Training bonus for Roos veteran

Kangaroos veteran Brent Harvey is loving North Melbourne's match training sessions with Geelong. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

BRENT Harvey has lauded the unpredictability and extra competitiveness North Melbourne's training clashes against Geelong have added to the Roos' pre-season.

In an unprecedented move, twins Brad (North) and Chris Scott (Geelong) have organised match simulation hit-outs against each other's team every Friday for a month.

The first two sessions have consisted entirely of end-to-end stoppage drills, with a coach up either end of Geelong's home ground, Simonds Stadium, calling the shots.

Onlookers said the atmosphere has been serious, with neither team engaging in friendly discussions or handshakes before or after the sessions.

Geelong captain Joel Selwood has been a standout, while Cats veterans Joel Corey, James Kelly (hip), Jimmy Bartel (foot) and North match-winner Daniel Wells (achilles) have all taken part.

Harvey said he had had initial doubts about the concept, fearing the competitiveness could result in a serious injury. But with two more hit-outs scheduled, the 346-game North champion said the initiative had been a success.

"I like it. I was really sceptical at the start, (thinking) it's only going to take one bloke to get someone into the ground and it's going to be all over," Harvey said.

"As long as we treat them very similar to what we treat each other at training -- you get the opportunity to bury someone, you just don't do it this time of year -- (so there's) the respect.

"It's different, you get to see how Selwood and Stevie Johnson train and for our young boys it's a good experience.

"Tell me five years ago, (we'd be training with Geelong) I'd be saying no, not a chance at all.

"But it's worked really well."

The 20 and 40-minute sessions have been behind locked gates at the Cattery, allowing the clubs to trial set-ups and game styles away from other clubs' prying eyes.

Clubs cannot conduct full-scale matches against each other until the NAB Cup.

Harvey said the sessions have taken the Roos' training to a new level.

"When you're doing your stuff (at normal training) you're mirroring each other, so the mids know what the mids are doing, the backs know what the forwards are doing, where they're leading," Harvey said.

"It's really hard to get great match practice out of it. When you're playing against Geelong they've got no idea and we've got no idea what they're doing, so it's actually a really good exercise."
 

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AFL bans Cloke glove

The AFL has banned the gloves worn by Collingwood forward Travis Cloke. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun

Tony Campbell pioneered the glove at Footscray in 2002. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

Matthew Richardson flies for a mark at training wearing gloves. Picture: Ludbey Wayne Source: Herald Sun

RICHMOND champion Matthew Richardson says a study that showed gloves help players mark the ball was a waste of time and money.

The league has slapped a ban on certain types of gloves - including the brand worn by Collingwood forward Travis Cloke - after a study by RMIT found they give players an unfair advantage.

The study tested 10 types of glove worn by AFL players and found six offered too much grip.

"Why was study needed to tell @AFL that gloves provide more grip?" Richardson said on Twitter.

"Of course they do. Why wear them otherwise. Definitely help with marking."

Richardson wore a glove late in his career and also donned protective gloves when he returned to the field after suffering a fractured wrist in 2006.

The website for the Nike Vaporjet 2.0, the brand worn by Cloke, declares the gloves "deliver superior grip and durability in all conditions".

Also on the banned list are the Magnigrip Elite Remix 2.0, the Superbad, the Under Armour Blur II, Ironclad Box Handler Safety and Gilbert Rugby gloves.

Other players who could be impacted by the decision include Cloke's new teammate Quinten Lynch and former teammate Chris Dawes, who is now at Melbourne.

The report said 10 players regularly wore gloves during games in the 2012 season while another 10 wore them for injury reasons.

It is not known if that figure includes multiple players who wore gloves during matches in Darwin and Cairns to cope with increased humidity.

Port Adelaide midfielder Travis Boak takes a diving mark in Darwin. Picture: Justin Sanson Source: Northern Territory News

AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said the illegal gloves exceeded the "maximum legal grip level".

''The AFL commissioned research in response to concerns about gloves providing wearers with an unfair advantage,'' Keane said.

"Some gloves have now been identified as falling into this category and under the AFL's discretionary powers will no longer be permitted to be worn."

Gloves were first worn in AFL games by Footscray defender Tony Campbell in 1992.

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Draft hopes safe after fire scare

Gippsland Power player Josh Cashman shows how close the bushfire came to players hiking on Mt Feathertop. Picture: Gippsland Power Source: Supplied

THIRTY of Victoria's brightest football hopes are home safe and sound after blazing bushfires ruined their Mt Hotham pre-season training camp.

Gippsland Power was forced to evacuate at about 7.30pm last night, with emergency helicopters called in to rescue the club from its hike to the peak of Mt Feathertop.

They arrived home safely at about 2am.

