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People Power becomes a factor

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 27 April 2013 | 23.02

The Bojanic family - Aleksandra and Miki, right, with sons Luka and Lazar. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: Sunday Mail (SA)

PORT Adelaide supporters are voting with their feet as well as their wallets on the way to establishing a club membership record this week.

On Friday morning the Power's membership tally surpassed its previous best of 38,305 set in 1998 and by the end of the day stood at 38,600.

According to chief executive Keith Thomas the reason for the record was a flood of new and lapsed members returning to the club as well as those wanting to attend games.

The number of 11-game inclusive memberships has risen from 12,530 in 2012 to 15,465 in 2013.

Combined with three-game inclusive membership packages, the figure stands at 18,300 - of which 30 per cent (6100) are new or former members wanting back in on the Power's revival.

"That is a huge indicator that people want to come back and watch the team play," Thomas said.

"It means they're interested again in going to games."

Among those joining the party this season is the Bojanic family.

Micky, his wife Aleksandra and children Vida, 18, Luka, 13, and Lazar, 9, joined the club as family members last week.

Micky said they had been members since 1997 but let go in 2010 as work and sporting commitments took over.

"We still went to quite a few games but to be honest we left early quite a few times as well," Micky said.

But when his sons Luka and Lazar had a chance meeting with Power stars Brad Ebert and Angus Monfries at a Grange bakery while on school holidays last week, he felt compelled to rejoin the Port Adelaide family.

And of course the team starting the season 4-0 helped the decision as well.

"My boys bumped into Angus and Brad and they were fantastic, they (players) had their photos taken and asked the boys what sports they played," Micky said.

"I was so impressed that they took the time to speak to them that I rang up and got a family membership straight away.

"The style of footy they're playing is great to watch.

"They're trying to attack and go forward, whereas the last few years have been so frustrating.

"I don't mind if we go down if we kick 15 goals and the other team kicks 20, as long as we go down swinging."


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

It's official - Power's the real deal

Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak celebrates a goal with Robbie Gray. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: Sunday Mail (SA)

IT just keeps getting better for Port Adelaide.

The Power's dream start to the year continued at AAMI Stadium last night when it produced one of the great AFL comebacks.

Trailing by 41 points 19 minutes into the third quarter, Port lived up to its "never give in" catchcry to stun one of this year's premiership favourites, West Coast.

In a remarkable revival, the Power kicked 10 goals to three in the second half and five goals to one in the final term.

It hit the front for the first time 11 minutes into the last quarter.

The Eagles regained the lead with a Brad Dalziell goal entering time-on.

But Port - as it has done all season under first-year coach Ken Hinkley - hit back to kick the winning goal through Angus Monfries after some superb work from rookie sensation Jake Neade and Robbie Gray.

Kane Cornes, in his 250th game, scores a crucial goal against the Eagles. Picture: Sarah Reed.

The Power kicked just two goals in a dreadful first half but was inspired by best afield Hamish Hartlett - who won the Peter Badcoe VC Medal - and captain Travis Boak.

The star midfielders kicked three of Port's five final quarter goals to help extend Port's record winning start to a season to five.

"This win shows what we are made of," said a jubilant Hartlett after the game.

"We never give up and the boys are really proud to have won this game for Kane Cornes (who was playing his 250th game)."

The Power has now beaten Melbourne, GWS, Adelaide, Gold Coast and the Eagles in the opening five rounds to put one foot in the finals door.

It is an incredible turnaround for Port which hasn't made the finals since 2007 and in the past two seasons won a combined total of eight games.

Last night proved once and for all that this Power side is made of stern stuff.

Its first half was woeful and reminiscent of the dark days under previous coach Matthew Primus.

It was taught a football lesson by a finals-hardened Eagles side which, at 1-3, was playing for its finals life.

At half-time, Port had not taken a mark inside 50 while West Coast had hauled in 16 on its way to a 38-point lead.

The Power had crumbled under the weight of the Eagles' immense pressure in what became a tale of two halves.

Port was forced into a late change when defender Jasper Pittard failed to recover from soreness suffered in last week's win against Gold Coast.

His withdrawal paved the way for former Eagle Lewis Stevenson - an unlucky omission from the Power's named side - to play his first game against his former club. Stevenson started at half-back on brilliant playmaker Daniel Kerr.

Within four minutes, West Coast appeared to have its back to the wall.

Ace midfielder Matt Priddis was knocked out when he had his arms pinned in a perfect tackle from Monfries and he crashed head-first into the AAMI Stadium turf.

He was stretchered from the field on a mini-ambulance and was subbed out of the game 15 minutes later.

By that time, the Eagles - with Priddis's replacement Jamie Cripps on fire - had skipped to a 21-point lead, kicking the first 3.3 of the game.

Displaying a fierce desire to win the hard ball, West Coast dominated possession while Port crumbled under the pressure.

The Power struggled to get the ball out of its defensive half of the ground and it took a classy finish from Hartlett to break its scoring drought after 23 minutes when he burst inside 50 to goal on the run.

Amazingly, Port did not take a mark for the final 16 minutes of the term and when Kennedy broke clear of Alipate Carlile to kick his third goal of the quarter, the Eagles had broken to a 22-point lead at the first change.

The mark numbers highlighted West Coast's early dominance, with the visitors taking 30 to the Power's meagre seven.

Kennedy was at the forefront of nearly every Eagles attack and continued to give the Port defenders, in particular Carlile, nightmares in the second term.

The Power missed some gilt-edged chances in front of goal to keep itself in the match and when Kennedy bobbed up for his fourth major and Josh Hill and Jack Darling slotted goals, West Coast was out to a commanding 38-point lead at the long break.

Looking for some inspiration, Hinkley threw his side around after half-time with the move of Chad Wingard to full forward paying dividends.

He kicked two classy goals in the third quarter to give Port a glimmer of hope. That was all it needed.

PORT ADELAIDE  1.0   2.5    7.7    12.12 (84)

WEST COAST       4.4  7.13  9.16  10.19 (79)

Best - Port Adelaide: Hartlett, Boak, Wingard, Neade, O'Shea, Cornes. West Coast: Selwood, Shuey, Glass, Kennedy, Gaff, Waters.

Injuries - West Coast: M. Priddis (concussion).

Report - D. Glass (West Coast) for rough conduct by field umpire Pannell against P. Stewart in the second term.

Umpires: G. Fila, C. Kamolins, T. Pannell.

Crowd: 26,132 at AAMI Stadium.


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Power surge past Eagles

Port Adelaide unleashed a stunning late charge to overwhelm West Coast by five points in the AFL.

WEST Coast coach John Worsfold has refused to rule out a flag tilt should the Eagles finish the season outside the top four.

Another woeful outing in front of goal last night cost West Coast a win, as it let a 41-point, third-quarter lead slip to Port Adelaide and take its season to just one win and four losses.

A top-four finish has been the Eagles mantra since their semi-final exit last year off the back of a fifth placing at the end of the home and away season and history rules against teams winning the premiership after finishing outside the four.

No team has achieved the feat under the current system, but Worsfold last night refused to accept that as a fait accompli.

"We've still got a lot of footy ahead, that doesn't change," Worsfold said. "The premiership teams have come from the top four the majority of times and, if we don't make it, then this is going to be one of the rare years where maybe it doesn't.

"Our aim is to play better footy and we can do that, keep pushing up and anything is possible; we'll see where it takes us.

"But our focus is on playing better footy, not; how far we've got to go in the season, how many wins it's going to take to finish in certain spots."

West Coast Eagles player slook dejected after the game. Picture: Sarah Reed

West Coast faces more personnel issues this week, after losing reliable workhorse Matt Priddis, but Worsfold said the injury concerns ended there.

Darren Glass, who was reported for rough conduct, could consider himself unlucky in receiving a suspension as he did not leave the ground and did not appear to make head-high contact.

Worsfold said he was unsure whether Priddis would be available to face the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, but that reinforcements could be welcomed back after Sharrod Wellingham and Matt Rosa made it through a second week in the WAFL.

"(I spoke to Priddis) briefly and he's feeling good, so that's good," Worsfold said. "Wellingham and Rosa got through again, so they're up and going. They're available now, we're really pleased with how they went, so they're available for selection.

"To fast track them would have been to play them tonight, but we felt they needed the hitout to be now available for senior selection.

"But our focus at the moment is going to be to improve the football we're playing with the personnel we're playing and we can still do that, regardless of waiting for players to come back."

Ashton Hams is collected high by Tom Jonas. Picture: Sarah Reed

Last night was the second consecutive week that kicking errors hounded West Coast, after the side last week posted 7.23 to lose to Carlton at home.

A frank Worsfold said it was an area that offered little excuse and the side had to work through its mental demons.

"Our boys have been bad for a couple of weeks, but they haven't been bad for the weeks prior to that, or last year," he said.

"So there's something going on; (maybe) they're feeling the pressure, they're coughing it up, I don't know.

"They've got to kick the goals, that's their job, we expect them to kick them, not all the time, but certainly kick some of the ones they've missed the last couple of weeks."

