Morabito may give it away

It could be more heartbreak for Fremantle midfielder Anthony Morabito after suffering a knee injury at the Dockers' first training session of 2013.

Anthony Morabito is considering his future after suffering a third serious knee injury. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: HWT Image Library

FREMANTLE knee victim Anthony Morabito could retire from the AFL after tearing his ACL ligament for a third time.

The young Docker is expected to decide over the next week whether he wants to pursue a football career after his devastating run of knee injuries.

"He is coming to grips whether he wants to go on or give it away,'' a source close to Morabito said.

"He's changing his mind on a daily basis.

"After two years of rehab, he doesn't know if he wants to do another year of it.''

Morabito, 21, is expected to take a brief holiday to help clear his mind.

Summer Barometer: Dockers' injury and training latest

The No.4 draft pick has not played since his excellent debut season in 2010.

Morabito missed the 2011 season with a left knee reconstruction after a pre-season mishap, then re-injured the knee when he was preparing for a return to the field in mid-2012.

Last week he tore the graft on his repaired left anterior cruciate ligament in a training drill.
 

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Lake on first and final warning

Hawthorn recruit Brian Lake has apologised after he was booked by police for being drunk in a public place on Saturday night. Picture: Nicole Garmston Source: Herald Sun

HAWTHORN has warned prized recruit Brian Lake he cannot afford a repeat of the drunken arrest which landed him in a police cell on Saturday night.

An embarrassed Lake conceded he had to win back respect from his new teammates after fronting the leadership group and coaching staff to explain the late-night incident involving his wife in Sorrento.

The Hawks decided against imposing a ban or suspension, instead ordering the defender to front the club's efforts to help bushfire victims in Tasmania as punishment.

It has been an awful start to the new year for the premiership favourites, with second-year midfielder Alex Woodward requiring a second reconstruction on his right knee.

The onball hard-nut tore the graft in his repaired ACL ligament during an awkward fall at training yesterday.

The devastated 19-year-old laid on the turf for minutes before leaving the ground in tears with trainers.

While Woodward faces another agonising year on the sidelines, an apologetic Lake resumed training yesterday intent on regaining his teammates' trust.

The two-time All-Australian backman admitted his arrest was a setback after an otherwise promising pre-season.

"As a mature player for the Hawthorn Football Club, I should know better about times of leaving places as I did Saturday night," Lake said.

"As you can understand, it's very embarrassing.

"I've worked my butt off for three months to get my body right. To have too many drinks on the weekend, yes I've taken a step back.

"There's no credits in the bank. I'll gain them by training hard."

Hawthorn coaching director Chris Fagan said Lake had been upfront and remorseful about the incident, but could ill-afford a repeat.

"We are very disappointed with what happened, we don't expect our players to be in situations like that," Fagan said.

"We expect this to be a once-off for Brian. There is a little bit of respect he needs to earn back from the rest of the group now which I'm sure he will do."

The Hawks traded picks No.21 and 41 to Western Bulldogs for Lake and pick No.27, hopeful his strong marking and rebounding game would add the missing ingredient to their premiership quest.

After battling serious knee problems in his final years at the Dogs, Lake said he was in top physical condition.

"My knee is feeling is fantastic. The shape I'm in at the moment is probably the best it's been in a very long time," he said.

The club has vowed to support Woodward, who was the 53rd pick in the 2011 national draft.
 

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Knee will be Goodes to go

Sydney Swans captain Adam Goodes is on the comeback trail from a knee injury and is confident of being fit for Round 1. Picture: Brett Costello Source: The Daily Telegraph

SWANS captain Adam Goodes admits he is underdone after a pre-season dominated by rehabilitation on an injured knee, but remains confident of being ready for the season opener in March.

Goodes said he would do whatever it takes to be ready for the Round 1 clash with GWS at ANZ Stadium.

The dual Brownlow medallist, who turned 33 last week, partially tore the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Sydney's epic grand final win.

Goodes was unable to do any serious training until eight weeks after their premiership celebrations. He will not return to full training with teammates for another five weeks as he continues to ramp up his rehabilitation.

