Ballantyne accepts one-game ban

SITTING OUT: Docker Hayden Ballantyne won't contest a one-game ban. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

FREMANTLE has opted not to challenge Hayden Ballantyne's one-game suspension, meaning the forward will miss the Dockers' Round 2 clash with the Bulldogs.

Ballantyne this morning accepted a one-match suspension for engaging in rough conduct against Scott Selwood during the first quarter of last weekend's derby triumph.

Contact was assessed as reckless, body contact and low impact.

Sandilands out for three months

His previous poor record means he couldn't reduce the penalty to a reprimand even with an early guilty plea.

Dockers skipper Matthew Pavlich was yesterday cleared of any wrongdoing after being reported on a rough conduct charge relating to a collision with Will Schofield.

Pavlich dodged a bullet, with 93.75 carry-over points hanging over his head for an incident in Round 19 last season.

But the Fremantle captain didn't escape the derby completely unscathed.

He revealed on Twitter yesterday he had visited hospital after the game to get his "hand and finger fixed and stitched up".

"No breaks & looks good for Rd 2," he said.

LiveHQ: SuperCoach scores, stats and more from Freo's win

Pavlich was held goalless in the Dockers' impressive win, restricted to just 60 SuperCoach points.

PAVLICH'S HAND. PHOTO: INSTAGRAM

Source: HWT Image Library

But North Melbourne star Drew Petrie said the star forward had little to worry about for his report.
 

"Hopefully the tribunal and match review panel will look favourably on it," he told Channel 7's Game Day.

Petrie said Pavlich bracing himself before colliding with Schofield in a marking contest meant he should have no case to answer.

Meanwhile, WEST COAST'S horror injury list has been compounded by the loss of Mark LeCras and possibly Eric Mackenzie.

GALLERY: Pearce ignites as Dockers whip Eagles

LeCras has had a plate inserted in his arm and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Mackenzie pinged a hamstring, placing him in doubt for the Eagles' crunch Round 2 duel against Hawthorn.

Ruckman Dean Cox said LeCras was in scintillating pre-season form, adding to the tragedy of his injury in his first match since 2011.

"He had an x-ray last night and it did reveal he had a broken arm," Cox said today.

"They'll rush him to surgery as quickly as possibly and hopefully he doesn't miss too many weeks."

ADELAIDE also has injury concerns with Luke Brown substituted out of Friday night's loss to Essendon with a foot complaint.

LiveHQ: SuperCoach scores, stats and more from the Dons' win

Brown tweeted yesterday: "Thanks to everyone for the supportive messages. Good signs so far now to rest up and recovery."

ESSENDON star David Zaharakis will suit up in the VFL next week as he looks to build on match fitness after his limited pre-season.

Zaharakis, who was the substitute against the Crows, told Channel 7 he was set to line up for Essendon's reserves in a practice match against Sandringham.
 
- with AAP

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Blicavs, Walker earn promotion

Mark Blicavs in Geelong colours. Picture: Stephen Harman Source: Supplied

GEELONG is free to unleash rookies Mark Blicavs and Josh Walker at Hawthorn on Easter Monday after promoting the pair to its senior list.

As revealed by the Herald Sun yesterday, both are expected to carry ruck duties in Round 1.

The Cats have three players on their long-term injury list, creating space to promote three rookies.

But while Walker debuted last year, Blicavs spent most the season training in the hope of representing Australia at the London Olympics.

"The coaches are happy with my progress," Blicavs said.

"Learning the structures has taken the most time, but I'm getting there, so far so good."

The three Cats suffering long-term injuries are Josh Cowan, Dawson Simpson and Lincoln McCarthy.

Meanwhile, Port Adelaide midfielder Kane Mitchell is eligible to make his AFL debut against Melbourne on Sunday after winning an upgrade to the senior list.

The former WAFL star, 23, replaces Nick Salter, who is on the long-term injury list.

"Clearly Kane has got the reward for the way he's gone about things since he arrived here in pre-season," Port coach Hinkley said of the Sandover Medallist.

