Angelo Lekkas Sidelined Indefinitely

G'Day Footy Fans -

STROKE SIDELINES HAWK
The results of the tests on midfielder Angelo Lekkas revealed that the headaches and nausea he suffered two weeks ago were the result of a minor stroke in the cerebral area of his brain. The stroke was caused by a blockage in a blood vessel. The brain area affected controls balance and coordination, although the stroke was minor enough so as not to cause any loss of function as there was no bleeding into the brain tissue.
The exact cause of the blockage is yet unknown and may never be known, although Lekkas will undergo more tests and scans as part of his recovery monitoring by medical staff, both at the club and at the hospital.
Possible causes could be blows received during games or a possible congenital etiology or a combination of both, but nothing is certain at this time.
Lekkas said the diagnosis came as a huge shock as he felt he was in the best shape he had been in years. He and the club are hopeful that he will be able to play again, but the first priority is regaining his health. The current prognosis is at least 3 months on the sidelines and a rehab program which will begin with very low impact exercises, such as swimming and walking, then gradually progressing to running and training. The low impact program is designed to prevent a rise in blood pressure which could aggravate the damaged area, which needs time to heal. As exercise leads to an increase in blood pressure and whether the healed brain tissue is affected by this increase will determine if Lekkas can continue increasing his activity levels.
The club has put no definitive timeframe on Lekkas, and he will be closely monitored over the next several months.
Professor Stephen Davis, director of Neurology at Royal Melbourne Hospital and one of Australia's leading experts on stroke, has been treating Lekkas. Both he and club doctor Peter Baquie are delighted with his progress. Davis said the rapid progress Lekkas has made can be attributed to his elite fitness level and positive attitude.

Hawthorn officials also met with Lekkas' management to allay all fears that he would be financially disadvantaged because of his lengthy absence from the game.
Club CEO and football manager Mark Evans met with and Jacques Khouri, Lekkas' manager, to confirm their support and long-term commitment.
One concern was the sort of insurance coverage Lekkas has and what type of compensation he might be entitled to claim.
While Dr. Baquie has said the cause behind the stroke is not known and may never be known, Lekkas' manager has linked the stroke to football. Khouri said he had received medical advice from another neurosurgeon that the stroke was football-related, although Lekkas said he did not receive any sort of blow in the match in Perth the day before he fell ill.
While Hawthorn has given assurances Lekkas' contract would be paid out this season - even if he could not play - Khouri said he was looking after his client's long-term interests, part of which would be compensation of some sort for his illness.
Graham Arthur, who recently stepped down as director of the Hawk Social Club and was briefly a candidate for the club presidency, hit back at Khouri, expressing disappointment at Khouri's public claims that the stroke was football related. as Lekkas' doctors are still trying to determine the cause.

GENERAL NEWS

Dare To Dream
Is the name of the painting featuring Ron Barassi, Kevin Sheedy, Grant Thomas, and Brian Dixon (Chairman, AFL South Africa). It was unveiled last week and will be auctioned off at a special fundraising dinner.
AFL Chairman Ron Evans hopes the dinner will raise $30,000 to assist South Africa bring a team to Australia in August for the International Cup.
The painting depicts the quartet looking on from packed stands at the MCG as a South African team takes on an Australian team in a match.
Barassi, Sheedy, Thomas and Dixon attending the unveiling, all spoke about their special relationship and feelings toward, not only the painting, but their experiences and views on football in South Africa.

McConnell Heads AIS
Former Fitzroy coach Alan McConnell (1991-96) has been appointed as the new AIS-AFL High Performance Coach.
McConnell, who also played 38 games for Footscray (now the Western Bulldogs) between 1980 and 1982 is a qualified physical education teacher and served as an assistant coach at Geelong 1997-2003.
The AIS Academy invites 50-60 young players from the Junior Championship games to test them and prepare them for the AFL Draft.
AFL Game Development Manager David Matthews said McConnell's role would also include the design and implementation of strategies to enhance the education and training of coaches and a focus on developing talent in the NSW/ACT and Queensland markets.

Speaking of NSW and QLD, the AFL has also launched training academies in both states in a bid to entice young athletes to choose footy over other sports.
Star AFL players will be among the mentors at the AFL Swans Academy and the AFL Lions Academy. The NSW Academy will be based at the SCG and the QLD one will be based at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Lions Simon Black, Luke Power, Chris Johnson, and Jonathan Brown will help out at the Brisbane Academy and Barry Hall, Paul Williams, and Adam Goodes will do the same in Sydney. Participating players will be paid outside of their clubs' salary caps for their services to the programs.
The AFL hopes to have 150 potential AFL draftees attend the two academies each year.
The Academies will be a multilevel coaching program for aspiring players aged between 12 and 18, with the older players being eligible to represent their states in the Under-18 championship games.
The leagues estimates that there are more than 115,000 kids participating in footy in the two states.
The Lions expressed concern to Andrew Demetriou over the loss of draft concessions. However, Demetriou said this could be offset by the local talent lured to the academy. But there is no guarantee that either the Swans or Lions will have a first access to any of the players coming through.
The initiative comes as part of the AFL's stronger push into the northern markets where the NRL is reported to be spending $10 million on scholarship-type initiatives to attract players. The NRL does not have a draft.
The Lions AFL Academy, headed by AFLQ talent manager and former Sydney player Mark Browning, will offer up to 150 locals coaching and tuition in football, football-related activities and personal development.
Lions coach Leigh Matthews said his vision was for six to 10 players to be drafted from Queensland each year within the next 10 years.

