Hinkley asks Port to squeeze Dockers

Power midfielder Ollie Wines gets plenty of work in at training. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Limited

PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley wants his players to take the initiative and put the squeeze on Fremantle today to avoid a repeat of last year's thrashing at Subiaco.

Hinkley said the pressure the Dockers placed on his team in a 74 point defeat in round 22 last year was "as good as we've ever seen". But after a summer spent teaching his players to handle the heat, Hinkley wants to flip the script.

"We need to be able to put pressure on them," Hinkley said. "Not worry so much about the pressure they're going to put on us."

Ross Lyon's side hasn't been at its suffocating best since the early rounds of the season, recording just two wins from its past five games.

The Dockers have also travelled to Adelaide without injured key defenders Luke McPharlin and Zac Dawson, presenting Port's forward line with an ideal opportunity to take over the game if the midfield can provide enough supply.

"First and foremost against Fremantle one of the biggest challenges you have is getting it in there enough," Hinkley said.

"We need to make sure we provide enough of those entries for our forwards to go to work, because our forwards will present a significant risk to them I'm sure."

The Dockers are able to bully most sides at the stoppages because of the dominance of ruckman Aaron Sandilands and the big bodies of Michael Barlow, Nat Fyfe and David Mundy.

But Hinkley believes his midfield is well placed to meet the challenge.

"I'm really comfortable with the size of Boak, Wines, Ebert, Hartlett, Polec," he said.

"Freo have some great midfielders but we've got some great size to go against them we think."

The Power coach also stressed the importance of preparing to limit Fremantle's scoring.

Power players put through their paces at training. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Limited

With so much focus on how Port's second ranked attack will match up against the league's best defence, Hinkley hasn't forgotten the threat players like Matthew Pavlich, Hayden Ballantyne and Chris Mayne will pose.

"We spend the best part of our week working on defence," Hinkley said.

"They've been the best defensive team in the competition for a long time now and we just need to make sure we're working to get somewhere near that."

Hinkley sprang a mild surprise at selection this week by handing another opportunity to promoted rookie Kane Mitchell.

The West Australian was facing an uphill battle to get back in the side after having his position filled by Jared Polec and Matt White this season.

But Hinkley says Mitchell's form in the SANFL — where he's shown an improved ability to win the inside ball — was impossible to ignore.

"He's been rewarded for his performance," Hinkley said.

"Like we've done with Sam Gray, Ben Newton, Paul Stewart — blokes have been rewarded for consistency of form.

"We have to honour that and make sure they know if they keep delivering those results they'll get a game."

Mitchell should help Port in its endeavour to win the uncontested ball, which has proved decisive against Fremantle this season.

The Dockers have averaged 70 fewer uncontested possessions in their losses this season, but were far better in this area in a win against West Coast last week.

"I listened to Ross talk after the game last week and he made a point of saying they controlled the ball better," Hinkley said.

"That might have been a slight tinkering of their game style, I don't know, but I can only assume they're going to play similar this week."

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Villain Buddy turns hero to sink Hawks

LANCE Franklin went from villain to hero, kicking two vital goals as the Swans upstaged reigning premiers Hawthorn to claim a fourth successive victory.

Sydney Swans v Hawthorn: Match report

Sydney Swans press conference

Bump back on the AFL agenda via Jarryd Roughead

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Ebert: This one’s for ‘nanna’

Port Adelaide midfielder Brad Ebert with his sister Ashleigh, 22, and grandmother Lorraine Obst. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Limited

BRAD Ebert has extra motivation to shine against grand finalist Fremantle at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.

The Port Adelaide vice-captain will not only be striving to help the Power consolidate its top four standing, he will be playing for one of his biggest supporters — his "nanna'', as he calls her.

Lorraine Obst — wife of Port's 1967 Magarey Medallist Trevor "Bubbles'' Obst — is battling Motor Neurone Disease.

Her struggles have hit the Ebert and Obst families hard and prompted Brad to dedicate Saturday's game to his grandma, who will be in her usual seat in the southern grandstand.

Lorraine, 70, and well-known in netball circles, has been a driving force behind Brad's career and rarely missed a match he has played.

"Seeing what nanna has gone through in the past few months has come as a real shock and been really tough on the family,'' said Ebert.

"In a short space of time she has gone from being incredibly energetic, fit and healthy to losing her mobility and her voice.

"Her mind is still active and she is mentally switched on but her body is betraying her, which is frustrating for her and devastating for those around her.''

