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."

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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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10 things we learnt last night

Essendon put woes behind them by winning season opener.

Brendon Goddard celebrates after kicking a goal for Essendon. Source: Getty Images

A NEW Bomber cult hero, SuperCoach clangers and Channel 7 goes back to the future. Oh, and has anyone seen the coin for the toss?

1. JOBE WELL DONE

WE already knew it, but Jobe Watson is a freak. The Bombers captain almost single-handedly stopped his side's first-quarter rut and sparked Essendon with a grinding, inspirational midfield onslaught which the Crows were powerless to stop. And Kevin Sheedy wanted to trade this bloke?

2. KURT LEFT A CHASM

HE wore No. 4 and spent the entire night in attack, but Josh Jenkins just doesn't have the prowess of Kurt Tippett. It left the Crows weak in attack and with Taylor Walker shutdown, void of scoring power for about a 40 minute stretch bookending the second quarter.

3. DIVING DONE FOR GOOD

LIKE it or lump it, the contact below the knees rule is here. Brent Reilly found out the hard way last night when he slid into Alwyn Davey, taking out the small forward's legs. The result? An instant free kick and goal for the Dons. The crowd didn't like it - and Crows coach Brenton Sanderson says it goes against the basic instincts of players - but that's the rule.

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

4. JAKE OUT OF THE BOX

JAKE Carlisle is one to watch. The key defender won't feature on many highlights reels, but his work on Tex Walker last night was sublime. He had help, but Carlisle's ability to negate space and keep the Crows star out of the action was superb. Walker jagged two last-quarter goals but the honours well and truly went the young Bombers' way.

LiveHQ: Relive all the action plus full SuperCoach scores

5. USE THE FLIPPIN' COIN

WHAT was going on at the coin toss last night? Instead of tossing it, the umpire directed the flipper to hold it in a hand behind her back and let the captains choose which one it was in. Made no sense. If it was an issue with the coin, pick up a can and get your 5c refund and go again. Bizarre way to start the season.

Picture gallery: Dons drop bomb on Crows

6. BJ QUIET BUT DEADLY

BRENDON Goddard might have had just 14 disposals in a quiet debut, but he showed just how devastating he could be for the Bombers. The marquee recruit only needs a handful of kicks to damage the opposition, as he showed with his magnificent booming set-shot goal in the second term. When this bloke racks up 25-touches plus, the Bombers are going to be hard to beat.

Brendon Goddard celebrates after kicking a goal for Essendon. Source: Getty Images

7. SPLIT SCREEN NOSTALGIA

CHANNEL 7 brought back the picture-in-picture action to its broadcast last night, and it was far from a hit with the public. The network was slammed on social media for bringing back a fad that had the sword sliced through it in the 1990s. Let's see if it remains.

8. KOMMER PUTS EXCLAMATION MARK ON WIN

IT SEEMS the Dons have unearthed another state-league gem in Nick Kommer. The long-haired 22-year-old plays with serious tenacity and just makes things happen. He showed steady nerves to kick the sealer, applied great pressure and delivered the ball impressively all night. He joins Michael Hibberd, Mark Baguley and Dylan van Unen as Bomber recruits from second-tier footy. That's a nice haul.

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

9. SUPERCOACH SUPER FRUSTRATING

LEAGUE games are still three weeks away and we're four quarters into the season, and I want to tear my hear out. Hands up if you had Ben Howlett or Courtenay Dempsey? Didn't think so. Didn't even have Jobe. Instead loaded up on "premiums" Patrick Dangerfield and Goddard for an underwhelming 63 and 86 SuperCoach points respectively. Both face big price drops. Also had Luke Brown, who got injured. Oh boy. Saving grace was throwing Kommer in at the last-minute. Come on Fyfe and Coxy tonight. PS: keep an eye on David Zaharakis in about a month – his price will plummet after donning the green vest.

Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield under extreme pressure. Source: Getty Images

10. MICHAEL HURLED FORWARD

A LOT of pre-season chatter about which end Michael Hurley would suit up at. He spent the entire match in attack last night and presented well without finding the big sticks. Daniel Talia did a tremendous job on him, but it looks like James Hird's Plan A this year will be to stick Hurley and Stewie Crameri up forward as a one-two punch.
 

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Viney on track for Dees debut

Jack Viney gets the footy moving forward during the Casey Scorpions vs Port Melbourne practise match at Casey Fields, Cranbourne. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

Mitch Clark kicks at goal at Casey Fields. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

JACK Viney is almost certain to debut for Melbourne against Port Adelaide next Sunday after a strong performance for Casey Scorpions today.

And the Demons have not given up hope that Mitch Clark and Jack Trengove could also play after both players got through three quarters unscathed of the game against Port Melbourne at Casey Fields.

