Anzac Day game investigation

"We obviously won't train properly, it's all about recovery; it's all about the high performance guys, we will leave the guys in their hands." - James Hird before Anzac Day, 2012 Source: Herald Sun

ESSENDON'S rushed preparations for last year's Anzac Day game against Collingwood will come under close scrutiny by anti-doping investigators.

The Bombers had a 94-hour turnaround between their match against Carlton on April 21 and the Magpies clash on April 25.

The recovery period was managed by fitness staff Dean Robinson and Stephen Dank.

A source said yesterday: "The whole season will be scrutinised but heavy scrutiny will be on the period leading up to Anzac Day."

The Bombers beat Carlton by 30 points and lost to Collingwood by a point.

The activities of Dank and Robinson, which included the use of injections and intravenous drips, are at the centre of an Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigation into the possible use of performance-enhancing drugs by the club last year.

In the lead-up to Anzac Day, coach James Hird said about the four-day turnaround: "We obviously won't train properly, it's all about recovery; it's all about the high performance guys, we will leave the guys in their hands."

They made one change for Anzac Day - Michael Hurley out, Jake Carlisle in.

Hird said after the Blues game "there would be five or six that probably won't get up for the Collingwood game in four days time".

The Herald Sun is not suggesting Bombers players did use performance-enhancing drugs and Dank has strongly denied anything inappropriate was administered.

Calls to sack Hird off the mark

But if proved, a ban of six months to two years can be levied at players, even if use was without their knowledge.

Spotlight moves to the coaches

Club chiefs told the players' parents on Monday night that, in their knowledge, banned drugs were not given to the players.

Buckley wants more specifics

Parents were told the club had documented each and every supplement supplied to players during the season.

Those electronic documents will be given to ASADA.

Essendon boss Ian Robson responds to calls for heads to roll following Stephen Dank's interview last night.

As the Bombers prepare to open all aspects of their club to the ASADA inquiry, it can be revealed:

HIRD and assistant coach Mark Thompson had a disagreement over Robinson in December.

DANK had his authority curbed about halfway through last season.

ESSENDON continued its supplement program while Dank took a back seat. He left the club at the end of the year.

The Thompson-Hird disagreement is understood to have centred on whether Robinson should continue as high-performance manger.

Hird wanted a review of the position and Thompson wanted Robinson to continue.

Sponsorship standoff hurting clubs

That Robinson had two years to run on a contract worth up to $300,000 a year helped sway the decision to continue with Robinson, although his suspension after the announcement of the ASADA inquiry suggests his career at Essendon is over.

Dank last week told the Herald Sun he had not given players banned drugs.

The Bombers are bracing for a forensic examination of their supplement regimen including what was administered and the amount.

Coaches, players and support staff will be interviewed. Clubs officials refused to comment yesterday on the investigation.

Coach James Hird (back on) instructs the team as a group during an Essendon training session at Tullamarine last week. Picture: Hamish Blair Source: Herald Sun

WINDY HELL: ESSENDON'S PRE-SEASON WOES
LATE NOVEMBER, 2012
Essendon denies to the Herald Sun that it has concerns over its sports science department after sacking sports scientist Stephen Dank.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4
Essendon again denies to the Herald Sun that it has an issue in its sports science department, particularly around performance-enhancing supplements.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5
Essendon holds a press conference at AFL House where it announces it has asked the AFL and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority to investigate the club over concerns players may have been unknowingly given supplements that do not comply with the WADA code. It is revealed that Bombers players received off-site injections of supplements in the stomach.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6
Dank denies to the Herald Sun that he gave Essendon players banned supplements, feared to be banned peptides.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7
- The ACC, Federal Government and a coalition of major sporting bodies front a press conference in Canberra as the ACC releases a report saying performance-enhancing drug use is widespread in Australian sport and that there is also of links to organised crime and concern about match-fixing.

- The AFL Commission holds an extraordinary meeting and announces that the league's integrity department will be beefed up.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10
AFL second in command Gillon McLachlan confirms the league has been made aware that a player at a second club is also under investigation for possible use of performance-enhancing drugs.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11
- The AFL refuses to alert the second club on the advice of its lawyers.

