Lights out for Dees as Power surges

Melbourne leaves the field lead by Jack Grimes Picture: Harman Stephen Source: HWT Image Library

IT FELL to Angus Monfries to put the polish on Port Adelaide's training drill on a rare run at the MCG.

That the former Bomber was able to mark uncontested on the edge of the goal square midway through the third quarter told only a part of Melbourne's sorry story.

The build up to Monfries' second goal for his new club was the ridiculous ease the Power players were able to ferry the ball around the southern wing in a wave of white jumpers.

Score review causes confusion at the MCG

Always one loose on the overlap to inevitably land the ball in the new forward's lap for another embarrassing goal.

Little wonder the patient Melbourne faithful broke into sustained hooting at the sound of the three-quarter time siren.

Generally, that reaction is aimed at the umpires - this time there's no doubt it was directed at their dysfunctional team.

The deplorable Demons had managed to scrounge a solitary behind from that third quarter after they were still in contest, facing a gettable 27 points deficit heading into the second half.

Simply, Melbourne never looked a winning chance.

Port Adelaide celebrate in the rooms after the game Picture: Harman Stephen Source: HWT Image Library

From the moment Port Adelaide pair Travis Boak and Hamish Hartlett took hold of the midfield duels in the opening minutes, the result was inevitable.

Only mystery was having to wait for the final siren for the full extent of the scoreboard carnage.

Nothing inspired the Melbourne players.

Not the ball hunger of new boy Jack Viney, not the gutsy comeback of key forward Mitch Clark, not even the spectacular "hanger'' mark and goal by recruit Cam Pedersen just before half time.

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Pedersen's goal left the Demons trailing by only 20 points, for goodness sake, with still half a game to play.What was Melbourne's response?

To allow Port Adelaide to dictate every aspect of play to literally stroll to their 79 points victory, only 10 short of the Power's greatest winning margin against the once proud team of the red and the blue.

Remember, the Power also had half a dozen new players in their line-up for what was a dream start for coach Ken Hinkley.

But the astute Hinkley knows his team won't be able to similarly run the ball unchecked and mark uncontested this season ... probably starting with a home assignment against the young Giants next Saturday night.Obviously, it's far too early to accurately assess Hinkley's effect on Port Adelaide.

The signs were healthy first up, like the midfield unit led by skipper Boak and Monfries class adding a new dimension to a forward set-up built around the dangerous Jay Shulz.

The Power players were disciplined, accountable to their opponents and worked together with a structure and purpose that was missing in their opponents haphazard ball use.

Mitch Clarke gets helped off the ground Picture: Harman Stephen Source: HWT Image Library

An interchange bench infringement when onballer Jordie McKenzie prematurely returned to the field early in the third term summed up the Demons dismay day.

But it was the complete lack of any system in Melbourne's play that most distressed its fans that made up all but a small pocket of the disappointing 22,924 crowd.

Viney's impressive debut was the only highlight of the Demons' bleak Easter Sunday.It started with teenager's breakaway burst, one bounce and pinpoint pass to Colin Sylvia midway through the opening quarter.

And he finished with 22 possessions, bettered only by captain Jack Grimes.In retrospect, the warning signs were flashing early for the Demons.

A free kick to Grimes was Melbourne's first effective kick ... and the contest had been running nearly six minutes.

23.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pies defy all odds to stun Roos

North Melbourne goalsneak Lindsay Thomas faces a nervous wait with the match review panel after flooring Collingwood's Ben Reid with a big bump.

Brent Macaffer celebrates his goal in the last quarter Picture: Salpigtidis George Source: HWT Image Library

COLLINGWOOD has spent a hellish summer on the ropes, forced to defend its culture, its misbehaving stars and even its game plan.

Under extreme duress the Pies applied that pressure to their Round 1 rival, and the result was a victory for the ages.

A Collingwood side with no right to win - ravaged by late withdrawals and mid-match injuries - instead defied the odds to set the template for its season of redemption.

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The ''swarm'' is back, and on the limited sample size so is Collingwood, after a victory achieved despite the late withdrawals of Heath Shaw (gastro) and Dayne Beams.

