Bucks zips lip on Kosi elbow

Justin Kositchke faces a nervous wait after being involved in an ugly incident as Collingwood edged St Kila at Etihad Stadium.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley wouldn't speculate on potential bans for St Kilda forward Justin Koschitzke. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley last night refused to be drawn on St Kilda forward Justin Koschitzke's high contact on Magpie Jamie Elliott, saying he wanted to leave the incident in the hands of the match review panel.

Speaking after the Magpies' hard-fought 26-point win over the Saints at Etihad Stadium, Buckley said his forthright post-match comments on Lindsay Thomas' clash with Ben Reid in Round 1 had taught him to keep his opinions to himself.

"I saw it very quickly during the play in the second quarter," Buckley said of the incident in which it appeared Koschitzke's elbow made contact with Elliott.

"Last time I was in this room (the post-match press conference room at Etihad Stadium) I commented on a tribunal appearance that was made (into) a bigger story than it needed to be. So I will just let the powers that be deal with that."

Buckley said he had not heard about a tweet from injured Magpie Dayne Beams during the match in which he said: "Fairly weak that by Justin Koschitzke."

The incident left Elliott in the hands of trainers and he was taken from the field. He resumed in the second half.

Koschitzke, playing his 197th match and only his second for the season, faces a nervous wait until Monday's match review findings, having copped a one-match ban last year for striking.

Buckley admitted an over-correction on the team's defensive aspects - pinpointed as an area of concern after the Anzac Day fadeout to Essendon - had made his players a little more cautious and less adventurous against the Saints.

"We spent most of the week talking about our defensive intent and how we were going to go about that," he said.

"It is a natural reaction to take focus off other areas of the game where you need to do well.

"We probably just got too careful with our ball use in the second quarter and we opened that up a little bit and got the balance right in the second half."

Buckley made a number of changes coming into the match - bringing in two ruckmen (Darren Jolly and first-gamer Jarrod Witts for one (Ben Hudson) and making a number of positional switches during the contest.

The use of Dale Thomas across half-back saw him have a game-high 34 touches, with Buckley saying he could be used there on a case-by-case situation in the absence of Alan Toovey. The coach also chose to use a tagging role, with Brent Macaffer restricting the output of Nick Dal Santo.

"He (Thomas) still has a way to go - we have to understand 'Daisy' has come off a limited pre-season," he said.

"It was a different role for him tonight. I don't think it was hard to rack up possessions as a back-man at times, especially with the way we used the ball in the second quarter.

"He and 'Heater' (Heath Shaw) were playing kick to kick there in the back half. (But) he defended well and he attacked well when we needed him to."

Buckley said the Collingwood defence - with Toovey out for the season with a knee injury and with captain Nick Maxwell still out injured - would be switched around on occasions to find the right balance.

"Our defence is going to look very different for the rest of 2013, and definitely in the next couple of weeks," he said.

Travis Cloke, who kicked four goals – including three in the last term – jarred the same finger that he dislocated before the Richmond match, but Buckley said that he was fine.

Read More..

LIVE: Saturday arvo football

Bomber Heath Hocking is the sub today. Source: Herald Sun

IT is a big afternoon of AFL football. Don't miss a second by following our live coverage here.

Essendon v GWS Giants - 1:45pm at Etihad Stadium

THERE is one late change at Etihad Stadium ahead of what is expected to be a very lopsided encounter.

Adam Kennedy is out for GWS.

He has been replaced by Tomas Bugg.

Heath Hocking is the substitute for Essendon, while Zac Williams will wear the green vest for the Giants.

Follow the game in Live HQ with all the statistics and SuperCoach scores

Brendon Goddard is SuperCoach gold. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

North Melbourne v Port Adelaide - 2:10pm at Blundstone Arena

Both sides will go in as selected.

Taylor Hine will be the substitute for the Kangaroos.

Paul Stewart will wear the green vest for the Power.

Follow the game in Live HQ by clicking here.

