzling decision given the Magpies were being belted in there. From the stats perspective both play-ers had reasonable games without any dynamic effect.
Thomas vs
SimpsonCarlton vs Collingwood, Round 3
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
Shaw’s Spotlightwith Robert Shaw
xxxx
KADE SIMPSONCarlton, 182cm, 79kg My rating 5.5/10
DALE THOMASCollingwood, 185cm, 86kg Game rating 6/10
K H D M HO T FF FA G B
Simpson 8 12 20 6 0 3 2 0 0 0
Thomas 14 8 22 6 0 3 1 1 1 0
‘ ’
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
INCLUDES ALLOYS & SIDE STEPS
MITSUBISHI TRITON. DRIVE AWAY, RIGHT AWAY.
S & PS
INCLUDALLOYSSIDE ST
GLX 4X4 DOUBLE CAB $34,990• 2.5L DIESEL ENGINE • BLUETOOTH® CONNECTIVITY• ACTIVE STABILITY AND TRACTION CONTROL • ABS BRAKES• 3 TONNE TOWING CAPACITY • MITSUBISHI DIAMOND ADVANTAGEOPTIONAL PREMIUM PAINT $450 EXTRA. ABN HOLDERS ONLY3.EXCLUDES GOVT AND RENTAL BUYERS. MANUAL. 12MY.
DRIVEAWAY1
GL-R 4X4 $37,990• 2.5L HI-POWER TURBO DIESEL • ACTIVE STABILITY AND TRACTION CONTROL • 16” ALLOY WHEELS • 3 TONNE TOWING CAPACITY • MITSUBISHI DIAMOND ADVANTAGEOPTIONAL PREMIUM PAINT $450 EXTRA. ABN HOLDERS ONLY3. EXCLUDES GOVT AND RENTAL BUYERS. MANUAL. 4WD. 12MY.
GL 4X2 $19,990• 2.4L PETROL ENGINE • 5 SPEED MANUAL • AIR CONDITIONING • ABS BRAKES • INCLUDES GENUINE TRAY2 • MITSUBISHI DIAMOND ADVANTAGEABN HOLDERS ONLY3. EXCLUDES GOVT AND RENTAL BUYERS.
DRIVEAWAY1
DRIVEAWAY1
See mitsubishi-motors.com.au for further information. Offers at participating Mitsubishi Dealers only. While stocks last. Mitsubishi Motors Australia reserves the right to extend or modify these offers. Offers available on new vehicles ordered and delivered between 1 and 30 April 2012. Business, Fleet sales by special arrangement. †10 year or 160,000km (internal combustion vehicle)/10 year or 100,000 km (electric vehicles) Powertrain Warranty (whichever occurs first)(non transferable). *5 year or 130,000km (internal combustion vehicle)/5 year or 100,000km (electric vehicles) New Vehicle Factory Warranty (whichever occurs first). Main power (traction) battery warranty (330V) is 5 years or 100,000km (whichever occurs first). Service conditions apply. ^5 year or 130,000km Roadside Assist (whichever occurs first). Service conditions apply. ‡4 year or 60,000km Capped Price Servicing (whichever occurs first). Covers only those items specified under the standard ‘Maintenance for Normal Operating Conditions’ schedule detailed in the Service and Warranty Booklet when carried out by an authorised Mitsubishi Dealer. Additional service/repair items (if required) are at additional cost. Excludes Government and Rental Fleet customers. See your Dealer for full details. 1 Recommended drive away selling price, which includes 12 months registration, CTP insurance, Stamp Duty and Dealer Delivery. 2. Genuine Mitsubishi Factory Aluminium Tray. 3. Proof of certification required. TDM1516/VIC/SEN
To see all of Mitsubishi’s great offers visit buyamitsubishi.com.au facebook.com/MitsubishiMotorsAustralia
Australia’s Best New Car Warranty,Capped Price Servicing and Customer Care.
“Proud to offer Australia’s best new car warranty.” Ca
fer
ar
Visit buyamitsubishi.com.au or call 1300 13 12 11 today.
He got embarrassed last night, he’s in trouble, Harry (O’Brien). Every time he’s in one-on-ones he is a worry. – David King on Friday Night Football
ROOS WON’T BE JUMPING TOO FAR AHEAD OF THEMSELVES
By BEN CASANELIA
While acknowledging that the win over Geelong was “huge” for the North Melbourne players, key defender Scott Thompson says the club will have no trouble staying grounded.
After the Kangaroos beat Geelong last weekend to score their first win against a top-four side on coach Brad Scott’s watch, Thompson believes the prospect of tackling Sydney at the SCG on Sunday is reason enough not to get carried away.
“It was huge for this group to get a win over a top side so early in the year, but in saying that they are a top side because they bring an effort every week,” he said.
“That’s what we have to do and there’s no better place to start than against Sydney.”
The 25-year-old rated the
side’s ball movement against the Cats as a key factor in their success and said it was nice to see the pre-season work bear fruit.
At times the Roos made the Cats look second rate as they moved the ball up and down Etihad Stadium with ease.
“We’ve worked on that a lot because against the good sides you can get bogged down trying to get it out (of defence) and that plays into their hands,” he said.
“When you can move the footy the game often opens up when you go forward because the opposition can’t get their numbers back.
“The smaller SCG will provide another challenge because the Swans play it so well.”
A win on Sunday would give the Roos their best start to a campaign since winning five straight to start 2005.
By BEN CASANELIA
After describing last season as the worst of his career, Geelong veteran Paul Chapman’s woes have continued into this year.
Goalless after three rounds, Chapman had just 12 possessions in last weekend’s loss to North Melbourne to equal his lowest tally since injury restricted him to seven in the 2008 qualifying final win over St Kilda.
While he plays more of a midfield role under coach Chris Scott, the triple-premiership player has always been a noted goalkicker, but is yet to score at all this season and has kicked only seven goals in his past 13 matches.
His frustrations boiled over in the Round 2 win over Hawthorn when he gave away four free kicks and last week he was again seen having heated exchanges with umpires after decisions went against the Cats.
In February the Cat hard nut went public with his vow to repay teammates whom he says carried him to a premiership last season.
“I look back and I was, I wouldn’t say embarrassed, but it was one of my worst years at league level,” he said.
“I felt I was carried all year.”After undergoing off-season knee and
groin surgery, Chapman worked his way through a solid pre-season, but so far he has struggled to have an impact despite averaging 23 disposals in the opening two rounds.
Chapman, along with fellow forwards Steve Johnson and Dan Menzel, is out of contract at season’s end.
Menzel wants to get back on the field before talking contracts, but has indicated his future lies with the Cats.
Not a happy Chappy as goals elude him
THOMPSON: “It was huge for this group.”
CHAPMAN: “I felt I was carried.”
I MAY need mentoring but I’m unconvinced about having coaches for the coaches.
I was chatting with a former teammate and he asked the very good question, what is the difference between a senior coach and a mentor?
We are seeing a number of clubs now employing former AFL sacked coaches to mentoring roles within their clubs.
You’ve got Demons coach Mark Neeld (right) – he has former crows coach Neil Craig (below) as his mentor overseeing the football department.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has former Swans and Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade in his corner as his mentor and sounding board.
And Dean Laidley has a similar though seemingly less defined role at St Kilda.
So what is the difference and does it serve a purpose for the coach and football club?
Many footy fans and at times players are confused.
A mentor acts as a counsellor, providing advice on a coach’s development path, overseeing the football program and evaluating how the coach can become a better performer.
I believe the mentor is a senior manager who needs to have a broader experience in life and as a coach.
But the set-up can easily come unstuck.
A critical element in being a mentor
is having a strong and respectful relationship with the coach. If you haven’t, it will quickly become unworkable and affect the coach’s day-to-day performance.
Then someone is going to get hurt.Over time we will see how effective
mentors have been, but I still have my doubts.
Personally I would only use a mentor from outside a club not one who is sitting next door to the coach seven days a week.
THANK YOU AND goodbye to the traditional full forward!
Watching the speed and modern transition football today, every player needs to be mobile and be able to run 3km time trials in nine minutes flat – and then do it again.
This has spelled the death of the big, strong Tony Lockett like full forward when he has to play as a ruckman and a midfielder in today’s game.
I and many thousands loved the great traditional full forwards like Plugger (right), Jason Dunstall (left), Gary Ablett Sr, and my favourite Tony Modra having shootouts each week.
Today’s kids have missed out on seeing brilliant set-shot goal kickers with excellent techniques.
The AFL, its rules committee and defensive coaches between them have lost a generation off fans who will only see 36 player at each end now.
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
Clubs missing the bus on the coach front?
It’s time to use our headsIt’s time the AFL and the medical team forced players to wear helmets, otherwise we will have a death on our hands.
Our game is bigger, stronger and faster, the ball is moving at the speed of light and players are crashing in harder each year.
I believe the time is right for our kids to start wearing helmets at junior level all around the country as they do in rugby league.
Have these young players from the age of under-8s to under-14s all wearing helmets while they play.
I know of one young lad who
is 11 years old and has had seven concussions while playing and now his parents have pulled him out of the game.
I understand the AFL is looking and working with medical experts on the long term effect on brain damage after players receive multiple concussions over their careers.
I felt sick in the guts when Geelong champ Joel Selwood got crunched around the head again against Hawthorn so is it also time that a player who has suffered concussion three times must wear a helmet for the next 12 months or more?
R.I.P. full forwards
Jarring Noteswith Andrew Jarman
This shareholder wants his day in court!I HAVE IT ON good authority that a fan is looking at suing his club because they suck and are playing pathetic football.
This fan is a devoted member – shareholder – he gets his season ticket and is a popular figure at the games.
He wants to sue the team for poor recruiting, poor
coaching, and not spending money on getting better players but rather wasting it on fattening up the football department.
Stay tuned, this club might be heading to the courts.Cheers footy fans! – JARS
Forget about Kevin Sheedy and Mark Williams, for they are merely the support crew to the man with the most
important job at the horribly named Greater Western Sydney Giants.
Upon Brett Hand’s shoulders largely rests the future of the AFL’s newest concoction.
If Hand and his team of development coaches fail to maximise the talents of the players brought in to the club by Stephen Silvagni, Graeme Allen and Neville Stibbard, then predictions that this team will be a genuine competitor within an ambitious five-year window are likely to be wrong.
It’s a question you hope those controlling the purse strings and structure of GWS have considered long and hard.
Undoubtedly much has been spent on the big names at the top of the coaching tree and we all understand why.
But it’s at the off-Broadway end of the coaching spectrum that the most
important work will be done at the Giants.
They’ve gone young and old with their recruiting. The veterans will guide and absorb as much punishment as they can while the kids learn their craft, but the handover will happen soon and if the groundwork hasn’t been done properly the results could be disturbing.
It underlines just how pivotal developing your own players has become. Take Geelong, for example.
As was pointed out in Inside Football more than a month ago, the Cats’ Round 2 team that defeated Hawthorn did not have one player in it recruited from another AFL club. Hawthorn’s side that day had six.
Speaking to those who know former Cats coach Mark Thompson’s mantra well, this was one of his pillars – that we improve the players we’ve got.
Admittedly Geelong was fortunate with the Ablett and Scarlett father-son selections, but it has focused on intelligent recruiting and been committed to development – and the results speak for themselves. Watch for Essendon to take a similar path (except maybe on Josh Caddy!)
Brad Scott spoke of the “production line” at Geelong last week in the lead-up to North Melbourne’s clash with the team coached by his brother.
He spoke knowingly about the way they do things at Kardinia Park. Again, watch for a similar policy to be adopted at Arden Street.
It’s a message that needs to be heeded by GWS and Gold Coast in particular.
Top-end draft picks and plenty of them are a great advantage, but it guarantees little. The current version of Melbourne demonstrates that. And it’s why GWS bosses need to talk to the Hand (sorry about that) and make sure he has everything he needs.
EDDIE McGuire has many reasons to feel comfortable
directing traffic at Collingwood.
Others may have had their hands on the steering wheel throughout his presidency but his boundless vision has allowed the Magpies to develop into the powerhouse they are today.
So many have been the achievements of the McGuire years it’s unlikely that any one matter will define his time in charge.
That said, his design and implementation of the Mick Malthouse handover to Nathan Buckley (above) will be one of the most significant.
Forced into action by the prospect of losing Buckley to another club, McGuire moved.
The “Lexus Agreement” was constructed and here we stand, effectively three rounds into the Magpies’ new order.
This was McGuire’s deal. He convinced himself that he was doing the best thing for Malthouse and Collingwood and will do his very best to convince anyone prepared to indulge him.
But some people have refused to buy it – and this group includes many Collingwood supporters.
Losses to Hawthorn and especially Carlton have rattled Collingwood’s self-confidence.
The dissenters believe Malthouse is still the man for the job and have vented their spleens.
Parts of the black-and-white army heckled their own during the Carlton loss. Then they left early.
SEN radio’s lines were filled with those wanting to remind anyone listening that they thought the change of coach was a bad idea.
That’s where McGuire drew the line.“I’ve never given Collingwood supporters a
belt,” he told the Sunday Herald Sun.“As the leader of the supporters and members
I’m giving them a shake-up this week.”He didn’t like what he was hearing. He didn’t
like what he saw.Well, this is partly of his own
doing. He is going to have to suck it up.
Occasionally men like McGuire triumph because of the popularity contest. But not always and not with everyone.
With his seal on the deal and having emphatically endorsed the change of coach, you can understand McGuire’s defence of Buckley and there are obvious extenuating circumstances for Collingwood’s sluggish
start to the season.But he has no call on how free-thinking and
passionate fans express their views. This they did last Friday night and Saturday morning.
He can try to throw his weight around and he can play the heavy hand all he likes, but there is a section of Collingwood supporters – as well as general football fans – who clearly believe the change of coach was a bad idea.
Seventh, fourth, sixth, fourth, first and second were the club’s last six finishing positions under Malthouse. The form line was outstanding.
He had the players. He was a tower of strength within the club. He still believed – believes – that he had more left to give.
But the Magpies president thought otherwise and he now has no other choice but to back his call.
That doesn’t mean he gets to whack anyone who sticks their head up and disagrees.
That doesn’t mean he can whack away at fans who voice their displeasure.
It has been McGuire’s way for many years. He is a combative, feisty character who has great faith in his capacity to get things done.
But occasionally there is a counter view worth noting.
The faithful’s complaints and criticisms will ultimately fall on deaf ears, for nothing can now be done to turn this deal around, but that won’t stop some from needing to be heard.
Shelve the sledgehammer and let them have their say.
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
17
McGuire has Buckley’s chance of silencing critics
MAGPIES RATTLED? Eddie McGuire is trying to hold things together in the Magpie camp.
Andy Maher presents Morning Glory with Tim Watson on 1116 SEN
Failure to develop is the fatal flaw
Maher’s Attacks!with Andy Maher
THE HAND TALKS: Brett Hand on the job.
BOMBER: Grow your own!
OPENING day of the 1912 footy season was as good as any footballer could hope for.
Sunny, dry and without a breath of wind, April 27, 1912 was tailor made for players and fans –“just enough keenness in the air, with a slight southerly wind blowing”, as one writer put it.
Days like this a sportsman could feel as though he didn’t have a care in the world.
Of course this was a different world – pre-internet, television and even radio coverage of the game. Accordingly it made news that Richmond’s match would be “cinematographed” and shown at the local Globe Theatre the following Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the most depressing news in the papers of the day came from London where the preliminary inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic was examining details of the disaster that had occurred several weeks earlier.
As VFL teams battled out their games around suburban Melbourne, nobody could have imagined that the nation would be plunged into the Great War just a couple of years later.
In all, 94 League players would die in the conflict.
Some of those were playing on opening day 1912.
Imagine for a moment that scenario today, and the foreknowledge that the best full back of the day, two club captains, a man who starred in a Grand Final and one of the most talented recruits of the season would all perish at war in the coming few years.
Their families paid the ultimate price, but football too, was denied many players whose careers were cut tragically short.
We can thank authors David Allen and Jim Main for their superb book Fallen,
which tells the tale of those VFL footballers w h o died in the service of their country.
Joe Pearce was truly a beloved footballer who commanded admiration throughout the competition. A dashing mark and long kick, the Melbourne full back’s skill was described in one match report:
“He carried the ball from near the goals
Inside features18
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
X
ELLIOTT: Awarded the Military Cross, although killed before he heard the news. TOP: Promotion for the opening round, 1912 style!
In the opening round of 1912, nobody could imagine what tragedy the world had in store.
‘[Slater] was big, very fast, a great mark and a magnificent kick. He’d made fools of
everybody on the Geelong Oval.’
Fated men
to well over the centre line. Joe rarely fails to get his kick at the business end of a run. Unlike most of the backs who are generally too fond of hugging the ball, he seems to judge the right moment for getting rid of the leather.”
In the mayhem of the Gallipolli landings, Corporal Pearce was one of the first footballers to die in battle.
Jack Cooper had good reason to feel satisfied with himself as he led Fitzroy onto the field for the Round 1, 1912 game. The local boy had become a mainstay of the team in defence and in the previous season been adjudged as the club best and fairest.
On the morning of that 1912 game The Argus wrote: “It would be difficult to select a backman to beat him, although he is rather on the small side. He makes up for his lack of inches with tenacity and pluck.” After the 1915 season he enlisted, but he never left the thoughts of those at home.
He wrote a letter to the League saying that whenever someone mailed a copy of the Football Record “it makes us feel like we are home again”.
Sadly unbeknown to the publishers of the Record, Cooper was killed in Polygon Wood, France, two days before that letter appeared.
In that early 1912 game a member of the side opposing Jack Cooper’s Fitzroy was South Melbourne star Bruce Sloss.
Cooper and Sloss would take part in a famous football match played by Aussie servicemen in London in October 1916. Among the crowd watching this strange Australian game were King Manuel of Portugal and the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII).
In 1911, Sloss was voted the best footballer in the game in an Argus poll. But the game that would come to epitomise him was the 1914 Grand Final when he almost won the game against Carlton single-handedly.
The former Carlton coach Jack Worrall wrote: “Sloss had no superior on the ground, his glorious efforts in the last quarter stamping him as a great footballer. He possesses all the qualities, but is apt to attempt the impossible on occasions. He marked, kicked and ran
like a champion and almost pulled the game out of the fire by his own efforts.”
George Elliott was a man whose entire life was one of success but also selfless effort for others.
Like Jack Copper he was captain of his team in 1912. Elliott led the University team.
It is staggering to think that out of the 18 University players who took the field that day, five – Elliott, Dave Cumming, Dick Gibbs, Les Primrose and Stan Martin – would die on active
service. Elliott had been taken under the wing
of former Fitzroy champion Gerald Brosnan from an early stage of his career.
Brosnan convinced his fellow Ballarat compatriot to try out with Fitzroy in 1905, but he played only one game before deciding that illness and his medical studies would rule out football at the top level.
But he was convinced to give it another go by fellow Melbourne
University students. His second bite at top-level football was a remarkable success and by 1911 he was in Victoria’s carnival side.
For University he played under his old mentor Gerald Brosnan, who coached the side.
Elliott’s medical background came in handy and it was reported that he constantly attended to injured players form his own and other teams during the series. “He denied himself many pleasures in attending to those whose
ill fortune it was to be injured,” said one report.
Elliott’s older brother Harold was one of Australia’s most famous and decorated soldiers who rose to the rank of Brigadier General.
George Elliott was a hero in his own right. His dedication to treatment of the wounded at the Somme resulted in him being awarded the Military Cross.
But he never heard of the award because he was killed on September 25 1917, just before the news could be delivered to him.
Another Ballarat born player, Joe Slater, was one of the genuine elite of his era.
Slater was a prodigious talent and made his VFL debut at just 17. It was the start of a career that many years later would be acknowledged by his naming in the Geelong Team of the Century.
A recent newspaper article revisited that team and determined that Slater would not make it if the current era of success was taken into account.
But that is a rather sad and unwarranted dismissal of the gifts of Joe Slater. His peers at time had no doubt of his brilliance.
An old adversary, Lal McLennan who later became Fitzroy’s president, wrote: “Without any hesitation I place Joe Slater as the greatest centreman to whom I was ever opposed. He was big, very fast, a great mark and a magnificent kick. He’d made fools of everybody on the Geelong Oval.”
Round 1, 1912 was the scene for ex-Tasmanian George Challis to make his debut in V FL football.
He became an instant favourite with the Carlton fans because of his wholehearted approach to winning the ball in the tightest packs. By 1915 he was an integral part of the Blues’ premiership team.
George Challis epitomises the link between Round 1, 1912 and Anzac Day, for his future looked limitless.
But in 1916, less than a month after setting foot in France, he was killed in action. The whole of Carlton cried.
The grave of the Tassie boy lies in the Rue Pettilon cemetery as a graphic symbol of Australian young manhood cut down in its prime.
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
LOST IN THEIR PRIME: Jack Cooper (left) and Bruce Sloss.
‘[Sloss] marked, kicked and ran like a champion and almost pulled the game
out of the fire by his own efforts.’
‘ ’Mick Malthouse has to be careful he doesn’t come out looking like a sourpuss when he comes out swinging against the Pies. – Kevin Bartlett on Hungry for Sport
By RUSSELL HOLMESBY
Shaun Hampson believes that the chemistry between he and fellow ruckman Matthew Kreuzer is improving all the time.
“It’s about giving each other a chop out when one of us is tired. We did that really well and we know how we both play intimately.”
And the tall timber in the Blues’ forward half is also wrong-footing opposition teams.
“Jarrad Waite is one of the best contested marks in the game. With myself, Waitey and against Colling wood we had Jammo (Michael Jamieson) or Paul Bower there and it makes it hard for them.”
Hampson gets to plenty of marking contests and while he would like to hold more, he is still performing a role.
“The aim is to just bring it to the ground in front so at worst our small fellas can do it on the deck. Obviously I want to mark it, but that’s why I’m in the team – to provide a contest.”
Hampson was full of praise for the gilt-edged Carlton midfield.
“The on-ballers we’ve got at our feet, they are the best in the League. They worked hard both ways and their skills are magnificent, they always get it first grab and they all play very predicably so we all know what’s going on.”
Hampson said Carlton put a lot of homework in to their start.
“We obviously watch footage on the way opposition other ruckmen play. We noticed that Jolly spreads forward quite hard so we thought we might be able to get them the other way. We were aware of all that so we came up with a strategy to beat them.”
With their tails up, everything came off for the Blues.“You need a bit of luck with footy but it’s 90 per cent
workrate – to put on a tackle and create perceived pressure. In our forward half that was the best I had ever seen our boys do.”
Carlton faces an Essendon side without David Hille, but Hampson believes that it will not make the job any easier.
“Paddy Ryder is an athletic guy who jumps well and Bellchambers had a good season last year so he is more than capable.
“We’ll do our homework and come up with a strategy.” HAMPSON: First priority is the contest.
Blues cooking up a winning chemistryBrent Guerra says tall opposition attacks hold no fears for the Hawthorn backline.
“We’ve had that in the past few weeks with (Travis) Cloke and (Chris) Dawes and then with (Tom) Hawkins and (James) Podsiadly,” said Guerra after he and his fellow defenders had spiked Adelaide guns Kurt Tippett and Taylor Walker last weekend.
“I thought we played well against them. Shoey (Ryan Schoenmakers) got a couple of marks against him (Tippett) and Gibbo (Josh Gibson) really shut down Walker, which was good.”
Guerra was able to create the spare man in defence after Kyle Cheney had initially assumed the role.
“They were playing a man behind the ball so we were able to have one back there as well,” he said.
– RUSSELL HOLMESBY
Hawthorn defenders not scared of height
WHEN Richmond drafted Jay Schulz with the 12th pick at the 2002 draft, then player manager Liam Pickering
declared the Tigers were getting the “next Wayne Carey”.
Having carved up the Under 18 national championships playing for South Australia, the 18-year-old was one of the hottest properties on the draft market for clubs in search of a key forward.
Eight years and 71 largely disappointing games later, the Tigers traded Schulz to Port Adelaide in return for Mitch Farmer and pick 71, which it used to secure Ben Nason.
Neither player is on Richmond’s current list while Schulz continues to go from strength to strength in a Power side that has won just 14 of its past 46 matches.
At the time of trade, few Tiger fans raised an eyebrow given
Schulz had rarely lived up to his poten-
tial – he did kick six goals against Brisbane in 2004 – and cost the club a major sponsor when the TAC terminated its deal after Schulz was caught drink-driving and speeding in 2005 and was thought to be lazy and undisciplined.
Fast forward to 2012 and wouldn’t Richmond fans love to have him back?
Having kicked 70.26 at an accuracy rate of 72 per cent since joining the Power, the 26-year-old ranks as the game’s most accurate key forward and is now crucial to the Power’s rebuild.
Former Richmond coach Terry Wallace, who coached Schulz for five seasons at Punt Road, says he would never have traded.
“I wouldn’t have let him go,” Wallace said.
“I just thought he had too much talent to let walk but the think-ing was, and I’m only looking from the outside in, that the club wanted to go past a group of play-ers who had been there in a losing environment for quite some time
and they saw Jay as one of those.“I get the feeling that if you are a high ranking
player at Richmond and you’re not delivering, there’s a lot of pressure on you and it’s more so than some clubs, I reckon.
“A few at Richmond categorised a lot of play-ers in the ‘we’ll never go anywhere with these guys’ basket and Schulz ended up in it.There was enormous pressure and I think Jay felt a bit of that.”
Wallace had already saved Schulz’s career at Richmond once having intervened to stop a trade to Port Adelaide at the end of 2007.
Asked why his career never took off at Punt Road, Wallace highlighted a number of factors.
“A young bloke who comes over (from South Australia) early and he’s a bit of a lad, wet behind
the ears, who took some maturing and also play-
ing in a position where it takes time to mature.
He’s next to Matthew Richardson and cop-ping some flak from some sections of
the supporter base and makes some errors along the way … plus the losing environ-ment … you put all those things together and it’s clearer why he struggled
to meet the expectations,” Wallace said.“If you throw in the drink-driving
charge in which the club lost the TAC sponsorship it starts to add up.”
Wallace says he is not surprised to see his former charge
shine at Port A d e l a i d e , adding he simply had
too much tal-ent for it not to
click at some point.Without a foil for Jack Riewoldt
the Tigers were forced to rookie list Melbourne discard Brad Miller who,
like Schulz, had been largely a disap-pointment in nine seasons at the Demons.
Miller kicked 17 goals and took 62 marks from 14 appearances last year while Schulz kicked 31 goals and dragged down 78 marks from 16 matches.
How the Tigers would love that sort of output alongside Riewoldt.
OTHER CLUBS WONDERING WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEENHawthorn – Josh KennedyHard to believe Hawthorn envisaged the former father-son selection would develop into the pre-mier clearance player in the AFL. The Hawks jettisoned him at the end of 2009 in return for a third-round draft pick, used to snare Sam Grimley who is yet to make a senior debut. Last season Kennedy led the league in clearances, averaged 22 disposals, kicked 10 goals and was runner-up in the best and fairest behind Adam Goodes – after finishing third in his first season at the club in 2010. Two years ago when Hawthorn made the call on Kennedy it felt it had a better option in the tough inside ball winner Brad Sewell. While Sewell has been a tremendous warrior for the Hawks, there is a strong case that Kennedy is now the superior player who would make the current Hawks’ midfield even more formidable. In every statistical category, including inside 50s, tackles, clearances, disposals and hard-ball gets, Kennedy’s numbers eclipse the dour Sewell. And
at 24, he has four years on the 28-year-old Hawk. While Sewell’s leadership and courage add a dimension to the Hawks midfield, the Kennedy of today would add a whole new layer.
