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Infant clubs are over-indulged: Eddie

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 18 November 2012 | 23.02

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire says the expansion clubs get too many concessions. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire has warned the AFL that it should consider repealing long-term concessions for Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.

Fearful both teams could become competition superpowers, McGuire has declared his next "crusade" in his push for equality and an unencumbered draft and salary cap that sits with the start-up AFL clubs.

"The AFL has got to be quick to work out whether they have given GWS and Gold Coast too much," McGuire said.

"We have given the AFL the imprimatur to give them the best possible start, but if it ever gets to the stage - and I think we are getting close to it - they need to look at it.

"I trust the AFL to do the right thing ... but if they (the two clubs) have taken a position that is counter to what was intended - to build a super team that will dominate - we have to start looking at it and read the play about what is going on."

Fresh from having a win on the Chris Judd-Visy deal, which the AFL has declared must now be a part of Carlton's salary cap, McGuire said he wanted to keep fighting AFL inequalities.

"This is not about Collingwood, it is about giving a level playing field for all clubs," he said. "To be honest, the clubs that are being smashed are Melbourne and the Bulldogs.

"The AFL has done a lot of things to compete against rugby league, rugby union and soccer, and I applaud them for doing it. But at some stage we have to be careful that we are not running a marketing competition - we are running a football competition.

"The best times we have had in football was when we had an unencumbered draft, when there was no salary cap inequalities, except for the Judd one, and when the system was working as it was intended to.

"We had record ratings, attendances and memberships. We have to get back to that system as quickly as possible."

McGuire is concerned that Gold Coast and GWS have been able to "stockpile" young talent in a way that was not intended when the rules were made.

And he fears for the future of some clubs as a chasm between the haves and have-nots grows wider by the year.

Both new clubs have extra players on their lists and salary cap allowances in their infancy - with the Gold Coast's concessions set to expire in 2014 and GWS's in 2018.

McGuire said the inflationary market could account for why Adelaide was tempted to do everything in its power to try and keep Kurt Tippett.


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McPhee walk opens door for Lower

SECOND CHANCE?: Adam McPhee's exit at Fremantle could re-open the door for Nick Lower (right). Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser

ADAM McPhee's decision to walk out on Fremantle despite recently signing a contract extension could open the door for midfielder Nick Lower to remain on the senior list.

McPhee is expected to meet with coach Ross Lyon tomorrow but it is understood the Dockers don't hold any realistic hope of talking him into remaining with the club next season.

Lower was delisted ahead of the second list lodgement deadline this week, along with Dylan Roberton and Jesse Crichton, and was in line to be re-drafted onto the rookie list.

The former Port Adelaide onballer is now set to be the beneficiary of McPhee's backflip.

Lower impressed in his first season at the Dockers in 2011 but played just three times this year as he battled injury and fell out of favour with Lyon.

Fremantle is likely to continue with its plan to use just three picks in Thursday's national draft despite the McPhee complication.


WA Talent Academy manager Raff Guadagnino expects between 10-12 West Australians will be taken in the draft, to be held on the Gold Coast for the second time.

East Fremantle's Josh Simpson is the only WA player invited and could be the state's sole first-round selection, but Guadagnino said he was confident rounds two and three would be strong from a local point of view.

Victorian midfielder Lachie Whitfield, touted as one of the best players to come out of the under-age system in the past decade, is expected to be taken at No.1 by Greater Western Sydney, which has the first three picks in the draft.

Fremantle is understood to be keen on Simpson with its first pick at 17, but there is no guarantee the silky ball carrier will still be available.

The youngster's uncle, Dwayne Simpson, played two games for the Dockers in 2001.

Simpson has bolted into top 10 contention, with Port Adelaide considering using its No.7 pick on him.

If Port overlooks Simpson, Gold Coast is likely to swoop with its first pick at 13 to add him to its big complement of talented Sandgropers.

Simpson is a Fremantle supporter and said playing for the Dockers would be a dream result.

"If I could go there then I'd be loving life," he said.

"But I'm cool with it to go anywhere. I'd love to debut in Round 1, whoever I'm playing for."

West Coast will be left hoping some quality slips through to the third round, given it won't enter the draft until pick 46.

The Eagles won't have a pick in the first two rounds and will be the last team to enter the ballot.

West Coast will have three live picks in the draft, rounding out its choices with consecutive selections at 61 and 62.

