Swans fly into 'enemy' territory

Swans captain Jarrad McVeigh is greeted by a giant Saints poster as they walk through Wellington airport. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph

THE giant billboard in the arrivals lounge at Wellington airport makes it clear to the Sydney Swans they've arrived in enemy territory for their historic Anzac Day clash with St Kilda on Thursday.

It's the first time in the game's 116-year history that four competition points are up for grabs outside Australia.

As part of the AFL's expansion plans Wellington will be "Saints territory" with St Kilda hosting three Anzac Day games in Wellington over the next three seasons.

Swans coach John Longmire said the significance of the match was not lost on his playing group.

"It's good to be part of history, not only to be part of the first game internationally for four points but also to be playing on Anzac Day. It's a wonderful tradition that this county and New Zealand share so closely," he said.

"It was certainly unique this morning when I had to take my passport for a game of football, I've never done that before for four points."

While they have never played football here, the Swans are well aware of windy Wellington's reputation for bad weather.

"We've packed the Ugg boots and the jackets and we'll see how cold it gets," Longmire said.

A small group of Swans fans welcomed the reigning premiers at the airport. A crowd of 20,000-plus is expected at Westpac Stadium - 30 of whom will be relatives of Swans defender Heath Grundy, whose mother, Lynn, was born in New Zealand.

The Swans arrived a day earlier than the Saints, who are the home side for the match, and are hoping the extra time will help their preparation.

"We try to replicate what we do when we go to Perth. We tend to have our main training session in Perth two days before the game and that's what we're trying to do going to New Zealand. It allows us to get used to the time difference," Longmire said.

"We play at 11 different days and time slots throughout the year so you just get used to it."

The Swans will be without versatile big man Lewis Roberts-Thomson, who will miss 3-4 weeks after injuring his knee against Geelong. He will have arthroscopic surgery this week.

"Structurally, as we thought after the game, it's sound but there may be a bit of floating cartilage," Longmire said.

"Hopefully he'll be back in a few weeks."

Sydney will be without three grand final players who regularly play in defence. Alex Johnson is out for the season with a knee injury and Rhyce Shaw is still sidelined with an abdominal injury.

"It happened to Hawthorn on the weekend, they lost another really good player (Ryan Schoenmakers)," Longmire said.

"Those things happen in football and you just have to make sure you've got the players to come in.

"You get on with it, that's just what you do. We've seen Dane Rampecome into the team so he'll get an opportunity to play and Tony Armstrong is playing a bit more."
 

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False dawn for sinking Suns, Lions

SEARCHING FOR CLUES: Coach Michael Voss during the Lions' big loss to the Kangaroos in Melbourne on Sunday. Source: Getty Images

QUEENSLAND football's senior statesman Graeme Downie has raised concerns over the health of the game as the state's underperforming sides struggle to attract the public's interest.

Downie, chairman during the Brisbane Lions' era of premierships and later the mastermind behind the formation of the Gold Coast Suns, says the "buzz" has gone out of the game in Queensland.

Poor performances last weekend have put the blowtorch on Lions coach Michael Voss, who will coach for his career against Melbourne at the Gabba on Sunday.

And the heat will also go directly on to Suns coach Guy McKenna if Gold Coast lose to GWS in Canberra. "Both teams have been disappointing," Downie said.

"It is not so much where they are on the ladder - it is the way they are playing. Last weekend was a bad weekend for Queensland footy.

"The buzz has gone out of it to some extent. The Lions have been struggling for too many years now and they have lost a lot of support."

The code's showpiece in Queensland, the round 3 Q Clash, attracted a meagre crowd of 12,961 and a national audience of 83,500 viewers on the 7Mate digital channel.

But the AFL insists the code is in great shape in the north, saying participation numbers across the state have increased by nearly 10 per cent in the past two years.

LAND OF LONG DARK CLOUD: The Suns, led by skipper Gary Ablett, trudge from Metricon Stadium on Saturday.

They also argue the Lions and Suns are returning solid figures for 7Mate.

"AFL football is going from strength-to-strength in Queensland," corporate affairs manager James Tonkin said. "The recent Q Clash crowd was on target for more than 18,000 people, but the sustained wet weather unfortunately had a negative impact. Overall, we are very satisfied with AFL crowds and TV (both Foxtel and 7Mate) audiences in the state."

Downie, however, argues the game has been downgraded by the shift to 7Mate. "When it was on the main channel, it had importance, it was relevant," he said. "Now it is like the game has no respect. The TV networks are treating the local teams here as pretty unimportant."

