Green excited to turn Blue

Former Demon Brad Green is now a midfield development coach at Carlton. Source: Herald Sun

FORMER Melbourne AFL skipper Brad Green has been recruited by Carlton as a midfield development coach.

Green joined former Collingwood mentor Mick Malthouse ahead of their first official pre-season training session at Visy Park later on Monday.

Green retired in round 22 this year after a 254-game career during which he was captain of the Demons for the 2011 season.

He said he was excited to begin his coaching career under one of the greats.

"I am really excited about this next stage of my AFL career," Green said.

"I said when I announced my retirement from playing that I was passionate about a career in the coaching department as I want to continue to be involved in the game I love.

"It is fantastic to have this opportunity and very exciting to join the Carlton Football Club and to have the opportunity to work with Mick Malthouse and the coaching team."

Green, a best and fairest winner with Melbourne in 2010, played under Malthouse with the Australian International Rules team in Ireland in 2010.

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No risks with Brown and Black

Jonathan Brown made a brief appearance at training this morning. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail

Daniel Merrett shows the pain of pre-season training. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail

LIONS coach Michael Voss has pulled the reins on Jonathan Brown and Simon Black, sparing the club champions from the toughest block of pre-season training.

Brown made a brief appearance at the teams first session of the summer campaign, a day after the birth of his second child Jack, a little brother to Olivia.

The skipper spoke with Voss, completed same handball drills then left to visit wife Kylie.

Black did not take part in the 2km time trial but ran for most of the session and will leave with half the group on Wednesday for a training camp in Arizona.

Brown will stay in Brisbane to be with his family and to ensure he gas fully recovered from a last months bike accident.

Simon Black training today at Giffin Park. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail

"We have to be mindful that was a pretty big bang up," Voss said.

"We'll be taking a low key approach with (Black and Brown) towards Christmas.

"The thing we've learnt with them both is they come to hand pretty quick."

Youngster Jack Crisp won the time trial, just ahead of Joel Patfull .

The Lions will take only half their list - players with at least four years senior experience - to the US.

The Lions in training this morning. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail

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Stiller invited to Dees summer

Cheynee Stiller will train at the Dees. Picture: Anthony Reginato Source: The Daily Telegraph

DELISTED Brisbane Lion Cheynee Stiller will be given the chance to impress Melbourne coach Mark Neeld and win a surprise AFL lifeline after being given permission to train with the Dees in the lead up to the drafts.

Stiller, 26, was cut by Lions coach Michael Voss last month after mustering just three senior appearances this season.

His best was against the Dees in Round 1, collecting 19 touches and laying four tackles.

Stiller maintained a strong form line in the reserves and played a starring role as the Lions crushed Quenbeyan to claim this year's NEAFL premiership.

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Stiller played 100 games at the Lions and would add another layer to Neeld's facelift of Melbourne's playing list, which has seen the Dees turnover 14 players and bring in mature-bodies Shannon Byrnes, David Rodan, Chris Dawes and Cam Pedersen.

Delisted Blue Andy Collins will continue to train at the club under new coach Mick Malthouse in a bid to keep his career alive.

St Kilda's strengthened relationship with VFL affiliate Sandringham will see four AFL hopefuls from the Zebras train at the Saints, headed by former West Coast midfielder Adam Cockie.

Essendon has scoured the land in a bid to find its next AFL surprise packet, inviting Tom Fields (Labrador) and Nick Kommer (East Perth) to Windy Hill for the start of pre-season.

FULL AFL PERMISSION TO TRAIN LIST:

Carlton: Andrew Collins (Carlton)

Essendon: Tom Fields (Labrador), Nick Kommer (East Perth)

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Melbourne: Cheynee Stiller (Brisbane Lions)

North Melbourne: Ben Speight (North Melbourne)

St Kilda: Adam Cockie (Sandringham), Michael Sikora (Sandringham), Chris Michaelides (Sandringham), Jackson Coleman (Sandringham)

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Mick wants Blues to help Judd

Coach Michael Malthouse taking his first training session with the team Picture: Salpigtidis George Source: Herald Sun

MICHAEL Malthouse used his first day at work as Carlton coach to reinforce his team rules to the players - clearly based around his ''mantra of defence'' - and declared that other players had to lift and relieve the leadership burden on captain Chris Judd.