May is MND awareness month and Ebert is speaking out about his grandma's struggles to bring attention to the cruel disease and help find a cure.

He and his family took part in a charity walk through Adelaide last Sunday to raise money for MND Australia.

"It's just such a shocking disease and it's sad to see nanna decline the way she has,'' said Brad

"I'll be looking to put in a good one (performance) to help bring a smile to her face.''

The illness is known in the United States as Lou Gehrig's disease after the famous New York Yankees baseballer who was struck down by the condition at the height of his powers and died in 1941, aged 37.

MND damages motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in muscle malfunction throughout the entire body. Eventually even breathing becomes difficult.

There is no cure.

The Obst-Ebert clan has been a dominant football story at Alberton for more than six decades.

Brad is one of four Eberts to have played for the club, along with his dad, Craig, legendary four-times Magarey Medallist Russell and cousin Brett.

While grandfather Trevor Obst won the '67 Magarey, his great-uncle Peter Obst won Port's 1962 best and fairest award.

Between them, Peter Obst and Russell and Brett Ebert have collected eight best-and-fairest awards at the Magpies.

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LIVE: Lions v Bombers

Last updated: May 10, 2014

ESSENDON will be expecting nothing less than a convincing win over a young Brisbane Lions outfit at the GABBA this afternoon.

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Tredrea: Lazy Crows are a selfish, three-man team

Adelaide Crows will have to wait a week to get redemption for the three-point defeat to Melbourne on the weekend, but have their work cut out for them when they host Collingwood in round 9.

ADELAIDE has seven days to plug the gaping holes in its ailing ship or another season will sink like the Titanic.

A week is a long time in football and history shows things can turn quickly.

But this will only happen if everyone at the club commits to a 100 per cent team-first focus.

With the easier side of the Crows' draw finished — a month where it played St Kilda, GWS, the Bulldogs and Melbourne and should have won all four — Brenton Sanderson's side is now at the crossroads.

Do you agree with Warren Tredrea's assessment of the Crows?

Its remaining fixtures include two matches against Collingwood, including next Thursday night's blockbuster at Adelaide Oval, two meetings with North Melbourne and clashes against Carlton, Essendon, Hawthorn, Fremantle, West Coast and Port Adelaide.

Disappointed Adelaide Crows leave the ground after the three-point loss to Melbourne. Picture: Sarah Reed.

So it is time for Sanderson and his men to make a statement, starting with the Magpies.

Lose that game and fall to 3-5 and the Crows can virtually kiss their finals hopes goodbye.

Following the inexcusable implosion against Melbourne, Sanderson claimed there are three key areas letting Adelaide down.

POOR starts: The Crows have won only two first quarters. Good teams don't let you back into games so this must be fixed.

THE tragic loss of his right-hand man Dean Bailey: Make no mistake, Bailey's loss is huge. His lateral and measured thinking cannot be replaced.

BAD kicking: I wrote in this column last month that Adelaide can't handle the heat when the pressure cooker is turned up and it has done nothing to make me change my mind. This burnt the Crows on the weekend when the Demons booted seven unanswered goals while Adelaide's kicking efficiency was at a disgraceful 47 per cent — 12 per cent below the AFL average.

Frustrated Crows coach Brenton Sanderson has a week to turn the season around. Picture: Sarah Reed.

The other big issues facing the Crows are their over-reliance on three key players.

If midfielders Patrick Dangerfield and Rory Sloane and ruckman Sam Jacobs don't fire, neither does Adelaide.

It needs more contributors more often.

The return of Taylor Walker from a long-time knee injury will help but he won't be a quick fix. The gun forward will take time to rediscover his brilliant best.

The other issue is the Crows' lack of a defensive game plan.

They have conceded 443 points (63 per game) from turnovers in 2014. This is 48 points more than any other side.

Two years ago Sanderson's side was the contested ball pin-up team of the competition. Not any more.

While Adelaide has got worse, rivals have improved. The Crows were taught a lesson by previous wooden spoon favourite Melbourne.

The Demons' key stats are far from flattering. They rank 15th in disposals, 18th in clearances and 18th for goals scored.

But they damningly beat Adelaide 377-340 in possessions, 40-37 in clearances and outscored it by three points.

The Crows didn't respect Melbourne enough and paid the ultimate penalty.

Man for man the Dees aren't anywhere near as good as Adelaide but they arrived at The Oval with a plan to deny the Crows space and they carried it out to perfection.

Adelaide's team defence was appalling. Its defensive press has more holes in it than a pair of old running shoes.

