Crows missed a shot at Clark

Melbourne ruckman Mitch Clark talks with coach Mark Neeld. Picture: Quinn Rooney. Source: Getty Images

ADELAIDE could have had Mitch Clark in a straight swap deal for Kurt Tippett last year if the Crows had put the right offer to him.

The former Brisbane forward, below, shocked the AFL by signing with Melbourne, after strongly indicating he would only consider offers from his home state of WA.

Clark's manager Colin Young yesterday revealed the 198cm spearhead would have been open to a move to the Crows, which in hindsight may have been Adelaide's best replacement option for wantaway forward Tippett.

"Adelaide never came up, never ever came up," Young said.

"Mitch would have gone. There's no problems with Adelaide, they're a great club. You wouldn't mind any player going there ...

"In the end Melbourne's presentation was too good to refuse (but) the Crows could have matched the offer." At the time Brisbane was strongly pursuing Tippett, but only offering the Crows pick No. 8 in the draft and a later pick.

The Lions didn't offer Clark and the Crows didn't inquire about him because of the perception he was determined to move to Fremantle.

"Mitch Clark was going to Freo," Crows list manager David Noble said.

"All the discussion through that initial period of time with (Brisbane national talent manager Rob Kerr) was that was absolutely where he was going to go."

Whether the Crows would have been better off with Clark, particularly given what they stand to get for Tippett now, is a question all Adelaide supporters will be asking themselves.

Clark kicked 29 goals in 11 games before suffering a season-ending foot injury against GWS in Round 13. Tippett kicked 39 goals in 21 games but was hampered by a string of concussions.

Noble said it was "an interesting debate".

"I think if you went back and had a look at Tippett's year versus Clark's year, who is front?" he said.

"If you go back and have a look at the way Kurt pulled himself together in that last final, it was outstanding."

Noble said Clark wasn't on the club's radar at the time because they were banking on keeping Tippett at the club.

He said it would have been difficult to pull a last-minute trade for Clark because the club hadn't gone down the path of monitoring his form, investigating his character and all the other processes it goes through before pursuing a player.

"At no point did we have Kurt Tippett on the table last year to be traded. He was a required and a contracted player," Noble said.

"Our clear directive from a club perspective - with a new coach coming in - was that we wanted to back ourselves in to keep him."

At the time, Noble was also confident that the continued development of Josh Jenkins, Shaun McKernan and Lewis Johnston would leave the club in a good position to cover Tippett, if he left a year later.

"We still felt we had enough in the group we were going to develop underneath to step into that breach," he said.

In retrospect, Noble appears comfortable with the club's decision to take it's chances with Tippett, despite having lost him without compensation.

"I'm not a big one for looking in the rear vision mirror - we've made the call," he said.

"We played in finals and we were five points short of playing in a Grand Final... quite often it's easier in hindsight.

"Having also coached in the forward line, I know that quite often Kurt would take the number one (defender) so Taylor Walker than has a slight change in his defensive player who might play on him.

"Kurt's reliability in his competitiveness has been something that has helped out our small blokes on the deck as well."

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Power may re-draft Jacobs

Ben Jacobs will for the draft, where the Power will have the option to re-draft him. Picture: Simon Cross. Source: adelaidenow

PORT Adelaide will consider re-drafting Ben Jacobs, despite the defender quitting the AFL club and nominating for this month's national draft.

Victoria-born Jacobs on Friday told Port he will nominate for the November 22 draft, hoping to be picked up by a Melbourne club.

But Port say they could re-draft the 20-year-old.

Port and North Melbourne failed to strike a deal for Jacobs during last month's AFL trade period.

The Kangaroos offered draft pick 38, which the Power refused.

"We were not prepared to let Ben go for a pick that was below his value," Port's football general manager Peter Rohde said on Friday.

"Had North Melbourne been willing to negotiate over their first round No.15 pick, we would have been able to come to an arrangement, but they were adamant that wasn't on the table.

"Port Adelaide wanted to do the right thing by Ben but we make no apology for protecting the club's interest and not allowing it to be cornered."

