Magpies offload another ruckman

Cameron Wood has been cut by the Pies. Picture: Darren England Source: The Courier-Mail

COLLINGWOOD yesterday cut ruckman Cameron Wood, who was among five list changes at Westpac Centre.

The Pies also delisted untried ruckman Jon Ceglar, pint-sized forwards Kirk Ugle and Luke Brown and former Melbourne defender Simon Buckley.Wood finished with 64 games after costing the Pies pick 14 in 2007, when they sent that pick to Brisbane.

The Pies are hoping 209cm beanpole Jarrod Witts can break through for senior action in 2013 as Darren Jolly nears the end of his career.

Nathan Buckley's side has now turned over 13 players this off-season, headed by trade targets Chris Dawes (Melbourne), Sharrod Wellingham (West Coast) and young defender Tom Young (Western Bulldogs).

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At Arden St, North Melbourne elevated untried Sudanese ruckman Majak Daw and mature-age midfielder Sam Gibson to the senior list, but axed four players.

The Roos yesterday delisted Matt Campbell, Cruize Garlett, Ben McKinley, Ben Speight and Ben Warren.

Campbell 25, has played 82 games and was linked to a move to Port Adelaide in trade period.

Garlett played seven matches this season and was seeking a return to Perth in the trade period.North's off-cuts can now be signed by rivals as delisted free agents, starting Thursday.

While the AFL'S investigation into Lachie Hansen's concussion is set to drag on for another week but the Roos have moved a step closer to being cleared.

North Melbourne acting chief executive Cameron Vale met with the AFL's Adrian Anderson and integrity officer Brett Clothier yesterday and was told the league still had several matters needing clarification.

The Roos have been given seven days to respond, but believe they have no case to answer after Hansen returned to the ground in Round 20 following a heavy hit.

It is believed significant progress was made towards the Roos dodging any penalty, but the league would not reveal what further information it was demanding of North Melbourne.

-with Jon Ralph

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GWS Giants circle Tippett

GWS Giants chief executive confirms they are looking to select Kurt Tippett in the AFL draft if they can.

Kurt Tippett the Giant? Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

GREATER Western Sydney says it is serious about sweeping in before Sydney and taking Adelaide forward Kurt Tippett in one of the upcoming drafts.

Tippett is expected to be forced into either November's national draft or December's pre-season draft pending the AFL's investigation into illegal third-party payments allegedly handed to him by the Crows.

GWS chief executive David Matthews confirmed last night the Giants had the salary cap room and inclination to secure Tippett.

Matthews, who signed for another three years yesterday, backed Giants coach Kevin Sheedy's endorsement of Tippett as an "exciting prospect".

"If he is affordable we would look to select him," Matthews said on SEN radio yesterday.

"Now that it looks like Kurt is going into one of the drafts, clearly it means he is someone we should be discussing and we did that today.

"He is 25 and in the prime of his career and a big player we lack in the ruck."

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Saints can get off to a flyer

Nick Riewoldt and his St Kilda teammates will enjoy a soft start to the 2013 season. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun

ST Kilda has the chance to make a flying start to next season, dodging all of this year's finalists in the first month.

The Saints will capitalise on their ninth place finish this year by taking on four fellow bottom-10 clubs before playing Sydney in Wellington, New Zealand, in Round 5.

In a fixture to be released tomorrow, it is believed St Kilda will start its season against Gold Coast, Richmond and Greater Western Sydney (in Canberra) before the much-hyped showdown with an Essendon team featuring former Saint Brendon Goddard in Round 4.

It will meet Carlton in a Round 7 Monday night clash as well as Adelaide and Collingwood in the first eight weeks, meaning only two of its first seven games are against 2012 finalists.

Like Carlton, St Kilda has a chance to take advantage of this year's finish outside the finals, as bottom-10 sides will have a maximum of two games against only two of this year's finalists.

Meanwhile, the Herald Sun believes Collingwood will dodge the Perth double.

Next year will be the second consecutive season the Magpies have been scheduled five interstate trips - up from four in 2011.

They will travel to Perth once, to play Fremantle at Patersons Stadium, and are believed to have only one trip to Adelaide.

The blockbuster at ANZ Stadium against Sydney is part of the schedule and the Magpies are set to travel to Queensland twice to face Gold Coast and the Brisbane Lions.