Downie also has major concerns about crowd levels at Metricon Stadium and the Gabba. The Suns' best crowd of the year was in round 1 when 13,832 turned up to watch them beat the Saints. Saturday night's home game against Port Adelaide attracted just 11,332.

The Lions have also had a slow start. Their round 2 clash against Adelaide, a top-four side from last year, attracted just 21,038. Coming off the back of a strong finish to 2012 and a NAB Cup win, it was a letdown.

The corresponding fixture last season against Carlton drew 25,913.

Downie said it was an alarming trend. "Given the maturity of the game here in Queensland now and the quality of our stadiums, the crowds are a real worry," he said.

"The Suns are different, we knew it was going to take time for them to develop but we thought people understood that."

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Ball eases back in VFL

Collingwood midfielder Luke Ball is set to resume playing football in the VFL this weekend. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD'S Luke Ball will return to football in the VFL on Friday more than 12 months after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament against Carlton in Round 3 last year.

Ball had a full reconstruction and was set to return for Round 1, but suffered hamstring soreness after a piece of it was removed and used as a graft in his damaged knee.

The Magpies were forced to reduce Ball's training workload so he could overcome tenderness in the hamstring, but he's set to play Bendigo Gold at Queen Elizabeth Oval on Friday night.

Tomorrow's training session will be Collingwood's only one for the week as the team prepares for Thursday's Anzac Day clash with Essendon at the MCG.

Club footballer manager Geoff Walsh said yesterday the availability of players would become clearer after the light session.

He said he expected ruckman Darren Jolly, who has been sidelined for two games with a rib injury, to be available.

Veteran midfielder Ben Johnson, who was ruled out of the weekend clash with Richmond because of a calf injury, is a chance to return.

Nathan Brown, who suffered a groin injury against the Tigers, and Tyson Goldsack, who withdrew from the game because of a calf complaint, must prove their fitness at tomorrow's session.

"They will be tested on the track for their fitness," Walsh said.

"We won't know about a lot of the players until we have the one session on the track, but we are thinking that Jolly will play.

"We think Goldy will be right because he didn't miss by too much on Saturday with some calf soreness."

Small forwards Andrew Krakouer and Alan Didak have been playing the VFL because of interrupted pre-seasons and it will be up to coach Nathan Buckley and his match committee to decide whether they have earned a recall.

Walsh said captain Nick Maxwell would probably be out for another two to three weeks with a broken wrist.

Dayne Beams (quad) and former Hawthorn player Clinton Young (hamstring) are also about two or three weeks away from resuming.

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Worst night of my life: Patton

Injured GWS youngster Jonathon Patton at the MCG. Picture: Mark Dadswell Source: The Daily Telegraph

GIANTS No.1 draft pick Jonathon Patton has described the tears and heartache he felt after learning his season was over.

Speaking for the first time since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, Patton revealed the devastation he felt.

"It was the worst night of my life," Patton told The Daily Telegraph.

"I thought it was my ankle and I didn't think it would be anything serious, then they told me it could be the ACL and it was shattering. I started crying just at the thought it could be my ACL then the scans confirmed it.

"A few of the boys were very emotional, Steve Coniglio is one of my best mates, he was very upset."

Patton played just seven games last year after missing most of the pre-season and the start of 2012 with patella tendonitis in his left leg (the ACL rupture is in his right knee).

He travelled to wintery northern Sweden in March last year for surgery, which was a success.

With a full pre-season under the belt the 20-year-old looked set for a big year starting the season with three goals against the defending premiers in round one.

Patton has had great support from his teammates and coaches but has been surprised by the generosity of opposition players and coaches.

Justin Leppitsch, a three-time Brisbane premiership player and now assistant coach at Richmond, has reached out to Patton, along with Fremantle midfielder Anthony Morabito and Hawthorn's Alex Woodward who both suffered the same season-ending injury during the pre-season.

"Justin gave me a call, he did his ACL when he was 17 and to this day he hasn't had any problems," Patton said.

"Anthony Morabito sent me some texts that was really good of him.

"My good mate from Hawthorn, Alex Woodward, had his done again and I spoke to him. People from outside the club and from other clubs talking to me makes me feel a lot better and it's not the worst thing that can happen."

After surgery this week Patton is considering visiting his brother Chris, who plays division one for Riverside University in California.

"He was really disappointed for me, he wants to do so much for me but he can't because he's in America," Patton said.

"He said so many good players come back from this and have good careers."

Patton will start running in three to four months and expects to be able to complete a full pre-season and to be ready for round one in 2014.
 