Port used pick 16 at the 2010 draft to recruit Jacobs.

Rohde said he tried to convince Jacobs to stay at Port, where he played 26 AFL games.

"Everyone can see by the opportunities Ben was given here that we rate him highly," Rohde said.

"It certainly wasn't a case of Ben being unhappy at Port Adelaide but in the end it was more about a calling to be back in Victoria with his family and friends, and where he sees his future."

Rohde said Port would consider selecting Jacobs again at the draft later this month.

"We might lose Ben and if we do we hope it works out very well for him, but it won't always work that way for a player and we have stood firm as a club to make our position clear to everyone," he said.

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Suns to continue US adventure

Guy McKenna says the Suns derive great benefit from an annual pre-season trip to Flagstaff. Picture: David Clark

SUNS coach Guy McKenna says training in Arizona is almost certain to become a regular fixture in the Suns' pre-season plans each year.

A big advocate of training at high altitude, McKenna said he could find little reason why the club would deviate from their current pre-season trip to Flagstaff in the near future.

"There is plenty of evidence out there that suggests (Flagstaff) is clearly one of the best venues to go to for a sporting camp," McKenna said.

"It ticks a lot of the boxes and as far as the town itself is concerned there isn't a lot of distractions for the blokes.

"That's what you want and you want the blokes to be focussing on training hard for two weeks."

McKenna said the only reason to change destination would be if the players became stale.

"In five or six years of us coming here, David Swallow or Dion Prestia and those boys who have been here for a while may need a change," he said.

"I'm sure we will accommodate them but I reckon we will always come back to Flagstaff."

Apart from the physical gains of training at high altitude, McKenna said the benefits from travelling overseas were endless.

"I was speaking to a few of the corporates who had been on the camp the previous year as well and they commented on how close the group was this year," McKenna said.

"It's amazing the transformation in 12 months and its really encouraging going into next season.

"The more times we can be isolated and learn to get on with each other and understand each others' mental and physical capabilities, then the better we will be.

"Clearly that is what we have seen."

The Suns return home on Wednesday.

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My five-year plan for a Giants leap

GWS assistant coach Leon Cameron succeeds Kevin Sheedy as senior coach in 2014. Picture: Michael Klein. Source: Herald Sun

LEON Cameron may be a year away from succeeding Kevin Sheedy as head coach, but he has already outlined his plan to propel the Greater Western Sydney Giants into the AFL's top four within five years.

The Giants finished their inaugural season in top-flight footy in last place with just two wins.

But with a collection of the country's best young talent at their disposal after successive drafts weighted heavily in their favour, Cameron is bullish about his club's future.

"We've got an outstanding list of what could be 17 or 18 A-graders in two years," Cameron told The Daily Telegraph.

"I'm confident in four or five years' time we will be competing at the pointy end, which in my mind is the top four.

"There's pressure at any club in the AFL whether you are 18th, fifth or first. There is expectation everywhere. They're an exciting group."

Cameron will inherit one of the plum jobs in the AFL at the end of next season when he replaces Sheedy at the helm of the Giants.

It is a measure of how highly Cameron is is rated that he was awarded the post ahead of Mark Williams, who led Port Adelaide to a premiership and boasted an impressive 55 per cent win-loss ratio over his 12 seasons at the Power.

Cameron turned down the Port job to be part of the Giants' succession plan and to nurture some of the best young talent in the land.

The 40-year-old has an impressive football resume, but Giants chairman Tony Shepherd told The Daily Telegraph it was his character that won him the job at the Giants.

"When Leon made his presentation to us he didn't start talking about football - he told us what sort of a person he was and what he valued," Shepherd said.

"He spoke about teamwork and how everyone at the club was all in it together."

We've got a lot of talent but they're also a bunch of competitors

After 256 games as a player for the Western Bulldogs and Richmond, Cameron spent seven years working with Rodney Eade at the Western Bulldogs and the last two under Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn.

Cameron will serve as an assistant for another season under Kevin Sheedy before ascending to the top job.

That's when the pressure will come, given the expectation that after two full seasons and a couple of favourable drafts the Giants should be ready to climb off the bottom of the ladder.