Taylor Hine is the sub for the Kangaroos. Source: Herald Sun

TO COME:

Adelaide v Hawthorn - 4:40pm at AAMI Stadium

Read More..

Brown in clear for Hawks clash

Emerging Adelaide Crows defender Luke Brown has passed a concussion test and is fit to play this weekend. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: The Advertiser

YOUNG Crows defender Luke Brown passed a concussion test at West Lakes today to be clear for action against AFL premiership favourite Hawthorn at AAMI Stadium on Saturday.

Brown's confirmation allows Adelaide to stay with the 22 players named at selection on Thursday night and keeps Richard Tambling on the emergency list.

The most significant news from selection is the return of key forward-ruckman Shaun McKernan to the line-up for the first time this season as Adelaide copes with the loss of key forward Taylor Walker for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Adelaide assistant coach Scott Camporeale noted his midfield unit would be seeking to supply a new-look attack. 

McKernan is listed as partnering Josh Jenkins in the Crows forward line, replacing the Walker-Tippett tandem that pushed the Crows to within five points of the Hawks in last year's preliminary final.

"Josh Jenkins has been there for the whole year, Tom Lynch has come in for the past fortnight, so we need to generate more goals midfield-wise and hit the scoreboard from there to pick up the slack," Camporeale said.

"Shaun has been in really good in the SANFL. He kicked five (with Glenelg at the weekend) so he deserves an opportunity. He is probably like for like with 'Tex' (Walker). That's probably really the only change."

Off-field, the change in the Adelaide Football Club's front office at West Lakes has begun with Craig Burton, the general manager of people and communications, no longer in his position.

It is considered the start of a reshuffle of the Adelaide administration.

Read More..

Booze fine for Mumford

Ruckman Shane Mumford has been disciplined by the Swans. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph

SYDNEY ruckman Shane Mumford has been punished by the AFL club for an alcohol-related indiscretion in Melbourne.

The reigning premiers had a 10-day break after their historic match in Wellington against St Kilda, with players given the weekend off.

Mumford flew to Melbourne and, in the words of coach John Longmire, made a mistake while drinking on Friday night.

The 26-year-old has been fined, but will take his place in the Swans' side on Sunday when they host Brisbane at the SCG.

Longmire did not reveal the exact nature of Mumford's misdemeanour, or his punishment, but acknowledged co-captains Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack were called on to help deal with the matter.

"We had an incident last week and we dealt with it internally a couple of days ago," Longmire said today.

"Going into a long week, Shane went to Melbourne and had a couple of drinks. We dealt with it with our captains and spoke to Shane about it and dealt with it under the players' code of conduct.

"We're not going to go into details of what he was fined.

"It's disappointing from any player. It was disappointing from Shane's point of view and he acknowledged that.

"... All footy clubs have players that make mistakes. We're confident he'll learn from that, improve and work through the mistakes he makes and push on."

Read More..

Please Explain: Your club's bolter

Port Adelaide forward Justin Westhoff has become one of the most damaging forwards in the competition. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser

The time has come for us to do the explaining.

Every year there are players who jump out of the blocks and surprise us - for various reasons.

Some are massive improvers; others have elevated themselves to a level we weren't sure they were capable of reaching.

Some look to have gone from good to very good.

Here are the guys who have made us sit back and take notice so far in 2013.

ANDY OTTEN (Adelaide)
Almost a forgotten Crow, he has made the most of his opportunities in the final year of his contract. Has even gone forward, which might be helpful in Taylor Walker's absence.

SAM MAYES (Brisbane)

Seamless introduced to AFL footy for the teenager from North Adelaide. Was only overshadowed by Brent Moloney last week.

ANDREW WALKER (Carlton)
We've always known Walker can play, but his re-invention as a free-running defender this season has been one of Mick Malthouse's masterstrokes so far in 2013.

Collingwood forward Jamie Elliott booted five goals to steer the Magpies to victory. Picture: Ludbey Wayne Source: Herald Sun

JAMIE ELLIOTT (Collingwood)
Collingwood insiders have known how good he is for some time. Now the outside world does. Very good overhead and cool in front of goal.