"He's worked incredibly hard to try and improve himself and us as a club and it is a great reward for his effort."

Mitchell joined the Power in the off-season after winning two WAFL premierships with Claremont.

Kane Mitchell fires off a handball. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser

The midfielder has been impressive in the pre-season with his endurance and pacy work.

Mitchell said he was "very excited" when senior coach Ken Hinkley told him of his elevation to the senior list.

"Ken was very measured and explained that it's come from hard work and it's hard work that'll get you where you want to go," said Mitchell.

"It's another step in my football journey and the direction where I want to go and it's something I needed to do to be able to play AFL.

"It's a huge honour to be promoted onto Port Adelaide's senior list. There are no guarantees that I'll get a game but I'll just continue working hard and playing my role on the training track."

- with Michelangelo Rucci

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Hardwick welcomes Tiger pressure

Richmond coach Damian Hardwick at Richmond training today. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick says it's time for the Tigers to step up, as the club embraces the increased expectation before tomorrow night's season-opening MCG blockbuster against Carlton.

The Tigers have not beaten the Blues since Round 1 in 2008 and have not played finals since 2001.

"The best place to be is when expectations are high, that's where you get your best results," Hardwick said. "We've put the pressure on our guys this year to march their way up the ladder as have probably 17 other clubs.
 
Tame Tigers: A brief history of Round 1 heartbreak

"We certainly look forward to rising to the challenge ... I think there's some 14 sides that are going to be challenging for that final eight position and we're going to be one of those."

Richmond defender and former skipper Chris Newman told Melbourne radio this week Richmond feared no side when it was playing at its best, and Hardwick was buoyed by that attitude.

"The thing that we've seen this year is we have not played well over the course of the pre-season, but still got the results we were after," he said.

"And that's what good sides do and that's what we're starting to become. The guys just have to deliver that on a consistent basis...I think that's something our guys are starting to deliver, that steely resolve about getting over the line.

"I'm really glad Chris put that on the agenda because it's time to step up."

Hardwick said the Tigers were better placed than when they were trounced by 44 points by the Blues in Round 1 last season.

"Our list has improved again, they've got further experience, we think we're better prepared so look, overall we think it's going to be a good result for us going into Round 1," he said.

The fourth-year coach said the Blues were a completely different side under new coach Mick Malthouse.

"You look two years ago how Collingwood played, as Mick said, it's probably going to take them a little bit of time to come up to the standard that he had the Collingwood sides, but we've got no doubt they're going to be a formidable outfit," he said.

"Mick coaches, very,very well. They're very much a down the line side now as Collingwood have been years previous.

"He's had great success with that game plan over the course of what, two decades, there's no doubt he won't divert much from that plan and why would he with that success rate."

Hardwick said first round draft pick Nick Vlastuin and former Port Adelaide defender Troy Chaplin were a chance to debut for the Tigers tomorrow night.

Pic gallery: Tigers tune up for Carlton clash

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Stevie J out indefinitely

Geelong star Steve Johnson will miss the start of the season. Source: Getty Images

GEELONG has not put a timeframe on Steve Johnson's return after minor knee surgery today.

The Cats said they made the call to have a knee arthroscopy now in the long-term interests of Johnson, who was already set to miss Monday's Round 1 clash against Hawthorn due to suspension.

Football manager Neil Balme said Johnson's knee had "caused him aggravation" over the past week.

"There was a possibility that Steve could manage the issue through the season, but we all felt it was a better course of action to have the procedure now so that Steve will be at 100 per cent when he returns," Balme said.

"We think that by having the knee cleaned up he will be fully fit when he starts to play rather than the possibility that the knee will slowly deteriorate over time forcing the surgery later in the year."

The Cats enter Round 1 with several big names on the injury list, most of them ruckmen.

The club announced today it had promoted young talls Mark Blicavs and Josh Walker from the rookie list.

Meanwhile, Geelong's Round 1 opponent Hawthorn today placed knee victims Matt Suckling and Alex Woodward on the long-term injury list. No replacements have been named at this stage.