Matt Priddis off after being concussed Picture: Reed Sarah


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Forward thinking needed for Freo

BIG SHOES: Jack Hannath may be required to help fill the forward breach at Fremantle. Picture: Paul Kane Source: Getty Images

FREMANTLE could turn to one-game players Tanner Smith and Jack Hannath as its key marking targets against Gold Coast on Saturday night after the loss of Kepler Bradley compounded its forward-line issues.

The Dockers were yesterday waiting on the results of scans that were expected to confirm Bradley ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the second quarter of Friday night's thrilling one-point win against Richmond.

It comes as a devastating blow for the popular clubman and leaves the team struggling to find a viable target in attack.

Skipper Matthew Pavlich is likely to be out until after Fremantle's Round-11 bye following surgery on his plantaris tendon this week, while ruckman/forward Zac Clarke is yet to shake off a calf problem.

While Bradley has been a fringe player for much of his time at Freo, he was one of the players the club could least afford to lose, given the absence of Pavlich.


A lack of natural key forwards has been viewed as the weak spot on Fremantle's list for several years.

Bradley could be tempted to have controversial LARS surgery in a bid to get back before the finals.

The 27-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and his future is in doubt.

Coach Ross Lyon rued the ACL curse striking at Fremantle again.

"It's really sad for any player, but when it's one of your own it makes it worse," Lyon said.

"But we'll support Kepler and rehabilitate him."

Promising youngster Smith made his debut in defence against Hawthorn last weekend but has the ability to play forward.

The 19-year-old will have a fitness test this week after missing Friday's match with a minor hamstring injury.

Ruckman Hannath had just four possessions in his debut against the Tigers but took a crucial mark with 30 seconds remaining and is likely to hold his place.

The Dockers need to manufacture a functioning forward line ahead of a critical five-game period leading into their Round-11 bye, before the anticipated returns of Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands.

Small forward Michael Walters said it was important the team found another tall target.

"We were kind of short once Kep went out. I think (Jonathon) Griffin and Jack Hannath swapped over every now and then," Walters said.

"It was just kick to them and we were trying to just crumb off them because we were so short.

"Me and Ballas (Hayden Ballantyne) aren't going to get the contested mark so we really felt it, that there was no one tall down there.''

Options for the match committee to consider include switching either Luke McPharlin or Michael Johnson into the forward line.

McPharlin and Johnson were excellent in defence against Richmond and coach Ross Lyon will be loath to remove either key plank from his back six.

"We'll wait and see what Ross is thinking," Johnson said. "The good thing is that I've played a number of roles in the past and if Ross wants me to play another role for the team, I'm happy to put my hand up.

"I think Luke's playing his best footy down back. He's our leader down there and leads by example so you don't really want to take him out of his best position.

"But whatever happens, we can move a number of players around to suit our strengths."

Defender Alex Silvagni, who played for Claremont yesterday, could even be considered as a wildcard forward solution.


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fans roar for broom at Gabba

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss is under the pump. Picture: Michael Dodge. Source: Getty Images

BRISBANE'S coach, chairman and players are on notice.

Their fed-up fans have used a couriermail.com.au poll to express their loss of faith in the direction the club is headed, and to deliver a damning assessment of Michael Voss' coaching performance.

It is hardly news that Voss is under extreme pressure - the ladder and the uncompetitive nature of the Lions' recent performances told us that.

What the poll screams out is that the fans are demanding accountability from chairman Angus Johnson and his board.

Johnson instigated the review into the Lions' football department that extended Voss' contract until the end of this season, and he produced the strategic vision that promised fans a premiership by 2016.

At some point Johnson has to make a decision on the club's favourite son.

And there are candidates out there.

Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson is coming off contract and there has already been a push for his highly regarded assistant coach Adam Simpson, while Voss' assistant Mark Harvey also has supporters.

No one at Brisbane can honestly claim Voss' status as a champion player has not provided him a buffer during his coaching career.

It has influenced the board and, in the early days, the fans as well.

But no longer.

Johnson acknowledged the results of the poll could not be ignored but said there would be no knee-jerk reaction. "We are going to review his contract at end of year," he said.

"And as I have already said, we will not be providing running commentary on Michael's position.

"But I would say, I suspect if the poll was taken in the week after we won the NAB Cup grand final, the result would have been different."

The Lions hope the dissatisfaction with their recruiting will pass.

Only Brisbane really knows exactly what has happened in recent drafts and trade periods. But claims levelled against the club by industry insiders is that Voss and his football department have developed a habit of overruling the recruiters.

Essendon's gun youngster and 2011 Rising Star Dyson Heppell was the recruiters' choice in the 2010 draft but the Lions went for Jared Polec.

It has been said John Reid, who was heavily involved in the club at the time as the author of the first review into Voss' football department, was influential in that decision.

Polec, currently injured, has yet to make an impact and it has been suggested he will leave the club at the end of the year.

Johnson concedes there have been issues with recruiting but believes they have been sorted out.

"We have a new recruitment structure in place, it is only two years old and I think it is too early to make a judgment," he said.

"Recruitment is a major focus for us. We are always looking to improve, we have the third youngest list in the competition and I think we have played more debutants than any other club going around."


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Controversy sparks umpire review

SORE POINT: Was Richmond's Matt White robbed of a goal on Friday night? Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

AFL football operations manager Mark Evans will ask the umpiring department to review the positioning of goal umpires in the wake of Fremantle's controversial one-point win over Richmond at Patersons Stadium on Friday night.

League spokesman Patrick Keane also said the AFL believed the controlling field umpire was wrong not to call for a score review after the bizarre last-quarter flashpoint.

Tiger Matt White failed to score with his shot on goal with three minutes remaining after the ball skidded into the goal umpire.

Experienced Perth-based official Dale Edwick was straddling the goal-line, with one leg inside the field of play.

The ball hit him in the groin and remained in play, before bemused Dockers midfielder Stephen Hill picked it up and walked it over the line.

Richmond did not receive a free kick for a deliberate rushed behind, despite Hill appearing to be under no direct pressure.


Goal umpires traditionally straddle the goal-line to get an optimal view, but the umpiring department is expected to reconsider whether there is any need for them to stand inside the field of play.

Former Freo captain Peter Bell and Melbourne great Garry Lyon were among leading figures who called yesterday for goal umpires to remain behind the goal-line, especially given they now had access to score reviews.

Talkback radio on both sides of the country was inundated by furious Tigers fans.

The incident will also fuel debate over whether teams who feel "robbed" by decisions should be able to call for score reviews themselves, similar to challenge systems used in tennis and cricket.

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick and Dockers counterpart Ross Lyon both said they believed White's shot would have been a goal.

A seething Hardwick said the ball had already crossed the line before striking the umpire anyway.

"I know it went through for a goal. It crossed the line," Hardwick said.

"Have you see the replay? Maybe we should've called a review you would've thought, no? Seriously, in a tight game - joke.

"There's a system in place. Use it, or don't bother."


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stef limps into wounded Lions' den

Injured Stefan Martin, left, with embattled Lions coach Michael Voss. Picture: Michael Dodge. Source: Getty Images

BRISBANE has been rocked by another serious injury, with ruckman Stefan Martin set to miss six weeks with an ankle problem.

The 26-year-old had already been ruled out of today's must-win clash with his former club Melbourne.

But Lions medical staff yesterday confirmed Martin will go under the knife this week.

Martin was making a decent fist of the forward/back-up ruck role at the Lions but the ankle injury had hampered his movement in the past couple of weeks and it had showed no signs of improvement.

Billy Longer has been called up for today's Gabba clash, after being an emergency for last week's game against North Melbourne.

Martin's injury news comes days after star midfielder Daniel Rich suffered a broken shoulder blade in a training mishap, which will rule him out for eight weeks.

Fellow midfielders Claye Beams (knee, season) and Jared Polec (ankle, 4-6 weeks) are also in the expanding casualty ward. Matt Maguire will miss today's match with a leg injury but is expected back soon, while Simon Black and Brent Staker are also on the comeback trail from knee injuries.

Brisbane midfielder and former Demon Brent Moloney, who will celebrate his 150th AFL game, expects Melbourne to come out firing after a club-record 12-goal final quarter to set up their first win of the season against GWS last week.

"They'll come up here quietly confident of having a real crack," Moloney said.

"They finished off the game really well last week so we have to be ready to go from the start."


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Power answer Hinkley's challenge

Power coach Ken Hinkley called on his leaders to lift against West Coast. Picture: Getty Source: The Advertiser

KEN Hinkley's promise that his Port Adelaide players will never give in held up again last night as the Power extended its best-ever start to an AFL season to five wins.

Port overcame a 41-point deficit in the third term - 10 points more than it gave Adelaide at the same stage of the Showdown a fortnight ago - to beat West Coast by five points at AAMI Stadium.

Hinkley last night paid tribute to his team's leaders - best-afield Hamish Hartlett and captain Travis Boak - for carrying the Power to an extraordinary victory with their superb second-half efforts.