Hawthorn – Luke McPharlinDrafted pick 10 in 1999 by Hawthorn, McPharlin played just 12 games in two years at the Hawks before wanting to return home. The subsequent trade helped the Hawks net current captain Luke Hodge, vice captain Sam Mitchell and pick 20 (Daniel Elstone who is no longer at the club). While the trade worked for both parties, Hawk fans can only imagine their defence today with the steadiness and athleticism of McPharlin down back. After Geelong exploited the Hawks’ lack of height and aggression in defence in the Round 2 thriller, that lack of defensive centi-metres perhaps stands between the Hawks and the premiership. It’s a deficiency highlighted by elite sides Collingwood and Geelong, which both contain two power forwards. In Round 2 Tom Hawkins and James Podsiadly combined for 18 marks and eight goals to monster a Hawks defence containing a posse of under-sized players
Inside features20
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
POWER FORWARD: Richmond would love Jay Schulz in its forward half.
Jay Schulz’s transformation from immature tall to power forward took too long for Richmond, but his loss is Port Adelaide’s gain, writes BEN CASANELIA.
The men clubs would love to have back
Wish you were here!
and a struggling Ryan Schoenmakers. In recent years the 193cm Docker has twice finished third in the best and fairest, and was an All-Australian nomination in 2008 and 2011.
Geelong – Shane MumfordAfter a breakout year in 2009 in which Mumford played 18 games but was overlooked for the finals, Sydney swooped on the then rookie-list Cat, offer-ing around $1 million over three years. Then Geelong coach Mark Thompson talked Mumford into remaining a Cat with the promise of increased opportunity and a pay rise to match in coming years, where-upon Sydney upped its offer to four years and clinched the deal. The irony in the Mumford deal was that the man who took his place in finals and became a pre-miership player, Mark Blake, is no longer at the club after a disap-pointing career. Given Geelong’s current woes in the ruck – Nathan Vardy s no certainty to ever play again and Dawson Simpson is out indefinitely with a back injury – the Cats would love to have Mumford within their ranks. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that the Cats will try to lure the hard-nosed ruckman back when his deal expires at the end of next season.
St Kilda – Luke BallThe stubbornness of Ross Lyon and the St Kilda hierarchy cost it dearly when former captain and best and fairest winner Luke Ball walked out on the Saints in the weeks following the 2009 Grand Final loss. The fact St Kilda received no compensation
for a former captain and club cham-pion who was about to enter the prime of his career at 26 is galling to support-ers. Since crossing to the Magpies the tough ball win-ner has become a vital cog in the Magpie wheel, including a key role in the 2010 premier-ship victory over St Kilda and fourth placing in last year’s best and fairest. The 27-year-old’s leadership and charac-ter has been instrumental
in shaping the Collingwood cul-ture from the instant he walked through the door. The Saints miss his leadership and grit in a mid-field that lacks depth and class. The fact that Lyon is no longer at the club only serves to heighten St Kilda fans’ regret.
Melbourne – Scott ThompsonOriginally snared by the Demons with pick 16 way back in 2000, the South Australian took a little time to find his feet but by the end of 2004 was showing signs of reaching the heights he has since joining the Crows. After winning Adelaide’s 2011 best and fairest on the back of a runners-up finish in 2010, the 29-year-old is ranked among the best dozen mid-fielders in the competition. While Thompson was keen to return to Adelaide, the Demons didn’t exactly
move heaven and earth to ensure the then 22-year-old remained in the camp. In a complicated deal the Demons ended up with Brent Moloney as compensation and, while he’s been a handy acquisi-tion Thompson remains a vast-ly superior player. He virtually held together Adelaide’s strug-gling midfield last season and could have performed a similar job for Melbourne. Having lost Tom Scully and with a gap-ing holes in a young midfield, Thompson’s presence would provide the steadying influence the Demons so desperately need.
Carlton – Josh KennedyOne of the most talked about trades in recent years saw the Blues part with their No. 4 draft pick in order to secure former Eagle superstar Chris Judd. While Judd’s impact and presence has advanced Carlton immeasurably, its one Achilles heel remains a power centre half forward. Some would argue the midfield minus Judd would
still get the job done but with Kennedy up forward the side would be along-side Geelong and Collingwood as premiership favourite. If Judd can deliver a flag it would all but shore up the verdict as a massive win for the Blues, but could Kennedy and the Eagles get there first? Judd turns 29 in September and with his injury history on top of carrying the midfield load for so many years, his window is much narrower than the 24-year-old Kennedy, who will lead the Eagles’ attack for the next seven years. The race is on.
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
Bucks has been selfish, trying to fluke a flag on the back of someone else’s efforts. He has ruined our football club and McGuire should be shot for being a part of it. – An irate caller to Finey’s Final Siren
• Experienced sports doctors & radiologists
• Minimal waiting time
• No facility fee
Getting you back in the game!
1 to 7pm Saturdays from April
‘
Level 1, 316 Malvern Road, Prahran
MUMFORD: Big offer.
THOMPSON: Homesick.
BALL: Underappreciated. KENNEDY: Judd bait.
Open 2pm to 7pm Saturdays
Up Yours! 22
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
write to: [email protected]
That's a hell of a disparityDear JimI have never been one to refer to free kicks as I believe it is the weak point in any football argu-ment. However, I simply cannot stay silent when my beloved Demons are crucified, with West Coast’s 20 free kicks to one to half time match at Subiaco. Don’t get me wrong as class and poise under pressure will always win out in the end and plenty of sides have been eight goals down at half time at Patersons Stadium. Yet I bet none has been awarded just one free kick in a half. The fact that the second half free-kick ratio was 11-10 when you would expect the fatiguing Demons to give away even more frees and not even up the disparity. The Melbourne Football Club owes it to itself, the playing group, members, supporters and anyone in the corporate world who might have the slightest inkling of supporting the club to contact umpires boss Jeff Gieschen and demand an explanation.
Ian Mills, High Wycombe, WA
JIM MAIN SAYS: I have noticed in several matches that a whistle often follows a crowd whinge and no-one whinges louder for free kicks than Eagles supporters. I genuinely believe some umpires are intimidated by the one-eyed Eagle mob. This becomes even more interesting when you realise that no less than SIX Eagles – Dean Cox, Matt Priddis, Adam and Scott Selwood, Luke Shuey and Nic Naitanui – were among the top 17 in free kicks for in 2011. Not bad, eh! West Coast also had more free kicks than any other club except Port Adelaide. And they led the way in 2010. Work it out!
Cats are the creamDear JimI just finished watching the Hawthorn-Geelong match and my respect for Jimmy Bartel went up yet another notch. Every club needs someone like him – a player who is first and foremost a club man, one who does the little hard things when the game is up for grabs. The respect I have for him increases all the time as he is one of the hardest and fairest players in the AFL. Also, if you watched the Geelong team leave the ground after the defeat of Hawthorn you would noticed coach Chris Scott congratulating Andrew Mackie and Taylor Hunt, and this goes to show just why he is a good coach. He seems to have a great relationship with the players and he obviously has their respect. Both the Scotts will be great coaches, but I believe Chris will be truly great for a long period.
Malcolm, Belrose, NSW
JIM MAIN SAYS: Yes, the Scotts can look forward to long careers in the game. And Bartel has been serially underrated by all sections of the football community, which is amazing when you consider he has a Brownlow, a Norm Smith, a bagful of premierships (albeit somehow not a best and fairest)
Gehrig a great readDear Jim This is your American Aussie rules fan again! I
want to thank you for the Mainline column con-cerning great global sports hero Lou Gehrig and his fight with motor neurone disease. Your words touched me to the core. It revealed that Gehrig’s story is still alive 71 years after his death. Let all readers of Inside Football join together for the purpose of finding ways to end the types of debilitating disease that have killed Gehrig and so many others.
Stephen Kerbow, Unvalde, Texas, USA
JIM MAIN SAYS: Thanks, Stephen. This type of illness should make us all be more thankful for our health than whether our team wins or loses.
Suns' colours a whiteoutDear JimI have raised this matter before but I bring it up again because it irks me so much. Why in hell has Gold Coast been allowed to wear guernseys so similar to those worn by the Sydney Swans? The back of the Suns’ guernseys are almost identical to the Swans’ outfit and the way the Gold Coast
team is performing (the Essendon game excepted) is embarrassing as some people might think they are the Swans. What’s wrong with the Suns wearing yellow instead of white numbers? Could you imag-ine Collingwood copping this? Act now, Swans!
Tim James, Adamstown, NSW
JIM MAIN SAYS: I detest the Suns wearing guernseys with a red back and white number.
Floating a new subs ideaDear JimI am not happy with the current interchange and substitute rules. I would like to see: (a) In each quarter a team nominates two substitutes and two interchange players. (b) The interchange play-ers can be rotated as many times as required. (c) The substitutes can replace a player only once in a quarter. (d) For the next quarter, substitutes and interchange players are nominated again. They could be the same, or completely different. The benefits of this scheme are: (a) The current situation of having 21 exhausted players and one
Selwood snubs spirit of the gameDear JimI want to buy into the Joel Selwood debate about the number of free kicks he gets for tackles “over the shoulder”. Selwood claims he has developed the ability to drop his knee and his shoulder when being tackled and that there is nothing illegal about this. I beg to differ. He clearly is playing for free kicks and it is like ducking your head. He has been getting away with this trick for too long.
Grant Turnbull, Hunters Hill, NSW
JIM MAIN SAYS: This is a debate about tech ni cal ities but I am on your side. Footballers who deliberately look for free kicks should not be rewarded.
MONDAY, APRIL 9AFL: The league hits Richmond and Collingwood with $13,000 in fines for their half-time melee.SWANS: Lewis Roberts-Thomson has fractured his cheekbone and will miss up to three matches.HAWKS: Brendan Whitecross is cited for rough con-duct against Joel Selwood.TUESDAY, APRIL 10
GIANTS: There is a silver lining for GWS in light of its huge loss to North Melbourne, with Jeremy Cameron (above) nominated for the Rising Star award.MAGPIES: Chris Tarrant will miss up to four weeks with a calf injury, depleting Collingwood’s backline.AFL: Jason Mifsud apologises to Aaron Davey after an apparently misconstrued conversation landed Mark Neeld in the firing line.BLUES: Heath Scotland is charged with three counts of assault and will face court in June.WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11HAWKS: Whitecross contests the rough conduct charge and is cleared.EAGLES: Coach John Worsfold says the changes to the interchange rule played a big part in Andrew Embley’s decision to undergo shoulder surgery this early in the season, with the Norm Smith medallist to miss 12-16 weeks.MAGPIES: Heath Shaw re-signs for another three years.THURSDAY, APRIL 12GIANTS: Former NRL star Israel Folau admits that crossing codes has not been as easy or as smooth as he had expected.SAINTS: St Kilda re-signs key backman Sam Fisher until the end of 2014 and ruckman Ben McEvoy for three more years.FRIDAY, APRIL 13MAGPIES: Luke Ball (right) suffers a torn ACL and will undergo a knee reconstruc-tion, missing the rest of the season.SUNS: Guy McKenna backs himself and says he is comfort-able with the board’s pending review.POWER: Matthew Primus warns his midfielders, saying they must perform or they will go the way of dropped David Rodan.SATURDAY, APRIL 14MAGPIES: New coach Nathan Buckley questions the hunger of his charges following their 60-point loss to Carlton.SWANS: Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes is report-ed for engaging in tough conduct against Port Adelaide’s Jacob Surjan.DOCKERS: Emerging midfielder Nat Fyfe injures his shoulder and is ruled out for up to three months.SUNDAY, APRIL 15SUNS: Gold Coast re-signs marquee player David Swallow until the end of 2014.MAGPIES: Former coach Mick Malthouse begins a war of words, critiquing Collingwood’s new game plan, among other things.
– LAUREN WOOD
Did you miss something?
WEEKA big
football! inWEEKA big
football! inDid you miss something?
write to: [email protected]
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
wearing a silly jacket and getting to play only 15 minutes would be resolved. (b) If a team has one or two serious injuries early in a game, the impact would be restricted to an additional couple of interchanges per quarter. (c) The concept of rest-ing key players could be avoided – instead, they could play two or three half-quarters as substitutes but still be available to play full-time if required. (d) The effort and bench time would be more evenly distributed.
Andy from Sandy, Sandringham, Vic.
JIM MAIN SAYS: Your suggestions are fine in theory, but might prove rather too complicated.
Now to rebuild the rebuildDear JimMelbourne coach Mark Neeld has acknowledged that he has to rebuild the Demons from the botx-
tom up. As a long-standing Melbourne supporter, I find this extraordinary as the Demons have had a wonderful run of early draft picks and should be zooming up the ladder instead of being bogged at the bottom. We took Cale Morton at No.4 in 2007, Jack Watts at No.1 in 2008 and Tom Scully at one and Jack Trengove at two the following year. I real-ise that Scully’s departure left a hole but we would still be struggling even if he had rejected the GWS bid. It seems we have wasted a golden opportunity to rebuild the team and I genuinely fear for the future. I only hope the club gives Neeld the time to do the job properly.
Dave Simonds, Black Rock, Vic.
JIM MAIN SAYS: Do you realise you could have taken Patrick Dangerfield or Cyril Rioli in 2007, Nick Naitanui or Michael Hurley in 2008 and Dustin Martin or Ryan Bastinac in 2009? Neeld now has one of the toughest gigs in football, but he
must have had his eyes wide open when he accepted the position.
Penalty makes my head hurtDear JimWe have had our ears bashed over protecting the head but, wow, didn’t that work for Geelong’s Matthew Scarlett?! After delivering a deliberate and calculated punch to an opponent’s face, he is offered three weeks. He must have thought it was Christmas. He almost broke his shoulder whip-ping up his hand to say “I accept”. Regardless of what anyone thinks of Hayden Ballantyne, there have been and still are plenty like him in football. Scarlett has been in the system a long time and had no excuse. It seems Balla has succeeded in getting into the heads of rivals.
Geoff, WA
JIM MAIN SAYS: At least Scarlett was facing the bloke he donged, unlike the one who punched his opponent in the guts while he wasn’t looking and behind play. I reckon Scarlett’s penalty was reduced because of who he hit.
Whistle driving me nutsDear JimOne aspect of the game is completely driving me bonkers. Umpiring! Yes, umpiring has been a talking point for 20 years, but the way the rules are interpreted by the umpiring fraternity is quite ridiculous. Interpretation of the “holding the ball” rule is out of control. The rules state that a player must make a reasonable attempt to get rid of the ball when tackled, but if the arm is pinned, how on earth can the player make a reasonable attempt without just dropping the ball? If he does drop the ball, that should be incorrect disposal. However,
the umpires now seem to let this go. It happened so many times over the weekend that my slowly receding hairline is almost fully receded. One more sticking point is the “in the back” rule. The umpires put the whistle away in the Hawks-Cats game, but I reckon there were 15 to 20 “in the back” incidents that were not paid. I know that this game was tough and fierce, but if a player pushed a rival in the back and rides him into the ground, it should be a free kick. Inconsistencies get fans, players and coaches offside. Fix the “holding the ball” rule, please, Mr Jeff Gieschen – and quickly.
Robbie Newman, Cleveland, Qld.
JIM MAIN SAYS: One big-name player knows he cannot do a 360-degree turn while hanging onto the ball, so now drops it when tackled and, amazingly, keeps getting away with it.
Some days are sacredDear Jim Thanks for a great read in Inside Football, but I was disappointed at the suggestion by Mick Ellis for the AFL to follow the NRL into play-ing games on Good Friday, a sacred day. The last time I looked, we are still supposed to be a Christian country. Please let us not completely lose our standards in favour of the almighty dol-lar. Although not a devout Christian, I and others here in backwards Queensland debated this issue over the Easter break and, perhaps surprisingly, the great majority were in favour of leaving Good Friday and Christmas Day free from sports of all kinds. Please consider your stance, Mick.
Perry Axford, Address supplied, Qld.
JIM MAIN SAYS: Mick is entitled to his view but I would hate to see the AFL play on Good Friday.
I have a great idea for GWS coach Kevin Sheedy – recruit me for 2013 and beyond.
I might be a greybeard and as old as Methuselah but I have better credentials than at least one Giant; I can read the play and have plenty of match experience, even if only at suburban level several decades ago.
The only slight problem is that I have a dicky knee, with the cartilage about to be trimmed and the ligaments tightened.
However, the surgeon has assured me the knee will as right as rain in a couple of months and I shall be able to return my AusKick duties mentoring eight-year-olds.
Just think of it, Sheeds. My idea has plenty of upside, especially as it would save your club hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Besides, think of the publicity. I would smash the record for the oldest player at VFL/AFL level.
This currently is held by Vic Cumber-land, who was 43 years and 48 days when he played for St Kilda against South Melbourne in Round 16, 1920.
Fans would flock to Blacktown to see the old codger with the skinny white legs get crunched by the likes of Gold Coast’s Campbell Brown or Hawthorn’s Luke Hodge.
But at least I’d give Fremantle’s Hayden Ballantyne a gobful for his trouble.
No, I might not win a kick, but that would not be new for a Giants player, especially one earning a pay packet that
world champion hurdler Sally Pearson could not jump over.
Poor (a misnomer if ever there was one) Israel Folau might have been a superb rugby league player, but he looks lost in the AFL and although everyone hopes he can improve, players with his record usually are discarded.
And that’s an enormous pity as he seems like a likeable fellow who took a massive gamble in switching codes.
But poor recruiting seems to be at the heart of the Giants’ problems; they have far too few experienced players and the fear is that unless the talented youngsters get support, they will wither on the vine.
The problem is that after seeing the Giants’ woeful performances so far, who would want to join them for 2013?
What good player in his right mind would accept a fistful of dollars at the expense of his career? What good player would want to play in a side that gets walloped week after week and has absolutely no chance of playing in
a finals series, let alone win a premiership?
Even an extra $200,000 a season would not make it worthwhile as half of that would be paid in taxes.
Besides, clubs are locking up their best players and the best the Giants can hope for is to sign one quality player at the most and snare a few fringe players at season’s end.
This would improve the Giants, but only marginally, perhaps reducing the size of the thumpings.
And if the Giants continue to get poleaxed, as it appears likely, who would want to watch them week in, week out?
As it is, I flick onto their matches only with the macabre purpose of see-ing how big a margin they have fallen behind.
It’s not their fault, and everyone feels for the kids, but they have been thrown into the colosseum and told to do the best they can against man-eating lions.
Imagine two seasons of what we have seen so far. How many memberships would the Giants sell and how many
would bother going to Blacktown if they didn’t have a free ticket?
I hate to even raise the matter, but could the AFL tolerate season after sea-son of floggings and humiliation?
We all would hate to see the new kids on the block going the same way as NRL experimental sides like the Adelaide Rams (1997-98), the Hunter Mariners (1997) or the Northern Eagles (2002-03).
Heard of them? No, I didn’t think so, but these now extinct clubs were the price the NRL paid for expanding too quickly.
However, the AFL’s worries don’t end with GWS as the new Gold Coast club is faring little better, while Melbourne might take years to regain some semblance of pride.
Yet the Suns have one of the best players of the mod-ern era in Gary Ablett and other experienced players in Michael Rischitelli, Nathan Bock, Campbell Brown, Josh Fraser, Jarrod Harbrow and Matthew Warnock.
Melbourne has ... um. Let me think about this one. Yet the Demons have had a plethora of early draft picks over the past few years.
It all means that early draft selections mean diddly squat unless these youngsters get to play with good, experienced players around them. After all,
the word “potential” is one of the ugli-est in sport.
So to try to strike a little balance, I am making myself available for GWS.
But only on these terms: that I get the No. 18 guernsey I wore with such distinction (don’t laugh) in suburban football – oh, and also that the club gets rid of the abominable Giants tag.
That seems not too much to ask.Sheeds, you know my number.
If the Giants continue to get poleaxed, who would want to watch them?
CALL ME: Stripped and ready to go for GWS!
I'm game for Giant recruiting campaign
‘ ’I think Judd’s the best midfielder I’ve seen for his ability in close to get away from the traffic. – Dermott Brereton on Morning Glory
'Ball' call is stifling the gameDear JimFootball has always been my favourite sport, but one factor frustrates me in every game I see – the “holding/dropping the ball”, and the AFL’s inability to make it clear. Even though umpires make the decisions, I don’t believe they are to blame. The rule has been unclear for two years and the AFL seems incapable of solving this problem. I understand that if a player takes a bounce, takes on two players and then gets tackled it is called “holding the ball”. But if a player picks up the ball, gets tackled straight away and has five rivals jump on him, how is he meant to get rid of it? Even commentators have expressed frustration so it’s time for the AFL to fix it and allow players the free-dom to play the game the way it should be played.
Josh Walker, New Norfolk, Tas.
JIM MAIN SAYS: I have been arguing this for years, and the problem is getting worse. There can be absolutely no doubt that big-name players are given far more latitude than, say, first-year players. The stars know how to drop the ball when tackled to make it look like it has been knocked from their hands.
LE
TT
ER
OF
TH
E W
EE
K!
MAINlinewith JIM MAIN Australia’s grumpiest footy columnist!
Toe to Toe with David Rhys-Jones24
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
RHYS: What are you doing these days?SANDILANDS: Just living a life of leisure on the Gold Coast. I’ve been retired up here for five years. I’ve got a few years to go before I get my new nationality up here in Queensland. It’s a different mob up here.
RHYS: You were a Footscray fan from the moment you were born in Suffolk Street.SANDILANDS: That’s right, the whole family barracked for Footscray – it was compulsory! My uncle Jim Greenham who had played for the club in the 1930s took a strong interest in me as a kid.
RHYS: Your family went to every game but I understand you saved them money by hopping fences.SANDILANDS: I did, you could do it at any ground. There’d be a hole in the wire fence or I’d climb up the picket fence. I made a profit on the day by collecting Boon Spa bottles and getting the deposits back. That was my first experience of getting lost on a football ground, one day when I was about five. The coppers walked me around the ground.
RHYS: Tell us your earliest memory of the Footscray Football Club. I believe it goes back to the 1954 premiership cel-ebrationsSANDILANDS: That was my first memory of football, sitting on Dad’s shoul-ders outside the Footscray Town Hall after they had won the premiership. Then when I was about nine or 10 my uncle Jimmy took me into the rooms at half time to meet the players. That would have been about 1958 or 1959. I met the great Teddy Whitten for the first time and that was the day that the smell of eucalyptus got into the nostrils and that was my dream to don the red, white and blue for the Dogs.
RHYS: That must have been a great thing for a kid, to go in the rooms of a League team.SANDILANDS: It was. As you know, it was the inner sanctum with the saw-dust on the floor and the old rubdown tables. You could hear the pre-game address and of course that sort of thing doesn’t happen these days.
RHYS: You started in West Footscray under-16s in the Footscray District League. Any of the other kids in that team go on to VFL footy? SANDILANDS: None from my year. Lindsay James, who was co-captain with me, went on to become a very good cricketer and became the captain coach of Footscray in district cricket. He became the Teddy Whitten of the cricket club. The other bloke who went on to achieve prominence in sport was Rex Whitehead, who umpired Test cricket.
RHYS: You first tried out at Western Oval as a 15-year-old, but went back to your local club.SANDILANDS: They kept hounding me that year. I grew a lot and I was six foot one, playing under-16s. The club kept sending down recruiters and I went down and played seven or eight games with the under-19s. Then Lindsay James and I went back to the district league and played the finals. The next year I made the supplementary list for the first time.
RHYS: Late in 1966 you got your first senior game because of an injury to David Darcy. SANDILANDS: That was against North. Dave Darcy came off at half time and Ted bundled me down to full back.
RHYS: Had you played much as a full back before that?SANDILANDS: I went down as a forward, but I had played centre half back in the reserves for most of that year. I’d played around the place a bit, centre half forward too. Defence was where they wanted to play me. I wasn’t too keen with all the 100-goal-a-year full forwards around! I was mainly a backman for the first half of my career.
RHYS: Of those big name full forwards, who was the best?SANDILANDS: Without a doubt, Doug Wade. He was one of the best footballers I saw. He was a beautiful lead and a wonderful kick – he could get out in front and take a mark on his own. Hudson? Oh, thank God I didn’t play on him much. But Wade could get a kick anywhere.
RHYS: For the first four or five years you tried combining footy with study and apparently it just didn’t work. You averaged only seven games a year at that stage in the seniors. You were studying chemistry at uni and could only train once a week. SANDILANDS: I couldn’t really get a level of fitness or focus for the first six or seven years. It wasn’t until Bob Rose arrived as coach that I got an idea of what I should be doing to be a League footballer.
RHYS: People were muttering that you might not be up to it. Did you think about giving the game away?SANDILANDS: One year I thought about going back to the district club
LAURIE’S LOADFormer captain Laurie Sandilands led Footscray through a promising era he believes was partly brought undone by a tragic injury to a teammate.
PURE-BRED BULLDOG: Laurie Sandilands. INSET: Card manufacturers were never known for 100 per cent accuracy.
Inside the Legends ‘ ’
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
and playing out the year. But one par-ticular person at the club said: “If you do that, we will suspend you and you won’t be able to play anywhere.” I floundered around and managed to get my degree and then I was able to concentrate a bit more on football.
RHYS: Bob Rose took over in 1971 as coach and as you mentioned he made a huge difference to your game. You had been mainly a defender and in that role you liked to take it up to your oppo-nents physically.SANDILANDS: It was a much more physical game then anyway, as you know. I was as physical as the rest of them. I played it pretty hard and bent the rules sometimes.
RHYS: Bob Rose played you more in attack and reckoned you hadn’t got the best out of yourself. Why couldn’t other coaches have done that? SANDILANDS: I think it was a com-munication thing. Whitten had been coach before that. As great a bloke as he was, he wasn’t a great communicator. It’s not a criticism, but I don’t know if I ever got the message in the right way. Bob Rose came in and said “You are a much better footballer than you are letting on and this is what is expected of you.” He set a list of goals and objec-tives and said if you do that for the next 12 months there is no reason you can’t be captain next year.
RHYS: You had a few trips to the tri-bunal along the way. In 1972 you went up three times and that included two appearances in two weeks. That is dis-graceful!SANDILANDS: It probably is today! As you know, you went up but you were never guilty. I think the first time I went up was against St Kilda and it was Micky Malthouse’s first game there. I shep-herded him off and put him out of business. That was the day Stephen Boyle had his eye poked out and I went up to the tribunal and it was a par-ticularly emotional time and I managed to get off that. From what I heard the umpires weren’t happy I got off. The next week I was full forward and Kelvin Moore was on me. He grabbed me by the shorts to stop me lead-ing and I threw my hand back and copped him in the eye and one of the bound-ary umpires came out and reported me. I think one of the goal umpires stood up and said he saw the whole thing and that I was only try-ing to get away from him and should have actually got the free kick.
RHYS: When you got let off a second charge in two weeks, Jack Gaffney said: “You’re not guilty – again!” You told Lou Richards that you had replied, “Thanks Dad.”SANDILANDS: That was a bit of a joke I made at the time to Lou, I wouldn’t have said that
at the tribunal. My knees were knocking together like you wouldn’t believe.
RHYS: 1974 was a big year for you as you were appointed captain. Did that make a big difference to your game? You made the state side and the team made the finals for the first time in 13 years. SANDILANDS: Bob came to the club and in ’73 there was bit of a blow-up between the captain David Thorpe and Bobby. So I got the captaincy and really responded to it and took on the chal-lenge. We had a good year but our finals performance let us down.
RHYS: The 1975 season looked like it would be big for the club, but the injury to Neil Sachse in the second game had a huge effect on the rest of the team. I’ve read that you said this affect-ed everyone’s approach and in your case it took the edge off your game. SANDILANDS: I played full forward and Neil had played most of the game on the half-back line. Bob moved me out and put Neil to full forward. It happened literally seconds after he had moved there. He led out for the ball, and I was down near the centre of the ground. I was heading in that direction and I saw it happen. Peter Welsh was the first in and I got there next. I sort of said “Get up you weak mongrel and take your kick for goal.” And he said “I can’t move” and it flashed through my mind that he could have broken his neck. The reality of it hit pretty early.
