Saints take in heights

Former Western Bulldogs fitness trainer Bill Davoren is taking the Saints to America. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

ST KILDA expects next month's Colorado training camp to develop into an annual high-altitude staple, along the same lines as Collingwood's visits to Arizona over the past decade.

"My understanding is it's a fairly long-standing commitment to make this an annual part of the pre-season regime," St Kilda high-performance manager Bill Daveron said.

Daveron, who joined St Kilda this month, said the Saints would gather the list in the days after the November 22 national draft and head to Boulder, Colorado, for a 16-day camp.

The team will fly out on November 27 and base itself at University of Colorado.

The group will stay at a hotel on the edge of the campus that is "within jogging distance of all the training facilities" and will incorporate several hikes in its itinerary.

A former Triathlon Australia head coach whose experience with altitude training dates to 1991, Daveron said Boulder was the training base for several high-profile Australian endurance athletes, such as four-time Olympic marathon runner Benita Willis and three-time ironman triathlon world champion Craig Alexander. Davoren hoped to involve one of them in the Saints camp.

"Boulder's been a bit of a Mecca for distance runners, but also for cycling and triathlon," Davoren said.

"I'm not sure that Craig will be there, but I'm working on getting an elite athlete from the endurance field to come in, talk to them and be involved."

The Saints may also look to take in some major sport while they are in Colorado. NFL team the Denver Broncos play Tampa Bay on December 2, while NBA outfit the Denver Nuggets play Toronto the following day.

While training at 1650m will improve the players' endurance and repeat-effort capacity, the Saints' new sports science manager, former Melbourne Storm guru Simon Kearney, will also examine sleep programs and conduct blood analysis.

"We're over there for 16 days which is what you need to put together an adequate exposure and training program," Davoren said, adding the expectation was to follow up with training sessions in the club's Seaford altitude chamber throughout season 2013.

"We might try to get some people into the altitude room a couple of times a week during the season, but that varies depending on their loads and fatigue and those sorts of things."

The club's 2012 draftees and its injured players will take part in the camp. Lenny Hayes, who had corrective heart surgery last month to repair a leaky valve, will also make the trip.

"He's certainly going on the trip," Davoren said. "Look there'll certainly be some modifications around Lenny, and that will be driven by the medical team, but the aim is that he'll be taking part in a number of the activities with us.

"Any players in rehab will continue on their programs and, because the facilities are so good, if anything we'll be able to monitor them more closely."

St Kilda's pre-season begins with the young players training on the day before the Melbourne Cup, and the older players resuming on November 12.
 

23.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Freo could be 'lite' Eagles with move

STANDING FIRM: Chris Lewis (second from left) and Keep Freo in Freo members Richard Utting, Peter Newman and Peter Dowding are keen for the Dockers to remain at Fremantle Oval. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper Source: PerthNow

FREMANTLE board nominee Chris Lewis says the Dockers risk becoming "West Coast Eagles lite" if they turn their back on their heritage and set up a new training base in Cockburn.

Lewis, one of six candidates who have nominated for the member-elected board position, is one of the founders of the Keep Freo In Freo lobby group and is running on a platform to fight for the Dockers to remain at Fremantle Oval.

The corporate consultant has launched both traditional advertising and online campaigns and believes he is a strong chance of being elected.

Lewis is running against former Fremantle captain Peter Mann, sitting director Kate Grieve, real estate director John Garland, Keystart Home Loans chief financial officer John Vojkovich and Summit Fertilizers executive Murray Browne.

Online voting opens at 9am tomorrow and closes at 5pm on November 26.

The Dockers have spent several months considering whether to redevelop their traditional training base, or move to a greenfields site known as Cockburn Central West.

A decision was originally expected by the end of the recent season but The Sunday Times understands this may now not be made until early next year.

Lewis praised the direction of the club under president Steve Harris and CEO Steve Rosich, but said it was clear members wanted the Dockers to be based in Fremantle.

"It's a wonderful organisation, a great club and a great business: it's got a lot of things going for it," he said.

"The Dockers have endless potential and are just starting to get somewhere. We just need to make sure it stays on track and works alongside its members."

Lewis said the Dockers needed to understand their attachment to Fremantle gave the club an important geographic and historic link not enjoyed by their cross-town rivals.

"The Dockers do have a unique identity," he said. "The opportunity is to capitalise on that.