"I challenged Hamish at three-quarter time because I felt there was something there that he was going to deliver," said Hinkley. "I challenge my leaders really hard all the time; I demand things from them. I can't shy away from that.

"Hamish, Travis and Brad Ebert and Robbie Gray, Jay Schulz - our team leaders - they kept fighting, wanting to find a way. I know this group of young men want to do everyone proud ... they won't give up.


"I have a group that are just willing to give everything they've got. The message at half-time was to make sure we did not give up. And they did not give up."

At 5-0, Port will be considered a contender to reach the AFL finals for the first time since 2007. But Hinley says his "no limits" theme will not change at Alberton.

"No limits, no restrictions," said Hinkley. "People will want to make more of it, but we just need to make sure we stay focused. As I said on Friday, we will not get ahead of ourselves. If you step ahead of yourself, you'll be in
trouble. We're not going to do that."

Hinkley cleared his whiteboard at half-time to remove all the technical issues exposed in statistical sheets, such as the Eagles' dominance in contested football.

"We had some things written on the board - things I thought were hurting us - but I ended up rubbing them off; that was not our biggest problem," said Hinkley. "Our biggest problem was getting some effort. And if we had some effort we would put ourselves in the contest.

"In the end, you get what you deserve."

Port reported one injury with key defender Jackson Trengove, who was subbed for Robbie Gray after showing the signs of a sore foot. Key forward Jay Schulz also was nursing a sore foot after the game.

Neither is considered in doubt for next weekend's clash with North Melbourne in Hobart.


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Beams stays focused on recovery

Dayne Beams stretches out at Collingwood training. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: Herald Sun

INJURED Collingwood star Dayne Beams has revealed plans to return to football within the next two to three weeks.

Speaking for the first time about the torn quad muscle that sidelined him for the past five games, Beams said he had plans to step up his running this week before aiming to return via the VFL in a fortnight.

He suffered the injury the day before Collingwood's first game against North Melbourne and had a slight setback a few weeks later which brought about a more conservative approach from the medical team.

"I'm not too far away," Beams said yesterday.

"I have just got back into training and things are looking positive again.

"Obviously, with the little re-bleed that I had, they have gone the ultra-conservative path now. It's a long year, so I have got to look after it, and hopefully come back in the second half of the season bigger and better."

Beams said he would likely "step it up a bit this week and see how my legs feel."

"My ambitions compared to the physios' are completely different. I am hoping for a couple of weeks, but obviously I will have to come back through the VFL.

"I am looking at about two or three weeks."

The 23-year-old midfielder said the injury had been "extremely frustrating", but it had been put into perspective by the season-ending knee injury suffered by his brother, Brisbane's Claye Beams.

Dayne said: "I had never torn a muscle before, so it was a different feeling.

"Claye is laying up on the couch and it is just so disappointing for him. I've really got nothing to complain about."

Beams is confident the Magpies would hit back hard from their Anzac Day loss in Friday night's game against St Kilda.


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Speedy Blues make Eagles pay

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 20 April 2013 | 23.02

Carlton speedster Chris Yarran booted four goals to lead the Blues to victory. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

Eagles skipper Darren Glass played on despite injuring his shoulder in the first quarter. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

SPEED kills. It can also embarrass you as West Coast defender Adam Selwood found out last night.

Leg speed has never been a strong point for the 28-year-old veteran of 182 games, but his lack of it has never been more brutally exposed than at Patersons Stadium last night.

Twice in the decisive second quarter Carlton's Chris Yarran left Selwood in his wake as he kicked sensational running goals.

Not being able to catch Yarran is nothing to be ashamed of. But the fact Dennis Armfield and Jeff Garlett started well behind Selwood before catching him and putting on shepherds made it ugly.

To blame the wholehearted elder Selwood brother for the defeat would be wrong.

The host of Eagles who sprayed simple shots on goal will instead be looking in the mirror after the Blues stunned the Eagles 12.17 (89) to 7.23 (65).


The men at the centre of the bombshell trade between the clubs six years ago - Chris Judd and Josh Kennedy - were both only peripheral figures.

Carlton's 20-point half-time lead came despite Judd having no influence to that point.

Judd, the Eagles' 2006 premiership skipper, had just one kick and five handballs in the opening half.

The shutdown job was a team effort from the Eagles, with Scott Selwood, who finished with a game-high 32 disposals and seven clearances, and Luke Shuey keeping him on a leash in the midfield and Will Schofield and flag teammate Adam Selwood minding him when he was stationed forward.

Garlett booted Carlton's second major at the 21-minute mark of the first quarter but most eyes were on Eagles skipper Darren Glass, who was laying on the ground after hurting his right shoulder in an awkward fall.

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The veteran defender had his shoulder strapped and took part in one-on-one marking contests with runner Anthony Jones at quarter-time as a fitness test to decide whether he would play on.

Glass gamely battled on but was clearly restricted as he was forced to punch left-handed and struggled to tackle with his right arm.

The teams traded goals until Swan Districts product Yarran booted the first two of his brilliant running goals in the space of three minutes midway through the second term.

Yarran nonchalantly sprinted away from Adam Selwood to kick his second, before another WA recruit in Kane Lucas made it three in a row for the visitors.

With the Coasters in trouble 14 points down, the umpires looked to have come to the rescue as Callum Sinclair was handed a soft free kick in front of goal - his fourth free for the night.

The groans around Subiaco told the story as Sinclair hit the post from 20m out, taking West Coast's tally to a woeful 3.13. The Eagles finished with 14 behinds for the opening half, the equal highest first-half behind tally in the club's history.

When Glass was out-marked in front of goal by 184cm midfielder Brock McLean early in the third term, his bravery was becoming foolhardy but the Eagles opted to persist with the All-Australian captain, instead pulling Jamie
Cripps from the game to inject substitute Bradd Dalziell.

Mark LeCras gave the home side a glimmer of hope when his second goal 15 minutes into the third term ended a run of six majors to the rampant Blues. But West Coast's tally of 4.16 still said plenty about why it was in such dire trouble.

Yarran's lightning pace came back to haunt the Eagles when he panicked Eric Mackenzie into giving away a holding free kick in the goal square, converting to push the lead beyond five goals again.

It was now or never for a response and it finally came as Jack Darling, Andrew Gaff and Daniel Kerr combined for the last three goals of the third term to close the margin to a manageable 15 points at the final change.

It was a situation that required some magic and Kerr was the man to oblige as he landed his sensational drop punt from the point where the 50m arc intersected the boundary line at the Subiaco end of the ground.

The goal brought the loudest roar of the night from the crowd of 38, 674 and it would remain that way.

There was little more to cheer about as the Blues held the Eagles goal less throughout the final quarter.

Dalziell might have had fresh legs but even that was no help as he missed a simple set shot early in the final term to continue West Coast's shocking night in front of the sticks.


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hawks pound Dockers in Tassie

Buddy Franklin was all smiles as the Hawks won by seven goals. Picture: Tim Carrafa

IT WAS games like this that led Ross Lyon to coin the phrase: "We're just happy to bank the four points."

Yesterday at a cold, overcast and poorly-attended Aurora Stadium, it was Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson who uttered the same words after Hawthorn rolled Fremantle.

There has been, and will continue to be, Hawthorn wins that attract more headlines this year. But this was one of those games the contenders simply need to stash away in a long season.

The Hawks had slammed on five goals to zip by quarter-time in what was a delicious first 30 minutes.

But as the undermanned and gallant Dockers kept coming like a wounded villain in a horror flick, it would prove the decisive period in securing Hawthorn its third win of 2013.

The Hawks saluted 18.10 (118) to 11.10 (76).


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It wasn't winning ugly, but it had ugly moments, none more so than Ryan Schoenmakers going down with what appears a season-ending knee injury in the second quarter.

Hawthorn has steamrolled top-four contenders West Coast and Collingwood in the past fortnight. And after the opening 30 minutes it appeared the Dockers were about to cop the same treatment.

Cyril Rioli kicked the first two goals and was leading Lee Spurr around like an owner who can't control his border collie.

David Hale was relishing the absence of late-withdrawal Luke McPharlin and had already taken four contested grabs on debutant Tanner Smith by quarter-time.

Grant Birchall, Shaun Burgoyne and Isaac Smith had 28 disposals between them.

But Fremantle, also missing Matthew Pavlich, rolled up its sleeves and got on with it as Lyon-coached sides do.

Stephen Hill set the tone in the second term, pulling off an incredible smother to deny Paul Puopolo a goal in the goalsquare.

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Kepler Bradley jagged two goals and Ryan Crowley got on top of Sam Mitchell.

Suddenly the meeting between one of football's supreme attacking forces and its most disciplined chokers had descended into a grinding arm-wrestle that regularly saw all 36 players in one third of the ground.

Hawthorn and Fremantle kicked five goals each in the second term and three goals each in the third term.

 When the Dockers kicked three of the first four goals of the last quarter to cut the margin to 17 points, the comeback was on.

But Lance Franklin would kick the steadier and the Hawks went on to kick the last four of the match to shut the door as the relentless run and spread finally broke the Dockers.