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What you missed on TV last night

Stephen Milne looks set to miss St Kilda's historic Anzac Day clash against Sydney after being charged for misconduct by the AFL match review panel

Behind-the-scenes footage of Majak Daw receiving his North Melbourne jumper in the rooms before his AFL debut.

Shane Crawford is in Hawaii but he's still thinking about SuperCoach - and Travis Cloke.

Was Dane Swan offered to the Giants? Source: Getty Images

DID you miss last night's AFL television shows? Rewind and catch up on all the hot topics and big issues discussed.

AFL 360

* MELBOURNE topped the agenda, and it wasn't for all the right reasons despite its breakthrough win. Gerard Whateley said "winning can't be a special event" at the Dees. "Teams that just win all the time because it's expected. They've got to grow out of this, it's been going on too long."

* MARK Robinson and Whateley agree Majak Daw's dazzling first minute was heart-warming.

Behind-the-scenes footage of Majak Daw receiving his North Melbourne jumper in the rooms before his AFL debut.

* Both agree West Coast is in big trouble. The Eagles are at 1-3 with an injury crisis. "They're in a hole. When they get them all back (from injury) it'll be a different scenario. The problem is what damage will be done by then?" Robbo asked. He says he doesn't see the same hunger as from the top sides.
* WHATELEY says Stephen Milne is very lucky and should have been given two weeks for misconduct. "There will be no challenging that."

* ROBBO says "that's rubbish from Milne. He should be ashamed. You don't grab someone's face."

Stephen Milne looks set to miss St Kilda's historic Anzac Day clash against Sydney after being charged for misconduct by the AFL match review panel

* BOTH agree Neville Jetta's high bump Lachie Whitfield was a cheap shot. Robbo says Steve Morris's hit on Jamie Elliott was an accident.

* ROBBO says they should find people from a lot more clubs to replicate "Channel Ed" - Pies president Eddie McGuire's one-eyed call of the Collingwood-Richmond game.

Eddie McGuire and his all-Collingwood commentary team get fired up as the Magpies come from behind to beat Richmond.

* RODNEY Eade and Mark Thompson joined the show ahead of Thursday's Collingwood-Essendon Anzac Day blockbuster.

* EADE says star ruckman Darren Jolly is fit and up for selection against the Dons. Thompson says Michael Hurley won't play, but it was a "good (ankle) ligament to hurt if there was one to hurt." He's in the mix for Round 6.

* ROCKET says Brendon Goddard's tears show he wants to be remembered a St Kilda player, not just an Essendon player, when he retires. Bomber says the tears were great and he obviously still has a lot of mates there.

* BOTH laud Joel Selwood. Bomber says Friday night against the Swans was the best he's seen Selwood play. Rocket praises his disposal under pressure.

Geelong skipper Joel Selwood was the standout leading the Cats to victory. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph

* BOMBER says Mitch Duncan, Allen Christensen and Steve Motlop have stepped up. Rocket says with six of their last 10 games at home, the Cats are looking ominous.

ON THE COUCH

* THE AGENDA is headlined by the Eagles' horrible start to the year. Mike Sheahan says the dynamic has changed with Nic Naitanui sidelined with injury. "If he's 4-5 (weeks) away with a groin injury it'll be midseason until we see him and that's a real concern." Robert Walls says Nic Nat is West Coast's most important player.

* WALLS says Mick Malthouse dominated terms against John Worsfold on Saturday night and that Woosha didn't react.

Carlton's Kade Simpson celebrates the win over West Coast. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

* THE panel discuss how Port Adelaide is a big chance to knock off the Eagles this week.

* GERARD Healy says the Lions "didn't get off the bus" against North Melbourne. "If they don't see improvement he's (coach Michael Voss) going to be under the microscope. That game was done and dusted by quarter time."

* THE panel agree despite Essendon being perennial fast starters of late, its 2013 side looks much more formidable.

* WALLS says new Magpie Quinten Lynch has been the recruit of the year. Sheahan agrees and says Travis Cloke is the most valuable player in the competition at his best.

* TRENT Cotchin was the special guest. He said the Tigers' training was sub-standard last week.

* COTCHIN also says Alex Rance put his hand up for the role on Cloke. Read more on what Cotchin had to say HERE

* MIKE Sheahan says St Kilda is in massive trouble. "They've got no hope in New Zealand." The panel agrees it's too late for the Saints to trade out their older stars, given their currency has rapidly diminished.

* HEALY says it's time GWS and Gold Coast got competitive. Read how they should do so HERE

OPEN MIKE WITH BARRY HALL

* HALL admits he should have been suspended and missed the club's 2005 flag after deliberately hitting St Kilda defender Matt Maguire behind play.