- The 17 clubs other than Essendon tell the Herald Sun that they have not been contacted by the ACC or the AFL in relation to the matter.

- Dank appears on ABC TV and declares some Essendon coaches had taken WADA-banned supplements.

- He again denies administering banned drugs to players.

YESTERDAY
- Sources close to Essendon say they expect heavy scrutiny over the short turnaround between Round 3 win over Carlton and the Anzac Day clash.

- It emerges Hird and Thompson in December had a disagreement over whether Robinson should stay at the Dons, Hird pushing for his departure.

WHERE THE INVESTIGATION STANDS
- ASADA and AFL investigators will interview all Essendon players and officials, as well as other relevant parties.

- Samples taken during the 2012 season likely to be flown to Cologne for special testing for peptides.

- Electronic and other records relating to supplement program will be examined.

- Details about investigations into the second club remain unknown.

WHAT THE MAIN PLAYERS SAY
JAMES HIRD, COACH
"I'm shocked to be sitting here. As a coach, I take full responsibility for what happens in our footy department. It's my belief we've done everything right." - February 5

DAVID EVANS, CHAIRMAN
"This is a minefield ... we've received information that's concerned us." - February 5

STEPHEN DANK, FORMER BOMBERS SPORTS SCIENTIST
On what the Bombers' hierarchy knew: "There was a very significant involvement from Dean (Robinson) as the high-performance manager, there was detailed discussion with James Hird, there was detailed discussion with the club doctor (Bruce Reid). They were sort of the main people involved in the knowledge of the program."

On coaches taking supplements: "A couple of coaches were using supplements that were a little bit outside the WADA code but, again, they were entitled to it and nothing illegal in those". - February 11

ANDREW DEMETRIOU, AFL CHIEF EXECUTIVE
"Under the ASADA rules whether you knew or not it's no excuse . . . they are the WADA rules." - February 5

What do you think of the ACC report and its effect on the NRL and AFL? Who's to blame? Will you still support your team? Do you think players are clean?
Have your say by taking our quick survey below.

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I want to coach, says Mickey O

Former Swans great Michael O'Loughlin (second from left) is keen to coach. Source: Getty Images

SYDNEY great Michael O'Loughlin wants to become the AFL's first indigenous senior coach.

O'Loughlin, a premiership forward and veteran of 303 games, said he was keen to pursue a top job.

"It's definitely something that has tickled my fancy," he said.

"You'd love to have a group of people for a few years and mould them into a good side and pass on the things you've learned over your own career, I guess."

O'Loughlin is the AIS's high-performance manager and oversees some of the brightest young football talent in the country.

He also coached the indigenous All-Stars to a resounding victory against Richmond last week, impressing seasoned onlookers, one of whom said O'Loughlin "could coach an AFL club tomorrow".

"The AIS is my priority at the moment," O'Loughlin said.

"Looking after the best 18-year-olds in the country is a pretty good job, and then we take them over to Europe, so it's a good gig.

"But (AFL coaching) is something I've got to think about over the next six months in regards to what direction I take. I've certainly made inquiries about going into clubs and all that, but we'll see what happens."

There are 69 indigenous players in the AFL this year, but the fact there is not a single indigenous coach in the system remains a burning issue.

O'Loughlin is a two-time All-Australian and AFL Indigenous Team of the Century member and one of the most respected judges of junior talent. His 303 AFL games is a Swans record.

Indigenous stars Barry Cable and Graham "Polly" Farmer were both senior coaches, but in the VFL era.
 

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Teams: Dons unleash Goddard

Essendon star Brendon Goddard, pictured here with Collingwood recruit Clinton Young and Bulldogs youngster Jackson Macrae, will make his debut for the Bombers on Friday night. Picture: Scott Chris Source: Herald Sun

Brent Macaffer is set to make his return after breaking down in last year's NAB Cup. Picture: Chris Scott Source: Herald Sun

ESSENDON will unveil star recruit Brendon Goddard in Friday night's NAB Cup openers against Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs.