RHYS: It must have shaken you. It’s the worst thing that could ever happen.
SANDILANDS: As an athlete or a person it was a tragic and terrible injury. Neil and I were both working together for the club at the time and we were pretty good mates and did a lot together. After the game we went on to the Austin Hospital and heard the news that he had broken his neck and he was quadriple-gic. It was a horren-dous night.
RHYS: He’s got an amazing spirit.S A N D I L A N D S :
Incredible. A couple of years ago the club flew me over when we played Adelaide in Adelaide. They had a story on Neil on Foxtel and I met up with Neil for the first time in a long time. The strength that he has maintained and the fact that he said “I’ve had a great life” – he’s an inspiration to everybody. A very uplifting person and he has done a lot for the quadriplegic society.
RHYS: Up until then you had been a very physical player and didn’t worry about who you ran into or where you hit them.SANDILANDS: It changed me. I just became very con-scious then of what can hap-pen to people and I strug-gled to adapt to play a non-
physical game. My game changed after that and I always struggled from then one.
RHYS: You said in the Bulldog heritage book that you were never able to regain the fierce competitive spirit.SANDILANDS: That’s probably the best way of putting it. I didn’t just hap-pen that night and by the end of the season everyone was suffering and I wasn’t able to get back to the level of performance that I had been at. RHYS: Footscray made the finals again in 1976 under Bill Goggin but you reck-oned the rot had set in by then. SANDILANDS: In 1976 we came back a bit and some of the younger players were maturing. Kelvin Templeton was there and maybe we were on the way to recovery but the club blew up at the end of the year. It had that ability to self destruct. In ‘76 and ‘77 there were lots of troubles in the club.
RHYS: You left the club at the end of 1977 after getting involved in a club political battle. I believe you went public over something that happened to Ray Huppatz in a contract dispute and you said the players would not rule out a strike.SANDILANDS: Well, you know how papers work, I was certainly very criti-cal of the club in what had gone on between Ray and them. The reporter kept insisting “Will you strike, will you strike?” And I said I couldn’t rule out the possibility, even though I didn’t know whether we’d ever get to that stage. But the fact that I had said it became distorted.
RHYS: You went to Collingwood for the 1978 season, but returned to Footscray in 1979 as chairman of selec-tors. Were you able to mend some relationships at Footscray?SANDILANDS: I actually retired. The club had given me an ultimatum to
apologise. But Tommy Hafey from Collingwood was at me and at me. In the end I decided to give it a go, although I hadn’t done any pre-season. I was overweight and my heart wasn’t really in it, I must admit. It wasn’t a great year that I had with the Magpies. I went back to Footscray in 1979 – the presi-dent had been overthrown and Charlie Sutton came in as presi-dent. He’s a great man and great at healing rifts and asked me to come back and mend bridges. It was pretty good really because
the coach was Donny McKenzie, who I had known a long time. I had no prob-lem with anyone who was still there.
RHYS: And then you worked with 3KZ as an around-the-grounds man for 10 years.SANDILANDS: Yes, I even remem-ber interviewing you after you had destroyed Dermie in one of the Grand Finals.
Thomas tried to scissor kick the ball over his shoulder like Pele, He needs some serious re-programming. I wonder if he is mentally there at the moment. – Dermott Brereton on Friday Night Football
LAURIE SANDILANDSFootscray (1966-77, 160 games, 28 goals), Collingwood (1978, 4 games, 6 goals).POSITION: Full forwardVITAL STATS: 188cm, 87kgCAPTAIN: 1974-76
‘I sort of said get up you
weak mongrel and take
your kick for goal. And he
said, I can’t move.’
1995 – Pre-season Fremantle becomes the 16th side to enter the AFL and its first assignment is to host St Kilda at East Fremantle Oval. To this day the game is the only time the Dockers have played an official AFL match in Fremantle.
The battle hardened Saints side contains 30-year-old ruckman Lazar Vidovic, a man known for a short fuse and an equally short right hook.
Not long after the first bounce, Vidovic is informed by teammate Rod Keogh that small forward Craig O’Brien, who has blood stream-ing from his eye, was king-hit by Docker Scott Edwards.
“Rod used to know how to get me fired up and when he said O’Brien had been king hit I thought to myself ‘bloody hell these Freo bas-tards are in their first AFL game, I need to be doing something’,” Vidovic recalled last week.
“Then I’m getting outmarked by ‘Spider’ Burton and so I just gave him one on the back of the head and the next minute I see all these players running at me, including Dale Kickett who used to get pretty fired up.
“So I threw a right to protect myself and hit Brendan Krummel flush on the eye and he ended up with eight stitches and from that there was an all-in brawl.
“I just kept on swinging as many as I could but I’ve got no idea how many landed.
“Not long after that I find out that the blood on O’Brien’s face had come from some friendly fire after he’s copped an accidental boot from our teammate Jayson Daniels.
“Basically I started a brawl over nothing and ended up getting rubbed out for six weeks.
“It seems that ever since then there’s been bad blood between the Fremantle and St Kilda.”
While the colourful Saint has vivid memories of that day, his recollection of subsequent clashes
against the Dockers is equally enlightening.“I remember the next few times we played them
they were trying to clean me up behind play. Dale Kickett broke my nose in a pack as a pay back,” he said.
“I copped a few and gave a few. It’s a pity I’m retired because I’d love to get him back!”
It was the first of many eventful clashes.
1997 – Anzac DayFremantle wins by a goal after staving off the 16th placed Saints in a last-minute thriller.
1998 – Rd 9, Subiaco OvalSt Kilda co-captain Stewart Loewe is stretchered from the field after falling awkwardly and hit-ting his head on his own knee. The fourth-placed Saints are overrun by the 13th placed Dockers.
1999 - Rd 15, Subiaco OvalIn one of the more bizarre events to unfold on a football field umpire, Peter Carey “marks” a ball kicked by Docker Adrian Fletcher intend-ed for Brad Wira.
2001 – Rd 12, Subiaco OvalBoth clubs begin the year with new coaches in Malcolm Blight and Damian Drum. By mid-year the Saints and Dockers languish well down the table and the pressure is building on Blight, who is seen to be taking a somewhat lackadaisi-cal approach to coaching duties, while being quite public about his disdain for the St Kilda “culture”. With the game on the line in the final term, Saint Stephen Milne steps up to kick three goals and steer the Saints to a narrow victory. The win would be the last of Blight’s coaching career; he is sacked three weeks later.
2002 – Rd 17, Princes ParkSt Kilda hosts Fremantle in a rare home game at Princes Park in front of just 8078 fans – the low-est total to watch the Saints since 7677 trekked to the Western Oval in Round 19, 1996 to watch a comfortable win over Fitzroy.
2004 – Rd 7, Subiaco OvalNuggety Saint half-back Brent Guerra lays a brutal hip-and-shoulder on Byron Schammer, breaking his arm. St Kilda claims its seventh straight win, while the match is noteworthy as the first time the Dockers wear a predominantly white strip.
2005 – Rd 2, York Park, TasmaniaIn a nail-biter Aaron Hamill is awarded a free kick for holding the ball and kicks a behind to help the Saints to a one-point victory.
2005 – Rd 21, Subiaco OvalA game that would cause controversy lasting well beyond the final siren.
With Nick Riewoldt out of the side with a bro-ken collarbone, teammate Justin Koschitzke is in the midst of a purple patch that would earn 11 Brownlow votes in five matches. St Kilda is look-ing to solidify its top four spot, a somewhat sur-prising scenario given it was outside the top eight
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
Inside features26
X
Ross Lyon’s Melbourne homecoming on Friday night is sure to be anything but friendly when Lyon’s Dockers tackle his former club St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.Having walked out on the Saints and replaced an unwitting Mark Harvey as coach of Fremantle on a four-year mega-deal, Lyon has given Saints fans all summer to stew on the perceived betrayal by the man that came with seconds of delivering their first premiership in 45 years.The game will also provide another chapter in a bubbling, sometimes fiery rivalry that can be traced back to an innocuous pre-season game in which a little white lie set off a chain of events from the bizarre to the brutal. BEN CASANELIA traces a very much alive AFL rivalry.
WHARF-ARE! Dockers, Saints put it all on the Lyon
CONFRONTATION: Lenny Hayes and Chris Connolly.
MATCH WINNER: Justin Longmuir.
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
HIRE
www.1300tempfence.com.au
Phone: 1300 836 733
Temporary Fencing “Hire or Buy - It Makes Sense”
BUY
Building Sites
Temporary Fencing
Special Events
Temporary Pool Fencing
Swimming Pools
Fully Compliant Systems
Civil Projects
Crowd Control Barriers
Guaranteed Next Day Delivery & Installation $500 Free Insurance on any Hire No Job Too Big or Too SmallMasses of Stock Available
after 13 rounds. For Fremantle, victory would help secure a finals berth having been knocked out of the finals race by the Saints late in 2004. During the week, Saints coach Grant Thomas criticizes the umpires for having egos. As the game unfolds Saint fans become increasingly incensed by a number of contentious umpiring decisions going against them. In the final minute Justin Peckett is run down by Luke McPharlin, whose subsequent kick inside 50 is pspectacularly marked by Justin Longmuir. His after-the-siren set shot splits the middle to hand the Dockers a thrilling and con-troversial victory. But the controversy is far from over. While travelling back to Melbourne after the game Channel 9 reporter Tony Jones claims he heard umpire Matthew Head, who was at the cen-tre of a number of the contentious free kicks, say “Now I know what it feels like to have a victory,” apparently referring to the Thomas comments. Several other passengers claimed to have heard the remark. Head is cleared after an AFL investi-gation but the Saints are fuming at the result. The game becomes known as the “Whispers in the Sky” match.
2006 – Rd 5, York Park In a game that is close all day the Dockers appear to have done enough when they lead by a point as time expires. But with the wind blowing and a sub-standard York Park horn, umpires fail to hear the siren and allow play to continue. As St Kilda goes forward the ball falls to Steven Baker whose flying shot at goal goes through for a point to make scores level. Then Baker
is awarded a free kick for a late bump and while going back to take his shot Dockers officials, who heard the siren, stream onto the ground to remonstrate with the umpires. Coach Chris Connolly is seen in a heated exchange with Lenny Hayes and the situation threatens to get out of hand. Baker’s second shot again goes wide to leave scores tied on 94 points. After the game coach Grant Thomas declares the game “one for the blooper reel” while Connolly is furi-ous and the Dockers fire in an immediate protest. After a three-day AFL investi-gation Fremantle is awarded the four premiership points. It is the first time since Round 1, 1900 a match result has been overturned by the league (then St Kilda successfully protested a result against Melbourne). Had the drawn result stood St Kilda would have displaced Sydney in fourth
position at the end of the home and away season. The Swans go on to play off in the Grand Final.
2005 – Rd 20, Subiaco Oval
With both sides playing for a top four spot the Dockers claim victory in a canter.
2007 – Rd 20, Etihad Stadium
St Kilda hard nut Steven Baker is
suspended for seven weeks after an off-the ball incident involving the equally fiery Jeff Farmer. While there is no footage of the incident, Baker is lagged in by a Docker trainer who claims he used malicious force. A St Kilda appeal falls on deaf ears.
2008 – Rd 13, Subiaco OvalAfter starting the year 3-9 the pressure is on second-year coach Ross Lyon, who wields the axe and drops stars Nick Dal Santo and Stephen Milne for the trip to Perth. His scare tactics reap immediate results as the Saints down the Dockers by eight points then go on to win eight
of their last 10 games to finish fourth.
2008 – Rd 20, Subiaco Oval Milne plays despite a badly swollen cheek that prevents him from returning to Melbourne on a plane. He grabs 12 touches as the Saints claim a 43-point win.
2009 – Rd 4, Etihad StadiumSt Kilda wins by 88 points. Fremantle’s score of 4.4 (28) remains the equal lowest of any side at Etihad Stadium. (The record is shared with the Saints who kicked 3.10 (28) against the Magpies in Round 6, 2002.)
2010 – NAB Cup, Etihad StadiumThe match comes within minutes of being called off after a freak storm damages Etihad Stadium. With a small number of fans already in the sta-dium the AFL refuses entry to those outside the ground until the storm has passed and Etihad Stadium is declared safe.
2011 – Off-seasonAfter five years, 121 games, 11 finals and three Grand Finals, Saints coach Ross Lyon signs a four-year deal to coach Fremantle in a move that angers
many Saint fans and incenses the pre-viously incumbent Docker coach Mark Harvey, who is blind-sided. Lyon is unrepentant despite media criticism while Harvey says he would never take a call from Lyon to discuss what trans-pired.
2012 – Rd 4, Etihad Stadium.Game on!
‘ ’Footy isn’t played in slow motion, you can’t just stop and access the situation. I am delighted the tribunal saw it our way.
– Hawthorn’s Mark Evans on the Brendan Whitecross verdict
InsIde Football
28 Round in review
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
BLUE-CHIP PERFORMANCE COOKS PIESCarlton had irresistible momentum on a night where everything went right and Collingwood couldn’t take a trick. The Blues put their stamp on the game early thanks to the ruck domi-nance of Matthew Kreuzer and the dynamic, silky midfielders Chris Judd, Marc Murphy and Heath Scotland and never let up. Collingwood by contrast looked disjointed and on the back foot from the outset. With central ace Scott Pendlebury contained at every corner by Andrew Carrazzo, and Dane Swan
unable to dictate terms, the Magpies were always under pressure. Their problems started with the early exit of Ben Reid with a quad injury and the subsequent knee injury to Luke Ball. Their rotations were heavily restricted, but it is doubtful that even the Magpies’ best 22 would have contained a ram-pant, confident Carlton.HIGHLIGHT: Jeff Garlett was not a factor in the first hour but shortly after the start of the third term he bolted clear, took three bounces and zoomed
away from his pursuers to goal.LOWLIGHT: Luke Ball went down with a knee injury that looked bad at the time, but then the Magpies breathed easy when he returned to the field. But it was a futile exercise as the courageous midfielder hurt the knee again and was forced off for good.TURNING POINT: Collingwood pushed to within nine points midway through the second term, but Carlton scored the last two goals before half time. – RUSSELL HOLMESBY
MATCH DETAILSCARLTON 7.1 9.7 15.11 18.14 (122)COLLINGWOOD 3.2 6.3 8.6 9.8 (62)GOALS – CARLTON: Betts 5, Waite 3, Murphy 2, Hampson 2, Garlett 2, Judd, Carrazzo, Yarran, Tuohy. COLLINGWOOD: Sidebottom 2, Beams, Shaw, Thomas, Fasolo, Dawes, Cloke, Goldsack.BEST – CARLTON: Murphy, Judd, Carrazzo, Henderson, Scotland, Gibbs, Robinson. COLLINGWOOD: Shaw, Keefe, Swan, Shaw, Sidebottom, Beams.CROWD: 84,259 at MCG CARRAZZO: Stifled Pendlebury.
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESBlues ExclusivE
ARMFIELD Dennis HFF Meant to be negating forward on Shaw, hurt knee then came back on. ........5 14 3BETTS Eddie FP Outstripped O’Brien, took him to uncomfortable places. Five goals. ..............8 21 3BOWER Paul INT One of the few flat spots in line-up. Sent to forward line late. .........................3 13 3CARRAZZO Andrew RR Great job on Pendlebury. By half time was picking up kicks himself. ...............9 25 3CURNOW Ed INT Solid contribution gave good support. ..................................................................... 5 16 3DUIGAN Nick SUB On for Lucas at three-quarter time and was instantly busy. ..............................3 3 1GARLETT Jeff FP Didn’t create much in first half then bolted with three bounce goals. ............6 17 3GIBBS Bryce BP Lined up on resting mids. Strong game and ran hard to create.........................7 19 3HAMPSON Shaun FF Opposed by Keefe. Strong in aerial contests and also forced ball down. ......6 17 3HENDERSON Lachie CHB Had the key job on Cloke and carried it out to perfection. ..............................8 19 3JAMISON Michael FB Defensive role on tall Magpies starting with Wood. OK but a little rusty. .....5 5 1JUDD Chris CENT Dominant first half and finished with 11 clearances. ............................................9 24 3KREUZER Matthew RUCK Generated heaps of attacks from ruck in first half. ..............................................8 22 3LAIDLER Jeremy FB Had wide range of opponents ranging from Dawes to Wellingham. Solid. .....6 18 3LUCAS Kane INT Subbed off at three-quarter time. ............................................................................. 3 11 3MURPHY Marc ROV Potent tandem with Judd in midfield. His 39 touches said it all. ........................9 24 3ROBINSON Mitch HFF Started on Maxwell. Excellent ball winner all night. ............................................8 20 3SCOTLAND Heath WINGEverywhere in first half and finished with 33 disposals........................................8 21 3SIMPSON Kade WINGAgainst Sidebottom initially. First half quieter than usual then chimed in. ......6 20 3TUOHY Zach HBF Hard nut who began with Thomas. Strong first half then tapered. ...................6 8 3WAITE Jarrad CHF Strong target in first half and helped by fact that Reid left field. .......................8 20 3YARRAN Chris HBF Matched with Fasolo. Unobtrusive early then ramped it up. ..............................6 19 3
SIDELINED: TomBell(back),DylanBuckley(finger),RhysO’Keeffe(heel),AndrewWalker(quad),RobertWarnock(shoulder).
THIS WEEK: 142
SEASON AV: 133
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESMagpies ExclusivE
BALL Luke MID Hurt knee – twice – and out of the game before half time. ..............................2 12 3BEAMS Dayne FP Workload increased with Ball off. Got a bit of mostly uncontested footy. ....5 11 2BLAIR Jarryd FP Willing worker but missed two goal opportunities. .............................................4 17 3CLARKE Marty INT Always under pressure, like most teammates. .......................................................4 14 3CLOKE Travis CHF Uncharacteristically butter fingered. Rarely in the game. ....................................2 15 3DAWES Chris FF One good moment (a nice goal) in three rounds of footy to date. .................3 10 3FASOLO Alex WINGBobbed up at times but not often enough to be influential. ..............................5 15 3GOLDSACK Tyson HBF Battled away in typical style. ....................................................................................... 4 16 3JOLLY Darren RUCK Outclassed by Kreuzer. Hampson also had his number. ......................................3 17 3KEEFFE Lachlan CHB Excellent defensive game. One of few positives for the Pies. .............................7 16 3MAXWELL Nick HBF Good defensively, a steadying influence, but unable to generate attacks. ........6 6 1O’BRIEN Harry BP Betts towelled him for five goals. Another out of form Pie. ...............................4 14 3PENDLEBURY Scott CEN Blanketed by Carrazzo early. Worked into second half but too late. ...............3 19 3REID Ben FB Subbed out in first quarter after quad strain. ........................................................1 14 3SHAW Heath HBF The Pies’ only source of defensive drive. Managed a goal too. ..........................7 17 3SIDEBOTTOM Steele WINGGood first half, two handy goals, but still a second-string mid. .........................7 19 3SINCLAIR Ben SUB On early, endeavour is great, but he’s no match for classy opponents. ...........1 9 3SWAN Dane MID Kept putting himself in the game, but his kicking is 1950s retro. ......................6 19 3THOMAS Dale HFF Back to form of two years ago – burning opportunities and turning it over. 5 17 3TOOVEY Alan BP Only match-up for Garlett, which was always going to stretch him. ...............3 11 3WELLINGHAM SharrodINT Rarely won clean possession in return game; not a factor.. ................................3 3 1WOOD Cameron FP Might have got life in order but game still needs work. Three nice grabs. ......3 3 1
SIDELINED: DanielFarmer(hip),AndrewKrakouer(knee),BrentMacaffer(knee),JoshThomas(foot),ChrisTarrant(calf).
THIS WEEK: 88
SEASON AV: 104
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
SHARP TIGERS LEAVE DEMONS IN SHREDSRichmond coasted to its first win of the season in an effortless demolition of embattled Melbourne. In a lop-sided contest in which the Tigers had 159 more disposals and 35 more inside 50s yet amazingly still won the tackle count 73-53, only Richmond’s wastefulness and penchant to over-use handball kept the Demons in the game early. Once Tiger ball winners Shaun Grigg, Nathan Foley, Shane Tuck and Bachar Houli began to hit targets the scoreboard reflected the stats sheet. Richmond put
the game to bed with a nine-goal third term highlighted by the work of Shaun Grigg, Shane Tuck, Nathan Foley and Trent Cotchin, who continually opened up Melbourne through the middle. Grigg ended with 37 touches to be the Tigers’ best while his support cast numbered a dozen. Thirteen Richmond players gathered 18 or more dispos-als compared to one Demon, Jeremy Howe (24 in a credible performance). Aaron Davey again struggled while a host of others, including Stefan Martin,
Mark Jamar, Matthew Bate and Colin Garland, had games to forget.HIGHLIGHT: The efforts of recycled Tiger trio Shaun Grigg, Bachar Houli and Brad Miller would have had their former clubs taking notice. They shared 76 possessions, 23 marks and five goals.LOWLIGHT: Howe and James Frawley aside, the Demons were deplorable.TURNING POINT: The Tigers hit top gear in the third term, kicking nine goals to one to blow the game out.
– BEN CASANELIA
MATCH DETAILSRICHMOND 4.4 6.8 15.11 20.13 (133)MELBOURNE 2.3 5.6 6.6 11.8 (74)GOALS – RICHMOND: Cotchin 3, Miller 3, Nahas 2, Deledio 2, Conca 2, Grigg, Riewoldt, Vickery, Maric, Houli, Martin, Jackson. MELBOURNE: Clark 2, Dunn 2, Howe 2, Trengove 2, Sellar, Jones, Watts. BEST – RICHMOND: Grigg, Tuck, Nahas, Conca, Houli, Grimes. MELBOURNE: Howe, Frawley.CROWD: 49,826 at the MCG.
JAMAR: Just battling.
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESTigers ExclusivE
BATCHELOR Jake BP Used in defence and did it well. Not fancy but hard around the ball. ..............5 11 2CONCA Reece WINGHelped himself to 29 disposals and a goal to be a key driver. ...........................7 13 3COTCHIN Trent RR Tagged by McKenzie and quiet first half but lifted after half time; two goals. 6 20 3DELEDIO Brett HFF Joined in party for 26 touches and four inside 50s. Handy enough. ...............7 20 3EDWARDS Shane WINGQuiet day and didn’t do a whole lot with his 14 disposals. ................................3 10 3ELLIS Brandon INT Youngster was steady in back half all day. A real player in the making. ............6 13 3FOLEY Nathan INT Really good early when game on line and helped keep midfield pressure on. 7 18 3GRIGG Shaun INT His deodorant clearly was faulty as no one went near him; 37 touches. ........8 19 3GRIMES Dylan FB Steady as a rock down back and played his role. Read the play well. ..............6 15 3HOULI Bachar HBF Among the better Tigers. Rebounded well and pushed forward a lot. ............7 17 3JACKSON Daniel CEN Still prone to make the odd mistake but still played a part – 21 disposals.....6 17 3MARIC Addam SUB Only came on late and had two touches. Ran more in post game run. ..........1 6 2MARIC Ivan RUCK OK in the ruck and provided a presence. Played his role. ................................5 14 3MARTIN Dustin RR Upstaged by a few teammates but still had 19 disposals and six inside 50s. ..6 17 3MILLER Brad CHF Celebrated 150th with three goals against former side. .....................................6 14 3MORRIS Steve BP Speed and intensity a factor when near the footy. Getting better every day. 6 14 3NAHAS Robin FP Beat the Bartram tag to grab 21 disposals and two goals. Dangerous. ...........7 13 3NEWMAN Chris BP Looked a little sluggish at times but handy enough across half back. ..............6 17 3RANCE Alex FB Held Clark to two goals and that was his man task. ............................................6 19 3RIEWOLDT Jack FF Kicked just the one goal and was well held by Frawley for most of day. ........4 12 3TUCK Shane WINGRacked up 32 stats and 11 tackles to be among the midfield drivers. .............8 16 3VICKERY Tyrone CHF Struggles continue. Only five disposals and then subbed off. .............................1 5 3
SIDELINED: DavidAstbury(knee),KelvinMoore(hip),BradHelbig(unknown),JakeKing(knee). THIS WEEK: 124
SEASON AV: 109
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESDemons ExclusivE
BAIL Rohan FP Unable to impact the game to any degree playing down back...........................2 9 3BARTRAM Clint BP Had the job on Nahas who got away enough to be dangerous. .......................3 12 3BATE Matthew WINGUnable to stem the flow at all and never a factor that worried the Tigers. ...3 10 3CLARK Mitch FF Kicked two first-half goals then opportunities dried up big time. ....................4 14 3DAVEY Aaron HFF Not sure what next step is for the veteran. No impact whatsoever. ..............2 5 2DUNN Lynden SUB Actually showed something when he came on to kick two goals. ..................3 8 2FRAWLEY James FB Kept Riewoldt to a goal in a fine effort given Tigers kicked 20. ........................7 19 3GARLAND Colin CHB Had hands full down back playing a revolving door of opponents....................3 10 3GRIMES Jack HBF Made a bad blue early and then knocked out after a tackle. Just battled. .......4 14 3HOWE Jeremy WINGClearly the Dees’ best with 24 touches, 12 marks and two goals. ...................8 19 3JAMAR Mark RUCK Only four marks and two of those when game was all over. Struggled.. .........3 11 3JONES Nathan RR Battled away but didn’t have any support to be damaging. .................................5 18 3MAGNER James ROV Did not get into the game at all after two good games – nine disposals. .......2 16 3MARTIN Stefan FP Horrible day. Subbed off after seven disposals. ......................................................1 3 2McDONALD Tom BP Young defender certainly wasn’t the worst. Great learning experience. .........4 9 2McKENZIE Jordie INT Shadowed Cotchin and did OK until dam finally burst after half time. ...........4 12 3MORTON Cale INT Only one of his 17 possessions was gathered in contested fashion. ..............4 4 1RIVERS Jared BP Saw off Vickery so that was a win but didn’t offer much offensively. ...............4 15 3SELLAR James CHF Used forward and back and kicked one goal. That was his only highlight. ......2 5 2TAPSCOTT Luke INT Might be headed back to VFL after a poor outing – nine disposals. .................2 2 1TRENGOVE Jack CEN Horrible first half but to his credit he lifted to kick two late goals. ................4 17 3WATTS Jack WINGFirst half OK (10 disp) then drifted right out of game after main break. .......4 14 3
SIDELINED: LucasCook(groin),MichaelEvans(back),MaxGawn(knee),NevilleJetta(ankle),LiamJurrah(wrist),ColinSylvia(back),RoryTaggert(back),BrentMoloney(groin).
THIS WEEK: 78
SEASON AV: 91
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
InsIde Football
29Inside Round 3
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
SWANS THEIR STRETCH POWER STREAKSydney extended its winning streak over Port Adelaide to eight wins with a hard-fought 22-point victory at AAMI Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Port Adelaide started well kicking the first two goals but the Swans ground their way back and went into half time with a 16-point lead. Port cut the margin to three points at the final change and even had a chance to put their noses in front at the start of the last term but a six-goal final quarter effort saw Sydney notch up their third win in a row. The
Swans were led magnificently by mid-field hard nuts Josh Kennedy (18 con-tested possessions), Luke Parker (eight clearances) and Daniel Hannebery (36 disposals). Port Adelaide never gave up the contest with their tall forwards Daniel Stewart three goals and Justin Westhoff and Jay Schulz two apiece leading the charge.HIGHLIGHT: In the second term Adam Goodes chased down Hamish Hartlett twice, won the ball and snapped over his shoulder for a fine goal.