"The boys' welfare is most important and you've got the responsibility to look after them and make sure they're safe," Power talent manager Pete Francis said today.

"We're disappointed obviously, we loved the camp last year, we had a week up there and we felt it was really important heading into our season.

See the amazing pictures as Gippsland fled the bushfire

"But from the fire and getting helicoptered out I think they've bonded pretty well anyway. They were hugging each other and high-fiving and everything is OK, which is great."

The TAC Cup outfit headed up on Monday and planned to stay until Sunday night before winds changed in Victoria's north-east, pushing the blaze up the steep mountain ridges.

"We noticed smoke coming from Harrietville and the plume got bigger and bigger,'' Francis said.

"Then it started to spot and we knew things were fairly urgent.''

Francis said fire authorities were contacted and immediately sent a helicopter out to evacuate the group, but that heavy winds played havoc when the chopper was trying to land.

"We had to go into the face of the fire so that they could land a bigger chopper that could carry 15 of us at a time,'' he said.

"It took three trips to get us all out, and in the last group the fire was spotting near the helicopter and we felt a bit of danger then.

"We all stayed calm, the boys were excellent and did what they were told.''

Gippsland Power footballers are evacuated from Mt Feathertop. Picture: Gippsland Power Source: Supplied

The Power, which leads the way in several initiatives from junior clubs across Australia, left most of their phones and wallets at the base before the hike and are desperately hoping they can be retrieved.

"We didn't feel threatened at any time because the emergency services were so good, but the fire was within a couple of hundred metres of us – the staff, because we were the last to get on – and it was right there," Francis said.

The club was set for a 12-hour 33km hike to Harrietville and back today, which is at the heart of the bushfires.

Before the evacuation Gippsland enjoyed a skills session, intense boxing workout which was organised by coach Nick Stevens and his brother as well as the hike to Mt Feathertop.

"We'd go back to Hotham in a heartbeat. We love the place and walking around it and when you get up it's absolutely magnificent, so we think it was just bad luck," Francis said.

The club will not plan another camp before Round 1 and Francis said the early end would not hurt financially.

Sale teenager Josh Cashman has impressed throughout the pre-season, as has Leongatha product Aaron Heppell, the brother of Essendon's Dyson.

"They couldn't break him (Cashman) yesterday in the boxing," Francis said.

"Aaron is really fit, he's had a great pre-season.

"Last year was pretty spasmodic and he couldn't do a lot of the work with injury but he's done all the work this year, he's in peak condition and like Dyson he's very professional."
 

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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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Visy bid for Judd fails

Carlton coach Mick Malthouse directs traffic at training at Visy Park. Picture: Mike Keating Source: Herald Sun

Carlton star Chris Judd kicks for goal at training. Picture: Mike Keating Source: Herald Sun

CARLTON'S fresh bid to have Chris Judd's third-party deal with Visy returned to outside of the AFL salary cap has failed.

A meeting between AFL deputy chief executive Gil McLachlan, league executive Andrew Dillon, Blues chief executive Greg Swann and Judd's manager Paul Connors took place this week.

The Blues and Judd's management were seeking a compromise, but it is understood the AFL was not prepared to overturn its decision to exclude all of Judd's Visy payments - understood to be $200,000 per season - from the club's salary cap.

An AFL spokesman last night confirmed the meeting had taken place, but would not reveal details, saying there "would not be a running commentary" on the issue.

Carlton would not comment on the meeting with the AFL, but is said to be "satisfied" with some aspects of the outcome and the hearing it received.

The Blues have decided not to take the matter further, dropping a plan to take it to a formal AFL grievances hearing.

The Herald Sun exclusively revealed last November the AFL had ruled that the final year of Judd's six-season deal with Visy could no longer be exempt from the salary cap.

The resignation of AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson, who made the ruling last last year, facilitated the new meeting.

The matter is now believed to be closed.

JARRAD Waite's smooth pre-season hit a minor hurdle yesterday when the injury-plagued Carlton forward dislocated a finger.

Waite, 30, was clearly in pain as he came off the field at Visy Park.

Carlton confirmed he had the finger put back into place as soon after.

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Lions set to head west for new base

Brisbane Lions bosses are considering a move west to Springfield for a new training and administrative base. Picture: Rob Maccoll Source: Herald Sun

BRISBANE Lions are weighing up between shifting west to Springfield or to the southeast for a new state-of-the-art training and administration base.

Lions chief executive Malcolm Holmes says the decision is one of the most important in the club's history.

The club has already ruled out a site near the Brisbane Airport.

"We are down to two options but it is an on-going process and we are months away from making a decision," Holmes told The Courier-Mail.

"It is probably one of the most critical decisions in the history of this football club, so we want to make sure that we get it right.