The three-time premiership coach met the playing and coaching group at Visy Park at 8am this morning, then spoke to the team for 20 minutes on the field after an open training session in the afternoon.

He said the latter address was ''all team stuff. All rules and regulations that I entrust to the players when they're on the ground.''

Green excited to turn Blue

Asked what his approach would be to coaching the Blues, Malthouse said: ''I still think to this day the best defensive side has the best chance to win premierships. So it'll be based on and around that, and I think the playing group will grab it and run with it.''

He said a decision on the 2013 captaincy would depend on Judd wanting the role and the playing group choosing him, but drew parallels to how heavily Collingwood relied on skipper Nathan Buckley when he arrived at Victoria Park in 2000.

''I don't think there's any one team has gone too far relying on one player. .. from a distance I thought that everything was rolled into a Nathan Buckley at Collingwood. To relieve the pressure on him he needed to see other people stand up around him. And I see the same when I see Chris Judd.''

Carlton training at princess park, Coach Michael Malthouse taking his first training session with the team, Having a laugh with Mitch Robinson Picture: Salpigtidis George Source: Herald Sun

Midfielder Andrew Carrazzo said it was a ''misconception'' that the group relied too heavily on on Judd .

''Juddy does have a strong influence on the group and so do some of the other leaders,'' Carrazzo said.

"But there's not doubt that if we're going to go forward some of that responsibility's got to be shared among the other guys.''

Malthouse said he was interested to discover who wanted to take on leadership roles and looked forward to learning more about the playing group now that he was inside the club.

He wanted to give Blues players a chance to prove themselves before drastically changing the list. Among the changes he did expect to make, though, was for Bryce Gibbs to improve his game and spend more time in the midfield.

''I'd like to think he's going to be playing in the middle .. he certainly has to come up that next level,'' said Malthouse, adding that he expected Gibbs to play 8-10 minutes a quarter in the midfield.

The Blues 2-4 year players started training last week, but today was the first training session involving the full list.

Carlton will head off on Friday for a two week training camp in Arizona. Malthouse said it would not be ''commando-style floggings'', rather a chance to reinforce his philosophies and get to know the players better.

He said that at this early stage the only player expected to be unavailable in Round 1 was defender Andrew McInnes.

Malthouse's coaching panel was finalised yesterday when former Melbourne skipper Brad Green was appointed midfield development coach.
 

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Crows to look for older talent

David Noble says the Crows are on the search for mature-age talent. Picture: Ray Titus Source: Herald Sun

ADELAIDE has begun scouring the nation for mature-age talent as it prepares to lose early selections in this month's national draft.

As the Crows brace themselves to be penalised for the Kurt Tippett saga, their recruiting team has shifted focus significantly ahead of November 22.

"Depending on what happens with the AFL findings, we thought let's go back in an open spectrum again through all of our state league scouts,'' Adelaide list manager David Noble said.

"Let's look at what all of our options are with all those players who are currently in state leagues, ex-AFL players who continue to fit our brief in terms of our needs. We're exploring all options that we've got with our list.''

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While the candidates the Crows are looking at are unlikely to be of Ian Callinan's vintage - the Central District star was 28 when selected in the 2010 rookie draft - players in their early 20s will be strongly considered.

"(We need) to explore all those avenues again, to go back and rethink about someone you may have looked over because you were essentially going to draft a younger person,'' Noble said.

"So it's someone who might be in their mid-20s, or early 20s, who has missed that opportunity (at AFL level).

"We've got to go back and do our due diligence on all of that now to make sure we've got the right aspects to cover our needs.''