Goddard transferred to Windy Hill as a free agent from St Kilda during last year's trade period.

The big-bodied utility was elevated to Essendon's leadership group during the pre-season.

Emerging midfielder Elliott Kavanagh has been named in the squad along with mature-aged West Australian recruit Nick Kommer and Dylan van Unen.

But the embattled Bombers are without skipper Jobe Watson (ankle), David Zaharakis (quad) and Jake Melksham (hand) for the round-robin style pre-season competition.

Father-son selection Joe Daniher has missed the cut along with injury-prone forward Scott Gumbleton (hamstring).

COLLINGWOOD will open its NAB Cup campaign with a near full strength line up.

The Magpies have named 13 premiership players in the squad to take on the Bombers and Bulldogs in two games consisting of 20-minute halves.

Among those is small forward Brent Macaffer who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in last year's NAB Cup missing the regular season.

Macaffer has trained strongly during the pre-season and is expected to make an impact inside the arc.

Collingwood has also named recruits Quinten Lynch, Clinton Young, Jordan Russell and journeyman Ben Hudson for their first runs in black and white stripes.

But the Magpies are without playmaker Dale Thomas (ankle), Tyson Goldsack (ankle) and hard-nosed midfielder Luke Ball, who missed the bulk of last season following a knee reconstruction.

Developing ruckman Jarrod Witts and rookies Kyle Martin, Jack Frost and Sam Dwyer have also be named in the extended list.

THE Western Bulldogs have named five new players including mature-aged recruit Brett Goodes and highly-rated youngster Jackson Macrae.

Goodes was among the best in the Indigenous All Stars thumping of Richmond last week.

All Australian defender Dale Morris returns for his first game since breaking his leg in 2011.

But the Dogs won't be unveiling No.5 pick Jake Stringer in Round 1 of the pre-season competition.

SCHEDULE

Essendon v Western Bulldogs 6:45pm AEDT    

Western Bulldogs v Collingwood 7:50pm AEDT

Collingwood v Essendon 8:55pm AEDT

NAB CUP ROUND 1 SQUADS

WESTERN BULLDOGS

J Grant, R Murphy, M Wallis, D Cross, M Boyd, L Dahlhaus, S Higgins, E Wood, J Macrae, D Giansiracusa, C Smith, J Tutt, R Griffen, A Cooney, L Jones, D Pearce, T Liberatore, D Addison, W Minson, T Dickson, C Howard, T Young, M Talia, N Lower, L Markovic, D Morris, J Johannisen, L Picken, J Redpath, B Goodes, T Campbell, L Jong, M Austin and A Cordy

COLLINGWOOD

J Russell, B Macaffer, N Maxwell, A Krakouer, H O'Brien, M Clarke, S Pendlebury, J Blair, C Young, J Witts, N Brown, D Beams, D Jolly, J Elliott, B Reid, Q Lynch, S Sidebottom, B Hudson, B Johnson, B Sinclair, T Cloke, D Swan, K Martin, P Yagmoor, H Shaw, P Seedsman, S Dwyer, J Frost, M Williams and C Mooney

ESSENDON

M Hibberd, T Bellchambers, B Stanton, L Jetta, B Goddard, N O'Brien, S Crameri, J Ashby, C Dempsey, T Pears, M Hurley, D Hille, J Merrett, D Heppell, J Carlisle, D Myers, A Browne, A Steinberg, C Hooker, L Davis, E Kavanagh,  A Davey, P Ryder, D Fletcher, D van Unen, K Hardingham, M Gleeson, L Dalgleish, N Kommer, H Hocking, N Lovett-Murray, H Hunter, M Baguley and C Dell'Olio

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AFL pushes for wire taps

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou, left, and AFL Commission Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick address the media after the Australian Crime Commission released a report on drugs and organised crime in Australian sport. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Getty Images

"I told you it was a bad idea to tap the coaches' box." Cartoon by David McArthur. Source: Herald Sun

THE AFL wants unprecedented access to wire taps and police surveillance in its fight against organised crime and doping in football.