The Barometer: Updated injury list for every club

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Hospital, report for Pavlich

Dockers skipper Matthew Pavlich was reported for charging Eagle Will Schofield in Derby No.37. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper Source: PerthNow

MATTHEW Pavlich's sour start to 2013 took another turn for the worse last night when he was hospitalised with a finger injury.

The Fremantle captain, who was reported for charging through Eagle Will Schofield, revealed on Twitter he had his "hand and finger fixed and stitched up".

"No breaks & looks good for Rd 2," he said.

LiveHQ: SuperCoach scores, stats and more from Freo's win

Pavlich was held goalless in the Dockers' impressive win, restricted to just 60 SuperCoach points.

PAVLICH'S HAND. PHOTO: INSTAGRAM

Source: HWT Image Library

But North Melbourne star Drew Petrie said the star forward had little to worry about for his report.
 

"Hopefully the tribunal and match review panel will look favourably on it," he told Channel 7's Game Day.

Petrie said Pavlich bracing himself before colliding with Schofield in a marking contest meant he should have no case to answer.

Worryingly for Pavlich, he has 93.75 carryover points after accepting a reprimand for striking Mitch Brown in last year's derby.

The Dockers could also be without goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne when they travel to take on the Western Bulldogs in Round 2.

Ballantyne ended the match with a shin/calf injury and is also set to be scrutinised for an off-the-ball incident involving Scott Selwood.

Selwood crumpled to the ground and was left nursing a sore head after receiving a solid bump from Ballantyne well off the play.

Meanwhile, WEST COAST'S horror injury list has been compounded by the loss of Mark LeCras and possibly Eric Mackenzie.

GALLERY: Pearce ignites as Dockers whip Eagles

LeCras will undergo surgery this week to have a plate inserted into his arm and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Mackenzie pinged a hamstring, placing him in doubt for the Eagles' crunch Round 2 duel with Hawthorn.

Ruckman Dean Cox said LeCras was in scintillating pre-season form, adding to the tragedy of his injury in his first match since 2011.

"He had an x-ray last night and it did reveal he had a broken arm," Cox said today.

"They'll rush him to surgery as quickly as possibly and hopefully he doesn't miss too many weeks."

ADELAIDE also has injury concerns with Luke Brown substituted out of Friday night's loss to Essendon with a foot complaint.

LiveHQ: SuperCoach scores, stats and more from the Dons' win

Brown tweeted yesterday: "Thanks to everyone for the supportive messages. Good signs so far now to rest up and recovery."

ESSENDON star David Zaharakis will suit up in the VFL next week as he looks to build on match fitness after his limited pre-season.

Zaharakis, who was the substitute against the Crows, told Channel 7 he was set to line up for Essendon's reserves in a practice match against Sandringham.
 
- with AAP

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Young Crow in the clear

Luke Brown is in the clear. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: HWT Image Library

YOUNG Crows defender Luke Brown is clear of any bone damage to his left foot that was crunched twice in Friday night's opener against Essendon.

X-rays have revealed no break for the two-game defender who is certain to be available for Adelaide's second-round clash with Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday, April 6.

And Crows switch-hitter Ricky Henderson has passed the concussion test after taking a heavy knock to the head in the last term of the 35-point loss to the Bombers at AAMI Stadium.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores, stats, video and more

Adelaide has been left with a long list of issues to correct from the stinging defeat, none more pressing than the Crows' poor tackling. Essendon out-tackled the Crows 73-47.

Defender Brent Reilly admits: "We weren't good at it last year either. We worked hard on it in the pre-season - and we're still not up to scratch. We need to get better at it.''

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Round 1: Studs and duds

Jobe Watson was again a SuperCoach stud. Photo by Morne de Klerk/Getty Images Source: HWT Image Library

SUPERCOACH STUDS AND DUDS: JOBE picks up where he left off, Danyle Pearce turns in a blinder and what to do with Mark LeCras?

ADELAIDE 11.16 (82) lost to ESSENDON 18.9 (117)

Crows stud: Not many. Sam Jacobs and Matthew Wright cracked the ton - both scoring 102.  Taylor Walker's last-quarter goals boosted his score to a respectable 91, but there was little joy elsewhere for the home side.