Supporters should brace themselves for more Sunday games, particularly in the 3.10pm slot, where broadcaster Channel 7 can run a match live before the news.

Collingwood played only one Sunday match this year, but that will increase to five in 2013.

It is understood Seven will benefit from Sunday 3.10pm Collingwood blockbusters against Carlton (Round 2), Hawthorn and Essendon.

Foxtel will also benefit from more Sunday twilight matches between better opponents.

The Sunday focus has raised questions about the traditional Saturday afternoon timeslot in Melbourne, with speculation that it will be watered down significantly.

Friday night is expected to become the exclusive domain of the bigger clubs, with up to five, including Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs, being frozen out of the premium timeslot.

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Watters' age old problem

Saints coach Scott Watters has to find a way to manage his ageing list. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun

ST KILDA has lost Brendon Goddard, but not its status as having the oldest list in the AFL.

The Saints ended the trade period still burdened by an average age of 25.7 years, despite losing the seasoned star to free agency.

It is a statistic that provides a major challenge for coach Scott Watters considering the widely-held perception that the Saints have slipped from the premiership zone.

But the durability and consistency of the club's top-end players, so close to the ultimate success in 2009-2010, have helped it cheat nature so far.

The Saints finished ninth this year, relying on the usual suspects and the exciting development of Rhys Stanley, Ahmed Saad, Terry Milera, Tom Simpkin and Arryn Siposs, but face a delicate balancing act despite Watters' impressive start.

They have been in the top three for age every year since 2006.

The average age figures, produced for Champion Data's upcoming Prospectus publication, underline a far more dramatic change at Western Bulldogs - a team vying with the Saints for a flag in 2009-10.

Official figures reveal the Dogs now boast the third youngest list as they start rebuilding.

The Dogs started this season as the fifth oldest team, but retirements (Lindsay Gilbee and Ryan Hargrave), de-listings and trades (Brian Lake) have re-shaped their list.

The figures were taken from primary lists as they stood yesterday, projecting forward with players' ages at the start of next season.

Sydney, Collingwood and Hawthorn, all in the premiership window, fill the places below St Kilda on the "age ladder".

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Another AFL figure departs

AFL football administration manager Rod Austin is the latest senior staffer to exit league headquarters.

The AFL said Austin had resigned after 21 years to "pursue new opportunities".

Saturday's Herald Sun revealed Christina Ogg, footy's first and only female executive, resigned on Friday, while rising star Andrew Catterall announced he was taking long-service leave.

It is understood Catterall, the game's general manager of strategy and marketing, will not be returning to the AFL.

Austin's efforts included formation of the TAC Cup and draft camp programs, list management strategies and the AFL's anti-doping code and illicit drugs policy.

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Players warned on shonks

Former Crows coach Neil Craig invested a sum of money into a failed investment scheme and he wasn't the only one at Adelaide to do so. Picture: Calum Robertson Source: adelaidenow

AS shonky schemes go, investing in a dental implant business would seem the perfect way to invest in pain.

But the millions of dollars earned by AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou through his Ruthinium Group show there is money to be made in all manner of businesses.

The problem is the lack of due diligence by some AFL players.

The end game - Easing the pain for delisted players

Or as AFLPA financial counsellor Brad Wira says, "Do I really need $7 million of trauma insurance for $14,000".

Player manager Paul Connors urges his clients to build a 20 per cent cash deposit for their first house, then pay it off quickly.

Fellow manager Adam Ramanauskas says his clients who are playing regular senior football by their third year can buy their first house, with some adding another to their portfolio by their sixth year.

But there will alway be hair-brained schemes.

Firepower was a failed investment scheme involving fictitious shares in a company that claimed to have invested a revolutionary additive pill for fuel.

Yet it lured in most Adelaide stars, with coach Neil Craig also investing $30,000.

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Some Adelaide figures were involved in the Firepower losses as well as the current betting syndicate, which has lured 50 players.

They aren't particularly bothered, because the same Firepower owner tipped them into a mining stock that boomed from $2 to $60.

West Coast star Nic Naitanui recently was offered a cut of a restaurant for $600,000 then when he rebuffed it, told he could have it for free.

Bottom line: AFL players sell merchandise, add buzz to a venture, and also have expendable cash.

As manager Paul Connors says, it is easy to invest $10,000 in a bar or restaurant but almost impossible to get out if your partners don't want to sell.