Wizard Attendances
The semifinals games last weekend drew more than 51,000 supporters and the competition has so far drawn some 55,000 more supporters than at the same stage in 2004. The weekend's six practice games drew more than 44,000 supporters. Over 12,000 attended the game at Lavington, NSW and a crowd of 16,590 watched Essendon and Brisbane at Carrara. Only 3 other games at Carrara drew more fans when the Lions were the Bears and played their home games there 1987-92.
The official crowd of 16,591 at Carrara last weekend was only 1600 short of the ground record for an AFL match there.

Two New Rules
The Commission has approved the larger center circle for the season proper after two years of trial in the Wizard Cup. The full explanation is:

Law 11.3.5: All ruckmen will begin their run-up within a larger 10-metre centre circle, with the ball to be bounced inside the smaller circle. The ruckman cannot cross the centre line into the other half of the ground (attacking half) until the ball is bounced while the three other centre-square players must begin outside the larger circle for the bounce.

This change followed work by the Football Operations Department and research by the AFL Medical officers into PCL injuries in ruckmen.
Several options were canvassed to counter the escalating rate of PCL injuries in ruckmen and this option was decided upon after extensive consultation with club coaches, ruckmen and ruck coaches.

With the new Tribunal system, the rough play rule has been modifed:

Law 19.2.2 (viii): A player who is not deliberately engaging in a melee is not reported. Under Law 19.2.2 (vii), the term rough play has been replaced with the term rough contact, to provide for a free kick or reportable offence when the football is not in play. Under Law 11.3.4, a player who pushes an opposition player into the center square at a bounce will now be penalized with a free kick against him.

Historical Website
For all you ex-pat Aussies out there and for anyone interested in the histories of now defunct local clubs, check out http://www.footypedia.com/
The creator of the site, Kevin Court, has put together informatrion on almost 600 current and past clubs.

New Ad To Air
The AFL has come up with a new ad for this season. It is called "The Pledge" and involves some of the best players making pledges to themselves, their coaches, teammates and supporters.
The idea aims to highlight the commitment of the players and show their serious, and not-so-serious personalities.
Appearing at their home grounds, training locations, and landmarks in their home cities,
the players work with scripted and unscripted material.
60 second and 30 second ads will air in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia.

TRIBUNAL
Had the week off as there were no reports laid on match day, nor were any referred to the Tribunal after the match reviews were completed.

TEAM NEWS

ESSENDON
Mark Johnson, Dean Rioli, and Adam Ramanauskas all returned to the side this week.

WESTERN BULLDOGS
Brad Johnson's ankle injury is likely to keep him out until Round 3. He turned his right ankle when caught under a pack.
Coach Rodney Eade said Johnson's injury was unusual in that the damaged ligament is situated at the front of his ankle where a lack of blood supply makes healing slow.

Lindsey Gilbee (concussion), Robert Murphy (groin), Daniel Bandy (corked leg), and Matthew Boyd (leg) all missed this week.

MELBOURNE
Melbourne’s season opener against Essendon will be played in and honor of Troy Broadbridge. This game was selected because Troy made played his first and last games against the Bombers.
The players from both teams will wear black armbands and a minute's silence will be observed prior to the game. Channel Ten, which will broadcast the game, is also planning a tribute to Troy's life and brief football career.
Also to honor Troy, Melbourne's new match-day sponsor, Swedish Match Australia which produces a brand called Redheads, will release 2025 red balloons - 2005 to represent the new season plus 20 for Troy's guernsey number.
Troy's parents will be at the game and his widow, Trisha, will toss the coin.
Trisha said the balloon release would reflect the way Troy lived and celebrate his sense of humor and fun.

Kangaroo discard Shannon Motlop has replaced former Hawk Kris Barlow as a contender for the open spot on Melbourne's playing list.
Barlow has opted out of AFL football to join Vermont in the Eastern District Football League where he has been appointed an assistant coach. He also found a job in Vermont in the building industry. Barlow, 31, said he chose Vermont because it was more of a guarantee than an AFL offer which might only last one year.
Motlop, a premiership player with the Kangaroos in 1999, has been playing with North Adelaide in the SANFL since being delisted at the end of 2003. He joined the Kangaroos in 1999, but inconsistent form and injury saw him play just 22 games in 5 years.
He was flown to Melbourne last week for a fitness exam and to meet with Coach Neale Daniher.
Motlop, whose younger brother Daniel is still on with the Kangaroos, could provide another small goalkicking option alongside his cousin Aaron Davey.
Former Bomber/Tiger Justin Blumfield is also still being considered to replace the late Troy Broadbridge, but the club has made no guarantees to anyone and could leave the vacancy open for the season.

Good news for the team and Adem Yze as Yze should be right for Round 1. He injured his collarbone last week and was rested this week to ensure his consecutive games streak continues.

BRISBANE
The Brisbane Lions will wear the Fitzroy guernsey which was worn from 1957-74 against Hawthorn in Round 4 at the MCG.
The guernsey is the same one that was on show when the Brisbane Lions defeated Collingwood in the 2003 Round 19 heritage match.
Fitzroy legend Kevin Murray helped launch the announcement at the Roys' spiritual home, the Brunswick St Oval.
Murray said he could understand the Fitzroy supporters, who now follow the Brisbane Lions, were 'naturally disappointed' about the club not gaining the supposed six home-and-away matches that was agreed when the merger between Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears took place.
Murray said he was proud of his continued involvement with the Brisbane Lions.

The club membership is now at 24,603, well ahead of last year at this time. The club remains on target to better last year’s record figure of 30,941.

Ruckman Jamie Charman is in doubt for Round 1 after dislocating his A/C joint last week.
Clark Keating, who has been nursed through the preseason had his first hitout this weekend after recovering from a calf complaint.