LOWLIGHT: On a perfect Saturday afternoon during the school holidays and Port Adelaide up and about the crowd of just over 19,000 was disap-pointing.TURNING POINT: Brad Ebert had the chance to put Port in front at the start of the last quarter but missed. A quick transition led to Kieren Jack hit-ting Sam Reid at the top of the square who goaled and Sydney ran away with the win.
– CHARLIE LAURENDI
MATCH DETAILSPORT ADEL 3.2 5.6 9.9 12.11 (83)SYDNEY 5.2 8.4 10.6 16.9 (105)GOALS – PORT ADELAIDE: D. Stewart 3, Schulz, Ebert, Westhoff 2, Surjan, Broadbent, Thomas. SYDNEY: Jetta 3, Bird, White, Goodes, O’Keefe 2, Bolton, McGlynn, McVeigh Reid, Mumford.BEST – PORT ADELAIDE: Chaplin, Ebert, Trengove, Cassisi, Gray, D. Stewart. SYDNEY: Kennedy, Hannebery, Mumford, Parker, Richards, Jetta, Goodes.CROWD: 19,032 at AAMI Stadium. GOODES: Beaten by Chaplin.
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESPower ExclusivE
BOAK Travis ROV Not his best game but still managed three clearances and five inside 50’s.....5 19 3BROADBENT MatthewINT Lively coming off the bench, kicked one goal and set up two others. .............6 19 3CARLILE Alipate FB Beat Sam Reid convincingly and was subbed out early in the fourth term. ...7 18 3CASSISI Domenic CEN 26 Disposals including ten clearances, typical captain’s performance. ..............7 20 3CHAPLIN Troy CHB Relishing the one on one battles and got the better of Goodes. .....................7 17 3CORNES Kane WINGRacked up plenty of the football but was not damaging. .....................................5 21 3EBERT Brad RR Kicked two goals could have had four if he kicked straight................................7 20 3GRAY Robbie FP Another who didn’t bring his kicking boots with four behinds. ........................5 5 1HARTLETT Hamish WINGWhether the wing or half back he is starting to live up to his potential. .......8 21 3JACOBS Ben BP Got caught out a few times by the pace of Lewis Jetta. ......................................5 13 3McCARTHY John HFF Still getting use to his teammates and Port’s style of play. ..................................6 17 3O’SHEA Cameron SUB Came on for Alipate Carlile early in the fourth quarter. ....................................3 9 3PEARCE Danyle INT Still managed four inside 50’s playing across half back and heavily tagged. .....4 12 3REDDEN Jarrad RUCK Great game against Shane Mumford in the ruck with 26 hit-outs. ...................6 15 3SCHULZ Jay CHF Quiet game by his standards but still managed two goals. .................................5 18 3STEWART Daniel HFF His place in the side should be cemented for a while with three goals. .........7 16 3STEWART Paul HBF Created plenty of drive running off half back.........................................................6 18 3SURJAN Jacob BP Kicked the best goal of his career from outside 50 with Goodes chasing. ....5 15 3THOMAS Matt INT Struggled with the ball winning talents of the Sydney midfield. .........................4 15 3TRENGOVE Jackson HBF Rebounded the football six times out of defensive 50. .......................................7 12 2WESTHOFF Justin FF Bounced back well once placed on the wing, kicked two goals. .......................6 18 3WINGARD Chad FP Showed great vision at one point to kick across body to find a team mate. .3 12 3
SIDELINED: MatthewLobbe(hip),NickSalter(foot),JohnButcher(hamstring). THIS WEEK: 124
SEASON AV: 120
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESSwans ExclusivE
BIRD Craig FP Kicked the Swans first two goals of the match. ....................................................6 6 1BOLTON Jude ROV Quiet day by his lofty standards, still managed eight contested possessions. 5 16 3EVERITT Andrejs SUB Came on half way through the last term and won two clearances. .................5 5 1GOODES Adam WING Indifferent day by the champion kicked two goals but beaten by Chaplin. .....6 18 3GRUNDY Heath CHB Had his hands full with Daniel Stewart who kicked three goals. ......................4 16 3HANNEBERY Daniel HFF Leading possession winner on ground with 36, including five clearances. ......8 15 3JACK Kieren RR Only 17 disposals but won four clearances and four inside 50s. ......................6 19 3JETTA Lewis WINGHis pace was electrifying at times as he ran in kicking three goals. .................7 21 3JOHNSON Alex BP His turnover along the members wing in the second term cost a goal. .........4 14 3KENNEDY Josh CEN Best on the ground with 18 contested possessions and eight clearances. .....9 25 3MALCESKI Nick INT Won plenty of footy across half back but burnt it on too many occasions. ..6 19 3MATTNER Martin HBF Only the eight touches for the former croweater. ...............................................3 12 3McGLYNN Ben FP Struggled to get into the game and was subbed out with an ankle injury. .....3 11 3McVEIGH Jarrad HFF Played a lesser role in the midfield with 19 possessions. ....................................6 19 3MUMFORD Shane RUCK Most dominant big man on the ground with a game high 40 hit-outs. ............8 8 2O’KEEFE Ryan HFF Looked rusty at times but kicked two vital goals. .................................................6 8 2PARKER Luke INT Young terrier is a ball magnet, 17 contested possessions, eight clearances. ...8 17 3REID Sam CHF Got to plenty of marking contests without clunking too many. ........................4 16 3RICHARDS Ted FB Unheralded defender who keeps on going on the last line of defence. ..........7 17 3ROHAN Gary FF Only 10 touches but showed enough class in tight. .............................................5 13 3SHAW Rhys HBF Not at his rebounding best out of the defensive 50. ...........................................4 7 2WHITE Jesse INT First game of the year and he chimed in with two great goals. .........................6 6 1
SIDELINED: NickSmith(virus),LewisRoberts-Thomson(cheekbone),MattSpangher(ham-string).
THIS WEEK: 124
SEASON AV: 120
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
LIONS’ TACTICS LIMIT THE DAMAGEBrisbane Lions set a new record low for inside 50s and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon got one up on the Dockers’ former coach in his team’s 29-point win on Saturday. The match produced few highlights as the Lions slowed the game down by chipping the ball across half back. Captain Jonathan Brown must have been frustrated by the playing style because he didn’t have a posses-sion for three quarters. The Dockers dominated the hit-outs thanks to
Aaron Sandilands and the attack-ing midfielders all had plenty of the ball. The Dockers held the record low for inside 50s (which was 23). Brisbane notched its 20th extremely late in the game to set a new record.HIGHLIGHT: Fremantle fans gave Mark Harvey a standing ovation before the match and he clearly appreciated the gesture. Harvey made sure he shook hands with several key Fremantle players after the game.
LOWLIGHT: Did you hear the col-lective groan from fantasy football players when Nat Fyfe bady hurt his shoulder?TURNING POINT: Brisbane was always going to struggle once Matthew Leuenberger broke down during the second term. It left deb-uting ruckman Billy Longer to take on Sandilands by himself and forced some underdone Lions to spend extra time on the field.
– CRAIG O’DONOGHUE
MATCH DETAILSFREMANTLE 1.4 4.7 6.13 8.16 (64)BRISBANE 2.1 3.2 5.3 5.5 (35)GOALS – FREMANTLE: Pearce 3, Mundy, Mellington, Pavlich, Clarke, Duffield. BRISBANE: Polec 2, Rich, Banfield, Merrett.BEST – FREMANTLE: Barlow, Pearce, Mzungu, Sandilands, Duffield, Crowley. BRISBANE: Redden, Patfull, Rockliff, Raines, Adcock, Drummond.CROWD: 33,473 at Patersons Stadium.
SANDILANDS: 54 hitouts.
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESDockers ExclusivE
BARLOW Michael INT Influential with 25 possessions, six clearances and eight tackles. ......................8 18 3BRADLEY Kepler FP Provided a target when needed but didn’t kick straight. .....................................5 15 3BROUGHTON Greg INT Took over Fyfe’s job and found the ball in the second half. ...............................6 16 3CLARKE Zac FF Kicked a goal and contested well in attack. ............................................................5 15 3CROWLEY Ryan CEN Took on Daniel Rich and kept him to 13 possessions. ........................................7 18 3DAWSON Zac FB Spent time in attack because the ball was rarely in the backline. .....................5 14 3DEBOER Matt HFF Off target in front of goal but took two strong marks. .......................................5 17 3DUFFIELD Paul HBF Quality game with 28 possessions and a goal. .......................................................7 17 3FYFE Nathan ROV Hurt his shoulder in the second term and got subbed out. ...............................2 17 3HILL Stephen RR Tagged out of the game by Raines. ........................................................................... 4 15 3IBBOTSON Garrick WINGGood effort. Covered plenty of ground winning the ball. ...................................6 17 3JOHNSON Michael BP Had a lot of the ball and sent it inside 50 five times. ...........................................6 18 3MAYNE Chris FP Quiet again. Struggling to find the footy. .................................................................3 15 3McPHARLIN Luke FB Dominated Jonathan Brown. ...................................................................................... 7 16 3McPHEE Adam HBF Calm across half-back. Strong when needed. .........................................................6 11 3MELLINGTON Josh INT Kicked 1.3 before getting hurt in the third term. .................................................4 12 3MUNDY David SUB Should be pleased with his return. Won four clearances and kicked a goal. ..5 5 1MZUNGU Tendai HFF One of the best on ground. Won clearances and set up goals. .........................8 20 3PAVLICH Matthew CHF Well held by Patfull but contributed on the scoreboard.....................................4 14 3PEARCE Clancee WINGKicked three goals from 23 touches. Great effort. ...............................................8 17 3SANDILANDS Aaron RUCK Won 54 out of a possible 84 hit outs. ..................................................................... 7 21 3SUBAN Nick BP Got the job done. Damaging with the ball. .............................................................6 16 3
SIDELINED: AlexForster(hip),VivMichie(foot),HaydenBallantyne(susp). THIS WEEK: 124
SEASON AV: 118
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESLions ExclusivE
ADCOCK Jed WINGTried hard. Won the ball at both ends of the field. ...............................................6 17 3BANFIELD Todd FP Barely got near the ball but kicked a first term goal. ...........................................3 12 3BEAMS Claye HFF Threw himself at contests. Had a go. ....................................................................... 5 14 3BROWN Jonathan FF Can’t remember a quieter game. Didn’t touch it after quarter time. ..............1 1 1DRUMMOND Josh HBF Really good early but cramped up pretty quickly too. .........................................6 6 1GOLBY Mitch HBF Didn’t use the ball well. ............................................................................................... 3 13 3HANLEY Pearce WINGHad 18 possessions but four of those were clangers. .........................................4 15 3HARWOOD Ryan HFF Laid seven tackles which was the equal most by a Lion. .....................................6 6 1LESTER Ryan FB Did pretty well against taller opponents under pressure. .................................5 13 3LEUENBERGER Matt FP Hurt his Achilles in the second term and got subbed out. .................................1 10 3LONGER Billy RUCK Had to ruck against Sandilands for most of the game. Tough debut. ................4 4 1MAGUIRE Matt BP Contested. Hurt Fyfe with a bump and took some contested marks. ............6 16 3McGRATH Ashley BP Gave nothing away. Worked hard in defence. .........................................................6 13 3MERRETT Daniel CHF Had a crack. Rucked and provided a marking target as a forward too............5 15 3O’BRIEN Jesse INT Had no influence on the game. .................................................................................. 3 4 2PATFULL Joel CHB Can hold his head high after negating Pavlich. Great effort. ...............................7 18 3POLEC Jared SUB One of the best things from the game for Brisbane. Kicked two goals. ..........6 13 3POLKINGHORNE JamesROV Battled hard in tight. Tackled well. ............................................................................. 5 18 3RAINES Andrew CEN Great game on Hill. Stopped him from having an impact. ...................................6 6 1REDDEN Jack RR Had 14 contested possessions and seven clearances. ..........................................7 19 3RICH Daniel INT Well held by Crowley. Just 13 possessions. ............................................................4 16 3ROCKLIFF Tom INT Tackled well and won the hard ball. ......................................................................... 7 18 3
SIDELINED: BrentStaker(knee),DayneZorko(hip),SimonBlack(hand). THIS WEEK: 106
SEASON AV: 106
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
InsIde Football
30 Round in review
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
SAINTS MAKE HAYES AS DOGS MUZZLEDSt Kilda had little difficulty in disposing of a disappointing Western Bulldogs by 10 goals. The Saints had a far more potent attack and a superior method of delivering the ball forward. The Bulldogs’ delivery was terrible and even when they managed to enter the forward line it was by scrappy des-peration rather than cohesive system. St Kilda’s midfield was headed by the resurgent Lenny Hayes, hard running Leigh Montagna and the emerging Jack Steven and David Armitage. Sam Fisher
continued his excellent early form in defence and the inexperienced Tom Simkin managed to affect aerial con-tests even with considerably taller opponents. Matthew Boyd was a lone hand for the Bulldogs with 40 pos-sessions but even he was not immune from the general malaise in terms of efficiency. The Bulldogs had many play-ers down across all parts of the ground.HIGHLIGHT: For Saints fans the sight of Lenny Hayes locking on a fierce tackle and spilling the ball free for Jack
Steven to snap a goal was the most uplifting moment of the night.LOWLIGHT: Only three junk-time goals saved the Bulldogs from ending the game with a two-goal scoreline and their second worst score of all time.TURNING POINT: St Kilda always had the upper hand in the first half but then a rapid-fire burst of five goals in the first 12 minutes of the third quarter put paid to any thoughts of a Bulldog fightback.
– RUSSELL HOLMESBY
MATCH DETAILSST KILDA 4.5 6.6 13.9 15.13 (103)BULLDOGS 1.2 1.5 2.6 5.10 (40)GOALS – ST KILDA: Milne 3, Riewoldt 2, Goddard 2, Dal Santo, Polo, Stanley, Koschitzke, McEvoy, Montagna, Armitage, Steven. WESTERN BULLDOGS: Jones, Giansiracusa, Griffen, Cooney. BEST – ST KILDA: Hayes, Fisher, Montagna, Goddard, Stanley, Geary, Jones.WESTERN BULLDOGS: Minson, Boyd, Picken, Murphy.CROWD: 28,971 at Etihad Stadium. JONES: Strong night.
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESBulldogs ExclusivE
ADDISON Dylan BP Tried hard without any great impact on game. ......................................................5 17 3BOYD Matthew CEN Ran himself ragged with 40 touches trying to lift side, but efficiency down. .7 22 3COONEY Adam HFF More prominent in second half. ................................................................................ 5 17 3CORDY Ayce RUCK Still looks very raw and has a fair way to go. .........................................................3 3 1CROSS Daniel ROV Matched up on Goddard but was beaten on the night. .....................................4 16 3DAHLHAUS Luke HFF Good in first half but had no-one to kick to. Tapered after half time. .............5 18 3DJERRKURA Nathan SUB Subbed on late for Liberatore and kicked goal in junk time. .............................2 7 2GIANSIRACUSA Dan FP Had a dirty night............................................................................................................ 2 12 3GRANT Jarrad INT Negligible input. ............................................................................................................. 2 9 3GRIFFEN Ryan WINGWell down on his normal standards. ...................................................................... 4 12 2HARGRAVE Ryan HBF Started on Stanley and alternated on tall forwards. .............................................5 17 3HIGGINS Shaun FP Stats were flattering as he was well below his best. ............................................4 16 3JONES Liam CHF Couldn’t get into game. ............................................................................................... 2 10 3LAKE Brian FB On Koschitzke for most of the night. Batted on. ..................................................5 13 3LIBERATORE Tom INT Quiet night and was subbed off. .............................................................................. 2 15 3MARKOVIC Lukas CHB Scrapped and scragged with Riewoldt all night. .....................................................4 12 3MINSON Will FF Strong effort in ruck and was good around the ground. .....................................7 17 3MURPHY Robert BP Good job on Milne and came out well on top. .....................................................7 18 3PICKEN Liam RR Did a serviceable job on Dal Santo for the most part. .......................................6 17 3ROUGHEAD Jordan RUCK Did a couple of things but quiet overall. .................................................................3 11 3SMITH Clay INT Couple of nice moves, but not a big game. .............................................................4 16 3WOOD Easton HBF Quiet. ............................................................................................................................... 3 11 3
SIDELINED: ChristianHoward(knee),BrodieMoles(ankle),DaleMorris(leg),TomWilliams(shoulder).
THIS WEEK: 91
SEASON AV: 107
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESSaints ExclusivE
ARMITAGE David INT Started very well and was hard at the ball. Used it well. ....................................6 14 3BLAKE Jason CHB Applied great pressure in defence and made one memorable tackle. ............6 16 3CRIPPS Jamie SUB On in third quarter and had a few touches. ...........................................................2 8 3DAL SANTONick ROV Fairly well held by Picken but possessions still classy.. .........................................6 21 3DEMPSTER Sean HBF Made sure Giansiracusa had no influence on the game. ......................................6 17 3FISHER Sam FB In great touch on back line and read play beautifully. ..........................................8 22 3GEARY Jarryn BP Stuck doggedly to his task in defensive role. ..........................................................6 16 3GILBERT Sam HBF Hurt back and was subbed off. .................................................................................. 3 13 3GODDARD Brendon CENT Effective all night but sometimes frustrated with the attention of Cross. ......7 22 3HAYES Lenny RR Welcome back to the spiritual leader. Now fully up and running full bore. ...8 20 3JONES Clinton INT Strong inside the packs all night. ............................................................................... 6 17 3KOCHITZKE Justin FF Marked strongly and had presence up forward. ....................................................5 15 3McEVOY Ben RUCK Lowered his colours to Minson in ruck. .................................................................4 16 3MILERA Terry HFF Did some nice things at times. ................................................................................... 5 16 3MILNE Stephen FP Murphy had his measure but did break clear at times in second half. .............4 14 3MONTAGNA Leigh WINGHard running and creativity was important to the win. ......................................7 20 3NEWNES Jack INT Another encouraging display by the fleet-footed youngster. ..............................6 10 2POLO Dean INT Late inclusion who was adequate but unexceptional. ..........................................5 8 2RIEWOLDT Nick CHF Attacked the contest fiercely. Tweaked knee early but kept going. ...................7 20 3SIMPKIN Tom INT Very strong in contests especially with bigger opponents like Cordy. ...........6 11 2STANLEY Rhys RUCK Continues to progress. ................................................................................................ 6 16 3STEVEN Jack HFF Prolific ball-winner and kicked terrific goal but general kicking needs work. 7 20 3
SIDELINED: AdamSchneider(hamstring),RaphaelClarke(hamstring),JamesGwilt(knee). THIS WEEK: 126
SEASON AV: 121
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
BRIGHTER SUNS SHADED BY BOMBERSEssendon survived a huge scare from a plucky Gold Coast Suns outfit to record a 17-point victory and remain unbeaten in 2012. The Suns looked in plenty of trouble when Essendon jumped to a four-goal lead in the first quarter, but the Suns turned it around in the second to trail by only five points at half time. An upset was on the cards at three-quarter time as the Suns were full of running and grabbed a seven-point lead at the final change. But the Bombers responded in the last quarter
to ensure Dustin Fletcher’s 350th game was memorable for the right rea-son. Angus Monfries, Jobe Watson and Michael Hibberd were the chief pos-session winners for the Bombers, and Stewart Crameri kicked four goals. For the Suns, skipper Gary Ablett recorded his third consecutive 40-plus posses-sion and two-goal performance. Jarrod Harbrow and Seb Tape were solid in defence, while Karmichael Hunt pro-duced his best performance to date.HIGHLIGHT: Watching Gary Ablett.
44 possessions (27 contested) two goals. He has surely polled Brownlow votes in all three rounds.LOWLIGHT: A hamstring injury to the luckless Courtenay Dempsey in the first quarter, which saw him subbed out early in the second.TURNING POINT: The first goal of the last quarter was vital, and Bombers skipper Jobe Watson won a free kick and hit up Michael Hurley, who kicked truly from 50 metres to get the Bombers going. – LEIGH PHILPOT
MATCH DETAILSGOLD COAST 2.3 7.5 12.7 13.10 (88)ESSENDON 5.4 7.10 10.12 15.15 (105)GOALS – GOLD COAST: Ablett 2, Hall 2, Bock 2, Brennan, Caddy, Matera, Harbrow, Russell, Rischitelli, Shaw. ESSENDON: Crameri 4, Hurley 2, Watson 2, Ryder 2 Jetta 2, Bellchambers, Reimers, Davey.BEST – GOLD COAST: Ablett, Harbrow, Tape, Swallow, Prestia, Hunt . ESSENDON: Monfries, Hibberd, Watson, Crameri, Bellchambers, Jetta, Howlett.CROWD: 17,069 at Metricon Stadium.PEARS: Plenty of footy.
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESSuns ExclusivE
ABLETT Gary CEN Could do nothing more to inspire his team. Unbelievably good. .....................10 28 3BENNELL Harley HFF Not his lively self on the night. .................................................................................. 3 15 3BOCK Nathan HBF Used at both ends of the ground and finished with two goals. .........................5 5 1BRENNAN Jared FP Kicked the first goal of the match before being despatched to defence. ........4 15 3CADDY Josh HBF Continuing to develop into a senor footballer. ......................................................5 13 3DAY Sam CHF Not a factor and subbed off in the third quarter. .................................................0 0 1FRASER Josh FF Missed a critical goal in the third quarter but battled hard. ...............................4 4 1HALL Aaron FP Kicked two goals and was a spark down forward. ...............................................5 12 3HARBROW Jarrod BP Another good performance and snuck forward to kick a goal..........................7 19 3HUNT Karmichael INT Easily his best game to date. Looked composed with the footy. .......................6 11 3LYNCH Tom FB Showed his versatility by playing in defence and was solid. ................................5 10 3MATERA Brandon INT Lively as a small forward and kicked a goal. ...........................................................5 15 3McKENZIE Trent SUB Looked to barrel the ball long at every opportunity. ...........................................4 5 2PRESTIA Dion RR Pumped the ball inside 50 and tackled hard all night. ..........................................7 18 3RISCHITELLI Michael WINGDidn’t look himself early but tried all night. ...........................................................4 12 3RUSSELL Luke HFF Did not have a huge influence on the match. .........................................................3 13 3SHAW Matt WINGUsed his pace to win uncontested footy and kicked a goal. ..............................4 9 2SMITH Zac RUCK Had a tough night against Bellchambers but didn’t stop going. .........................4 13 3SWALLOW David ROV A bit wasteful with the footy but did run all night. ..............................................7 18 3TAPE Seb BP Had a great game in defence and kept his opponent quiet. ...............................7 10 2WARNOCK Matthew CHB Good battle with Hurley all night and would be happy with his efforts. ........5 12 3WELLER Maverick INT Found it hard to work into the match. .................................................................... 3 7 2
SIDELINED: CampbellBrown(groin),DannyStanley(clubsuspension),RoryThompson(ankle),DanielGorringe(achilles),StevenMay(rested)
THIS WEEK: 107
SEASON AV: 100
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESBombers ExclusivE
BELLCHAMBERS TomRUCK Dominant ruckman on the ground and kicked a goal. .........................................6 6 1CARLISLE Jake CHB Started on Day and kept him right out of the match. .........................................6 11 2CRAMERI Stewart HFF Kicked four goals and was the main forward target all night. ............................7 18 3DAVEY Alwyn INT Provided good forward pressure and was rewarded late with a goal. .............5 5 1DEMPSEY Courtenay HBF Did his hamstring in first quarter and was subbed off. ........................................0 13 3DYSON Ricky SUB Got his chance early and worked into the match. ................................................4 4 1FLETCHER Dustin FB Had plenty of the footy in milestone match, couple of trademark spoils. ......5 19 3HARDINGHAM Kyle HBF Played on quite a few opponents and kept them in check. ................................5 14 3HEPPELL Dyson HFF Ran hard to receive the footy and was a solid performer. .................................5 14 3HIBBERD Michael HBF Good dash from half back and had 25 possessions. .............................................6 15 3HOCKING Heath RR Was on Ablett at times but did try to win his own footy. ..................................5 5 2HOWLETT Ben INT Had a big first quarter and quietened off from there. .........................................5 17 3HURLEY Michael CHF Had an absorbing battle with Warnock, kicked big last quarter goal. ..............5 11 3JETTA Leroy FP Did it at both ends of the ground and kicked two goals. ...................................6 18 3MELKSHAM Jake WINGFairly quiet night and copped a big hit in the second quarter. ...........................3 13 3MONFRIES Angus INT Big game despite heavy hit from Hunt in third quarter. ......................................8 20 3PEARS Tayte BP A variety of opponents also, and had plenty of the footy. ..................................5 14 3REIMERS Kyle FP Couldn’t emulate his previous efforts against the Suns. ......................................3 3 1RYDER Patrick FF Kicked a brilliant last quarter goal and used mainly forward all night. ............5 18 3STANTON Brent ROV Had 20 possessions, but also eight tackles. ...........................................................5 21 3WATSON Jobe CEN Lifted when his team needed in the last quarter. Kicked two goals. ................7 19 3ZAHARAKIS David WINGQuiet night at the office. ............................................................................................ 3 15 3
SIDELINED: ScottGumbleton(back),AlexBrowne(hamstring),MichaelRoss(ankle),BrentPrismall(knee),CaleHooker(ankle),DavidHille(calf),SamLonergan(susp),NathanLovett-Murray(hamstring),MarkMcVeigh(soreness).
THIS WEEK: 109
SEASON AV: 113
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
InsIde Football
31Inside Round 3
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
ORDER TOO TALL FOR UNDERSIZED GIANTSWest Coast performed a routine belt-ing of GWS Giants at Blacktown as the Eagles’ size, strength and speed proved far too much for the young Giants to deal with. The main beneficiaries of the Giant midfielders inability to stick with their opponents for extended peri-ods were Luke Shuey (five goals) and Chris Masten (three) who constantly pushed hard forward in a dominant display. Such was the capacity for their midfielders to impact the scoreboard, the Eagles were afforded the luxury of
not having to rely on their three tall forwards with Josh Kennedy, Quinten Lynch and Jack Darling combining for only six of their 23 goals. The margin at quarter time was 52 points and while it built over the following two terms, the Giants did manage a minor victory by comfortably winning the final quarter. Skipper Callan Ward led by example while some of the Giants’ late ball movement drew a positive reaction from Kevin Sheedy in the coaches box.HIGHLIGHT: The finishing skills of the
Eagles in the first quarter were sublime – goals from all angles whether it be on the run, from a set shot or snaps over the head. LOWLIGHT: The task was always going to be mountainous for the AFL’s newest side, but the inconsistency in the umpiring, mainly in the opening half, did them no favours.TURNING POINT: Despite a spirited Giants opening, the floodgates burst in the latter stages of the first quarter.
– BRETT ANDERSON
MATCH DETAILSWEST COAST 11.4 15.8 21.9 23.12 (150)GWS GIANTS 2.0 4.1 6.5 10.9 (69)GOALS – WEST COAST: Shuey 5, Masten 3, Lynch 3, Kennedy 2, Naitanui 2, Hams, Smith, Dalziell, Cox, Darling, Hill, McGinnity, S.Selwood. GWS GIANTS: Giles 3, Palmer 2, Tomlinson, Treloar, Ward, Townsend, Bugg.BEST – WEST COAST: Shuey, S.Selwood, Masten, Gaff, A.Selwood, Waters. GWS GIANTS: Ward, Giles, Shiel, Bugg, Palmer.CROWD: 6,875 at Blacktown Olympic Park.
HURN: 22 touches.
