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Coaches want answer on sub limit

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 03 April 2013 | 23.31

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou. Source: Herald Sun

AFL coaches are asking for an answer on next year's substitute limit by mid-season, as they prepare a submission for the AFL's rules committee.

The coaches will refine their position on the substitute rule at an AFL Coaches Association advisory committee meeting in the next month.

But they are watching with interest as new rule interpretations dramatically increase the number of times the ball is in play.

The coaches think that the new rules governing tackles and throwing the ball up quickly will have a similar effect to restricted interchange.

In two of the four quarters of the Greater Western Sydney-Sydney clash there was not one ball-up, with ball-ups already down from 24 per game last year to an average of 18 on the weekend.

Secondary stoppages are also down from 23 per cent of initial stoppages to 17 per cent, with football so far more draining and more continuous for players.

The coaches seem resigned to the fact there will be a restricted interchange rule, but a mid-season call by the AFL would allow them to plan for the 2014 season.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou this week confirmed the cap of 80 had been accepted in principle by the AFL Commission but it could be altered by the time it is introduced for the 2014 season.

Coaches association chief executive Danny Frawley said coaches were keen to have their voices heard in the substitute discussion.

"We have got an advisory group meeting in the next month, so we will follow up some initial discussions and have something more concrete to give to (AFL football operations manager) Mark Evans and the Laws of the Game Committee," Frawley said.

"We want to make sure the Laws of the Game Committee is well aware of where the coaches are coming from."

The St Kilda-Gold Coast clash illustrated the taxing nature of modern football, with as many as 14 Saints experiencing cramp during the game.

Players have also struggled to adjust to the quick ball-ups, with Melbourne kicking one of its few goals when only a handful of Port Adelaide players could get to a goal-mouth stoppage.

In 22 rounds last year, there were only nine quarters without stoppages.
 


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Neeld: What happened next

Melbourne coach Mark Neeld. Picture: Andrew Henshaw Source: Herald Sun

A SURPRISINGLY calm Mark Neeld pulled up a chair and sat in front of his players in the coaches' room, moments after being heckled off the MCG.

 He chose not to pace up and back and rant at the forlorn figures in front of him, instead making it a discussion.

"You need to be really careful with immediate post-match discussions," he said.

"They can be quite emotive, but the reason we did that is we believe they needed to listen most importantly and then deliver to us things that needed to be said."

Neeld said his piece, basing it generally on bigger-picture plans and specifically on the work rate of the previous two hours.

Skipper Jack Grimes spoke, then Nathan Jones, Mitch Clark and, finally, first-gamer Jack Viney.

The players weren't invited to speak - they invited themselves.

"I pointed out what we didn't see is what we have been seeing at training," Neeld said.

"I was pleased those guys spoke.

They are the natural leaders within the group.

I was really interested to see the reaction from the other players as to whether they were listening, what they were taking in.

"They were listening and that's a good sign. But the biggest challenge is actions, and we talked about that a lot.

"One of the key messages was we know it's hard, we know the position the club is in. It's not too often you have to rebuild and there's a million reasons why we are here, but that's our job.

"And unless you are on the inside and seeing it day to day no one will believe there has been improvement.

"And that's OK, because we've got nothing to offer on performance day - yet.

"And the thing they all reinforced was how hard they've trained over the past 12 months and that guys with good character don't let that slip."

The Demons after their Round 1 loss. Source: Getty Images

CRITICISM

YOU just knew it would be vicious and it was.

From Wayne Carey, from Garry Lyon, from Paul Roos to talkback radio and Twitter, the Demons were pulverised.

Weak. Pathetic. Soft.

They can't play. He can't coach. The game plan was confusing, the coach had lost the players and the players were sooking in response.

Neeld said he has a strong armour.

"The criticism is going to come with the job," he said

"A lot of the people who make the criticisms don't have all the information.

"It doesn't matter how big the names are, unless they see what happens day to day, they don't know everything.

"But we're not going to shy away ... that was a below-par performance.

"But it is one game of 22 in the second year of a rebuild, and we're going to do as much as we can to make sure that doesn't put us back."