Injury Update:
Jonathan Brown, knee, still on rehab for post-season surgery, has resumed running
Jamie Charman, shoulder, 2-4 weeks
Simon Black, post-season shoulder/ankle surgery
Pat Garner, tibial stress fractures, 3-5 weeks
Beau McDonald, PCL strengthening work, indefinite
Nigel Lappin, injured ankle ligament at training early Feb, has resumed training

ADELAIDE
Ben Hart was given another week on the sidelines this week for his troublesome hamstring. He will line up with North Adelaide in the SANFL next week.
Hart, 30, has played 276 AFL matches since 1992, but only six last season because of back and hamstring injuries, and he has not played during this preseason.
While he has been training strongly, the club is taking a conservative approach to have him ready for Round 1.

Injury Update:
Rhett Biglands,groin, 1 week
Michael Doughty, broken wrist, 1 week
Scott Thompson, shin, 2 weeks
Ivan Maric, knee, 3 weeks
Chris Knights, knee, 3 weeks
Jason Torney, back, 4 weeks

PORT ADELAIDE
The club has again appointed Matt Primus as captain.
His teammates are comfortable with the decision, and while Warren Tredrea, who skippered th sider in Matty's absence last year, is keen to lead again, he is prepared to relinquish the honor.
Primus said his knee now felt good, even though he had soreness. The return of Primus, and the likelihood of still using Dean Brogan and Brendon Lade, who carried the responsibility in ruck last season, will mean a new approach to Port's game-plan.
The new ruck rule, with a circle creating a need for strategy and timing rather than charging at each other, may prove a bonus for Primus, as his expected reduction in manoeuvrability might not be evident so much at center bounces.
Brogan was apprehensive about the rule change and said ruckmen are going to have to adjust.

Brendon Lade, hampered by a back injury since late September until mid-January, played his first game this weekend.
Roger James (knee) and Brett Ebert (hamstring) also returned to the side this weekend. Lade suffered stress fractures - he described them as "a couple of hot spots in the lower back" - in the preliminary final against St Kilda and very nearly missed the GF. He made it through the GF with painkilling injections prior to the game.
All three players have been on modified programs this preseason.
Lade will also try to play for South Adelaide in the SANFL next weekend to gain some much-needed match fitness.

COLLINGWOOD
Collingwood has hired former Hawk recruiting manager John Hook. Hook, who finished with Hawthorn at the end of last year after 23 years in football operations, will work part-time with a beefed up recruiting division at Collingwood.
The club has yet to work out the specifics of his role, but are considering using him in a role that would involve monitoring players from rival clubs and the VFL talent pool. He will work alongside recruiting manager Derek Hine and long-time recruiting boss Noel Judkins, who is now head scout, in a more resourced recruiting department.
Known for his pragmatic, no-nonsense style and loyalty to the coaches he served, Hook left Hawthorn at the end of 2004 as part of an overhaul of the football department by new coach Alastair Clarkson.

The Magpies will wait at least another week before testing out Nathan Buckley’s hamstring.
The injury has sidelined Buckley for over a month and the club will assess him before asking the AFL for permission to allow him to play with VFL affiliate Williamstown for one final hitout before Round 1. Because of his limited game time over the preseason, he is eligible to play in the VFL next week.
Alan Didak is another player being closely monitored over the next week due to injury, He is suffering from inflammation of his iliotibial band – commonly known as ‘runners’ knee’ - and recently had minor surgery to relieve it. The condition is caused by a tightening of a tendon around the knee and thigh, and makes running painful. He began running again just last week. Piror to the injury, Didak was having an excellent preseason preparation.

Collingwood has promoted young ruckman David Fanning to the senior list in place of Tom Davidson who has been placed on the long-term injury list due to a chronic Achilles tendon problem.
Operations Manager Neil Balme said the Achilles setback was disappointing for Davidson, but that it was important that he now rests the complaint. Balme said the Achilles problem hadn’t hampered Davidson's rehabilitation from his knee reconstruction.
Davidson will be required to spend at least eight weeks on the long term injury list, after which time his prospects of returning to the senior list will be reassessed.
Fanning, a former NBL basketballer in Cairns, showed some promising form in Wizard and practice games.
Fanning played the first four matches of 2004 in the VFL with Williamstown before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Fanning's promotion offers some insurance for the Magpies, who will be without the promising Guy Richards, who's recovering from a strained posterior cruciate ligament, for at least the first couple of rounds.

The oldest Magpie, 1936 premiership wingman Ron Dowling, passed away last week, aged 91.
Dowling played 72 games for the Pies 1936-40, but quit the club due to family and work commitments. He worked as an engineer for Victoria Railways and played for his amateur club Ivanhoe.
A dashing wingman, Dowling played under Jock McHale and with some of the great Collingwood players of the 1930s: the Colliers, Ron Todd, Jack Regan, Des Fothergill, Phonse Kyne, and Alby Pannam. Although he missed the 1936 grand final, when the Pies won the flag, he was awarded a premiership medallion and appears in the team photograph. He also played in the two losing grand finals of 1937 and 1938.
Dowling was born in Heidelberg into a prosperous family whose forebears had taken up land in the area in 1848. His father, Edward, was a successful cartage contractor who, along with Ron's mother Amy, continued to work that land. He had four siblings. The family lived in the original Dowling homestead. They had cattle, chickens, and draught horses, which they bred to work the farm.
Tragedy struck when Dowling's mother died of pneumonia in 1925. Then in 1931, his father was killed in an work accident. The children moved to Ivanhoe, where they were raised by the oldest sister, Amy.
Dowling was a gifted young sportsman - a footballer, cricketer, swimmer and ballroom dancer. He captained the football and cricket teams at Heidelberg State School before going on to play for Ivanhoe. His father had been a fine footballer who played in the Ivanhoe premiership side of 1912.
Former Collingwood premiership player Jack Harris, who lived in Ivanhoe, encouraged him to try his luck with the Magpies. His skills impressed the hard-nosed McHale, and he became a key player in the side.
During his time at Collingwood, he was excused from training to attend night school. This didn't prove a problem as Dowling was blessed with natural stamina.
Dowling enjoyed playing for Collingwood but to him, footy was just a game. His new wife (he married Vera in 1940) and career came first, despite the club's attempts to keep him.
During his years at Collingwood, the committee put aside his match payments. On leaving in 1940, the club gave him a house in Eaglemont, living there until just last year.
In 1999, he attended Collingwood's last game at Victoria Park against the Lions, and wandered into the rooms afterward. He sought out Nathan Buckley, found him the showers, and told him he was handballing too much.
Dowling, a faithful Pie all his life despite his brief career, is survived by his wife Vera, their sons, David, Richard, and Greg, five grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.
The oldest surviving Collingwood player now is Norm Crewther, 85, who played 14 games 1941-43 and now lives in, of all places, Carlton.

