Pie fined for stealing car spot

Collingwood star Travis Cloke has been fined $1000 for repeatedly parking in Pies CEO Gary Pert's space.

Travis Cloke has been fined for parking in Gary Pert's car spot. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

Magpies chief executive Gary Pert. Picture: Town Jay Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD have fined star forward Travis Cloke $1000 for repeatedly parking in the car space of club chief executive Gary Pert.

Fairfax Media report the club's leadership group handed down the bizarre sanction to Cloke last week.

Car parks outside the club's training base at the Westpac Centre on busy Swan St are in short supply and Cloke has reportedly been warned about parking in the spot reserved for Pert more than once.

It's been reported the 2010 premiership player had been parking in Pert's spot on and off for more than a year.

The AFL Players' Association is not amused.

"It sounds like a ludicrous situation," an AFLPA spokesperson said.

"We can only assume there has been some kind of confusion - clearly the AFL players' code of conduct makes no reference to players being sanctioned for parking in an executive's car space."

Cloke signed a new five-year deal with the Magpies late last year following a long year of negotiations.

Many believed the contract situation affected his form last year, a claim Cloke has since denied.

It is the second time in a week Collingwood has fined a player for deeds away from the field.

Brownlow Medallist Dane Swane was fined for taking part, without the club's permission, a television interview in which he addressed rumours about alleged drug use.
 

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Leuenberger injury setback

2013 preview: The Lions midfield is improving, but Fox Footy expert Brad Johnson says they still rely on their skipper

Matthew Leuenberger works on his tapwork at Lions training at Coorparoo. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail

BRISBANE Lions ruckman Matthew Leuenberger has been ruled out of Friday's NAB Cup final and is in doubt for Round 1.

Leuenberger has played just one quarter in the NAB Cup in his comeback from an Achilles injury that he suffered in Round 3 last season.

The Lions revealed today the ruckman was a late withdrawal from last Saturday night's win against Collingwood after pulling up sore following his brief game time against GWS.

He won't play in the NAB Cup final on Friday night and is now in doubt for Brisbane's first home-and-away match against the Western Bulldogs on March 30.

"We're going to give him the best chance to be ready," assistant coach Adrian Fletcher said after training today.

"We go back to three interchange players on the bench and that will make it a little more difficult. He's an important component to our set-up."

The AFL website reports the Lions are waiting on scans to determine if there has been any fresh damage to Leuenberger's foot.

Roos ruck Currie pushes for Round 1 start

But Fletcher was confident the setback is only minor.

"He's had a pretty good run over the pre-season, just had a minor hiccup and we think we'll get him going again Thursday.

"It's not serious at all. We've just got to make sure when it's in that area of the body, you've got to make sure you don't have a hiccup."

Matthew Leuenberger is a $301,100 ruckman in SuperCoach. Click here to start picking your squad now

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No Thomas, Ball for Round 1

2013 preview: The Magpies will struggle to make the top four this season, according to Fox Footy expert Brad Johnson.

Luke Ball has eased back his training load. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

COLLINGWOOD is set to start the season without Luke Ball, Dale Thomas and Alan Didak.

Ball has suffered hamstring soreness following a graft to repair his injured knee, Thomas is recovering slowly from ankle surgery before Christmas, and Didak is almost ready to return from a hamstring injury.

Thomas is listed as 3-4 weeks away on the Magpies injury list with Ball sidelined for three weeks.

Collingwood opens its season against North Melbourne in 19 days.

Last week the Pies admitted they had eased back Ball's training load after he complained of tenderness where a piece of the hamstring tendon was removed to replace his torn knee ligament.

Key defender Reid is listed as 1-2 weeks away from a return after hurting his knee in the Magpies' NAB Cup win against West Coast last week.

Didak, 30, has not appeared at all in the NAB Cup but the Pies say a return is "not far away".

"Alan is getting towards the sharp end of his recovery," football director Geoff Walsh told the club website.

"He is stepping up his training and has had no setbacks. He's on target for a return in three weeks' time."