Neeld said he hasn't read a newspaper, listened to the radio or watched any of the footy programs on TV.

"When I got home, I wasn't ready to do the review straight away, which is abnormal," he said.

"And the reason I wasn't ready is because that natural competitive nature that we talk about all the time wasn't there and I was really disappointed."

Fuming?

"Not really. If there is a coach who lets themselves fume inside for too long, you're not going to make the correct decisions for the club, which is a bad call," he said.

He watched Collingwood-North Melbourne - "It was a completely different game," he said, "almost like a completely different sport."

The performance didn't jolt him, nor was it a situation of a disconnect between the coach and the players.

"It's a hard road we've chosen, but it's the one we're on.

The confidence I get is from what I see every day. I haven't got a crystal ball, I don't know how long that turns into performance, but I know that's the hardest step to take."

The Demons come onto the ground against the Power. Source: Getty Images

REVIEW 1

ON Sunday morning Neeld hit the pavement because, his wife said, he had eaten too much Easter chocolate.

The coaching group gathered about midday.

Each coach reviewed and tagged and cut and listed pros and cons from their specific areas.

Then it was across the road to watch Geelong and Hawthorn.

"There were lots of learnings for us," Neeld said.

"It was good to watch without being in the game.

"Right now, we will never lament that we don't have a Sam Mitchell or (Joel) Selwood - we need to develop them.

"I don't know how many times you sit in the box and watch the TV and when someone is kicking for a goal, up flashes the name, 27 years, 170 games.

"I will use Liam Shiels as an example. He's having a shot for goal and he's played so many games, but he's played more games than our two captains.

"Look at Mitchell. Our job is to develop (Jack) Grimes into that over time. Different player but play in the same area of the ground."

Neeld sat with defensive coach Jade Rawlings for a quarter andmonitored the Geelong defensive group, which includes Harry Taylor, Tom Lonergan, Corey Enright and Andrew Mackie.

"Our job is to try to develop Watts into that, and Col Garland down those lines," Neeld said.

Oh no, how did this happen? Source: Getty Images

REVIEW 2

MONDAY was a day of individual discussions with almost half the team.

One in particular left its mark.

It was with first-gamer Jimmy Toumpas, and showed Neeld the depth of feeling and the want to succeed.

"I just wanted to know what he thought about AFL footy," Neeld laughed.

"He was hilarious. I said, 'S---, what did you think?' He's a good kid. He was devastated. And this is where you get a reality check.

"He thought he had let down the entire Greek community.

"I said, 'Jimmy, you've just debuted in something you've always wanted to do, I think you've made the entire Greek community proud'.

"He asked what I was thinking, and I said, 'You're playing against Essendon, this is where you're going to play, have you got any questions?' "

Neeld also spoke to Viney.

"I said, 'Jack, what have you got for me?' He says, 'Right, I've spoken to Jonesy this morning and what we're going to do in the centre bounce against (Bomber Paddy) Ryder is this, we're going try this ...

"I said, 'Jack, that's OK, but how did you recover, how's the body?'

"He said, "Mate, don't worry about that, that's sorted, this is what I reckon we should do this week'.

"They are the future of our footy club."

Coach Mark Neeld, Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes of the Demons stand for the national anthem before Round 1. Source: Getty Images

REVIEW 3

TUESDAY.

It's about the journey of being ready to play AFL which leads to the game review, which centres on work ethic.

Not so long ago you could tell a player he didn't work hard.

Today you can tell them they didn't work hard and thrust GPS data at them.

"It was interesting to sit down with the players and look at their vision, but also pull out numbers to show how they worked during the game compared to when they trained - and they were very different," Neeld said.

Neeld used 10 to 12 clips from the Port Adelaide game to highlight the lack of work ethic, and used the data to compare their training workloads to Sunday's workloads.

"We were able to draw the parallel from training," he said.

"For example, there's your result from January 15 and you ran that far, that quick, that many times and that hard. And look at what you did on Sunday."

One clip was of defender James Frawley.

"He's as honest as the day is long, and we said, 'Chipper, what happened here?'