"I don't shy away from the fact we've got an exciting group," Cameron said. "We've got a lot of talent but they're also a bunch of competitors.

"You wrap talent, excitement and competitiveness all in one then it allows the team to do well.

"The challenge is to mix that all into a strong culture - like the Sydney Swans."

The Swans are officially the competition benchmark after a stunning 2012 campaign, and Cameron is unapologetic about his intention to replicate Sydney's strong footy culture at his fledgling club.

"The talent they have is fantastic but the culture they have created is absolutely outstanding," Cameron said. "Everyone knows what their role is at that footy club.

"If we can take a bit of what Sydney have done then we're heading in the right direction."

A year under Sheedy will complete an impressive coaching apprenticeship for Cameron.

"He's been in the game for 40 years as a coach and player," Cameron said of Sheedy. "The next 12 months are a great opportunity to run my ideas past Kevin. That's the attractiveness of coming to the Giants.

"I'm influenced by everyone I've been coached by.

"Terry Wheeler was my first coach at the Western Bulldogs.

"He was very honest and had great empathy for his players.

"As a 17 year-old, that had a big influence.

"Terry Wallace had a lot of new ideas. He was the one who started warm ups on the ground before we played. He was also a great teacher.

"Allan Joyce showed me the Hawthorn way and Danny Frawley had genuine passion and cared for his group of players."

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Laws to combat AFL's hard knocks

Kurt Tippett in the hands of Crows medical staff after being concussed. Picture: Tait Schmaal. Source: adelaidenow

THE AFL's concussion management guidelines are set for another overhaul following an international conference on the issue.

Soon after fining North Melbourne $20,000 for a lack of co-operation with an investigation into the way it handled Lachlan Hansen's heavy head knock in round 20, the league said it would revise its concussion rules for the 2013 season.

This comes after the AFL had three representatives, including AFL Medical Commissioner Dr Peter Harcourt, attend the Fourth International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport in Zurich last week.

"This global conference has again provided us with invaluable information that can be applied to our own concussion management policies," Dr Harcourt said.

"The AFL had strong representation at the conference and the management of concussion in the AFL was discussed.

"It confirmed that the AFL concussion strategy is robust and reflects current best practice."

But changes are in the wind.

The AFL is proposing to include a requirement for club doctors to make greater use of video footage of the injury incident in their assessment of player fitness.

There will also be a necessity for medical supervision of any follow-up self-assessment tests conducted by players.

The AFL will also adopt a "completely new approach" to the management of concussion in children, including those involved in the Auskick program.

The conference reinforced the AFL's approach that there is no scientific evidence that helmets prevent concussion or other brain injuries.

On the advice of the AFL and medical staff, wantaway Crow Kurt Tippett did not wear a helmet this year despite being concussed three times in five weeks.

"The evidence presented reinforced the AFL's current approach to the use of helmets, that is, there is no definitive scientific evidence that helmets specifically prevent concussion or other brain injuries in Australian football," Dr Harcourt said.

The new consensus guidelines will be released in March.

The Kangaroos, meanwhile, have been hit hard in the hip pocket after the AFL found them guilty of breaching a rule that requires clubs to fully co-operate and provide all relevant information and evidence to AFL investigators. Half of the club's $20,000 fine will be suspended for three years.

Football operations manager Adrian Anderson said the AFL found insufficient evidence to substantiate a breach of its concussion rules over the treatment of Hansen but that it was extremely concerned by North's lack of co-operation during an investigation into his welfare.

"Whilst there was no finding that there was any attempt to deliberately mislead investigators, North Melbourne now accepts that its conduct at times was not at a standard acceptable to an AFL investigation," Anderson said.

Key forward Hansen was assisted from the ground in a groggy state and later returned to the field during North's 24-point win against Essendon in round 20.

The AFL investigation was sparked when Roos' co-vice-captain Drew Petrie said on radio that he had seen Hansen vomiting at half-time.