Seasoned performers in the SANFL, WAFL and VFL will be at the top of the Crows' list, with St Kilda already showing the benefits of plucking mature-age talent.

The Saints snared Beau Wilkes (26) from the WAFL, Terry Milera (24) from the SANFL and Ahmed Saad (23) from the VFL this time last year.

All three showed promising signs while playing in the AFL in 2012.

And the Saints continued along this theme last month, claiming 21-year-old Claremont forward Tom Lee in a trade deal with Greater Western Sydney.

"This was a breakout year for Tom where he developed into a dominant forward in the WAFL competition,'' St Kilda coach Scott Watters said.

"He was also a key contributor in Claremont's premiership side.

"Talented, mobile forwards are hard to come by, so he is a great acquisition to our team.''

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Daisy next big story

Dale Thomas could be targeted by rival clubs. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD is bracing for more speculation about a key player leaving next season.

The Magpies are aware midfielder Dale "Daisy" Thomas will be the target of free-agency speculation unless he re-signs.

"We've got Dale Thomas who has got another 12 months of a contract and then he becomes a restricted free agent," coach Nathan Buckley said yesterday.

"There's going to be one story in the next 12 months that becomes bigger than others because it becomes the free agent story of the year.

"Now, Collingwood has probably had that two out of three years.

"Pendles (Scott Pendlebury) was big in the first year of GWS (Giants), and Clokey (Travis Cloke) was big.

"And Collingwood's a big club and we know we're going to get a lot of speculation about us."

Buckley said he had no doubt Cloke's form this year was affected by the constant speculation.

"A lot of people would choose to neglect to consider the fact that he has taken a hit (financially) to stay, but the club was really keen on not bending to a point where we had to butcher our list by keeping one bloke," Buckley told SEN.

Collingwood's pre-season training starts on November 21, with senior players returning a week later.

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Delay to best-laid plans

Essendon CEO Ian Robson says the ovals will be ready in January. Source: Herald Sun

ESSENDON will not start using its freshly laid training ovals until January.

Chairman David Evans predicted in August the players would be training at an MCG-sized oval at Tullamarine by the middle of this month, but the plans have been delayed.

Chief executive Ian Robson is confident the turf is settling after a wet winter.

"What might have been a couple of sessions pre-Christmas now will be a first week of January," he said.

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Robson denied there had been major issues with the turf, but said it needed time.

"We're all very impatient in football. We'd like to roll it out today and train on it tomorrow, but it needs time to bed down," he said.

"We are keen to find our feet on the oval, bearing in mind we are still confronting the issue (at Windy Hill) of a co-tenancy with a cricket team."

The Bombers will use a mixture of venues before Christmas, including Windy Hill, The Tan, Victoria Park, Gosch's Paddock and Aberfeldie athletics track.

When the Bombers do start training at their new Tullamarine base, they will be changing in portables as construction gears up.

The club is looking forward to the certainty of its own pre-season base.

"There's no denying there's a certain beauty and feel that comes from a location that is predictable and secure," Robson said.

"What we're delivering is a long-term solution to address some of the challenges we've been facing at Windy Hill because of the historical co-tenancy with cricket."

It is possible the Bombers will be able to move mid-season in 2013 if the building of the training centre adjacent to the oval goes to plan.

Essendon's Etihad Stadium-sized oval on the same site is at least a fortnight behind the MCG-sized ground, which had been planned as it was sown more conventionally.

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Bailey keeps cool in tank claims

Former Melbourne coach Dean Bailey says he didn't tell the Dees to lose. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun

FORMER Melbourne coach Dean Bailey is arguing he is innocent of tanking claims, despite being in the "vault" when football operations manager Chris Connolly reinforced the need to play for draft picks.

The AFL is unveiling its investigative arsenal as it builds its case, warning some Melbourne assistant coaches of severe sanctions if they refuse to be interviewed or are not honest in testimony.

Some Demons officials have been told the AFL can impose life coaching bans, though interviews are not conducted under oath.

