Roos' goal to shake yips

Lindsay Thomas celebrates a goal against Geelong. Source: Herald Sun

Kangaroos coach Brad Scott at the MCG against Hawthorn. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

FORWARD Lindsay Thomas's program to rid himself of the yips when kicking for goal is being used as motivation for North Melbourne to fix its scoring woes.

Coach Brad Scott supervised technical adjustments with drills at training yesterday in a bid to improve the players accuracy.

"I keep coming back to Lindsay Thomas. People say what has been the turnaround? Well, it's hard work," Scott said.

"It's like most things in life, you've got to work hard to achieve those things. I've got no doubt we'll fix them and, when we do, I've got no doubt we'll be up there with the good sides.

"We've just got to tighten up our game and be clear on the things that we have to fix and spend an enormous amount of time on the track."

Thomas is the AFL's leading goalkicker with 21 from 27 attempts in five games, an admirable conversion rate and considerably improved on his 38.19 tally last season.

Scott said inconsistency was often related to inexperience. "I think we're scoring OK. Could we do it better? For sure and we'll continue to work on that," he said.

"I think we've got dangerous forwards and we like to kick the ball to them. We've got to strike a balance between capitalising on our key forward strength and using other options going forward. But it has been a strength rather than a weakness."

Tall forwards Robbie Tarrant (leg) and Lachie Hansen (knee) were assessed after yesterday's main training session on whether they return for Saturday's game against unbeaten Port Adelaide in Hobart.

"Unless I'm comfortable with the level of training they've done and how they perform in the main session, they won't play," Scott said.

"We're in the fortunate position of having good key position players who can replace them. The combination of Aaron Black, Majak Daw, Lachie Hansen, Robbie Tarrant, we've just got to keep selecting players in form and who have full fitness."

Scott also implored fans to continue to be vigilant about racially abusive behaviour following the off-field taunts directed at Daw, Thomas and Daniel Wells in the match against Hawthorn.

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Corey is king

Geelong veteran Corey Enright has become one of the best running defenders of the past 20 years. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

GEELONG defender Corey Enright is one of the greatest running defenders of the past 20 years, according to two of his contemporaries.

Brisbane great Chris Johnson and Eagles icon David Wirrpanda have lauded the modest Cat as one of the game's most reliable decision-makers and ball-users ahead of his 250th game against Richmond on Saturday night.

And talent master Kevin Sheehan said the Cats' decision to pick the two-time best and fairest winner in the 40s ranked as one of the wisest selections in the history of the national draft.

Enright, from the outback South Australian town of Kimba, was a largely unknown quantity in his draft year after missing selection in the under-18 championship team.

But the Cats nabbed the 187cm backman with pick No. 47, adding one of the most important pieces to a team hunting its fourth premiership in seven years.

"The way he flips the ball around and sells the dummy, he might be the best at it in the game," Sheehan said.

"He is an unbelievable player. He has to be one of the greatest choices of all time."

Enright, 31, won four straight All-Australian berths between 2008-2011 and was last year named in the back pocket in Champion Data's team of the year, in his 13th AFL season.

Johnson, a three-time Brisbane Lions' premiership player, who was also regarded as one of the most damaging defenders of his era, said the balance in Enright's game to know when to attack and defend, combined with his disposal accuracy, put him at "the top of the tree".

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Brace for a storm ahead

Former Melbourne Storm chairman Rob Moodie warns of the stresses being felt by Essendon hierarchy amid the supplements investigation. Picture: Alex Coppel Source: Herald Sun

IT'S impossible to know exactly how Essendon insiders are coping with the drugs probe maelstrom, but Rob Moodie has better insight than most.

Moodie was chairman when Melbourne Storm was investigated for NRL salary cap breaches and subsequently stripped of two premierships, and barred from earning any points in 2010.

Moodie said it was a shocking experience.

"Knowing that something bad's happened, particularly when you weren't aware of it, is awful," Moodie said.

"In our case, everyone got covered, certainly the staff did, got covered in slime if you like. Trying to help them and everyone else clean that off is not an easy task."

Moodie said he felt most for his players and coaches.

"I feel for Jobe Watson and the players. They are such difficult situations to sort out. What really went on and who really was responsible and who should be accountable?" he said.