AFLPA financial advisers Mark Porter and Brad Wira are sounding boards for players and their investments, with Connors having a financial planner and mortgage broker as part of his services.

Says former Hawk and AFLPA general manager of player development Brett Johnson, "There are a lot of people hanging around the players at clubs. If a product or investment is put in front of them we encourage the guys to take it to 'Ports' or Brad Wira.

The success story - Kelly wises up after early lesson

"If all of a sudden you have three more years of an investment and you are delisted, that is where guys can come unstuck."

Some in the AFL believe members of club coteries should be banned from offering investments to players given the mixed fortunes that come as a result.

But player manager Dan Richardson says it comes down to homework.

"It doesn't matter what type of investment, it's more about the principle. You have to treat every investment on its merits," he said.

"If it's too good to be true, it probably is."

Part One - Sports betting a concern for players? You bet

Essendon chief executive Ian Robson says players are now wising up to ridiculous investments.

"If you meet someone in a bar and he says, 'You should invest in this', get his details and investigate, don't just give him $15,000.

"Those guys have been around since Jesus was a boy."

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Kelly wises up after early lesson

It hasn't been all smooth sailing for Craig Kelly. Source: Herald Sun

ELITE Sports Properties boss Craig Kelly is seen as the ultimate success story - premiership footballer, seminal player manager, and the man who sold his business for $17.5 million and then bought it back for $2 million.

But Kelly says his recent successes have masked his rocky journey with money, one that made him determined to show players there was a better way.

Kelly came from a 1000ha farm an hour north of Adelaide that was the pride of his family.

As his football career was taking off, the family finances were turning pear-shaped.

"We had a beautiful property with two beautiful houses on it, and I came over in 1989," Kelly said.

"By 1990 we had lost the whole farm. Interest rates went from nine to 19 per cent and my mum and dad started a business that went bad. We just went belly up."

Still it wasn't enough of a wake-up call.

"I bought a Ford Maverick 4WD, a house in Charles St, Abbotsford, and I paid $121,000 for it and then interest rates went from 9 to 19 per cent," he said.

Upon his return from a European jaunt after Collingwood's 1990 flag win he was confronted by his bank manager.

"He said, 'What the f--k are you doing', and ripped shreds off me," Kelly said.

Eventually he restructured his finances but said he retired from football having only broken even.

Yet he had a plan - his marketing work with Collingwood helped him segue into the burgeoning sports management business.

Kelly and his player managers now tell players to save hard, invest in bricks and mortar, and plan their exit strategy from footy.

"You have to lose it to appreciate having it," he said.

"You don't want to put yourself in that situation again. It drives you to want to get it right."

Kelly said there was no excuse for AFL players not to get a head start in life.

"Lose the perception of smashing it out of the park," he said.

"You should come out 10 years ahead of the rest, even if you are only 22 years old.

"Lots of people in the AFL have lost their fortunes, but if we are working at a 90 per cent success rate and you come out 10 years ahead, the industry is going OK."

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Easing pain for delisted players

Player agent Paul Connors (rear) Picture: Michael Klein. Source: Herald Sun

WHAT happens when the music stops?

The opinions are mixed among player agents about the prospects of a 22-year-old dumped from the system.

One player manager said of a delisted Bulldog: "He has been delisted but he already has an apprenticeship, he has 30 or 40 grand in the bank, he has a full-time job, and he is making $1000 cash playing local footy."

Manager Paul Connors, not so optimistic, said, "That is my biggest worry, guys who have played four or five years and have only played 15 senior games.

"They are used to spending 500 bucks a week, plus their car and rent, and they come out of the system having not done a lot, and their mates are already moving on with apprenticeships (or uni).

"They are accustomed to spending this money.

"You would like to think the guys who came out at five years had $60,000 in the bank and retirement money from the players' association."

The AFL Players' Association played hard ball on a pay rise, but it is the retirement fund with which it is thrilled.

Under the new deal, money will be paid into each players' fund - from $7000 a year for a rookie to $15,000 for fifth-year players to $20,000 for those with more than 10 years in the system.

The AFLPA is working on the details, but the money will be invested and offered to one to four-year players 12 months after they are cut, or a minimum of five years post-career.

Instead of dumped players being handed a tempting lump sum, players get a considerable sum which eases the pain post-football.

Despite the help available through club welfare managers and agents, some players will slip through the cracks.