Hawthorn had 50 more disposals, 30 more handball receives, 61 more uncontested possessions and seven more centre clearances.

"I don't think the game rose to any great heights today, but we're really pleased to bank the four points," Clarkson said.

"A six- or seven-goal win against Fremantle at any stage is a good result for us, so we're pleased by and large by our effort today.

"It was really important to get some kind of scoreboard ascendancy, but perhaps we didn't utilise some of our chances in the second quarter to put some further scoreboard pressure on them.

"Take nothing away from Freo though. They're really hard to score against and it wasn't until late that we were really able to take control of the game."

For that they can thank Grant Birchall, who was imperious across half-back with 37 telling possessions.

 He is in clear All-Australian form.

Burgoyne was clinical, Jarryd Roughead found form with four goals, and Max Bailey had the better of Jonathon Griffin.

Smith's run and carry was also significant in penetrating the Dockers' press.

Hawthorn has now won 11 of its 13 matches at Aurora since 2010.

The Dockers' miserable run continues having won only once in nine visits - the infamous siren-gate clash with St Kilda.


23.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Birchall running into top form

Hawthorn defender Grant Birchall was like a brick wall across half back against Fremantle. Picture: Ross Marsden Source: The Mercury

LIKE a politician, Grant Birchall has become an expert in the art of deflection.

The more questions that arrow in on his imperious form, the more he talks up Hawthorn's even spread of contributors.

But it was a tough sell for the defender yesterday.

In a game that never reached any great height and was bogged down by mistakes for three quarters, Birchall's run and clinical distribution shone like a beacon.

The Tasmanian racked up 37 disposals, 28 of them uncontested, highlighting his willingness to run and receive from teammates.

More impressively, he barely wasted a single possession.

"Its been a pretty good start to the year, I guess," Birchall said.


"I don't know, I had a really good pre-season, my body is feeling fantastic, I'm fit and healthy and pulling up well each week.

"I'm just trying to improve my game bit by bit and we feel as though we've got a really good mix down back and it's really hard for opposition sides to nullify our run and ball movement down there."

Match: Cyril, Buddy down Dockers

With Luke Hodge returning to the side and Sam Mitchell now spending large chunks of time in defence, the loss of Matt Suckling hasn't seen opposition sides clamp down on Birchall as much as expected.

 "With Hodgy and Mitch, they're obviously quality players and there's a lot of run and rebound in the back half, so I guess it's pretty hard to stop us all running off down there," Birchall said.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon admitted Birchall had got off the chain in the first quarter, but said he was assigned an opponent for the majority of the next three quarters.

Clearly, it wasn't enough.


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Saints no match at stoppages

St Kilda coach Scott Watters expects a couple of changes ahead of Thursday's Anzac Day clash in New Zealand. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

FRESH legs as much as current form will determine St Kilda's line-up to play Sydney in New Zealand this week.

Coach Scott Watters plans to take the three emergencies and possibly an extra man to Wellington for Thursday's historic Anzac Day fixture.

"We probably looked at both these games as one campaign. There's players who didn't play tonight who will certainly come into consideration,'' Watters said after the 37 points loss to Essendon.

"It's how the list pulls up tonight and we'll have a good look at them in the morning. And we'll be looking to bring in some fresher players.''

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores, stats

Tom Lee and Arryn Siposs were late withdrawals against the Bombers and big Tom Hickey is another contender to face the Swans.


Watters urged togetherness among the Saints as they attempt to regroup to play the AFL premier in such a showcase assignment.

"We'll continue to work on skills under pressure, something we've been doing for over a year and is an integral part of our program,'' he said.

"And the final part of that message was that we stay together as a group. We travel on Tuesday, head to New Zealand. It's a tough competition and we need to get back up.''

What most concerned Watters in the short-term was that Essendon monstered his Saints around the contests
and stoppages, winning the contested possessions by a whopping 176-135.

Gumby ignites Dons

"I thought we got a lesson around the contest.  They looked big and played with real assurity around the contest. They were able to strip the ball back off us and they were very clean,'' he said.

"Having said that, we had two or three missed opportunities. Saady (Ahmed Saad) runs into an open goal, Arma (David Armitage) should've delivered a set shot for Roo (Nick Riewoldt). It could very easily been almost level at half-time, but they were certainly the better team on the night.

"The message at half-time was that you need to take the opportunities and tidy up the contested ball. We're not into long post-mortems after the game, but we've already highlighted contested ball was an issue.  22 contested marks to nine is not great reading.

"The work we're continuing to do with our defenders ... their size going into our defensive 50 certainly was a challenge for us.

"We'll continue with Rhys Stanley down there, we think he'll develop into a key position player.  We'll continue to develop those defenders.''


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Goddard leads with best intentions

Brendon Goddard against his old Saints. Picture: George Salpigtidis

FROM the first bounce Brendon Goddard made his intentions clear.

He was going to go at the ball and he was going to go at it hard.

From the time Goddard lined up to kick the game's first goal, St Kilda fans made their intentions clear.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores, stats and more

They were going to boo and hiss whenever the No.9 went near the pill - particularly the group on the outer wing holding the "In Goddard We Trusted" sign.

But did the Saints make their intentions known?

Not so much.

You expected, after Goddard became the first high-profile player to switch clubs under the free agency rule, that his former teammates would get a little bit physical with him.

At the opening bounce Goddard lined up next to Clint Jones, but you could have driven a truck in the gap between them.

Goddard sharked the first tap and was instantly wrapped up by Jones, Lenny Hayes and Nick Dal Santo, but there was no overt aggression - although things may have been a little different had Nick Riewoldt arrived in the circle a couple of seconds earlier.

Minutes later he ambled inside Essendon's attacking 50 unattended and marked a floating Dyson Heppell kick in front of Sam Fisher.

It gave Saints fans 30 seconds to air their grievances towards the 2002 No.1 draft pick, but they were all but drowned out by the noise made by the Bombers cheersquad.

They gave him a standing ovation to remember, he's their boy now, and it continued after he kicked truly.

About a dozen of his new teammates got around him, the only Saint that did so was Dal Santo, who gave him a bump as he ran to the interchange bench. Goddard just laughed.

It was Essendon v St Kilda last night, but the Goddard v St Kilda contest was symbolic.

At quarter-time Goddard had seven possessions, all contested. St Kilda had 75 possessions, only 36 contested.

Goddard had five tackles - the most on the ground - whereas the Saints, despite having had 34 fewer disposals than the Bombers, were losing the tackle count 20-16.

Some physicality towards Goddard would have at least shown a bit of intent from the Saints, a sign that they were willing to get their hands dirty to get back in to the contest.

It never came - although he didn't give them much of a chance.

Because who was virtually the only player not involved in the scuffle after the halftime siren? Goddard.

After the game it was Jarryn Geary first to him, followed by Rhys Stanley.

Then off they went in separate directions. Again symbolic, because you would think these clubs are headed in different directions this season, too.


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Port too strong for Suns

Port Adelaide forward Jay Schulz flies high on his way to kicking four goals. Picture: David Clark Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

PORT Adelaide keeps answering every challenge this season with last night's 38-point win over Gold Coast completing its best ever start to an AFL season.

While the significance of last week's win over Adelaide was beating a top-four side, last night was about winning under the weight of expectation.

The Power has suddenly grown up and after years of breaking supporters' hearts with false promise, a more mature Port Adelaide has learnt to win when it is expected to.

They overcame a sluggish first quarter which hinted at a Showdown hangover to explode with a nine goal to one second term and never looked back.

Hamish Hartlett was outstanding in continuing his progression to elite midfielder while former captain Dom Cassisi - playing his first game for the season - showed his value to the team with a superb job on Gary Ablett.


Ablett had 15 touches on Kane Cornes and Cam O'Shea in the first quarter before Cassisi restricted him to just two touches in the second term and got plenty of the footy himself.

The other shining light for Port was the combined defensive pressure of Jasper Pittard, Tom Jonas and Campbell Heath while Jackson Trengove dominated Gold Coast forward Sam Day who was eventually moved into defence on Jay Schulz.

Port kicked the first two goals of the game which included Chad Wingard's miracle left-foot snap from the boundary before Gold Coast hit back through Ablett and Jarrod Harbrow's work in the midfield.

Brandon Matera was causing havoc in the Suns' forward line and his late goal put the home side seven points up at quarter time.

Ken Hinkley then gave Cassisi the game's toughest assignment in standing Ablett and the move was a masterstroke.

As Ablett went quiet, Port's intensity lifted all over the ground and it was fourth-gamer Jake Neade leading the way.

Hartlett imposed himself with three goals for the quarter while Justin Westhoff and Wingard inflicted similar damage to give Port a 43-point lead at half time.

The only shining light for the Suns in the second quarter was teenager Jaeger O'Meara who tried to lift his side but Port had all the answers.

Gold Coast showed some early resistance after half time and got the first goal through Rory Thompson before Schulz got involved.

He kicked a goal from 30m then took a hanger over Day in the goal square which resulted in his second major and the result was beyond doubt.

