WITH MORE important things to do, such as finding a coach, one time Hawthorn list manager Chris Pelchen has been a notable absentee from this week's NAB AFL Draft Combine.
Now the head of football at St Kilda, Pelchen has been sequestered at a city hotel conducting interviews for the coaching position at the Saints, with Mike Sheahan reporting in the Herald Sun on Friday that the former Geelong and Adelaide coach Gary Ayres was given an opportunity to present on Thursday night.
The former Hawthorn champion knows Pelchen well from Pelchen's first stint with the Hawks, more than 20 years ago. And his coaching stock is rising, having just coached the standalone Port Melbourne to an unbeaten premiership season in the VFL.
According to Sheahan, Robert Harvey, Ken Hinkley, Alan Richardson and Scott Watters are also in the mix to coach the Saints, while Gavin Brown, who made a big impression in his first year as an assistant at Carlton, after a lifetime at Collingwood, is also attracting some interest.
Pendles on top
Sheahan has been busy since the Grand Final. We awoke Friday morning to the completion of his list of the top 50 players, which as he always stresses at this time of the year, ranks players on their performances over the season just gone.
His pre-season top 50 is his ranking of the best players in the competition.
Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury was ranked by Sheahan as his no.1 player for 2011. "He's not the most explosive player in the business, but there's no one more productive or reliable than Collingwood's tireless no.10. It's death by 1000 cuts for the opposition," he writes.
Gary Ablett is next followed by Travis Cloke, Marc Murphy and Chris Judd, with Dane Swan, Chris Judd, Lance Franklin, Joel Selwood, Sam Mitchell and Darren Glass rounding out the top 10.
Plenty to discuss there around the barbecue this summer if the cricket, racing or golf doesn't take your fancy. We think it's a solid list, although colleagues of Media Watch believe Franklin deserves a better ranking. Glass might seem the surprise, but he's a wonderful player and still largely unappreciated outside Western Australia.
So well done, Mike, enjoy Sorrento, and we'll see you again next year.
Irish eyes in Blues
Remember Marty Clarke? The hard-running Irishman played 46 gamed for Collingwood before succumbing to homesickness and returning to Ireland.
Now he wants another crack at the AFL and under the current trading rules, Greater Western Sydney can pre-list him.
The Pies are interested in bringing him back, as is Carlton, at the behest of assistant coach Alan Richardson, who worked with Clarke at Collingwood when he first arrived in Australia.
The Australian writes that Carlton could trump the Pies because they have a higher draft pick to offer the Giants and that midfielder Brock McLean, whose two years with the Blues since crossing from Melbourne have been a disappointment, could also be thrown in to sweeten the deal.
The Age reports that the deal between the Giants and the Magpies is all but done. Clarke will return to Collingwood, Murray Bushrangers draftee Jamie Elliott will join him, while the Pies give up their first pick - no.25 overall - and a later selection back to the Giants.
Andrew Krakouer joined Collingwood under the same scenario last year after a deal between the Magpies and the Suns.
The Age also reports that Richmond and the Giants are also close to finalising a deal that will bring to the club West Adelaide's Steve Morris, the son of former Richmond and Collingwood player Kevin Morris. The Giants have rights to the 21-year-old because they can pre-list any player who has been passed over in previous drafts.
'Toove' on the move?
PerthNow is floating a return home for Collingwood's Alan Toovey.
The website claims that Collingwood might not have enough room in its salary cap to pay the 24-year-old close to what he is worth on the open market. His management company claims he would be happy to play anywhere as long as he gets some sort of reasonable pay increase.
There was no comment for the Pies, who we're not sure will be all that happy with this 'negotiation through the media' tactic.
Welcome to trade week.
Mick free from 2013
Mick Malthouse and Collingwood have negotiated a confidential annulment, following Malthouse's decision not to remain with the club as director of coaching.
He leaves as a "hero of the club" Magpie president Eddie McGuire told the Herald Sun and the agreement allows Malthouse to coach elsewhere from 2013 if he wishes.
For now, we believe Malthouse when he says that he won't ever coach in the AFL again.
Gulf still remains
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou and his AFLPA counterpart Matt Finnis sat down for a negotiation on Thursday, but according to The Age, the gulf between them remains significant.
Nor is the situation likely to change, which means the League will announce the 2012 Total Player Payments figure on Monday - at the start of trade week - without sign off from the players.
This dispute is starting to get a little tedious and there appears no circuit-breaker in sight to get both sides over the line.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