The Pies played beautiful football through the poise of Scott Pendlebury, the silky finishing of Steele Sidebottom and the brutish strength of Travis Cloke.

North Melbourne V Collingwood at Etihad Stadium, 31/3/13. Dane Swan Picture: Salpigtidis George Source: HWT Image Library

Yet they combined it with the grit and collective will to tackle that was so absent last year as their season ended with a whimper rather than a bang.

For a half of astonishingly high quality they traded blows with North Melbourne, but where the Roos wilted the Pies just turned the pressure gauge higher and higher.

War of words between Bucks and Scott

Seven minutes into the last term after six straight goals the Pies were 34 points up, yet also out on their feet.
With Ben Johnson (leg) subbed out, Ben Reid knocked out (by Lindsay Thomas) and the cramping Ben Sinclair long out of petrol tickets, a North Melbourne comeback was inevitable.

VIDEO: See Thomas's big bump on Ben Reid

But even Collingwood's ability to hold firm after North Melbourne's four straight goals turned a cakewalk into a nailbiter was a resounding positive.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley had spent the summer preaching that talent was not enough, and that lesson clearly fell on a willing congregation.

It might be Round 1 - with September over five months away - yet given the likes of Dale Thomas, Luke Ball and Alex Fasolo were also absent this was right up there with any win on Nathan Buckley's watch.

Only a week ahead of his clash with former mentor Mick Malthouse, his side's actions showed that if it was ever in doubt, this is very much his team.

Travis Cloke battled in a gripping one-on-one battle with Scott Thompson for four goals, the small forwards relentlessly chased and tackled, and Quinten Lynch (two goals) played his forward foil role perfectly to keep Cloke isolated.

Dane Swan's industrious game (31 touches) was capped by a strong defensive mark in the final moments, while Maxwell's stats camouflage a game full of spoils, smothers and one-percenters.

North Melbourne V Collingwood at Etihad Stadium, 31/3/13. Clash of heads between Ben Reid and Lindsay Thomas saw Reid off with a bloody mouth and players in a scuffle after Scott Pendlebury tested Lindsay Thomas's Picture: Salpigtidis George Source: Herald Sun

Collingwood's stars might have been on fire, but the real winners were the kids and the recently acquired mature-agers that would not give up the fight.

Sam Dwyer has real dash and poise, Josh Frost was steady down back, and late inclusion Josh Thomas (seven clearances) turned the ball over early but then just got on with the job of winning it at the coal face.

For that exceptional first half it looked like North Melbourne were the exact replica of the side that took part in barnstorming run to last year's finals.

But if Daniel Wells, the mighty David Swallow and Ryan Bastinac were brilliant, the likes of Leigh Adams, Shaun Atley, Sam Wright, and Kieren Harper were content to be total passengers.

North Melbourne's night was summed up by the performance of Thomas, so effective with four first-half goals and then totally shut out by Alan Toovey.

That the Roos were able to close on the limping Pies was mostly due to Thomas, who took it upon himself to shepherd Reid as he chased Lachie Hansen.

The result was brutal, and the aftermath will be severe.

North Melbourne V Collingwood at Etihad Stadium, 31/3/13. Nathan Grima battles with Travis Cloke Picture: Salpigtidis George Source: HWT Image Library

The head clash kept Reid out of the rest of the game, and Thomas was booed for the rest of the game despite the absence of malice.

Yet there is no doubt Thomas is in massive strife.

He initiated the contact so is responsible for it, has 88.75 carry-over points, and if the incident is graded intentional and high impact faces 550 more points before a guilty plea.

Now North will return to the drawing board without Thomas for as much as a month, aware that their last-term comeback was as empty as their win tally.

North Melbourne V Collingwood at Etihad Stadium, 31/3/13. Ben Cunnington goal in the first quarter Picture: Salpigtidis George Source: HWT Image Library

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Dismal Dees booed off

The AFL's contentious score review system has again come under fire with two incidents in today's Melbourne-Port Adelaide clash at the MCG

Nathan Jones after the match Picture: Harman Stephen Source: HWT Image Library

SHELL-SHOCKED coach Mark Neeld was flummoxed; Wayne Carey said he'd "never been as disappointed in a team".