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Face facts, Ablett just too good

Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett reclaims top billing from Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin, who has dropped to fourth spot in Mike's Top 50. Picture: Adam Head Source: The Courier-Mail

IS THE worth of a great player diminished in a team sport simply because he plays for a lowly team, as some would have you believe of Gary Ablett?

The cynics argue the Gold Coast champion is pretty much allowed to do as he pleases by the better teams because those teams know they are vastly superior overall.

They say it doesn't matter as much if he has 40-plus possessions, the result in most cases is a foregone conclusion.

I say that's nonsense.

It seems to me every team that has a player good enough to run with Ablett assigns that player to the little bloke; he simply burns them off as the game unfolds.

Consider the following stats from 2012 and then find a fault in the Ablett package.

He finished sixth in the Brownlow in a team that won three games, he led his club in the following categories: long kicks, short kicks, handballs given, handballs received, tackles, inside-50s, rebounds from defensive 50, hardball gets and looseball gets.

He was equal-third for contested marks, too.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: CLICK HERE TO SEE MIKE'S FULL LIST PLUS EXCLUSIVE FOX FOOTY VIDEO AND RATE EVERY PLAYER

If there was a category for ground covered in a game, I suspect he would have won that one, too.

Even his famous father would have to nod in appreciation of such a comprehensive list.

Gary Ablett Jr is the most complete player in the game.

It was the view of a massive percentage of the player group of 2012, it is the assessment of so many neutral supporters and me in my annual task picking the top 50 players in the AFL in order.

The argument that he should be downgraded because his team is down the bottom is simplistic, fatuous, disrespectful.

Is Bobby Skilton's exalted status in the game diminished by the fact he won more Brownlows (three) than he played finals (one)?

The same question can be asked of Kevin Murray, who played finals in just two of his 18 seasons with Fitzroy, yet won nine club best and fairest awards and represented Victoria 24 times. Another all-time great.

TONIGHT: WATCH MIKE LIVE ON AFL360 ON FOX FOOTY FROM 7.30pm EDT

Ablett Jr plays a different game to his father, yet both will be remembered as legends of the game.

The younger Ablett has been voted by his peers the most valuable player in the game four times - at two clubs.

His father, widely regarded as the most talented player ever, won the award once. Wayne Carey, the best player I have seen, won the MVP twice.

Enough. Surely the debate is won.

Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury comes in second.

He is a superb player, deceptively tall at 191cm, not a speedster yet rarely run down, possessed of huge endurance and resilience, and he has an outstanding work ethic - he led Collingwood for tackles last year despite missing four games.

He has finished top three in Collingwood's best-and-fairest in five of the past six years.

TOMORROW: BLOG LIVE WITH MIKE FROM 11.30AM AEDT

I have elevated Patrick Dangerfield to third spot.

While it's death by a thousand cuts with Ablett and Pendlebury, Dangerfield can turn a game in five minutes.

They say his teammates call him "Raging Bull''; what the rest of us know is he was born to wear Mark Ricciuto's No.32 guernsey.

He is about to turn 23, he has played 89 games and kicked 94 goals, he is the most dynamic midfielder in the game, a reminder of the young Chris Judd at West Coast.

Picture: Klein Michael Source: Herald Sun

I have pushed Buddy Franklin down from No 1 12 months ago to No 4.

He remains the most exciting player in the game, yet the flaws remain.

He isn't strong overhead and no one with any level of interest in football needs to be told about his kicking for goal.

He booted 69.64 from 19 games last year, including 3.4 in the Grand Final. Remove the 13 he kicked in the picnic against North Melbourne in Launceston in Round 10 - OK, give him five, his next best return last year - and it's an average of just better than three a game.

What was encouraging was a one-grab pack mark against the Western Bulldogs in the recent NAB Cup game and a significant reduction in the bend in his run-up when kicking for goal.

Franklin is followed by four high-quality midfielders - Josh Kennedy, Joel Selwood, Trent Cotchin and Jobe Watson - who could have come in any order.

Cotchin might end up being the best of them because of his dash, but, for the moment, Selwood's record is amazing, while Kennedy and Watson are blue-collar men with energy, strength, nous and impact.

Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

The second punt in my top 10 - Dangerfield might be seen as a gamble at No 3 - is his Adelaide teammate, Taylor Walker.

He is a natural key forward who reminds me a little of the young Tony Lockett.

He is a superb athlete for a man of such imposing dimensions - 192cm, 100kg - has nice hands and is a thumping kick. Accurate, too (63.35 last year).

He kicked four or more goals in 11 of his 19 games. He thrived under Brenton Sanderson, although a couple of lapses of discipline cost him five games to suspension.

At 22 (23 late in April), the sky is the limit for him.

There's a school of thought he will suffer from the departure of Kurt Tippett, with more opposition pressure coming his way.

His ability to cover ground and score from up to 60m will solve that potential problem.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MIKE'S FULL TOP 50 AND HAVE YOUR SAY

Dayne Beams rounds off the top 10. His development - on and off the field - in the past couple of years is extraordinary.

Best-and-fairest in 2012, a member of the leadership group in 2013. Wow. That's what a wild young man can do when he realises he has both rare talent and a rare opportunity

As always, lots of good players miss a berth in the 50.

Jordan Lewis is desperately unlucky, but how many midfielders can you have before the list becomes unbalanced? I have 30.

Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

Lewis Jetta also was in until the final scan. He is a gamebreaker who was the leading goalkicker for the premiership team last year. Spots in the 50 don't come easy; he needs to back up again this year.

Then there's Matthew Boyd and James Kelly and Eddie Betts and Michael Hurley ...

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Hurley ankle scare

Michael Hurley fights for the ball during the Round 2 NAB Cup match at Wangaratta. Source: Getty Images

ESSENSON is confident Michael Hurley will play in the season-opener against Adelaide despite the star forward wearing a moonboot to protect an injured ankle.

Hurley sustained the injury in the Bombers' easy win against Greater Western Sydney in Canberra on Friday.

The Bombers have this weekend off before their March 22 clash with the Crows.

While Hurley climbed onto the stage in his moonboot at the club's family day today, teammate Brent Stanton said he had assured the club he would be ready.

"It's a lot more precautionary than probably what you can see from the outside," Stanton said.

"He's confident, so is the doctor and so are the coaches.

"He's come in this morning - he's done extensive rehab over the last couple of days.

"But he's reassured us that it's just a general rolled ankle and he's going to be right to go in two weeks' time against Adelaide."

Stanton said the Bombers were content with their preparation after the 91-point thrashing of GWS, despite the Giants managing just three scoring shots in the the second half.

"GWS still had a very good crack at us and we were able to withstand it," Stanton said.

"We played the way we wanted to play - we were pretty happy with that.

"But we've still got a long way in terms of where we want to get to in our defensive structures."

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Jurrah arrives in court for trial

A fatal car crash at Torrens Park, fallen AFL star Liam Jurrah on trial in Alice Springs and Crow Jason Porplyzia back at training after being admitted to hospital

UPDATE 2.50PM: Former AFL star Liam Jurrah has arrived in court for the start of his assault trial.

Dressed in dark pants and a light blue shirt, Jurrah was accompanied by his legal team as he walked into the Alice Springs Supreme Court a short time ago. 

Jurrah, 24, was arrested and charged with unlawfully causing harm after an alleged feud ended in violence at the Little Sisters Town Camp on Alice Springs' outskirts.

Jurrah has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial is expected to hear evidence from 19 witnesses and is listed to run for five days before Chief Justice Trevor Riley.

Jurrah's legal team is headed by Darwin lawyer Jon Tippett QC.

Former Melbourne star Jiam Jurrah in a former appearance at Alice Springs Court. Picture: Chloe Geraghty

A large media contingent is converging on Alice Springs, as also occurred during Jurrah's committal hearing last year.

Jurrah was delisted by Melbourne after playing 36 games over four seasons.

Since his delisting, Jurrah has been living in Adelaide's northern suburbs and has not taken up an offer to play for the Port Adelaide Magpies' SANFL team.