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESGiants ExclusivE
BROGAN Dean RUCK Had 15 hitouts on debut for his new club but gave away three frees. ............4 4 1BUGG Tomas BP Did a good job down back on Hill and collected 27 touches. ...........................7 20 3CAMERON Jeremy FF Struggled to get into the game and subbed out. ...................................................1 11 3CONIGLIO Stephen HFF Went head to head with S. Selwood and beaten. ..................................................5 14 3CORNES Chad WINGDid a decent job on Lynch and rebounded well from defence. ........................6 13 3DAVIS Phil FB Picked up the resting ruckmen and defended stoutly...........................................6 15 3FOLAU Israel CHF Quiet again with just two possessions. .................................................................... 1 5 3GILES Jonathan RUCK 11 hit-outs but pushed forward to boot three goals. ..........................................6 18 3GREENE Toby INT Collected 20 possessions but often ball use was ineffective. .............................5 18 3HAMPTON Curtly SUB Came on as the sub and proved lively. Still without a league goal though. .....3 8 3HOMBSCH Jack HBF Kept Darling under check and his left foot out of defence was handy. ...........7 14 3KENNEDY Adam BP Did a good job minding Hams and picked up 20 touches himself. ...................6 18 3MOHR Tim CHB Kennedy got him early but fought back well to hold him to three goals. .......5 14 3PALMER Rhys WING21 touches and two goals but kicking efficiency deplorable. ..............................5 14 3POWER Luke BP Couldn’t run with Shuey and moved away. Expect better. ..................................4 9 2SCULLY Tom ROV Good battle with Gaff. Finished with 30 touches but turned a few over. .......7 11 2SHIEL Dylan RR Had the job on Kerr and stuck to his guns. 28 disposals of his own. ..............7 15 3SMITH Devon FP Battled on at half forward. Worked hard and created a few chances. .............5 13 3TOMLINSON Adam INT Presented well up forward when he came on. Kicked a goal. ............................5 8 2TOWNSEND Jacob CENT Tackled hard but gave away a few silly frees. ..........................................................4 11 3TRELOAR Adam INT Collected 17 touches and a goal on debut. Promising start. ..............................6 6 1WARD Callan CENT Led from the front all day: 36 possessions and a goal. Super. .............................8 19 3
SIDELINED: JamesMcDonald(susp),JonathonPatton(knee),DomTyson(unknown) THIS WEEK: 113
SEASON AV: 104
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESEagles ExclusivE
BROWN Mitch CHF Kept Cameron quiet but provided little going forward. ......................................5 5 1COX Dean FP Started forward then pushed into the ruck. 14 hit-outs and a goal. ................5 17 3DALZIELL Bradd INT Strong start with 16 first half touches until a leg injury ended his day. ...........5 5 1DARLING Jack FP Well held by Hombsch and only managed the one goal. ....................................3 14 3GAFF Andrew INT Shared the points in duel with Scully. Perhaps more creative. ...........................7 21 3HAMS Ashton SUB Kicked a goal but wasn’t overly influential. .............................................................3 14 3HILL Josh HFF Just the one goal playing as a half forward. .............................................................3 15 3HURN Shannon HBF Had 22 touches at half back under close attention from Townsend. ...............6 20 3KENNEDY Josh FF Two early goals but quiet after that. ......................................................................... 3 15 3KERR Daniel CEN Hampered by an ankle knock that saw him spend time on the bench. ...........4 12 3LYNCH Quinten CHF Good battle with Cornes. Kicked three goals but didn’t dominate. .................6 18 3MACKENZIE Eric CHB Blanketed Folau but the ball wasn’t kicked in their direction often. ................5 15 3MASTEN Chris INT Got the better of his duel with fellow ’07 draftee Palmer. Three goals huge. 7 19 3McGINNITY Patrick SUB Came on for Dalziell and was OK. ........................................................................... 3 3 1NAITANUI Nic RUCK 26 hit-outs and two goals but we have seen better games from him. .............6 17 3SCHOFIELD Will BP Keeps getting better as a player. Another nice outing. .........................................6 18 3SELWOOD Adam INT Worked hard to collect 25 possessions. Tackled strongly. ..................................7 17 3SELWOOD Scott ROV One of the Eagles best with 31 touches in the midfield. Improved player. .....8 16 3SHUEY Luke RR Supreme effort with 25 possessions and five goals from midfield. ...................9 23 3STEVENS Koby INT First game not as the sub, started well and ended up with 19 touches. .........6 6 1SMITH Ashley BP Worked hard forward half back and was rewarded with a goal. ......................6 15 3WATERS Beau HBF Standard effort. Fierce at the contest and made good decisions with ball. ....6 17 3
SIDELINED: MarkLeCras(knee),MarkNicoski(hamstring),AndrewStrijk(quad),AndrewEmbley(shoulder),DarrenGlass(groin),MatthewPriddis(quad),MattRosa(quad).
THIS WEEK: 119
SEASON AV: 122
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
SANDERSON’S CROWS TASTE FIRST DEFEATHawthorn ended Adelaide’s run of unbeaten games under Brenton Sanderson when it used the ball far more efficiently by foot than the visi-tors and whenever the Crows mount-ed a challenge Hawthorn quickly put it down with a swift response. Adelaide relied heavily on Kurt Tippett as its prime goal-kicker but he received too little support from those around him especially Taylor Walker who disap-peared from the game after quarter time. Josh Gibson played a herculean
game for the Hawks down back and the Hawk defenders carried out their roles perfectly. Adelaide was plucky but leaned too much on Scott Thompson and Patrick Dangerfield for drive. HIGHLIGHT: Jack Gunston looked aware of his limitations when lining up from the 50-metre line, but shot a handpass to “designated kicker” Matt Suckling who launched a bomb that sailed through.LOWLIGHT: A sickening collision left Luke Bruest flat on his back and out
like a light with only minutes to go. Brodie Martin jumped high going for a mark, but Breust copped the full brunt of his hip to the head.TURNING POINT: Hawthorn went in with a 23-point lead at half time, but hadn’t been able to put away the persistent Adelaide. At the start of the third term Tippett missed a gettable shot and the ball was flashed to the other end where Cyril Rioli goaled. It gave Hawthorn arm’s length control.
– RUSSELL HOLMESBY
MATCH DETAILSHAWTHORN 5.3 10.7 15.9 21.14 (140)ADELAIDE 4.3 6.8 9.10 12.12 (84)GOALS – HAWTHORN: Breust 3, Franklin 3, Suckling 2, Hale 2, Lewis 2, Rioli 2, Whitecross, Burgoyne, Cheney, Gunston, Osborne, Shiels, Mitchell. ADELAIDE: Tippett 3, Callinan 3, Lynch 2, Porplyzia, Doughty, Vince, Reilly.BEST – HAWTHORN: Gibson, Lewis, Franklin, Whitecross, Suckling, Guerra, Breust. ADELAIDE: Dangerfield, Thompson, Tippett, Callinan, Doughty, JacobsCROWD: 33,524 at MCG.JACOBS: Held his own.
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESHawks ExclusivE
BIRCHALL Grant CHB As usual read play well. Copped knock to knee in third term,subbed off. .....7 20 3BREUST Luke HFF Clever with use of the ball and bagged three goals. Terrible KO at end..........7 14 3BURGOYNE Shaun RR Quiet day by his standards. ......................................................................................... 3 14 3CHENEY Kyle INT Couple of bad turnovers then drifted forward to kick goal. ............................4 4 1FRANKLIN Lance FF Picked up lots of touches through midfield in second term. Handy day. .........7 13 3GIBSON Josh FB Picked up Walker and did his job in excellent fashion. .......................................8 20 3GUERRA Brent HBF On Callinan early but then resumed extra defender role. .................................6 18 3GUNSTON Jack CHF Started on ground for first time for Hawks. Nice goal. .......................................5 10 3HALE David RUCK Did more around the ground than Jacobs. Finger injury third term. ...............6 17 3LEWIS Jordan WINGDamaging off the wing and kicked a couple of goals as well. .............................8 21 3MITCHELL Sam ROV Stats down on usual high level. Tracked by Reilly. ..................................................4 19 3OSBORNE Michael INT Johncock went to him early in game. Not a big impact on game......................4 13 3RIOLI Cyril FP Not big impact in first half as he was followed by Doughty. Quiet overall.....4 16 3ROUGHEAD Jarryd FP Working hard on the road back. Played a kick behind the ball. .........................6 12 2SAVAGE Shane SUB Subbed on late for Birchall. ......................................................................................... 2 13 3SCHOENMAKERS RyanBP Had his work cut out on Tippett .............................................................................. 3 9 3SEWELL Brad ROV Not a big day. ................................................................................................................. 4 17 3SHIELS Liam INT Solid performer who started in the middle. ...........................................................6 6 1STRATTON Ben BP Steady worker down back. ......................................................................................... 5 13 3SUCKLING Matt HBF Prepared to work hard in pushing forward. ...........................................................6 18 3WHITECROSS BrendanFP Handy game and is now a force in attack. ..............................................................7 20 3YOUNG Clinton WINGOn McKay at start. Did a few things early. .............................................................4 4 1
SIDELINED: LukeHodge(calf),MaxBailey(wrist),MitchHallahan(shoulder),AlexWoodward(knee),IsaacSmith(back).
THIS WEEK: 116
SEASON AV: 115
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESCrows ExclusivE
CALLINAN Ian INT Roved well in attack and snaffled three goals. .......................................................6 16 3DANGERFIELD PatrickRR Won the ball well particularly at clearances. ..........................................................7 21 3DOUGHTY Michael HBF Did a strong job in minding Rioli............................................................................... 7 17 3JACOBS Sam RUCK Main ruck for Crows held his own in ruck duels. .................................................6 19 3JOHNCOCK Graham INT On early and went to Osborne. ................................................................................ 5 16 3KERRIDGE Sam SUB First gamer came on for Lynch and only had couple of touches. .....................1 1 1LYNCH Tom CHF Seized opportunities for a couple of goals. Subbed off three-quarter time. ...3 12 3MACKAY David WINGMatched on dangerous Young and did a good job all day. ...................................6 17 3MARTIN Brodie BP Not a huge factor in defence. .................................................................................... 4 4 1OTTEN Andy HBF On Whytecross at start and had his problems. ....................................................4 15 3PETRENKO Jared HFF Didn’t feature in action in first half and only improved marginally. ...................3 11 3PORPLYZIA Jason FP Only seen sporadically before half time and didn’t have big day. .....................4 14 3REILLY Brent HFF Had the tagging role on Mitchell. .............................................................................. 6 18 3RUTTEN Ben CHB Unusual match-up on Gunston early. ....................................................................... 4 15 3SLOANE Rory CENT Quiet first half and not a big influence overall. ......................................................4 18 3SMITH Brodie INT In defence. Started well and tapered. ....................................................................... 4 14 3TALIA Daniel FB Handed huge role on Franklin at start. Stuck to it but outgunned. ..................5 17 3THOMPSON Scott ROV Had 17 touches to half time, but was reined in later. ..........................................7 24 3TIPPETT Kurt FP On Schoenmakers at start and his marking gave him the edge. ........................7 20 3vanBERLO Nathan WINGQuiet early. Wasteful with ball and efficiency was well down. ...........................4 17 3VINCE Bernie WINGDidn’t have an impact in first half and even quieter in last hour. .....................3 16 3WALKER Taylor FF Gibson matched up on him. Rarely sighted after first quarter. ..........................2 15 3
SIDELINED: RichardDouglas(hamstring),RickieHenderson(sore). THIS WEEK: 102
SEASON AV: 116
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
InsIde Football
32 Inside Round 3
Wednesday, april 18, 2012
ROO BOUNTYHUNTERS SCALP FLAT CATSNorth Melbourne claimed the big scalp it so desperately wanted when it downed reigning premier Geelong by 17 points. Inspired by 38 possessions from evergreen veteran Brent Harvey, the Roos jumped out of the blocks and were never headed. Harvey’s support cast included Ryan Bastinac and Jack Ziebell who combined for eight goals, while Daniel Wells, Liam Anthony and Andrew Swallow helped control the midfield. The domination was high-lighted by the fact the side won the
contested possession count, had 58 more disposals, 13 more clearances and 60 more handball receives. The final margin flattered the Cats who trailed by as many as 42 points early in the final term before rallying in the dying minutes. James Podsiadly kicked five goals in a solid performance while Harry Taylor kept Drew Petrie goalless to be the Cats’ best defender. Normally sure-handed Geelong was a shadow of its self with a host of big names, includ-ing Joel Corey and Paul Chapman, fum-
bling their way through the day.HIGHLIGHT: At 33 Brent Harvey appears to have gained a yard of pace. His 38-possession effort and infectious running was something to behold.LOWLIGHT: Chapman’s run of outs continued. Goalless for the third straight week and mustered just 12 disposals. TURNING POINT: North’s ability to counter anything resembling a Cat challenge with easy goals on cue gave the side a decided edge all day.
– BEN CASANELIA
MATCH DETAILSGEELONG 1.3 5.8 9.14 16.18 (114)NORTH MELB 4.5 9.5 16.8 20.11 (131)GOALS – GEELONG: Podsiadly 5, Hawkins 4, Motlop 2, Duncan, Taylor, Horlin-Smith, Byrnes, Gillies. NORTH MELBOURNE: Edwards 4, Ziebell 4, Bastinac 4, McIntosh 2, Adams 2, Thomas, Harper, Harvey, Anthony.BEST – GEELONG: Taylor, Podsiadly, Selwood, Motlop. NORTH MELBOURNE: Ziebell, Harvey, Wells, Edwards, Bastinac, Swallow, Wright.CROWD: 27, 826 at Etihad Stadium. KELLY: Gave his all.
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESKangaroos ExclusivE
ADAMS Leigh INT Kicked two nice goals and was a force with 15 disposals up forward. ............6 21 3ANTHONY Liam WINGGave side some great drive and was all over the place for 25 possessions. ..7 22 3ATLEY Shaun BP Solid and steady in defence. Used his pace when he could. ...............................6 16 3BASTINAC Ryan INT Monster game netted him 26 disposals, five inside 50s and four goals. ...........8 21 3CAMPBELL Matt HFF Buzzed around and worked up the ground to give side a link. Handy. ............5 12 3CUNNINGTON Ben INT Quiet day for him and was subbed off after 12 disposals. ..................................3 14 3DELANEY Luke BP Had Hawkins covered until final term when he got away. Good till then. ......6 6 1EDWARDS Aaron INT Dangerous from the outset and rewarded with four goals on Gillies. ...........7 19 3FIRRITO Michael CHB Had three inside 50s and two rebounds playing off half back. Steady. .............6 21 3GOLDSTEIN Todd RUCK One of few Roos to struggle. Only five touches but ruckwork OK. ...............3 13 3HARPER Kieran HBF Came on last quarter and kicked a steadying goal. ..............................................2 13 3HARVEY Brent WINGNo one went near him all day and he helped himself to 38 disposals.............9 23 3MACMILLAN Jamie WING Just the 12 possessions and not as prominent as some off a wing. ..................3 12 3McINTOSH Hamish FF Contributed two goals and eight marks to give Lonergan headaches. ............6 16 3McMAHON Scott BP Ddin’t have much of an influence playing in the back half. ..................................3 14 3PETRIE Drew CHF Beaten by Taylor and was kept goalless. ..................................................................2 11 3SWALLOW Andrew CEN Huge. Had eight clearances and seven inside 50s to go with 30 disposals. ....8 22 3THOMAS Lindsay HFF Kicked one goal but was pretty quiet given the side had 57 inside 50s. .........3 12 3THOMPSON Scott FB Had the tough job on Podsiadly who took eight marks and kicked five. ........4 15 3WELLS Daniel RR Getting better every week and was a key player with 31 disposals. ................8 23 3WRIGHT Sam HBF Did a fine job to keep Johnson goalless in a key win for his team. ..................8 21 3ZIEBELL Jack RR Just eased himself back into footy with 27 disposals and four goals. ...............8 8 1
SIDELINED: TomCurran(foot),LachieHansen(hamstring). THIS WEEK: 121
SEASON AV: 124
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
PLAYER RATINGS RAT
ING
PRO
G
GAM
ESCats ExclusivE
BARTEL Jimmy HFF Stationed himself across half back in attempt to stem tide. Battled hard. ......7 22 3BYRNES Shannon INT Kicked one goal but well held. Might find his way back to VFL..........................2 5 2CHAPMAN Paul ROV Played one of his worst games for some time. Had just 12 disposals. .............2 15 3CHRISTENSEN Allen FP Threw himself at the contest for 16 disposals. ....................................................4 14 3COREY Joel WINGRadar and decision-making radar was well off all day. Not a great game. .......4 17 3DUNCAN Mitch INT Had 18 touches and five inside 50s but wasn’t hugely damaging. .....................5 14 3ENRIGHT Corey HBF Tried hard but still looks a little short of a gallop. Made a couple of blues. ...5 16 3GILLIES Tom BP Edwards caused him all sorts of trouble but not all his fault. Cramped late. .3 xx xGUTHRIE Cameron HBF Found the going tough across half back and rarely sighted. ...............................3 12 3HAWKINS Tom FP Kicked three of his four goals in final term. Poor game but kicked four. ........5 19 3HOR-SMITH George SUB One of few postives. Had 12 touches and goal in a half and looked sharp. ...3 xx xHUNT Taylor BP Battled hard but decision making and skill execution still needs work. ..........5 16 3JOHNSON Steve HFF Well held by Wright and only got into game late when pushed up field. .......3 15 3KELLY James RR Gave his all but his usual clean hands and skill deserted him at times. ...........5 20 3LONERGAN Tom CHB Battled McIntosh for a bit of the day and OK on him. ......................................4 17 3MACKIE Andrew HBF Day ended before h/time after copping a hit which required 12 stitches. ......1 14 3MOTLOP Steven FP Among the best. Speed and skill stood out and kicked 2.2. ...............................7 17 3PODSIADLY James FF Cats’ most dangerous forward to end with 5.3 from eight marks. ..................7 21 3SELWOOD Joel INT Had 29 touches, eight inside 50s, 86% efficiency to be Cats’ best mid. ...........8 25 3STEPHENSON Orren FP Not really a factor despite 11 touches. Still finding his feet at big league. ......3 5 2TAYLOR Harry BP Beat Petrie in a good effort given weight of ball against. ...................................7 17 3WEST Trent RUCK Struggled for impact – eight of his 24 hit-outs were to advantage. ..................4 12 3
SIDELINED: JoshHunt(calf),DanielMenzel(knee),DawsonSimpson(back),NathanVardy(hip),TravisVarcoe(foot),DavidWojcinski(foot),MatthewScarlett(susp),MathewStokes(knee),BillieSmedts(shoulder).
THIS WEEK: 98
SEASON AV: 113
RATI
NGS
TOTA
L
ON
TH
E F
RIN
GE
S
ADELAIDELuke BROWN Had 12 touches and five inside 50s for Norwood.James CRAIG Strong performance in the ruck for North Adelaide.Brad CROUCH Started well but injured hamstring and ended on crutches.Lewis JOHNSTON Struggled up forward but was OK when moved back.Chris KNIGHTS Impressive display for Eagles with 30 disposals, two goals.Rory LAIRD Impressed on his league debut for Centrals.Jarryd LYONS Excellent with 23 touches for Glenelg.Sam SHAW Named best for Glenelg in win over Eagles.Brad SYMES Another huge outing for Centrals. 34 touches at half back.Luke THOMPSON Defended well but just the eight touches in defence. Matthew WRIGHT Used the ball well all day. Pressed his claims for a recall.
BRISBANECallum BARTLETT Getting better each week. Was super around the stoppages. Justin CLARKE Competed well as a key defender again.Aaron CORNELIUS Held goalless but competed hard up forward all game.Jack CRISP Worked hard but wasn’t a major influence.Josh GREEN Set the tone from the outset with his ball winning in tight.Brad HARVEY In and out of the game. Won his own ball which was good.James HAWKSLEY One of Lions best. Played under duress according to club.Ben HUDSON Big game with 25 possessions in the ruck.Patrick KARNEZIS Two early goals before moving back.Jordan LISLE Shifted all over the ground and worked into the game well.Niall McKEEVER Played up forward and was out of his depth.Sam MICHAEL Rucked and played down back. Was OK.Richard NEWELL Won the ball well and improved as the game went on. Bryce RETZLAFF Kicked four goals and marked everything in sight.Sam SHELDON Solid outing in the midfield.Cheynee STILLER Used the ball well all game and was one of the Lions best.Patrick WEARDEN In and out of the game. Had a few good touches though.Stephen WRIGLEY Good effort across half back mopping up loose footy.
CARLTONAndrew COLLINS In and out of the game. Just fair.David ELLARD Strong game in the midfield alongside McLean.Nick HEYNE Poor showing again.Aaron JOSEPH Worked hard but wasn’t a standout.Rohan KERR Used the ball well but needs to find it more. Andrew McINNES Not his best game in defence.Brock McLEAN Another outstanding performance in the middle.Jordan RUSSELL Clean across half back. Kept his name in selectors minds.Bret THORNTON Kicked three goals playing up forward. Good game.Robert WARNOCK Looked rusty and in need of a few runs.Matthew WATSON Played on Boland for the most part and was beaten.
COLLINGWOODNathan BROWN Strong game in the back half. A senior return awaits.Simon BUCKLEY Broke the lines and used his pace to advantage.Jonathon CEGLAR Did well against Warnock. Still developing his craft.Paul CRIBBIN Worked hard. Put alot of pressure on the Blues ball carriers.Alan DIDAK Drifted into the midfield from half forward. Better for run.Corey GAULT Struggled to impact the game playing up forward.Ben JOHNSON Is back to full match fitness and should get a call up.Seamus McNAMARA Tried hard in the ruck. Never gave an inch around ground.Caolan MOONEY Kicked two goals and had a hand in a few others.Jackson PAINE Presented well. Took heat off Boland allowing him room.Luke ROUNDS Not his best game by a long shot.Paul SEEDSMAN In and out of the game after a few weeks at AFL level.Kirk UGLE Worked hard in the front half but didn’t impact scoreboard.
Marley WILLIAMS Showed clean hands at the stoppages at times.Peter YAGMOOR Played mostly in defence and was fair in a sweeping role.Tom YOUNG Ok in midfield again but needs to get more footy in space.
ESSENDONMark BAGULEY Slow start but had a good final term across half back.Luke DAVIS Played on Green, did a pretty good job. Great experience.Cale HOOKER Defended well coming back from injury.Brendan LEE Clearly Bendigo’s best. Was a ball magnet all day.Ariel STEINBERG Gave them a spark at half forward when Casey threatened.Henry SLATTERY Worked hard and played his role for the team well.
FREMANTLEJack ANTHONY Presented hard but 1.6 wasn’t ideal return with Subiaco.Jesse CRICHTON 18 possessions for Peel but relatively ineffective.Peter FAULKS Terrific in defence for Peel.Jon GRIFFIN Eight touches and 31 hit outs for East Fremantle.Antoni GROVER Solid with 15 possessions, eight marks for Subiaco.Nick LOWER 27 possessions for Perth.Sam MENEGOLA Good for East Fremantle with 21 touches and a goal.Lachie NEALE Good for Swan Districts with 22 possessions.Tom SHERIDAN Good signs with the ball for Peel from his 14 disposals.Alex SILVAGNI Seven possessions and a goal with Claremont.Lee SPURR Strong showing in back line with 17 touches, six marks.Michael WALTERS Dangerous but kicked 1.4 only for Swan Districts.
GEELONGRyan BATHIE Attacked the game well from defence. OK.Jed BEWS Another nice game across half back.Mitch BROWN Kicked five goals and presented well all game.George BURBURY Played his role well for the team. Dependable effort.Cameron EARDLEY Worked hard in tight and applied great pressure.Joel HAMLING Impressed down back. One of the Cats best.Simon HOGAN Strong showing in the midfield. Good at this level.Lincoln McCARTHY Flashed in and out of the game up forward. One to watch.Jordan SCHRODER Only played the first half across half forward then rested.Jackson SHERINGHAM Gave great drive off half back. Used the ball well.Jonathan SIMPKIN Continued his strong form in the midfield.Jesse STRINGER Ran hard at the ball and competed well.Josh WALKER Along with Brown, got the Cats over the line up forward. GOLD COASTJackson ALLEN Did a few good things. Still learning.Charlie DIXON Played best quarter of year in third. Ended with four goals.Jacob GILLBEE Amongst the best once again.Tom HICKEY Rucked well and also drifted forward.Taylor HINE Composed in defence and used ball well.Jack HUTCHINS Sacrificed own game to shut down dangerous key forward. Sam ILES Took demotion well. A strong four-quarter performer.Hayden JOLLY Last minute inclusion and worked hard in defence.Alik MAGIN Kicked one goal and tackled hard in attack.Tom NICHOLLS Rucked well, giving his midfielders first use.Liam PATRICK Three goals and used his pace to his advantage.Alex SEXTON Run with role in midfield and did it effectively.Josh TOY Missed a couple of gettable goals.Joel WILKINSON Quieter performance after two good games.
GWS GIANTSTaylor ADAMS Coming back from injury, provided a strong presence.Matthew BUNTINE Second game back. Got through OK.
Josh BRUCE Held down key defensive role, probably the best for GWS. Sam DARLEY Solid defensive game providing plenty of run and carry.Tom DOWNIE Kicked a couple of goals and took some contested marks.Shaun EDWARDS Provided plenty of dash from the backline.Sam FROST Young rookie still learning the game, needs time to developTim GOLDS Developing utility who loves the contested ballWill HOSKIN-ELLIOT Spent majority of time on the wing, injured in third term.Anthony MILES Tough in and under game, found plenty of the footy.Setanta O’HAILPIN First game back. Kicked two goals, better for the run.Andrew PHILLIPS Controlled the centre bounces and gave first use.Sam REID One of the better players once again, getting closer.Sam SCHULZ Still learning the game, only fair.Tim SEGRAVE Still needs time to develop. Showed good agility.Liam SUMNER Played forward and on ball. A bit down on previous weeks.Gerald UGLE Flashed in and out of the game.Nathan WILSON Exciting young forward finished with six goals.
HAWTHORNJarrad BOUMANN Defended well despite good supply to the Port forwards.Cameron BRUCE One of the the Hawks best. Pressed his claims for a recall. Xavier ELLIS Injured before half time and took no further part.Stephen GILHAM Got through the game unscathed. OK game.Sam GRIMLEY Struggled to have an impact as a key forward.Bradley HILL Broke the lines playing on a wing. Nice game.Paul JOHNSON Good opening but was barely sighted for the remainder.Jordan KELLY Quiet game for the most part at half back.Will LANGFORD Defended well before leaving the ground with a cork.Luke LOWDEN Best ruckman on the ground. Impressive signs.Tom MURPHY Better effort at half back. Composed under pressure.Adam PATTISON Fair at best in his time in the ruck.Tom SCHNEIDER Another impressive display in the midfield.Derick WANGANEEN Solid but didn’t star at half forward.
MELBOURNEJamie BENNELL Slow start but was OK late. Needs to do more.Sam BLEASE Quiet game. Disappointing performance.Tom COUCH Strong again in the midfield. Not far away.Troy DAVIS OK down back before being swung forward late.Jack FITZPATRICK Started forward and worked hard. Had stints in the ruck.Brad GREEN Well held by Davis for the most part. Kicked a few goals.Joel MACDONALD OK in defence but still makes the odd headscratcher.Daniel NICHOLSON Ran hard all day against the tide. One of the best.Ricky PETTERD One of the few Casey winners up forward. Injured late.Jai SHEAHAN Tried down back but was beaten on the day. Jake SPENCER First game back from knee injury. Tried hard.Josh TYNAN Showed plenty and earned a recall.Leigh WILLIAMS Struggled to get into the pace of the game.
NORTH MELBOURNEAaron BLACK Kicked two goals but inaccuracy cost him booting a bag.Cameron DELANEY Injured his hip in early stages of the game.Cruize GARLETT Big game with 32 touches. Clean ball use a feature.Ben MABON Impressive with 34 hit-outs and 18 disposals. Going well.Brad McKENZIE Won 21 touches and used the ball cleanly.Cameron RICHARDSON Worked into the game but didn’t have a great influence.Gavin URQUHART Had it 21 times but turned the ball over a fair bit.Max WARREN Struggled to make an impact for the Roosters.