"One of the risks of moving away is we end up being West Coast Eagles lite.

"Just like watering down a beer, we would be watering down the strength, the passion, the heartland of the entire Dockers movement.

"I've put my hand up as a members' representative: someone who will actually get up and say things and take a strong stand on matters and pursue the Keep Freo in Freo stand."

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

West Coast trades 'omen'

NEW FACES: Midfielder Sharrod Wellingham and fellow recruits Cale Morton and Jamie Cripps will add midfield pace at West Coast. Source: Herald Sun

WEST Coast Eagles coach John Worsfold has compared the club's trade spree to when the Eagles brought in Tyson Stenglein and Daniel Chick in the lead-up to the 2006 premiership.

The Eagles won't have a pick in the first two rounds of the national draft and will be the last team to enter the ballot when they have their first selection at 46.

It is a rare departure from West Coast's usual strategy, which has involved largely sitting on the sidelines during the trade period and preserving early draft picks.

The Eagles instead focused on bringing in running players via trades, securing Collingwood premiership midfielder Sharrod Wellingham, along with fellow West Australians Jamie Cripps (St Kilda) and Cale Morton (Melbourne).

In the lead-up to its last flag, West Coast identified a need to add strong bodies and gave up first-round draft picks to trade in Hawthorn hard nut Chick and Adelaide Crows midfielder Stenglein.

"We had a team we felt was very close and we needed to add what was missing," Worsfold said.

"This year's been a little bit of the same philosophy.  I think prior to this year we've used our draft picks pretty well, and we weren't going to have a really high pick anyway, so it's a good time for us to go down this pathway."

West Coast's willingness to sit out of the opening two rounds of the draft for the first time is a clear signal it believes its squad is capable of going all the way next year, although Worsfold shied away from the premiership mode tag.

"I don't call it premiership mode, I call it building your list and making it better," he said.

"But if we weren't in really good touch then we might have a really high draft pick and you'd want to take that draft pick.''

Worsfold signalled his intent to add speed to the midfield immediately after West Coast crashed out of the finals with a 13-point loss to Collingwood in the semi-final at the MCG.

Ironically, it was one of the players in the Magpies team who the Eagles had identified as a crucial addition.

"I'm really keen to see Sharrod fit into our midfield mix and watch him develop there," Worsfold said.

"He's got some pace and can play inside as well as outside. He's a good tackling player, so he fills a few things.

"I think he's still got some improvement to come and he's been a solid player for the past couple of years."

The Eagles lost veteran forward Quinten Lynch to Collingwood through free agency, while midfielder Koby Stevens was traded to the Western Bulldogs and half-back Lewis Stevenson to Port Adelaide.

West Coast is likely to make a couple of delistings early this week, ahead of Wednesday's first list lodgement deadline.

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Crows must sacrifice a player

Richard Tambling could now be delisted due to the Kurt Tippett investigation. Source: Herald Sun

ADELAIDE will have to cut a wanted Crows player on Wednesday as the pain from the Kurt Tippett scandal turns to list management at West Lakes.

And the Crows will have to gamble on which player to turf into the AFL national draft pool where Adelaide may not get a call until No. 83. That gives Adelaide's 17 rivals 82 chances to claim this contracted Crow in the AFL national draft on November 22.

The main candidates remain out-of-favour midfielder Richard Tambling or any of Adelaide's recent draftees Nick Joyce, Mitch Grigg or Cam Ellis-Yolmen.

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The Crows cannot - after handing Tippett a contract during the year - simply delist the Queenslander and let him fall into the new field of "delisted free agents".

By Wednesday, when all 18 AFL club must lodge their first player lists for next season, the Crows will need to have open their squad for three new draftees and 17-year-old midfielder Brad Crouch, who was pre-drafted last year.

With the AFL rules demanding Tippett stay on the list, Adelaide has opened just two spots - the net result of trading in Richmond ruckman Angus Graham and losing Michael Doughty (retired), Brad Symes (delisted) and Chris Knights (free agent to Richmond).

A third spot for upgraded rookie Ian Callinan will emerge when Tippett delists himself as an uncontracted player next month. The fourth for Crouch demands one of Tambling, Joyce, Grigg or Ellis-Yolmen be sacrificed on Wednesday.

The cut player can then be re-drafted on November 22 when the draft unfolds on the Gold Coast. Adelaide needs to choose a player who will not be stolen by a rival.