Moodie offered to resign when the Storm saga broke in April 2010. His resignation was refused, but he was stood down by Storm owner News Ltd, publisher of the Herald Sun, later that year.

"In our sense, I copped it because someone has to cop it," Moodie said. "And that's fine. As I've said many times, I was the chairman, my responsibility.

"At one stage I think I had 15 cameras and 30 journalists baying for my blood, one of the more uncomfortable experiences I've had. I accepted that it's part of the deal.

"It wasn't a case of saying it's someone else's fault. I mean, in a sense someone else had done it under our responsibilities, so we had to 'fess up and say this is what's happened and try and deal with it as best you can."

He said he didn't know who would take the fall at Essendon.

"I offered my resignation I think the day after because you think well, it's happened under my watch, I should resign," he said.

"On the other hand, you resign, well, you basically hand the exploded bomb to someone else and it doesn't necessarily help the situation."

Former AFL chief executive Wayne Jackson, who ran the league from 1996 to 2003, said everyone had to let the investigations run their course.

"You've got to wait until all the facts are known, all the inquiries are completed, all the experts have made their contributions and delivered their findings, and then you reflect on all of that in the coolness of day," Jackson said.

"Meanwhile I think you just get on with running the competition.

"It's very disappointing that some of those processes take so long ... it's got the capacity to reflect on the code and the clubs and the individuals ... but nevertheless it's critical that the processes run."

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Richo, Lloyd in Fame mix

Richmond great Matthew Richardson is in the running to be elevated into the AFL Hall of Fame. Picture: Craig Borrow Source: Herald Sun

STAR goalkickers Matthew Richardson, Matthew Lloyd and Michael O'Loughlin are potential inductees for the Hall of Fame night on June 4, the first to be held outside Melbourne.

The AFL will hold its celebration of past champions in Canberra's Great Hall of Parliament House to mark the 100th birthday of the national capital.

Last year Barry Cable was elevated to legend status, with Glenn Archer, Graham Cornes, Shane Crawford, Chris Grant, Robert Harvey and Bob Johnson inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The move from Melbourne's Crown casino to Canberra continues the shift of prominent AFL events around Australia, with this year's national draft to again be held on the Gold Coast as part of a deal from 2012-14.

Players must have been out of the game for three years to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Lloyd is seventh on the list of AFL goalkickers with 926 and Richardson 11th with 800.

O'Loughlin is 49th on the list with 521, and the 2005 premiership player was the first Sydney Swan to play more than 300 games.

Other potential inductees include Anthony Rocca, David Wirrpanda, Adam Simpson, Peter Burgoyne and Scott Lucas.

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Jobe medal twist

Bombers skipper Jobe Watson with his Brownlow Medal. Picture: Michael Klein. Source: Herald Sun

Macca cartoon. David McArthur cartoon. Round 10, ASADA Vs Dank, 1 Melbourne, 2 Essendon, 3 ... WADA. (Andrew Demetriou. Brownlow Medal. Supplements.) Source: Herald Sun

ESSENDON captain Jobe Watson could keep his Brownlow Medal at the discretion of an AFL tribunal, even if he was found guilty of taking a banned substance.

And Bombers players could serve six-month bans without missing a single match under guidelines stipulated in the World Anti-Doping Agency code.

If Watson was found guilty of using the banned anti-obesity drug AOD-9604, but successfully argued for a reduction of the standard two-year ban, additional penalties would be at the discretion of a specially convened AFL tribunal.

The Herald Sun is not suggesting Watson took a banned substance in 2012, his Brownlow season.

Former Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority boss Richard Ings said the reduced penalty was key. "In the event that a player is found to have reduced fault, the AFL anti-doping tribunal has flexibility to impose a combination of sanctions, which may or may not include matches, awards and prizemoney," Ings said.

"The loss of awards for any player sanctioned for a doping violation is not an automatic thing."

A two-year ban could be halved under clause 10.5.2 of the WADA code, which states: "If an athlete or other person establishes in an individual case that he or she bears no significant fault or negligence, then the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility may be reduced."

Clause 10.5.3 allows for bans to be reduced by three-quarters - to six months - if athletes found guilty provide "substantial assistance in discovering or establishing anti-doping rule violations".