Others have been re-interviewed and told that their testimony is inconsistent with those who believe there is evidence of tanking.

While Connolly is under the most heat, Bailey is said to be comfortable with the fact he never instructed coaches or players to deliberately lose games.

He is one of several Melbourne figures who remembers Connolly making his controversial aside in a portable shed at the Junction Oval, dubbed The Vault, after the Port Adelaide win in Round 15, 2009.

While that meeting has been painted as the start of an orchestrated campaign to lose games, the context of that discussion is at the heart of the tanking investigation.

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Some, including Bailey, believe the Connolly statement urging the coaching staff not to maximise their high draft picks was a 30-second aside in a lengthy match committee meeting.

They dispute it was a specific meeting held as a call-to-arms to the football department.

Others have accused Connolly of saying words to the effect of, "Make this happen, or you'll all get sacked".

Whether the AFL believes the more generous interpretation, or declares the Connolly statement as evidence of tanking, is the crux of the investigation.

The Herald Sun has reported Bailey, now an Adelaide assistant coach, told the players in mid-2009 some would be played in radically different positions.

Melbourne faces "severe" penalties if found guilty, but will likely have seven days to reply to any AFL findings.

That means Melbourne has a good chance of retaining its No.4 selection and the No.27 pick it needs to secure father-son selection Jack Viney in the November 22 national draft because the investigation will be ongoing.

The AFL Commission meets on November 19.

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Stewart setback not final

Quick, versatile and perfectly suited to the modern game, James Stewart is likely to be taken in the second half of this year's AFL Draft.

James Stewart (left) should still get drafted despite the Pies overlooking him as a father-son pick. Bruce Magilton Source: Herald Sun

JAMES Stewart had to focus on the 17 other doors that could open when Collingwood closed theirs.

With three picks inside the top 21, the Pies made the tough call to overlook the father-son prospect, turning Stewart's draft dream on its head.

The setback continued a year of challenges for Stewart, which included a stress fracture to his back, and a major growth spurt that turned the former midfielder into a 197cm key-position player.

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While it has taken time to develop into the new role, Sandringham Dragons regional manager Ryan O'Connor said Stewart had the tools to blossom into an agile AFL forward.

"He's 197cm and he can basically run like an onballer. He has the athleticism of a wingman," O'Connor said.

s51me970 - U18 AFL champions. Vic Metro vs Tasmania at Visy Park. Vic. James Stewart tackling. Picture: Hilton Stone Source: Herald Sun

"He has fantastic foot skills and is very good with his hands. He just needs to keep working on all the attributes of contested football - like positioning as a key forward and key back."

"But the reality is he hasn't played that much in those roles.''

There were some encouraging signs late season when Stewart reeled in a string of contested grabs and conversions on goal, providing what O'Connor believes was a "taste of things to come''

Stewart said he tried to emulate the versatility in the game of Sydney champion Adam Goodes.

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"I'm a tall player that can play in the forward line, up the ground as well," he said.

O'Connor said Stewart, whose dad Craig played 115 games for the Pies, had shown great maturity dealing with the father-son focus.

s02wh202 c1 Football. Eastern Ranges v Sandringham Dragons. Sandringham's James Stewart with ball against Eastern's Shaun Kennedy. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano Source: Herald Sun

"Like any young footballer would be, there was a part of him that was disappointed (being overlooked by Collingwood)," he said.

"The whole experience has put a microscope on him, and it's something he's had to come to terms with.

"But I think he will be better off from it all."

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"A kid of his size and his athleticism, given the right opportunities, I have no doubt he will get out there (in the AFL) and do very nicely."

THE JAMES STEWART FILE

AGE: 18
HEIGHT: 197cm
WEIGHT: 82kg
FROM: Sandringham Dragons
POSITION: Mobile forward
DRAFT RANGE: Late third round
IN THE MIX: Crows (54), Roos (58), Cats (59)
PLAYS LIKE: Adam Goodes

Follow Jay Clark on Twitter: @ClarkyHeraldSun

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