Anthony Rocca, Josh Fraser, James Clement, Chad Morrison, and Ryan Lonie all played this week after being rested last week.

ST KILDA
The Saints and their fans had one final chance to enjoy a game at their old suburban home of Moorabbin this weekend when the Saints hosted the Kangaroos in a practice game this weekend.
The ground was one of the most popular when St. Kilda called it home. It was famous for its atmosphere and unique "animal enclosure", a small standing room area between the St Kilda race and the umpires' race.
There are plans to redevelop Moorabbin, which the Saints still use for training and its administration base.
The last time the Saints' hosted a practice match at Moorabbin was also against the Kangaroos in March, 2002 - when around 6000 fans saw what turned out to be Wayne Carey's last game for the Roos.
Carey led the Roos to a 127 point victory that day but just days later, the scandal broke which forced him to quit the club.
The Saints moved to Moorabbin in Melbourne's southern suburbs from their original St Kilda base at the Junction Oval in 1965. They reached the GF that year, then won their only premiership in 1966.
The club continued to play their home games at Moorabbin until moving to Waverley Park with the last game at the ground in Round 20, 1992. They farewelled the ground with a win over Fitzroy.

St Kilda has re-signed five key players to new deals, headed by new skipper Nick Riewoldt.
Riewoldt has signed through until 2007 along with defenders Steven Baker and Matt Maguire. Halfback Austinn Jones has committed to the club until the end of 2006, while Luke Penny has signed through until the end of 2008.
Club chief executive Jim Watts said the re-signings represented an important strategic step for the club.
Riewoldt, who has played 75 games for the club, is a dual best and fairest winner and the 2002 National Bank's AFL Rising Star winner was happy to be remaining with the club in the long-term. He echoed Watt's sentiments that it was important to keep the list together to ensure success.
Jones, who played in the losing 1997 GF side, will now finish his career with the Saints. He said he was happy to be a one-club player and to stay with the Saints at such an exciting time in the club's history.

Young Saints defender Matt Maguire will be on a modified training program for the next two years to ensure he does not suffer a recurrance of OP. He carried the injury through al of last year, often playing with painkillers and not realizing just how serious the condition was until he stopped. He played 17 games, including the finals.
Maguire played the first 12 matches before being rested for 2 weeks with what was then listed as a groin injury. He returned in round 15, but only to sit out a further five matches after being diagnosed with osteitis pubis. Then, after a match in the VFL, he returned for round 22 and the qualifying, semi and preliminary finals.
He had groin surgery just before Christmas, and has been on a modified training regime all summer. Not surprisingly, he admitted to feeling a sense of relief after playing his first half of football for the preseason in a practice match last week and suffered no pain afterward.
He believes he developed the problem partly as a result of adding 5 kg last year and not allowing his body time to adjust, then taking on a key position which required more running.
The surgery involved having his adductor muscles cut to relieve the stress on his pubic bone. Now, it’s a matter of reconditioning the surrounding muscles and sticking to a carefully managed training regime, which he finds a bit frustrating at times. He said the trainers are always on him about trying to do too much when all he wants is to do more to become a better player. But he has resigned himself to coping with the modified program and hopes to be ready for Round 1.

RICHMOND
Matthew Richardson was the 4th player to captain the side as the club is using the preseason to evaluate 4 contenders for the role.
Joel Bowden captained the Tigers during their Wizard Cup loss to Collingwood while Kane Johnson and Nathan Brown led the club during its practice matches against Essendon and Fremantle.
Richardson, who turns 30 next week, is by far the oldest of the four candidates with the other three all either 27 or turning 27 this season.
The Tigers are expected to announce their new captain early next week with the job expected to be given to either Johnson or Bowden with Johnson believed to be the favorite due to his strong support from within the Richmond playing group.
Football manager Paul Armstrong said the club had "definitely not" already made up its mind on who would succeed Wayne Campbell as skipper.

Young midfielder Mark Coughlan pulled up well after last week's game, showing no sign of the groin trouble which plagued him in 2004 and restricted him to just 7 games.
While he again played this week, he is still 5-6 weeks away from full match fitness.

The Tigers took a much stronger squad into this week's game. Among those returning were Richard Tambling, who missed 2 weeks with hamstring soreness.
Also included were Wayne Campbell, Kane Johnson, Chris Newman, Chris Hyde, Troy Simmonds, Mark Graham, and Brett Deledio - all of whom were rested last week.

KANGAROOS
Have lost Daniel Motlop for up to 18 weeks due to a severe shoulder problem. Motlop has suffered 3 dislocations to the shoulder during the preseason, beginning with the Aboriginal All-Star match last month.
He was rested for the first Wizard game, then suffered two more heavy knocks against Port Adelaide and the Eagles.
Motlop was sent home to Darwin for several days to be with his family and will undergo surgery on Wednesday, his 23rd birthday.

