CRIME and punishment were big news in the sports sections of Melbourne's two major dailies on Tuesday.
The 'crimes' ranged from Jack Riewoldt's one-fingered gesture to the Hawks' bench and Campbell Brown's heavy hits on Western Bulldogs Callan Ward and Barry Hall to Brent Moloney's early-morning drinking session.
The punishments meted out to each attracted plenty of column space, particularly the four-match suspension offered to Gold Coast's Brown.
The Age's Greg Baum thought the match review panel got it right with Brown. Save for the breakdown of the four-match penalty, which he argued should have been three games for Brown's elbow on Ward and one for his bump on Hall, rather than the two games the panel assigned to each offence.
Mike Sheahan took a contrary view in the Herald Sun, suggesting Brown's two-game ban for his hit on Ward was "manifestly inadequate".
However, both Sheahan and Baum were sympathetic to Moloney's plight, his night out having cost him Melbourne's vice-captaincy.
While Sheahan backed Melbourne's response, he acknowledged it could be seen as "heavy-handed". Baum thought Moloney had been treated "harshly", his actions nothing more than "stock-standard silly".
Baum also felt for Riewoldt, who was fined $900 by the panel and, like Moloney, forced to front a packed media conference to denounce his 'sins'.
While Baum understood Richmond's and Melbourne's efforts to be "upstanding and devout" in responding to Riewoldt's and Moloney's transgressions, he argued both clubs had been "a little too pious".
If nothing else, the cases of Riewoldt and Moloney highlight just heavily scrutinised players are. And how player indiscretions now test clubs to come up with punishments that fit the crime.
Watson powered by Diesel
If Essendon is the competition's 'it' team, then Bombers captain Jobe Watson is its 'it' player.
While long acknowledged for his elite inside play at stoppages, Watson's vastly improved kicking and ability to have an impact resting on the forward line has drawn rave reviews this season.
How has this transformation taken place?
The Age revealed it may have something to do with private training and mentoring sessions Watson had with dual Brownlow medallist Greg Williams in 2008 and early 2009.
Sharing the same management company, Watson and Williams were brought together for practice sessions on the tennis court at Williams' home, with the former Geelong, Sydney Swans and Carlton champion helping Watson with his kicking and handballing techniques, while also challenging him to become tougher and fitter.
If you were looking for a mentor in these aspects of the game, you could not find a better one than Williams.
Saints can't escape the spotlight
If the Saints want to use their round-four bye to forget about football and recharge their minds and bodies, they should give Tuesday's newspapers a miss.
Two days after their demoralising 52-point loss to Essendon, they were still very much in the media's cross-hairs as scribes continued to ponder whether their powerhouse 2004-10 era was over.
The Herald Sun attempted to diagnose the Saints' ills over four pages, including chief football writer Mike Sheahan's Tuesday column and a double-page spread entitled "From Heaven to Hell", which listed eight possible reasons.
On its back page, the tabloid quoted Shane Wakelin saying his former side was suffering a Grand Final hangover it wouldn't recover from this season.
The Age was more restrained, running a column by Michael Gleeson that asked whether St Kilda's problems would be best solved by recycling experienced players or rebuilding through youth. Alongside it, appeared a photo of a grim-looking Nick Riewoldt listening to an address from coach Ross Lyon.
Don't despair, Saints. You should get some respite from Wednesday - at least for a few days.
Port Adelaide already feeling the heat
We're just three rounds into the season but already Michelangelo Rucci says Port Adelaide faces its "doomsday" against Adelaide this Saturday night.
The Advertiser's chief football writer said no side has started a season with four straight losses - as the Power will if they lose to the Crows - and made the finals since the final eight was introduced in 1994.
But a loss would also be disastrous for the Power's campaign to wipe out their $3 million debt on two fronts, Rucci said.
One, the Power have made this week's Showdown the centrepiece of their 13-month debt-reduction campaign, he said.
Rucci also said the likelihood of missing the finals would mean the Power would struggle to average the crowds of 30,000 they need to avoid adding to their debt.
We're not sure we share Rucci's alarmism.
The Crows appear a far stronger side than the Power and a competitive loss should be enough to keep Port fans satisfied, if not happy.
But after former skipper Warren Tredrea's objection to a recent text message from Port board member Darryl Wakelin seeking a $5000 contribution, the Power will be keen to ensure their debt-reduction campaign does not hit any further speed humps.
In short
Sydney Swans veteran Ryan O'Keefe says Geelong looks as strong a side as last year but denies the Swans' eight-game losing streak against the Cats will play any part in the sides' clash at the SCG on Saturday night, the Daily Telegraph reports.
In his regular column in the Gold Coast Bulletin, Karmichael Hunt wrote Campbell Brown had inspired him with his "hard" and "tough" approach to the game from the moment he joined the Suns.
Adelaide captain Nathan van Berlo has vowed the Crows will bounce back from their "non-competitive" display against Fremantle when they take on Port Adelaide in Showdown XXX this Saturday night, The Advertiser reports.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