The league confirmed it had intensified its lobbying of state and federal governments to change laws that block access to the findings of such investigations.

Specifically, it wants records of wire taps involving AFL players to be available to its bolstered integrity unity.

The AFL believes high-level co-operation is crucial to stop questionable links festering into illegal activities, including those raised in the explosive Australian Crime Commission sports report.

The AFL shares the Crime Commission's fears that casual relations with the wrong people have the potential to lead to integrity issues.

 AFL deputy chief executive Gillon McLachlan yesterday confirmed to the Herald Sun the push for greater information from Victoria police.

An AFL spokesman said: "In the light of the risk of corruption, the AFL believes it is vitally important to let sporting bodies work more closely with police and other agencies to protect the integrity of sport."

Current restrictions see the AFL unable to access clear evidence from Victoria Police linking players to organised crime figures.

The ACC report laid bare the danger for sportspeople to be lured into drug use - both illicit and performance-enhancing, and match-fixing.

Racing Integrity Commissioner Sal Perna is chasing similar privileges for racing and recently detailed the need for wire taps as one of the recommendations in his report into race fixing.

 Perna said yesterday: "Changes to the Telecommunications Act would have to go to the Commonwealth, but there is enough momentum ... for it to be realistically entertained and discussed.
"The Privacy Act is also relevant, but in some respects it would be about interpretations of the Privacy Act (rather than a rule change).

"Let's say a (police) telephone tap is about drug importation or organised crime and as part of that there is something relevant to a sporting body. The sportsperson might have nothing to do with that crime, but it would be information which was extremely valuable to the sporting body."

Police would have the discretion to hand over information and would ensure the information did not interfere with criminal cases or operational matters.

The AFL would need legislative changes to the Telecommunications Act to allow it to gain that information, and would also need to prove it could handle any confidential surveillance or information passed on.

The AFL would have to demonstrate to law enforcement bodies it has an effective integrity unit.

It comes as the AFL moves closer to appointing a head of integrity, which would be split from the head of football operations role the league is advertising.

The sudden departure of Adrian Anderson in December left the AFL seeking a replacement, with officials Andrew Dillon and Simon Lethlean seen as strong internal candidates.

But the expectation is the integrity side of the job will become a new position that takes in the AFL's fight to ensure the game is clean of match-fixing, drugs and organised crime links.

The new role would presumably encompass the AFL's salary cap department.

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Demon difficult to shake

Melbourne midfielder Jordie McKenzie is looking forward to 2013. Picture: Chris Eastman Source: Herald Sun

SPRINT, grab a quick breath and go again.

That gut-running was Melbourne midfielder Jordie McKenzie's summer priority.

McKenzie's sweat and toil with Demons elite performance manager David Misson will enable the 22-year-old to stay at an elite opponent's shoulder for the entire game.

While McKenzie reckons he possesses "not a bad tank" to keep pace with midfielders such as Chris Judd, Sam Mitchell, Brendon Goddard and Trent Cotchin, it's their second and third efforts at contests that worried him during a break-out season last year.

 "I'm pretty handy with the longer stuff, but an area I've been working on over the pre-season is that repeat effort," McKenzie said.

"Under Dave's program, I've taken some big steps forward in that area. Obviously, I'm not the quickest bloke going around, so I need to keep backing up with the high intensity efforts on the field, otherwise these blokes who I may be playing on again will leave me for dead."

McKenzie's run-with roles on a key playmaker will be critical this season.

"It's not just a negative role. A large part of that is due to the fact those good players do take you to the action," he said.

"So you've got plenty of opportunities to win your own footy and have an impact on the game.

"Their ability to produce multiple efforts and maintain that intensity, that's how they beat a lot of their opponents.

"It's also where and when they run, their timing. They tend to lose their opponent because they know where to go at the right time. That's the challenge, to try and stick with them.