The Crows expect to know as soon as Friday how the AFL Commission has assessed the investigation into Tippett's side deal from his 2009 contract talks. The sanctions are expected to involve a heavy fine and a lockout from the first two or three rounds of the draft.

That would leave Adelaide recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie with the unglamourous picks of 83, 101 and 119 at his first draft.

Tippett's preferred pathway to Sydney in the pre-season draft on December 11 is clouded by Brisbane checking its salary cap to assess if it can call the Queenslander at No. 6 before the Swans at No. 18.

Also in question is if Tippett will be playing next season as the AFL Commission considers deregistering him for draft tampering and taking undisclosed third-party deals underwritten by the Crows. Melbourne-based lawyer, South Australian Paul Ehrlich, says that move carries the "extreme, significant chance" of having the Tippett family take the AFL to court.

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Power wants members to cough up

New Port Adelaide Power coach Ken Hinkley wants members to help beef up the football department. Picture: Calum Robertson Source: News Limited

NEW Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has been promised a beefed-up football department at Alberton - and it is going to fall on the Power members to deliver.

As Port strives to catch up in the "arms race" in AFL football spend and knows every cent spent at Alberton is heavily scrutinised by its SANFL and AFL underwriters, the members stand as an untapped resource.

Hinkley is expecting a $1.5 million boost to his program at Alberton. Even this uplift will not get the Power into the top half of the AFL football department spend that has broken through the $20 million barrier with Collingwood's budgets.

As Hinkley this week starts Port's pre-season with an AFL-funded game against the Western Bulldogs in London, the Power will launch its 2013 membership campaign directly appealing to 50,000 fans.

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Beyond buying a membership, the fans will be asked to contribute directly to Hinkley's budgets through the member-driven "Port Adelaide Premiership Fund".

Port chief executive Keith Thomas says the fund will be used to "increase the amount we spend on football from near the bottom of the AFL and make the team more competitive in time for the move to Adelaide Oval in 2014".

Thomas also wants to fund an academy at Alberton to strengthen Port's professional development of local football and ensure Port is seen across the AFL as "the employer of choice".

"We have already shown investing in football is a top priority," said Thomas.

Beyond Hinkley, Port has returned fitness coach Darren Burgess to Alberton after his international football experiences.

The Power finally has a coaching director with the appointment of the experienced Alan Richardson.

"But the reality is we are still well behind almost all of our rivals when it comes to our football spend," said Thomas. "We want our members to buy into the program to deliver the success they want."

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pedersen takes baby steps

Cam Pedersen is now a Demon. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun

BABIES and big moments in Cameron Pedersen's football career seem to go hand in hand.

He and wife Sarah had their first child, Charlee, just weeks before he made his AFL debut for North Melbourne last year, while the couple's second child, Ruby, came along three weeks ago - just as the key-position player was weighing up his football future.

A month of speculation led to a last-minute trade deal on Friday in which he moved to Melbourne in exchange for Jordan Gysberts and a swap of draft picks.

Pedersen has endured plenty of ups and downs in recent years.

Dees cull another eight players

He had to fight to get on to an AFL list in the first place, while baby Charlee battled health complications after being born five weeks prematurely last February.

The 25-year-old admitted the speculation about his mooted switch had been tough to deal with.

"It was very stressful, because obviously I wanted the opportunity to play more regular senior footy," Pedersen said.

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"If nothing had happened, I still would have been happy to stay at North Melbourne as well, but I'm ecstatic I'm at Melbourne."

Pedersen said the chance to play regular football at Melbourne had been too appealing to pass up.

"I'll always be grateful to North Melbourne for picking me up and giving me the opportunity. I loved my time there, but sometimes future plans don't work out and so I'm very happy to be at Melbourne now," he said.

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dogs life beckons for Prismall

Brent Prismall could land at the Dogs. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

WESTERN Bulldogs have emerged as a chance to revive Brent Prismall's career if he is cut by Essendon.

Prismall, 26, one of the AFL's unluckiest players, will know his fate before Wednesday's list lodgment deadline.

His career interrupted by injury, Prismall remains uncontracted and will consult Bombers coach James Hird, who is due back from overseas, about his future at Windy Hill.

Prismall, who crossed from Geelong to Essendon in a trade at the end of 2008, is likely to be delisted.

The Bulldogs loom as his next club after showing some interest in securing him.