PORT ADELAIDEMitchell BANNER 13 touches and a goal for Port Magpies.
Nathan BLEE Had 15 possessions and took five marks.Brett EBERT Quiet week with just the one goal.Cameron HITCHCOCK Kicked three goals from 10 touches on return.Tom JONAS Just the eight touches. Quiet.Darren PFEIFFER Good outing with 23 possessions and two goals.Simon PHILLIPS Buzzed around to kick two goals.Brent RENOUF 21 hitouts but beaten by Meiklejohn.David RODAN 17 possessions for Norwood after being dropped by Port.Steven SALOPEK Had 18 touches but needs to find the ball more. Daniel WEBB OK with 13 touches, 10 hitouts but three behinds.Aaron YOUNG Best game this year with 23 touches and two goals.
SYDNEYTony ARMSTRONG Took the game on from the outset. One of the Swans best.Trent DENNIS-LANE Worked hard in the front half. Ended with two goals.Campbell HEATH Battled manfully in an undersized Swans defenceJed LAMB In a form slump. Continues to struggle to impact games.Jordan LOCKYER Started well up front but left the ground with an injury.Jack LYNCH Contested well up forward and showed a bit. Four goals.Dylan McNEIL Not his best game but still contributed.Brett MEREDITH Returned from injury and went down again early.Jarred MOORE Worked hard in the midfield as always. Mitch MORTON Started well but fell back into the funk that has beset him.Mike PYKE Strong showing as he was forced to ruckall day.Tommy WALSH Named best for the Swans down back in loss to Ainslie.
WEST COASTSam BUTLER 24 possessions and a goal for Perth.Scott LYCETT 16 touches, eight marks and a goal for Peel.Michael MASCOULIS Just 11 touches and a goal with West Perth.Jeremy McGOVERN Only five disposals for Claremont.Fraser McINNES Good signs with 13 touches, six marks and two goals.Ryan NEATES Outstanding with 19 possessions, three goals for Tigers.Murray NEWMAN Lively for Swan Districts but four behinds was costly.Brad SHEPPARD No impact off half-back for East Fremantle.Lewis STEVENSON 18 touches for Claremont.Andrew STRIJK 12 possessions and a goal on return for West Perth.Tom SWIFT 26 disposals and two goals with Claremont.Simon TUNBRIDGE Just seven possessions for Perth.Gerrick WEEDON Just eight touches but two goals for Claremont.Blayne WILSON Outstanding in Peel’s defence.
WESTERN BULLDOGSMark AUSTIN Another good outing in his new colors.Tom CAMPBELL Rucked well and competed hard around the ground.Tory DICKSON OK first half. Was taken off ground as senior emergency.Tom HILL Kicked another three goals and impressed again.Jason JOHANNISEN One of his better games in his two years on the list.Daniel PEARCE Kicked a goal after missing out last week.Jack REDPATH Booted a few goals but had minimal impact.Justin SHERMAN Up and down game but showed spurts of brilliance.Zephaniah SKINNER Another quiet week up forward.Michael TALIA Nice effort in defence. Read the play well.Jason TUTT Injured his hamstring again after an early goal.Pat VESZPREMI Good at times but frustrating at others. Needs consistency.Mitch WALLIS Won the ball well as expected, covered the ground better.
33Inside WAFL
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
Matt Orzel played 99 games for Claremont before getting frustrated at his lack of opportunities and moving to Peel Thunder over summer. He proved a point in his team’s first win of 2012 last Saturday over Swan Districts.
Orzel had spent his entire football life at Claremont until the end of last season. He made his debut in 2004 and over eight years showed that he was a strong contributor at league level, but the past two seasons left him frustrated.
Unable to regularly break into the league side that lost the 2010 grand final by a point then won the 2011 premiership, the 27-year-old played in back-to-back reserves premierships.
But just 17 league games in two seasons left him frustrated and wanting more.
With a lethal left boot and a proven ability to find the ball, he understandably wanted to be a regular league footballer and that’s why he listened carefully when Peel coach Trevor Williams called.
Now he’s delighted to have made the switch.
“It was very frustrating and down there, there was just no reward for good form really with the amount of AFL guys they had,” Orzel said.
“Before the New Year, Trevor said I could come down and I met all the guys, the facilities were great and it was a decision that I’m 100 per cent
happy with now.“I came down this year for a new
change up and fresh start, and it’s great just to be playing league footy.
“I think I’m playing where I deserve to be playing. I trained hard, had a big pre-season and it’s falling into place.”
Peel finished with the wooden spoon last season but showed enough signs to suggest that Williams had
the team on the right track with some careful, and clever, recruiting.
That’s where the signings of Orzel from Claremont, and East Perth pair Pat Travers and Brendan Hancock, all with 99 or more WAFL games of experience, came in to help out in leadership for the likes of captain Brendon Jones and Kristin Thornton.
Already the trio have had a massive impact, and especially Orzel and Travers were two of Peel’s best in last Saturday’s 14-point win over the previously unbeaten Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval.
“With the recruiting this year they just wanted a few experienced guys and players who have been around the traps a bit
more instead of getting someone from over east who they don’t really know too much about,” he said.
“It’s great that we can help out as experienced players to back up BJ and Kristin Thornton. This year I suppose I am a bit of a leader.
“With the leadership group we’ve got BJ, James Flaherty and Kristin Thornton, and they do a really good job with the young guys and it’s
good to be another guy with a bit of experience who can help the young players with what they work on and just encourage them all the time.”
Orzel, like the rest of his Peel team, had showed good signs over their first three games in losses to Subiaco, Perth and East Fremantle, but were still finding their feet.
It all clicked on Saturday with at tremendous performance that Orzel now hopes the Thunder can build on this Saturday at home to South Fremantle.
He was also happy with his form with 17 possessions and two goals, including the sealer from outside-50 in the last quarter.
“I had just come back on the ground after copping a poke in the eye, and was lucky enough to get on the end of it and it was shepherded through on the line,” he said.
“It was good to kick a goal at such an important time.
“We lost the first three but not by much and we were there abouts each week, but this week we put it all together and it was a well-deserved win.”
While Orzel’s immediate focus is on South Fremantle this week, he can’t help but look ahead to the May 12 clash with his former team at Bendigo Bank Stadium.
“I can’t wait for it, it will be good. I think it’s May 12 and the guys will be great about it,” Orzel said.
“There’s no hard feelings with anyone there at Claremont, but it will be a little strange still.
“I’ll just have to try and rough Lukey Blackwell up a little bit and try to beat them.”
WA SHORTS nMIRACLE MAN: When West Perth cap-tain Jason Salecic was carried off the field on Easter Monday with what appeared a seri-ous leg injury, and with the Falcons losing to Claremont to slip to a 1-3 start to the sea-son, things were decidedly bleak. Initial fears were that Salecic had a broken leg and that the inspirational leader could spend signifi-cant time on the sidelines, but things quickly changed during the week. There was no break, he was able to run out on Sunday to lead his team against Perth and be a key contribu-tor in a crucial 12-point victory at Arena Joondalup. Salecic finished with 19 possessions and a goal, the Falcons won to improve to 2-3 and their 2012 campaign is back on track.
n SIBOSADO LIFELINE: Former Docker Casey Sibosado is set to join South Fremantle after he was left frustrated at finding out Perth could not fit him in its points cap after agreeing to terms with the Demons. Sibosado spent three years with Fremantle as a rookie and made his AFL debut in the last game of last season, and that match cost him a spot with Perth. Sibosado was a Claremont player when picked up by Fremantle, but lack of league opportunities saw him move to Perth and that’s where he wanted to stay when delisted. However, once he was deemed a 12-point player, the Demons had no room for him but now South Fremantle has come to the rescue. While he has fitness to make up, the Bulldogs will be looking for the key posi-tion player to help them resurrect a 1-3 start to the season.
n PICK ME: Perth has just one win from five games after coming into the season promis-ing so much and the Demons are crying out for a hard-leading, marking key forward and that’s exactly what they signed former East Perth fairest and best winner Tim Noakes for. Noakes played 77 league games for East Perth, kicked 88 goals and his work rate, and strong marking were always his strongest traits. While Perth promised so much coming into 2012, things are now nearing despera-tion stages with a last-goal win over Peel, but disappointing losses to Claremont, South Fremantle, East Perth and West Perth to begin the season. With Haydn Busher out for the season with a knee injury, Perth is lacking in key forward options and Noakes could be part of the answer. He struck form in the reserves last week with 21 possessions, seven marks and five goals. While Eagles youngster Fraser McInnes again worked hard against West Perth on Sunday to kick two goals, he’s lacking support despite a strong showing from Simon Donovan. Last year’s leading goalkicker Matt Moody was held goalless for the second straight week, so it could be time for coach Damien McMahon to give Noakes the chance.
THUNDER RECRUIT ROLLINGby Chris Pike
ORZEL: Lethal on the left.
Premiership defender Wayde Twomey is glad to be back at Swan Districts after a year in the AFL system with Carlton and knows that the black-and-whites can’t afford another wasted year.
Twomey arrived at Swan Districts ahead of the 2008 season and became a key contributor running out of the backline in the team that under coach Brian Dawson lost the grand final to Subiaco, bowed out in a preliminary final in 2009 and then won the 2010 premiership.
He was rookie-listed by Carlton for 2011 on the back of his outstanding ability to use the football out of defence, and played two games last year with the Blues.
He heard a lot about what went wrong in Swans’ premiership defence of last year that netted just six victories and a second-last finish for the black and white.
As a result, the summer was huge for Swan Districts and the result was impressive first-up wins over West Perth and South Fremantle.
Things came back a little last week with a loss to Peel Thunder at home, but Twomey is confident they can bounce back against reigning
premier Claremont and avoid some of the football that he heard about last year, and saw signs of against Peel last week.
“If we can just get the ups and downs right then we’ll be OK,” Twomey said.
“When we are playing good footy we are probably as good as anyone in the comp, but our bad footy is just bad. We just need to even it out.
“I think the boys have taken massive steps to fixing that, though,
especially after what they went through last year so hopefully we can keep going on from here.”
Twomey did enjoy the experience at Carlton and making his debut against Collingwood in Round 17, but ultimately it had plenty of ups and downs and left him delisted despite showing he could play good football at the top level.
“It was enjoyable but the highs are high and the lows are low. I didn’t expect it to be like that as much, but in saying that I enjoyed every bit of the opportunity,” he said.
“I got to play on the MCG twice, which was nice, and I can’t complain. It’s not bad starting off in front of 90,000, it was pretty handy. I remember driving home and before my dad jumped on the plane I said to him, ‘Shut up mate, have you played AFL football?’ It was quite funny.
“It was an amazing experience. Going out the first time I tried to take it all in and when the Collingwood cheer squad was abusing me in the warm up, and I thought I now knew what it was all about.
“You go into the match committee at the end of the year and they tell you what you need to work on and
that sort of stuff, and they just sent me on my way. At the end of the day, it comes down to one man’s opinion.
“If he likes you and the bloke next to you doesn’t like you, then all of a sudden you are gone. It’s just a matter of someone’s opinion in the end so there’s not much you can do about it.”
While Twomey was weighing up heading to Queensland or South Australia once cut by Carlton, he elected to return to Swan Districts and the 26-year-old could easily see himself now finishing off his career in WA with Swan Districts as he builds on his 61 games.
“I always saw myself coming back here because it’s where my girlfriend is from so I wanted to play out here, but having said that I wouldn’t have minded to see the rest of Australia – maybe Queensland or over in Adelaide,” Twomey said.
“But ultimately I made the decision to come back here and I’m pretty happy with it but I want us to be a strong team again. You don’t play footy to lose and we have to get more of that mentality here in the club. If you don’t play finals, you have wasted a year really.”
TWOMEY: Back where it began.
Twomey vows to avoid another wasted year
SALECIC: Remarkable recovery.
John Baird never picked up murmurs last season that he was “gone” as a senior player. Even if he had, he says, they wouldn’t have bothered him.
But in opposition quarters there was furtive talk the Port Melbourne captain was struggling to keep up with the game.
It appeared Baird, never the quickest player, had slowed considerably. That was understandable: he’d twice snapped his achilles, spent six months in a moonboot and missed all of the 2010 season.
The question was asked: would he be a liability on bigger grounds?
As it was Baird finished the season in triumph. He was superb in the preliminary final against the Northern Bullants and a week later lifted the premiership cup at Etihad Stadium as Port Melbourne put Williamstown on the rack in the grand final.
And he has made a blazing start to 2012, being named best in the Borough’s first three matches, winning the ball and using it with the care of a craftsman.
A full pre-season has him in fine fettle, a contrast to last year.
“Yeah my leg wasn’t much good last season,” Baird, 31, said.
“I played but it was weak and I was
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
Compiled by Paul AmyInside VFL34
INJURY BRINGING BAIRD UNDONE? HEEL BE RIGHT!
XX
Stand alongside a VFL huddle and you’ll grasp how much coaching has changed since the game began its march towards professionalism some 40 years ago.
The days of Ron Barassi deliver-ing vitriolic, adrenalin-filled tirades at hapless footballers have given way to coaching huddles drenched in science. It’s the science of key performance indicators rather than the science of human triumph on the battlefields of the Western Front or Waterloo or in the boxing ring.
When the TV cameras cross to a coaching box, viewers get a glimpse of how emotional the game can be. Every so often it plays out at ground level, such as when Rodney Eade, Collingwood’s director of coaching, stormed onto Victoria Park at three-quarter time during the Round 3 match against North Ballarat.
Jarrod Witts might stand 208cm but he was no match for Eade, who came armed not with statistics but with caus-tic observations about the 19-year-old’s ability to follow instructions and play to the team rules. It was a withering burst.
If this had happened in the privacy of the change rooms I would not be writing about it. However, as it was in the full view of supporters it doesn’t fall into the “secret men’s business” category. In any case, Eade admits, and it is well documented, that he has never been averse to “giving a spray”.
In another place Witts might have taken Eade’s emotional state as testa-ment to his role in Collingwood’s immediate future. On the hallowed Vic Park turf he looked too distraught to ponder that possibility.
For the past four years I’ve coached West Coburg’s under-16 and under-18 sides. Hardly a game has passed where I didn’t reflect on what had been said to the players or whether I’d been too emotional or overly critical.
When one player gave away a 50-metre penalty in a game last year I did see red. It wasn’t the penalty but what led to it that incensed me. Rather than overstepping the mark, inadvertently or otherwise, the player had repeatedly questioned the umpire about the free kick.
“He’ll get 50 metres if he doesn’t stop,” I’d said in frustration to my assistant coach. No sooner had I repeated the observation than the 50 was paid. To rub salt into the wounds the resultant goal ensured that the
game would go down to the wire.In the sanctuary of the rooms at half
time, away from parents and support-ers, I delivered a ruthless assessment of the player’s actions and how such acts were the antithesis of the culture of a premiership team. As I prepared to drive one more nail in, my assistant, a wise and considered house builder and football lover, Tino Carattoli, tapped my leg with his foot. I was so glad he did and that it stopped there.
Every coach needs an offsider like Carattoli. In the grand final we thrashed Hadfield and the boy, a tall emerging Somali, played a beautiful game.
The moral of the story? Apart from team games being emotionally challeng-ing and that sometimes a player needs to be told he has put the character of the side at risk, there is a fine line between science and emotion.
In Saturday’s ABC TV match, North Ballarat captain Marc Greig commit-ted one of those acts of indiscretion that could so easily have had his coach seething. There was no excuse for the way Greig, a decorated premiership player, dropped his hands and his head thus giving former team-mate Brett Goodes carte blanche to wheel on his left foot and goal in the last quarter.
I said coach Gerard FitzGerald should have brought Greig to the bench as a reminder to every player that it was at odds with his and the team’s estab-lished character.
In recent times Leigh Matthews has been at pains to remind people that the much-revered modern statistic, winning the football, has always been the most important statistic. However, as most coaches will tell, so often winning the ball can be a by-product of character, something that can separate teams of equal ability.
Port Melbourne was a great side last year. But in the end it was the character of coach Gary Ayres and players such as John Baird, Toby Pinwill, “Shooter” McMahon, Shane Valenti and Sam Dwyer that separated it from the rest and enabled the team to win that remarkable premiership.
Stats have always been an impor-tant part of my coaching, whether at Coburg in the VFA or with West Coburg in the EDFL.
But stats that fail to have the music of words such as character, courage and selflessness, like stories that liken foot-ball to war, don’t set my heart pump-ing? What about you?
phil CLEARY
www.philcleary.com.au
Rockets or cuddles?
very sore during the week. I didn’t have much movement or power with it.”
As for talk of him struggling: “I was reasonably comfortable that I was doing OK. I probably wasn’t the player I was a few years earlier but there again I’d had 12 months out of the game. I didn’t really get going in training until mid-February.
“I played a role. I probably didn’t get a lot of loose balls but I was OK in the stoppages. I thought I was holding my place in the team pretty well.
“I don’t think there was a time Gary (coach Gary Ayres) had to think about leaving me out.”
Baird said his foot was stronger and more flexible but would never be like it was.
But teammate Toby Pinwill is adamant his captain is playing as well as he ever has.
“For me he was best-on in our first three games,” Pinwill said.
“A couple of the other guys have gone pretty well, but he’s just finding the pill and every time we’ve been challenged he’s been the one who has stepped up. He hates losing.”
Pinwill added: “He’s back to the form of 2008, when he was the best player in the comp. He’s got the penetration back in his kicking, he’s taking marks,
he’s dominating.”It’s just as well the skipper is back
up and running through the midfield given that Port farewelled eight premiership players and a few other senior hands in the off-season.
Some were predicting a fair fall for the Borough. But Baird said he’d always thought Port’s best team would have it in contention.
“With the quality and character of the guys we’ve still got, and obviously some good coaching as well, if we’re able to get most guys on the park week to week, we’re going to be competitive with the best teams, no doubt about that,” he said.
“I’ve never wavered in that opinion.”Last Sunday Baird played his 150th
senior match in the VFL. The milestone came against Box Hill Hawks, for whom he played in the 2001 premiership and won the Norm Goss Medal as best afield.
Baird who also played 46 games for North Melbourne and 21 for Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL is in his fourth season as captain of the Borough.
Taking into account the achilles injury, Port Melbourne insiders thought they’d seen the best of their skipper. Now they’re not so sure.
KEEPING IT COOL: Coaching Coburg in 1984.
WHO SAID HE WAS GONE!? John Baird in combative mode late last season.
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
VFL STABS
‘ ’Heath Scotland is nearly the best player in the competition, along with Jimmy Bartel, at being able to sit one kick behind the play and read where it’s going and cut it off. – David King on Friday Night Football
nCASEY SCORPIONS COACH Brett Lovett was yarning to a press-man before the Round 3 match against Frankston when a lad small enough to go into a hundreds and thousands sandwich approached and introduced himself as a reporter for the VFL website. He said he would like to make arrangements for an interview after the game. Come into the rooms, Lovett told him. “And let’s hope we win because I might be a bit grumpy other-wise,” Lovett chortled. Pint-sized Dale Fenney laughed too and walked away to take his place in the grandstand and scribble notes into what looked like a school folder. The 14-year-old from the Mornington Peninsula answered the call from AFL Victoria PR man Anthony Stanguts to contribute articles to the website. He’s had three pieces put up already. After the match Dale pulled out an iPhone and used the voice memos utility to record his interview. He finished it with a cheery “Thanks for the interview, Brett.” “No worries, mate!” Lovett responded. The tyke was, and is, on his way.
nFRANKSTON COACH SIMON Goosey had no intention of playing Jarrod Irving at senior level so early in the season. But with Toby Thoolen out with a foot injury the Seaford recruit stepped in as a key defender for Round 1 and has done well. He will win no awards for style but he is strong and makes opponents earn every kick. Goosey calls him an “old-fashioned backman”. “He played on Dean Galea in Round 1, Matthew Little in Round 2 and Leigh Williams in Round 3 and he’s had three goals kicked on him, so he’s grabbed three big scalps,” Goosey said. “He’s a tough kid and he’s working on his game all the time.” Jarrod is the brother of Sandringham midfielder Chris.
nWILLIAMSTOWN’S RETURN to the redeveloped Point Gellibrand oval has been delayed a month. The Seagulls planned to host old foe Port Melbourne in Round 7 but Hobsons Bay City Council could not guarantee the upstairs function rooms would be finished. “We didn’t want to go back until we had the full run of the place,” Willy general manager Brendan Curry said. “We play Port later in the year so we’ve swapped rounds 7 and 18.” Williamstown hopes to play its Round 9 match against Coburg at Whitten Oval but expects Point Gellibrand to be ready for the Round 11 clash with Box Hill Hawks. “In a way it was a relief because we were pushing things already, like getting the seating into the grandstand,” Curry said of the delay. “We want it done properly. We want to get it right.”
nCASEY SCORPIONS LOST ONE Tim Smith in the off-season but gained another. While Tim Smith the pacy midfielder went back to local football, Tim Smith the strong utility arrived from Upper Ferntree Gully. It’s a big leap from second division of the Eastern Football League to VFL seniors, but Smith, 20, made it by debuting in Round 3 against Frankston. He kicked a goal and was named in the best. “He’s strongly built and he runs that way, but he’s surprisingly quick, a bit like
State of the League By Chris Weaver
F O R A G A I N S T P W L % PT COMMENT1 PORT MELBOURNE 4 4 0 151.7 162 GEELONG CATS 3 3 0 121.0 123 CASEY SCORPIONS 4 3 1 83.6 124 BENDIGO 3 2 1 152.2 85 SANDRINGHAM 3 2 1 143.5 86 WILLIAMSTOWN 4 2 2 119.0 87 COBURG TIGERS 3 2 1 104.7 88 BOX HILL HAWKS 3 1 2 83.3 49 COLLINGWOOD 3 1 2 82.8 410 WERRIBEE TIGERS 3 1 2 81.3 411 NORTH BALLARAT 4 1 3 76.5 412 NORTHERN BLUES 3 0 3 86.8 013 FRANKSTON 4 0 4 62.9 0
That makes 25 in a row and now three games at home. Happy days!The early season bolter. Shrewd recruiting and smart coaching.Bendigo loss leaves shocking percentage. Bye this week.Striking the balance between independence and development.Will test most with its tough midfield. Seagulls are next.Bogey off the back. Now for the Zebras.Traditionally toothless against Dolphins. Must be wary of this one.Fought hard but the Borough are simply too good.Injuries to experienced players are really hurting. Will lose more this week.Cats look the perfect test after comfortable Foxtel Cup win.Focusing on development. Urgently need some experience.Slow start for a side expected to shake it up.Hoping to break the duck at home – it’s possible.
VFL PREVIEW Rd 5
VFL RADIO Friday 20th AprilWerribee vs Geelong – Live from Avalon Airport Oval from 7pmSunday 22nd AprilSandringham vs Williamstown Live from Trevor Barker Beach Oval, 1:30pmnCatch the action on the “Red Time Sport” iPhone app, the SEN iPhone app, or via vfl.com.au or sen.com.au.
Friday 19 April Werribee Tigers v GeelongAvalon Airport Oval (Chirnside), 7.40pmWerribee put a disappointing home loss to Box Hill behind it, smashing Burnie by 133 points in the Foxtel Cup. Majak Daw (three goals) over-came a distracted week to personify the turnaround, booting a lovely run-ning goal. For the second week run-ning, the Tigers will have no limits on AFL-listed players. Geelong welcomed back Mitch Brown (five goals), who starred in the 32-point win over Frankston. Cats ruckman Andrew Banjanin will return to his former home. Tip: Werribee Tigers by 19 points
Saturday 21 AprilBox Hill Hawks v CollingwoodBox Hill City Oval, 1.10pm (ABC TV) The Hawks were gallant against Port but left to rue early misses. Taylor Gilchrist ran hard up forward, while Cameron Bruce found plenty of the ball in space. Jarrad Boumann wore Dean Galea tightly at full back and could be a key to victory. The Pies could struggle to repeat their Northern Blues performance. Tip: Box Hill Hawks by 12 points
Port Melbourne v North BallaratNorth Port Oval, 2pm The Borough’s midfield should account for a rebuilding North Ballarat, which suffered a heavy loss at home against Williamstown, a side it traditionally masters. The Roosters were 1-3 at this stage in 2011, but have lost further experience. Tip: Port Melbourne by 40 points
Bendigo v Northern BluesQueen Elizabeth Oval, 2pm Bendigo’s seven-goal second term set up the win against the Scorpions. Essendon listed utility Luke Davis was excellent, while Matt Little (four goals) provided presence. The Blues remain winless but Brock McLean and Adam Marcon are in stellar clearance form. Tip: Bendigo by 30 points
Sunday 22 AprilFrankston v Coburg TigersFrankston Oval, 2pmFrankston has won few games in recent years, but Coburg provides a reliable “bunny”. The Dolphins’ stop-page-heavy style seems to negate the Tigers’ run. Talls Khan Haretuku and Lachie Delahunty should fancy their chances against undersized defenders. Tip: Frankston by 13 points
Sandringham v WilliamstownTrevor Barker Beach Oval, 2pm The Zebras’ loss to Coburg will burn deep. Fantastic in their first two outings, Simon McPhee’s men look sturdy on-ball. Williamstown finally got to crow about a Roosters’ win. Mitch Wallis (33 disposals) and Justin Sherman made cases for AFL recalls. Tip: Williamstown by 22 points
Bye – Casey Scorpions– CHRIS WEAVER
Dane Swan,” Casey coach Brett Lovett said of his new chum. “There’s a bit to like about him. He’s got terrific hands, he can play forward and back and he has good footy brain. He’s picked up our game plans and structures very quickly.” Smith was an Under 18 league best and fairest with UFT.
nDEAN GRICE HAS ALSO MADE the switch from Eastern to the VFL and is also making a good fist it, settling in to Port Melbourne’s senior team. Grice is an official legend of the EFL, having won three league medals with Boronia, the first in 2007. At 25 the fridge mechanic decided to test himself at a higher standard. “The word I got from people who knew him was that he was a very, very good player,” Port coach Gary Ayres said of the midfielder. “But they weren’t 100 per cent sure if his overall commitment to his football would hold him back at the next level, VFL. I’ve been really impressed with his enthusiasm, his competitiveness and his work rate. He had three really good practice matches and his form has car-ried through. His contribution has been quite significant.”
nEYEBROWS LIFTED AT LAST year’s TAC Cup Morrish Medal when Northern Knight Nick Maric stepped forward to accept the goalkicking trophy with 37 majors. You could almost hear people thinking, ‘He won it?’ Maric, 175cm and 68kg, looked 13 rather than 18 and was nobody’s idea of an award-winning spearhead. But in three senior appearances for Coburg
he’s again proven he knows where the goals are. He kicked four against Casey and two against Sandring-ham, an impressive entry to senior company. Maric set himself to play two senior games this year. Now he’s revised it to “five or six”. Last week against Sandy he also got to play with his brother, Richmond-listed Addam, for the first time since their Under 7 days at Meadow Heights. “It was a great day. Quite a few of the family was there.” He would “love” to follow Addam into AFL ranks. “That’s the number one thing I’d like to do,” he said. “But because of my height and stuff I’m not hoping for too much.” Coburg coach Adam Potter said Maric real-ised early in the pre-season that he would need to lift his work rate to make the transition from TAC Cup to VFL. “He’s playing more between the arcs than he did last year. I think with the Knights he played more inside 50 and his chase-and-tackle stuff is bringing him into the game
offensively,” Potter said.
nREMEMBER THE NAME DEAN Towers. It’s early in the season but you suspect AFL clubs will already be running an eye over the 20-year-old, 189cm North Ballarat wingman. He’s a classic Roosters story: came from country ranks (Otway Districts and Colac), attends the University of Bal-larat and got a grounding at reserves level. North Ballarat coach Gerard Fit-zGerald admitted Towers gained a con-tract only late in the 2011 pre-season. “Just a fantastic example of persistence over that summer,” he said. Towers was given a debut in last season’s finals and will surely build on his games tally this year. He ran all over Collingwood late in the Round 3 match. A right-footer, Towers is the embodiment of balance and uses the ball well; little wonder he is in the inaugural VFL Academy.
nVFL AND TAC CUP TEAMS wore orange boot laces last weekend in support of Step Back Think, a youth-led organisation campaigning to raise awareness about street violence. It was formed after the bashing of amateur footballer James Macready-Bryan in 2006. James suffered brain injuries from which he will never recover. “Step Back Think aims to engage the community at all levels to actively share the message that violence has consequences,” Step Back Think CEO Sophie Rowe said. “The willingness of AFL Victoria to sup-port the distribution of orange laces to clubs across the state has been pivotal
AYRES: “I’m just in awe.”