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Suckling to undergo knee reco

Matthew Suckling injured his knee in this contest during today's NAB Cup match against Richmond. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

Matthew Suckling injured his knee in this contest during today's NAB Cup match against Richmond. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

HAWTHORN defender Matthew Suckling's season is over with the superboot opting for a traditional knee reconstruction to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Hawks footy manager Mark Evans today confirmed the injury following scans on the 24-year-old rebounding defender's knee.

"It's obviously a devastating thing to happen to Matt on the eve of the season, but his attitude will be to throw himself into his rehab program and come back a stronger player from this,'' Evans said.

Coach Alastair Clarkson's dislike for the NAB Cup grew deeper yesterday when Suckling left Aurora Stadium on crutches and seems destined for a season-ending knee reconstruction.

The Hawks' coach, who has labelled the AFL's preseason competition as a TV gimmick and nightmare for coaches, resigned himself to the fact that Suckling's year is over.

Statistically Hawthorn's best rebounding defender last season, Suckling spent the NAB Cup making his case for a spot further upfield with the departure of hard-running Hawk Clinton Young to Collingwood.

Suckling's knee gave way while he was evading a tackle from Richmond defender Troy Chaplin at the seven minute mark of the third quarter of their one-point NAB Cup loss to Richmond in Launceston yesterday.

Click for breaking news and match day coverage

"We've had five knee reconstructions in the past 12 months and that's the brutal nature of the game."

The Hawks coach is already dirty on the AFL for announcing its plan the slash interchange rotations from a league average of 130 per game to a cap of 80 next year.

"Once again, it (Suckling's injury) focuses on how important it is for us all to give serious consideration to the demands of this game on our players," Clarkson said.

"It's a very demanding game, in my view the most difficult ball sport to play in the world.

"We need to be especially mindful of the loads on our players."

The preseason competition, Clarkson said, was the most dangerous time for players.

"Most knee reconstructions happen either in the NAB Cup series or the first five or six rounds of the season," he said.

"We'll get the occasional one after their bodies are hardened and are match-conditioned.

"But this is a real precarious time for the players and unfortunately you're going to lose someone along the way and unfortunately we lost Suckling today.

"That's disappointing, but we'll have to replace him with another bloke and forge on."

Matthew Suckling injured his knee in this contest during today's NAB Cup match against Richmond. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

Hawthorn lost its fourth consecutive NAB Cup match yesterday, going down to the Tigers, who won 0.13..7 (85) to 0.13.6 (84).

Clarkson took solace from the loss,

"They (Richmond) looked to be in control of the contest but we hung in there and that was really pleasing," he said.

"We've played a lot of our young players over the series.

"Interestingly, us and Sydney sit on the bottom of the NAB Cup ladder.

"It's all because our preparations are a lot different to a lot of the sides.

"All four sides we played (Gold Coast, Brisbane, Bulldogs and Tigers) didn't play finals last year so they've had longer campaigns than us.

"We'll get our side a lot more stable over the next few weeks leading into the Geelong game in round one."

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Voss anger at AFL Brisbane snub

Brisbane coach Michael Voss reckons the Lions were controlled in using the ball during their NAB Cup win against Collingwood.

AN angry Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss has smashed the AFL for denying his side a home NAB Cup final.

The Lions will face Carlton in the pre-season decider on Friday night, but despite being the only undefeated side in the competition, will be made to travel back to enemy territory at Etihad Stadium.

"It's very disappointing. Which issue do you want to raise?" Voss said.

"Do you want to raise the fact we've lost the chance to advertise our game in the south east of Queensland?

"Or do you want to raise that if the Gold Coast were playing this game whether they would be playing in Queensland?

Brisbane coach Michael Voss prepares to talk to his players in the NAB Cup match against Collingwood. Picture: Robert Prezioso.

"We're happy to come down here because we've got a Victorian supporter base and they're terrific.

"But the NRL has already started their season and we've got two Queensland teams who aren't playing in Queensland this weekend.

"We haven't played a home match at all and we're not going to ... clearly it's not acceptable."