GEELONG
Former Geelong captain Ben Graham is rated only a "long-shot" to become a professional punter with the New York Jets, according to the Jets' special teams coach, Ron Westhoff.
Westhoff, a 23-year veteran of National Football League coaching, said Graham had the attitude, raw skills and ability, but was far from guaranteed a place in the team.
But Westhoff has provided a reality check for Graham and those in Australia who expected him to become the next Darren Bennett, who played with Melbourne and West Coast and has spent 10 years in the NFL with San Diego and Minnesota and has twice played in the Pro Bowl.
The Jets had a dire punting year in 2004, and have signed Micah Knorr from the Denver Broncos, while bringing Graham in as a project player. He said Graham would have to prove his worth in a Jets mini-camp in May, followed by further testing in June.
Westhoff said Graham's technique was so raw he was not even ready to participate in the development league of NFL Europe, where Darren Bennett honed his skills before coming the US and playing NFL.

CARLTON
Liquor retailer Dan Murphy has signed on as a joint major sponsor with the club for the next 2 years. The new sponsorship will begin with the Round 9 farewell game at Optus Oval. Optus Communications is the other joint sponsor.
The sponsorship will commence with the Round 9 farewell home game at Optus Oval.
The Dan Murphy’s branding will feature on the front of the Carlton guernsey for all home games from round nine with the Optus logo on the back. For away games the Optus branding will feature on the front of the Carlton guernsey and Dan Murphy’s on the
back.
Toshiba Home Theatre will also continue to support the Carlton Football Club in 2005 as a
prime sponsor. Other club sponsors are K&S Freighters, Subaru Interactive @ Docklands, Hertz and Custom Fleet.

Midfielder Nick Stevens passed up being best man at his brother's wedding this weekend to be a part of the team's Wizard GF game. He said the game was a significant step in Carlton's revival and wanted to be a part of it.
Stevens said he felt he had a duty to put football ahead of family commitments in a game which is vitally important to Carlton - the club that he joined only last year after his high-profile move from Port Adelaide.
Stevens said his brother Justin supported his decision and understood Stevens had a duty to play for his club in such an important game.
With the wedding to be held at Sydney's northern beaches at 4pm on Saturday, Stevens had no chance of attending and then being able to make it to Telstra Dome for a 7.40pm start.
The club had put no pressure on Stevens while he wrestled with the decision.
Stevens played in two preseason premierships for Port Adelaide - winning the Michael Tuck Medal for best afield during the second triumph against Richmond in 2002 - but missed out on Port's first AFL flag last season when he left the club to return to his native Victoria.
Stevens has been one of the stars of Carlton's shock run to the final and last season was runner-up in the club's best and fairest in his first year with the Blues after also being the club's leading possession winner for the season.

The midfield was further boosted by the return of Anthony Koutoufides, who came through a training session early last week with no serious problems with his knee.

Jarrad Waite missed this week with a hamstring strain.

HAWTHORN
Hawthorn regained some big names for the game this weekend. Shane Crawford returned after sitting out last week for disciplinary reasons. Also in the side were Jonathan Hay, Chance Bateman, and Ben Dixon.
Emerging tall Tim Boyle, who broke his leg a year ago played his first game in the VFL with the Box Hill Hawks.

SYDNEY
Adam Goodes played part of the match this weekend for just his second practice game of the year after recovering from serious knee problems.
He was rotated through CHB with Lewis Roberts-Thomson.

WEST COAST
Brought back Chris Judd, Chad Fletcher, and Andrew Embley for its midfield rotation this week. the trio was rested last week.

Dean Cox, Phil Matera, and Andrew McDougall all missed through injury.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Former Magpie Gavin Crosisca has been appointed coach of the North Ballarat Roosters in the VFL. He has 4 ex-AFL players in his side: Mark Porter (Carlton/Kangaroos), Jim Plunkett (WB/Carlton), Andrew Eccles (Adelaide/Carlton), and former Blue Anthony Franchina.

The East Burwood Rams in the Eastern Football League have appointed former Tiger Paul Broderick as senior coach. The club has also recruited former Tigers Matthew Rogers and David Bourke as well as former Saint/Tiger Steve Sziller.

Retired Bulldog Steve Kretiuk has joined former AFL teammate Simon Atkins at Werribee as an assistant coach. Atkins is the senior coach.

Former Eagle Chris Lewis has been appointed coach of Sebastopol in the Ballarat Football League. He spent the past two years coaching the Darwin Buffaloes in the Northern Territory Football League.

Ex-Blue Cameron Croad, brother to Hawk Trent Croad, has signed with 3rd Division amateur club Templestowe in the VAFA. He was drafted to Carlton in 2002, but failed to play a senior game due partly to injury and quit last year. The senior coach at Templestowe is former Blue champion Wayne Harmes.

Another former Blue, Laurence Angwin has signed with the Broadford Kangaroos in the Heathcote District Football League. He was playing for Moonee Valley in the Essendon District League, but was let go by the team there for turning up late for a game.

Ex-Bomber Peter Somerville has been appointed coach of 2nd Division team Maroochydore-Northshore in the QAFL. Somerville also had a recent stint as ruck coach for Brisbane.

GENERAL SILLINESS
Last week, I provided a link to a news story from the Sunday Mail telling of Warwick Capper's job as a sign holder on a road crew. The story was on the front page, complete with a photo of Capper. Since the article appeared, Capper has been deluged with phone calls. On the Sunday alone after the story, he said he received about 80 calls.
Some of the calls were offers for TV appearances, hosting radio shows, and making personal appearances.
He says he is planning to release his autobiography and a music single, and has been pushing for his own reality TV show. According to the former high-flying Swan/Bear, his family makes the Osbournes look like the Brady Bunch.
At a local pub recently he was dressed in a Billabong singlet, with gold chain, earring and trademark blond mop. As such, he went behind the bar to pull a few beers and even had a go as a DJ.
Pub bosses seemed pleased with his efforts despite his misspelling the pub's name when autographing some memorabilia.