LIVE HQ: Your one-stop shop for every SuperCoach score this round

Crows duds: Patrick Dangerfield finished with 63 points, about half of which were scored in the first term. After that Heath Hocking was sent to the explosive star and didn't give him an inch. Ouch, particularly for those who made Danger captain.

One to watch: Luke Brown was substituted out with a foot injury. The popular rookie-priced defender accumulated 44 points before that, but won't require a trade after being cleared of bone damage. With Michael Doughty retired, this young lad could be set for a promising season.

AFL round 1 - Adelaide Crows v Essendon Bombers at AAMI Stadium - LUke Brown Taken off at the end of the game Picture: Sarah Reed Source: HWT Image Library

Dons stud: Captain Jobe did it again. He racked up 121 points and, given his supreme consistency, looks a mega captaincy contender, particularly if you don't have little Gazza. Ben Howlett played out of this world with four goals and 164 points, but can't see too many having him. Brent Stanton and Courtenay Dempsey also cracked the ton, while the lively Nick Kommer looks a bargain. A handy 70 points on debut. Cash cow goes: "Mooooooooo".

Essendon's Nick Kommer runs through the middle of AAMI Stadium. Source: Getty Images

Dons dud: Paddy Ryder finished with only 54 points, and that almost seemed generous given he had just two kicks. Brendon Goddard finished on 86, but showed damaging signs from limited involvements. If he gets a heap of it expect booming scores.

Vested interest: He'll build on his match fitness with a VFL hit out next week, and that surely means no more substitute action for David Zaharakis. The goalkicking midfielder scored 28 points from one quarter on Friday night and that means he's set for a big price drop. Keep an eye on Zaha in about a month or so.

FREMANTLE 16.12 (108) defeated WEST COAST 11.14 (80)

Dockers stud: New boy Danyle Pearce was the SuperCoach standout. A bumper 130 points from the $460k steal, who is even dual-position (defender/midfield). Ross told us Pearce had "bought in" - and it showed. Seven Dockers cracked triple figures in a monster display, with Michael Barlow (144) and David Mundy (126) leading the charge.

Danyle Pearce celebrates kicking his first goal in Dockers' strips. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

Dockers dud: Skip Matty Pavlich finished with no goals, just 60 points, a report and a night in hospital. Ouch. Won't see that too many times again.

LIVE HQ: Your one-stop shop for every SuperCoach score this round

True to form: Jon Griffin's excellent pre-season held true. The ruckman scored 116 from four kicks and could be a handy point of difference with the big fella Sandilands out for a while.

Eagles stud: Has to be Josh Kennedy. Worked hard all night, kicked a couple and cracked the ton. Not bad for a player under $300k. Gee, he'd be handy in navy blue, wouldn't he? The ever-reliable Beau Waters top scored with 117, while Dean Cox scraped his way to 99.

Eagles dud: "Dud" a harsh term but none of West Coast's star-studded midfield hit three figures. Masten (87), Scott Selwood (81), Gaff (66) and Shuey (56) were all quiet, while Priddis's efficiency of just 39 per cent also kept him under 100.

Fire the Frenchman: It's a tragedy, but Mark LeCras has to go. If you had him, give yourself a pat on the back as his first half looked splendid. LeCras was on track to smash past 100 before a collision with Tendai Mzungu broke his arm, which requires surgery. And that means 4-6 weeks. Look for LeCras' teammate, Josh Kennedy, who is about $70k cheaper.

Eagle Mark LeCras comes off the ground with a serious arm injury. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

 

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The Tackle is back!

Mark Robinson's hard-hitting column The Tackle is back. Picture: Michael Klein Source: HWT Image Library

Footy's hardest hitting column is back.

Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson returns with his first edition of his award-winning column The Tackle for 2013 tomorrow morning.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores, video, stats, commentary and more

No target is too big for Robbo and he already has a new rule in his sights - and it isn't the sliding free kick that gifted Alwyn Davey a goal on Friday night.