"Mitchell is one who's dangerous, especially around stoppages. He doesn't need much space, he's really smart in where he gets to and he's one of the quickest and cleanest with the footy. So, you have your hands full when you come up against him.

"As far as running goes, Brent Stanton really stood out ."

McKenzie's dedication to the task earned him a third consecutive coach's award and fourth in the club best-and-fairest last year.

And he's itching to go again after a rare uninterrupted summer campaign when he was elected to the leadership group.

"A lot of it is consistency in training. Over past years, due to a few injuries here and there, I haven't been able to string large blocks of training together," McKenzie said.

"This is the first year I've been able to do that and I've gained a lot of benefits in my fitness through just backing up sessions. It's that and doing a few extra drills with David as far as technique (goes)."

Like refining his pressure on the ball-carrier. While he led the club with 116 tackles last year, he conceded the third highest number of free kicks in the AFL.

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Bloods line under threat

Sydney Swans speedster Lewis Jetta says he's confident the premiers can be even better in 2013

Former sydney star Andrew Dunkley has become estranged from the club. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph

A FALLING out between Hall of Fame fullback Andrew Dunkley and the Sydney Swans could cost the club the chance of signing his talented son Josh under the AFL's father and son rule.

Dunkley has not been back to the club since he retired in 2002 and chose not to attend his own induction into the Swans' Hall of Fame two years ago.

Although Dunkley attended the 2012 grand final to cheer on his former team, unlike his two sons - Josh and Kyle - he didn't go into the Swans' rooms after the game to share in the victory celebrations.

"I don't hate the place but I've moved on," Dunkley told The Daily Telegraph.

It is understood Dunkley's animosity towards the Swans stems from the decision by then coach Paul Roos to end his stellar career at the end of 2002 as part of a rebuilding process following the Rodney Eade era.

Now, more than a decade after hanging up his red and white guernsey, the friction between Dunkley and his old club could prevent his talented son from playing in the same colours as his dad.

Former Sydney Swans AFL players Paul Roos (R) with his sons Dylan (3) & Tyler (17months) and Andrew Dunkley with daughter Lara (2) & son Joshua (7months). Picture: Tracey Haslam Source:

Asked if he had a problem with 16-year-old Josh going to the Swans under the father and son rule Dunkley said: "In a perfect world he'd get a Victorian club.

"That's being selfish because of where we live (Victoria).

"I'm not against it (going to the Swans).

"I'd prefer to see him do it on his own merits.

"I'd be happy to see him just make it to the AFL."

Josh is currently on the books of TAC Cup side the Gippsland Power and last year at the age of 15 played senior football for Sale in their premiership win in the highly regarded Gippsland Football League.

The well built teenager was vice-captain of the Victorian Country team at the under-16 national carnival and was also named in the All Australian side.

This year Josh knocked back the offer of a footballing scholarship to Melbourne Grammar School to continue playing senior football for Sale and attending Gippsland Grammar School.

The interest in Josh is genuine with the Swans keeping in contact with Dunkley senior and junior over the past 18 months.

"He's a talented young player and Kinnear Beatson (Swans' recruiting manager) and I have been monitoring his progress," Swans welfare manager Dennis Carroll said.

Dunkley played 217 games for the Bloods between 1992 and 2002.

Dunkley now lives with his family in home town of Yarram in country Victoria, where he runs a farm machinery business and a property with 900 head of cattle.

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Cool Jaeger avoids the hype

Jaeger O'Meara is looking forward to his debut season. Picture: David Clark Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

JAEGER O'Meara has heard it all.

"The next Chris Judd", "Genetically blessed", "Ready to take AFL by storm", "Can do anything". And it goes on.

It's all a bit embarrassing for the quietly spoken 18-year-old from the small West Australian coastal town of Dongara, 370km north of Perth.

Asked how many times he has been interviewed, O'Meara sheepishly estimates more than 50.

Yep, this is a kid still yet to play a senior AFL game.

Age restrictions stopped him from doing that for Gold Coast last year, but that hasn't dulled the hype over a midfielder who kicked four goals on his WAFL debut in 2011.