"No pain. No swelling. Nothing to worry about. Just got to get back to the fitness that everyone else is at," Goodes said.

"Every year offers different challenges. Coming back with a premiership medallion makes you feel pretty good about having a sore knee.

"I've been around footy for 15 years. You have to deal with a lot of different things throughout pre-season and you know what you have to do to get yourself right for Round 1.

"I know what I have to do to be ready before we play GWS. There's no worries about am I going to be fit enough.

"It's feeling good. I'm very comfortable. I'm looking forward to getting back to training with the rest of the crew in a couple of weeks."

Summer Barometer: Swans' injury and training latest

Goodes has spent the pre-season in the rehab group alongside defender Martin Mattner (hip), speedster Gary Rohan (leg), midfielder Nick Smith (knee), promising talent Tom Mitchell (knee), grand final hard luck story Ben McGlynn (hamstring) and full-back Ted Richards (ankle).

While his straight-line running has been promising, Goodes has been reduced to limited agility work and direction changing.

His average session has involved running for half an hour, an hour on the cross-trainer in the gym followed by a 1.5km swim.

Goodes will be among 20 big names at the Cadbury Super Team Family Day at Skoda Stadium on Australia Day. He will run a clinic and scratch match with his fellow AFL stars on the day, which is being held in western Sydney for the second year in a row after a Quakers Hill resident won a promotion to have the event hosted in their home town.
 

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Ban won't change Brown

Gold Coast veteran Campbell Brown tangles with Bulldog Liam Picken. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

GOLD Coast hard man Campbell Brown says he won't curb his aggression despite sitting out the first six rounds of 2013 through suspension.

Brown says he would be "useless" to the Suns if he tried to play differently.

The 29-year-old former Hawk was suspended for six weeks for a high bump on Adelaide youngster Aiden Riley in the final home-and-away round of 2012.

The original penalty of five weeks was bumped up to six because of Brown's bad tribunal record, but the AFL website reports he won't be changing his ways.

"I don't think it's something I can temper too much because I think if I do, I'll be useless out there, because it's one of my main attributes," Brown said after Suns training.

Summer Barometer: Suns' training and injury latest

"The coaches certainly haven't told me I've got to temper it. I've got to get the balance right because obviously I'm no good sitting on the sidelines.

"I've got to make sure that when I do [go to bump], I get it right, because when I don't, the ramification are quite high."

Brown is still eligible to play in the NAB Cup and expects to make two or three appearances to gain match fitness before embarking on a specially tailored training program to get him right for Round 7.

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Martin needs 'life skills'

Dustin Martin after a pre-season running session. Picture: Stuart Walmsley Source: Herald Sun

RICHMOND wild child Dustin Martin is still learning how to balance the off-field life of an AFL star with its on-field demands, former skipper Chris Newman says.

Newman says former Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark Williams, who has joined the Tigers in a development role, is helping the 21-year-old learn the "life skills" required to be an AFL footballer.

He did not deny suggestions senior coach Damien Hardwick had to pull Martin into line for his off-field behaviour over the Christmas break.

Asked directly about the reports, Newman said: "I think that with Dustin it's an ongoing thing and he's still trying to develop himself not only as a footballer but as a person.

"Off-field we've got a standard that we we set that everyone has to adhere to.

"Dustin's still trying to get that good balance between having a healthy lifestyle outside of football and also delivering on the field.

"We're lucky enough to have a really good development program here and that's where 'Choco' Williams has come in and really taken these young blokes under his wing.

"He knows what it takes to succeed and win premierships and that's why a lot of young guys are continually in his office, (he's) trying to give them the life skills that's required of an AFL footballer."

Summer Barometer: Tigers' training and injury latest

Martin was a revelation in his debut season but he followed it up with an inconsistent 2013 season that was interrupted by a two-match club suspension for sleeping in and missing training in July. The incident resulted in the sacking of teammate Daniel Connors.

In November Connors revealed the Tigers had banned Martin from socialising with him.

Newman said yesterday there were no issues with Martin on the track this pre-season.

