Suns suffer injury blow

Liam Patrick celebrates a goal. Picture: Darren England Source: The Courier-Mail

SUNS forward Liam Patrick looks set to miss the NAB Cup after injuring his hamstring at training today.

The 24-year-old, who has played 11 senior games for the club, was carried from Metricon Stadium and later emerged on crutches and with ice strapped to his hamstring.

He has been sent for scans.

Patrick was left lying on the ground after a contest in a match drill that involved a pack of players that included Karmichael Hunt.

The Suns' trainers initially feared he may have been knocked out but later reported he had suffered no other injury beside the hamstring.

Summer Barometer: Click here for Suns' training, injury latest

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Young Magpie denies assault

FIGHTING: Collingwood's Marley Williams has pleaded not guilty to an assault charge. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD young gun Marley Williams has pleaded not guilty to an assault charge and will face trial in a WA court later this year.

Williams was charged over an incident at a nightclub in his home town of Albany in late December.

Police allege Williams, 19, got into an argument about 1.30am with a 29-year-old man.

The other man was ejected from the venue, and when Williams left he saw the man outside.

Williams then allegedly punched the man, who was taken to Albany Regional Hospital with a broken jaw.

The footballer was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.

In Albany Magistrates Court today, he pleaded not guilty via video link from Melbourne.

The case has been scheduled for mention in March.

The footballer asked to be excused from appearing via video link on that date, but the request was rejected by the court. No date for the trial has been set.

Despite the not guilty plea, the Magpies have chosen to make Williams work with the Salvation Army's soup van on the streets of Melbourne as punishment for his involvement in the late-night scuffle.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley announced last week Williams would help the Salvos for the next 10 weeks until the home-and-away season kicks off.

"We just feel it's a good opportunity for Marley to see a different side of things, and we'll be supporting him with our leaders attending each week as he goes through that community service, which we think is appropriate," Buckley said.

Williams joined the Magpies last year as a rookie and played six senior games. He has been promoted to the senior list.
 

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Nic Nat keeps Round 1 door ajar

Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui will start his pre-season campaign late. Picture: Justin Benson-cooper. Source: PerthNow

WEST Coast big man Nic Naitanui has refused to rule out a shock Round 1 appearance in the derby showdown against Fremantle.

The ruckman underwent surgery on his groins in November and is expected to sit out the entire NAB Cup.

Naitanui, 22, carried the groin problem and significant soreness late last season but bravely played on, finishing with 22 games for the year.

The All-Australian ruckman was slated for a return between Rounds 2 and 8.

"I have been following my program. My goal is still Round 1," he said today.

"I'll see how I go and track along in the next few weeks. It's my body. I know how it feels."

Eagles assistant coach Justin Longmuir told the Herald Sun this month the club wanted the key big man to be reaching his peak towards September.

"He's just started running again, so he's a long way behind the rest of the group and we'll take a really cautious approach with him," Longmuir said.

"We really need Nic Nat firing at the end of the year, not so much at the start of the year.

"If he comes up for Round 1 that will be great, but we've got the cover if he doesn't come up for Round 1."

Summer Barometer: Click here for Eagles' injury, training latest

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Tippett's manager cops a year

Player agent and former Lions media manager Peter Blucher, right, pictured here with Michael Voss. Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

BREAKING: KURT Tippett's manager Peter Blucher has had his licence revoked for 12 months.

Blucher's penalty was announced by the AFLPA today after he was found to have acted inappropriately when negotiating Tippett's illegal contract with Adelaide in 2009.

Blucher's 45 players can stay under the Velocity player management banner, but can have no dealings with the banned manager for at least 12 months.

The AFLPA's Agent Accreditation Board found that Blucher had failed in a number of his obligations as a player manager .

He will have to re-apply to become a player agent again when his ban is over.

Late last year Tippett was fined $50,000 and banned from playing for half of the AFL season for breaching the AFL's draft and salary cap rules.

Kurt Tippett is one of many players over time who have looked for a new home. Source: Herald Sun

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Tough Eagle joins rules committee

Essendon players make their feelings known after Jobe Watson was felled in a collision with Beau Waters (left). Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: The Sunday Times

Eagle Beau Waters takes a diving mark. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: The Sunday Times

DON'T expect a crackdown on the bump any time soon after Eagles hard man Beau Waters joined the AFL laws committee.

Waters, who has had several run-ins with the match review panel, has been appointed the new player representative on the committee to replace Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich.

Last season the 26-year-old was twice guilty twice of high bumps, escaping with a reprimand for a collision with Demon Jack Grimes in April but copping a one-week ban for a hit on Brisbane midfielder Jack Redden in June.

In between he was cleared of any wrongdoing after another contentious bump on Richmond's Daniel Jackson.

Waters has played 113 games in 11 seasons with West Coast and was named in last year's All-Australian team.

Pavlich stood down last year after four years in the role.

"The AFL greatly values the contributions of current players, and the wider AFLPA, to the important discussions around the Laws of the Game and is pleased that Beau will join the laws panel," the AFL's acting football operations manager Gillon McLachlan said.