"He said, 'I can remember that and I thought I was going quick. I felt like I was going quick. But looking at that, I wasn't going quick'.

"I said, 'Chipper, you weren't'.

"Those were the sort of talks we had."

Demons coach Mark Neeld speaks to his team at three-quarter time last Saturday. Source: Getty Images

CAM PEDERSEN

IT'S a tricky one for Neeld.

Pedersen, in his first game and in a non-threatening environment, ducked his head as he went for a mark in the middle of the MCG.

Neeld knows every player has done that at some stage, and tells Pedersen so.

He also tells Pedersen that it can't happen again.

Neeld won't say if Pedersen is in the team or out.

They spoke Tuesday morning.

"He said he wasn't great," Neeld said.

"I could imagine how he was feeling. Most footballers have done an act they thought they could have gone stronger in.

"And I told him, he needed to grow stronger, but here is how we are going to help you through it.

"On the training track this week and every other week we will put you in that position to make sure you watch the football into your hands, and we will bump you, and you need to keep watching the ball into your hands. And as each week goes, the body contact will get harder.

"Your end of the bargain is to eradicate that from your game. I gave him other examples of players that the world knows did it, but they've got it out of their game. That's the way I handled it.

"I told him I can't guarantee you will play this week, nor can I say if you're out of the side, but whatever happens we won't shy away from our role to educate you.

"The reality is Cam Pedersen has played 17 games of AFL football ... and we won't abandon him."

Cameron Pederson in action against Port Adelaide. Source: Getty Images

SELECTION

SOMETIMES you throw the challenge at the same group and don't make changes.

Other times the performance is so unacceptable changes are needed.

Neeld is a latter-type coach. He will make four changes, and will only say that Lynden Dunn is out with a hamstring strain.

Into the side will come skipper Jack Trengove, Tom McDonald, debutant Dean Terlich, a running half-back, and one other.

"We have to get balance," Neeld said.

"And within that there are roles that have to be played. There were a couple of cases where players knew exactly what their role was, and we saw none of it."

There was also the lack of application, and that always carries a penalty.

"The penalty for that is you won't be playing AFL football this week," he said.

The Demons leave the field after their Round 1 defeat. Source: Getty Images

GAME PLAN

ONE question being asked: is Neeld over-coaching, over-complicating the manner in which they play?

He laughed at the question.

No, he's not a Mick Malthouse clone who hugs the boundary.

No, not one player has told him in the past 18 months he doesn't understand what the coach is saying.

No, he doesn't have a zone defence, which it looked like on Sunday.

And, yes, he wants attacking football.

"You have to ask the players if I over-complicate things," he said.

"No one has ever told me they are confused.

"I hate kicking down the line, it's slow and boring. Just get it going.

"The person with the ball is the most important person on the ground."


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No date on Nic Nat return

SOFTLY SOFTLY: West Coast is taking no risks with Nic Naitanui. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

NIC Naitanui's comeback is on hold indefinitely in a major blow to West Coast's 2013 premiership aspirations.

Last year's All-Australian ruckman is still struggling with groin soreness and is unable to step up his training load to the level required.

Eagles coach John Worsfold admitted the club didn't know when Naitanui would be able to resume full training.

When he does, the 22-year-old will then require three weeks of solid training before being ready to play a match.

It is understood a cautious West Coast is prepared to be without Naitanui for virtually the first half of the season if it means he can be fit for the remainder and be primed for an impact in the finals.

A frank Worsfold was prepared to be without Naitanui for some time.

"He hasn't been able to step up to anywhere near full training yet," he said.


"If he steps up and has a harder session and gets sore, then his next session can't be harder again.

"So really you don't know. He could just progress through every session and be up and going in a few weeks.

"Or if he keeps getting some soreness as he progresses up, we'll just stay at that level for a little bit longer.

SuperCoach Round 1 dilemma: Trade or hold?

"We want to prepare Nic to be able to come in and play full games. We probably won't go down the option of giving him a half a game in a reserves team somewhere.