CUB REPORTER: Dale Fenney on the job last week.
The Port Melbourne juggernaut shows no signs of jackknifing.
Gary Ayres’ brilliant Borough made it 25 wins on the reel when they turned away Box Hill Hawks at the City Oval last Sunday, gaining a 34-point victory over the club that last defeated them – in September, 2010.
Little wonder assistant coach Peter “Crackers” Keenan declared that Port would beat Greater Western Sydney.
Senior hands Sam Pleming, Shane Valenti, Hugh Sandilands and Chris Cain were influential again, Tom Langford played one of his best games at senior level and Billy Burstin kicked three goals to help cover for spearhead Dean Galea’s off-target boot.
Ayres gave a debut to little man Clay Johnston, the third son of the Dominator, Wayne, to represent Port at senior level.
He ran out alongside brother Marc and kicked two goals.
“I’m just in awe of how these guys go about it,” Ayres said on Sunday night.
“A six-goal away win against a very good team, that’s another tremendous result for us.”
He said his players were aware of the streak and desperate to maintain it.
This Saturday Port is at home to North Ballarat, which slipped to 1-3 when it suffered its third home loss this season, falling to Williamstown.
Asked how long it had been since Willy won in Ballarat, GM Brendan Curry shot back: “When we arrived by horse and cart.”
Roosters coach Gerard FitzGerald faces one of the sternest tests of his long career as he attempts to get his team’s season rolling. The backline, a cornerstone of North’s hat-trick of premierships, appears to be fraying.
Casey Scorpions took their first defeat, a 71-point caning from Bendigo at Casey Fields on Sunday.
Ayres’ players love streaking
Inside SANFL36
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
2079 DAYS OF PAIN FOR PROUD PIES
By PETER ARGENT
Woodville-West Torrens midfielder Justin Cicolella is known for the way he mesmerises opponents and evades tackles.
He has been doing this for 15 years and in last Saturday’s game against Glenelg “Cicca” made his 250th senior appearance.
It could be strongly argued that along with Bulldogs Chris and James Gowans he is the most recognised SANFL foot-baller of the past decade.
They have been opponents in six grand final battles between 2000 and 2011, with Cicollela enduring four losses before the successes of 2006 and last year.
“‘Cicca’ has been around longer than Chris and I have,” James Gowans laughed.
“He has been a fierce opponent on the field and over time we’ve got to know him as a good bloke to have a beer with afterwards.
“He’s been a champion at the Eagles and always finds that spark to perform well when he plays against us.
“But, we don’t want to pump him up too much, as we still have an Anzac Day clash against him and hopefully a few more after that.”
Coming down from Port Wakefield on the Adelaide Plains, Cicolella’s first game was in 1998, and for more than a decade he has been a crowd pleaser in
the gold, green and blue. A fisherman by profession, his acco-
lades include best and fairest awards in 2002-03 and he was captain in 2007.
With Gavin Colville sidelined, he was the skipper on grand final day 2006, and enjoyed the euphoria of holding the Thomas Seymour Hill Cup aloft.
He played five AFL games for Adelaide in 2000 and did a pre-season at Geelong in 2004.
Eagles coach Michael Godden also has a healthy admiration for the man who wears the No. 51 jumper.
“Justin is one of those players you build your football club around,” Godden said. “He understands the times the club needs him to stand up and delivers when it counts.
“I am sure he will go down as one of the iconic players in the history of the Eagles.”
A country boy, football has always been in Cicolella’s genes.
His younger brother Dylan has played in a handful of premierships for Hummocks Watchman in the Adelaide Plains league, and his father Michael played upwards of 500 games for Port Wakefield.
Cicolella becomes the first player Woodville-West Torrens history to play all 250 games under the Eagles banner, since the amalgamation in 1991.
Not bad for a knockabout bloke who spends a good portion of his time at sea.
‘Cicca’ proves great catch for the Eagles
‘ICONIC’: Justin Cicolella will go down as a WWT great.
By STEVE BARRETT
When Port Adelaide runs onto Alber-ton Oval this Saturday to face Central District, the Magpies will be attempt-ing to overturn the longest head-to-head losing streak in the proud club’s rich history.
The last time 20th century SANFL powerhouse Port knocked off the Bulldogs – the undisputed kings of the 21st century – in a premiership match at any venue was Round 19, 2006.
Since then Central has triumphed in each of the subsequent 12 meetings, the Magpies’ record drought against the Dogs rising to 2079 days.
Port has already rectified one prolonged losing streak this season, ending a seven-game winless run stretching back to 2008 with a Round 1 thrashing of Woodville-West Torrens, but was unable to repeat the dose on Sunday against Norwood, a side the Pies have now failed to taste success against in six attempts.
Port coach Tony Bamford is keen to end Port’s skid against the Bulldogs and thus make it three-from-three against the competition’s top three sides of the past two years.
“We’re confident we’ve got the personnel and game to beat those sides,” Bamford said.
“Everyone within our group, including the players and the coaches believe we’re a better team than 12 months ago.
“If we weren’t, we’d be asking questions why.”
The magpies started sluggishly on Sunday, conceding the first five goals in the opening 10 minutes en route to a 28-point quarter-time deficit before seizing the impetus in the middle two terms, particularly in the ruck, to trail by just seven points at the final change.
An enthralling final stanza looked on the cards but it wasn’t to be as Norwood ran home with the contest with a dominant 5.5 to 0.1 fourth quarter, consigning Port, the form team in the pre-season, to a 1-2 record.
One bad quarter here and there interspersed with impressive periods of holding sway against all sides has been a common theme for the Maggies during Bamford’s tenure, which commenced in 2010.
“We’ve been competitive for much of the past two years since I started as coach,” Bamford said.
“But close enough is not good enough any more.
“We really should have played finals last year and only have ourselves to blame for missing that opportunity … it shouldn’t have come down to the last minor round game like it did.
“We’ve lacked the polish to get over the finish line, but we’re expecting to get there this year.”
It didn’t work against the Legs, but Bamford will be hoping to catch the Bulldogs, also with a 1-2 record, at their most vulnerable in some time.
“We haven’t beaten Norwood since I’ve been coach, but we’re confident we’ve got the personnel and game to beat those sides.
“We’ve just got to find a way to beat those better sides like Centrals, as we did against the Eagles.
“We built ourselves up the whole pre-season to play the Eagles in Round 1 and it all fell into place nicely.
“Now we’ve got to do the same against Centrals.”
Bamford, a three-time premiership player with Port in 1996, ‘98-99, has a number of his ‘90s premiership mates onboard as the proud club attempts to end a premiership drought which extends back to 1999.
By coincidence more than design, Bamford has been reunited with a bunch of his premiership team-mates, namely Paul Evans, Brett Chalmers and Bryan Beinke who are Bamford’s assistants.
Additionally Brian Leys, the quad-ruple premiership-winning key defender from that golden era, is back at Alberton as the new Magpie CEO, having just started in the role on Monday after replacing outgoing Neil Rawlings.
“It’s more by coincidence than design that we’ve all been reunited,” Bamford said.
“They’re all now back at the club and we’ve been through successful periods as players so all those guys know intimately what it takes to be a consistent, high-performing team.
“The trick now for the coaching group is to pass on that confidence and knowledge that we had being lucky enough to play in that period in the ‘90s on to the current playing group.”
BAMFORD: “We’re confident we’ve got the personnel and game.” Picture: PETER ARGENT
‘ ’TAC CUPGippsland Power ...............152.7 12Sandringham Dragon ........149.7 12Oakleigh Chargers ............138.8 8North Ballarat Rebels ......114.2 8Murray Bushrangers ...........92.0 8Northern Knights..............110.8 4Geelong Falcons ................110.1 4Western Jets .......................105.9 4Dandenong Stingrays ..........91.7 4Calder Cannons ...................83.2 4Bendigo Pioneers.................56.9 4Eastern Ranges .....................59.1 0This week – 21 April - Northern Knights v Oakleigh Chargers, Sandringham Dragons v Eastern Ranges, Calder Cannons v Western Jets. Bendigo Pioneers, Gippsland Power, North Ballarat Rebels, Dandenong Stingrays, Murray Bushrangers, Geelong Falcons - Bye.
VIC METROEASTERNDIVISION 2Montrose .............................143.2 4Mooroolbark ......................125.8 4Bayswater ............................113.0 4Rowville................................109.8 4Upper Ferntree Gully.........96.2 4Donvale ..................................96.2 0Mulgrave .................................91.1 0Doncaster ..............................88.5 0Waverley Blues ....................79.5 0Doncaster East.....................69.8 0This week – 21 April – Bayswater v Montrose, Donvale v Mulgrave, Waverley Blues v Doncaster, Rowville v Upper Ferntree Gully, Doncaster East v Mooroolbark.
DIVISION 3North Ringwood ..............272.9 4Heathmont ..........................164.4 4Mitcham ...............................152.2 4Chirnside Park ...................110.3 4Boronia .................................104.0 4Glen Waverley Hawks ......103.8 4Wantirna South....................96.3 0Warrandyte ...........................96.2 0Coldstream ...........................90.6 0Ringwood...............................65.7 0Templestowe .........................60.8 0Whitehorse Pioneers .........36.6 0This week – 21 April – Glen Waverley Hawks v Chirnside Park, Coldstream v Warrandyte, Ringwood v Heathmont, White-horse Pioneers v Mitcham, Templestowe v Wantirna South, Boronia v North Ringwood.
DIVISION 4Silvan .....................................356.7 4South Belgrave ...................142.5 4The Basin .............................115.0 4Park Orchards ....................114.1 4Forest Hill ............................110.3 4Nunawading ............................ 0.0 4Kilsyth .....................................90.6 0Canterbury............................87.6 0Ferntree Gully ......................86.9 0Eastern Lions ........................70.1 0Surrey Park ...........................28.0 0This week – 21 April – Canter-bury v Kilsyth, Eastern Lions v Park Orchards, Ferntree Gully v South Belgrave, Forest Hill v The Basin, Nunawading v Surrey Park. Silvan – Bye.
ESSENDON DISTRICT FLA GRADEGreenvale ............................485.7 4Maribyrnong Park ..............239.5 4Oak Park ..............................160.3 4Pascoe Vale ..........................108.6 4Strathmore ..........................107.2 4Aberfeldie ..............................93.3 0Essendon Doutta Stars ......92.1 0Keilor ......................................62.4 0Craigieburn ...........................41.8 0Avondale Heights ................20.6 0This week – 21 April – Avondale Heights v Strathmore, Aberfeldie v Essendon Doutta Stars, Keilor v Craigieburn, Maribyrnong Park v Greenvale, Pascoe Vale v Oak Park.
B GRADEEast Keilor ...........................851.4 4Hillside ..................................376.9 4Moonee Valley ....................360.0 4Airport West ......................187.0 4Tullamarine ..........................152.8 4West Coburg ......................140.9 4Westmeadows....................107.4 4Northern Saints ...................93.1 0Taylors Lakes ........................71.0 0Hadfield .................................65.4 0Glenroy ..................................53.5 0Keilor Park ............................27.8 0Roxburgh Park .....................26.5 0Jacana ......................................11.7 0This week – 21 April – Northern Saints v Hillside, Jacana v Taylors Lakes, Keilor Park v East Keilor, Roxburgh Park v Airport West, Hadfield v Westmeadows, Glenroy v Moonee Valley, West Coburg v Tullamarine.
NORTHERNA GRADE DIV 1Bundoora .............................170.4 4Montmorency .....................132.6 4Heidelberg ...........................120.4 4Northcote Park .................119.8 4Greensborough ..................115.6 4Lower Plenty ........................86.5 0Whittlesea .............................83.5 0Eltham .....................................83.1 0Macleod ..................................75.4 0W Preston Lakeside ...........58.7 0This week – 21 April – W Preston Lakeside v Macleod, Montmorency v Eltham, Greensborough v Northcote Park, Heidelberg v Lower Plenty, Whittlesea v Bundoora.
A GRADE DIV 2Diamond Creek .............. 3100.0 4North Heidelberg .............194.3 4Fitzroy Stars ........................153.3 4Epping ...................................150.0 4Thomastown.........................66.7 0South Morang .......................65.2 0
Lalor ........................................51.5 0Hurstbridge ............................. 3.2 0This week – 21 April – Hurst-bridge v Sth Morang, Lalor v Epping, Thomastown v Diamond Creek, North Heidelberg v Fitzroy Stars.
A GRADE DIV 3Watsonia ..............................188.1 4Mernda .................................163.0 4Reservoir .............................143.8 4St Mary’s ................................69.5 0Parkside ..................................61.4 0Heidelberg West ..................53.2 0Panton Hill............................... 0.0 0This week – 21 April – Watsonia v Reservoir, Mernda v Panton Hill, St Mary’s v Parkside.
SOUTHERNDIVISION 1St Pauls East Bent. .............272.2 4Cheltenham.........................256.9 4Dingley ................................248.6 4East Brighton ......................205.8 4Chelsea Heights .................130.4 4St Kilda City ..........................76.7 0Clayton ...................................48.6 0Heatherton ...........................40.2 0 Highett ...................................38.9 0Mordialloc..............................36.7 0This week – 21 April – Chelsea Heights v Highett, St Pauls East Bent v East Brighton, Dingley v St Kilda City, Cheltenham v Mordialloc, Clayton v Heatherton.
DIVISION 2Springvale Districts ...........421.2 4Bentleigh ..............................286.1 4Murrumbeena .....................175.9 4Southern Dragons .............138.7 4Toronga Malvern ................115.2 4Skye .........................................86.8 0Black Rock.............................72.1 0Oakleigh District .................56.9 0Hampton ................................34.9 0 South Yarra ............................23.7 0This week – 21 April – Bentleigh v Black Rock, Skye v Southern Dragons, South Yarra v Oakleigh District, Murrumbeena v Toronga Malvern, Hampton v Springvale Districts.
DIVISION 3Mount Waverley.................287.8 4Doveton Eagles ..................197.8 4Dandenong ..........................192.6 4Moorabbin ...........................161.9 4Sandown ..............................129.6 4Ashwood ...............................77.2 0Caulfield .................................61.8 0Hallam.....................................51.9 0Endeavour Hills ....................50.6 0Lyndale ...................................34.7 0This week – 21 April –Ashwood v Hallam, Dandenong v Caulfield, Mount Waverley v Endeavour Hills, Doveton Eagles v Sandown, Moorabbin v Lyndale.
WESTERN REGIONDIVISION 1Spotswood ..........................729.2 4Sunshine ...............................545.9 4Deer Park ............................295.6 4Altona ...................................167.7 4Hoppers Crossing .............148.2 4North Footscray ..................67.5 0Port Melbourne Colts........59.6 0St Albans ................................33.8 0Sunshine Heights .................18.3 0Albion .....................................13.7 0This week – 21 April – Albion v North Footscray, Deer Park v Spots wood, Hoppers Crossing v Altona, Port Melbourne Colts v Sunshine Heights, Sunshine v St Albans.
DIVISION 2Glenorden ...........................142.7 8Yarraville Seddon Eagles ..694.1 4Albanvale..............................339.2 4Laverton Magpies ..............260.6 4Coburg Districts ................159.8 4Parkside ................................142.6 4West Footscray ....................58.5 4Braybrook ..............................39.1 4Caroline Springs ..................87.9 0Wyndhamvale .......................70.1 0North Sunshine...................... 3.1 0This week – 21 April – Caroline Springs v Braybrook, Laverton Magpies v Glenorden, West Footscray v North Sunshine, Wyndhamvale v Coburg Districts, Yarraville Seddon Eagles v Parkside. Albanvale - Bye.
VICTORIA COUNTRYALBERTONInverloch-Kongwak ...........203.7 12Fish Creek ...........................108.7 10Tarwin ...................................363.4 8MDU .....................................138.3 8Kilcunda Bass ......................136.8 8Dalyston ...............................122.9 8Phillip Island ........................121.3 8Yarram ..................................111.3 8Korumburra-Bena .............106.8 8Foster .....................................86.1 6Stony Creek ..........................65.3 4Toora & District ..................15.2 4Devon Welsh WWW .........48.0 0This week – 21 April – Devon Welsh WWW v MDU, Tarwin v Yarram, Toora & District v Phillip Island, Dalyston v Fish Creek, Kilcunda Bass v Stony Creek, Foster v Korumburra-Bena. Inverloch-Kongwak - Bye.
BELLARINETorquay .................................120.8 8Ocean Grove ......................119.5 8Queenscliff ..........................170.0 4Barwon Heads ....................152.3 4Drysdale Hawks.................114.0 4Anglesea .................................86.1 4Portarlington .........................77.8 4Modewarre............................75.0 0Geelong Amateur ................70.8 0Newcomb Power ................58.9 0This week – 21 April – Modewarre v Drysdale Hawks, Portarlington v Anglesea, Torquay
v Newcomb Power, Queenscliff v Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove v Geelong Amateur.
BENDIGOGisborne ..............................277.5 8South Bendigo ....................182.2 8Strathfieldsaye .....................135.4 8Golden Square ...................150.7 4Maryborough ......................103.4 4Kangaroo Flat .......................97.3 4Castlemaine ..........................82.6 4Sandhurst ...............................61.0 0Kyneton ..................................47.9 0Eaglehawk ..............................42.4 0This week – 21 April – Kyneton v Kangaroo Flat, Castlemaine v Golden Square, Strathfieldsaye v Gisborne, South Bendigo v Sandhurst, Maryborough v Eaglehawk.
CENTRAL HIGHLANDSHepburn ...............................509.1 4Bungaree ..............................246.4 4Newlyn .................................212.7 4Buninyong ............................194.5 4Beaufort ...............................190.2 4Daylesford ...........................164.1 4Carngham Linton...............140.0 4Waubra ................................111.8 4Clunes...................................101.2 4Rokewood Corindhap .......98.8 0Ballan .......................................89.5 0Illabrook .................................71.4 0Gordon ..................................60.9 0Dunnstown ...........................52.6 0Springbank .............................51.4 0Creswick ................................47.0 0Skipton ...................................40.6 0Learmonth .............................19.6 0This week – 21 April – Gordon v Waubra, Buninyong v Rokewood Corindhap, Bungaree v Springbank, Hepburn v Beaufort, Clunes v Newlyn, Dunnstown v Daylesford, Creswick v Learmonth, Ballan v Carngham Linton, Illabrook v Skipton.
COLAC AND DISTRICTSouth Colac ........................274.4 4Apollo Bay ...........................211.7 4Lorne ....................................130.6 4Birregurra ............................116.4 4Forrest ...................................... 0.0 4Alvie .......................................... 0.0 4Colac Imperials ...................... 0.0 4Otway Districts ...................85.9 0Simpson ..................................76.6 0Irrewarra-Beeac ...................47.2 0Western Eagles ....................36.4 0This week – 21 April – Alvie v Colac Imperials, Irrewarra-Beeac v Otway Districts, Birregurra v Forrest, South Colac v Lorne. Western Eagles, South Colac, Simpson - Bye.
EAST GIPPSLANDWy Yung ...............................253.2 4Lindenow .............................137.0 4Paynesville ............................128.3 4Lakes Entrance ....................... 0.0 4Orbost Snowy Rovers .......78.0 0Stratford .................................73.0 0Lucknow ................................39.5 0This week – 21 April – Lakes Entrance v Lindenow, Wy Yung v Paynesville,Stratford v Lucknow. Orbost Snowy Rovers - Bye.
ELLINBANKNeerim Neerim Sout .......161.8 12Nar Nar Goon ...................281.7 8Warragul Indust. ................279.4 8Catani ...................................188.1 8Cora Lynn............................155.8 8Nyora....................................141.5 8Koo Wee Rup .....................131.6 4Ellinbank .................................92.5 4Bunyip .....................................81.2 4Lang Lang ...............................78.1 4Nilma Darnum .....................47.6 4Longwarry .............................69.3 0Garfield ..................................42.1 0Poowong ................................38.2 0Buln Buln................................35.3 0This week – 14 April – Bunyip v Warragul Industrials, Catani v Buln Buln, Nar Nar Goon v Garfield, Poowong v Nyora, Ellinbank v Longwarry, Koo Wee Rup v Lang Lang, Cora Lynn v Neerim Neerim South. Nilma Darnum - Bye.
GEELONG AND DISTRICTAnakie ...................................375.9 4Bannockburn.......................160.0 4Corio ....................................154.1 4Bell Post Hill .......................148.5 4North Geelong ..................147.6 4Thomson .............................124.7 4Belmont Lions ......................80.2 0East Geelong .........................67.7 0Werribee Centrals ..............67.3 0Winchelsea ............................64.9 0Inverleigh................................62.5 0Geelong West .......................26.6 0This week – 21 April – North Geelong v Inverleigh, Anakie v Thomson, Bannockburn v Corio, Werribee Centrals v East Geelong, Belmont v Bell Post Hill, Winchelsea v Geelong West.
GEELONG LEAGUESt. Josephs ............................206.8 4Colac .....................................163.3 4St.Mary’s ...............................140.0 4Lara .......................................138.8 4Leopold ................................136.5 4South Barwon.....................131.2 4Newtown & Chilwell ..........76.2 0St. Albans ................................73.3 0Grovedale ..............................72.0 0North Shore .........................71.4 0Geelong West St Peters ....61.2 0Bell Park .................................48.4 0This week – 21 April – Bell Park v Colac, St Albans v St Mary’s, G’long West St Peters v St Josephs, Newtown Chilwell v Leopold., Lara v North Shore, Grovedale v South Barwon.
GIPPSLANDSale ........................................524.2 4Traralgon ..............................249.0 4
Leongatha ............................230.2 4Maffra ....................................198.9 4Drouin ..................................169.3 4Moe .........................................59.1 0Morwell ..................................50.3 0Wonthaggi .............................43.4 0Warragul ................................40.2 0Bairnsdale ..............................19.1 0This week – 21 April – Sale v Moe, Wonthaggi v Bairnsdale, Traralgon v Leongatha, Morwell v Warragul, Drouin v Maffra.
GOLDEN RIVERSNullawil ................................166.7 4Wandella ..............................160.3 4Hay ........................................117.6 4Murrabit ...............................114.0 4Moulamein ............................... 0.0 4Macorna .................................87.7 0Quambatook ........................85.0 0Ultima .....................................62.4 0Wakool ...................................60.0 0This week – 21 April – Wakool v Hay, Macorna v Wandella, Quambatook v Murrabit, Ultima v Moulamein. Nullawil – Bye.
GOULBURN VALLEYMansfield ..............................177.9 8Rochester ............................129.9 8Kyabram ...............................180.8 4Tatura ....................................170.2 4Seymour ...............................114.1 4Shepparton ..........................113.0 4Mooroopna .........................109.1 4Benalla ....................................77.0 4Euroa .......................................66.4 4Shepparton United..............78.8 0Echuca ....................................68.0 0Shepparton Swans ...............56.3 0This week – 21 April – Benalla v Shepparton, Seymour v Rochester, Mansfield v Echuca, Shepparton United v Tatura, Euroa v Kyabram, Mooroopna v Shepparton Swans.
HAMPDENKoroit ...................................405.0 4Warrnambool .....................112.5 4Cobden ................................107.6 4Camperdown ......................106.1 4North Warrnambool ..........94.2 0Terang Mortlake...................92.9 0South Warrnambool ...........88.9 0Port Fairy ...............................24.7 0This week – 21 April – Terang Mortlake v Camperdown, Warr-nam bool v Koroit, Port Fairy v Cobden, North Warrnambool v South Warrnambool.
HEATHCOTELBU .......................................210.3 8Huntly ...................................191.4 8Colbinabbin .........................157.8 8Heathcote ............................111.9 4White Hills ..........................106.1 4Mount Pleasant ....................88.4 4Elmore ....................................76.5 4North Bendigo .....................80.6 0Leitchville Gunbower .........51.4 0This week – 21 April – Leitchville Gunbower v White Hills, Mount Pleasant v Heathcote, Huntly v Colbinabbin, North Bendigo v LBU. Elmore – Bye.
HORSHAM AND DISTRICTRupanyup .............................393.6 8Laharum ...............................285.6 8Edenhope-Apsley ...............247.2 8Kalkee ...................................188.0 8Noradjuha-Quantong .........74.2 4Harrow Balmoral .................69.9 4Stawell Swifts ........................64.6 0Taylors Lake ..........................54.6 0Pimpinio .................................31.2 0Natimuk .................................30.2 0This week – 21 April – Harrow Balmoral v Pimpinio, Stawell v Taylors Lake, Kalkee v Noradjuha-Quantong, Edenhope-Apsley v Natimuk, Laharum v Rupanyup.
KOWREE NARACOORTE TATIARABordertown ........................653.8 4Naracoorte .........................166.7 4Kaniva Leeor United ........143.5 4Padthaway ............................118.7 4Kybybolite ............................117.0 4Penola ....................................... 0.0 4Keith ........................................85.4 0Mundulla ................................84.2 0Lucindale ................................69.7 0Border Districts ...................60.0 0Kingston .................................15.3 0This week – 21 April – Kybybolite v Padthaway, Penola v Keith, Border Dist v Mundulla, Border-town v Naracoorte, Kingston v Lucindale. Kaniva Leeor Utd – Bye.
KYABRAM AND DISTRICTNagambie .............................764.9 8Lancaster..............................313.4 8Violet Town .........................208.3 8Rushworth...........................194.6 8Avenel ...................................125.0 8Tallygaroopna ......................277.1 4Murchison ............................114.8 4Stanhope ..............................100.5 4Undera ...................................38.5 4Girgarre .................................68.0 0Merrigum ...............................43.7 0Longwood..............................16.8 0Ardmona .................................. 3.6 0This week – 21 April – Undera v Ardmona, Nagambie v Rushworth, Violet Town v Stanhope, Lancaster v Avenel, Tallygaroopna v Murchison, Merrigum v Longwood. Girgarre - Bye.
LODDON VALLEYPyramid Hill ........................516.0 4Calivil United ......................254.0 4Bridgewater.........................249.1 4BL/Serpentine .....................237.2 4Newbridge............................... 0.0 4Inglewood ..............................42.2 0YCW ......................................40.1 0Mitiamo ..................................39.4 0Marong ...................................19.4 0This week – 21 April – Bridgewater v Pyramid Hill, Marong v Mitiamo, Inglewood v YCW, Calivil United v Newbridge. BL/Serpentine – Bye.
MALLEEHopetoun ............................187.7 4Walpeup -Underbool .......126.1 4Jeparit-Rainbow ..................118.4 4Ouyen United......................... 0.0 4Woomelang Lascelles .........84.5 0Beulah .....................................79.3 0SeaLake Nandaly Tigers .....53.3 0This week – 21 April – SeaLake Nandaly Tigers v Jeparit-Rainbow, Woomelang Lascelles v Beulah, Ouyen United v Hopetoun. Walpeup-Underbool – Bye.