The committee consists of McLachlan (acting chairman), Kevin Bartlett, Joel Bowden, Leigh Matthews, Luke Power, Rowan Sawers, Michael Sexton, Waters and Shane McCurry (secretary).

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Judd deal may survive

Chris Judd is waiting for a verdict on his deal with Visy. Picture: Tim Carrafa Source: Herald Sun

CHRIS Judd's manager remains hopeful he can negotiate a compromise with the AFL over the dual Brownlow medallist's third-party deal with Carlton sponsor Visy.

Judd's manager Paul Connors confirmed today he'd had fresh talks with the AFL over the matter.

Connors is believed to be keen to avoid a formal grievance tribunal hearing that could result in a straight win-or-loss scenario.

AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson informed Carlton in November that Judd's deal with Visy, which is estimated at $250,000 per season, would have to be included in the salary cap from 2013.

However, Anderson's departure from AFL ranks last month has prompted new discussions and a negotiated deal is now a likely outcome, the AFL website reported.

Carlton chief executive Greg Swann was also part of the talks.

The 29-year-old Judd's six-year deal expires at the end of the 2013 season.

"I can confirm that I met with the AFL yesterday," Connors said.

The Blues had a scare on the training track on Wednesday when injury-prone key forward Jarrad Waite dislocated a finger, although a club spokesman claimed the injury wouldn't derail the 29-year-old's pre-season campaign.

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Demetriou expects drugs spike

AFL supremo Andrew Demetriou. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis Source: Herald Sun

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou has prepared the football world for a spike in positive drug tests by players when 2012 figures are revealed.

The 2011 figure, released in June last year, revealed six players tested positive to illicit drugs in out-of-competition tests.

As club CEOs prepare for a drugs summit next Wednesday, Demetriou said he expected that number to rise.

"I think we're going to see a spike this year, but I haven't got that data yet," the league chief executive said on Channel 7.

"Our ideal result is getting zero positives, but we know we're not going to get there, that would be a foolish expectation."

Collingwood CEO Gary Pert called for tougher action by AFL clubs on the issue of illicit drugs in November, saying there was a serious issue of "volcanic behaviour" by players during the off-season.

In December the Herald Sun revealed that some players were exploiting a loophole in the league's three-strikes drug policy by self-reporting the use of illicit drugs.

By self-reporting, players avoid registering a positive drug test and a strike against their name.

Self-reporting is a feature of the AFL's three-strikes illicit drugs policy and occurs when a player wishes to admit having used drugs.

Demetriou said he was open to discussions about the three strikes policy, but he maintained that players could not dodge drug tests.

"If there is a player or an official that is in involved in the use of illicit drugs or performance-enhancing drugs, inevitably they will be caught, and they will pay a hell of a price," he said.

"There's no coming back and you will get caught, that's what I do know."

The six positive tests in 2011 were first-time offenders and for stimulants, which include cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines. There were no positive second or third tests.

Under the AFL's illicit drugs policy, players are only named publicly if they test positive three times.

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Waters closing in on return

COMEBACK PATH: Beau Waters is eyeing a NAB Cup return. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

WEST Coast enforcer Beau Waters says he is on track to play NAB Cup as he continues his recovery from post-season hip surgery.

Waters, who has been limited by injury to 113 of a possible 164 matches since his 2004 debut, had his left foot strapped today "as a precaution", having recovered from a serious ankle injury suffered in the elimination final win over North Melbourne.

But the 26-year-old also required hip surgery before Christmas and has been restricted to the rehab group as the 2013 season approaches.

Speaking at a press conference following his appointment to the AFL Rules Committee, Waters said his recovery remained on track and that NAB Cup action was "very likely".

"The ankle's just precautionary, but yeah, I had hip surgery in December and I'm feeling really good," Waters said.

"I'm doing a lot of running on the ground now, with that intimate rehab group.

"We're all improving at a steady rate and NAB Cup is a very likely possibility and then, obviously, moving into Round 1.

"Asking me and asking the physios are two different things.

"I'm hoping in the next three weeks to four weeks I'd be moving back to the main group and hopefully challenging the boys."

Waters said the recovery of fellow rehab-group member, Nic Naitanui, was also tracking well, but said the club had put no timeline on the ruck tyro's return.

"I don't think there's any timelines for Nic," he said.

"He's a very important commodity for the club and he's had some pretty serious groin surgery.

"He's moving along well, I know he's starting to do some stuff on the ground and, physically, he's looking fit and his attitude has been perfect throughout the entire process."

Waters' appointment to the Rules Committee ensures WA football retains a place in the nine-person body, following Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich's decision to step down from the role late last year.

Waters played a straight-bat when asked light-heartedly if the renowned rough-nut's presence would see a return of the shirtfront and said he looked forward to getting a different perspective on changes made to the game.

"The shirtfront has obviously been eliminated from the game for the safety of the players and we can see (the effect it has had) across all the codes," he said.