The club has decided to sacrifice early picks, with its recruiting strategy this off-season revolving around bringing in players via trades to fill perceived needs.

Collingwood premiership midfielder Sharrod Wellingham and fellow West Australians Jamie Cripps (St Kilda) and Cale Morton (Melbourne) joined West Coast during the trade period.


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AFL has 'shot itself' in Crows case

In the file picture from earlier in the season, Kurt Tippett sits on the bench at Etihad Stadium. Picture: Michael Klein. Source: News Limited

ADELAIDE'S high-powered defence of salary cap breaches has been dramatically strengthened by the AFL's shock crackdown on Chris Judd.

That is the opinion of one of the league's leading player agents, who believes the AFL has "shot itself in the foot" by moving the goalposts on the Carlton superstar's controversial third-party arrangement with Visy in the final year of a six-year deal.

"That had to be music to the ears of the Crows," said the high-profile agent, who suggested the AFL - not Adelaide - had moved to adjourn today's planned AFL Commission hearing into the breaking of player rules involving Kurt Tippett "because it hasn't got its own backyard in order''.

"The Crows would have gone, 'Thank you very much, that's exactly what we've been trying to say, that there are grey areas or technicalities with all these third-party deals'."


The AFL announced on Friday that the Blues had been told the $250,000-a-year that Judd earns in an ambassadorial role from Visy can no longer be paid outside the salary cap.

The third-party deal had previously been signed off by salary cap watchdog Ken Wood.

Admitting the Crows didn't appear to be "squeaky clean" over alleged salary cap rorting and draft tampering, the agent said the AFL's apparent uncertainty over what constituted a third-party deal should play into Adelaide's hands.

"The bottom line is that if the AFL had clearly defined what is and what isn't a third-party arrangement then why has it changed its mind on the Judd deal five years after signing off on it?," the agent said.

"The AFL has suddenly decided that money has to be included in the cap, which makes me laugh.

"They have appeared to move the goalposts on the back of this whole Tippett stuff which shows me that they aren't convinced they have hole-proof guidelines for third-party arrangements.

"If you are moving the goalposts how can you expect the Crows or any club to know exactly what the guidelines are? The question must be asked, would those guidelines stand up in court?

"The Crows can jump all over this, making their case that it highlights that there are grey areas with the whole issue.

"They might be guilty of naivety but I don't think they've deliberately tried to rip anyone off. That should be a key part to the whole investigation and it should result in them getting a lighter penalty."

The AFL says it has tightened the criteria for the approval of third-party arrangements because of the advent of free agency.

But the agent argues if Judd's deal was given the green light until this month, the AFL needs to be more lenient on other third-party deals which might have taken place in the past few years.

Adelaide has been in the spotlight for supposed third-party arrangements with Tippett, captain Nathan van Berlo and star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield.

The Advertiser
funderstands the Crows have six players on independent deals, but that all arrangements were signed off by the AFL.

Tippett's deals with several companies, including Balfours and Alan Sheppard Constructions, appear to have caused the Crows most concern with questions over how the deals were initiated and whether Adelaide actively sought money for the player.

Van Berlo and Dangerfield's managers insist their clients have no cases to answer.

The agent said the biggest grey area revolved around when businesses ring a club asking to use a player for promotional purposes.

"This is where commonsense has to come into things," he said.

"Surely the club is allowed to recommend someone when a business comes knocking because players should have the right to make money outside of their contracts in commercial arrangements which are proven to be independent of their clubs."

It is understood 68 AFL players benefited from third-party agreements last season, with less than one per cent of the income of AFL players coming from such arrangements.
 


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Sanderson to front media

Brenton Sanderson and Kurt Tippett talk strategy during a game against Hawthorn earlier this year. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Limited

CROWS coach Brenton Sanderson will today break his silence on the Kurt Tippett saga.

Sanderson will at 11.30am front the media for the first time since the club became embroiled in alleged salary cap rorting and draft tampering. He will speak after Adelaide's first training session of the pre-season, which will start at 9am at Max Basheer Reserve.

Sanderson, who in his first year in charge at Adelaide took the club to within a kick of the grand final, has already put the acid on nine players he expects to take the next step in their development next season.