* ASKED how he would have judged the incident if he was on the tribunal, he replied: "I probably would have said 'guilty, you are not playing'."

* HALL said his relationship with former coach Paul Roos wasn't great.  Roos seemed to deliberate snub Hall after he hit Ben Rutten, ending his Swans playing days, Hall said. "I ended up walking away from the club bitter."

Barry Hall with the 2005 premiership cup. Source: Herald Sun

FOOTY CLASSIFIED

* GARRY Lyon says after the Stephen Dank link to Melbourne you do "lose a little bit of faith". He says that as a supporter, he just wants answers.

* CAROLINE Wilson says the Dees probably panicked by not coming forward to the AFL over their Dank links.

* THE panel discuss why clubs do not employ full-time doctors, and the role and power of doctors within clubs.

* ARE the Western Bulldogs escaping without public scrutiny? A graphic is shown comparing the Dogs under Brendan McCartney to the Dees under Mark Neeld, with the on-field results similar.

* WILSON flagged a rumour that Collingwood president Eddie McGuire had "casually offered" Brownlow Medallist Dane Swan to the Giants last year.

Mr 200. Dane Swan on the charge in his 200th AFL game against Richmond. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

* MATTHEW Lloyd says Harry Taylor, a West Australian,  is the best key defender in the game and should demand huge interest from rival clubs. "He's the best tall back in the competition and capable of kicking 50-plus goals as a forward."

* Lloyd says the biggest 18 weeks of Brian Lake's career is coming up, with Ryan Schoenmakers sidelined with a knee injury. "We're going to find out a lot about him and it starts this week against Drew Petrie."
 

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Tigers must tackle major flaw

Richmond's Dustin Martin gets away a handball while being tackled by a Collingwood opponent. Source: Getty Images

THEY are exciting to watch with the ball in hand, but Richmond players must address a defensive flaw before Friday night's clash with Fremantle.

Richmond was cut open by Collingwood in a third-quarter burst on Saturday, conceding eight goals and kicking just two.

The Tigers hardly laid a hand on the Pies' ball-winners in that time, making only four tackles as the Collingwood onballers smashed their opponents and the Magpies runners spread quickly from contests.

Coach Damien Hardwick conceded it was a "poor" number.

But Richmond is not a big-tackling team.

While the Tigers were ranked No.1 for creating turnovers in the forward half last year according to Champion Data, their overall tackle count has sunk to dead last this season.

They have 164 tackles from four games. West Coast leads the competition on 280.

While the numbers might be cause for alarm, it continues the trend for the Tigers, who have not finished higher than 11th in tackle differential since 2000.

Hardwick said his players were unable to lock down on the Pies in the third term onslaught, something they can ill-afford if the Dockers get a run-on at home.

"The situation was Collingwood was winning the ball, running hard forward and we just couldn't at any stage stop that momentum," Hardwick said.

"It was probably the first time we've had seven or eight (unanswered) goals kicked against us for a fair period of time."

Robin Nahas, who won 17 possessions in a half in the VFL, is pressing for senior selection, as are Brad Helbig (27 disposals) and Aaron Edwards (five goals).

Jake King is in doubt with a corked leg, while midfielder Shane Tuck, who has three tackles for the year, may make way.

Analyst David King said he "wasn't overly concerned" by the tackle numbers.

The former Richmond assistant coach likened the Tigers' defensive set-up to Hawthorn, which ranked ninth for tackles in its 20008 premiership campaign.

"It doesn't meant they are not pressuring at all, tackles aren't the be all and end all," King said.

"I don't think there is a lot wrong. They just had a shocking 15 minutes.

"Their first and second quarters were very good.

"Realistically, in the past Richmond would have lost that game by 70 points but they found a way to fight their way back in and they were still a fluky chance (to win) with 15 minutes to go."

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Midfield key to Anzac Day clash

Bombers captain Jobe Watson escapes the clutches of St Kilda's Dylan Roberton. Source: Getty Images

ESSENDON captain Jobe Watson says the Bombers are now better placed to contend with Collingwood's powerful midfield in the Anzac Day blockbuster.

The Bombers, who will be without bookends Michael Hurley and Dustin Fletcher on Thursday but could regain forward Stewart Crameri, have not beaten Collingwood in their past seven meetings and not won on Anzac Day since 2009.

Brownlow medallist Dane Swan has led the Magpies' midfield dominance against the Bombers, gathering 42, 42, and 45 touches from their past three clashes, while vice- captain Scott Pendlebury has averaged 32 possessions.

"The opportunity for our midfield is to be able to be competitive with them and then turn the game into a real scrap, which is what Anzac Day seems to be," Watson said.