Viney was one of the Scorpions' best players while Clark and Trengove were a little rusty after long layoffs.

Demons football manager Josh Mahoney confirmed Viney would likely make his debut next weekend, while Clark, Trengove and Chris Dawes (who did not play yesterday) would be assessed over the coming days.

"We were keen for him (Viney) to get one more (game) in and he played really well," Mahoney said.

"We would be expecting him to be very close to playing (in Round 1)."

Mahoney said Clark, Trengove and Dawes remain a chance to play, but the Demons would have to wary they do not take underdone players into the clash with Port Adelaide.

"They are a chance to play," he said. "It will be an interesting week - we will have some decisions to make."

Clark kicked one goal in his first game since a foot reconstruction after Round 13 last year.

He attacked the ball - and at times his opponents - with intent, but was sometimes frustrated by the opportunities that were presented to him.

Trengove looked a little underdone after overcoming stress fractures and struggled to have an impact.
Both he and Clark left the field midway through the last term.

Dean Kent, who had impressed the Demons during the pre-season, was reported after an incident just before quarter-time.

Meanwhile at Frankston, Adam Schneider put his hand up for selection in St Kilda's Round 1 side with a second strong performance for Sandringham in two weeks.

Read about how the St Kilda-listed players performed

HERE

.

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Retirements, injuries won't stop us

2013 preview: The Cats can cling to a finals berth with a mix of old heads and young talent, says Fox Footy expert Brad Johnson.

Geelong skipper Joel Selwood says Cat fans shouldn't be scared of what lies ahead. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

GEELONG captain Joel Selwood admits Matthew Scarlett is irreplaceable, he's not sure how a makeshift ruck set-up will fare and suspended stars Steve Johnson and James Kelly will be missed.

It all points to the Cats, coming off their poorest season in six years, being unusually vulnerable when Hawthorn tries to break an extraordinary nine-match losing streak against Geelong on Easter Monday.

But Selwood doesn't see it that way.

Nor does he accept last year's emphatic elimination final dumping by Fremantle signals the end of the glory era which delivered the Cats three flags in five years.

"I'm not so scared like some other people might be and if you're a supporter I hope you're not either," Selwood said.

"We've gone out and we've got players that we think are going to help us and make us better."

Midfielder Josh Caddy (from Gold Coast), ruckman Hamish McIntosh (North Melbourne) and backman Jared Rivers (Melbourne) are the experienced recruits.

But McIntosh (knee) won't face the Hawks because of injury.

Nor will fellow ruck options Dawson Simpson (back) or Nathan Vardy (groin), while Trent West (knee) is only a slim chance.

Ex-steeplechaser Mark Blicavs, on the Cats' rookie list, has shown great pre-season promise in the ruck.

But Selwood says while the Cats are confident that can translate to a successful premiership season debut, they're not certain.

"We don't know," he said.

"Everything that he's done so far he's surprised us and I think it will continue that way."

Selwood says Rivers can't hope to emulate retired champion Scarlett in defence.

But having coped with losing other key planks of their golden era in recent seasons - such as Gary Ablett, Brad Ottens, Cameron Mooney, Tom Harley, Cameron Ling and Darren Milburn - the Cats expect to adapt again.

"We bring guys in that will give us something different," Selwood said.

"That's what Jared will do.

"We don't expect him to be Matthew Scarlett."

Selwood is confident Geelong can extend its streak against Hawthorn since the 2008 Grand Final loss to 10.

"It's one that you always highlight, the Hawthorn game," he said.

"We're going to miss James Kelly and Steve Johnson in that game and probably go in with under-sized ruckmen.

"Hopefully Westy will be thereabouts, but if not we'll take them on with whoever we've got.

"We've done it in the past and we look forward to doing that."

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Shuey braced for Crowley challenge

CLOSE COMPANY: Luke Shuey can expect another tight tag from Ryan Crowley in tomorrow's derby. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

WEST Coast midfielder Luke Shuey has thrived living in the shadows of Daniel Kerr, but his free ride is set to end this season.

With Kerr still on the sidelines recovering from knee surgery, opposition taggers are set to clamp down hard on Shuey, starting with tomorrow night's western derby against Fremantle.

Even when Kerr returns to action next month, taggers are likely to stick with Shuey more often than not given his destructive capabilities in the midfield.

Kerr has carried the mantle as West Coast's best midfielder ever since Chris Judd and Ben Cousins left the club at the end of 2007.

But there was a changing of the guard last year, with even Kerr admitting that taggers would be wiser to clamp down on Shuey instead of him.

"I wasn't happy with him. I put a big block of blue cheese in his locker that week," Shuey said with a laugh when asked about Kerr's comments.