They include defenders Andy Otten and Luke Thompson, midfielders Luke Brown, Brodie Martin, Jarryd Lyons, Sam Kerridge and Aidan Riley and tall utilities Tom Lynch and Lewis Johnston.

"They should be looking to break into the side more than they did this year, which shows the depth we've got," Sanderson said.


The second-year Crows coach said he also is expecting big things from 17-year-old mini-draft selection Brad Crouch, who spent his first year at the club refining his game in the SANFL with West Adelaide.

Sanderson said the teenage ace  who would have been a top-three pick if he was in this year's national draft pool  was so advanced in his devdhelopment he could be in contention for a round one spot.

"If Brad's good enough we'll certainly pick him," Sanderson told the club's website.

"It's been so beneficial having a year to develop him. He knows our game plan already and he's got an AFL body now compared to the kids in the draft pool this year. If he's in our best 22, we'll play him and I'm sure a lot of weeks he will be in our best 22. At the same time, we have to be realistic with our expectations. He only turns 19 in January, so he's still learning."

Sanderson said after regaining the respect of the competition last season, Adelaide would be carrying expectations of "going a step better" next year.

"They're realistic expectations but at the same time you'd expect the competition to get tighter again," he said.
 


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Talk speaks for itself in draft

Geelong Falcons player Mason Wood who will be drafted into the AFL. Picture: Cormac Hanrahan.

A POOR attitude may see potential draftees plummet in draft calculations, but players of exceptional character can rocket upwards.

Take Geelong Falcon Mason Wood for example.

Falcons regional manager Michael Turner believed that Wood, 19, (right) was no more than a middle-of-the-road draft candidate at the start of the season.

A stellar year on the field for the Falcons and Vic Country has undoubtedly helped the 189cm forward, but Turner said Wood's off-field qualities had enhanced his chances of being selected early in Thursday night's draft.

"A kid like Mason Wood was probably going to get drafted at 30-40," Turner said. "But if a kid tests really well and interviews really well, then he'll go up in draft calculations.

"So Mason Wood has probably gone from pick No.40 to around the 20s because he interviews really well.


"After the draft combine, they sort of fine-tune it a bit, the AFL clubs, and things can change pretty dramatically."

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Tippett's name now mud at Crows

Kurt Tippett is no longer respected at AAMI Stadium, according to a current Adelaide Crows player. Picture: Simon Cross. Source: The Advertiser

KURT Tippett will go down as the greatest villain in the history of the Adelaide Football Club, according to one of his former teammates.

The player, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Tippett had walked away from the club with few friends and would be a marked man when he next crossed paths with the Crows on the football field, most likely as a Swan.

The player said Tippett lost the respect of his former Crows teammates when he informed them of his decision to quit via text message last month while the fallout from his departure had an even bigger domino effect on the club, forcing it to fight charges of salary cap cheating and draft-tampering.

"Kurt's name is absolute mud at the footy club," the player said.

"The playing group cannot believe how badly he has treated them and the club which invested so heavily in him.


"First he told us he was leaving via text message, rather than face to face, then he went against his word and demanded a trade to Sydney when all along he had told the club he would only leave if it was to go home to Queensland.

"Now he is dragging the club's name through the mud, which has affected the entire playing group."

The player supported former Crow Chris Knights' call that the club's current turmoil could prove unsettling for Adelaide as it prepares to start pre-season training.

"It's had a big unsettling effect," the player said.

"We're about to start pre-season training (today) and all anyone wants to talk about is Kurt Tippett.

"The players can't go anywhere without being asked about him and how we feel about the situation. We are sick to death of hearing his name and really angry about the position Kurt's left the club in. We also feel for Nick Joyce, who has been delisted because of the whole saga."
 


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Swans move to tie up Hannebery

Swans star Daniel Hannebery celebrates after a Sydney win earlier this year. Picture: Simon Cross Source: The Advertiser

SYDNEY will move quickly to re-sign Grand Final hero Daniel Hannebery, despite its big-money play for Adelaide's Kurt Tippett.

The Swans are set to pay up to $1 million a year for Tippett, but remain committed to keeping their batch of young stars, headed by Hannebery, onballer Josh Kennedy and excitement machine Lewis Jetta.

Hannebery, who is out of contract at the end of next season, underlined his status as one of the AFL's premier young midfielders with his brilliant performance gathering 29 possessions in the premiership win against Hawthorn.