He joined the Suns in the 17-year-old mini-draft and has worked methodically towards his AFL debut.

O'Meara has been like a Christmas present that has been sitting under the tree for a year.

Seemingly every person you speak to raves about the talents of the dynamic midfielder - an All-Australian selection as a 15-year-old and the favourite for this year's NAB Rising Star Award.

"I try not to focus on it (hype) too much," O'Meara said.

"Obviously you cop a bit of flack from your mates and that sort of stuff and the comparisons to Chris Judd are very humbling, but I've still got a very long way to go. He's obviously a superstar of the game.

"Genetically blessed? My parents would be happy to hear that."

While many of his contemporaries enter the AFL system having overcome self doubt and rejection, O'Meara has had to bat away the sort of praise and hype reserved for a select few.

Not that it weighs on him.

"That's all external pressure. At the moment I'm just taking each day as it comes and working on what I need to work on," he said.

Asked if he puts pressure on himself, O'Meara replied: "I think if you don't put pressure on yourself you're in the wrong industry, playing AFL.

"There's always that pressure you put on yourself to succeed and I like to do that myself, which I'm sure is the case for all players."

Being drafted a year early has given O'Meara the chance to complete two pre-seasons and he's used them to add 7kg to an impressive frame and undergo surgery to fix the groin problems that ended his 2012 season with the Suns reserves.

And he's done it all in the relative anonymity of the Gold Coast.

"It definitely suits me coming from a small country town where we didn't have any massive hype over who was going to be next Gary Ablett and all that," he said.

"I've been able to get in the gym a year earlier and put on the weight I needed to. I'm a lot stronger now and I've sat down with the coaches and picked the brains of guys like Gary Ablett and Karmichael Hunt and stuff.

"I think you're crazy if you're playing alongside him (Ablett) and not asking him questions.

"Last year obviously I wasn't in contention to play AFL, but this year is different.

"I'll be looking to gain selection come Round 1, but my main focus is still on the pre-season and I have a lot of work to do before I get that opportunity."

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Growth products are muscling in

Former Power player Darryl Wakelin at work as a pharmacist. Picture: Brenton Edwards Source: The Advertiser

PHARMACISTS have seen an explosion in supplements claiming to boost performance over the past few years, as athletes seek shortcuts and an edge.

And experts have warned taking legal supplements can be the gateway for experimentation of drugs bought from less reputable sources.

Port Adelaide premiership player Darryl Wakelin, who has worked as a pharmacist since retiring from the game, said it had been one of the most competitive and growing industries wanting space on chemist-shop shelves.

"It's become a huge industry," Wakelin said. "Products with images and promises of big things.

"There was a brand called Musashi about 10 years ago and it seems they were ahead of their time because they (similar products) are everywhere now.

"It's a big, competitive market that's growing even more."

But the spike in legal supplements also has the potential for a sinister side-effects, with anecdotal evidence it has become a gateway to heavier and often illegal training aides.

There is also a push and expectation among health professionals that the Therapeutic Goods Administration will soon regulate the industry more rigorously and ban claims that cannot be proven.

Among growth products are so called "fat-blasters" and protein supplements as athletes of Generation Y seek to fast-track their physical improvement.

Pharmacies are regulated by the TGA, but there are other outlets that operate according to more loosely defined guidelines.

Then there is the internet, where supplements can be imported directly.

"There's a lot of junk that comes in from Asia," Wakelin said. "And a lot of time it can be laced with steroids, even though the person buying it wouldn't know and it doesn't say on the packaging.

"But people nowadays are looking for ways to get fit quicker and without having to work as hard.

"We haven't had a big increase in scripts, but body-builders know where to get stuff from elsewhere."

University of South Australia professor of exercise and nutritional science Jon Buckley said it was a minefield of supplements for people to navigate - legal and otherwise - and called for tighter regulation.

He also recognised there had been a cultural shift, to where there was an expectation that athletes had to seek assistance outside of healthy food and exercise.

"A lot of people are looking for an easy option," Buckley said. "But there are a lot of products out there that claim that they do things without a lot of evidence."