MICHAEL HIBBERD (Essendon)
Injuries cruelled Hibberd last year, but has shown over the past five weeks how important he is to the Bombers. Was enormous on Anzac Day.

JONATHON GRIFFEN (Fremantle)
Is it fair to suggest Aaron Sandilands may spend more time forward than in the ruck when he returns? On Griffen's current form, that's highly possible.

MATHEW STOKES (Geelong)
Stokes said he was disgusted with his performance last season. And some wondered if Allen Christensen and Steven Motlop might edge him out. But Stokes has been back to his best this season, averaging 25 disposals.

CHARLIE DIXON (Gold Coast)
Broke the record for the most goals kicked in a game for the Suns - six against the Giants last week. Was OK last year, but has shown good improvement in his third season.

LACHIE WHITFIELD (Greater Western Sydney)
Sounds weird to have a No.1 draft pick as a surprise-packet. But we've been impressed at how good he has been as early as his first five games. A real jet.

MAX BAILEY (Hawthorn)
One of the feel-good stories of the AFL. Bailey has been able to hold onto the No.1 ruck mantle, while Jarryd Roughead and David Hale have been mainly used forward. Deserved a change of luck.

JEREMY HOWE (Melbourne)
No longer just a marking freak-show, Howe has become one of the Demons' shining light in a year full of gloom.

Lindsay Thomas celebrates a goal against Geelong. Source: Herald Sun

LINDSAY THOMAS (North Melbourne)
If someone had told you a few years ago Thomas would be leading the Coleman Medal - with 21.6 - after five rounds, you might have been certified. Slightly rectified the yips last year, but just can't miss this season.

JUSTIN WESTHOFF (Port Adelaide)
Could easily have been 10 Port players, including the reborn Kane Cornes. But Westhoff has gone from talented but flaky forward with questionable mental toughness to one of the most damaging forwards in the AFL.

LUKE McGUANE (Richmond)
Has showed his late 2012 season switch to attack was no fluke. Originally recruited as a forward and seems to be more at home there.

DYLAN ROBERTON (St Kilda)
Hard to pinpoint Saint surprises, but the former Docker has been serviceable in the absence of Gwilt and others so far.

LUKE PARKER (Sydney)
The sub in Sydney's Grand Final win last season. Judging on his start to 2013, and his outstanding performance in NZ, he has become a key player.

CALLUM SINCLAIR (West Coast)
One surprise has been mature-aged rookie big-man Sinclair, who might have attracted the attention of a few rivals AFL clubs. He's not destined to play a lot of footy this year with Nic Naitanui about to return, but has been OK.

WILL MINSON (Western Bulldogs)
Minson made solid improvement last year, yet didn't finish in the top 10 of the B&F. This year he has taken a bigger leap. No ruckman in the AFL has had as many hit-outs or hit-outs to advantage.

For a variety of reasons, we're sorry we underestimated or undervalued you blokes. You've started 2013 well, keep up the good work.

Yours Sincerely,
Glenn McFarlane

Read More..

Hinkley to miss North clash

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley won't travel with the team to Tasmania after being grounded with a virus. Picture: Simon Cross. Source: The Advertiser

KEN Hinkley won't travel with Port Adelaide to Tasmania for its game against North Melbourne on Saturday after being struck down by a virus.

Power director of coaching Alan Richardson will lead the team after Hinkley was admitted to hospital on Wednesday night.

Port chief executive Keith Thomas expects Hinkley to make a full recovery but the club would not take any risks with his health.

"Ken was admitted to hospital last night with chronic back pain and subsequent tests have revealed that he is suffering from a virus,'' Thomas said.

"After consultation with our club doctor Damian Newberry it has been advised that Ken should not fly this weekend while he overcomes the effects of the virus. We expect Ken to make a full and speedy recovery. In fact, if our game was played in Adelaide this week he more than likely would have coached.''

Thomas said Richardson was a logical replacement.

"We've often said Ken and Alan are very similar in the way they think about the game and in terms of their philosophies,'' Thomas said.