Sanderson remarked "they don't work for each other as a team", adding "they go into a self-preservation mode" when it's time to leave your man to cover for a teammate.

They also seem to be lacking the absolute desperation required to pressure the opposition to turn the ball over, which used to be their bread and butter.

To fix the problem Sanderson must go back to playing six v six all over the ground.

He needs to forget about playing with a free player as a defensive quarterback.

It is simply not working. It is time to play on and beat your man.

Adelaide's players must be rebooted to play contested, accountable one-on-one football. It is time to throw everything else out the window and get the knees dirty.

This will help stop the run of goals the Crows have made a habit of conceding.

It all starts on the training track. Team-first must be the motto.

Training must turn ultra-competitive and Sanderson can't be afraid of letting blood be spilt.

The best forwards must be pitted aga inst the best defenders. The same goes for the midfield.

Throw in drill variations like forwards operating with extra defenders and have the mids practice kicking the ball to them inside 50.

Even tag key midfielders. Make them outwork their human shadows and practice blocking at stoppages. Every bit helps in developing players.

It's here you will see the competitive animals go to work and highlight who's up for the fight.

Drills designed to kill opposition scoring must be replicated and practised over and over again, along with picking the right options under pressure.

Match simulation drills like this breed confidence, something which Adelaide is currently bereft of.

Lazy, selfish, undisciplined and lacking endeavour are words you don't want associated with your team. But right now that's how Adelaide is perceived.

Warren Tredrea is Port Adelaide's 2004 premiership captain and its greatest goalkicker. He is a Channel 9 News sports presenter and Triple M football commentator.

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Healy: Gut says Swans can win

Former Carlton Premiership winner Mark Maclure has criticised the AFL's Match Review Panel for not handling the Jack Viney bump case and instead referring it to the tribunal.

Lance Franklin and Adam Goodes train at the SCG on Wednesday night. The Swans will wheel out their big guns to tackle Hawthorn. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: News Corp Australia

FOX Footy expert Gerard Healy believes Lance Franklin can upset his old club when the Sydney Swans meet Hawthorn in Friday night's blockbuster at ANZ Stadium.

Healy, answering questions from fans on Thursday, said he believed the Swans' midfield was hitting form, and the home side was a strong chance to continue its winning way if it could contain the Hawks' run from defence.

ROBBO: VINEY DECISION HARD TO SWALLOW

"It's hard to go against the Hawks but you've got to go on gut feel sometimes, and I'm going for the Swans," Healy said.

"They've got to shut down the Hawks' half backs and I think their midfield is going to dominate."

CLARKO DOUBTS SWANS' FORWARD CHEMISTRY

Healy expects Kurt Tippett to be used close to goal — but believes the Swans would be best served if the former Crow could become the Swans' no.1 ruckman — while the likes of Franklin and Adam Goodes will roam from the midfield inside 50.

FRANKLIN FIT TO FACE OLD BUDDIES

Six clubs will enjoy a bye this weekend, something Healy has mixed views on.

The 1988 Brownlow medallist said he thought byes interrupted the season but could understand players enjoying a break.

"As a player I probably would have enjoyed a weekend off but I don't know if you need two — that's probably taking it to the extreme," he said.

"I know the players run long and hard but midfielders in the 1980s were running 20-plus kilometres back then.

SUPERCOACH: HOW TO BEAT THE BYE

"I think the bye is valuable for the mental relief as much as anything.

"But I didn't like having weeks off from a physical perspective because I thought the body got out of sync to some degree."

RECAP GERARD'S CHAT IN THE WINDOW BELOW:

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Live: Jack Viney appeals bump ban

Hundreds slain in schoolgirl search

THEIR town was left unguarded as soldiers went in search of the missing schoolgirls. That's when Boko Haram militants attacked, killing hundreds of people.

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Live: Round 8 AFL teams

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AFL injury report warns players re-injure knees

Adelaide Crows forward Taylor Walker after injuring his knee against Carlton in 2013. Source: News Limited

FOOTBALL'S annual injury report suggests Adelaide's fans should have their hearts in their mouths every time key forward Taylor Walker goes near the ball as he returns to the game this season.

For all of the progress made in medical ranks, players keep re-injuring their knees after major surgery.

FJELDSTAD: PLAYERS STILL NEED SOME TICKER TO CROSS THE LINE

At the centre of the AFL report is the recurrence of knee injuries: of 23 knee reconstructions completed in 2013, eight were re-injuries stemming from graft failure.