Schulz finished with four goals for the game as Hartlett, Wingard and Westhoff chimed in with three.

After three competitive weeks, the Suns fell away but weren't helped by serious injuries to Joel Wilkinson and
Matthew Warnock.

The positives meanwhile kept coming for the Power as Robbie Gray was subbed in during the third quarter in his return from a knee reconstruction.

Port Adelaide held its collective breath as with his first involvement in the game Gray lunged horizontally at Andrew Swallow and had his legs taken out in mid-air but bounced straight up, showing he had lost none of his competitive instinct.

The soft-draw argument still cannot completely be dismissed when assessing where Port Adelaide ranks in relation to the rest of the competition.

But there is no denying the side has significantly improved physically and mentally because the Power of 'old' would have been prone to dropping at least one match against Gold Coast, GWS and Melbourne.

But not this unit. Under Hinkley, Port now has a steely resolve and while it's too soon to talk finals, those credentials will be put to the test in the next month.


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SuperCoach studs and duds

Geelong captain Joel Selwood bursts out of the middle to drive the Cats forward. Picture: Philip Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph

WHO were the Nissan SuperCoach stars this week and who stunk it up on the big stage?

GOLD COAST 66 lost to PORT ADELAIDE 104

Suns studs: Gary Ablett (131) played a lone hand with 35 disposals including 15 in the first quarter. Charlie Dixon, Jarrad Harbrow and Jaeger O'Meara also cracked the ton.

Suns duds: Michael Rischitelli (43) and David Swallow (45) found the going tough against a resurgent Power outfit.

Power studs: Kane Cornes (160) ran amok collecting 35 disposals and 16 marks. He also chimed in with six rebound 50s. Justin Westhoff's (149) form continued with three goals while Hamish Hartlett (144) slotted three of his own.

Power duds: Campbell Heath (60) could only muster 16 disposals while ruckmen Brett Renouf (56) and Matthew Lobbe (45) toiled away combining for 32 hit outs.


WEST COAST 65 lost to CARLTON 89

Eagles studs: Scott Selwood (128) amassed 32 disposals including eight tackles and seven clearances. Mark LeCras (124) was the most dangerous Eagles on the field.

Eagles duds: Andrew Gaff (54) didn't get a lot of it on the wing while Josh Kennedy (68) crashed back down to earth unable to kick a goal.

Blues studs: Chris Yarran (131) cut the Eagles to ribbons with his speed kicking four goals. Brock McLean (127) picked up 29 disposals at 86 per cent efficiency.

Blues duds: Chris Judd (60) had a quiet night by his lofty standards. Kade Simpson (72) could only manage the 21 disposals including four clangers

ST KILDA 91 lost to ESSENDON 128

Saints studs: Just the three Saints in triple figures led by Leigh Montagna (114) and Clint Jones (110).

Saints duds: Terry Milera (17) was substituted out of the match while Nick Dal Santo (70) had a tough night against Heath Hocking.

Bombers studs: A regulation 37 disposals and 138 SuperCoach points for the skipper last night. Brent Stanton and Brendon Goddard locked on 117 points apiece.

Bombers duds: Not a lot wrong with the way the Dons went about it. Courtenay Dempsey (71) registered a couple of clangers while giving away two free kicks.

RICHMOND 79 lost to COLLINGWOOD 113

Tigers stud: JUST two Tigers cracked the ton - Cotchin (106) and Maric (101). Mind you, Deledio wasn't far away with 99.

Tigers dud: JUST 34 for Alex Rance. Ricky Petterd (49) also had a quiet day on the big stage. Dusty Martin was held to 80 after a trademark quiet second half, well down on his 150 last week.

Pies stud: SWAN, Cloke, Sidebottom. They all scored 130-plus. If you've got that trifecta, lock in a "W" this week. A sore Pendles racked up 105.

Pies dud: BRENT Macaffer came back but only finished with 58. Still, that'll ensure a price rise for all those who held onto him. Jordan Russell finished with 42, while Daisy Thomas had 24 - but he started as the sub. That means he'll be a bargain in about a month.

HAWTHORN 118 def FREMANTLE 76

Hawks stud: EIGHT Hawks "tonned up" in the big win, headlined by Shaun Burgoyne (153). Grant Birchall is proving a super pick after 152, while Buddy's four goals converted to 16 points.

Hawks dud: "Dud" might be harsh, but just a modest 85 from Sam Mitchell. That's two sub-100 scores in as many weeks. Luke Hodge crashed back to finish with 68 after last week's heroics.

Dockers stud:
ONLY Mundy and Fyfe cracked the ton. Yikes.

Dockers dud: NICK Suban wins this award by a mile. Ross subbed him after just one kick, a clear sign he's on the outer. Jon Griffin churned out 67, a dip after his impressive start to the year.

SYDNEY 103 lost to GEELONG 124

Swans studs: Kieren Jack (130) was the pick of the Swans dominating the clearances and inside-50s. The son of an NRL gun amassed 29 disposals including 10 inside-50s and eight clearances to go with three score assists. Nick Malceski (123) pulled one out of the box picking up 28 touches including 11 rebound 50s.

Swans duds: Lewis Jetta (30) shocking run continued against the Cats. The excitement machine could only manage seven disposals. To make matters worse he gave away three free kicks. Luke Parker (43) crashed back down to earth while Shane Mumford (68) won the ruck duel with 30 hit outs.

Cats studs: Joel Selwood (163) take a bow. 31 disposals, 10 tackles and eight clearances in standout best afield performance. Harry Taylor (125) enjoyed his foray forward while George Horlin-Smith (105) and Mathew Stokes (103) provided plenty of grunt around the stoppages.

Cats duds: Billie Smedts (38) was substituted out of the match while Jimmy Bartel (70) could only muster 17 disposals.


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Voss expecting fight to the death

Brisbane coach Michael Voss prepares to talk to his players in the NAB Cup match against Collingwood. Picture: Robert Prezioso. Source: Getty Images

BRISBANE coach Michael Voss has been to war with - and against - former teammate and North Melbourne counterpart Brad Scott.

So he knows what is in store for the Lions today when they face the Kangaroos at Etihad Stadium.

The winless North Melbourne have their backs to the wall after three rounds and Voss expects nothing but a dogfight.

Voss and Scott played in three grand finals together for two wins (2001 and 2002) during Brisbane's glory years but they also went toe-to-toe when the rugged defender was with Hawthorn.

Scott tagged Voss in Round 3, 1997 and kept the Brisbane captain to a below-par 15 touches in the Hawks' 12-point win at Waverley.

"Brad had a good day on me that day. Actually, he had a great day," Voss recalled.

"If there is any truth in the theory that a team takes on the characteristics of their coach then we expect North to really lock in with some determination.

"They will know their job and they won't be afraid of their job. That's what you expect from a Brad Scott-coached team.

"It's our challenge to match that."

Voss said the Kangaroos' 0-3 record was not an indication of North Melbourne's quality. They have faced the last three premiers (Collingwood, Geelong and Sydney) and pushed them all to the limit.

Memories of the Round 9 loss to the Kangas last year are also fresh in his memory. North Melbourne flew out of the gates and had the four points wrapped up early despite a late rally from Brisbane.

"You just have to look at the quality of their opposition to know that North are a good football side. They did play finals last year so you have to respect the way they go about things," he said.

"Our guys should feel confident after coming off a win last week but we also very much understand that we need to get on our bikes early and get our workrate up straight away.

"You always have to expect that the opposition will come out with their best footy and given the circumstances, that is especially the case this weekend.

"We know there will be periods when they have the momentum but we have to stand there and take blow after blow and hang on as long as we can before we get our chance to land a few blows on them.''

Voss is excited about what debutant Marco Paprone will bring to the Brisbane forward line. The 18-year-old from WA is 194cm tall and can run like the wind. He has been likened to St Kilda star Nick Riewoldt for his hard-running and marking ability.

"He runs at a good clip, often. The number of contests he is able to get to is quite amazing actually," Voss said.

"We have been impressed with how he has gone about his training from day one and we'd like to think he will be a part of our forward line for a long time."


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Eddie's Anzac Day passion

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire says he's happy to share Anzac Day with games outside Victoria. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire is passionate about Anzac Day and believes football has played a crucial role in saving the day from "the annals of history".

Essendon and Collingwood have played an Anzac Day clash every year since 1995; this year the AFL will add to the fixture with St Kilda and Sydney playing in Wellington, New Zealand, in the first AFL match played for points outside Australia.

McGuire backed the move, saying Collingwood had no qualms sharing the day with a game outside of Victoria, with the commemoration more important than any club's perceived ownership.

It was a view that McGuire said stemmed from a family history in the military and from himself experiencing the decline in public sentiment for Australia's armed forces and Anzac Day itself in the wake of the Vietnam War.

"My father served in the British Army in the Scottish Rifles in World War II and I lost my father in late 2011," he said.


"It's again become more important to me as we stand there and we think of the Anzacs, but we also think of all those people in the wars.

"I must admit, it's a different game for me in its preparation and the whole solemnity of the day just takes over, then eventually we clear the deck and a game of football breaks out.