"The club has total confidence that Alan can fill in for Ken this week and lead the team well. He has vast coaching experience in his own right and has worked closely with Ken here at Port Adelaide on game style and structures since day one of preseason.

"Most importantly, Alan has the complete respect and confidence of the playing group and coaching staff and we are confident that his transition as senior coach for this week will be seamless.''

Port heads into the contest with an unbeaten 5-0 record. The Kangaroos are 1-4.

Read More..

Racist fans will be dobbed in: AFL

North Melbourne's Majak Daw. Picture: Michael Dodge. Source: Getty Images

RACIST fans should expect their fellow AFL supporters to turn on them, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says.

The AFL boss is pleased supporters helped identify a Hawthorn supporter who was racially abusing North Melbourne players during Sunday's match.

The man was ejected from the MCG match and subsequently issued a penalty notice by Victoria police.

"There is no place for any discrimination in not just our game, but in society,'' Demetriou told reporters in Adelaide today.

"And the sooner people wake up to themselves, that it will be their fellow supporters that turn on them, the better. And that is what's happening.''

No North Melbourne or Hawthorn players heard the weekend abuse.

Demetriou felt a major shift last year in Collingwood's Dale Thomas' "significant moment" of dobbing in a Magpie supporter for racial abuse.

"This is how far people have moved,'' he said.

"And if people want to continue to go down the track of discriminating against people, abusing them, or vilifying them, then there will be no place for them in the game.

"They won't come to games, they won't be tolerated. They may as well just chuck in their membership and follow something else.''

Earlier today, North Melbourne coach Brad Scott implored football fans to continue to report racially abusive behaviour.

"We're passed that as a society. I'd like the commend the (Hawthorn) supporter because we're beyond keeping your mouth shut when you hear or see something like that. Report these people,'' he said.

"There's no place for that in our game. None of our players heard what was said, so they can't be offended by it, but I can't stress enough that there's no place for that in our game.

"If you hear it, report it. It's your responsibility, you shouldn't just sit idly by. It's everyone's responsibility to report it because we've got to stamp it out of our game. It has no place in footy and no place in society.''

-with Bruce Matthews

Read More..

Reilly signs to stay with Crows

Brent Reilly is staying a Crow. Picture: Simon Cross Source: The Advertiser

ADELAIDE defender Brent Reilly has signed a two-year contract to remain with the Crows as the club announced three players had committed to stay at West Lakes.

Reilly, 29, was joined by forward Tom Lynch and Cam Ellis-Yolmen to pen deals. Ellis-Yolmen, a defender who is yet to debut, signed for a further two years and Lynch is contracted to the club until the end of 2014.

The signatures represent a sense of stability at a difficult time for the Crows.

They lost key forward Kurt Tippett to Sydney in the off-season and have to restructure its attack after fellow bigman Taylor Walker had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament to end his season against Carlton last Saturday.

But list manager David Noble spoke of promising times ahead after securing the three players for another stint.

"The blend of the list is very healthy at the moment, so to have Brent's experience, combined with Tom's development and the exciting progression of Cam's game is very important for the continued growth of our list,'' Noble said.

Reilly had a peach of a season last year, when he played in all 25 games across half back and was included in the All-Australian squad.

He reminded of former champion Ben Hart with the way he knew when to be accountable but also impressed with his interceptions and daring to run off his opponents.

'Reilly was taken by the Crows at No.12 in the 2001 national draft and there have been rumours along his travels that he was keen to return to Victoria, but he now appears certain to finish his career as a one-club player with the Crows.

Read More..

Rioli out for two months

Cyril Rioli leaves the field after hurting his hamstring. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

HAWTHORN has suffered a huge injury blow with news Cyril Rioli will miss up to two months with a hamstring injury.

Rioli suffered a high grade tear to the lower part of his right hamstring during the fourth quarter of yesterday's thrilling win against North Melbourne.

The Hawks livewire will not require surgery, but the club has already conceded the 23-year-old will not play before its bye in Round 11.