And before the tactical dissection of Melbourne's 79-point capitulation to Port Adelaide began, shattered Demons players admitted they'd been rocked by - but understood - the savage hail of booing to which they were subjected as they trudged from the MCG.

Neeld, flanked by equally stunned captain Jack Grimes at his press conference, was at a loss to explain his team's inability to bring training track form and rudimentary footy basics to a Round 1 clash with an opponent, on average, actually younger than his Demons.

Live HQ: Melbourne v Port Adelaide

"There are angry players, angry coaches, angry supporters, (an) angry club," Neeld said.

"It's particularly disappointing that you can train one way for four or five months, then come out and be unrecognisable on a footy field.

"We didn't deal with Port Adelaide's speed and aggression ... We didn't see that coming."

Former Kangaroos champ Carey was far less diplomatic.

"Rather than play stupid games and see who can grow the longest beard, how about train? They are a shambles," he said on Triple M.

"If I was Mark Neeld I'd say to the conditioning guy, 'I don't give a crap (about recovery)'.

"I'd get 'em up at 4.30am (on Monday morning) and give them a 10km time-trial and then a swim afterwards.

"Actually, a 10km time-trial, then make them watch this game (as punishment).

"They dress like AFL footballers, look like AFL footballers, but don't play anything like one.
I've never been as disappointed in a team."

After the game, Neeld spoke to his player for half an hour trying to find out "who's a competitor and who's not".

"And the general feeling in the room was that everyone's a competitor - at times.

"There weren't too many who were able to get up in front of everybody and say, 'I thought you competed all day'," he said.

Dees lay egg in Easter shock

Neeld said the players had correctly recalled all aspects of his game plan in the review, but couldn't explain the variation from the reality.

There was one piece of good news for Melbourne: Forward Mitch Clark's leg injury is a rolled ankle, a pleasant surprise after he appeared to suffer a serious knee or ankle injury midway through the third term.

The match was peppered with stunning grabs; with Port's Jay Schulz taking an early contender for mark of the year.

But his towering speccy will be tinged with controversy after he clearly grabbed it over the goal line.

The umpires agreed the mark had been in the field of play, but went upstairs for a review that returned an "inconclusive" verdict, meaning the the mark stood.

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Watts at a loss to explain defeat

Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney spoke to his side after the loss. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

The AFL's contentious score review system has again come under fire with two incidents in today's Melbourne-Port Adelaide clash at the MCG

IT wasn't enough that first-gamer Jack Viney was probably Melbourne's best in its 79-point shelling at the hands of Port Adelaide.

He then endured another gruelling challenge: addressing his older teammates, as a lifelong Demons fan, to tell them what it meant to have pride in wearing the red and blue.

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Viney, already seemingly a father-son recruiting steal at pick No.26, had 22 touches to be one of three Demon standouts alongside captain Jack Grimes and fellow debutant Matt Jones, earning praise from coach Mark Neeld.

"He's got a mature head on his shoulders, he acquitted himself well in his AFL debut," Neeld said of Viney.

"If it's possible when you play your first game, he's probably been a Melbourne person longer than anyone in that room.

"He spoke about that, from his heart."

That sense of empathy for the fans wasn't lost on Grimes or defender Jack Watts, who spoke honestly of their pain at being booed as they left the MCG.

But both said they understood the attack.

Watts, who's seen his share of pain since his 2009 debut, said it was "right up there" among his most miserable days.

"The work we put in pre-season and the way we're training can't be faulted," Watts said.

"Then to come out and play a game like that, it's right up there with the most disappointing couple of hours I've had since I've been at the club.

"You look at our training and we feel like there are no excuses.

"There's no way we're not as fit as Port Adelaide, there's no way we're not as strong, no way we haven't put in as much work as them over summer.

"Jack Viney and Matty Jones, playing their first game of AFL footy and they're two of our best three players.

"How can that happen in a Round 1 clash against Port Adelaide when everything is on the line?