"Dustin has completed every session, he's pretty fit, he ran a pretty good time in the time-trial last week," Newman said.

"He certainly entered the comp with a bang but remember he's still only young and still learning the craft."

And Newman backed the club's decision not to suspend or fine recruit Ricky Petterd, who left the MCG on Boxing Day after clashing with other fans.

"You've got to have a life. He was at the cricket and having a few beers and I really don't think there was much in that story," he said.

The former captain, who handed the reins to Trent Cotchin after four years in the job, said Petterd and the Tigers' other mature-age recruits, including Chris Knights, Sam Lonergan, Aaron Edwards and Orren Stephenson, were not simply recruited as insurance.

"That's a good position we're in, those guys are going to be fighting for spots to wear the Richmond jumper in Round 1."

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Bennell skips court date

Harley Bennell was arrested on New Year's Eve. Picture: Brendan Radke Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

GOLD Coast midfielder Harley Bennell did not appear in court today to face charges over a New Year's Eve scuffle, leaving his lawyer to represent him.

Bennell has been charged with disorderly behaviour and failing to obey an order given by a police officer during celebrations in Western Australia.

The 20-year-old was one of several people arrested when fighting broke out in his home town of Mandurah, south of Perth.

Bennell chose not to appear in the Mandurah Magistrates Court on today but was represented by his lawyer, who asked that the matter be adjourned until April 2.

The West Australian was drafted by the Suns in 2010 with the second pick in the national draft.

He played every game of the 2012 season and finished runner-up in the club's best-and-fairest last year, second only to champion Gary Ablett.

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AFL needs to follow US draft blueprint

Betstar's Alan Eskander believes the AFL should not reward teams who finish down the ladder with priority draft picks.

A LEADING bookmaker has called on the AFL to adopt a draft lottery system to stamp out tanking.

Betstar's Alan Eskander says the league must follow the lead of basketball and ice hockey in the United States and abandon rules which give last placed clubs the prized first draft choice.

Melbourne officials Cameron Schwab and Chris Connolly and former coach Dean Bailey are facing life bans from the game over allegations the Demons set out to lose games in 2009.

But Eskander said the league is partly responsible for the Dees' crisis, given the massive carrot it dangled in front of clubs to finish last and qualify for an extra priority draft pick.

Eskander said it was time to integrate a draft system whereby clubs which miss finals enter a lottery to determine the draft order.

"The AFL put a lot of weight on what goes on in US sport, they do a lot of scouting missions and they follow a really strong precedent," Eskander said.

"If they came out next week and said we were going to adopt a model of US sport and go down a lottery path, I would embrace that.

"It has been fair and equitable and over a long period of time and testing in the US has shown there isn't any issues in relation to tanking.

"It is shown that it is motivating teams appropriately, rather than motivating them to lose in order to get picks."

The NBA draft lottery is a huge television event, drawing almost three million viewers last year to watch the allocation of draft picks.

The lottery is weighted so the team with the worst record has the best chance of obtaining higher draft picks.

The NBA process involves drawing ping pong balls and factors in thousands of possible combinations.

Eskander said the AFL was right to abolish the priority draft pick last year but said the system still needed improvement.

"The AFL has basically said the worse you are the more benefits you are going to get," Eskander said.

"At some stage they need to put their hand up as well and say 'we've contributed to this debacle, because the system we had in place was flawed'.

"It was fundamentally flawed in its motivations and how it motivated teams to perform.

"I have some sympathy for Melbourne because the AFL has played its part in this whole debacle."

Melbourne must respond to the AFL's 1000-page tanking investigation by January 29.

Eskander was pleased the AFL was investigating the matter seriously after playing down tanking allegations in the past.

"I was very alarmed and quite flabbergasted with the AFL's approach up until now, where they've just buried their head in the stand and said 'I don't know what you are talking about, tanking doesn't go on'," he said.

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US import still studying 'weird' AFL

Eric Wallace jokes around during a North Melbourne training session.

FORMER college basketballer Eric Wallace still hasn't worked out a way to explain to friends and family back home in America how AFL works in less than a minute.

