The Australian
Justin Sherman latest to flee Brisbane Lions den
Greg Denham
SPEEDY midfielder/forward Justin Sherman yesterday confirmed he was the Brisbane Lions' next salary-cap relief casualty.
Richmond heads a list of clubs keen on gaining the contracted player's services, with Sydney also holding red-hot interest, The Australian reports.
Sherman could be the third high-profile player to exit the Lions following Michael Rischitelli, who has joined the Gold Coast, and Jared Brennan, who informed Brisbane this week his future will be elsewhere.
Rischitelli and Brennan, who is leaning to the Suns and Carlton as his two main playing options beyond this year, were on lucrative deals and coming out of contract, whereas Sherman has two years to run on a heavily back-ended contract worth about $800,000 for 2011 and 2012 combined.
We can beat anyone: Malthouse
Courtney Walsh
There was a period recently when Mick Malthouse acknowledged Geelong, at its best, was unbeatable.
It was a remarkable concession given Collingwood was viewed as a leading contender that had proven capable of either pushing or beating the Cats during their dominant reign.
Whatever the motivation, Malthouse thinks differently now. Winning matches rests entirely in Collingwood's hands. Play at its best tonight and a grand final berth is Collingwood's, regardless of how Geelong performs.
"We are very comfortable and confident that our best football is capable of beating anyone," Malthouse said. "It's a process. You instil your own confidence because of previous performances. You don't mysteriously come up to a preliminary final and go, 'Are we confident or not?'
The Herald Sun
Ross Lyon den respect
Rebecca Williams
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says he's not buying into talk of a weakened Western Bulldogs before Saturday night's preliminary final at the MCG.
Despite the Bulldogs losing Adam Cooney and Shaun Higgins, Lyon said Rodney Eade's men represented more of an obstacle to his side's hopes of reaching a second straight Grand Final than their outsider tag suggested.
The Saints will go into the match as $1.22 favourites against the Bulldogs ($4.15), but Lyon was not expecting an easy ride.
"It's a significant challenge with a high degree of difficulty," Lyon said. "The Western Bulldogs are top four, I keep hearing they are undermanned and they are half-a-team. "But by my own reckoning only Cooney ... and Higgins are out of their best 22, theoretically. They are full of confidence after last week."
afl.com.au
Headland calls it quits
Staff writer
Fremantle veteran Des Headland has announced his retirement.
Headland played 166 AFL matches, the last of his 114 games with Fremantle last week against Geelong, after 52 matches with the Brisbane Lions. He injured his left knee early in the first quarter of the semi-final, which was his first match since round four this season, when he injured his right knee.
Headland, 29, said it was a case of the body not willing to do what the mind wanted.
“It’s been frustrating not being able to get out on the park in the past three years,” he said. “I couldn’t do what I wanted to do. I felt like I could do it, but I just couldn’t do it.”
King retires and joins Saints coaching panel
Luke Holmesby
St Kilda ruckman Steven King will jump straight from the club’s playing list to its coaching panel next season.
King will retire at the end of this season and will immediately become an assistant to senior coach Ross Lyon.
He will be joined by Peter Berbakov who has left the Sydney Swans to take up his post and former Saints captain Robert Harvey who announced he was crossing over from Carlton’s coaching staff earlier in the week.
Since arriving at St Kilda at the end of 2007, King and fellow ruckman Michael Gardiner have worked as mentors to St Kilda’s young ruck brigade including Ben McEvoy and Rhys Stanley.
King has played 240 games for the Saints and Geelong. He was named All Australian in 2000 and also won the Cats’ best and fairest that year and 2002. He captained Geelong from 2003 to 2006 and his last game in the blue and white was the 2007 premiership.