"We've trained for six months, working our bloody a---- off and it's ... I can't explain it."

Watts said to feel the Demon fans' pain was "shocking".

"But they've got every right the way we played today," he said.

"You'd hope your supporters would really stick by you and support you through no matter what, but jeez ... with what they've been through, I certainly don't blame them.

"It is just Round 1, one game of 22, so we've got a lot of chances to turn it around and change the perception of a lot of people - because right now I don't think it's too flash, to be honest.

"It's not a fitness or skills thing, it's a mindset thing and we've got to try to get everyone on board."
Grimes said everyone at the club was frustrated.

"We feel like we let the supporters down most of all," Grimes said.

"There's a lot of guys who need to have a good, hard look at themselves.

"When you hear some of the stuff (the fans are) saying, you think, 'Fair enough'.

"It wasn't good enough what we dished up.

"I'd be frustrated, too, if I was sitting there as a Melbourne supporter."
 

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Scott tells Bucks to butt out

North Melbourne goalsneak Lindsay Thomas faces a nervous wait with the match review panel after flooring Collingwood's Ben Reid with a big bump.

Lindsay Thomas's bump has sparked a war of words between the coaches. Picture: Salpigtidis George Source: Herald Sun

A SCATHING war of words erupted between opposition coaches Brad Scott and Nathan Buckley last night as the postscript to the North Melbourne and Collingwood clash at Etihad Stadium which turned sour.

Scott told his Magpies counterpart to keep his opinions to himself after Buckley called Lindsay Thomas's off the ball hit on Ben Reid an "average'' act that would see the AFL "hold him to account for his actions''.

Magpies defender Reid did not return to the field having been left concussed and bleeding from the mouth after the third quarter incident.

VIDEO: See Lindsay Thomas's bump which has sparked so much controversy in the player above

As the ball was trickling out of play Roos forward Thomas changed direction and clashed heads with an unsuspecting Reid who lay motionless on the ground for a couple of minutes.

Live HQ: North Melbourne v Collingwood

A grossly undermanned Collingwood outclassed North Melbourne by 16 points, but the Thomas/Reid incident was the major talking point afterwards.

"I thought it was pretty average,'' Buckley said.

"I have full faith that the systems the AFL has in place will hold him to account for his actions.

"It was off the ball, unprovoked and we'll see how it happens.

North Melbourne V Collingwood at Etihad Stadium, 31/3/13. Clash of heads between Ben Reid and Lindsay Thomas saw Reid off with a bloody mouth and players in a scuffle after Scott Pendlebury tested Lindsay Thomas's Picture: Salpigtidis George Source: Herald Sun

"I don't want to pre-empt anything, but clearly if it's behind play and it it's high you're in a bit of strife.''

Scott was left seething by Buckley's remarks.

"Nathan Buckley should just worry about his own team,'' Scott said.

"Commentary like that doesn't help. I don't know what incident Nathan Buckley saw but a head clash is a head clash, it does happen in football, we play a contact sport.

"Bucks should just keep his opinions to himself when it comes to decisions and things that will be taken care of by the powers that be.

"It doesn't help when a senior coach comes in and starts influencing things and casting dispersions on our players.

"If Bucks wants to call me he can.''

Scott said it wasn't for him to say what he thought of the incident himself.

"But certainly from where I sat it didn't look malicious, it didn't look like he tried to hurt Ben Reid,'' he said.

"But as I said, it's not for me to say and it's certainly not for him to say.''

Reid's absence was further accentuated by the fact Ben Johnson had to be substituted at half time with a corked thigh.

Asked how he felt seeing Thomas continue while his side went down to two players on the bench Buckley simply said: "He stayed down and tried to fake that as well.

"It is what it is, it was not a great act and I'm sure he'll be feeling pretty sorry for it right now.

"Reidy will play next week.''
 

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Debtant Frost comes in cold

Jack Frost had little time to prepare for his debut. Picture: Scott Chris Source: HWT Image Library

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley admitted he had his doubts about his team's capacity to overcome the loss of several key players before last night's impressive 16-point win against North Melbourne.

