EAGLES WANT VOSS
West Coast believes it has a 50-50 chance of snaring three-time Brisbane premiership captain Michael Voss as an assistant coach for the next two years, reports The Australian. It was revealed yesterday that the West Coast board has given the go-ahead for the club to make substantial changes to its football department, with Voss a priority choice to support coach John Worsfold through a rebuilding phase. Eagles directors recently voted to strengthen support for Worsfold with top-of-the-shelf staff, and if Voss declines their offer, they will sound out recently retired Brownlow medallists Nathan Buckley, then Mark Ricciuto for roles. Both long-standing captains - Buckley at Collingwood and Ricciuto at the Crows - have not been officially approached, but Voss has already been invited by Worsfold to consider a position on his coaching staff. Worsfold and Voss, who won his Brownlow Medal in 1996, have enjoyed a good relationship in recent times. West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett yesterday confirmed his club's interest in Voss. "We rate people like Michael very highly and if he's available, we'd certainly entertain him working for us," Nisbett said. The Eagles don't expect Voss to be a long-term proposition as he remains favourite to be the senior coach the Gold Coast in 2011, the year it officially joins the AFL competition as the 17th club.
COUSINS PICKS PORT MELBOURNE…
Disgraced AFL player Ben Cousins has confirmed he will register with VFL club Port Melbourne, but is still unsure if he will make an AFL comeback, reports The Herald Sun. Cousins said last night he would join Port Melbourne in a training capacity only as he takes the first tentative steps towards kick-starting his stalled football career. In an interview with The Footy Show on Channel 9, the confessed drug addict said he would soon leave Perth and move to Melbourne. "I intend to hopefully register with Port Melbourne in the hope of coming over to Melbourne at some stage later in the year and training," Cousins said. "I don't intend to play at this stage but I'm certainly keeping the options open. It (Port Melbourne) is an area I think I'll probably be staying. I've had a bit to do with (coach) Gary Ayres over the years ... it seemed a logical, easy choice and they were happy to have me, I think."
…BUT IS CAUTIOUS ABOUT ADDICTION
Ben Cousins says his constant battle with drug addiction would determine whether he could launch an AFL comeback, reports The Herald Sun. "If I made the decision to come back and play footy, it's not the footy part I'd be worried about at all," he said. "It's not about being fit enough, it's not about wondering if I'd get a kick. It's everything that comes with it and taking into account everything that comes with addiction. I wasn't playing bad footy before I shipped off to rehab. From that point of view I've been highly functional. It's never been a case of it affecting my footy or diminishing the impact I have on a game. It's just the off-field stuff that it runs into." Cousins refused to detail what steps he was taking to recover from drug addiction, saying they would be revealed in a documentary later this year.
SAINTS STARS ARE BACK
St Kilda has rushed back stars Nick Dal Santo and Stephen Milne for tomorrow night's showdown with North Melbourne at Gold Coast Stadium, reports The Herald Sun. The pair and key forward Justin Koschitzke, who has missed the past two matches with a strained knee, make for three big inclusions as the Saints press to break into the top eight. St Kilda, coming off a fighting win over Fremantle last weekend, sits just two points astern of the Roos and would displace them in the eight if they win tomorrow. Dal Santo and Milne were shock omissions last week and were banished to the Casey Scorpions to do muddy penance in the VFL.
RIVERS RUN DRY
Melbourne has suffered another massive injury blow, losing defender Jared Rivers for the rest of the season, reports The Herald Sun. Rivers, the 2004 Rising Star winner cursed by groin and stomach problems, has been put on ice to ready him for a tilt at 2009. The 23-year-old was struck down by strained stomach muscles in the Queen's Birthday clash with Collingwood almost three weeks ago. Melbourne listed Rivers as a four-to-six-week absentee this week, but Demons coach Dean Bailey yesterday conceded his season was over. "Unless there is a magical cure for him, I don't think he will be back playing football this year," Bailey said. "It is really disappointing for Jared because he has got some great leadership qualities in him."
BLACK IN DOGHOUSE TOO
Fremantle’s Heath Black has joined forward Jeff Farmer in the doghouse after the pair were banished to the WAFL for missing a training session, reports The Herald Sun. The pair will line up for South Fremantle Bulldogs this weekend after Farmer missed a recovery session in Melbourne following Friday night's loss to St Kilda and Black failed to attend a training session at a later date. It has been reported Farmer was at Melbourne's Showgirls nightclub with teammate Antoni Grover until the early hours of Saturday morning. Farmer, 31, in the final year of his contract, was publicly put on notice three weeks ago by coach Mark Harvey that an extension would depend on his performances in the last 12 rounds of the season.