But the 24-year-old is hoping he will have an easier time once he has completed his first pre-season with North Melbourne.

The 196cm and 102kg North Carolina native was snapped up by the Kangaroos as an international rookie just before Christmas after impressing during a 10-day trial at Arden Street.

This followed a four-day testing session at the draft Combine, where Wallace recorded 80cm for the standing vertical jump - which was ranked in the top three per cent of all draft hopefuls - and a slick 2.90 seconds for the 20m sprint.

In Tasmania with North Melbourne's other first round draft picks from last year, Wallace is enjoying life in his new sporting code even if he is struggling to tell people back in the US about his experiences.

"I'm pretty sure all Australians get the same question, "you mean rugby?"," Wallace said yesterday after visiting residents of the fire-ravaged town of Dunalley.

"I'm forced to explain and I still haven't figured out a way to explain Aussie Rules Football in under 30 seconds. It is something new, something different.

"My first AFL game I ever watched on television was quite a while ago, I was confused with the oval field, it was a weird shaped ball and it seemed to me like there were 50 guys on the field at once.

"But I got a chance to watch some of the finals and I got a chance to go the grand final and got more of an understanding. It is a very compelling game."

Wallace admits making the transition from the basketball court to the football field is a gradual process as he learns completely new skills and develops the aerobic capacity required to run out a 120 minute match.

However it is a challenge he isn't backing down from and one which will eventually end with a debut appearance at the elite level.

"I hoped that I would make a team, make a list if given the opportunity and have a fair crack at it," he said.

"I was lucky enough North Melbourne gave me a chance, it is going to be a challenge but I'm up for it.

"The aerobic part [is the biggest adjustment], it is a lot more running than I'm used to, basketball is a shorter court and a lot more explosive running.

'I'm learning every day, improving and taking it slowly. I have to keep learning the game and hopefully one day I will make an AFL game."

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Nic Nat could miss two months

West Coast won't take any risks with star ruckman Nic Naitanui. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: The Sunday Times

WEST Coast ruck sensation Nic Naitanui could miss up to the first two months of the season as he recovers from serious groin surgery.

Last year's All-Australian ruckman is preparing for a likely comeback between Rounds 2 and 8 after undergoing surgery on his groins in November.

The electrifying big man is set to miss the entire NAB Cup after only recently resuming light running and training drills.

Naitanui, 22, carried the groin problem and significant soreness late last season but bravely played on, finishing with 22 games for the year.

The excitement machine barely trained throughout the final eight weeks of the season, including finals, to manage the injury.

Eagles management initially decided against surgery after the season finished but sent him in for an operation after the injury failed to improve during the post-season break.

Naitanui's ruck tandem with Dean Cox is a key plank in the club's premiership quest.

They are widely regarded as the No.1 ruck duo in the league.

While the 77-gamer's absence will be a blow to the Eagles, assistant coach Justin Longmuir said the club wanted the key big man to be reaching his peak towards September.

"He's just started running again, so he's a long way behind the rest of the group and we'll take a really cautious approach with him,'' Longmuir said.

"We really need Nic Nat firing at the end of the year, not so much at the start of the year.

"If he comes up for Round 1 that will be great, but we've got the cover if he doesn't come up for Round 1.''

Summer Barometer: Eagles' injury and training latest

The Eagles, rated third favourite ($7) to win the 2013 premiership with TAB, have a tough start to the season with home assignments against Fremantle and Hawthorn in Rounds 1 and 2.

Burgeoning 202cm ruckman Scott Lycett has been identified as Naitanui's early-season replacement after an impressive pre-season campaign.

The 20-year-old has played three career AFL games but is set to feature prominently in the NAB Cup to test his readiness for a more permanent ruck-forward berth.

"He's really come of age this pre-season, he's training the house down,'' Longmuir said on Perth radio station SPORTFM 91.3.

"Hopefully he can take his game to a new level.''

Hard-nut midfielder Daniel Kerr (knee) and Beau Waters (hip) are also expected to sit out the pre-season competition.
 

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