Biochemist to break silence

ASADA and the AFL are investigating claims that some players were given prohibited substances, with players including Watson soon to be interviewed.

If Watson received a full two-year ban, it appears his Brownlow would be stripped under rule 10.8 of the WADA code, which says athletes will forfeit "any medals, points and prizes" won from the time of the offence to the start of a suspension, "unless fairness requires otherwise".

With the ASADA investigation not expected to be completed until later this year, any possible bans may not be handed down until after the season.

Under the WADA code, bans start as soon as the sanction is imposed, opening the possibility of a reduced six-month ban being served entirely during the AFL's off-season.

In this instance banned players would not be permitted to train with the team.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou refused to be drawn on developments in the supplements saga yesterday.

"We need to await the outcome of the ASADA report," Demetriou said.

"I know that's frustrating to people, but they haven't even begun interviewing players yet.

"They will start that process as I understand within the next week or so. At the moment, they are currently finishing interviews with coaches and other officials."

 Essendon chairman David Evans last night denied having conceded that players had taken banned drugs.

"Essendon have never conceded that our players have been given banned substances in 2012," Evans said in a statement.

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Swans midfield now a driving force

Sydney Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh is preparing to play the 200th game of his AFL career.

Sydney Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh will play his 200th AFL game on Sunday. Picture: Phil Hillyard

JARRAD McVeigh was once part of a Swans midfield that Brett Kirk described as a bunch of Ford Cortinas. Now they're more like Ferraris.

While Adam Goodes spends less time there these days, there's still plenty of star power thanks to Josh Kennedy, Dan Hannebery, Lewis Jetta, Kieren Jack, Ryan O'Keefe and McVeigh.

It's that depth and quality of talent co-captain McVeigh believes has helped return him to career-best form.

"It's a real strength of ours and it was last year we've got a number of players who can move through there and also play forward," McVeigh said.

"If one player is getting tagged, if it's Kieren or Hanners or myself, another player might get off the chain.

"Joey (Kennedy) and you've got O'Keefe and Jude (Bolton) and Parkes (Luke Parker) so there are a lot of guys who can step up if someone is down.

"You need a lot of those midfielders playing well each week to win.

"We've got guys in the reserves who will come through like Jed Lamb."

McVeigh has led the way for the defending premiers this year with standout performances in the opening five rounds.

He's averaged a touch over 103 Supercoach points per game and leads the Swans goalkicking with 11 for the year.

On Sunday, the 28-year-old will chalk up his 200th game when the Swans take on Brisbane at the SCG.

Jarrad's brother Mark retired last year after playing 232 games for Essendon.

The McVeigh brothers will become the first New South Welshmen to achieve the double milestone since Terry and Anthony Daniher, who coincidentally played at the Swans and Essendon.

Mark is sure to be there at the SCG on Sunday after returning to Sydney to take up a position with the NSWAFL in the off season.

The brothers grew up kicking the ball to each other in Killarney Vale on the Central Coast and played for Pennant Hills before embarking on successful AFL careers.

"I learned a lot from him and went to Essendon and training sessions and really followed his career really closely," Jarrad McVeigh said.

"I'm really proud of the way his (Mark's) career panned out and the way he played and the way he carried himself."

The celebrations have been coming thick and fast for the McVeigh's -- who like the Shaw's (Rhyce and Heath) and the Reid's (Sam and Ben) were there to enjoy the Swans premiership success last year.

"For me to be retiring and in the parade on the day my brother was the captain of the Swans was the greatest thing," Mark McVeigh said.

"It was a very special moment because I know what Jarrad has come from to be the player he is."
 

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Daniher ready to test wings

Essendon young gun Joe Daniher could be ready to make his debut. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

COMMON sense will probably prevail tomorrow given Joe Daniher, potentially, has a 15-year career ahead of him.

After a rest last weekend, Essendon will probably get Daniher back in the VFL and let him make his AFL debut later in the year when he has truly earned it.

But as Essendon begins to realise the biggest impediment to a deep run into September is the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, imagine the possibilities of a Daniher debut against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.

If Daniher is the extraordinary talent Essendon believes him to be, is it worth handing him an early debut?