It is said of some players that they don't want to face when it is time to hang up the boots and have to be told that they are past the proverbial use-by date.
Not so for 78-year old Cyril Metcalf. Despite his advanced years, he is still playing in the Gippsland league in southeastern Victoria.
He played his first game aged 17 in 1944 and has played more than 500 games in his long career.

When Port Coach Mark Williams screamed out "Alen Scott, you were wrong" as he bolted onto the field after Port won the GF last year, things were less than cordial between the club benefactor and WIlliams. The remark was in response to previous comments Scott had made about the team and its finals record.
Shoretly after, Williams extended the olive branch when he visited Scott in the hospital. The two patched things up and signed a Sherrin which was later auctioned off at a charity event.
Williams went to the auction, intending to purchase the ball and present it to Scott. However, he was beaten out by another bidder. When he went to see Scott again, there was the ball perched on top of the TV. The winning biidder turned out to be a friend of Scott's who had the same idea as Williams.

A few former Saints, in the lead-up to this week's game at Moorabbin, had a few memories of the old suburban ground.
Former St. Kilda coach Robert Walls remembers the sparseness of the visitors' rooms, describing the area as all bare boards like something out of the 1920's and only one toilet cubicle which had no door. This left players a less than ideal choice: suffer a bit of embarrassment or hold it in before a game.
Then there were the cold showers after getting battered around by tough nuts such as Carl Ditterich or Kevin "Cowboy" Neale.
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas, who played 72 games for the Saints between 1978 and 1983, a period that took in two wooden spoons, concedes he does not have a lot of happy on-field memories. He said his fondest memories were from the social club, but didn't have any stories which could not be repeated for decency's sake.
The ground also played host to a number of games noted for several infamous incidents.
St Kilda defender Jim O'Dea's KO'd Collingwood star John Greening in 1972. O'Dea copped a severe suspension it ended Greening's career.
Then there was the "animals" game of 1978, the word used to describe the Saints by Essendon president Colin Stubbs after he had seen two of his young players, Merv Neagle and Terry Cahill, carried from the ground on stretchers.
There was, on occasion, some memorable performances - Tony Lockett's 10-goal match-winning haul for the Saints on Carlton's Stephen Silvagni in a superb match in early 1989, and his 7th goal against Footscray in 1987, making him the first Saint in over 40 years to kick a ton.
And there was the downright ridiculous, like the day in 1989 when John Barnes finished a game for Essendon reserves, survived the showers, then went to his kitbag to find a rather large rat inside. Several Bombers armed with boots eventually subdued the offending rodent.
Neale recalled the rabid nature of some of the more fanantical Saints' fans on their own turf, saying a person was safer out on the ground than in what became known as the Animal Enclosure.
Neale also remembers an occassion in the social club while he was tending bar and saw Robbie "Mad Dog" Muir perch on a stool, sink "about 15 pots", then proceed to out-train any of his teammates, an awestruck Neale among them.
Several years ago, Neale was also invited to present a watch to a St. Kilda supporter at a retirement party. Neale not only presented the chap with the watch, but also filled a small jar of gravel from the Animal Enclosure for the fan. Neale said he had the gravel analyzed and found it contained blood, sweat, tears, and a "few other substances".
Neale spoke to his friend again recently and the friend said he still has the jar on the mantlepiece and prefers it to the watch.
Two other memorable moments: in 1979, Carlton's Peter Jones tried to soccer through a goal, missed the ball, and kicked the goalpost; and in 1989, a frustrated, tired, and emotional Lockett belted club CEO Ricky Watt in the social club after a game.

On to the scores:

CARL 0.4.2 0.8.12 0.10.15 1.14.18 (111)
WCE 1.3.3 1.4.5 1.7.6 1.11.9 (84)
GOALS: CARL: 9-points - Prendergast; 6-points - Fevola 8, Whitnall 2, Morrell, McGrath, Camporeale, H Scotland; WCE - 9-points - Judd; 6-points - Lynch 3, Gardiner 2, Banfield 2, Hansen 2, Waters, Judd
BEST: CARL - Fevola, Scotland, Teague, Whitnall, Stevens, Lappin; WCE - Judd, Wirrpunda, Fletcher, Cousins, Gardiner

