Premiership dreaming

IT’S been a distracting off-season for footy fans, with scandals aplenty, a new franchise preparing to make its mark, a raft of fresh faces in the coaches boxes, converts from other codes, and the most hated team in the AFL doing the dynasty strut.

But when the ball is bounced at tonight’s (Thursday’s) season opener and the MCG crowd roars to life – the time for talk will be over.

Chairman of the Sydney Swans Foundation Peter Ivany said he’s excited for a big year.

“We are very strong in defence, strong in the midfield and if we can keep [Daniel] Bradshaw on the park for half of the year then we have a very well-balanced team, but at this level of football it’s about not having injuries,” Ivany said.

Ivany said he loves watching Adam Goodes, but it’s the recruitment policy that will see the Swans soar this year.
“I’m confident we will finish in the top eight and hopeful that we’ll finish in the top four because our young players have been terrific.

“If you look at our best and fairest last year, the top three were Shane Mumford, Kieren Jack and Josh Kennedy, and they are all from other clubs or other codes.”

For Saints vice-president Ross Levine, the heartache of last year’s grand final replay smashing at the hands of Collingwood must seem like a lifetime ago.

The Saints have endured a horror five months, plagued by the “nude photo scandal”, the player suspensions after a raucous outing while on holiday in New Zealand, and nightclub altercations that saw star Sam Fisher bashed and Lenny Hayes and Steven Baker embroiled in a brawl.

But Levine says his Saints are as strong as ever.

“Nothing that happened in the off-season distracted our club’s on-field focus and preparation,” Levine said.

“The players are as united as I’ve seen them. Notwithstanding any off-field controversies, they are coming into this season as they did in 2009 and 2010, which led to grand finals.”

Citing “adjustments” to the Saints’ game plan, some burgeoning young talent and a remodeled football department, Levine says the improvements needed to go one better in 2011 are in place.

“There’s room for improvement at St Kilda. But for a bit of luck
we might have had a different outcome [in grand finals], but we’re not relying on luck.

“It’s the people, the system and the processes that are going to position us best to hopefully win that second flag.”

Levine said coach Ross Lyon’s new group of assistants has seen a fresh approach. He said the side’s forward set-up will get a makeover, with a wider spread of smalls and talls set to take pressure off superstar Nick Riewoldt, and a focus on blooding youth will be implemented.

On the back of the last three years, which has yielded a preliminary final and three grand finals, St Kilda’s membership is touching 30,000, a figure Levine hopes will grow to 45,000 this year.

“What we need is the huge number of Jewish supporters who I meet who aren’t members to become members. The club wants to see more of its Jewish followers actually buy a membership.”

Carlton board member Ari Suss predicted a watershed year in coach Brett Ratten’s reign at the Blues. Pressure has been mounting on the 1995 premiership player, with his side failing to make it past the first week of finals two years in a row.

“We’ve unveiled a new strategic report for the next five years, which has included some ambitious performance targets, including trying to secure two premierships over the next five years.”

Suss said the preseason performance of the club’s new recruits, in particular mature-age Nick Duigan and first-round pick Matthew Watson, was promising. Both players are tall defenders and will shore up the Blues’ suspect back six, freeing up Jarrad Waite and Andrew Walker to play in the forward line permanently. Smooth moving Chris Yarran has also been moved to the half back line to ensure precise delivery out of defence.

According to Suss, Brownlow medallist and club champion Chris Judd is fit and firing, despite rumours of a nagging heel injury, and Marc Murphy, who was linked to Greater Western Sydney, is not only close to re-signing with the club, but has been one of the standouts at training over the summer.

But Suss said one of the club’s best acquisitions in the off-season wasn’t in the football department or the playing group, but the board, with Jeanne Pratt, the wife of the late Richard Pratt, joining the group.

“Jeanne joining the board is just a great thing for Carlton. [Pratt is] not only a leading figure in Australian arts and the business community, but someone who’s got a proven record of contribution and that love for Carlton. Having her on board is such an asset for us.”

ADAM KAMIEN AND JOSHUA LEVI