Twenty years on from the Baby Bombers, no one at Essendon needs reminding of just how valuable young players can be in a premiership surge.

With key position Giants Phil Davis and Setanta O'hAilpin sidelined, the game is as close to a live kill as football gets.

The virtual bye against GWS - the Bombers are $1.01 - is the perfect opportunity to ease Daniher into the action and give him a chance to shine.

It would take something amazing for a 201cm tall to be a factor in his first season, but this kid has been rated the best TAC Cup graduate since Chris Judd.

If the Dons give him a taste of the action, find he is out of his depth and warehouse him until later, what harm is done?

But if Daniher can provide a real point of difference in a forward line already boasting Paddy Ryder, Michael Hurley, Stewart Crameri and Scott Gumbleton, the world is at his feet.

In all likelihood the twin factors of his VFL rest last weekend and the returning stars will again push Daniher down the pecking order.

Essendon says Hurley is right to go after overcoming ankle issues, and defenders Jake Carlisle and Dustin Fletcher are fit to play.

Carlisle has been cleared of structural damage to his ankle but, as with Hurley and Fletcher, why play the trio when another week of rest prepares them for a five-week stretch that includes Geelong, Brisbane Lions, Richmond, Sydney at the SCG and Carlton?

Informed wisdom says Daniher won't play but, as the wily old fox Kevin Sheedy said so often at Windy Hill, too often we think why rather than why not.

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Krak may come back

Andrew Krakouer could come in for the Pies. Source: Herald Sun

VETERAN Collingwood forward Andrew Krakouer is on the brink of a senior comeback.

Magpies football boss Geoff Walsh says Krakouer is "in the mix" for tomorrow night's clash against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.

Krakouer, 30, hasn't played at the top level since last year's preliminary final loss to Sydney.

"He's right in the mix. His form in the VFL has been pretty good and he has got his fitness up in the last month," Walsh said yesterday.

"We've got our final session (today), and for Friday games we always finalise it after the Thursday session."

Krakouer has played a solid month of VFL - mostly in the midfield to fast-track his fitness base - after an interrupted pre-season.

He collected 36 possessions two weeks ago and 26 last week against Bendigo on Friday night.

Veteran Alan Didak is also fighting for a recall and had 31 disposals, while tall forward Jarrod Witts had a huge game, kicking three goals.

Midfielder Luke Ball, on the comeback trail from a knee reconstruction, needs another one or two weeks in the seconds, while Dayne Beams (quad) is at least two weeks away from a VFL match. Darren Jolly is tipped to replace Ben Hudson in the ruck.

The Magpies last night announced an AFL membership record of 73,770.

Six years ago, the club had just 38,587 members.

Chief executive Gary Pert said the club hoped to break the 80,000 mark by the end of the season.

"Your membership allows us to build the best training facilities and have the best football department in the league that, together, will drive us in our quest for our next premiership," Pert said in a message to members.

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Biochemist plans to tell all

Biochemist Shane Charter is set to break his silence on Essendon's alleged peptides regimen. Picture: Chris Scott Source: Herald Sun

SHANE Charter, the biochemist embroiled in the drugs-in-sport scandal, will detail Essendon's alleged peptides regimen to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

His former associate, controversial sport scientist Stephen Dank, seems certain to be summoned to a Senate inquiry into sports science, scheduled to start in June.

Dank, who is at the centre of the Essendon and Cronulla anti-doping investigations, could be one of several people compelled to talk to the Senate inquiry about accreditation, code of conduct, substance use, sourcing of supplements and athlete welfare.

Failure to appear could result in contempt charges and carry a six-month jail term.

Charter - who says he sourced an array of materials on request for Dank - is already co-operating with the joint AFL and ASADA probe into the crisis, and spoke with ASADA in recent weeks.

Charter told the Herald Sun last night he expected to supply detailed information to investigators about exactly which peptides had been supplied to Essendon.

"I will be going to see ASADA next week," he said.

The Bombers saga took a twist last night when Dank said he had approval from the World Anti-Doping Agency to use the anti-obesity drug, AOD-9604, which is banned.

Dank said he would produce the email in court, but WADA denied any such correspondence would exist.

