It may be Hall over soon
ONCE a player turns 30, the end can come quickly.

One minute, their body, mind and form tell them they could play on forever. The next, they find themselves struggling to get on the park each week and, when they do, struggling to get a kick.

It seems the latest player to suffer at the hands of Father Time is Western Bulldog Barry Hall.

Last year, Hall was outstanding in his first season at Whitten Oval. In this 15th AFL season, Hall finished second in the Coleman Medal and, by the end of the finals series, had kicked the highest goal tally for the season, 80.

It equalled Hall's best season tally, which he achieved in the Sydney Swans' 2005 premiership season. It also followed a relatively lean final three seasons with the Swans, in which Hall's best season return was 44 goals.

Remarkably, at 33, Hall seemed as good as ever. And as Bulldogs president David Smorgon set a Grand Final appearance as the pass mark for the 2011 season, Hall remained a key part of those lofty plans.

However, just nine games into the Bulldogs' season, Hall is considering retirement, possibly within a month.

Hall told the Herald Sun he had spoken with coach Rodney Eade about retiring.

"If I can't give this group anything, any contribution, and it's not about goals or anything like that, I will certainly retire," Hall said.

Hall has been heavily restricted by an ankle injury this season, which required surgery last month. It has limited him to five games and, although he kicked 10 goals in his first three games, he has been goalless in his past two.

Last Sunday against Hawthorn, Hall had just two possessions and was substituted out of the game in the third quarter.   

Hopefully, Hall can overcome his ankle problems and go out on a high note at the end of this season.

If not, he can take comfort knowing he has already had a remarkable career, his 701 career goals the 20th highest tally kicked in the VFL/AFL.

Past Eagles' defensive bond
As former West Coast defenders and captains John Worsfold and Guy McKenna prepare to square off for the first time as opposing AFL senior coaches, The West Australian revealed details of a lasting bond the pair share with another former teammate.

Reporter Steve Butler revealed Worsfold, McKenna and Murray Rance, himself a former defender and Eagles captain, have formed the "Captains' Club".

The club is exclusive, its criteria for membership strict. To be eligible, you have to been a defender and an Eagles captain.

Worsfold, McKenna and Rance regularly played together in the Eagles' backline from 1988-90, with Rance Eagles skipper in 1989, Worsfold from 1991-98 and McKenna from 1999-2000.

But other contemporaries of the trio have been ruled ineligible for membership of the Captains' Club, 1990 skipper Steve Malaxos on the basis he played in the midfield, long-time centre half-back Glen Jakovich on the basis he did not captain the club.

Rance told the paper more would be at stake than just premiership points when Worsfold's West Coast Eagles host McKenna's Gold Coast Suns this Saturday at Patersons Stadium.

Rance, who appointed himself club chairman, said there would be a heavy fine for the losing coach of Saturday's game. The club has a points system that is used to determine the member liable to pay "an entertainment-based financial punishment" at its annual general meeting.

Which means the club's expected "extraordinary meeting" in Perth this Saturday night should be a beauty.

"You build up your mateships in football over the years and then go your different ways," Rance said.

"So we just made a pact between ourselves that wherever we are in the world, we'll still have a lunch once a year."

The Captains' Club is a great example of the enduring friendships forged on the football field.
  
Harding's wide ambition
It's become common for AFL players to try their luck in America's National Football League (NFL) at the end of their careers.

Booming kicks such as Darren Bennett (Melbourne), Ben Graham (Geelong) and Sav Rocca (Collingwood/North Melbourne) have all enjoyed success as punters in America's elite gridiron competition.

But now the Herald Sun reports former Brisbane Lion and Port Adelaide forward Scott Harding is attempting to break new ground for Australians in the NFL, by becoming our first wide receiver.

While the role of a NFL punter is a specialist one that involves limited game time, a wide receiver is an integral part of a team's offensive group.

Their role is basically to run forward of the opposition's defence and catch passes from their quarterback. It requires exceptional speed, agility and the ability to absorb big hits. As such, it's not the position for a retired AFL footballer with a failing body.

Fortunately, that's not Harding. At 24, his 50-game AFL career may be over, but he's still at his athletic peak.

Since being delisted by the Power at the end of last season, Harding has been training with former AFL player Nathan Chapman, who through his ProKick program has been preparing footballers to make the transition to gridiron for some years.

Harding's efforts have been rewarded with a scholarship to the University of Hawaii to play on their gridiron team.

Harding told the tabloid he had followed the NFL during his AFL days and had first considered attempting a career switch when Chapman visited the Brisbane Lions.

"I said to [Chapman] I didn't really want to be a punter, and that I'd seen the wide receivers on TV and thought I could run as fast as them and catch like them," Harding said.   

In an age where players are swapping sporting codes with increasing success, it seems anything's possible for someone with the right athletic gifts.

Hopefully, Harding is soon tearing up and down NFL fields, terrorising opposition cornerbacks and safeties.

In short
Collingwood key defender Nathan Brown is on track to play again in round 17, which would be just five months after he underwent a traditional knee reconstruction, the Herald Sun reports. Together with teammates Darren Jolly, Dane Swan and Brent Macaffer, Brown will fly to Arizona on Monday for a two-week high-altitude camp aimed at fast-tracking his recovery.

The Daily Telegraph's Malcolm Conn is tipping the Sydney Swans will be on the hunt for another Tony Lockett at the end of this season. Conn says the Swans will have up to $1 million free in their salary cap to make a play for a big-name forward, following the retirement of Craig Bolton, the looming retirement of Daniel Bradshaw and the possible exits of Jude Bolton and Tadhg Kennelly.

One of Tasmania's favourite sons, Matthew Richardson, has backed North Melbourne's push to play two games at Hobart's Bellerive Oval from next season, The Mercury reports. The former Richmond great said football fans in the state's south were "hanging out" to attend local AFL games.

While Fremantle has denied out-of-form defender Michael Johnson has osteitis pubis, The West Australian reports Johnson is suffering from an "early onset" of the debilitating pelvic/groin condition and is also carrying an ankle condition.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.