Already without the likes of Dale Thomas, Luke Ball, Alex Fasolo, Alan Didak and Clinton Young, Collingwood lost Dayne Beams to a quad injury before the game and Heath Shaw to a bout of food poisoning 30 minutes prior to the bounce.

The two late withdrawals handed Jack Frost and Josh Thomas unexpected AFL debuts.

In the case of Frost, he had no idea he was only minutes away from playing his first game when he arrived at the ground.

"I just had my polo on outside and then all of a sudden they said 'yeah, you're in','' Frost said.

"I had two minutes to get taped, get everything on, do a tiny little warm up that went for about 10 seconds and then I ran out. That was it. I wasn't ready for that one.''

It's a debut the 21-year-old rookie elevation had been waiting for for years, but it came in an instant.

The key defender didn't even know whether his parents had been at the ground to see him play.

"Daisy (Dale Thomas) actually came up to me in the rooms and said 'do your parents know?'

"I had no idea, so I told him where my phone was but I'm not sure if he even got on to them. I hope they were there.''

Josh Thomas (18 possessions, seven clearances) at least had a little extra time to prepare after being told on Saturday that Beams wasn't right.

"Beamsy hurt himself at training yesterday arvo, so I didn't really have too much time to think about it thankfully.'' Thomas, 21, said.

"I was pretty nervous though because I've been dreaming about this day for a while.''

A third debutant, Sam Dwyer, was the Pies substitute and came on at half time after Ben Johnson copped a cork to his thigh.

Buckley was full of praise for his undermanned team after the game.

"Coming in to it we had concerns about personnel I suppose and were wondering whether we had lost too much quality to be able to play the way that we did tonight,

"But the fact is it's not just the talent level of a team that gets you wins it's the actual effort and perseverance (of the players) and the application to their roles.

"I thought it was a great win.''

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Saint dubs slide rule a harsh measure

Nick Dal Santo says he has not seen the Lenny Hayes incident, but his views have not changed. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

ST KILDA midfielder Nick Dal Santo doesn't like the AFL's new slide rule.

And that was even before his teammate Lenny Hayes was penalised for making contact with the legs of Gold Coast's Jared Brennan while pouncing on a loose ball during Saturday night's loss to the Suns.

The Hayes decision caused a storm on Twitter with former Saint Steven Baker tweeting: "The sliding into the legs rule makes me not want to watch footy."

Dal Santo said he had not seen the incident, but his views had not changed.

"I made a couple of comments last week on The Footy Show about it, where I'm not a huge fan of the rule in general, that's not Lenny's one in particular," he said.

"I just didn't think that is needed to come in and be that harsh for a guy that's actually winning the football.

"I am all for player protection and obviously don't want any serious injuries, which happened a couple of times last year.

"I think it puts a bit of a grey area, particularly in player's minds and someone like Lenny, who goes extremely hard at it, your game does have to be altered a little bit just to be careful because you don't want to be giving away free kicks all the time."

The Saints must rebound from Saturday night's shock 13-point loss quickly as they face an in-form Richmond at the MCG on Friday night.

"I think our skills were pretty disappointing and obviously conversion kicking for goal wasn't up to scratch," Dal Santo said.

"I still think we've got some really good young kids coming through and I don't think the senior players necessarily have reached their peak.

"Obviously you've got guys like Nick Riewoldt and Lenny that's been around for quite a while and have done some fantastic things individually, but I still think everyone can improve."

Midfielder Leigh Montagna has served his one-match ban and will be available to tackle the Tigers, but Dal Santo was unsure if Sean Dempster (hamstring), Sam Fisher (foot) or Adam Schneider (hamstring) would play.

BRISBANE Lions hope defender Matt Maguire has not suffered a major injury to his leg.

Maguire, who is expected to have scans today, had complications in 2006 when he badly broke his leg while playing for St Kilda and was forced to have several operations.

He was subbed off in the third quarter of Saturday's game against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.

The club said he was still sore yesterday.

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New Hawk's monster debut

Brian Lake doesn't have to worry about Lance Franklin being behind him anymore. Picture: Stephen Harman Source: Herald Sun

HAWTHORN recruit Brian Lake will have no time to ease into his new role with the Hawks.