NAB Cup final round schedule

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley reckons the Pie's NAB Cup match with the Brisbane Lions was 'terrible.'

The Gabba is unavailable due to cricket commitments. The Suns' Metricon Stadium loomed as the next-best option, but the AFL has chosen Etihad because it believes it will attract the biggest possible attendance.

Voss, who had been encouraged by watching his side storm over a depleted Collingwood in the second half to win by 34 points last night, was visibly angered when the line of questioning moved to the venue for Friday's night's Grand Final.

"It's captain's call so we move on, but I just think we've lost a terrific opportunity," Voss said.

"We're trying to grow our own supporter base, we've had a tough couple of years and we're trying to grow it again and any opportunity you get to do that why wouldn't we be doing it? I don't understand.

"We sit up here as ambassadors of the game, we're in the northern outpost trying to grow the game.

"We've missed a chance to grow our supporter base against another code that happens to be the dominant, No.1 code in our state.

"We've missed that chance and that leaves me quite angry because I've been up there for 20 plus years."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley did a double-take when told the Brisbane-Carlton match would not be played in Queensland.

"Where is it?" Buckley said.

"We discussed it late in the game in the box that clearly Brisbane are the undefeated side and they get home ground advantage, so we presumed the game would be at Metricon.

"Vossy has got every right to be disappointed."

Buckley described last night's loss as "terrible game of footy", but praised several of his younger players in what was an experimental line-up. Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury, Heath Shaw and Travis Cloke were all rested.

Asked about Swan's unauthorised TV interview, Buckley said his star player deserved to be fined.

"Our players know the rules and Dane and his management didn't follow the rules so it's pretty simple," he said.

"There was a commercial gain individually for something that he didn't follow the collective protocols. Dane knows it, I know it, 'Perty' (CEO Gary Pert) knows it, every player at the football club knows it, so it was a no-brainer.

"It's pretty simple, If you don't follow the expectations and needs and demands of the football club you cop your whack and move on.

"It's not a huge issue, but five grand is not a sniff of money, there's a fair bit there and I dare say that 'Swanny' would understand you couldn't do it the same way next time.

"It doesn't take away any of the positives that we're seeing from a football perspective. He or his management, whoever was responsible for letting (people) know what was going on, made a poor decision."

Last night's match started in sauna-like conditions - the mercury was still 32C at the opening bounce - and both sides rotated to the extreme.

With the controversial interchange cap lifted due to the heat, Collingwood finished with an extraordinary 168 rotations and Brisbane 143.

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Bombers rely on the silent treatment

Essendon coach James Hird is becoming an expert at swatting away anti-doping investigation queries. Picture: Quinn Rooney. Source: Getty Images

IT was all quiet in the national capital on Friday night as Essendon was confronted with another series of questions after the Cronulla debacle played out just hours before.

It is a delicate situation and arguably the silence from the Bombers hierarchy was either a silence wrapped with confidence or a silence cloaked with fear.

The Bombers flew out of Canberra within 90 minutes of dismantling Greater Western Sydney, and Cronulla, which earlier that day stood down its coach Shane Flanagan after findings of "serious management failures", was a topic for another day.

Bombers' chairman David Evans wouldn't even pass comment about the Cronulla situation.

Chief executive Ian Robson would only say Flanagan was stood down and not sacked to correct a mistake at James Hird's press conference, while Hird has quickly become a pro at swatting away queries about the anti-doping investigations.

We'll talk about the Essendon Football Club and we won't talk about anyone else

"I've said a number of times there's an investigation going on, but the resilience of the players of the Essendon Football Club to go out and play and train the way they're training shows the character of the people and sometimes you need events to happen to work out where the quality of people are," Hird said.

The day before, Hird said it would have been impossible for his players to have not noted the events at Cronulla, where more than a dozen players had been offered six-month suspensions if they came forward to ASADA.

Asked if he, as coach, had noted the controversial actions to stand down Flanagan, Hird said: "I've heard second-hand but, as I said yesterday, we'll talk about the Essendon Football Club and we won't talk about anyone else."