The damage Rioli's absence could cause was no more apparent than yesterday considering, before he went off, he was a huge part of why the out-of-sorts Hawks were able to topple the Roos.

Rioli consulted with surgeons in the city this morning before fronting the media a short time ago to deliver the from news himself.

He said the injury was all the more frustrating considering his previous history with hamstring troubles in both legs.

Rioli, who was walking with a considerable limp today, said he expected his rehabilitation over the next few weeks to involve a lot of rest and swimming.

Rioli, who has a history of hamstring problems, went down clutching his right leg mid-way through the final quarter of the Hawks three-point win over North Melbourne.

He has missed extended runs of games due to hamstring problems over his career, but has not had a major issue since 2011.

That year he missed five games in two stretches while in 2009, his second year at Hawthorn, he missed three matches.

He played a crucial role in Hawthorn's victory yesterday before the injury, kicking four goals.

"He's obviously hurt his hamstring so we'll get that scanned during the week,'' Clarkson said.

"I dare say he'll miss a period of footy whether that's one week or longer we'll just have to wait and see next week.

"But for all those Adelaide Crows supporters, I'm pretty certain that they can be assured that he won't be playing next week.

"We're lucky we had him in the first three and a bit quarters because we would have been in a bit of trouble without him.

"That's obviously happened before, he's a pretty special talent. We needed some special things to occur today to just get us a goal when we really needed it and he did that on four occasions.''

Hawthorn lost the clearances 25 to 44 and had 16 less inside 50s than the Kangaroos yesterday.

Clarkson admitted North "certainly had the measure of our midfield today''

Who sang that song there's a fine line between pleasure and pain?''

Clarkson said: "I tell you what, there's a fine line today. I could have quite easily been sitting here absolutely spewing and perhaps North did deserve to win in terms of all the KPIs that they won during the game.

"To the credit of our guys, we've lost some of those close contests over the journey so it was pleasing to get one today.''

Clarkson said many of his players including Luke Hodge, who had just four touches to half time, and Lance Franklin, who failed to kick a goal, were down.

"There's lots of things to probably analyse about the game,'' Clarkson said.

"(We) probably would analyse it a bit deeper had we lost. If we win, it's probably just move on because our form hasn't been too bad up until this point in time.'

'Clarkson hoped midfielder Brad Sewell (hamstring) would be return to play Adelaide on Saturday.

"That's the thing with some of these soft tissue injuries, we thought it was going to be a one weeker...but it's ended up being three,'' he said.

"You've just got to be patient with them.''

Read More..

We can do it without Tex: Rutten

Injured Crows forward Taylor Walker watches from the bench in the match against Carlton. Picture: Michael Dodge. Source: Getty Images

CROWS full back Ben Rutten is backing his team-mates to rebuild an effective Adelaide attack in the absence of key forward Taylor Walker with a serious knee injury.

As Adelaide awaits scans to today confirm the damage of Walker's right knee, Rutten expects the Crows to find enough options to restock a forward zone that was already dealing with the defection of key forward Kurt Tippett to Sydney.

"It is something we are going to have to do ... we have guys (in the SANFL where) Shaun McKernan kicked five goals, Lewis Johnston is in some reasonable form," said Rutten who plays his 200th AFL game on Saturday when Adelaide hosts premiership favourite Hawthorn.

"It is not going to be one guy who is going to replace (Walker). We need more contributors scoring goals. That is the way we are going to have to approach it for however long Tex is out.

"It is disappointing for him and we are going to have to cover it. We saw with Carlton at the weekend the way they can score heavily without having a dominant key forward.

"We rely on big guys in the forward line to compete, so we are going to have to re-jig it and find ways to score goals."

Read More..

Grima is just one of the lads

Nathan Grima with his dog Ace at his Ascot Vale home. Picture: Jon Hargest Source: Herald Sun

NORTH Melbourne defender Nathan Grima talks about his green thumb, his SuperCoach talents, renovating and how he misses his best buddy.

So, where's your turf?