West Coast believes it has a 50-50 chance of snaring three-time Brisbane premiership captain Michael Voss as an assistant coach for the next two years, reports The Australian. It was revealed yesterday that the West Coast board has given the go-ahead for the club to make substantial changes to its football department, with Voss a priority choice to support coach John Worsfold through a rebuilding phase. Eagles directors recently voted to strengthen support for Worsfold with top-of-the-shelf staff, and if Voss declines their offer, they will sound out recently retired Brownlow medallists Nathan Buckley, then Mark Ricciuto for roles. Both long-standing captains - Buckley at Collingwood and Ricciuto at the Crows - have not been officially approached, but Voss has already been invited by Worsfold to consider a position on his coaching staff. Worsfold and Voss, who won his Brownlow Medal in 1996, have enjoyed a good relationship in recent times. West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett yesterday confirmed his club's interest in Voss. "We rate people like Michael very highly and if he's available, we'd certainly entertain him working for us," Nisbett said. The Eagles don't expect Voss to be a long-term proposition as he remains favourite to be the senior coach the Gold Coast in 2011, the year it officially joins the AFL competition as the 17th club.
COUSINS PICKS PORT MELBOURNE…
Disgraced AFL player Ben Cousins has confirmed he will register with VFL club Port Melbourne, but is still unsure if he will make an AFL comeback, reports The Herald Sun. Cousins said last night he would join Port Melbourne in a training capacity only as he takes the first tentative steps towards kick-starting his stalled football career. In an interview with The Footy Show on Channel 9, the confessed drug addict said he would soon leave Perth and move to Melbourne. "I intend to hopefully register with Port Melbourne in the hope of coming over to Melbourne at some stage later in the year and training," Cousins said. "I don't intend to play at this stage but I'm certainly keeping the options open. It (Port Melbourne) is an area I think I'll probably be staying. I've had a bit to do with (coach) Gary Ayres over the years ... it seemed a logical, easy choice and they were happy to have me, I think."
…BUT IS CAUTIOUS ABOUT ADDICTION
Ben Cousins says his constant battle with drug addiction would determine whether he could launch an AFL comeback, reports The Herald Sun. "If I made the decision to come back and play footy, it's not the footy part I'd be worried about at all," he said. "It's not about being fit enough, it's not about wondering if I'd get a kick. It's everything that comes with it and taking into account everything that comes with addiction. I wasn't playing bad footy before I shipped off to rehab. From that point of view I've been highly functional. It's never been a case of it affecting my footy or diminishing the impact I have on a game. It's just the off-field stuff that it runs into." Cousins refused to detail what steps he was taking to recover from drug addiction, saying they would be revealed in a documentary later this year.
SAINTS STARS ARE BACK
St Kilda has rushed back stars Nick Dal Santo and Stephen Milne for tomorrow night's showdown with North Melbourne at Gold Coast Stadium, reports The Herald Sun. The pair and key forward Justin Koschitzke, who has missed the past two matches with a strained knee, make for three big inclusions as the Saints press to break into the top eight. St Kilda, coming off a fighting win over Fremantle last weekend, sits just two points astern of the Roos and would displace them in the eight if they win tomorrow. Dal Santo and Milne were shock omissions last week and were banished to the Casey Scorpions to do muddy penance in the VFL.
RIVERS RUN DRY
Melbourne has suffered another massive injury blow, losing defender Jared Rivers for the rest of the season, reports The Herald Sun. Rivers, the 2004 Rising Star winner cursed by groin and stomach problems, has been put on ice to ready him for a tilt at 2009. The 23-year-old was struck down by strained stomach muscles in the Queen's Birthday clash with Collingwood almost three weeks ago. Melbourne listed Rivers as a four-to-six-week absentee this week, but Demons coach Dean Bailey yesterday conceded his season was over. "Unless there is a magical cure for him, I don't think he will be back playing football this year," Bailey said. "It is really disappointing for Jared because he has got some great leadership qualities in him."
BLACK IN DOGHOUSE TOO
Fremantle’s Heath Black has joined forward Jeff Farmer in the doghouse after the pair were banished to the WAFL for missing a training session, reports The Herald Sun. The pair will line up for South Fremantle Bulldogs this weekend after Farmer missed a recovery session in Melbourne following Friday night's loss to St Kilda and Black failed to attend a training session at a later date. It has been reported Farmer was at Melbourne's Showgirls nightclub with teammate Antoni Grover until the early hours of Saturday morning. Farmer, 31, in the final year of his contract, was publicly put on notice three weeks ago by coach Mark Harvey that an extension would depend on his performances in the last 12 rounds of the season.