The former Western Bulldog fullback was recruited to play on monster forwards, and his first assignment is Geelong's Tom Hawkins at the MCG today.

Hawk coach Alastair Clarkson admitted Lake and Cyril Rioli's preparation leading into today's blockbuster had not been ideal.

He said both sides had taken a bit of a punt on selections, pointing out Geelong had named ruckman Trent West, who had minor knee surgery in January.

"It's not always ideal going into Round 1, and we'll just see how we go," Clarkson said before yesterday's 30-minute training session at Waverley Park.

And he confirmed 19-year-old Northern Territory recruit Jed Anderson, whose wife is due to give birth in the next few days, will make his debut after being on-traded by Greater Western Sydney for Stephen Gilham.

"It's been a great effort for a lad to get drafted and then force his way into a side that played off in a grand final," Clarkson said.

Rioli (ankle) and Lake (calf) have not played since Hawthorn's opening NAB Cup game five weeks ago.

Lake will play a crucial role on Hawkins, as the Hawks try to break a nine-game losing streak against Geelong.

Clarkson said the former Bulldog veteran had been recruited specifically to play on bigger footballers.

"Hopefully he will acquit himself well," he said.

"Hawkins has turned into an outstanding player in the competition and, whoever plays on him, no matter what stage of the game it is or what stage of the season, it is a formidable task, so we'll see how we go."

He said Rioli and Lake were "OK" going into the clash, despite their lack of game time.
 

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Jeff's curse alive and kicking

Former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett  hopes Hawthorn wins today but should it happen he won't be tempted to retrieve his famous brown and gold jacket from the club's museum at Waverley Park. Picture: David Caird. Source: Herald Sun

JEFF Kennett isn't sure whether he wants Hawthorn to beat Geelong at the MCG today.

The former premier and Hawthorn president is responsible for the Kennett Curse after he lobbed a grenade on the eve of the 2009 season, accusing the Cats of not having the "mental drive" of the Hawks.

Seen to be gloating after Hawthorn's shock victory over Geelong in the 2008 Grand Final, Kennett praised the Cats but said they didn't have the quality of some of his players or their psychological drive.

Hawthorn hasn't beaten Geelong in nine attempts since.

Kennett doesn't accept responsibility. He said if the curse was broken no one would ever talk about him.

"It's the only thing that this poor pensioner has left going for him," he joked.

"The only thing that gets brought to the public these days about me is the Kennett Curse."

Kennett, who was club president from 2006-11, said yesterday he was only referring to beating Geelong in grand finals, but says everyone took it to mean Hawthorn had to win every clash with the Cats.

"I don't regret it for a moment," Kennett said.

"Can I say that I don't think I regret anything that has happened in my life, let alone what I've said but there are others who often regret it. Our boys are either good enough to beat Geelong or they are not and it doesn't matter what I say or what anyone else says.

"I would always prefer that we beat them in grand finals than home-and-away games."

Kennett hopes Hawthorn wins today but should it happen he won't be tempted to retrieve his famous brown and gold jacket from the club's museum at Waverley Park. He suggests that he, and the coat, will be put into the museum.

"Because there will be no reason for me to exist," he said. "The only thing that keeps me getting up each morning is the extraordinary attention I get from the Kennett Curse and if that was to disappear I should perhaps go into the Hawthorn museum, get into my jacket and I'll allow myself to become a permanent exhibit."

While Kennett is blamed for providing the Cats with some exceptional motivation, rugged Cat Paul Chapman didn't need any words to stir his emotions after the Grand Final loss.

"We've said to ourselves that we don't, if we can, ever let Hawthorn beat us again because we still hurt from that," Chapman revealed on the eve of their Easter blockbuster against Hawthorn in 2011.

"It's obviously in the back of our heads, but there's nothing we can do about it now.

"All you can do is show that you're still hurting and do the best you can when you play them next. For me, that's something that motivates me against them."