INJURY: CARL - Thornton (medial knee ligament)
Thornton will miss 4 weeks

UMPIRES: McLaren, Meredith, Wenn, Ryan

Michael Tuck Medal: Fevola

ATTENDANCE: 43,391 at Telstra Dome

The biggest threat to Carlton's chances in this game was Gardiner in the ruck and the highly rated Eagle midfield led by the brilliant Judd and Cousins.
But the Blue engine room more than matched the Eagles with fierce running, tackling, teamwork, and pressure. And "Pagan's Paddock" is back. This time, instead of one matchwinner, there are two in Fevola and Whitnall. Both had plenty of space for leads to take delivery from the middle. And Fevola made space of his own as he outmuscled Staker, Glass, and Hunter.
The Eagles were first to the board from the first bounce when Lynch goaled from a free in the square. The Blues responded from the next bounce when Fevola booted his first. Whitnall had two chances but missed both before Fevola nailed two more for the Blues. Whitnall redeemed himself but the Eagles grabbed the lead with 3 of their own - including a 9-pointer from Judd just before the siren to be 6 points up at 1/4 time.
A miss by the Eagles to start the 2nd gave them a 7 point lead, but Whitnall's goal restored Carlton's lead and Fevola extended it. Two goals gave the Blues a 10 point lead. The second came when Camporeale and Fevola gang tackled Staker, forcing the ball to spill. Fevola swooped and kicked from 45 meters. He bobbed up for a third after Whitnall's supergoal attempt hit the post and came back into the play.
The Eagles gifted Carlton virtually another goal during the term when they forced 2 rushed behinds which awarded the Blues 3 points each and a 22 point lead at 1/2 time.
Carlton fell off the pace a bit in the 3rd term, missing several chances to break the game open and made unforced errors. Instead they managed just 2 goals to West Coast's 3, but it was enough to hold an 18 point lead at 3/4 time.
The Blues extended that lead to 23 with a goal Camporeale early in the final term, but the Eagles surged. Judd, Cousins, Kerr, Gardiner, and Banfield led the revival. First up it was Gardiner who booted two goals from strong marks. A running goal to Banfield leveled the scores, and Waters' point gave the Eagles the lead midway through the term. Another goal and it looked like the Eagles would snatch a win. Carlton hit back again through Fevola. An attempted spoil by Hunter on Fevola resulted in a free and Fevola's goal restored Carlton's lead.
Moments later, Prendergast benefited from a Justin Davies' tackle. The most unlikely goalkicker (13 in 49 games) grabbed the spilled ball, and bombed in a supergoal with less than 5 minutes on the clock. That still left plenty of time for Scotland to chime in from 50 and Fevola to kick his 8th.
For Carlton, Stevens and Camporeale were driving forces through the middle the entire game, Lappin picked up a swag of possessions across halfback and provided plenty of run from defence. Whitnall showed just how fit he is by not only providing a dangerous target forward, but constantly raced to the other end to lend a hand in defence.
The Blues' defence was equally heroic with Luke Livingston and Brett Thornton standouts.
For the Eagles, Judd (27 possessions) and Fletcher (35) were superb.
Brett Ratten presented the Michael Tuck Medal to Fevola, but Tuck himself who was on the dais to hand over the prize, goofed in his speech by referring the award as the Norm Smith Medal.

RICH 4.5 7.7 11.10 12.13 (85)
BRIS 1.1 3.3 4.3 6.5 (41)
GOALS: RICH - Krakouer 3, Tuck 2, Deledio, Simmonds, Campbell, Bowden, Tambling, Hyde, Richardson; BRIS - Bradshaw 3, McGrath, Akermanis, Keating
BEST: RICH - Krakouer, Tambling, Newman, Brown, Bowden, Simmonds, Tuck; BRIS - Leppitsch, Bradshaw, Johnson, Power, Akermanis

INJURY: BRIS - Hadley (knee)
Initial fears are that Hadley will require a knee reconstruction and miss the season. More will be known next week

CROWD: approx. 4000 at Optus Oval

The Lions fielded possibly their strongest team for the preseason with the inclusion of
Michael Voss, Luke Power, Justin Leppitsch, Chris Scott, and ruckman Clark Keating.
But ti was not enough to overhaul a Tiger outfit which has a new-found confidence and some fine young talent.
Richmond led all the way, with a multitude of goal-kickers and solid performances from players who will be integral to the Tigers' success this season.
Midfielder Andrew Krakouer had a cracker of a game, booting goals in three of the four terms and ripping through the midfield. Forward Troy Simnonds held his own against Mal Michael, and Matthew Richardson was again frustratingly brilliant and erratic. He found the ball plenty of times but still seems to have trouble kicking the easiest of goals, missing from straight in front, but then nailing a shot from a long way out and on the boundary line.
By 3/4 time, the lead had blown out to 49 points, but Bradshaw bobbed up in the final term for 2 quick goals to save the Lions from total embarrassment.
Tiger Coach Terry Wallace said it was a team effort that got the Tigers the win, and declined to single out individual contributors.

COL 16.9 (105)
SYD 16.7 (103)

It was an even match throughout, with the two midfields matching up well on each other.
With the scores locked at 13.6 apiece at 3/4 time and the Swans kicking with a handy breeze in the final term, all the signs pointed towards a Sydney victory.
Sydney booted the first two goals of the last term to move to a 13-point lead before the Pies rallied to record an unlikely win.
Chris Tarrant and Anthony Rocca booted three goals each for the Pies while Amon Buchanan had a solid game for the Swans finishing with four goals.

ESS 4.0 7.2 10.5 12.7 (79)
GEEL 4.2 7.4 10.6 14.6 (90)
GOALS: ESS - Lucas 2, Henneman 2, J. Johnson 2, Hird 2, Bolton, Lloyd, Lovett, Monfries Geelong: Ablett 3, Milburn 2, Playfair 2, Byrnes 2, Chapman, Kelly, Chambers, Kingsley, Ling

INJURY: ESS - Lloyd (broken arm)
Lloyd will miss 4-6 weeks

CROWD: about 14,000 in Bendigo

The game was even and fiercely contested, containing many strong physical contests, and the Geelong midfield showed signs of last year's fight.
Geelong held a 1 point lead at 3/4 time, but kicked 4 goals in the final term, two of them coming from youngster Shannon Byrnes.
While Gary Ablett jnr also starred for the Cats, Brad Ottens again failed to assert himself in the ruck against Kepler Bradley
Young midfielder James Kelly also starred for the Cats, continuing his successful return from a broken leg.
For Essendon, James Hird was at his best with 29 touches and 15 marks.
Coach Kevin Sheedy said afterward he would use Lloyd's absence to try one of his younger players at full forward, hinting that Aaron Henneman was a likely candidate.