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Lions not tempted on Tippett

Kurt Tippett leaves Adelaide for Queensland back in October, before his controversial decision to leave the Crows. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: adelaidenow

ADELAIDE was prepared to cash in and trade Kurt Tippett to Brisbane last year for a boom SA youngster and a draft pick, it has been revealed.

As the Crows await their punishment from the AFL for salary cap breaches, a key Adelaide insider said the club tried to deal for either Jared Polec or Jack Redden when the Lions pushed hard to sign Tippett in last year's trade period.

Queenslander Tippett had agreed to a move north but a trade fell through when the Lions refused to offer anything more than pick 12 and their compensatory selection at No. 30.

"If Polec or Redden was offered to us then Kurt would probably be a Brisbane player now," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Kurt was under contract at the time but we feared we might lose him at the end of this year anyway so we tried to work what we thought would be a good deal for both clubs.

"Jared was certainly keen to come home but unfortunately Brisbane didn't come to the party."

Adelaide would have accepted either midfielder, Polec or Redden, and draft pick number 30 for Tippett.

The Crows have long been admirers of former Woodville-West Torrens wingman Polec, who was drafted at pick five in the 2010 national draft, while it also rates former Glenelg ball-magnet Redden highly.

Lions national talent manager Rob Kerr - who now looks certain to miss out on Tippett for a second consecutive year as the key forward pushes for a move to premier Sydney - said his club wasn't prepared to give up one of its key midfielders.

"Had we agreed to move one of our South Australian youngsters, then a deal may have been done," Kerr said.

"Kurt and his management had, at that time, agreed to the move if a trade could be completed.

"But just like Adelaide, we valued our players and are backing ourselves in as a club to retain these highly rated youngsters."

The Crows' attempts to get draft pick eight from Brisbane also failed as it kept the selection to draft classy teenage tall Billy Longer from Northern under-18s.

Brisbane made another big play for Tippett in this year's trade period but looks set to lose him to Sydney, which he surprisingly nominated as his preferred club.

The AFL quashed a trade because of side deals in Tippett's last contract but will likely allow him to enter the national draft on November 22.

The Lions pick well before the Swans but Tippett is understood to have put a $1 million-a-season price tag on his head, which makes it tough for rivals to match as Sydney has extra money in its salary cap.

Kerr said quality key forwards were "rare beasts".

"As one of our recruiters outlined, there are about 12 genuinely good ones in the world, and the rest are either hopefuls developing or are not going to make it," he told the AFL website. "Hence our interest in Kurt Tippett."

Kerr said the Lions were still monitoring Tippett's availability but admitted that Sydney was well placed as its initial offer would be very difficult for other clubs to match.

Kerr hit out at the Swans being allowed to have an extra 9.8 per cent total player payment allowance because of the harbour city's cost of living expenses, claiming it was too much of a free kick.

"The AFL is now managing several questions about the evenness of the competition," he said.

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Tough Garner shoulders load

The late developer boasts skill as a medium sized forward with great hands, springs in his legs, and agility that allows him to twist and turn out of any situation.

Taylor Garner is shaping as a first-round selection. Photo: Michael Willson/AFL Media) Source: Herald Sun

TAYLOR Garner remembers lying on the ground in agony, his left shoulder dislocated after he dived for a mark.

The freakish half-forward was impressing in Vic Country's first match and desperate to not let his left arm, which he first tore last year, ruin his draft chances.

Garner played out the match. Two weeks later he fronted up against Western Australia.

Pick Me: The next Heath Shaw is a running machine

Again, his shoulder popped out. Again, in a marking contest and again in the second quarter.

Again, Garner battled on.

This time he was Country's best with a trio of goals from 20 touches and six tackles.

s45wg202 TAC Cup football. Oakleigh Chargers (red Blue) V Dandenong Stingrays (yellow) at Warrawee Park, Oakleigh. Oakleigh's Kieran Nolan and Dandenong's Taylor Garner Picture: Josie Hayden Source: Herald Sun

Garner finished the carnival, dislocating his shoulder in every match but downplaying the injury to ensure his place in the side wasn't jeopardised.

He returned to the Dandenong Stingrays for one game where coach Graeme Yeats said he climbed over "a pack of eight blokes and took this speccy'' before hurting his shoulder again and coming clean on the extent of his injuries.