I live in Ascot Vale now. I'm from Tassie -- Launceston. I moved from Launceston to Hobart to Adelaide to Melbourne to come to the AFL. I was lucky that North gave me a rookie list spot when I was 22. I love Melbourne.

It's a good town. Outside of footy, what keeps you entertained?

I enjoy just knocking around with the lads, that's probably the best part about footy. Although I've just lost one of my best mates, big Hamish (McIntosh) to Geelong.

How are you coping?

He stayed (living) in Melbourne so we try to catch up every day still.

So have you got a new wingman?

Nah, he's not replaceable.

What about business interests, uni, have you got any of that stuff happening?

Through the club, a lot of the boys are doing a diploma in business management. Once I did that I thought I'd start up my own business. Every week you seem to read about a footy player starting a business or a stupid get-rich quick scheme, so I'm sure people will read this and think I'm a tool as well. It's just a small synthetic turf business (Endless Turf) with one of my friends (Stefan). It's not your clothes label like every second player's got. Who knows when your footy career could end -- Buddy Franklin kicks another 13 this week I might have to think about it sooner rather than later.

I heard you are renovating?

I was lucky enough to buy my first house 12 months ago in Ascot Vale. Coming from Tassie, it cost me a lot more than I ever thought I'd have to pay for a house. All off-season I was renovating it. When I first came back after the pre-season I hurt my back doing my weights program, but everyone thinks I did it on the jack-hammer.

So you've actually been using the big tools?

Well, I didn't use the jack-hammer. I delegated the job to a couple of the boys. Liam Anthony, he came around and helped. Now they've put me on a full ban of using any tools.

Now, what are you listening to at the moment?

I don't really know how to download music that well so I just get Jack Ziebell to load my iPod up every six months.

What else do you play?

Probably 12 months ago all the boys got into a big golf craze so I went and bought the real flash golf clubs and this massive tour bag. I look like a tool with it, Daniel Wells said I wasn't allowed to use it because I look like a tool. I haven't actually played with them because I've had the back problems.

Are you responsible for anyone or anything? Is there anything you can't let die?

I've become a bit of a green thumb. Everything that's in my yard at the moment I've planted myself. I've got a dog at home as well. A Samoyed puppy (Ace). He keeps us (Grima and girlfriend Jacinta) busy.

Nathan Grima has had injury problems in recent seasons but has showed when he's fit that he forms an integral part of the Kangaroos' back six. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

Where would I find you on a Saturday morning if you're not playing footy?

I love going for breakfast. There's a few different cafes I like to go to and have breakfast with the boys and read the papers, and then drag that into a lunch with the boys as well.

I saw Western Bulldogs players at a hipster cafe in North Melbourne, is that allowed, them being in your 'hood?

Yeah, they can go where they want. But we don't actually see too many other boys in this area. I don't think any of them would know who I was anyway. I know all of them. I'm right into my SuperCoach. I recognise rookies . . . long before they'd know who I was.

Are you like, "Great game, you got me 100 points"?

I'm like, "If you don't get your break-even this week, you're dead to me".

Who's your best pick-up?

My team is not going that well this year. Last year I finished 60th overall in the country.

That's amazing!

I got up to about 40th at one stage. But this year I've had a reality check and I'm way back now.

What's been the highlight of the week?

Obviously getting a win was great. In the Geelong game I gave away the free kick that sort of cost us the win, which has sort of sat with me a bit.

Do you want to say anything else?

We're not going to talk about the game at all, which is nice, because last time we played the Hawks, Franklin kicked 13.

You've mentioned that.

Lindsay Thomas likes to get into me and run past saying "13, 13" because he kicked the 13th goal on me.

But it wasn't just you, didn't he kick four on Scott Thompson?

But if you tuned in late that day you'd think the whole 13 were on me. And it was in Launceston where all my friends and family are from. I actually haven't been back to Launceston since.

Read More..

Round 5 halftime report

Adelaide Crows forward Taylor Walker is subbed off after knee injury in match against Blues.

Port Adelaide pull off an amazing comeback to beat West Coast by five points at AAMI Stadium.