"It's likely we'll just train him up until he's really ready to go. So that may hold him back till he is actually playing footy again."

The Eagles are prepared to be conservative with one of the most valuable commodities on their playing list.

"These injuries can linger over the course of full seasons and multiple seasons," Worsfold said.

"We don't want that to happen."

In better news, midfielder Daniel Kerr is likely to make his comeback following knee surgery for East Fremantle in the WAFL on Saturday.

West Coast hosts Hawthorn at Patersons Stadium on Sunday.
 


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Beams to miss two more

Dayne Beams cools off at Collingwood recovery at St Kilda Beach. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

INJURED Collingwood star Dayne Beams won't play against Carlton and is unlikely to return until Round 4.

Beams, last year's Copeland Trophy winner, was a late withdrawal from the Magpies' Round 1 team after hurting himself at training.

The Pies have kept the extent of Beams' injury close to their chest but today revealed he is expected to miss 1-2 more matches.

That rules him out of Collingwood's blockbuster clash against Carlton on Sunday and most likely the match against Hawthorn the following week.

But there is better news on the injury front with Ben Reid (cut mouth) and Ben Johnson (cork thigh) cleared to play after being hurt in Round 1.

And Alex Fasolo (hamstring), Alan Didak (hamstring), Paul Seedsman (hamstring), Clinton Young (calf) and Jackson Ramsay (groin) are all ready to return, most likely via the VFL.

The Barometer: Updated injury list for every club

"With the likes of Dale Thomas and Andrew Krakouer making their way back in the VFL last week and Seedsman, Fasolo, Young and Didak all close, we've definitely got a few more selection options opening up for us," football director Geoff Walsh told the club website.

"Some of those boys still need to find their legs, if you like, but it's encouraging to think that in a week or two we could have a lot of players pushing for a lot of positions in the side."


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Dee-fiant Neeld ignores backlash

Demons coach Mark Neeld says vicious critics can boo all they want. Source: Herald Sun

MELBOURNE coach Mark Neeld says he will ignore widespread criticism and supporter backlash as he continues to rebuild his ailing football club.

Shell-shocked after Sunday's shameful performance against Port Adelaide, Neeld has ignored the media this week and concentrated on replicating the high intensity of training on match day.

Emphasising he had a job to do, he admitted he heard the booing at three-quarter time on Sunday, but it did not faze him.

"I heard it," Neeld said.

"But the coach's main concern during the game is the players.

"It's not great to hear it ... and that's how they dealt with an unacceptable performance.

"My way of dealing with it is to sit down with the players and have heart-to-hearts, review the game, explain how we want to play, go back through training ... that's how I've got to deal with it.

Read Mark Robinson's full interview with Mark Neeld here

"If people chose to boo, that's their choice. That will never get in the road of what we are trying to achieve."

"I will simply state that what we've seen over summer and at training is not what we saw on Sunday," Neeld said.

Neeld was understanding of fans who might turn their backs on Melbourne.

"Unfortunately, if you're not going to turn up and watch us play through this period, that is your decision, no problem, but you will always be welcomed back."

Neeld refused to give guarantees about the performance this week, but did make promises about preparation and professionalism.

He said the game against Essendon on Saturday night was about effort and work ethic, and not the about winning.

"It's about how we go about it," Neeld said.

"We might get beaten by Essendon on the weekend, but it will be the way in which we approach the game which will be important.

"Clubs in rebuilding phase cannot use the number of victories (to judge), it's about the manner in which we go about it and that's what was disappointing about Sunday. We didn't go about it in the right manner.

"We're doing what we can to instil in very young players the correct manner in which to play.

"We can promise that the attitude of our players to train and to prepare is becoming a highly competitive AFL standard.

"And I can inform supporters today's training session was of AFL standard and quick and there was energy there.

And, yes, there were a few terrible kicks, but I saw players make mistakes and have a crack at the next one."

Neeld did not make excuses, but pointed out last Sunday's game was "game one, year two of a rebuild of a rebuild which never got off the ground".

He said training loads had increased, as had the players' appetite to compete at the highest level.

"Last year they were driving to training to survive the day ... now they are driving to training to attack training."