For them, the AFLPA has instituted a hardship fund of $250,000 a year which it hands to former players in desperate need.

AFLPA financial advisers Brad Wira and Mark Porter, the AFLPA's general manager of finance and administration, John Hogan, and player union boss Matt Finnis will be part of a panel which uses its discretion to hand out sums of money.

"The situations are quite varied but the philosophy was that if players have fallen through the cracks we need to take care of them," says AFLPA's Ian Prendergast.

"There might be someone who needs a hip replacement and financially they are struggling. The hardship fund is there for them."

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Neeld's big picture still unfocused

Melbourne coach Mark Neeld has made some interesting recruiting choices in the off-season. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun

BILLY Beane never won the World Series.

If you didn't read Moneyball or were too busy gushing over Brad Pitt in the film to notice, this point might have escaped you.

Beane, Moneyball's pin-up boy, found fame and fortune through his controversial baseball recruiting strategy, but the Oakland As are still searching for the ultimate success.

It is a harsh reality worth noting as the dust settles on an AFL trade period in which Melbourne jettisoned 14 players, including four top 15 draft picks.

Melbourne wasn't winning games after its campaign to bottom out, but at least it had a clear point of difference: an extraordinary clutch of high draft picks.

Now the challenge for Beane disciple and Demons coach Mark Neeld is to successfully sell his new methodology, because it now seems a combination of several list management strategies.

Melbourne's fire sale of first-round picks resulted in the exodus of Lucas Cook (pick 12), Cale Morton (4), and Jordan Gysberts (11) only a year after former No.1 pick Tom Scully left for Greater Western Sydney.

In their place come journeymen who either played most of this year in the VFL or were dropped at some stage.

David Rodan, Cameron Pedersen and Shannon Byrnes played 42 state-league games between them, and marquee signing Chris Dawes was dropped by Collingwood in Round 23.

The Demons are pledging to follow the Moneyball theory, bring in underrated talent and have them thrive in a new culture of togetherness and toughness.

Actor Brad Pitt playing Billy Beane in Moneyball. Source: Supplied

But Moneyball was about recruiting cheap, undervalued talent, given Oakland's payroll of $41 million was dwarfed by the New York Yankees' $125 million.

The Demons are the antithesis of Moneyball because they were forced to pay overs for Mitch Clarke and Dawes.

Is the list revamp a concession the Demons are pushing back the window of success three years, given the drafting of kids such as Jesse Hogan (not available until 2014), Jack Viney and the lightly built Dom Barry?

If so, it means Melbourne will run into the emerging expansion teams.

More likely it is Neeld deciding most of those 14 discards did not fit the new culture he wants to instil.

But why recruit Rodan, who has all the frustrating traits you would assume Neeld is trying to eradicate at Melbourne?

He has talent but, to be honest, he plays for himself.

Success has eluded Melbourne, but at least the players were young and talented and rigidly followed a plan they believed in.

Now it is up to Neeld to tell them what their direction is.
 

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Chance for new Power pair to shine

Port Adelaide are seeing the sights in Milan but say their stay in Italy is no holiday as they use the AIS's European training base.

Former Sydney Swans rookie Campbell Heath is looking forward to a fresh start with Port Adelaide. Picture: Mark Evans Source: The Daily Telegraph

CAMPBELL Heath and Lewis Stevenson haven't played an AFL game between them for two seasons.

But that hasn't diminished Port Adelaide's hopes for the relative unknowns, who landed at Alberton in the last week of trade period.

Both made their AFL debuts in 2010 as defenders, but have struggled to fight their way into the Sydney (Heath) and West Coast (Stevenson) line-ups.

Derailed initially by two knee reconstructions, Heath, 21, found it too hard to work his way past premiership backmen Marty Mattner and Rhyce Shaw.

"It's been a tough road the past few years but I've got some good confidence in my body again," said Heath, who played a full season this year with the Swans reserves in the NEAFL.

"I do feel I'm ready (to play AFL)," said 188cm, 82kg Heath, who possesses an exceptional left-foot kick.

"I had a really consistent year but with the players we had (at Sydney) I just missed out as we had a really strong team."

Stevenson, 189cm and 88kg, played in the past two WAFL premierships with Claremont.

The 23-year-old, who has played 10 AFL matches, was unable to edge his way in front of seasoned Eagles Shannon Hurn and Beau Waters.
 

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