Robbo will list his biggest likes and dislikes from the opening weekend of the 2013 AFL season.

And you can have your say on what's making you angry and happy in the footy world - connect via Twitter by following @Robbo_heraldsun and using #thetackle hashtag.

And join Robbo from 11.30am tomorrow - and every Monday - for a live chat.

Get hit by The Tackle tomorrow on SuperFooty.

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Players 'guinea pigs' for new rule

Adelaide's Brent Reilly crashes into the legs of Alwyn Davey, giving away a free kick. Picture: Simon Cross Source: Herald Sun

Essendon put woes behind them by winning season opener.

ADELAIDE coach Brenton Sanderson says it is impossible to change players' instincts to try to win the ball even if it means giving away a free kick.

But both Essendon coach James Hird and his Adelaide counterpart Brenton Sanderson say it will take players time to adjust to a law change which is changing a fabric of the game.

The rule penalising players who slide into an opponent's legs was prevalent as Essendon won the season-opener in Adelaide on Friday night by 35 points.

Sanderson says his Crows players battled to adjust to being "guinea pigs" for the new rule.

Adelaide defender Brent Reilly conceded a goal from the law change: despite collecting the ball, he was penalised for cannoning into the legs of Essendon's Alwyn Davey.

Sanderson said Reilly wouldn't have given away a free kick for doing the same thing last year.

"It's a tricky one because it looked like Radar (Reilly) was going for the ball," he said.

"The interpretation of the new rule is that is now a free kick but we get penalised with a goal against.

LiveHQ - relive all the action plus full SuperCoach points

"We will have to have a look at that and show the players.

"I guess everyone now across the competition gets a first look at the guinea pigs - Essendon and the Crows will be the benchmark now for what that rule is.

"And it will be scrutinised pretty heavily throughout the media this week."

Sanderson said it was impossible to change the instinct of players to dive to win possession of ground balls.

"You can't change instinct, you have to teach better method," he said.

But Bombers coach James Hird said the new rule was well handled by players and umpires.

Watson inspires Bomber victory

"We spent a bit of time since our last NAB Cup game against GWS practising some things, not to get a free kick, but to avoid a free kick - the way we tackle, the way we go for the ball and that has certainly helped us," Hird said.

"It will take a while for players to get used to it and also for umpires to get used to it.

"I thought it was handled very well by the players and the umpires but that is probably a biased point of view because we won."

Picture gallery: Dons drop bomb on Crows

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Tackle count alarms Sando

Essendon put woes behind them by winning season opener.

Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson looks for answers. Source: Getty Images

ADELAIDE coach Brenton Sanderson says the numbers are as ugly as the result.

The Crows took a beating from Essendon in key areas in their 35-point loss last night.

None concerned Sanderson more than tackling.

After spending a summer with improving Adelaide's tackling as his main priority, Sanderson's players laid just 47 tackles to Essendon's 73.

"The glaring stat for us is the tackles," Sanderson said.

"We couldn't stick tackles, they brushed us away and then they got some easy goals."

Sanderson's next concern was centre clearances, where his much-vaunted midfield was hammered by the Bombers who racked up 18 centre clearances to Adelaide's nine.

"We'll have to work out what exactly went wrong but it probably started in the centre bounce, the numbers there are ugly. They just killed us in centre bounce clearances," Sanderson said.

"We had our A-grade boys in there and unfortunately they got beat."

LiveHQ - relive all the action plus full SuperCoach points

Then there were uncontested possessions, with Essendon recording a whopping 49 more than the Crows. And also skill errors, with Adelaide recording 49 clangers for the game.

"If it was a tennis game, you would call them unforced errors," Sanderson said.

"There was times we could only blame ourselves ... we shot ourselves in the foot a lot with unforced errors."

Picture gallery: Dons drop bomb on Crows

Sanderson was also worried that Adelaide lacked dash and daring.

"It looked like we were quite stagnant at times, we didn't want to take risks, we didn't want to take the game on," he said.

"We play our best footy when we're dynamic and we take the game on and we accelerate out of contests. That wasn't there."

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