Dees cull another eight

Prismall has managed only 61 games at Geelong and Essendon because of two knee reconstructions.

Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney worked with him at Geelong and then at Essendon in 2011.

Prismall is hard-working and of exemplary character and the Dogs need more players aged in their mid-20s.

If he is cut by Essendon, the Dogs could secure him in the delisted free agency period, which runs from November 1-13.

Sam Edmund rates how your club fared at the trade table

Essendon backed Prismall after the 2008 season, offering him a three-year deal worth about $900,000, despite him having a knee reconstruction after being injured while playing for the Cats in the qualifying final against St Kilda.

He suffered another serious knee injury in Round 19, 2011, but the Bombers stuck with him, giving him a one-year extension.

Prismall returned this season, but he suffered hamstring injuries and could not break into the seniors.

He is not the only Bomber feeling nervous. A list management meeting set down for Windy Hill today is likely to decide the fate of several other players.

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Sam Lonergan is in a similar position - out of contract and in limbo - as the Bombers consider refreshing their list.

Melbourne footballer Matthew Bate. Picture: Chris Scott Source: Herald Sun

Melbourne has made its cuts, with discarded Ricky Petterd likely to spark interest.

Matthew Bate is also determined to secure another chance, but with the Dogs believed to be keen on Prismall, the option of moving to Whitten Oval may dry up.

The Dogs were keen to snare Bate in last year's trade period.

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Betting rife for AFL players

Former AFL star Brendan Fevola used to frequently gamble in poker games. Picture: Nathan Richter Source: The Daily Telegraph

A CHORUS of leading AFL figures have warned sports betting by players has reached troubling levels.

The combination of easy access to betting websites, 24-hour televised sport and high incomes is blamed for the escalating issue.

Player managers, players and former problem gamblers in the AFL say too many sportsmen are splashing money they cannot afford to lose.

Technology such as smart phones, the mushrooming of corporate bookmakers and high interest levels in international sports from AFL players is a dangerous mix.

Anti-gambling counsellor and former Melbourne midfielder Daniel Ward told the Herald Sun: "There is a lot of it out there at the moment."

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"I know of several cases (of addiction) and it's not really being spoken about.

" It is spoken about behind people's backs and in whispers," he said.

"It's not a witch hunt and it's not being alarmist, but it is real."

Ward echoed North Melbourne coach Brad Scott, who last year said gambling was a bigger concern for AFL players than alcohol or drugs.

More than 50 players - about 6 per cent of the competition - were lured into a racing syndicate, and were battling to get their money back.

Player manager Paul Connors said he was worried players with hours to kill and money to burn were filling that time with gambling on sports other than AFL.

"I think gambling is an issue. It used to be poker, which led to other stuff," Connors said.

"I have been a manager for 15 years now and I just think it's readily available online and in casinos, and I think it's going to continue to be an issue.

"Players will be bored. And if they are not doing things outside footy they have downtime and they spend money and you just can't stop that." AFLPA player relations general manager Ian Prendergast said the player union was working hard to educate players and limit the number with gambling problems.

"I think we are aware of individual players who have issues with gambling. Generally speaking we have a young playing group who are risktakers with a fair amount of discretionary income available," he said.

"We are trying to stay vigilant and be really proactive with our (anti-gambling and (education) programs."

Recently retired Collingwood and Gold Coast player Josh Fraser said it was easy for young players to follow the lead of wealthier teammates who could afford to drop some money.

"Younger guys can get caught up in it pretty quickly. There are just so many avenues to have a bet these days.

"I am not concerned about football but it is the horses and sports, and the younger guys are so impressionable," he said.

"$500 to a guy who has been in the system for eight to 10 years is not much, but for a guy just in the system, it is."

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Crows face talks with SANFL

The Kurt Tippett scandal has Adelaide facing questions from its SANFL owners.
Source: Herald Sun

SuperFooty's Matt Windley and Sam Edmund review the furious final days of the AFL trade period.

ADELAIDE will have to answer to its SANFL owners if the Kurt Tippett scandal leads to significant AFL sanctions this week.

For the first time in its 22-year history - in which the Crows have stood as the only AFL expansion franchise never needing to be underwritten by the AFL or a state league - Adelaide is at risk of being in violation of its sub-licence with the SANFL.