"I used to march in Anzac Day in the school band and, in the late parts of the '70s and the early '80s, there were protesters and we'd get bombed with flour bombs and various (objects).

"Anzac Day barely rated a mention and was dying off and people were really concerned that, within 20 years once all the Anzacs had possibly passed on and the World War II veterans had died off, that people wouldn't care anymore and it would be subjected to the annals of history.

"There's no doubt that football has added another layer. We're getting record crowds at the Dawn Service, record crowds at the Anzac March and that continues throughout the day with the national commemoration on television of Anzac Day."

McGuire said he did not mind sharing the Anzac Day fixture with another side, particularly with the significance of a presence in NZ, but that a second game in Victoria would not be appropriate.

Fremantle is the only club outside of Collingwood and Essendon with an Anzac commemoration clash and this year will hold its Len Hall Tribute game on Friday night against Richmond. The Dockers' marquee game has only twice been scheduled in standalone fixtures alongside the Magpies-Bombers, in 2000 (Tuesday) and 2011 (Monday).

"I think we have to be careful not to lose the impact that the day brings in the commemoration of Anzac Day," he said. "We can do that, sometimes, because too much of a good thing is not the right thing.

"Fremantle has worked it really well; the way they commemorate it with the solemnity of the day and then the football is tremendous. It's not against us; it's not one or the other.

"The Collingwood-Essendon game is sold out; it's a commemoration of Anzac Day in the best possible symbolic tradition of two teams being able to play a game of football to commemorate the freedoms that were given to this country by those who served in our armed forces.

"That's what it's all about."


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Demons hit rock bottom

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 06 April 2013 | 23.02

Mark Neeld is under pressure. Picture: Ludbey Wayne Source: HWT Image Library

MELBOURNE'S misery deepened and the blowtorch will be further turned up on embattled coach Mark Neeld after it crashed to its greatest losing margin against a remorseless Essendon.

The Demons were smashed by 148 points at the MCG - their worst result against the Bombers and the 20th greatest margin in AFL-VFL history.

It was also Essendon's highest score against Melbourne as the Bombers slammed home 28 goals to five, including an embarrassing 15 to one in the second half.

Live HQ: Essendon v Melbourne

Melbourne now faces premiership contenders West Coast at the MCG on Saturday, with some suggesting a crunch game against Greater Western Sydney at the same venue in a fortnight could determine Neeld's future at the club.

Triple M commentator Nathan Brown suggested that Neeld would be replaced if the Demons lose to the Giants.


"If Melbourne lose that game, I don't think Mark Neeld will be there," Brown said. "They (Melbourne) have had some dark days ... but this is the darkest.

Demons v Bombers, MCG, Picture: Ludbey Wayne Source:


"It was (all about) effort, laziness, intent, or whether you give a stuff about your footy club." Already under pressure after last week's massive first round loss to Port Adelaide, the Demons could offer no resistance to the Bombers, and have now lost by a collective 227 points in the first two weeks of the season.

Neeld said after the loss: "there is only one way out of this ... and that's to stick together and to work hard.

"There is only one way out of this and it is together.

"The whole club is hurting."

"We can't pretend the last two hours didn't exist. We've all got to man up - or person up, whatever the term is and accept that."

Neeld had used his pre-game speech to his players last night - screened on Channel Seven's Saturday Night Footy telecast - to implore his players to trust one another as much as the coaching staff trusted them.

He urged his players to back themselves and take the game up to the Bombers - a team that the Demons managed to beat last year. But there was little sign of that trust - or belief in one another - at any stage of last night's whitewash.

Neeld is only two games into the second year of a three-year deal, but the club has only won four games from the 24 contest, with the last coming against GWS in Round 21 last year.

Coach Co-captain Jack Grimes said the players were "absolutely gutted".

"The feelings late in the game, I admit, were not great," he told Channel 7.

"(In the rooms after the match) there wasn't much said about the game.

"It was about sticking together because the worst thing that can happen at a time like this is for the group to fracture but that definitely won't happen.

Essendon coach James Hird admitted that he felt for Neeld last night following the massive loss.

"Mark is a good coach, and he will get his team back on track," Hird said.


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Rowe debut motivation for Blues

Carlton Intraclub practice match at VISY Park. Sam Rowe in action. Picture: Mark Stewart Source: Herald Sun

CARLTON will feed off the mix of emotion and ability from cancer survivor Sam Rowe's debut today.

The Blues hope Rowe can offset the loss of fellow tall forward Shaun Hampson to illness for the sellout clash with Collingwood at the MCG.

Blues coach Mick Malthouse described the 25-year-old's AFL start after winning his battle with testicular cancer last year as a positive focus.

Focus on Mick to help Blues

"We've been very fortunate to have a young bloke like Sam Rowe come into the side. He was very stiff not to play last week, so one door closes and another door opens," he said.

"It's the start of a new career and he has been through a heck of a lot in life, so what a great bonus.

"You replace the position and, if you do things right, it's not a matter of who wears the jumper as long as the player in it acknowledges the game role.

"I could be flippant to say every day is a bonus day, he doesn't treat it that way.

"He treats it that he's desperate to play league football. It's just a fantastic story for football.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores, stats and more

"I've got to say in October last year when he first started training, he was so far behind I really had my doubts that he would reach the level of fitness that's required. But he threw himself right into it and by January he was almost saying 'I've caught the rest of them'."

Malthouse said the attention on him coaching against so many Magpie players he led to premiership glory allowed his current group to work unhindered in their own preparations.

"The great thing about that is that it can be about me. And my playing group can be totally protected," he said before the Blues' final training session at Visy Park yesterday.

"If that's the net outcome -- that the pressure comes here (on me) and not on my team -- I'll live with that every day."

Malthouse said no one at Carlton had been caught up in any "must win" talk becauseof his link to Collingwood.

"I've seen it a lot this year in Australian soccer, I've seen it in Australian rugby, I see it internationally where the focus is 'we've got to beat that side'. It becomes an overburden, like when Man City plays Man United. There's a season of football and I won't allow us to get caught up in one game," he said.

"And because Collingwood went in favourites (last year) and got beaten both times, where did they finish? And where did Carlton finish?

"Both sides are substantially different, it's more about getting everything right for the year."


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No more bombs for Kangas

Kangaroos veteran Daniel Wells looks to deliver the ball into North Melbourne's attacking 50. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

NORTH Melbourne's delivery into its attacking 50m must improve if it is to beat Geelong at Etihad Stadium today, midfielder Daniel Wells said.

In last week's crucial third quarter, in which Collingwood was allowed to establish a match-winning lead, the Roos had seven of the first nine inside-50s and yet in that time the Magpies kicked one goal to nil.

Poor skills also hurt North Melbourne going forward, as it was outscored by 53 points from turnovers last week.

"Stats can sometimes come across as a bit over the top, but it's a pretty damning stat when you get it inside that many times and don't have anything to show for it on the scoreboard," Wells said.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores, stats and more

"They rebounded us extremely well . . . so that's something we've worked on, our entry into our forward 50m and having the ability to mix it up and not just do the same thing every time."

It's OK to make mistakes but Wells said players needed "the courage to take things on and if you're going to make a mistake at least make a mistake while having a crack".

Wells said teams could not afford to "bomb it in" against Geelong with the likes of Harry Taylor, Tom Lonergan, Corey Enright and Andrew Mackie waiting to diffuse opposition attacks.

The Roos also owe it to big man Drew Petrie to provide better forward service.

"He didn't have to say much, we let him down a bit (last week)," Wells said.

The Roos and Cats got an intimate look at each other throughout four combined training sessions at Simonds Stadium over summer.

Wells said neither team learned much about the other's game plan, but said players were able to gain tiny nuggets of knowledge about how Cats players go about their business.

"You get an idea of what level they train at, how they set up on the field and how they play," he said.

"They didn't show all of their cards, just like we didn't show all of our cards, but they're a terrific side and we got to see some of that."


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Hard to split Selwood and Judd

Joel Selwood boots a goal as Chris Judd watches on. Picture: Michael Klein. Source: News Limited

UNTIL the 2007 AFL arrival of Joel Selwood, it was hard to envisage any player producing a more extraordinary first six seasons than Chris Judd with the West Coast Eagles.

Between 2002 and 2007, Judd rewrote the record books in terms of on-field achievement, producing a first half of his career to match the deeds of players such as Royce Hart and Dick Reynolds.

Nothing was out of reach for Judd in years where he captured a premiership, Norm Smith Medal, two All-Australian selections, Brownlow Medal, AFL MVP and two best and fairests.

He combined a rare mix of explosive outside run with an extreme will to win contested ball, the latter feature now being matched by Geelong captain Selwood.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores, stats and more

So who is the better player at age 24? To get a clearer understanding we consulted James McDonald, a man who played on both Judd and Selwood during his 264-game career between 1997-2011.

McDonald attributes some pre-game headaches to the days leading up to a Judd match-up.

"In the early days he had that blend of speed and agility," said McDonald.