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Footy a jump up for tyro Blicavs

The development of the 198cm Mark Blicavs has stunned everyone at Simonds Stadium given he's played only a handful of games since under-14s Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

ANDREW Guthrie had played and watched enough footy to know a player when he saw one and the extremely athletic 10-year-old was a serious one.

It was more than a decade ago, when Guthrie coached the Taylors Lakes under-10s, and Mark Blicavs was one of the best juniors he had seen.

Guthrie, who played a handful of games in the 1980s with Essendon and Fitzroy and whose son Cameron now plays with Geelong, recalls Blicavs as a "kid with a fantastic skill set".

"Of course he was a sensational athlete with a big leap, but he could also seriously play football," Guthrie said.

"Mark had played basketball with Cam and football with my eldest son Ben, plus we were friends with his parents, Andy and Karen, and while I knew he wanted to pursue his athletic passion, I always kept the football side in mind."

Guthrie dredged up that memory in February 2011, when the Cats organised a lunch for the parents of new boys who were selected in the NAB Cup side to play North Melbourne at Geelong.

Guthrie told Cats' recruiting manager Stephen Wells that Blicavs may be a player worth watching. Wells liked what he saw, offering Blicavs a rookie contract in November 2011, and presenting Blicavs with a dilemma: drop a promising athletics career as a 1500m and steeplechase runner or give AFL footy a crack.

With the London Olympics last year, Blicavs chose to continue his athletics dream. That he ultimately didn't make the Olympic team was more a reflection of his age, 21, than his ability, according to his running coach Gregor Gorjrzewski.

"The London Olympics were always too early for Mark ... runners do not peak until 25 to 27. I remember him coming to me and saying, 'Gregor, I have the sad news for you', and he told me about Geelong and Aussie Rules.

"I say, 'You do what your passion tells you. Follow your dream, Mark'.

"As coach I was sad to lose such good prospect because he is very talented.

"It sad that the athletics, there is not good financial support. All of sudden Mark gets an offer to be paid to play sport. So good on him. I will be watching more Aussie rules than I used to."

So will Blicavs' parents, who have excelled in basketball. His father Andy was a 1976 Montreal Olympian and his mother Karen was part of the Opals' 1983 world championship team in Brazil.

They have three children, with eldest son Chris, 24, playing basketball with the Ballarat Miners in the SEABL and daughter Sara, 20, playing for the Geelong Supercats in the SEABL.

Karen Blicavs said the dynamics had changed with a budding AFL footballer in a "house of hoops".

"We didn't expect it but neither did Mark. It is very exciting although you have to be realistic, and Mark knows if he gets a game it's because of injuries to other players," she said.

"I actually think he needs a year of developing in the VFL. He might make it, he might not, but I can tell you he has the right mindset for it and will give the AFL everything he has got.

"Because he hasn't played a lot you could argue he hasn't picked up bad habits, and he is very appreciative of what he is getting after coming from a sport with such little financial help in athletics."

Karen remembers her son playing football in his early teens, maybe under-14s, when he declared one day the game wasn't for him.

He had been caught in that twilight zone when some teenagers develop muscles overnight and others remain boys.

But then he started to grow. Listed at 78kg on Geelong's 2012 list, he has jumped to 96kg. Couple that with his 198cm frame and a prodigious leap and you can see what all the excitement is about.

As Guthrie noted, it may not be in the ruck that Blicavs makes his name.

"He would be a fairly difficult match-up on a wing," Guthrie said. "But before that I just want to see how a 202cm ruckman keeps up with him."

AFL PLAYERS FROM HIGH LEVELS IN OTHER SPORTS

Tom Williams (rugby union for Queensland in U18s)

Karmichael Hunt (11 rugby league Tests for Australia)

Mike Pyke (rugby union World Cup for Canada)

George Horlin-Smith (Australian U16 cricket captain)

Zac Smith (Queensland in outdoor and indoor soccer)

Scott Pendlebury (AIS basketball scholarship)

Dustin Fletcher (three Victorian junior tennis doubles titles)

George Burbury (Gold in the 2010 national U19 rowing championships

Shannon Hurn (South Australia Cricket rookie contract)

Simon Black (WA State junior athletic champion over 800m)

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