Fremantle are one side who have already cottoned on to just how dangerous Shuey is, sending master tagger Ryan Crowley to him in the second western derby last year.

Kerr - no longer shackled by a tagger - racked up a game-high 36 possessions in that encounter.

But Fremantle's decision to play Crowley on Shuey proved to be a masterstroke, with the young Eagle restricted to a career-low 11 possessions as the Dockers romped to a 65-point victory.

That match-up is likely to be repeated tomorrow night.

Shuey says he hasn't copped many tags during his 52-game career, but admits he may have to end up getting used to them.

The 22-year-old said if that ends up happening, the likes of Scott Selwood, Matt Priddis and Kerr needed to make the most of their relative freedom.

"We are in the fortunate position where we do have three or four guys who can win a game off their own boot," Shuey said.

"It's going to make it a lot easier this year to play well if we share that load.

"I've been pretty lucky to play with Kerr for my first few years.

"(If you do get tagged), you've really got to sacrifice your own game a little bit and try to play a role for the team.

"But in the same context, you don't want to go too far away from playing your natural game."

Both sides enter the derby missing key players.

West Coast are without ruckman Nic Naitanui (groin), Kerr, Sharrod Wellingham (ankle), Matt Rosa (quad) and Mark Nicoski (hamstring), while Fremantle lost ruckmen Aaron Sandilands (hamstring) and Zac Clarke (foot).

Former St Kilda midfielder Jamie Cripps will make his debut for the Eagles, with the club also opting to include 20-year-old ruckman Scott Lycett to support Dean Cox.

Fremantle turned to Kepler Bradley to back Jon Griffin in the ruck, while 20-year-old Cameron Sutcliffe was included for just his fifth game.
 

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LIVE: Crows v Bombers

Essendon star Brendon Goddard celebrates after kicking his first goal for the Bombers. Tonight he'll make his season proper debut. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

BRENDON Goddard is just hours away from his Essendon debut, but prized Adelaide youngster Brad Crouch looks set to miss tonight's season-opener at AAMI Stadium.

Crouch was surprisingly left out of Adelaide's side but was named as coach Brenton Sanderson's first emergency.

BELOW: See the teams for tonight

The Dons will unveil Nick Kommer, their 22-year-old draftee from Western Australia, while the Crows will unleash former Don Josh Jenkins as a one-two punch in attack, along with star forward Taylor Walker.

SuperFooty will have live coverage of tonight's blockbuster, while LiveHQ is back and better than ever.

The match centre boasts live SuperCoach scores, stats and commentary and instant scores from the first bounce.

Check out LiveHQ right now

So Don't wait until you get home from the game to check how much you're beating your mates by in SuperCoach.

LiveHQ has been tailored to mobiles so its fast to load and easy to find all the info you need.

New for 2013, you can follow the match wherever you are with live scores, stats for every player and play-by-play commentary - completely free.

You can also see the updated game notes from SuperFooty's expert journos that will tell you every time there's a substitution, injury or controversy - and why Lance Franklin's SuperCoach score is going backwards.

Digital Pass holders - Click here to link your SuperCoach side to LiveHQ to get live SuperCoach points and free access to SuperCoach gold

And every footy fan with a mobile can access live SuperCoach points through LiveHQ with a Herald Sun digital pass.

Click on LiveHQ on your desktop or tablet for an even more detailed view of the game.

ADELAIDE v ESSENDON, TONIGHT 8.40pm AAMI STADIUM

ADELAIDE

B: Luke Brown, Ben Rutten, Ricky Henderson

HB: Nathan van Berlo, Daniel Talia, Brent Reilly

C: Bernie Vince, Patrick Dangerfield, David Mackay

HF: Richard Douglas, Josh Jenkins, Jared Petrenko

F: Jason Porplyzia, Taylor Walker, Matthew Wright

RUCK: Sam Jacobs, Scott Thompson, Rory Sloane,

INTERCHANGE: Matthew Jaensch, Graham Johncock, Brodie Martin, Andy Otten

EMERGENCIES: Brad Couch, Shaun McKernan, Aidan Riley

ESSENDON

B: M Baguley, C Hooker, M Hibberd

HB: B Goddard, D Fletcher, J Carlisle

C: C Dempsey, J Watson, D Heppell

HF: D Zaharakis, P Ryder, S Crameri

FF: A Davey, M Hurley, N Kommer

R: T.Bellchambers, B Stanton,  B Howlett

INTERCHANGE: H Hocking, D Myers, J Melksham
J Merrett

EMERGENCIES: L Jetta, K Hardingham, E Kavanagh

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League will tighten drug loophole

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou is part of the drugs working party. Picture: Glenn Daniels Source: Herald Sun

THE AFL's illicit drugs working party has agreed to tighten the loophole which allows players to admit drug use yet dodge testers.

