Scullys a package deal
MELBOURNE supporters still struggling to accept Tom Scully's defection to Greater Western Sydney would have choked on their bircher muesli when they opened Thursday's papers. That is, if they weren't browsing the internet last night in which case they would have gagged on their cognac.

The reason for their digestive problems? The news that Scully's father, Phil, will take up a full-time recruiting position with the Giants from next January.

Although Scully snr has some recruiting runs on the board - he has worked for the Sydney Swans for the past two years - Dees fans will have noted the AFL has ruled his wages must be included under the club's player salary cap.

Which prompts the question: Did Tom sign with the Giants on the condition his 'old man' got a job?

We're pondering this issue because of the Herald Sun's Michael Warner. It was Warner who got wind of the Scully 'package deal' and contacted GWS for confirmation.

Warner reports that a press release issued by GWS on Wednesday evening confirming Scully snr's appointment had been rushed out by "embarrassed" Giants officials after he had contacted them.

Warner wrote that the AFL's decision to include Scully snr's wages in the Giants' salary cap was an "unprecedented ruling" that suggested "the AFL was not convinced Phil Scully's employment was unrelated to his son's five-year $6 million deal". 

Warner did, however, issue the following disclaimer: "The Herald Sun is not suggesting that Tom Scully or his father Phil have done anything wrong."

Nor have they. The episode is more a sign of the lengths clubs will go to get their man.

However, when those lengths include having to put a non-playing relative's wage in the salary cap, it's unlikely other clubs will follow the Giants' lead.

Third umpire ruled in
In two of the past three seasons, we've seen dodgy goal umpiring decisions on the game's biggest stage.

Fortunately, the decisions to award goals for the 'posters' kicked by Geelong's Tom Hawkins and Collingwood's Sharrod Wellingham in the 2009 and 2011 Grand Finals did not affect the outcome of either season.

But there's always the risk such a mistake could cost a team dearly in the future.

Judging by Caroline Wilson's report in Thursday's Age, the AFL is poised to jump on the technology bandwagon to ensure this doesn't happen.

While cricket has long had an off-field third umpire ruling on line-ball appeals for run-outs, and more recently LBW and catches, via video replays, and rugby league has a similar scheme in place to determine contentious tries, the AFL has previously been wary of the delays such off-field decision-making entails. 

But Wilson reports the AFL executive will recommend to its Commission before Christmas that a "wired-up" third umpire be empowered to rule on "disputed scoring decisions".

The AFL trialled video referrals for contentious goals in last season's NAB Cup and Wilson wrote Wellingham's behind-ruled-goal has sealed the AFL's determination to introduce it in the premiership season.

AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson told Wilson the League's biggest concern about using such technology remained the delays it would introduce to the game, but had learned ways to speed up this process from the NAB Cup experiment.

According to Wilson, the AFL's proposed system would permit the umpire's coach, who has previously been hooked up to the two goal umpires by microphone but not allowed to talk to them during games, to raise apparent scoring errors.  

In our view, slight delays are better than errors that cost teams five points.

Maxwell's year of injury
Collingwood's poor run with injury during 2011 has been well documented.

When you consider Nathan Brown ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament before round one and Dane Swan (quadriceps), Chris Dawes (broken knuckle) and Darren Jolly (knee) were among the Magpie wounded, it's not surprising their premiership defence floundered late in the year.

But it seems no Magpie's year was ravaged by injury quite like captain Nick Maxwell's.

The Age's Michael Gleeson outlined the litany of injuries that punctuated Maxwell's season: a dislocated shoulder in January, internal bleeding and lacerations to his kidney and liver from a collision in a NAB Cup game against West Coast, later calf soreness, two hairline stress fractures of his fibula, a thumb broken in four places that needed to be screwed back together and, finally, a broken knuckle in the Grand Final loss.

It's as if Maxwell kicked a black cat before the season, only to be run over by 22 of the Geelong breed on the first Saturday in October.  
 
Maxwell told Gleeson the Grand Final loss had inspired him to return to training early and would drive him next year. He's also entitled to expect 2012 will bring better luck with injury.

Leon Watch
After the news broke on Tuesday night that he was walking out on Collingwood, All-Australian half-back Leon Davis is in demand.

The Age reports West Coast, Fremantle and GWS will consider drafting him, but added that although Davis ideally wants to return to his home state of WA neither the Eagles or Freo have made him a contract offer yet. The Australian reports Fremantle delisted Justin Bollenhagen to give it the option of taking Davis in the pre-season draft, and are better placed to snap him up than the Eagles, who are only expected to participate in the national draft.

The Advertiser reports Adelaide is considering taking Davis in the pre-season draft, an option Davis is reportedly open to, given his partner, Janelle, is from South Australia.

Meanwhile, the Herald Sun reports Davis looks "certain" to quit Collingwood even if that means retiring from the AFL and playing in the WAFL. If that comes to pass, the West Australian reports Swan Districts is a "strong contender" to snare Davis' services.

In short

Nick Riewoldt is likely to remain St Kilda captain for a seventh season next year after new coach Scott Watters told the Herald Sun he would "love" to see Riewoldt's reign continue. Riewoldt told the tabloid he would be "absolutely honoured" to continue as captain, but Watters stopped short of guaranteeing him the role, saying it was a club decision.

Horsham draft hopeful Seb Ross could be the next Dustin Martin, the Herald Sun's Jay Clark reports. Like his cousin Essendon skipper Jobe Watson, Ross has worked hard to add improved fitness to his natural ball-winning ability at stoppages.
 
Adelaide great Tyson Edwards is "almost certain" to join fellow Crows premiership player Shaun Rehn in cross-town rival Port Adelaide's new coaching team, The Advertiser reports. Adelaide's daily paper writes that Edwards has told the Power he wants to take on a development coaching role at Alberton Oval, with a deal expected to be finalised after Edwards speaks with senior coach Matthew Primus.

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

Follow Nick Bowen on Twitter at @NickBowen71