"I'm really looking forward to sitting down with the guys and understanding where they're coming from, rather than me running like a rat up a drainpipe.

"It's good to keep the role in WA, though, it's a long way from Victoria and it'll be a voice that'll be heard."

The latest rule change to the game came today, with the AFL preparing to ban six types of gloves after an investigation by Melbourne's RMIT University found they gave users an unfair advantage.

The iconic glove of former Eagles forward Quinten Lynch, as well as that of his new Collingwood teammate Travis Cloke, are among those to be banned.

Waters made light of the change, jumping on the chance to give Lynch some ribbing.

"The old iron-clad box-handler, it's been ruled out," Waters said.

"I'm not looking forward to seeing Lynchy without a glove, he wasn't too effective with one.

"It's quite funny, actually, and we'll be stirring Lynchy up when we first play them."
 

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AFL banks on blood profiles

The AFL has introduced the same blood profiling system used in cycling to catch doping cheats. Source: Supplied

THE AFL says it has built a bank of biological data on its players equal to the profiling system that has helped clean up cycling post-Lance Armstrong.

League medical commissioner Dr Peter Harcourt said yesterday records from five years of blood testing AFL players were available to doping investigators.

Changes in biological profile would alert authorities, led by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, that a player required close scrutiny.

Cycling's "biological passport" is being adopted by other sporting bodies around the world.

But Harcourt said the AFL was ahead of most sports. He said its testing, in partnership with ASADA, was almost identical to that of cycling.

"We are effectively already doing it," he said.

"We have been blood testing in the AFL for four or five years -- and now ASADA are introducing the Athlete Biological Passport, we are morphing our blood profiling, which is essentially the same, into the biological passport.

"But basically it's exactly the same as what we have been doing with the blood testing and urine testing. That was a part of the strategy -- to get ahead of the game.

"We do about 1000 tests (a year) all up . . . and a lot of our blood profiling is about trying to see if someone looks a bit unusual.

"And then if they look a bit unusual, then we do more tests.

"There's a lot of intelligence that sits behind it -- analysing things," he said.

"We started doing it four years ago and we picked it up because cycling were doing it. We were the first sport in Australia to do it."

Harcourt said the only major difference with the passport was a requirement for players to be rested for two hours before a blood sample is taken.

He said players identified by ASADA had been blood or urine-tested up to nine times in a year.

Samples can be stored and re-tested for up to eight years.

Asked why some players would be targeted, Harcourt said: "Well, they would have had some irregularities. We have had individuals who have had strange test results . . . but none of them have come through as anything other than natural."

Former Richmond ruckman Justin Charles is the only AFL player to have been found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs. He was suspended for 16 matches in 1997 after admitting to using anabolic steroids.

Biological passports measure and monitor an individual athlete's blood over a period of time.

Testing agencies can create a profile on a sportsperson and are able to uncover irregularities.

While not necessarily detecting the type of prohibited substance used by an athlete to cheat, the passport can indirectly reveal the effects of doping.

"The athlete biological passport testing differs from traditional testing by looking for the effects of blood doping rather than detecting the prohibited substances or methods used," an ASADA spokesman said yesterday.

ATHLETE BIOLOGICAL PASSPORT

* Measures and monitors an athlete's blood variables over a period of time

* Catches cheats by flagging abnormalities and irregularities

* Indirectly reveals the effects of doping, as opposed to a reliance on traditional detection tests

Source: WADA
 

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Scully shocked by vice-captain job

Tom Scully during a GWS AFL training session in Blacktown, western Sydney. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: Herald Sun

GREATER Western Sydney $6 million man Tom Scully has been promoted to vice-captain but missed out on the co-captaincy spot vacated by Luke Power.

Scully, 21, joined the Giants from Melbourne on a huge contract and has been rated a future captain.

But those ambitions will have to wait at least another season after the Giants opted for just two captains in 2013.

The AFL's newest club was led by 21-year-olds Callan Ward and Phil Davis, along with veteran Luke Power, in its first season.

After Power's retirement the club has decided not to replace him with a new captain.

Ward won the Giants' best-and-fairest while Davis was the only GWS player to play all 22 matches last season.

Summer Barometer: Click here for GWS training, injury latest

The leadership group was selected by players and coaches who were asked to nominate those players they believe best demonstrate leadership qualities.

Scully said he was honoured to be nominated.

"I certainly wasn't expecting this, but I'm very humbled to be voted by my teammates as vice captain and look forward to working closely with Phil and Callan," Scully said.

"Since coming to the Giants I think my leadership is something which has really improved. Obviously, being one of the players with a bit more experience in the squad is a unique thing in itself especially being so young myself.

"I think it has helped me mature a lot more as a person and as a footballer. It's something that I have really embraced. Setting an example through leadership is something I hope to develop over this year and in the years to coming.

"I'm really looking forward to the year ahead and the responsibility that comes with it."

Power will be an assistant coach with the Giants in 2013.

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