The Cronulla situation has similarities but is not entirely mirrored.

The Bombers might be naive, but they remain extremely confident their players were not given performance-enhancing drugs.

The key plank at both clubs is Stephen Dank, who was employed as a sports scientist briefly at the Sharks in 2011 and who worked for 12 months at Essendon last year.

Dank maintains he has done nothing wrong. The Cronulla investigation suggests otherwise.

What's intriguing is the startling revelations that equine supplements were given to Cronulla players.

That will cause more concern for the Bombers.

The internal Cronulla investigation, which saw Flanagan stood down and four others sacked, was run by ASADA's former deputy chair Dr Tricia Kavanagh, who took no prisoners.

The Bombers also have an internal inquiry, but theirs is being run by former Telstra chief Ziggy Switkowski.

At the centre of both is the management processes.

Evans has admitted Essendon is aware of mistakes it has made, and AFL boss Andrew Demetriou recently made it crystal clear what he thought of the practices of Essendon players being taken off site to be given injections, with suggestions an external doctor was used, as well as a registered nurse.

We can only wait to see what further blood-letting happens at Essendon.

Dank was let go after Essendon learnt of his activities, which included a serious questioning of his expense accounts, which were revealed by the Herald Sun to be of tens of thousands of dollars.

High performance manager Dean Robinson has been stood down. He is unlikely to return, and has started legal proceedings against Essendon.

And football manager Paul Hamilton resigned. Hamilton is said to have not known of Dank's activities.

Internally, the Bombers believe they haven't been inactive as they confront the club's biggest scandal.

The critics say they should have been as active when players were being shuttled across the road from Windy Hill, where maybe police had surveillance on the clinic.

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LIVE: Cats v Kangaroos

Matthew Suckling injured his knee in this contest during today's NAB Cup match against Richmond. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

Hawk Derick Wanganeen pounces on Tiger Brandon Ellis during the first quarter at Aurora Stadium. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

FOLLOW today's NAB Cup action with games featuring powerhouses Hawthorn, Richmond, Geelong and Collingwood.

4.53pm - Hawkins punishes Roos
Cats 0.8.6 (54)
Kangaroos 0.6.2 (38)

TOM Hawkins has given Geelong some breathing space after North Melbourne headed the Cats, albeit briefly, at Simonds Stadium.

Hawkins' third goal, late in the second quarter, set up a 16-point buffer at the main break.

North Melbourne hit the front for the first time today when Lindsay Thomas and Aaron Black goalled within minutes of each other.

But not to be outdone the Cats hit back, Hawkins leading the charge with his second goal before skipper Joel Selwood extended the margin with a goal of his own.

Kangaroos boom ruckman Daniel Currie (23 hit outs) spent some time on the bench after landing heavily on his back in the centre-square.

But returned a short time later to help the Kangaroos lead the clearances 21-15.

Meanwhile, St Kilda ran away 25point winners over Melbourne after trailling the Dees by 22 points in the first quarter.

Leigh Montagna and Nick Dal Santo led the Saints to victory while Terry Milera and Stephen Milne kicked two goals apiece.

Nathan Jones and James Magner were the pick of the Dees.

4.38pm - Kangaroos take the lead
Cats 0.5.6 (36)
Kangaroos 0.6.2 (38)

Demons 2.5.6 (54)
Saints 2.9.9 (81)

NORTH Melbourne has hit the front at Simonds Stadium after back-to-back goals to Aaron Black and Lindsay Thomas.

George Horlin-Smith is getting plenty of the ball while Steven Motlop has two goals.

Scott Thompson leads the Roos with nine disposals including six rebound 50s.

INJURY UPDATE: Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says it's likely Matthew Suckling has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.

Meanwhile, St Kilda is cruising to a comfortable victory over Melbourne at Casey Fields.

The Dees led early but St Kilda responded with a string of goals.

Terry Milera and Stephen Milne have two goals apiece while for Melbourne James Sellar has two.

Demons star Nathan Jones has a supergoal to his name.