PA 5.4 9.7 12.12 15.16 (106)
HAW 1.1 4.3 6.6 10.10 (70)
GOALS: PA - Thurstans 4, Tredrea 2, James 2, Shattock 2, Primus, Lade, Montgomery, Pettigrew, Cassisi; HAW - Miller 3, Holland 2, Franklin 2, Brown, Smith, Bateman
BEST: PA - Francou, P. Burgoyne, Dew, Walsh, Thurstans, Primus: HAW - Mitchell, Hodge, Vandenberg, Holland, Hay, Franklin

INJURY: PA - Thurstans (ankle), Shattock (cut head)

UMPIRES: Grun, Woodcock, Avon Carey

CROWD: 7787 at AAMI Stadium

Lade (back), James (knee) and Ebert (hamstring) started on the bench in their first match of the preseason, and rotated off it successfully, while Primus combined with Lade and Brogan in a three-way ruck rotation which outclassed Hawthorn. With Everitt and Dixon rested, the Hawks had no answer to counter the triple threat.
The forward line also proved too potent with Thurstans outstanding at full forward, Tredrea picking up where he left off last year at CHF, and the 3 ruckmen pushing forward when not battling it out in the middle.
With Dew and Chad Cornes down back, it was too much for Hawthorn as Port scooted out to a handy 27 point break at 1/4 time and led by 34 at 12 time. The lead blew out to 42 points by 3/4 time but the Hawks finally found something in the final term, fighting back to outscore Port 4 goals to 3 in the final term to add some respectability to the final outcome.
Another boost for Port was the form and performance of Josh Francou, who showed no sign of trouble with his reconstructed knees.
Rookie Josh Thurgood was impressive in defence.
Ex-Demon defender Peter Walsh has shown enough over the preseason to be a likely replacement for the retired Damien Hardwick and ex-Lion Aaron Shattock could fill the wing spot vacated by Schofield (now at Fremantle).
For Hawthorn, Shane Crawford made his first appearance since breaking his arm midway through last year. He spent the first term minding Wanganeen in a back pocket, then rotated from halfback to a wing, and finally had a midfield run before being rested in the final term.
The other bonuses for Hawthorn were the good form of tall, left-footed forward Lance Franklin, who looked a ready-made AFL player, despite turning 18 just six weeks ago, and elusive forward Harry Miller, who kicked three goals late in the final term.
Franklin played for WA in the U18s and senior football with Perth before being drafted.
He displayed remarkable agility and poise for a young player and his speed tested even Port's fastest runner in Matthew Bishop.

STK 0.2 3.7 6.9 8.13 (61)
KANG 1.3 1.6 3.7 7.10 (52)
GOALS: STK - Milne 2, Hayes, Thompson, Baker, Peckett, Guerra, Koschitzke; KANG - Harvey 2, Grima, Makepeace, Rocca, Brown
BEST: STK - Harvey, Peckett, Milne, Hayes, Guerra; KANG - Colbert, Sinclair, Makepeace, Harris, Sansbury

UMPIRES: Davis, Nicholls, Jeffery, Fraser

CROWD: Approx. 4600 at Moorabbin

There were plenty of first-choice Saints missing, including captain Nick Riewoldt, Fraser Gehrig, Austinn Jones, Luke Ball, Nick Dal Santo, Brendon Goddard, Stephen Powell and Luke Penny. But that didn't stop them from dominating for most of the game after the Roos took the lead in the opening term.
The Saints grabbed the lead early in the 2nd term and never looked back, although they had to withstand a comeback from the Roos in the final term.
For the Saints, Milne was lively and defender Matt Maguire came through his first game without any groin concerns.
Roo defender Leigh Colbert played a strong match in defence after a spending the summer in cotton wool. Jess Sinclair and Daniel Harris also had good games.

MELB 5.3 8.6 10.11 16.15 (111)
ADE 2.3 8.5 12.9 12.14 (86)
GOALS: MELB - Davey 4, Neitz 4, Heffernan 2, Miller, Green, Bruce, McLean, Godfrey, Johnson; ADE - M. Stevens 4, Welsh, Perrie, McLeod, Burton, Ricciuto, Meesen, Bode, Goodwin
BEST: MELB - Heffernan, Davey, Whelan, Neitz, McLean; ADE - M. Stevens, Goodwin, McLeod, Burton
INJURY: ADE - Welsh (corked thigh), Stevens (rolled ankle), Burton (cramp)

CROWD: est. 300 at Optus Oval

The final score did not reflect the close contest that was only decided midway through the final term.
It was a tug-of-war in the first half, with neither team allowing the other to build a comprehensive lead, and it was a barrage of Demon goals in the final term that finally sealed the game.
Cameron Bruce opened the scoring for the Demons within the first two minutes of the match, and Adelaide's Scott Welsh was quick to respond with one of his own soon after.
The Demons had a much more potent forward line with 5 individual goalkickers in the first term while Adelaide had only two, giving the Dees a 3 goal lead at 1/4 time.
Melbourne goalsneak Aaron Davey united with Chris Heffernan to register two goals within two minutes halfway through the second term, with Demon Brad Miller adding a third just minutes later. The big lead didn't last long with Perrie and Stevens booting goals to put the Crows within a pot at 1/2 time.
David Neitz opened up the third term with a goal, but goals to Stevens and rookie John Meesen put the Crows in front midway through the term. Then Goodwin took a big grab in the goalsquare late in the term. After a short spell on the bench, exciting youngster Davey returned to the field and made his presence known with a spectacular around-the-body snap for the Demons, whittling the Crow's 3/4 time lead down to 10 points.
Both teams came out firing in the final term, but it was Melbourne who managed to convert first, with Neitz and Brock McLean registering goals within the first 10 minutes.
Veteran Neitz added another goal to his tally, while Melbourne's no-name defence held the Crows to just 5 points.

And this from Marc Century on the North Carolina Metro League:
Game #2 - 5 March 2003
Wolves 13.12.90
Rams 6.13.49

For all you tippers out there, be sure visit AFANA at http://www.afana.com/ to get your Top 4 and Round 1 tips placed over the next 2 weeks.
There will be games next week - the MultiCultural matches, but I don't know if any of those are going to be broadcast.

And that's it for this week.