Dank has claimed everything he administered was within sports doping rules.

The Bombers, meanwhile, said they had not conceded their players were administered any banned drug.

The Senate inquiry, which has been initiated by Greens senator Richard Di Natale, will have its terms of reference put to the Senate during Budget week, May 14-16. If agreed to, the inquiry will go ahead in June.

A Senate committee will list witnesses it wants to hear from - a list almost certain to include Dank.

"It's not about him as an individual," Senator Di Natale said.

"Our intent will be, 'What do we need to put in place to make sure the health of athletes is protected?'." 

Asked if witnesses were required to attend, Senator Di Natale replied: "The Senate has the capacity to compel witnesses to appear."

Senator Di Natale said tighter checks and balances were needed for accrediting sports scientists.

"The issue for us, when someone calls themselves a sports scientist, how do we know they've got the skills and experience they need, and what's the accreditation process?" he said.

Senator Di Natale said that in the UK, the accreditation conditions for sports scientists demanded clear parameters about background, which included "500 hours of supervised experience".

"It needs to develop a real thorough accreditation process," he said.

The inquiry will also cover health concerns for all professional athletes, as well as regular country and metropolitan sportspeople.

- with Carly Crawford and Michael Warner

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Agreement on round one Oval clash

Andrew Demetriou with Port Adelaide Football Club CEO Keith Thomas. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: The Advertiser

SOUTH Australia's two AFL clubs have endorsed the league's promise of a round one Showdown at the re-developed Adelaide Oval next year.

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou yesterday rejected an earlier suggestion by Adelaide chairman Rob Chapman that it wait until at least round three for a Showdown, to deal with any issues that may arise with the new 50,000-seat stadium.

"It is absolutely true there will be a Showdown for the first game at Adelaide Oval and, all things being equal, it will be a Friday night," said Demetriou, who met the Crows and Power as part of his nationwide club tour.

Yesterday, Chapman agreed, saying a round one Showdown would be ideal.

''When I was talking about perhaps waiting for round three or four it was purely about ironing out the inevitable bugs we could get with ticketing, transport, food and drink," Chapman said.

"While I have complete confidence in the people responsible, it is a big logistical beast.

Andrew Demetriou checks his watch outside Adelaide Football Club headquarters. Picture: Sarah Reed.

"But the ideal time for a Showdown is round one because that's when we'll be showcasing it (the stadium)."

Chapman said no matter which two sides played the first game at the new Adelaide Oval, he would anticipate a sell-out crowd.

"If that's a Showdown it would be a grand spectacle and I think it is feasible," he said.

Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas said a Showdown was the only way to mark what would be "a moment of real historical significance".

"You don't get these moments very often and it would be a real shame if both clubs couldn't share in it," Thomas said.

Now it seems the only matter for debate is who gets hosting rights to the match.

Thomas said the issue had been "bandied around" in public but the clubs were yet to have any serious discussions.

Chapman yesterday said while he had previously stated that he didn't care who hosted the first Showdown because there would be another later in the season, his club "definitely wants" the first hosting rights.

Demetriou said he would not weigh in on that decision.

"I'm not going to be here to toss the coin to see who's going to get the home game because I like my life and I'll leave others to do that task," he said.

Before yesterday's club briefings, Demetriou told the media:

CONCERNS the Adelaide Oval's Stadium Management Authority may impede a fair deal for the two AFL clubs was unfounded.

"I'm aware of the talk about it (and) I don't think it's valid," he said.

"We've met with both clubs on the issue and I think that issue has been blown out of proportion.

"There is constant dialogue about getting the best return for the SMA, for cricket, the SANFL and the two clubs and I think Adelaide Oval is going to be a fantastic thing for all stakeholders and the South Australian public."

THE handover of both club licences from the SANFL remained on track.

"It would be fair to say all that is proceeding very well," he said.

"There's goodwill from the SANFL, the Crows and Port Adelaide.

"The AFL is assisting if it's required and all things being equal I don't see any major issues or impediments to that occurring in due course."

THE AFL would have nothing to do with the Crows and Power's current push to field their own reserves teams.

HE was "absolutely thrilled" with Port Adelaide's resurgence which has it second on the ladder after round five.

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