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Stars game on agenda

AFLPA executive Ian Prendergast. Source: Herald Sun

AFL players want the league to seriously consider their east-versus-west representative concept while it considers a dramatic revamp of the season's structure.

The AFL Players Association said yesterday it would canvass its members about a potential 24-round season, which would also include a shorter pre-season for players.

It wants the east-versus-west concept, splitting teams into two conferences, as a serious negotiating point if the rest of the season's structure is up for grabs.

AFL deputy chief executive Gillon McLachlan yesterday said a season proposed by AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou wouldn't come at the expense of the NAB Cup.

Clubs have declared they require at least three official warm-up games before the home-and-away season.

The league says it is considering all options for the 2014 home-and-away structure, including a 24-round season over 26 weeks with two byes, and an earlier start date to the season.

A start date in early or mid-March would mean Round 1 blockbusters customarily held at the MCG, including Richmond-Carlton would likely be pushed back until later in the season.

AFLPA executive Ian Prendergast said yesterday the players' union welcomed the discussion, but would want a shorter pre-season competition in return for a longer home-and-away season.

"We will get the views of players on the types of issues raised by the players. Players have been pushing for a reduced pre-season, two byes and a meaningful leave period but are also exploring the concept of representative football," he said.

"The players are strong on the idea of (representative) footy, but the latest concept pushed by the players involves it being run at the end of the pre-season.

"We think it's a great thing for the game, and it is something which could seriously be considered if the AFL is looking at expanding the season."

AFL deputy chief executive Gillon McLachlan said yesterday the league would need to make an August decision but a radically shortened NAB Cup seems the only option off the table.

"Whatever happens with the NAB Cup, we will be doing in concert with (National Australia Bank), but it is never going to be one or two weeks," he said.

"Clubs have told us they require a minimum of three weeks to get their players ready, so whatever you want to do with it, you still have to get players ready and that's the feedback we have had from clubs."

The AFL has confirmed an Adelaide-Port Adelaide showdown will form some part of Round 1, and while the MCG will not budge on availability in March, the South Australian Cricket Association is more flexible.

"We would have discussions with them. They have always been very sensible and very open-minded."
 


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Head's up for change of tack

Magpie Ben Reid after copping an off-the-ball bump by Lindsay Thomas. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD will change its approach to the bump, following a shift in AFL policy on accidental head clashes.

AFL match review panel chairman Mark Fraser revealed this week players will not be suspended for accidental head clashes.

North Melbourne's Lindsay Thomas was cleared for his heavy bump on Collingwood's Ben Reid, despite the fact that Reid was concussed in a head clash.

While coach Nathan Buckley did not want to add to a war of words over the incident, he said he would instruct his players to alter their techniques.

"The lines are not blurred, they have shifted and moved," Buckley said yesterday.

"I will be coaching Ben Reid to be prepared for that contact where it hasn't been coming in the last four or five years.

"And I will be coaching Nick Maxwell to take advantage of those situations and to be more physical in those contests."

Buckley was referring to Maxwell's claim yesterday that he warned North Melbourne midfielder Daniel Wells that he was going to bump him last week.

"Our captain told of a situation on Sunday where he became conscious of what would have been an opportunity in the past to really split an opposition player down the middle," Buckley said.

"But he actually notified him he was about to cannon into him.

"He said that he got his head out of the way and got really low, and you can see in the vision that he actually hits him fairly solid.

"(With) that same circumstance now, potentially ... 'Maxy' can go through the contest as hard as he likes and the ramifications are irrelevant as long as he stays on the ground and his shoulder doesn't make contact with the head."

Buckley said Reid, who is expected to play this week against Carlton, "had a touch of the Koschitzkes about him", referring to St Kilda's Justin Koschitzke, who has had a number of head clashes with opponents and teammates.

"People always want to talk about coaches and how they don't care for the future of the game ... (but) we do absolutely," Buckley said.

"But we are pawns, we are players in a game where other people are making the rules. So you make the rules and we will coach around them.

"I'm told that the instigating player is not responsible for the head clash.