4.11pm - Roos hit back after Cats' fast start
Cats 0.3.6 (24)
Kangaroos 0.3.2 (20)

Demons 2.5.4 (52)
Saints 2.8.8 (74)

GEELONG speedster Steven Motlop has two goals in the Cats NAB Cup match against North Melbourne at Simonds Stadium.

But the Kangaroos have hit back with excitement machine Majak Daw kicking his first goal after a strong contested mark against three opponents.

Lindsay Thomas won a cheap free kick for a high tackle and made no mistake with his set shot to cut the margin to four points nearing quarter time.

North Melbourne must win the game to be any chance of playing off in the NAB Cup grand final against the winner of tonight's clash between Collingwood and Brisbane.

3.56pm - Cats, Roos draw battle lines
Cats 0.2.3 (15)
Kangaroos 0.0.0 (0)

Demons 1.3.4 (31)
Saints 2.6.8 (62)

GEELONG has broken the shackles early with Steven Motlop racing into an open goal against North Melbourne at Simonds Stadium.

Motlop pounced on the loose ball and made no mistake with his snap from a tight angle.

Josh Walker added to the Roos' woes with his first goal extending the margin midway through the term.

North Melbourne yet to score.

Meanwhile, Kangaroos ruckman Daniel Currie is dominating the stoppages up against Mark Blicavs.

The SuperCoach bolter is the Kangaroos No.1 option at the stoppages with Todd Goldstein out of the side.

Kangaroos veteran Brent Harvey was a surprise withdrawal from today's match.

Harvey was expected to play given his suspension carried over from last year's finals campaign rules the playmaker out for the first six weeks of the home and away season.

3.36pm - Jacks hands Tigers victory
Hawks 0.13.6 (84)
Tigers 0.13.7 (85)

Demons 1.3.4 (31)
Saints 2.6.8 (62)

HAWTHORN remains winless in the pre-season competition after Jack Riewoldt kicked his third goal after the siren to hand Richmond a one point victory.

Riewoldt took a strong contested mark at the death to set up the classy finish from 25m out on a slight angle.

Hawthorn had hit the front only seconds earlier when Jarry Roughead slotted his fifth goal.

Trent Cotchin led the Tigers with 28 disposals including four clearances. Bachar Houli was next best with 24 touches including a goal and two assists.

Sam Mitchell was the pick of the Hawks with 29 possessions including five clearances.

Meanwhile, St Kilda is making a mockery of Melbourne racing to a five goal lead after trailling by 22 points early in the game.

St Kilda booted seven of the past eight goals including two nine-pointers to set up the 31 point buffer at half-time.

Stephen Milne in his first game back has two goals as has Terry Milera.

Joel MacDonald continues to get plenty of the ball for the Demons.

3.16pm - Hawks edge clear
Hawks 0.11.6 (72)
Tigers 0.10.7 (67)

Demons 1.2.4 (25)
Saints 0.2.7 (19)

HAWTHORN is locked in a dour struggle against Richmond at Aurora Stadium.

The Hawks reclaimed the lead -- by five points -- after goals to Sam Grimley and Jarryd Roughead midway through the final quarter.

Richmond star Brett Deledio kicked his second of the game to keep the Tigers within range.

Meanwhile, St Kilda is kicking itself out of the NAB Cup match against Melbourne.

The Saints have kicked seven behinds as the game hangs in the balance midway through the second quarter.

2.58pm - Bachar keeps Tiges in front
Hawks 0.9.5 (59)
Tigers 0.9.7 (61)

Demons 1.2.2 (23)
Saints 0.1.2 (8)

RICHMOND defender Bachar Houli's goal after the siren has given the Tigers a two point lead going into the final quarter.

Hawthorn hit the front late in the quarter when Derick Wanganeen slotted his first and the Hawks' fourth for the term.

But Houli, not to be outdone, converted his long range bomb after the siren to give the Tigers some breathing space.

Meanwhile, Melbourne has burst clear of St Kilda in its NAB Cup match at Casey Fields in Cranbourne.

The Demons exploded in the first quarter with goals to Shannon, Lynden Dunn (supergoal) and Luke Tapscott to jump the Saints.