With an All-Australian selection in his pocket and an AFL graduation at month's draft seemingly secured, Garner booked in for reconstructive surgery to prevent his shoulder from further loosening.

"It went every game. It didn't tickle, I definitely felt the pain,'' Garner said.


"It's just that next contest where you're a little bit scared but apart from that (it was) all good,'' Garner said.

Garner's rapid rise onto AFL radars was short but sweet.

Pick Me: The next Sam Mitchell is a clearance king

He played TAC Cup for the first time this year, storming into the Round 1 side despite bruising in his knee limiting his pre-season and keeping him out of practice matches.

"We thought he might play Round 4 or 5 for us, but he ended up being almost the first kid we picked in Round 1 on the back of his training,'' Yeats said.

"He's mercurial, but he's got a bit of mongrel in him. When he doesn't have the ball he's an animal.''

Garner wants to develop into a midfielder in the Ryan O'Keefe mould.

S44os895 TAC CUp Footy- Dandy v Western Jets at Shelpley Oval. Pictured is stingrays # 12 Taylor Garner Picture: Loughnan,paul Source: Herald Sun

"I'd just chuck my body in, I'm not afraid to get hurt. I can't see myself being that outside guy and waiting for the ball.''

Three months on from surgery and Garner, who quit year 12 halfway through last year to start a plumbing apprenticeship, is still in rehab but nearly every club has spoken to the flashy utility and expects him to make a full recovery.

TAYLOR GARNER



AGE: 18
HEIGHT: 186cm
WEIGHT: 77kg
FROM: Dandenong Stingrays
POSITION: Half-forward
DRAFT RANGE: 14-22
IN THE MIX: GWS (14), Cats (16), Freo (17), Pies (18), Dogs (22)

PLAYS LIKE: Nat Fyfe

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SANFL backs the Crows

The SANFL has backed Adelaide over the Kurt Tippett furore. Source: Herald Sun

THE SANFL has thrown its full support behind the embattled Adelaide Football Club over the Kurt Tippett furore, saying "everyone mucks up in their lifetime''.

League heavyweight Leigh Whicker is standing firmly behind the Crows, saying they deserve "big-time credit points'' for what they have delivered for SA football.

As the AFL investigates the Crows for salary cap rorting, Whicker said the SANFL was highly unlikely to impose any penalties on the club or its officials, including its chief executive, Steven Trigg, who has been under fire.

"Obviously it's very disappointing that the Adelaide Football Club has found itself in the position that it has, that it's under the spotlight nationally,'' Whicker said.

"Having spoken to Andrew Demetriou (AFL chief executive) last Friday, he's disappointed in what's happened.

"But I think we've got to wait until the final report has been delivered. And then we'll take the medicine, whatever that might be, and saddle up for 2013.''

The AFL is continuing its investigations into Tippett's questionable 2009 contract, which could result in Adelaide being hit with a big fine and stripped of key draft picks at the national draft on November 22.

Tippett, who still wants to join premier Sydney, also is in limbo. Denied a trade to the Swans, he could be de-registered by the AFL.

Yesterday an AFL spokesman told The Advertiser no time-line had been set for the league to complete its investigation, leaving Adelaide and Tippett in limbo.

"So, at the moment, Adelaide's position with its draft picks is unchanged, unless we advise otherwise,'' the spokesman said.

Tippett, who kicked 188 goals in 104 appearances for the Crows, has to delist himself before the national draft to be eligible to be selected by another club.

The league is expected to make its decision before November 22 so all parties know where they stand.

"The Adelaide Football Club has performed extraordinarily well over a 20-year period,'' Whicker said.

"It has delivered South Australia a powerful sporting culture, two premierships and a very strong financial return to football.

"Everyone makes a mistake or two in their lives, so our football commission will support the Adelaide Football Club through this, we owe it to them.

"The club has been totally transparent, it has worked hard with the SANFL over the journey, it has had an amazing administration and chairmen from Bob Hammond's day to Bill Sanders and right through to the current administration.