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Young Roos coming of age

Improving defender Shaun Atley on Tuesday. Source: Herald Sun

IN many respects Brad Scott can't do much.

He knows history tells him that a third of his list is reaching an important crossroad that will have a major bearing on his team's fate this year.

In list management speak, it's boys becoming men.

Generally, when the kids have played about 50 games the apprenticeship is seen as over.

The next step is to begin influencing the outcome of matches.

North Melbourne has 11 players on 36 to 62 games.

If even half of those make the step this year, Scott's self-confessed cranky pre-season mood will lift.

The beauty for him is that most are midfielders and given he has two guns in there already - captain Andrew Swallow and Daniel Wells - the upside is massive.

On Tuesday night at a windswept North Ballarat Oval, Scott watched Ben Cunnington show he was ready to make that step.

Several others, such as Jack Ziebell, Ryan Bastinac and Sam Wright, are  almost there.

"He played the way he has been training all season," Scott said of Cunnington,  the No.5 pick in the 2009 draft.

"He's starting to do the things he was doing in under-18 footy. We always had great confidence in Ben and all of our supporters would know that."

Scott likened Cunnington's development to that of rising star Ziebell.

"He's 12 months behind Jack Ziebell and he's pretty much tracked him identically all the way through his development," Scott said.

"So we're really looking forward to seeing them both improve this year teamed up with Andrew Swallow, Daniel Wells and Ryan Bastinac."

"The development of Robbie Tarrant (25 games) as third tall forward alongside Drew Petrie and Lachie Hansen  appears on track.

Throw in former Sydney ruckman Daniel Currie as a back-up option and there is a reason the phrase "exciting times" was on repeat by North players during their two-day community camp.
 

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Bring on two tiers: Kennett

Jeff Kennett at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast on Tuesday. Picture: Richard Gosling Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

JEFF Kennett sees the AFL's future as a two-tiered competition in which clubs face an annual battle to remain in the premier division.

The former Hawthorn president made the claims at a lunch at Metricon Stadium yesterday.

Kennett believes the AFL will expand to include teams in Tasmania and New Zealand and be split into a premier league and a secondary league where clubs fight for promotion.

"I suspect one day the competition may get to 20 teams," he said.

"There may be one from Tasmania, one from New Zealand and that would complete it.

"At that stage you would break it into two divisions and there would be relegation and promotions in terms of performance."

Kennett backed Gold Coast chairman John Witheriff's ambitious "2013" campaign, launched after last year's draft, in which he set the Suns the target of securing 20,000 members and a premiership within three years.

Early in his presidency at Hawthorn, Kennett launched Five 2 Fifty with the goal of attracting 50,000 members and winning two flags in five years from 2008.

They fell 10 points short in last year's grand final loss to Sydney.

"You always have to have goals that are just beyond your reach. When we launched, we were laughed at," Kennett said.

Meanwhile, Gold Coast skipper Gary Ablett is expected to take part in the Suns' intra-club match at Carrara today.

Brisbane coach Michael Voss says places in the Lions' NAB Cup team are up for grabs in today's intra-club match at Coorparoo.

Voss said two to three spots will be decided when the Brisbane squad splits into two and plays three terms at Giffin Park from 8am.

Voss said captain Jonathan Brown and ruckman Matthew Leuenberger will both play at least one term today.

The likes of Sam Docherty, Patrick Karnezis and first-year rookies Sam Mayes and Marco Paparone challenge for senior berths in Saturday week's round 1 NAB Cup matches against Gold Coast and Hawthorn at Metricon Stadium.

Docherty did not play senior football last year due to a hip problem while Karnezis had a year to forget in 2012 after a stunning debut in 2011.

"Being able to maintain that effort and intensity and performing under fatigue over the course of three quarters will be important," Voss said.

BRISBANE'S intra-club match is open to the public.

The Suns will play their scratch club match behind closed doors at Metricon Stadium, but will hold an open training session on Saturday at Southport when the club holds a season launch.

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