"We want to make a decision that is in the club's best interests but also a decision that is in the best interests of the AFL because we want to continue to grow the game in Queensland as best as we can."

Holmes said the Lions were talking to the Springfield Land Corporation and Stadiums Queensland, which controls the Nathan venue now known as the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC).

Designs, concepts, plans and costings have to be completed before a final decision will be announced.

Ipswich City Council representatives have toured AFL club facilities in Melbourne and are prepared to back any development in Springfield.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said last week the council was determined to strike a deal with the Lions.

"We are very serious," Pisasale said. "If the Lions understand the growth of the western corridor, then they will come where the fish are biting.

"It is going to be much better for them to be involved in Ipswich than in Brisbane."

The Lions social club at Springwood will remain regardless of where the training and administrative base is finally situated.

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Blues slap Scotland with two-week ban

Carlton suspends Heath Scotland for two matches. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

HEATH Scotland will miss Carlton's first two home-and-away clashes against Richmond and Collingwood after the Blues banned him over his guilty plea in an assault case.

Scotland will miss the two blockbusters and will have to make a $3000 charitable donation.

The charges arose from an incident at the Mulwala Ski Club in January last year.

Carlton general manager of football Andrew McKay said Scotland had let the club down with his actions.

"The club is very disappointed in Heath's actions as he did not uphold Carlton's core values and behaviours," McKay said.

Scotland will be available during the NAB Cup and will play VFL football through his AFL suspension.

Meanwhile Carlton's fresh bid to have Chris Judd's third-party deal with Visy returned to outside of the AFL salary cap has failed.

A meeting between AFL deputy chief executive Gil McLachlan, league executive Andrew Dillon, Blues chief executive Greg Swann and Judd's manager Paul Connors took place this week.

The Blues and Judd's management were seeking a compromise, but it is understood the AFL was not prepared to overturn its decision to exclude all of Judd's Visy payments - understood to be $200,000 a season - from the club's salary cap.

An AFL spokesman last night confirmed the meeting had taken place, but would not reveal details.

Carlton would not comment on the meeting with the AFL, but is said to be satisfied with some aspects of the outcome and the hearing it received.

The Blues have decided not to take the matter further, dropping a plan to take it to a formal AFL grievances hearing.

The Herald Sun exclusively revealed last November the AFL had ruled that the final year of Judd's six-season deal with Visy could no longer be exempt from the salary cap.

The resignation of AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson, who made the ruling last last year, facilitated the new meeting.

The matter is now believed to be closed.

JARRAD Waite's smooth pre-season hit a minor hurdle yesterday when the injury-plagued Carlton forward dislocated a finger.

Waite was clearly in pain as he came off the field at Visy Park.

Carlton confirmed he had the finger put back into place soon after.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has revealed he expects a "spike" in positive tests for illicit drugs, up from six in 2011.

KURT Tippett's manager, Peter Blucher, could find out his fate today when the AFLPA's Agent Accreditation Board meets to determine whether he should be punished for his role in the controversial contract Tippett signed with Adelaide in 2009.

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Rivals cool for derby pictorial

Rivalry grows between Sydney and GWS Giants in the Harbour City. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph

WITH the Swans and Giants as far apart as you can get on the ladder, promoting a genuine rivalry is a tough sell.

Last year the premiers trounced the fledgling club by 157 points over their two contests in rounds one and 14.

Although the prospect of a close match still looks at least a season or two away, there is a genuine competitive tension being driven by the Swans.

"We're not going to lie down and give up number one spot in Sydney," Swan midfielder Kieren Jack said yesterday as stars from both teams were photographed for a promotional campaign.

"We believe we are Sydney's number one team. We've going to stand our ground and show that."

As the photos were being snapped, there was no small talk, no chit-chat and no Happy New Year wishes.

The greetings from Jack, Josh Kennedy and Ted Richards to Giant rivals Phil Davis, Callan Ward and Tom Scully were all polite and well mannered but that was it.

"We want to be the team the whole of Sydney supports," Richards said.

"We want people in the west to be following us. We don't see the city being split down the middle where they've got their territory and we've got ours."

Richards added: "We want to protect the fan base we've had for a long time."

As for the Giants there was no other choice but to be respectful and gracious towards the Swans, they were wooden-spooners and the Swans premiers.

"To have a rival in the same city it's good for us and gives us something to aspire to," Scully said.

"Our club certainly respects Sydney as much as anyone."

Giants co-captain Davis was putting an optimistic note on the challenge in front of his young team taking on the premiers twice.

"It's great for us and obviously harder to win a derby," Davis said.

"We look forward to the day hopefully this year when we can win our first one against the Swans."

The only Sydney native left in the room, Kieren Jack had the last word.

"The AFL have brought in another team and that's great - but it's not going to be to the detriment of us."

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