The 22-year-old showed his class and courage in two of the biggest moments of the game, dishing off the handpass that set up Nick Malceski's matchwinning goal, and a gutsy contested mark in the first term.

From Melbourne, Hannebery narrowly missed out on the Norm Smith Medal, finishing second to teammate Ryan O'Keefe.


It is believed the Swans have flagged their intention to re-sign Hannebery, whom they view as a future leader.

The 77-gamer could command more than $550,000 a year in his next deal, making him one of the top earners in the league for his age, entering only his fifth season.

Sydney is confident there is little threat the man taken with a bargain-priced pick No.30 in the 2008 national draft will be poached by a Melbourne club.

Hannebery, a Xavier College product, won the 2010 Rising Star award and has finished in the top 10 in the club's best-and-fairest in each of the past three seasons.

After the Grand Final win, the blue-chip ball-carrier said he wanted to ensure the club remained in the premiership mix in years to come.

"We have got a lot of upside, so it's exciting times for our club," Hannebery said.

The Swans remain in the box seat to secure Tippett, 25, despite the threat of the forward being deregistered by the AFL for his part in the Crows' salary cap scandal.


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Bad eggs don't crack draft pool

Notorious former AFL bad boy Brendan Fevola in this picture celebrates after Yarrawonga won the Ovens and Murray Football League grand final against Albury. Picture: Simon Dallinger Source: Herald Sun

A PLAYER once mused an AFL list is much like a PE class at school.

You have your teacher's pets, leaders, jokers, nerds and those who sit at the back of the class and insist on mucking about.

And while the latter are tolerated as long as they fall back into line, those prone to detention are not.

Brendan Fevola and Daniel Connors are two players who have fallen out of the system because of behavioural issues.

Thursday's national draft is a critical filtering point where clubs can make sure "bad eggs" are kept out.

As Essendon captain Jobe Watson told the Herald Sun, clubs can not afford to waste time on players who aren't of a certain disposition.

"Any time you bring someone into your club, you want to know that they aren't going to be people who hold you back," Watson said.


"You want to know that they are willing to fulfil and embrace what the ethos of the team is.

"The amount of energy that you might spend trying to manage people and get them to do what you want is really wasted, so clubs and even teammates now aren't prepared to put up with people who they have to constantly manage."

NEVER has being a "good bloke" in the eyes of a prospective coach, footy manager or recruiter been so important.

AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan says the sport requires players and staff to work together productively for up to 50 hours a week.

So attitude is the No.1 thing that Michael Turner, regional manager of TAC Cup team Geelong Falcons, tells his players to focus on.

"And that's a whole range of things," Turner said.

"It's being prepared to work hard, to fit in with the team, follow instructions, be coachable. That is 100 per cent the key area with AFL clubs now. Once they tick off on the (playing ability) then that's what they home in on."

Recruiters are under enormous pressure to get the right people to their club. Several recruiting departments have access to a psychologist to help assess the characteristics of potential players.

Parents, teachers and employers are all interviewed to get a better idea of the man behind the footballer.

COLLINGWOOD recruiting manager Derek Hine says no stone can be left unturned to find the right player for the club - on and off the field.

"Because clubs are becoming more and more accountable, and as a consequence it's just critically important that you are able to profile the athlete and be able to substantiate the pick that you make," Hine said.

"It obviously matters if the pick is right or wrong, but it's extremely important that you're able to get in front of the board and say 'these are the reasons we actually picked this particular player'.

"It's obviously about looking at the athlete, his strengths and weaknesses in both a physical sense and psychological sense.

"Then you look at the resources that you've got in your organisation to say: 'OK, if I end up bringing player X in, can I do so in confidence, knowing that we've got the support structure in place to be able to address any particular weaknesses he might have in his game or psyche?'

"If you don't think you can turn him around, then you may as well not bring the athlete in."

Former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett confirms there is pressure from board level to bring quality people into the club.

"It's terribly important," Kennett said.

"Recruiters spend a great deal of time not only assessing the individual's football abilities, but whether he is going to fit in well as a member of the team and within the culture of the club.

"It wouldn't have mattered how good a footballer they were, if they were not able to be a part of the team they will not be selected.

"All recruiters, and certainly at Hawthorn, spend a great deal of time with the individual, with his family, before making recommendations that they should be drafted. So it's not just on football ability."