"Most onballers have one or the other but he had both. I couldn't find any weaknesses in his game when he was at the Eagles in those days you are asking about. You just couldn't let him get goalside of you.

"I don't think it was possible to actually beat him one-on-one so you had to rely on teammates to help."

And Selwood? "I didn't play on him as often but like Judd he is a player who seemed to be able to find a way to change a game.

"You can't underestimate his mental strength or his relentless attack on the ball.

"I think of him as a very smart player, obviously very courageous but also capable of finding uncontested ball.

"Simon Black was another with an amazing ability to accumulate possession and someone blessed with great footy nous. I would rank him right alongside Judd and Selwood."

So if forced to choose who was the better 24-year-old out of Judd and Selwood, which way would McDonald go?

"Because of their extreme consistency and ability to individually lift their teams, as they both did in the third quarters of Round 1, who is the better would come down to the flip of a coin and I wouldn't care which way it landed."

Geelong's 2011 premiership captain Cameron Ling admits to being "completely biased", given the five years he spent playing alongside Selwood.

"I think some might lean towards Judd because he appears to be better because of the explosive nature of his game," Ling said.

"But Joel is just incredible . . . Geelong would have been 10 goals down but for him against Hawthorn and then he played even better in the third quarter.

"I would like to have them both in my garage. But deep down I will always say Joel."


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Pendles a Pie with the lot

At Collingwood training Scott Pendlebury shakes a tackle and dishes off the ball. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: News Limited

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley says Scott Pendlebury is "the ultimate professional" and one of the most driven competitors he has come across.

Speaking ahead of Pendlebury's 150th match against Carlton today, Buckley said Pendlebury would continue to be driven by his sheer will to succeed as a player and as a leader.

"He is a ripper, 'Pendles'," Buckley said.

"When he succeeds or performs at a level, he just carries no satisfaction around it.

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"He is always driven to be better than he was yesterday, and that attitude has got him to where he is now.

"He is just finding even those half percenters now to sharpen himself up and that attitude is what is going to be the foundation for whatever he achieves from this point on."

Buckley was similarly driven as a footballer, and admires the way in which Pendlebury has developed as a footballer.

Biggest footy grudge matches

"Look, (Pendlebury) has gone about it in the right way," he said.

"He has been well rewarded.

"He is 150 games in."

"How long can he play for? He is probably just past halfway, but there is a lot of great footy to come."

The Magpies coach said Pendlebury's next challenge would be to continue to assert his impact off the field, having been a member of the Pies leadership group since 2008 and long considered the heir apparent to captain Nick Maxwell.

"He is in the process of developing his leadership and his influence on the playing group," he said.

"That is going to be the next evolution for him, to become even more influential to his teammates, and to drive this club to greater success in the future."

Pendlebury will become the 86th Collingwood player to represent the club in 150 games, and will do so at 25 -- two years younger than Buckley reached the same milestone in 2000 (complete with 20 games for Brisbane).

Buckley said Pendlebury was primed for a big year after coming off a flawless pre-season -- as well as a best on ground performance against North Melbourne in Round 1.

"Most of our boys are up and about," he said. "Pendles, in particular, has had another very strong pre-season and, when you put them together back-to-back, then you start heading towards your pinnacle as an athlete.

"He has found that earlier than most because of his professionalism and diligence."


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We just got too comfy with Mick

Mick Malthouse and Nathan Buckley at Collingwood training. Scott Pendlbury says the club was very relaxed in Mick's latter years in charge. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

WHEN Collingwood announced the "succession plan" in 2009, naturally there were some mixed emotions.

On one hand, we were over the moon that our former captain Nathan Buckley turned down offers from other clubs to become our senior coach in waiting

His first year-and-a-bit in the gig has been exceptional, justifying the club's decision to sign him up.

How the Blues picked up Mick

While the jokes and lookalikes that he rolls out in team meetings leave a lot to be desired, "Bucks" has brought about some necessary change to the Westpac Centre as head coach.

I'm not saying one is better than the other, but maybe in Mick Malthouse's latter years we got a bit comfortable.

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Mick and Bucks manage personalities a little differently and, from about 2009-2011, some little things were probably slipping through the guard.

As a group, we wanted to tighten the screws a little bit.

Whether it was the training intensity dipping at times, wanting more involvement from the guys in team meetings, or some players using a longer leash from the coach, we knew we could all get better in a few areas.

These were only small, day-to-day things.

But overall, when Bucks took over, as players, we made a decision to become more responsible for driving our own culture. We had to.

We knew we had a talented, hard-working playing group and we wanted to make the most of our on-field potential.

To do that, we all agreed that we needed to hold everyone to account, no matter what the consequences were, and since then, the buy-in from the group has been as good as I've seen it.

With the help of leading teams, it's great to see young guys in meetings having the confidence to stand up and have their say.

The whole group is getting used to receiving that open and honest feedback from each other, as I'm sure many other clubs do as well.

But I also think the club we are playing today, Carlton, is very fortunate to have Mick at the helm, plotting our downfall at the MCG.

Mick is a father figure to a lot of the boys.

He is a man who turned many of the Magpies players into the footballers we are today. For that we will be eternally grateful and will always share a very close bond with our 2010 premiership coach.

A few years ago, when the club announced the 2011 campaign would be his last as senior coach, you definitely felt for him.

Towards the end of that year, I felt he was coaching as well as he ever had.

We were banged up pretty badly with injuries by the 2011 finals series and to get us to the Grand Final, let alone within reach of Geelong at three-quarter-time, was a super effort.

Despite all the talk at the time, Mick never took his eye off the ball.

It was always about the team, succeeding as a group and doing it for each other and for the memories.

He was always educating and motivating.

He is the kind of mentor who could inspire you to run through a brick wall.

We'll always have enormous attachment and respect for Mick.

Although I haven't really spoken to him outside football and in his media roles over the past 18 months, I know I could pick up the phone today (OK, maybe next week) and have a chat about anything and he would be 100 per cent there for me.

I've not had the conversation with them, but I'd imagine a few of the boys wanted Mick to stay on as senior coach at the time.

I can understand why. It is human nature to resist change.

Sometimes you want to keep things as familiar as possible rather than leap into the unknown.

But it is my honest opinion that the succession plan helped the club achieve the best of both worlds.

You can call me Switzerland, but rather than take a side when the issue was up in the air a bit, I just had faith in the footy club to make the right call.

As Mick would always say, let the baker bake the bread. Let the administrators worry about sorting out the coaching matters and as players we'll get on with doing our thing on the field every weekend.

That's why I personally wasn't distracted by the coaching change. While I can obviously understand the fans' interest in the succession plan, I don't bother to worry about where we would or wouldn't be if Mick was still in charge. He's not, so we move on.

Both of the guys handled the switch extremely professionally.

There was never any awkwardness or agitation.

Initially, there was some external talk about some of the boys not getting on with Bucks. It makes us laugh reading that stuff because it couldn't be further from the truth.

Bucks is one of the most genuine, approachable, inviting blokes I've ever met in footy.

I've heard that it can be hard for some of the greats of the game to make the transition to coaching because they might not understand, for example, why a youngster can't go out there and do some things naturally. That tolerance and patience doesn't always come easily for some.

But one of Bucks' great coaching strengths is his ability to relate to any player regardless of their age and ability and how he can hold all the players on the list to account.

From the captain to the youngest player, he is a man for everyone. He makes sure all the players are responsible for the same things.

Like a parent, there is no special treatment, no favourites.

Everyone is measured by the same criteria. A lot is written and talked about Dane Swan, but there haven't been too many training sessions or games that he has missed.

The guys who are the best players go out and train every day and have full pre-seasons and he's one of those. He's had a tremendous summer and everyone is on the same page. To break things up during the week, we all try to stir Bucks up when we get the chance. Usually, it's the same tactic.

Find a shirtless photo of him on the internet and put it up on the wall of our team meeting room.

We all get a good laugh out of him arms crossed, flexing his biceps or pumping out that big chest in the picture.

He takes it well, but today is all business. It's always a massive game against the Blues, who stitched us up twice last year.

Mick has never been a big fan of taggers, so maybe it will be a head-to-head shootout in the midfield.

It's great to notch my 150th game against Carlton, in front of a group of my friends and family, who have come from my home town of Sale for the game.

We need to keep our momentum rolling with another victory.

Last weekend's win against North Melbourne was a nice start, but we have to bring that intensity every weekend. There needs to be an even contribution.

We feel that pressure and defensive intensity will be the key to our season.

We can't rely on our offence to win every week. Defence, however, is different because it's more of a mindset.

No doubt Mick knows a lot about our strengths and weaknesses, but things have changed under Bucks.

It's great that both are in the big office at two clubs, locking horns in one of the biggest home-and-away games of the year today.

Hopefully, it's our current coach, rather than our last one, who wins this time.


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Bombers switch focus to Dockers job

Bombers coach James Hird looking happy after Essendon destroyed Melbourne. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

ESSENDON is relishing the challenge of what coach James Hird described as arguably the toughest AFL assignment right now - taking on Fremantle at Subiaco.