Taylor Walker landed awkwardly against the Blues, injuring his right knee. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

WHAT'S with all the knee injuries in the AFL? They have been going down like ninepins in the opening rounds of the season.

Adelaide Crows star Taylor Walker goes down and eventually subbed off at AAMI Stadium. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser

KNEE INJURIES MAR ROUND

IT was a tough weekend for AFL medical departments with Taylor Walker and Jared Rivers the latest cut down by crippling knee injuries.

Walker was substituted out of the Crows 32-point loss to Carlton after hyper-extending his right knee trying to spoil a marking contest at half forward.

Rivers on the other hand was more innocuous with the Cats defender hobbling off the ground after he felt a pop during the first quarter.

The former Demon had his right knee heavily strapped following an injury setback during the pre-season.

Injured GWS youngster Dom Tyson expressed his thoughts on the spate of knee injuries on Twitter.

Tyson had surgery in December to repair his ruptured posterior cruciate ligament, an injury sustained in a tackling drill at training.

Meanwhile, Kepler Bradley will undergo a knee reconstruction after snapping his anterior cruciate and lateral ligaments on Friday night.

And, Collingwood defender Alan Toovey ruptured his ACL on Anzac Day.

Brett Goodes of the Bulldogs runs with the ball during the round five AFL match against Geelong Cats at Etihad Stadium. Picture: Scott Barbour Source: Getty Images

NOT SO GOODES FOR DOG

MATURE-aged Bulldogs recruit Brett Goodes could come under scrutiny for this bump on Geelong young gun Josh Caddy.

Goodes, 29, struck Caddy in the jaw with his elbow last night during the second quarter of the Dog's 21-point loss at Etihad Stadium.

Caddy returned to the field after passing a concussion test which could work in the Bulldog's favour tomorrow when the AFL match review panel assesses the impact of the collision.

Watch the bump

Richmond defender Steve Morris copped a one-match ban for a similar incident with Collingwood forward Jamie Elliott last week.

And, Essendon forward Nick Kommer was stung two-matches for clipping Fremantle utility Kepler Bradley in the head in Round 3.

Matt Priddis is helped off AAMI Stadium after being concussed Picture: Sarah Reed Source: The Advertiser

PRIDDIS KNOCKED OUT

NO risks will be taken with West Coast midfielder Matthew Priddis after the hard-nosed extractor was concussed in this bone-jarring tackle.

Priddis had his arms pinned and head driven into the turf during the first quarter of the Eagles match against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

The 28-year-old was taken off the the ground on a stretcher to a rousing reception before making his own way into the rooms.

He was subbed out of the match a short time later.

Priddis was sidelined with concussion last year when he was driven into the ground in eerily similar circumstances by Essendon defender Courtenay Dempsey.

Gold Coast Suns Charlie Dixon celebrates a goal against GWS at Manuka Oval. Picture: Kym Smith Source: The Sunday Telegraph

CHARLIE'S BAG OF TRICKS

GOLD Coast spearhead Charlie Dixon broke the shackles kicking a club-record six goals against Greater Western Sydney.

It was the performance Suns fans had been waiting for from the 22-year-old wunderkind who clunked nine marks in the dominant display.

Dixon's haul guided the Suns to their highest ever score of 21.22 (148) which included multiple goal scorers in Gary Ablett (three), Zac Smith (three), Jaeger O'Meara (two) and Tom Lynch (two).

Harry Taylor of the Cats celebrates after kicking a goal during the round five AFL match against Western Bulldogs and the Geelong Cats at Etihad Stadium. Picture: Scott Barbour Source: Getty Images

MR VERSATILITY

HARRY Taylor's reputation as one of the league's most versatile players received a boost last night when the defender turned forward booted a game-high five goals against the Western Bulldogs.

Taylor was forced to lead the Cats forward line alongside James Podsiadly after spearhead Tom Hawkins (back) was a late withdrawal.

Read more about Taylor's standout performance here.

Follow SuperFooty's Gilbert Gardiner - @gilbertgardiner

Read More..