Three of those came from the LARS operation, which uses synthetic fibre to mend the knee, while the other five came from traditional knee reconstructions, in which a hamstring tendon from either the patient or a cadaver is used to mend the knee.

The report's authors, associate professor John Orchard and Dr Hugh Seward, have noted a dramatic rise in injuries in recent years and it coincided with the more frequent use of the interchange bench.

"There was a statistically-significant increase in both injury incidence and prevalence over the years 2008-2013 (high interchange era) compared to the years 2002-2007 (low interchange era)," the report stated.

"Hamstring strains are still the number one injury in the game in terms of both incidence and prevalence (missed games)."

But the rapid rise in interchanges has not been all bad news.

Hamstring and groin injuries have decreased during the recent trend of having a revolving door on the sidelines while there have been more calf, knee tendon and other leg, foot and ankle injuries.

In other findings in the report:

DR SEWARD attributed the higher incidence of concussion to a more cautious approach to the injury. On average one player per club miss a games due to concussion each season

HAMSTRING strains remain the cause for the most amount of games missed by players, and

THE rate of anterior cruciate ligament injury was higher during pre-season and in the early rounds of the season. Northern teams also reported a higher incidence of ACL injuries.

AFL football operations manager Mark Evans said the league would continue its investment into injury research.

It will be for the benefit of not only the elite level, but also grass roots and junior ranks.

"The AFL remains fully committed to the best interests of player health and welfare and the annual injury survey is a vital tool to address injury concerns and how to address trends within the game,'' Evans said.

"This survey is another way the AFL looks at our primary goal of ensuring the game is safe to play and that our players have the best possible treatment and support when returning from any injury, while also providing real data for us to consider as part of the debates of rule changes that may be necessary to improve player safety across all levels of our game for both adults and children.''

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Hart: Clash of styles no issue for Port

Last updated: May 07, 2014

PORT Adelaide is unconcerned about whether it will be low-scoring or freewheeling when they play Fremantle at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.

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No common sense in kangaroo court

• by: Jon Anderson
• From: News Corp Australia
• May 07, 2014 11:20AM

THE AFL tribunal system, introduced 10 seasons ago to reduce the amount of guesswork and subjectivity, should be replaced immediately.

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Wingard backs AFL’s tough stance on bump

Melbourne's Jack Viney has been handed a two-match ban by the tribunal after being found guilty of a bump on Tom Lynch, while Richmond's Brett Deledio walked away from a striking charge with just a reprimand.

AFL players have reacted with outrage to the two-match ban handed to Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney.

Herald Sun reporter Jon Anderson talks to Fox Sports about the suspension of Melbourne Demons' Jack Viney, which he views as a landmark decision.

Chad Wingard supports the AFL's decision to suspend Jack Viney for his bump on Tom Lynch. Source: Getty Images

PORT Adelaide best and fairest Chad Wingard has backed the AFL in its firm stance on the bump as widespread debate rages over the suspension of Melbourne's Jack Viney for his bump on Adelaide's Tom Lynch.

Viney received a two-week ban after Lynch ended up with a broken jaw and the subsequent suspension reaffirmed the AFL's view that a player's head is sacrosanct and cannot be hit.

MORE: 'BUMP' BAN SLAMMED BY PLAYERS

Former greats have condemned the decision, calling it a football accident, but Wingard said it was made in the interest of the players.

What do you think of the AFL Tribunal's decision to ban Jack Viney?

"There's a couple of ways you can approach it but the AFL, they're really just trying to look after every layer and their welfare," Wingard said ahead of training at Adelaide Oval.

"If they think they need to knuckle down on a certain issue, and the bump is obviously an issue, that's what they're going to do to look after everyone's welfare."

Viney leaves the AFL Tribunal. Picture: Michael Klein. Source: News Corp Australia

Wingard disagreed with the notion that the bump was dead.

MORE: PLAYERS' BOSS SAYS TRIBUNAL WRONG

He predicted it would still be an important part of football — it just came with the caveat of avoiding your opponent's head.

"It's more the way you go about it," Wingard said.

"As long as the ball is the thing you're concentrating on I think the bump is going to be there, no matter what.

MARK ROBINSON: THE GAME IS THE FOOL

"It's to help the players. Obviously we don't want them to change the game too much; we love the game the way it is and so do the fans.

"But it's not like they're saying you can't bump. In the end, we're still going to attack the ball and it's still going to be a ruthless game.
"If you hit someone's head you can't do it. It's pretty black and white, I think.

"The players just want some consistency.''

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