LID KEPT ON FRANKLIN
Mindful of past mismanagement of its shooting stars, Hawthorn will keep Lance Franklin out of the media spotlight to prevent him becoming over-exposed, and potentially overwhelmed, as his on-field status continues to skyrocket. Hawks skipper Sam Mitchell, in an interview with The Age this week, said the club had learned through the experience of key defender Trent Croad. Now a senior member of the team but an erstwhile pin-up as a junior, Croad was encouraged to engage in an array of media commitments but found that promoting himself and the club beyond the footy field could be detrimental. "He (Croad) would say, by his own admission, that he was over-exposed when he was too young and didn't know how to handle it," Mitchell said. "Lance is a star, of course he is, but our first and foremost priority in what we do is winning a premiership. Hawthorn Football Club has got some very talented people within it, Lance being one of them, but what benefit is there for the club or for Lance Franklin by him doing media? There's none. The only upside to it is that people will maybe love him more. But the risk then is that there's further to fall.”
Mindful of past mismanagement of its shooting stars, Hawthorn will keep Lance Franklin out of the media spotlight to prevent him becoming over-exposed, and potentially overwhelmed, as his on-field status continues to skyrocket. Hawks skipper Sam Mitchell, in an interview with The Age this week, said the club had learned through the experience of key defender Trent Croad. Now a senior member of the team but an erstwhile pin-up as a junior, Croad was encouraged to engage in an array of media commitments but found that promoting himself and the club beyond the footy field could be detrimental. "He (Croad) would say, by his own admission, that he was over-exposed when he was too young and didn't know how to handle it," Mitchell said. "Lance is a star, of course he is, but our first and foremost priority in what we do is winning a premiership. Hawthorn Football Club has got some very talented people within it, Lance being one of them, but what benefit is there for the club or for Lance Franklin by him doing media? There's none. The only upside to it is that people will maybe love him more. But the risk then is that there's further to fall.”
WINDERLICH GONE FOR YEAR
Essendon midfielder Jason Winderlich will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a prolapsed disc in his back, reports The Age. The 23-year-old speedster experienced pain in his back after Essendon's round 11 loss to Hawthorn and was subsequently diagnosed with the back injury, for which he will have surgery next week. Winderlich is the second player Essendon has lost to season-ending injuries this year after small forward Alwyn Davey tore his anterior cruciate ligament at training in late April. The back injury is just the latest in a list of setbacks that have stymied the progression of Winderlich's career. In his sixth season at Essendon, Winderlich has managed just 56 games, due largely to troubles with his hamstrings.
FORMER NORTH HERO ON FRAUD CHARGES
At the height of his fame, David Dench walked off the MCG a premiership captain, having led North Melbourne to the 1977 flag.Yesterday in the Victorian County Court, the once celebrated footballer took a very different walk, accompanied by security guards, towards his first night behind bars, reports The Australian. There, he will await sentence for his part in a multi-million-dollar fraud against Victoria University. A jury found Dench guilty of nine charges of obtaining property by deception and two charges of aiding and abetting a secret commission. They found him not guilty of a further 14 similar charges. The charges relate to a fake-quote scam from when Dench was working as a maintenance contractor for the university between August 1999 and March 2001. The former Kangaroos skipper, who played 275 games between 1969 and 1984, helped skim more than $75,000 off the university via inflated or fake quotes for maintenance jobs. Dench now faces up to 10 years for each count of obtaining property by deception and will next appear in court on July 7.
Essendon midfielder Jason Winderlich will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a prolapsed disc in his back, reports The Age. The 23-year-old speedster experienced pain in his back after Essendon's round 11 loss to Hawthorn and was subsequently diagnosed with the back injury, for which he will have surgery next week. Winderlich is the second player Essendon has lost to season-ending injuries this year after small forward Alwyn Davey tore his anterior cruciate ligament at training in late April. The back injury is just the latest in a list of setbacks that have stymied the progression of Winderlich's career. In his sixth season at Essendon, Winderlich has managed just 56 games, due largely to troubles with his hamstrings.
FORMER NORTH HERO ON FRAUD CHARGES
At the height of his fame, David Dench walked off the MCG a premiership captain, having led North Melbourne to the 1977 flag.Yesterday in the Victorian County Court, the once celebrated footballer took a very different walk, accompanied by security guards, towards his first night behind bars, reports The Australian. There, he will await sentence for his part in a multi-million-dollar fraud against Victoria University. A jury found Dench guilty of nine charges of obtaining property by deception and two charges of aiding and abetting a secret commission. They found him not guilty of a further 14 similar charges. The charges relate to a fake-quote scam from when Dench was working as a maintenance contractor for the university between August 1999 and March 2001. The former Kangaroos skipper, who played 275 games between 1969 and 1984, helped skim more than $75,000 off the university via inflated or fake quotes for maintenance jobs. Dench now faces up to 10 years for each count of obtaining property by deception and will next appear in court on July 7.