MID GIPPSLANDNewborough ......................905.0 4Yallourn Yallourn North ...167.6 4Trafalgar................................152.3 4Morwell East .......................118.2 4Hill End .................................103.2 4Mirboo North ......................96.9 0Yinnar .....................................84.6 0Boolarra .................................65.7 0Yarragon .................................59.6 0Thorpdale ..............................11.0 0This week – 21 April – Mirboo Nth v Morwell East, Trafalgar v Yarragon, Yinnar v Boolarra, Newborough v Hill End, Yall/Yall Nth v Thorpdale.
MILLEWAEuston ...................................162.5 4Cardross ..............................158.8 4Werrimul .............................105.4 4Bambill ....................................94.9 0Nangiloc .................................63.0 0Gol Gol Hawks ....................61.5 0This week – 21 April – Bambill v Nangiloc, Werrimull v Euston, Gol Gol v Cardross.
MININERA AND DISTRICTPenshurst .......................... 2161.5 4Glenthompson/Dunkeld ..517.2 4Tatyoon ................................337.3 4Ararat ...................................170.3 4SMW Rovers ......................153.9 4Moyston Willaura ..............127.7 4Hawkesdale Macarthur ......78.3 0Caramut .................................65.0 0Lismore Derinallum ............58.7 0 Wickliffe Lake Bolac ...........29.6 0Great Western .....................19.3 0Woorndoo Mortlake ............ 4.6 0This week – 21 April – Caramut v Moyston Willaura, Hawkesdale Macarthur v Glenthompson/Dunkeld, Great Western v Pens-hurst, Wickliffe Lake Bolac v SMW Rovers, Woorndoo v Ararat, Lismore v Tatyoon.
MPNFL – NEPEANDromana ..............................256.7 4Rye.........................................201.7 4Tyabb .....................................140.2 4Hastings ................................120.0 4Sorrento ...............................113.5 4Crib Point ............................101.0 4Red Hill ..................................99.0 0Somerville ..............................88.1 0Rosebud .................................83.3 0Devon Meadows..................71.3 0Frankston ...............................49.6 0Pearcedale .............................38.9 0This week – 21 April – Rosebud v Pearcedale, Somerville v Frankston, Rye v Tyabb, Crib Point v Hastings, Devon Meadows v Red Hill. Dromana, Sorrento - Bye.
MURRAYNathalia ................................411.6 8Congupna ............................282.7 8Mulwala ................................238.7 8Echuca United ....................140.8 8Numurkah ...........................142.4 4Barooga ................................110.0 4Deniliquin ..............................78.4 4Rumbalara ..............................73.9 4Finley .......................................97.1 0Cobram ..................................79.3 0Moama ....................................42.3 0Tongala....................................36.4 0Tocumwal ..............................30.4 0This week – 21 April – Echuca United v Congupna, Barooga v Rumbalara, Tocumwal v Deniliquin, Mulwala v Finley, Numurkah v Moama, Nathalia v Cobram.
NORTH CENTRALWedderburn .......................276.7 4Charlton ...............................139.2 4Donald ..................................138.5 4Birchip Watchem .................72.2 0Boort ......................................71.8 0St Arnaud ...............................36.1 0Wycheproof Narraport ....... 0.0 0This week – 21 April – Charlton v St Arnaud, Wedderburn v Birchip Watchem, Donald v Wycheproof Narraport. Boort - Bye.
NORTH GIPPSLANDRosedale...............................335.3 4TTU.......................................316.7 4Boisdale Briagolong ...........209.4 4Sale City ...............................174.3 4Cowwarr .............................104.9 4Churchill ................................95.3 0Glengarry ...............................57.4 0Gormandale ..........................47.7 0Woodside ..............................31.6 0Heyfield ..................................29.8 0This week – 21 April – Boisdale Briagolong v Sale City, TTU v Cow warr, Churchill v Rosedale, Heyfield v Gormandale, Glengarry v Woodside.
OMEO AND DISTRICTSwan Reach .........................212.3 4Lindenow South .................127.8 4Bruthen ................................107.5 4Omeo Benambra .................93.0 0Swifts Creek .........................78.2 0Buchan ....................................47.1 0This week – 21 April –Lindenow South v Bruthen, Omeo v Buchan, Swan Reach v Swifts Creek.
OVENS AND KINGWhorouly ............................460.4 8North Wangaratta .............268.8 8King Valley ............................237.8 8Milawa ...................................205.3 8Moyhu ...................................155.9 8
Tarrawingee .........................143.4 4Goorambat..........................106.5 4Tatong .....................................91.6 4Benalla All Blacks .................76.1 4Greta.......................................62.9 0Bonnie Doon ........................46.1 0Bright ......................................40.9 0Glenrowan.............................38.7 0Swanpool ...............................21.3 0This week – 21 April – Bonnie Doon v Tatong, King Valley v Goorambat, Glenrowan v Whorouly, Bright v Benalla All Blacks, Greta v North Wangaratta, Swanpool v Moyhu, Tarrawingee v Milawa.
OVENS AND MURRAYWangaratta Rovers ...........162.5 8Lavington ..............................157.6 6Yarrawonga ..........................115.3 6Myrtleford .............................96.6 4Albury .....................................94.7 4Wodonga Raiders ................90.2 4Wodonga ...............................83.2 4North Albury ........................78.5 4Wangaratta ............................93.5 0Corowa-Rutherglen ............70.3 0This week – 21 April – Nth Albury v Albury, Wangaratta v Laving ton, Wodonga v Wodonga Raiders, Yarrawonga v Wangaratta Rovers, Corowa-Rutherglen v Myrtleford.
PICOLA NORTH WESTBerrigan ............................. 3050.0 4Blighty ...................................335.9 4Jerilderie ...............................236.7 4Deniliquin Rovers ..............150.0 4Strathmerton ........................66.7 0Picola United ........................42.2 0Yarroweyah ...........................29.8 0Mathoura ................................. 3.3 0This week – 21 April – Berrigan v Jerilderie, Picola Utd v Denili-quinRovers, Strathmerton v Blighty, Yarroweyah v Mathoura.
SOUTH EASTRennie...................................185.1 4Shepparton East .................162.3 4Katunga ................................130.3 4Katandra ..............................125.8 4Tungamah ...............................79.5 0Katamatite .............................76.7 0Waaia ......................................61.6 0Dookie United .....................54.0 0This week – 21 April – Dookie United v Katandra, Katamatite v Waaia, Shepparton East v Rennie, Katunga v Tungamah.
SOUTH WEST DISTRICTCavendish ......................... 1306.2 4Heathmere ..........................209.5 4Westerns .............................140.8 4Sandford ................................... 0.0 4Dartmoor ..............................71.0 0Coleraine ...............................47.7 0Branxholme Wallacedale ..... 7.7 0Heywood ................................. 0.0 0Tyrendarra ............................... 0.0 0This week – 21 April – Coleraine v Cavendish, Tyrendarra v Sand-ford, Branxholme Wallacedale v Dart moor, Westerns v Heywood.
SUNRAYSIASouth Mildura .....................170.5 8Wentworth .........................146.9 4Irymple .................................144.0 4Merbein ................................139.8 4Mildura ...................................75.3 4Robinvale ...............................68.1 0Imperials .................................41.7 0Red Cliffs ...............................31.1 0This week – 21 April – Merbein v Red Cliffs, Wentworth v Imperials, Robinvale v South Mildura, Mildura v Irymple.
TALLANGATTA Thurgoona ...........................344.9 8Yackandandah .....................223.1 8Dederang Mt Beauty ........179.0 8Chiltern ................................160.7 8Barnawartha ........................176.6 4Kiewa Sandy Creek ..........126.6 4Mitta United........................104.2 4Wahgunyah ............................77.0 4Rutherglen .............................61.6 0Beechworth ..........................47.2 0Tallangatta Valley...................33.1 0Wodonga Saints ...................23.8 0This week – 21 April – Yackan-dandah v Rutherglen, Wahgunyah v Kiewa Sandy Creek, Thurgoona v Barnawartha, Chiltern v Tallangatta Valley, Dederang Mt Beauty v Mitta Utd, Wodonga Saints v Beechworth.
UPPER MURRAYCudgewa ..............................683.9 4Border Walwa ....................101.1 4Federal ....................................98.9 0Corryong ...............................14.6 0Bullioh ....................................... 0.0 0Tumbarumba ........................... 0.0 0This week – 21 April – Federal v Tumbarumba, Cudgewa v Border Walwa, Bullioh v Corryong.
WARRNAMBOOL AND DISTPanmure ...............................201.3 8Allansford ............................182.7 8Timboon Demons .............142.7 8Kolora-Noorat ...................128.6 8Old Collegians ....................162.4 4Merrivale ..............................115.9 4Nirranda.................................87.6 4Deakin University ................55.1 4South Rovers ........................83.2 0East Warrnambool ..............69.1 0Russells Creek......................61.7 0Dennington ...........................51.4 0This week – 21 April – Kolora-Noorat v Deakin University, Old Collegians v Timboon Demons, South Rovers v Nirranda, Den-ning ton v Allansford, Merrivale v Russells Creek, Panmure v East Warrnambool.
WESTERN BORDERPortland................................139.8 4North Gambier..................139.5 4East Gambier ......................130.0 4Hamilton ..............................124.0 4Casterton ..............................80.6 0
West Gambier......................76.9 0Millicent ..................................71.7 0South Gambier .....................71.5 0Hamilton Imperials ................ 0.0 0This week – 21 April – Portland v Hamilton Imps, North Gambier v East Gambier, Casterton v Millicent, West Gambier v South Gambier. Hamilton – Bye.
YARRA VALLEY MOUNTAINDIVISION 1Woori Yallock .....................230.4 4Gembrook Cockatoo ......169.1 4Olinda Ferny Creek ..........147.2 4Emerald ................................102.2 4Wandin .................................101.0 4Mount Evelyn ........................99.0 0Warburton Millgrove .........97.8 0Monbulk .................................67.9 0Upwey Tecoma .....................59.1 0Healesville ..............................43.4 0This week – 21 April – Warburton Millgrove v Mt Evelyn, Gembrook C’too v Emerald, Upwey Tecoma v Olinda Ferny Creek, Healesville v Wandin, Monbulk v Woori Yallock.
DIVISION 2Seville ....................................157.7 4Belgrave ................................154.0 4Alexandra ............................140.7 4Yarra Junction .....................115.2 4Powelltown ...........................86.8 0Yea ...........................................71.0 0Yarra Glen .............................64.9 0Kinglake ..................................63.4 0This week – 21 April – Yarra Glen v Yarra Junction, Kinglake v Belgrave, Alexandra v Seville, Powelltown v Yea.
NSWSYDNEY AFL PREMIER DIVISIONBalmain Dockers ...............319.3 8UNSW/Eastern Suburbs..296.1 8St George ............................213.3 8Illawara .................................169.6 8Pennant Hills .......................100.0 4UTS .........................................87.2 4Sydney Hills Eagles ..............61.4 4North Shore .........................76.1 0Western Suburbs.................76.1 0Campbelltown ......................44.3 0Sydney University ................32.6 0This week – 21 April – UNSW/Eastern Suburbs v Balmain Dockers, UTS v Sydney Hills, Illawara v St George, North Shore v Campbelltown. Western Suburbs, Sydney Uni, Pennant Hills – Bye.
DIVISION 1Southern Power .................569.2 8UTS .......................................270.9 8Manly-Warringah ...............259.6 8Sydney Hills Eagles ............145.9 4UNSW/ES ..............................96.8 4Macquarie University ..........52.4 4Pennant Hills .........................44.4 4North Shore .........................98.3 0Penrith ....................................98.2 0Holroyd Parramatta ............34.8 0Western Suburbs.................18.3 0This week – 21 April – North Shore v Macquarie Uni, UNSW/ES v Penrith, Southern Power v Manly-Warringah, UTS v Sydney Hills. Holroyd Parramatta, Western Suburbs, Pennant Hills – Bye.
HUME Henty ....................................472.0 8Osborne...............................353.5 8Howlong ..............................164.0 8Lockhart ...............................107.3 8RW Tigers ............................205.6 4Culcairn ................................127.9 4BB Saints ..............................112.0 4CDHBU .................................81.8 4Walla .......................................52.0 4Murray Magpies ....................23.1 4Holbrook ...............................76.5 0Billabong Crows ..................55.6 0Jindera .....................................41.5 0This week – 21 April – CDHBU v RW Tigers, Walla v Murray Magpies, Billabong Crows v Osborne, Lockhart v BB Saints, Howlong v Culcairn, Henty v Holbrook. Jindera – Bye.
NEAFL EASTERN CONFERENCEQueanbeyan ........................181.2 12Eastlake.................................118.3 8Hills Eagles ...........................101.2 8Ainslie .....................................90.7 8Belconnen ..............................99.4 6Sydney Swans .....................123.3 4Sydney Uni ............................84.8 4Tuggeranong ..........................60.8 2UWS Giants ..........................44.2 0This week – 21 April – Sydney Swans v Tuggeranong, Hills Eagles v Belconnen, UWS Giants v Quean-beyan. East Lake, Sydney Uni, Ainslie – Bye.
NORTHERN CONFERENCEGold Coast Suns ...............177.5 12Brisbane Lions ....................145.4 12Labrador ..............................129.7 12Southport ............................116.3 12Redland ................................108.6 10NT Thunder ........................122.2 8Aspley ...................................104.4 8Broadbeach ...........................86.6 6Mt Gravatt .............................62.1 0Morningside ..........................60.3 0This week – 21 April – Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast, Redland v NT Thunder, Morningside v Labrador.
SOUTH AUSTRALIASANFLNorwood ...............................66.3 6Glenelg ...................................62.0 6Sturt ........................................52.6 6West Adelaide ......................52.3 4Central District....................50.9 2Port Adelaide Magpies .......50.7 2Panthers .................................44.8 2North Adelaide ....................44.3 2Eagles ......................................31.9 0This week – 21 April – Glenelg v Panthers, North Adelaide v Eagles, Sturt v West Adelaide, Port Adelaide Magpies v Central District. Norwood – Bye
Auswide
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
By PHIL McLEOD
During his distinguished 152-game AFL ca-reer with Adelaide, Ken McGregor fronted the media many times and, like so many other players, trotted out many of the meaningless cliches that so annoy sports journalists.
But now the boot is on the other foot as the former Crows defender is a member of the Canberra press gallery as a political reporter for the Adelaide Advertiser.
He’s had to throw out the book of football cliches and study the book of political cliches.
“I have always enjoyed writing and knowing what was happening in the world,” McGregor said.
“Journalism was attractive to me because you get really in-depth with the subjects of the stories and you get to know why something is happening and not just what is happening.”
Having played at the elite level for 10 years, it seemed likely that as a journalist McGregor would have chosen football and sport as his specialist field, but he said there would be a definite “conflict of interest” in reporting on his former teammates.
He instead started doing the police and court rounds before moving to Canberra.
“I was good friends with 90 per cent of the Crows list and to report on them wouldn’t be fair,” he said.
“I find it a lot easier now that I can see from both sides of the fence.
“I was always friends with the sports journalists even though they sometimes had to write negatively about me.
“The majority of the players do not take offence when they are belted in the media.
“It is just when the facts are wrong that players get upset.”
McGregor goes from being a storyline to writing them
After the bake, Gary (Ablett) went out that year (2007) and he trained hard, he went hard in the gym, he did everything hard and he turned into one of the greatest footballers. – Cameron Mooney on Saturday Football
McGREGOR: Get the facts right!
Auswide38
By ADAM CUMMINGS
History and tradition are important facets of any sporting club, the pride they evoke often helping to shape the culture.
It is something new clubs are envious of as they strive to establish their own identity.
Unfortunately, circumstances can arise and, for a variety of reasons, history and tradition can fall by the wayside.
This was certainly the case for Currie, which is one of three teams that make up the King Island Association.
It’s a situation that is easy to understand when you take into account the effort required to even put a team on the ground.
“Population decline on the island has meant that all three clubs have had trouble at various times in fielding full sides,” said Currie president Andrew Philbey.
“It’s a credit to the volunteers and the King Island Association that we have
been able to continue to field three senior sides with a population of about 1500.
“This month we managed to pick up three recruits from Victoria and had one local return to the fold, but unfortunately we are still short of players.
“We are hopeful that a few young locals will step up to the plate again. Failing that several under-16 players will be making senior debuts this season,” he said.
“There is fierce competition to sign up recruits when they arrive on the island.”
Remarkably, the “Robins” have a rich history that stretches back more than 100 years, but like many clubs it had been left buried in the past.
“Unfortunately a lot of the club’s history had been lost or forgotten until background research was done leading up to the centenary celebrations,” Philbey said.
“It has been a determined effort since 2008 to restore some of that history and
to reconnect with tradition.”While doing so the club uncovered
the extraordinary contribution made by the Morrison family, specifically Ern and Walter Morrison.
The brothers have a record that would sit comfortably alongside the likes of AFL legends such as Michael Tuck or Dustin Fletcher.
Ern, who is often referred to as the “founding father of King Island football”, began playing in 1904 at the age of 26 and finally retired in 1930 at 52 after winning 11 premierships, the majority as captain.
Walter also began in 1904 at the age of 19. He retired in 1933 at 48 and played in 13 premiership teams.
But it wasn’t just on the field that they contributed.
“In 1922 Ern began his role as president of the club, in which capacity he was to serve for the next 27 years,” Philbey said.
“In 1949 he finally said enough and stepped back to the role of senior vice-president.”
This family tradition has continued with various Morrisons lining up for King Island over the years and/or assisting the club off the field in coaching, secretarial and presidential roles.
As a result the club decided to name an award in their honour – The Morrison Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Currie Football Club.
With football being such an important part of life on King Island, the club is determined to forge ahead despite the obstacles it faces.
“This year the club has adopted the AFL’s Quality Club Program and as part of that process three coaches were sent to Victoria to undertake level one coaching accreditation,” Philbey said.
“We now only have one step remaining before becoming an accredited club.
“This has been a more difficult task than normal because of our isolation and the associated expenses of flying participants to the mainland or trainers to the island.”
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
Who am I?
1 PT: Which three players were this week offered one week bans by the MRP?2 PTS: Melbourne last week announced which travel company as a major sponsor?3 PTS: When was the last time Carlton started the season 3-0?4 PTS: Luke Davis is a youngster on which Victorian club’s list?5 PTS: Which Gold Coast young-ster last week re-signed until the end of 2014?6 PTS: Name the two Saints who last week re-signed with the club.7 PTS: Who does Adam Goodes share the Swans’ club record number of matches of 303 with?8 PTS: Which WAFL club was St Kilda’s Clint Jones drafted from?9 PTS: How much was Carlton’s Marc Murphy fined for his one-fingered salute towards the Collingwood cheer squad (and how many wealthy supporters do you expect to offer to pay it)?10 PTS: Who were the three Essendon players who celebrated milestones in Saturday night’s win over Gold Coast?
WHO AM I?5 POINTS: Recruited from Claremont, I played 166 games and kicked 111 goals.4 POINTS: I instantly gained a reputation as one of the most prolific possession-winners in the league.3 POINTS: I crossed from Collingwood to Richmond at the end of 1983 and finished second in the Tigers Best and fairest in 1984.2 POINTS: I returned home in 1987 to be a member of the West Coast Eagles’ inaugural VFL season.1 POINT: I retired at the end of 1990 and began a career in sports physiotherapy.
‘Heat’ is on as Cougars aim to escape mid-table malaise
ANSWERS: 1. Adam Goodes, Jack Grimes, Brian Lake. 2. Webjet. 3. 1995. 4. Essendon. 5. David Swallow. 6. Sam Fisher, Ben McEvoy. 7. Michael O’Loughlin. 8. South Fremantle. 9. $900, all of them. 10. Dustin Fletcher (350 games), Michael Hurley (50 games), Tayte Pears (50 games). Who Am I? John Annear.
By PHIL McLEOD
The saying that some people achieve mediocrity and some people have mediocrity thrust upon them has been the message new Northcote Park coach Jason Heatley has been drumming into his players during the pre-season.
The once-powerful Cougars have come frustratingly close to playing in the Northern League Division 1 finals over the past four years, finishing sixth on each occasion.
Heatley, who played 63 games with West Coast and St Kilda, said he wasn’t prepared to see the club settle for middle of the road.
“We’ve had a high turnover on our list, so ultimately with a new coach comes change,” he said. “I haven’t got a problem with that.
“We needed to address some scenarios so that we could take the club forward, otherwise we could feel comfortable finishing sixth again.
“They have been thereabouts (for finals) for a while. Northcote Park was a powerhouse in the late 1990s and early 2000s,” Heatley said.
“They won four premierships in a row, but once that group disbanded they went in a different direction.
“We’ve got some fantastic young kids coming through and they are the ones we are going to put our future on. It’s about bolstering what we’ve got.
“As a footy club we are looking at taking it one step further and being part of the finals in some way, shape or form, but our main focus is looking for improvement from the group.”
Heatley made the most of his own talent, kicking 171 goals in his AFL
career, and said the same persistence and hard work that had brought him success back then would be applied in his coaching.
“It’s about the group getting better and being more accountable for their actions, and putting things in place to go from sixth to challenge for the finals,” he said.
“We want to provide a place and environment that is enjoyable and that the guys know that they are going to get opportunities for their persistence and training habits.
“I learnt that you don’t take anything for granted, and that a footy club environment can be ultra-competitive.
“You’ve got not only your teammates jumping down your throat to get
Currie again hot for its history and tradition
HEATLEY: Take nothing for granted.
your spot, but you’ve collectively got other guys in other clubs who want to improve and get better.
“The main thing I took away from the AFL was persistence because at the end of the day it was hard work for me to be an AFL player.
“And I’d like to think that with persistence these guys will get their rewards.”
Heatley has recently returned from coaching Subiaco in the WAFL.
He also previously had a player-coach stint at North Heidelberg, where he kicked 110 goals in a season, and coached at the Tassie Devils, Warrnambool and Wantirna South.
His new-look young Cougars were put under the spotlight last Saturday evening in their season opener against Whittlesea, a match played under the newly installed lights at Bill Lawry Oval. Northcote Park prevailed by 20 points.
OUCH! Hostilities resumed in the Adelaide Plains League with 2011 grand final opponents Balaklava and Virginia starting the season in a clash at the Peckers’ home ground. This spoil by Virginia’s Lewis Bannear missed its target (the ball) as Max Doherty takes the mark and a hit. Picture: PETER ARGENT
InsIde Football Wednesday, april 18, 2012
In case you haven’t worked it out yet, this page is entirely make believe. We’re not even sure who makes up this waffle although we’ve narrowed it down to Rhys Muldoon, Mick Ellis and some mystery insider (who Mr Holmesby wishes known is definitely NOT him).
“Colleagues, family and friends have been expressing significant concern for the well-being of former Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse after he was spotted being publically happy over the weekend.
The first sign of concern was spotted by neighbours as Malthouse he took a walk on Saturday morning after Carlton had defeated Collingwood by 60 points.
It is understood the renowned curmudgeon laughed uproariously as he walked back from the local newsagent while scanning the head-lines, even stopping passers-by to point at something amusing on the front page of his newspaper.
Another worrying sign came on Sunday as he walked to the MCG to commentate on the Hawthorn vs Adelaide match for radio station 3AW.
An MCG gate attendant reported the unusual behavior to his superiors.
“I work outside the media box and normally Mick
In a shock to the AFL, the Western Bulldogs and the Melbourne Demons have demanded their Round 4 fixture be moved to Friday Night “Blockbuster” status.
Currently the two powerhouse teams are facing each other on Sunday afternoon.
“Not good enough,” say both clubs, “We have earned the right to a Friday Night game.
“All eyes will be on our two clubs. This is a massive game for both of us, and if the AFL is to continue as the pre-eminent code in this country, it must be more nimble in broadcasting those fixtures.
“While our game will be fascinating on its own terms, we’d like to bring in a couple of innovations of our own, Twitter for example.
“We could have live tweets by fans scrolling beneath the game.
“Another interesting idea we came up with: we could cross to Mick Malthouse’s phone regularly, to see if he receives any messages during the game. Who wouldn’t take a keen interest in that?
“We think we can pull AT LEAST 12,000 to the game. Imagine what we could get on TV! Or the internet! That’s worldwide. Dogs fans all over the world could tune in. Demons supporters could tune in wherever they are, the snow OR the Riviera.”
The St Kilda Football Club, the Dockers Football Club, all major television networks (incl. Ch.31), Andrew Demetriou and the AFL, were all unavailable for com-ment.
THEY SPUNIT!
““
““
WHAT HE SAID:
No!– BRAD SEWELL, ASKED IF THE CATS HAD A PSYCHOLOGICAL
HOLD OVER THE HAWKS
What we reckon he meant:It’s more of a Polish hammer double-axehandle-to-the-chest with cobra clutch while coming-off-the-turnbuckle to land a fly-ing armbar and chinlock – one of those kind of holds.
WHAT HE SAID:
Not sure yet. I will go out there and do what I normally do and give my bit for the team.
– NATHAN BOCK ON WHAT POSITION HE WOULD PLAY IN HIS RETURN FROM SUSPENSION FOR
‘LEAKING’ BETTING INFORMATION
What we reckon he meant:Ha ha, funny question.
WHAT HE SAID:
It’s very offensive. We are only 40-odd kilometres from the cen-tre of Sydney ... their eyes will be open when they come here and see the facilities and what else is around the place.
– BLACKTOWN MAYOR ALAN PENDLETON ON NIC NAITANUI’S COMMENT THAT GWS PLAYED ‘IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE’
What we reckon Nic meant:Show us the surf beach, Al, and we might start listening.
WHAT HE SAID:
We might have won the contested ball against Gold Coast [in the NAB Cup], but that’s about it. I guarantee you that we’ll spend a lot of time on making sure that if there are issues we remedy them quickly.
– CHRIS SCOTT ON THE CATS’ CONTESTED BALL ISSUES
What we reckon he meant:We can’t play Hawthorn every week, can we?
WHAT HE SAID:
We tried a few different people in the middle and we put a couple of young guys forward and put some bigger bodies in the middle, so there were responses but the result was exactly the same.
– DEES COACH MARK NEELD
What we reckon he meant:We ain’t got the cattle.
WHAT HE SAID:
We have seen that with St Kilda, (Nick) Riewoldt was really struggling early in Scott Watters’ plan and he is now starting to realise he is only one of the forward line. We are seeing with Brendan McCartney – I thought for two weeks they (the Bulldogs) were fantastic, yesterday they were ordinary. We are seeing with (Brenton) Sanderson, who has changed it (at Adelaide) and we are seeing it with Nathan.
– MICK MALTHOUSE ANALYSES COLLINGWOOD’S DEFEAT ON 3AW
What we reckon he meant:Could be a long winter of special comments, listeners.
WHAT HE SAID:
There are lots of tricks and tactics and three-card tricks and those types of things that you can try.
– MARK NEELD ON REBUILDING THE DEES
What we reckon he meant:So if anybody knows any, if they could just drop me a quick email ...
barges through, refuses to make eye contact and grunts in my gen-eral direction,” the attendant said.
“So I was a bit taken aback when I saw him whistling Don’t Worry, Be Happy and say hello to me. His face contorted in a strange way that made his cheeks slightly rise. I guess it was a smile but then he tipped me $50 and told me to go buy something nice for my grandkids.”
Contacted by the Back pocket, Malthouse denied any radical transformation in his demeanour and said that mentally he was doing fine.
“I was just happy to see a great game of football and an exciting young football team like Carlton step up the way they did,” Malthouse said.
Shortly afterwards, Malthouse’s 3AW radio col-leagues were reassured he was OK when he respond-ed to a question about Eddie McGuire and Nathan Buckley with a death stare.
PRESS RELEASES YOU WON’T READ...probably
No really, Mick’s fine – no problem
Dogs, Dees demand Friday night lights