PSYCHOLOGICAL assessments and interviews with clubs are critical when determining if a player is the right fit.

Some try to meet players before they are "coached" to give good answers in interviews, while others wait until after the under-18 national championships.

But if clubs want to get the full picture, Turner said they should look no further than the player's TAC Cup or state league club "because they see them in a football atmosphere and know how they react to scenarios".

"Some AFL clubs are very good at doing that and some clubs are very poor," Turner said. "We all give an honest appraisal."

He said players know what to expect when interviewed - Geelong's Billie Smedts addressed Falcon players on the subject this year - but above all they are urged not to feel intimidated.

"We only encourage them to be themselves," Turner said. "That's what the clubs want. They just want an honest assessment."


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Baby talk throws recruiters

Young father Josh Simpson is expected to be a first-round draft selection later this week. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

AFL clubs are queuing up to re-interview one of the nation's top draft prospects after learning he is a father.

Lobbing a curve ball into the countdown to Thursday's national draft, recruiters have been surprised by news that electrifying wingman Josh Simpson has a one-year-old daughter near Geraldton, Western Australia.

With the help of Simpson's management, the AFL notified clubs of the development in an email yesterday.

While talent chiefs yesterday insisted that being a father would not hinder his draft hopes, many would like to talk to Simpson about the prospect of living away from his daughter, or relocating his family, before they draft him.

He is expected to be taken between pick No.5 and No.20 on Thursday night.

It is believed he is looming large for Port Adelaide (No.7), Gold Coast (13), Geelong (16) and Fremantle (17).


AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan said Simpson would be on the Gold Coast from Wednesday for last-minute talks with clubs.

"He is one of the invited players, so we will schedule talks with any clubs that want to talk with him about what some would consider is a change in circumstance," Sheehan said.

"He has said he will still go wherever the draft takes him. It was just a little bit of a curve ball."

The lightning midfielder-forward is highly regarded for his devastating run and carry game and goal sense.

The right-footer blitzed the kicking test at the AFL draft camp, scoring an equal-high 29 out of 30.
 


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Wait finally over for Viney

Tough, courageous and a born leader. The Dees have a steal in Viney, who will play Round 1 next year.

Melbourne's father-son selection Jack Viney with his dad Todd at the MCG. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

PLEASINGLY for Jack Viney, the crashing of bodies has begun.

After two years of regular check-ins at the club, and dealing with the uncertainty of the father-son bidding process, the waiting is over.

His father, Todd, Melbourne's recruiting boss, will formally welcome him to the club with pick No.27 at the national draft on Thursday night.

But for Viney, the buzz began weeks ago, when the tough nut started getting "flogged" on the training track with the rest of the Demons, just as he had hoped.

He has his eyes firmly fixed on a Round 1 berth.

The Phantom Draft


But the man who delivers so much hope to the Melbourne faithful and coaching staff is adamant he is more of a servant than saviour.

"I still have a lot of development, physically, ahead of me and mentally as well," Viney said. "But my aim is to do everything in my power to try and play Round 1.

"While that is probably not going to happen, I will try and set my goals so that I will do everything I can over pre-season to be ready.

"But there is a lot of guys at the club who have been there for two or three years who are in the same position as me.

"So I have a lot of catching up to do."

Viney fast-tracked his development this year, when he skipped his final season of TAC Cup to play in the VFL. It cost him a broken jaw in his first game. But much like his father, Viney is a raging bull on the field.

In the past few weeks, he has juggled his year 12 exams with punishing training sessions.

The 178cm clearance machine said a new positivity has buoyed the club after 15 list changes over spring, including the addition of Chris Dawes, David Rodan, Shannon Byrnes and Cameron Pedersen.

"I did a lot of the pre-season running with the guys last year, but the intensity of training for AFL football has still completely blown me away," he said.

"There's definitely an exciting feel around the place with all the new faces.

"We're getting flogged on the training track, but we are looking forward to getting flogged.

"All the boys want the coaches to push them harder and we welcome that challenge, because we know we are heading in the right direction."

THE JACK VINEY FILE

AGE: 18
HEIGHT: 178cm
WEIGHT: 81kg
FROM: Casey Scorpions
POSITION: Inside midfielder
PREDICTED DRAFT RANGE: 27 (Melbourne father-son)
PLAYS LIKE: Matthew Boyd
 


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