"Everyone mucks up in their lifetime, I'm sure of that, so we are saying let the AFL Commission make its decision and then we'll deal with whatever happens at that time.''

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Gray faces another delay

Robbie Gray when he injured his knee. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Sunday Herald Sun

ACE Port Adelaide forward Robbie Gray faces a delayed start to 2013.

Gray, who had his right knee reconstructed in April, could miss the first month of the premiership season because of nerve damage in a calf.

He suffered the injury when his leg horrifically buckled when landing from a marking contest in the final minute of the Power's round four loss to Collingwood.

"My knee's actually feeling really good now,'' Gray said.

Port Adelaide's Robbie Gray kicks under pressure from Jake Batchelor of the Tigers during their round 10 match in Darwin. Source: Getty Images

"But because of the nerve damage in my calf from the incident my leg faded away and I lost a lot of strength in the calf. So I need to be able to build my calf back up and get it strong enough to be able to run again.

"At the moment all I can do is a bit of jogging, so I have to work hard on building my strength and power back up.''

Gray began jogging last month and yesterday returned from London with his Port team-mates after spending 10 days in Europe.

The team beat the Western Bulldogs by one point in its exhibition game in London on Sunday and worked out at the Australian Institute of Sport's European training base outside Milan in northern Italy.

Gray upped the ante on his training on the trip under the guidance of new head fitness coach Darren Burgess.

While most AFL players return from traditional knee reconstructions within 10 months, 24-year-old Gray is now facing a year out of the game.

"I definitely want to be back early in the year but there's no (return) date set yet,'' he said.

"We'll wait and see what happens. I don't want to rush it obviously because it was a pretty serious injury.

"We'll see what happens over summer and just how everything progresses with the injury.''

Getting the injury-prone Gray on the park is crucial to Port's chances of climbing the ladder under new coach Ken Hinkley.

Talent-wise, Gray - a brilliant small forward/midfielder - is one of the club's top five players but he has played only 70 games in six seasons.

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Time for 'soft' Suns to toughen up

Gold Coast midfielder David Swallow says the Suns must be more physical if they want to climb up the AFL ladder. Picture: David Clark Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

GUN midfielder David Swallow admits the Suns went "soft" last season and must develop a stronger physical presence if the club is to surge up the ladder in 2013.

The call comes as the squad faced another demanding wrestling session in Arizona yesterday, where ripped shorts, stretched singlets and a busted ear were some of the side effects.

The Suns have been heavily scrutinised for a lack of physical pressure in their opening two seasons and Swallow didn't hide when asked if the club was too soft in 2012.

"Well yeah, maybe we were compared to the first year where we were really cracking in hard and it was something we really prided ourselves on," he said.

"The first year around clearances we were really good and it was probably one of the areas we dropped away last season.

"Maybe in the second year the boys just weren't going in as hard as the first year and its one of those things we just have to get back to.

"If we start winning more clearances and contests than the more chance we have of winning more games."

Swallow welcomed the new look fitness department's stronger focus on body contact this pre-season and said the new approach was already paying dividends.

"Obviously AFL is a very physical sport and these type of sessions give you confidence that your body can handle it," he said.

Dion Prestia was the only casualty from yesterday's wrestling session, with the midfielder suffering a corked calf and a lacerated right ear.

Danny Stanley almost had his shorts completely torn off from a determined Gary Ablett, while Jackson Allen was also left with a stretched singlet after a strong tussle with the Suns skipper.

Suns head of fitness Paul Haines conceded there was a higher risk of injury involved in the wrestling sessions, but said it was a chance the club had to take.

"A big part of our pre-season focus is the body contact training and we do it to give the players confidence that when they play games they know they've done the work," he said.

"It's a bit of risk versus return and in close quarters its not too bad.

"They will get a few bruises, knocks and blood noses but nothing major.

"Plus we keep a close eye on the guys who have modified programs anyway."

Ablett and Stanley were the standouts in the hour-long hitout, while Steven May put his big frame to good use.

In promising signs for the club, injured vice-captain Nathan Bock participated in most of the sessions, but was kept to light duties.
 

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