"Brad (Scott) said after the game that head clashes do happen and yes they do. But it depends on what the legislation is and right now we have got a very clear example of what is acceptable in the game."
 


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'I feel for Mick': Bucks

Magpies coach Nathan Buckley says he has nothing but respect for former mentor Mick Malthouse. Picture: Nicole Garmston Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley admits to having some empathy for Carlton coach Mick Malthouse ahead of Sunday's blockbuster MCG clash.

But he doesn't expect the same from Malthouse in return.

"I do feel for Mick in some ways,'' Buckley said yesterday.

"I understand he has said himself that he doesn't want it to be about him, but it's pretty hard to avoid given his recent connection with the club and then going to the arch enemy."

"Try as he might, he won't be able to avoid that, but that happens on the other side of the fence.

The real action is going to be on the field come game day and the players can't help but pick up there's going to be a lot of eyes watching.'

Jon Ralph: Mick's private war against Buckley

Asked if he thought Malthouse might feel empathy towards him, Buckley said: "No.''

But Buckley, still chasing his first win as coach against Carlton after two losses last year, has played down suggestions of a rift.

"There's plenty of people keen to drum that up and to try to make it an adversarial relationship,'' he said.

"I've got nothing but respect for Mick.

"I learnt a lot from him, played under him for a number of years as his captain and worked under him as an assistant coach in the plan to eventually become senior coach.

"We've had many frank discussions, not in recent times, (but) we've had many frank discussions about that situation."

Buckley did not expect there would be any pre-game acknowledgment between the two coaches on Sunday.

"I very rarely go to any of the opposition coaches on game day,'' he said.

"I caught up with Mick at the coaches' AGM last week, I will see him ... at the Peter MacCallum breakfast and I am sure watching the TV shows, I will see plenty of his head between now and Sunday.''

Picture gallery: Pies make a splash at training

Buckley inadvertently brought a laugh to the press conference yesterday when asked if he and Malthouse had had recent conversations.

"He's the coach of Collingwood,'' he said of Malthouse before correcting himself.

"He was ... (now) he's the coach of Carlton.

"I haven't spent a great deal of time with the coach of Carlton in my time as the coach of Collingwood.''

Dayne Beams (quad) will miss Sunday's clash and could be absent for another fortnight.But Buckley is confident Ben Reid (concussion) and Ben Johnson (thigh) will be right to play against the Blues, while Heath Shaw (illness) is a certain starter.

The Magpies coach refused to rule out Dale Thomas, who missed yesterday's session, but played 75 per cent of last week's VFL match.

Asked if Thomas was still a chance to play, he said: "Absolutely.''

Clinton Young, Alex Fasolo, Paul Seedsman and Andrew Krakouer are also in the mix.


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Clarkson feels flag pressure

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson. Source: Getty Images

HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson concedes he could be looking for another job if the club can't win a premiership in the final two years of his contract.

Clarkson has accepted an apology from former club president Jeff Kennett, who savaged the coach after Hawthorn fell to a 10th consecutive defeat at the hands of Geelong on Monday.

Believing the Hawks had underachieved under Clarkson since winning the 2008 Grand Final, Kennett said he should be sacked or leave the club at the end of the season, despite being contracted for 2014.

"He might be right. Who knows?" Clarkson told SEN radio yesterday.

"If we don't win a flag in the next two years, he probably is right and the club does need a change.

"But we're one year into a three-year deal and just at the start of the second year.

"We still think we've got some things we can do with this group of players that can bring some success to the Hawthorn footy club."

Clarkson told Kennett, who was president from 2006-11, in a text message on Tuesday night he wasn't offended by the comments but wished Kennett hadn't gone public with his views.

Meanwhile, Hawthorn expects Lance Franklin to be fully fit for Sunday's game against West Coast in Perth.

There were concerns Franklin might have suffered a slight hamstring injury when he grabbed at the back of his left leg after being dragged down in a tackle in the third quarter on Monday.

Former Western Bulldog Brian Lake could join captain Luke Hodge in the VFL for Box Hill this weekend.
 


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