"I think the Collingwood midfield for me is the best in the league so it's an enormous opportunity for us to challenge a team that's a great side.

"I think that we're in a better place to do so with the added depth that we've got through Hep (Dyson Heppell) being through there and BJ (Brendon Goddard) as well.

"Heath's (tagger Heath Hocking) been in good form for us . . . but I think it's the responsibility of all the midfielders to negate one guy having a huge day.

"If our pressure's good and the tackling and contested ball is high, then it gives us an opportunity to play the game in our forward 50 and hopefully minimise the effect those guys can have."

The Bombers won eight of their first nine matches last season before falling in a hole -- caused largely by a spate of soft-tissue injuries.

But Watson said his side was better prepared to sustain its form this season.

"There's no fear that we'll fall off," Watson said.

"To maintain it we stay true to what we believe in and what works well for us. We maintain the standards that we've set so far and we keep striving to get them higher but we don't allow guys to slip."

Travis Cloke, who notched a career-high seven goals on Saturday, kicked 5.4 against the Bombers in Round 23 last year, but Watson was confident emerging defender Jake Carlisle could stop the "monster".

"He (Carlisle) doesn't seem to be too fazed by opponents and their reputations," he said.

"He (Cloke) is a monster of a bloke and Jake will get the opportunity and I don't think he will be overawed by that."

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All clear on Cormack's watch

Former Essendon high performance coach Stuart Cormack. Source: Herald Sun

THE man who preceded Dean Robinson as Essendon high performance manager says nothing unethical happened on his watch at Windy Hill.

Stuart Cormack, who left at the end of the 2011 season, told the Herald Sun yesterday his sports science and fitness staff did not engage in irregular practices.

"No, not by any of the people I closely worked with," Cormack said.

"But I couldn't speak if things were being discussed outside the group I worked with. I'd have no knowledge of that.

"There certainly weren't any instructions to do anything untoward."

Cormack, a senior lecturer in sports science at the Australian Catholic University, said the club had a supplements program headed by a full-time performance dietitian.

"Supplements are part of the brief of someone in that (sports science) role," he said.

"But there's a well-documented categorisation for supplements which appears on the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) website.

"There were certainly, at that time, only things appropriately categorised under that scheme (used in Essendon's program)."

Cormack's relationship with Essendon had a strained ending.

He appeared on the ABC's Four Corners program last night and said: "That organisation had a view on the path they wanted to take, they didn't believe I was the person for that role and they're entitled to do that."

On Essendon's conditioning philosophy, he said: "There was certainly a desire to . . . get the athletes bigger and stronger fairly quickly, but you know there was never a suggestion . . . from anyone that that would involve . . . practices that I wasn't comfortable with from a . . . legal perspective, just from a training design and implementation perspective."

Cormack's program centred on weights and by the end the club was keen on a running-based program.

He told the Herald Sun: "The coaching group decided they knew more about the way a training program should be designed than me, and therefore I wasn't the person for the role."

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Suban to bounce back from shocker

Fremantle's Nick Suban is caught with the ball during his team's 42-point loss to Hawthorn in Launceston. Source: PerthNow

FREMANTLE utility Nick Suban could be spared the axe this week despite his horror game against Hawthorn.

Suban had just two disposals running through the midfield before Dockers coach Ross Lyon could bear no more and subbed him out of the match before half-time.

Lyon said he was yet to speak to Suban about his dismal performance, but hinted the 22-year-old may get a chance to redeem himself in Friday night's clash with Richmond at Patersons Stadium.

"He didn't look to be at his best, but he's been quite solid for us this year," Lyon told 6PR.

"It's disappointing for Nick. He had a super summer and he's started the year well, but for whatever reason he was a bit off on the weekend.

"We'll sit down with Nick. I need to check in with him, which I haven't really had the chance to do yet."

Suban was averaging 16.33 disposals and kicked three goals in the first three games of the season.

The Dockers are likely to regain Luke McPharlin for Friday's game after the defender was ruled out of the 42-point loss to the Hawks in Launceston with concussion.

All-Australian backman McPharlin could be thrown forward to fill the void left by injured skipper Matthew Pavlich, with late inclusion Tanner Smith a chance to retain his spot in the Fremantle line-up.

"He's got a lot to learn, but he's big and he's raw," Lyon said of Smith.

"We're hopeful Luke McPharlin will be back. We expected Luke to play at the weekend, but he failed (the concussion test) and that ruled him out on the day of the game.

"Maybe McPharlin goes forward and Tanner Smith stays down back."

Pavlich had surgery on his achilles yesterday and will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.
 

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