After feasting on a sick and sorry Melbourne to the tune of 148 points last night, the Bombers will immediately switch focus to the Dockers on Friday night.

Hird said the players were looking forward to getting a gauge of what sort of improvement the club has made after a tough pre-season.

"We have obviously got a very challenging opponent next week in Fremantle ... who play a very defensive style of football, but also have some terrific talent and are able to score as well," Hird said.

"We know what we are up for. We saw Fremantle (against the Bulldogs yesterday) and the players know what we are in for.

"If you look at interstate trips, Sydney is obviously a big one, but going to Freo to play Freo in the form that they are in is as tough a task as you will get at the moment.


"We are under no illusion that it is going to be a big game."

He remains confident Stewart Crameri, who kicked six goals last night, will be right to play after going off the ground with a pinch in his knee last night.

Hird said David Zaharakis was subbed out of the game purely as a precaution heading into a six-day break.

Essendon has worked hard on becoming a better defensive side this season and showed that last night by restricting Melbourne to only five goals, while piling in 28 goals for themselves.

"Coming into this year ... it is no secret that we wanted to play a better defensive side of our game than it has been over the last two years of me coaching this club, and even longer than that," he said.

"We wanted to play a defensive style of football that means the opposition can't score and that happened (last night)."

He was pleased with the continued development of Dyson Heppell as a midfielder, saying that the hard work he had put in was starting to produce more consistent performances.

"We spent the last five or six games of last year putting Dyson in the centre square," he said. "He spent the pre-season practising his craft and getting better in the midfield and (trying to be) a quality midfielder.

"At the moment he is going in that direction ... his last two weeks have been very good."

Essendon had 12 individual goalkickers last night, with Crameri six and Tom Bellchambers four leading the way.


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Neeld can't explain poor display

Mark Neeld looks on during three-quarter-time with no hope. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: News Limited

A SHATTERED Melbourne coach Mark Neeld described the team's record-breaking 148-point loss to Essendon as "unacceptable" and "clearly not good enough", but said "we can't pretend the last two hours didn't exist".

Asked what his message was to his charges after the loss, Melbourne's worst from 1134 appearances on the MCG turf, Neeld replied: "Two-fold. Clearly, not good enough. Secondly was (there's) only one way out of this and it's together. Whole club hurting - in every component - that's what we talked about. Head down, work hard, there you go."

Asked which specific aspects were not up to scratch, he replied: "How long have you got?"

Essendon hands Melbourne a hiding

The loss was Melbourne's worst to Essendon, surpassing the 122-point loss to the Bombers in Round 15, 1986. It was also Essendon's highest score against the Demons.


"We have to allow some time for a huge disappointment to the players ... We've all got to man up and accept that.
It wasn't good enough," Neeld said. "I went through and articulated that these aspects of the game were not good enough. We've just got to work at them during the week."

Neeld said after the match he asked the players and assistant coaches whether they had any answers about ways to improve ahead of Saturday's home match against West Coast, but their only response was "nobody there came up with any other way than .... to work our backsides off. It's a long road. Second crack at a rebuild in five years. And we're not out of the basement yet."

Dees hit rock bottom

He said he was terribly disappointed by the drop in intensity in the second half, in which Melbourne managed just one goal, because the early signs were that the Demons would be competitive against Essendon.

Neeld said it was too early to lose patience with individuals: "I want to show them a lot of care, but also a lot of tough love at the same time."

The coach was asked about the third-quarter substitution of the player who bears the brunt of many Melbourne supporters' frustrations, Jack Watts. The former No.1 draft pick struggled to 11 low-impact possessions before he was replaced by David Rodan 17 minutes into the second half.

"Jack Watts was ill and (also) subbed out for form," Neeld said. "He didn't feel great, he was sick, and his performance was also one that we thought 'that was enough'. (But) when you take the field you're 100 per cent fit. That's how it works."

Live HQ: Essendon v Melbourne

Melbourne was smashed in all statistic counts: tackles (61-35), inside 50s (a record 78-28) and disposals (453-262). It had few players who put in for four quarters. Nathan Jones, Jeremy Howe, James Frawley and Matt Jones had a crack, while Jack Viney put in despite rolling his ankle at the opening bounce of the second quarter.

Melbourne's average losing margin under Neeld's coaching is now close to 10 goals.

The Demons now face one of the teams regarded as a premiership fancy, West Coast, before a potentially make-or-break game against Greater Western Sydney, also at the MCG.

Asked how he would get his charges up for next week's match, Neeld replied: "I'm not going to forfeit next week. We'll have as big a crack as we can. The beauty of competitive sport in particular is that you get another go. In this case in seven days' time."


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Danger puts Crows in the hunt

Crows midfielder Patrick Dangerfield inspired the Crows in the last quarter against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night. Picture: Chris Hyde. Source: Getty Images

PATRICK Dangerfield put the Adelaide Football Club on his back last night.

With his team staring at a 0-2 start to the season and with any hopes of being a top four threat this season slipping away, the man who will one day captain the Crows said enough is enough.

Two game-breaking fourth quarter goals later and Adelaide had escaped the Gabba with a 19-point win against the Brisbane Lions.

The first mini-crisis of the Brenton Sanderson era had been avoided and Adelaide can now enter next weekend's Showdown without any unwanted hysteria.

The Crows were trailing early in the final term when Dangerfield grabbed hold of a loose ball in the middle of the ground, surged forward and banged it through on his left foot.

"I think it was probably - what's the expression - more arse than class?" Dangerfield said.

He followed it with a miraculous shot across his body which gave Adelaide just enough breathing space to get home.

"I was pretty happy when that went through, I can tell you," Dangerfield said. The expressions on the face of Dangerfield's team-mates told the story - equal parts elation, admiration and disbelief.

Those same faces had been filled with concern moments earlier as Adelaide battled hard to put away a Lions outfit that had been humbled by the Western Bulldogs last week.

Statistically there were no great areas for concern like there were against Essendon when the tackling and clearance counts were weighted heavily against the Crows. But Adelaide continually missed targets by foot to keep Brisbane in the contest.

Rory Sloane, Scott Thompson and key defenders Ben Rutten and Daniel Talia were also immense as Brad Crouch made an accomplished debut.

He settled quickly, gathering seven disposals in the first term, and was one of the tidier Crows with his disposal all night.

With early control of the corridor Brisbane kept Adelaide hemmed in its defence and it was only the sturdy work of Talia that kept the damage to a single goal through Stefan Martin.

Adelaide was left to play on the counter-attack but found its way through twice - first a solo run up the wing by Ricky Henderson and second a chain of possession that finished with Taylor Walker - to take the lead.

A Crows forward line of Walker, Josh Jenkins and Ricky Henderson exposed Brisbane's lack of tall defensive support behind Daniel Merrett but inaccurate kicking for goal kept scores level at quarter time.

Two of Brisbane's first three goals came from free kicks for ball-up infringements as Adelaide found another new rule to freshen up on at training. After a fortnight with huge external focus on their tackling problem the Crows trailed the Lions 18-12 in that category early in the second term. But they evened it up at 27-27 by half-time as Dangerfield set the tone with his attack on the ball and body.

The Crows had spoken about replicating the Western Bulldogs ability to take a lot of marks inside 50 against the Lions in round one and backed it up by kicking four of their first five goals that way.

The Lions' lack of size and inability to defend dangerous space cost them time and again and with Dangerfield dominating in the middle the Crows began to take control of the game.

Just when you thought Adelaide was getting away Brisbane struck to close the gap to seven points at half time.

The second term didn't end well for Adelaide with Nathan van Berlo felling Tom Rockliff with a blow to the head that may cop some scrutiny this coming week.

Momentum continued to swing back and forth in the third term as both sides sensed the importance of avoiding an 0-2 start to the season.

Jason Porplyzia, who was demoted to the substitute's role, was introduced for the ineffectual Ian Callinan as conditions started to worsen.

Walker burned three opportunities and Brisbane - despite kicking 4.8 for the term - finished the quarter with an eight point lead and reason to believe they were on their way to their first win of the season.

But Dangerfield refused to yield and despite some hairy moments in the closing minutes the Crows held on.

"We spoke about it at three quarter time - we need to back our fitness in, we've had a terrific pre-season and we can run with the very best teams," Dangerfield said.

"The boys fought really hard and did it well."

CROWS  2.3  7.6.  9.11   14.12 (96)

LIONS     2.3  6.5  10.13  10.17 (77)

BEST PLAYERS: CROWS: Dangerfield, Sloane, Rutten, Wright, Talia, Thompson, Crouch. LIONS: Hanley, Leuenberger, Zorko, Moloney, Merrett.

GOALS: CROWS: Jenkins, Petrenko, Dangerfield, Walker 2; Reilly, Jaensch, Douglas, Henderson, Sloane, Jacobs. LIONS: Zorko, Green, Martin 2; Polkinghorne, Hanley, Bewick, Rockliff.

INJURIES/REPORTS: Nil.

UMPIRES: Ryan, Stewart, Ryan.


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