Terry Milera kicked the Saints' first goal late in the first quarter.

Matthew Suckling injured his knee in this contest during today's NAB Cup match against Richmond. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

2.51pm - Hawks fight back
Hawks 0.9.5 (59)
Tigers 0.8.7 (55)

HAWTHORN has fought its way back into contention against Richmond at Aurora Stadium.

Since moving forward Matthew Spangher has made an impact kicking two goals in the third quarter to cut the margin to three points.

Derick Wanganeen put the Hawks in front with his first goal late in the term.

Jarryd Roughead also chimed in as Richmond is paying the price of not putting the Hawks away after leading by 19 points at the main break.

But it's not all good news for the Hawks who are without Matthew Suckling after the key defender came off the ground with a knee injury.

Sam Mitchell continues to dominate the stoppages while young gun Bradley Hill has the ball on a string with 18 disposals and six marks.

Jack Riewoldt kicked three goals in Richmond's NAB Cup victory over Hawthorn. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

2.07pm - Jack gives Tigers breathing space
Hawks 0.5.3 (33)
Tigers 0.8.4 (52)

JACK Riewoldt has helped Richmond to a handy 19-point lead at the main break kicking his second goal of the match.

Riewoldt could have had three in the half but passed off to an unmarked Shaun Grigg in the goalsquare when lining up from 25m directly in front.

The Tigers dominated play in the first half barring a five-minute burst in the first quarter when Hawthorn kicked three goals to level the scores.

Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

2.07pm - Tigers in control over Hawks
Hawks 0.5.3 (33)
Tigers 0.7.3 (45)

RICHMOND is making light work of a sluggish Hawthorn outfit at Aurora Stadium.

Veteran Chris Newman gave the Tigers the ideal start in the second quarter when he converted a set shot from close range.

Newman was the beneficiary of a 50m penalty against Hawk recruit Matt Spangher, who failed to return the ball to Newman after the umpire blew his whistle.

Jack Riewoldt added to the Hawks woes when he found an unmarked Shaun Grigg in the goalsquare to make it a 12-point ball game.

Hawthorn answered through Jarryd Roughead but it short-lived as Jake King pounced late in the term kicking his second goal.

Sam Mitchell leads allcomers with 15 disposals including five rebound 50s. Mitchell has also laid six tackles.

1.33pm - Hawks strike back
Hawks 0.4.0 (24)
Tigers 0.4.1 (25)

HAWTHORN is mounting a charge at Aurora Stadium after letting Richmond skip away to a cheap lead.

The Tigers kicked four of the first five goals before back-to-back Hawks goals cut the margin to one point.

Opportunist Shane Savage opened the floodgates snapping truly from the top of the square before Jed Anderson and Shane Burgoyne chimed in with goals in a hurry.

Burgoyne kicked the Hawks' first goal marking about 30m out uncontested.

Richmond threatened to kick away midway through the term when Tyrone Vickery and Jack Riewoldt slotted two goals in as many minutes.

Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

1.22pm - King gives Tiges the lead
Hawks 0.1.0 (6)
Tigers 0.2.0 (12)

RICHMOND has started the better of the two sides with Jake King and Brett Deledio giving the Tigers an early lead at Aurora Stadium.

The 'Pushup' King made no mistake from directly in front after winning a free kick in marking contest.

Enter classy Deledio who rubbed salt into the Hawks wounds taking a strong pack mark before converting his shot on goal.

The near full-strength Tigers have dominated play early in the first quarter.

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But Hawthorn veteran Shaun Burgoyne answered for the Hawks taking an uncontested mark in the pocket before cutting the margin to six points.

Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

1.10pm - Hawks, Tiges do battle
Hawks 0.0.0. (0)
Tigers 0.0.0 (0)

RICHMOND captain Trent Cotchin has drawn first blood, winning the toss against Hawthorn who remains winless in the NAB Cup.

The Hawks line up with Jarryd Roughead playing out of the goalsquare replacing the injured Lance Franklin.

Check back for regular updates and breaking news throughout the day.

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