The self-reporting loophole will be tightened but not totally disregarded to ensure it is not abused by players.

Clubs believed a small number of players were reporting the use of drugs not as a cry for help, but simply as a way to sidestep positive strikes.

Some club officials even believed their players had done so when made aware testers were at their club.

But the AFL confirmed today the working party had agreed amendments would be drafted for review by the AFLPA and AFL, to be discussed again in 4-6 weeks.

The AFL Commission and player delegates of the player union would both need to agree to alterations of the AFL's illicit drugs policy.

"We also had considerable discussion about how the policy framework can be strengthened to deal with a very small number of players who might disrespect the policy's objectives and disregard how their off-field behaviour impacts on other players in the competition, their own club and the AFL itself," AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said.

Demetriou chairs the working party, which also includes AFLPA chief executive Matt Finnis, AFL medical officers and club representatives.

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Eagles eye top-four spot

2013 preview: The Eagles have talent in every position and will be almost impossible to stop this year, says Fox Footy expert Brad Johnson.

Matt Priddis kicks the Eagles into attack. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

WEST Coast midfielder Matt Priddis says a top-four finish is critical if the club is to have a legitimate shot at winning this year's premiership.

Under the current finals format, no team has come from outside the top four to win the flag.

Adelaide won the premiership from fifth position in 1998, but that was under a system in which teams that finished fifth and sixth weren't necessarily eliminated if they lost in the first week of the finals.

The Eagles finished the home-and-away season in fifth place last year before being knocked out by Collingwood in an away semi-final.

West Coast is one of the flag favourites this year, and Priddis said it was crucial to grab a top-four spot and the double chance it brings.

"We know we've got to win the majority of our games to give ourselves the opportunity," Priddis said ahead of Saturday's season-opener against Fremantle at Patersons Stadium.

"We'd ultimately like to finish top-four to give ourselves a chance to really win a flag.

"Darren Glass is a great leader and he's extremely excited about the guys coming through in the backline.

"From a midfield point of view, adding Mark LeCras and Sharrod Wellingham into it this year is going to give us great flexibility and depth.

"And the depth in the forward line is exciting."

West Coast has been hit hard by injuries during the pre-season, with Daniel Kerr (knee), Nic Naitanui (groin), Wellingham (ankle), Matt Rosa (quad) and Mark Nicoski (hamstring) all unavailable for the early part of the season.

Fremantle is without ruckman Aaron Sandilands, who faces more time on the sidelines after aggravating his injured left hamstring.

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Jolly OK after lung scare

Darren Jolly cops a knee in the back in a ruck contest against Geelong. Picture: Harman Stephen Source: Herald Sun

Darren Jolly with trainers. Picture: Harman Stephen Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD ruckman Darren Jolly says he will line up in the Magpies' opening clash next week despite a stint in hospital.

Jolly was hospitalised after suffering a hit in his back in last Friday's practice-match loss to Geelong at Simmonds Stadium.

"I just copped a knock in the back, of all places, in the last quarter, which was purely an accident," Jolly said.

"I went into hospital as a precaution, just to make sure the lungs are OK.

"It's all good now."

However, Jolly admitted he had had an easier week following the incident "to settle down".

"I'm very confident (of playing in Round 1). I've dealt with injuries in the past and this is no different," he said.

"I'll make sure I look after it this week and be ready to go for next week."

Collingwood recruited former Adelaide, Western Bulldogs and Lions ruckman Ben Hudson as a ruck coach only to later recruit him in the rookie draft to shore up their playing stocks.

Jolly said he was happy that Hudson would play a role on-field at various times.

"I knew when Huddo was coming he was probably going to play a few games, which is great," Jolly said.

"Huddo brings great experience to our group. Obviously he's played at three different clubs now and the way he goes about training and playing, his attitude towards things is fantastic.

"I'm not going to play every game and I don't think every player will play every game so there's opportunities there for him," he said.

Meanwhile, Jolly said star midfielder Dale Thomas was in doubt for the first round against North Melbourne on Sunday week but backman Ben Reid should play.

"I think maybe Reidy might be ready to go but I'm dubious about Daisy (Thomas)," he said.

"He's confident he'll be ready for Round 1 and he's back training but I think he has to prove to the coaches that he can really get up and go and be tackled."

Collingwood's Dale Thomas is struggling to be ready to go in Round 1. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

Thomas has been involved in controversy recently after saying he might not stay at Collingwood if he gets a more attractive offer under the free agency rules.

"Internally, we don't really worry about it," Jolly said.

"Daisy, to his credit, is coming off an injury so he wants to prove to the club that he wants a good contract and he will start to play some good footy before he starts talking about it.

"None of the guys have a problem with it at all - we know where he stands."

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