That document, handed to the Crows in November 1990, states Adelaide loses its right to represent the SANFL in the national league if there is a breach of AFL rules.

Reality dictates it is not in the SANFL's interest to shut down its most profitable asset - and re-auction the state's first AFL licence.

The SA Football Commission, however, would be forced to demand its own answers on how the commission-appointed board met its obligations of diligence towards the Tippett contract.

Crows chairman Rob Chapman yesterday maintained his board would pass the diligence and governance tests. He also declared his unease with hypothetical questions before the verdict from the AFL investigation into the Tippett contract and associated side deal.

"I'm over all the speculation - and would rather wait for the AFL to tell us if we have breached their rules and what we may have done wrong," he said.

"I am keeping our owner (the SANFL) in the loop. But where we stand (with the sub-licence agreement), I have no idea - because we are still to find out from the AFL if we are in the wrong.

"Am I convinced we, as a board, did the due diligence in questioning Kurt's contract? Yes, I am."

Adelaide is facing two serious charges on which the AFL is expected to rule on Thursday or Friday.

The side deal with Tippett signed in 2009 is said to involve:

- DRAFT TAMPERING by secretly setting a price (second-round draft pick) for Kurt's trade at the end of his three-year deal and,

- SALARY CAP RORTING by underwriting third-party deals valued at more than six figures.

The expectation remains Adelaide will be hit with a heavy fine and be banned from the first three rounds of this year's AFL national draft.

"If we are found by the AFL to have deliberately acted against their rules and the values of this clubs, we will suffer the consequences," Chapman said. "And I will make it my job to rebuild the integrity of this club."

The AFL accountants who on Friday claimed records at the Crows' offices at West Lakes are - at Adelaide's call - looking beyond the Tippett contract to review every player deal.

But the Tippett side deal - declared in an emailed letter between former Crows football operations chief John Reid and Tippett's manager Peter Blucher - is the core of the investigation.

There are significant questions on how chief executive Steven Trigg and the board met their governance duties, particularly in the past 18 months when the Tippett deal commanded repeated media scrutiny.

The Advertiser understands the Crows have told the AFL:

- TRIGG told Blucher three weeks after the side deal was signed his club would no longer honour the out-of-contract agreement. Adelaide's demand for more than a second-round draft pick from Sydney in this month's trade period supports this.

- BOARD members were told of the side deal more than a year ago - as recorded in the club minutes - and assured the written agreement had been replaced by a "gentleman's agreement" to support Tippett in any "go-home" trade to a Queensland-based club.

- ADELAIDE accepts "top-up" payments on Tippett's third-party deals should have been declared in the club's salary cap.

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mick's Blues given dream draw

Carlton's proposed tough draw has turned out to be an illusion. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: Herald Sun

HAWTHORN is set to be handed the opening seven weeks from hell in next year's fixture, but Carlton's proposed tough draw has turned out to be an illusion.

The defeated grand finalist is expected to be slapped with a draw featuring as many as seven 2012 finalists in the early rounds.

It will be a tough ask for Alastair Clarkson's Hawks, trying to recover from a second straight season of finals disappointment.

But while Mick Malthouse has complained about Carlton's testing start, its lowly finish this year has handed it a dream fixture.

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The Blues are expected to be given a fixture on Wednesday in which they play just one finals side twice.

That side is Collingwood, with the blockbuster status of the rivalry and revenue generated over-riding the issue of a double-up against a top-four side.

Malthouse revealed last week the Blues start the year with games against Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong, West Coast (away) and Adelaide.

But the Blues then have a string of winnable games in the following few weeks, including this year's easybeats Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.

"Given what I have just heard about our draw, the (AFL) have done us no favours," Malthouse said last week.

"But I go along with what Andrew Demetriou says - the draw is the draw is the draw, and very rarely does the top four reflect anything but that."

The Blues have benefited from a fixturing formula in which this year's bottom 10 sides are restricted from any more than a handful of double-ups against top-eight sides.

It gives the Blues a chance to leapfrog into the top eight or, given a good run with injury, even top four.

Malthouse has indicated Chris Judd will retain the captaincy if he wants it.

But Judd is known to have told friends he would be happy to give up the role if there was a suitable alternative or if it would help the club's leadership transition.

Malthouse and Judd have not met about the leadership, but the club's Arizona high-altitude camp next month shapes as the perfect chance for the dual Brownlow medallist to discuss his future.

23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More