SuperCoach: Studs and Duds

Magpie Tom Langdon gives Blues recruit Dale Thomas a hard time. Picture: Getty Source: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

COLLINGWOOD 104 d CARLTON 70

Magpies studs: You would have been stoked if you had Tom Langdon (128) on the field. The young defender had 23 disposals and took eight marks in his best game for the club yet. The usual suspects in Dayne Beams (125) and Scott Pendlebury (102), while small men Jamie Elliott (122) and Jarryd Blair (115) were excellent.

Magpies duds: Brent Macaffer (22) didn't have his best game on Marc Murphy, while Jessie White failed to kick a goal (38).

Blues studs: Kade Simpson (109) recovered froma slow start to crack the ton and Andrew Walker (109) didn't stop running all night. Robbie Warnock (99) can hold his head high after a gutsy performance in the ruck.

Blues duds: Where do you start? Jeff Garlett (28) had very little impact on the game, while Kane Lucas (32) was subbed out of the game. Lachie Henderson (41) barely had any opportunities.

Hawk Josh Gibson reaches for the football. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

HAWTHORN 175 d ST KILDA 30

Hawks studs: Hot Supercoach form all over the ground. Josh Gibson (142), Shaun Burgoyne (128) Luke Hodge (113), Matt Suckling (108) and Grant Birchall (106) starred down back. Up forward, Luke Breust (139), Jarryd Roughead (137), Cyril Rioli (117) and the unlikely Ryan Schoenmakers (104) had a day out up forward.

Hawks duds: Sam Mitchell (nine) sent a scare through almost the entire SuperCoach community when he was subbed out at quarter time. Brian Lake (44) left the ground during the third term with a calf injury.

Saints studs: Leigh Montagna (144) was brave with 39 disposals, while Farren Ray (105) was the only other Saint to reach triple figures.

Saints duds: Lots. For the second straight week, Nick Riewoldt (31) let many SuperCoach coaches down, while Adam Schneider (18) and Shane Savage (31) had no impact.

PORT ADELAIDE 132 d GWS GIANTS 97

Power studs: Popular pick Jared Polec (141) had his best game in a Port jumper, while Robbie Gray (121) had the ball on a string. Jay Schulz (108) starred with six goals, while Paul Stewart (107) starred in his return match.

Power duds: If you had Jarman Impey (12) on your field, bad luck! Dom Cassisi (28) only gathered nine disposals and Justin Westhoff (40) was held goal-less.

Giants studs: Callan Ward (145) was superb, leading from the front a whopping 40 touches and 11 marks. Devon Smith (101) was the only other Giant to crack the ton.

Giants duds: Jeremy Cameron (49) was forced back at one stage to get himself into the game. Jed Lamb (28) and Jono O'Rourke (30) were the Giants' subs.

Jay Kennedy-Harris in full flight against Adelaide. Picture: Simon Cross Source: News Corp Australia

MELBOURNE 70 d ADELAIDE 67

Demons studs: Mark Jamar (135) took one mark for the match and it was a beauty in the goal square to sink Adelaide. Chris Dawes (123) played with venom kicking three goals while Jay Kennedy-Harris and Dom Tyson starred for 112 points apiece.

Demons duds: Alexis Georgiou (23) was crunched early and never recovered before being subbed out. James Frawley (24) was hardly sighted while Christian Salem (25) provided a spark in the first quarter — replacing Georgiou under the concussion rule.

Crows studs: Brodie Smith (138) racked up 30 disposals including six rebound 50s. Sam Jacobs (132) found his best form, while Patrick Dangerfield's (120) last quarter goal gave his score a boost.

Crows duds: Eddie Betts (28) had a stinker kicking just two behinds in the three-point loss to Melbourne. Matthew Jaensch (38) was sidelined early with a rib complaint, while Matthew Wright (49) was no where near the football.

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No Buddy, no worries for Swans

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IT was no Buddy no worries for the Swans who made light work of the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba thrashing them by 79 points.

Adam Goodes proved to be the perfect substitute for the star forward kicking three goals and moving beautifully in his first full game since round 13 last year.

In game number 333 the Swans champion looks like he will have big say in the shape of Sydney's season which is looking a lot better than it did a month ago.

The win moved the Swans into the top eight for the first time this year and also gave them three wins in a row to lift their record to 4-3.

Sam Reid, Adam Goodes and Dan Hannebery of the Swans sing the team song. Photo by Chris Hyde Source: Getty Images

The easy victory also left plenty of gas in the tank for Hawthorn on Friday night at ANZ Stadium.

The only concern for the red and whites was a hamstring injury to Mike Pyke who will miss the match against the Hawks at the very least.

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Pyke was substituted late in the second quarter leaving Tom Derickx to carry the ruck duties for the entire second half, a job he did very well.

Josh Kennedy was the Swans best and produced another outstanding display in the midfield with 34 disposals including two goals.

Nick Malceski puts the breaks on Lewis Taylor. Photo by Chris Hyde Source: Getty Images

Co-captain Jarrad McVeigh was back to the brilliant form he showed last year which won him All Australian honours with 35 disposals and a goal.

Kieren Jack enjoyed a role as a permanent forward kicking two goals as did his younger brother Brandon who came on as a substitute just before half time.

Luke Parker continued his good form this year as did Rhyce Shaw who celebrated his 200th game with a goal. The major was just his third in the last three years and the 43rd of his career.

Dan Hannebery and Jake Lloyd performed well as did Nick Malceski who battled on bravely with a corked thigh he picked up in the second quarter. The loss of Pyke early forced him to stay on the.

Dan Hannebery marks in front of Joel Patfull. Picture: Mark Calleja Source: News Corp Australia

Sam Reid was in for first game since the round two loss to Collingwood and looked out of touch in the early but worked his way into the game.

Any advantage the Lions had with Franklin's absence was cancelled out when they lost champion forward Jonathon Brown.

Goodes got Sydney off to a flying start with two goals in as many minutes and Jack added a third. The Swans dominated general play but failed to convert their possession and territorial advantage into scores. Sydney had nine scoring shots to two but could only manage a 12 point break at the first change, with Pyke, Kennedy and Jack all missing set shots for goal.

Luke Parker and Jake Lloyd celebrate a goal. Picture: Mark Calleja Source: News Corp Australia

The Lions were working their way back into the game and when Josh Green goaled they were within 9 points early in the second term.

There was one man they couldn't stop and that was Kennedy who had a massive quarter winning 12 disposals and kicking a 50 metre bomb to push Sydney's lead out to 26 points late in the term. That should have been the half time margin but a shocking kick across goal from Daniel Merrett in the last 30 seconds gifted Jarrad McVeigh a goal to make the difference 33 points at the half.

It was all one way traffic in the second half as the Swans outscored the Lions 10 goals to two.

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Lions tamed in tale of two cities

Rohan Bewick of the Lions is tackled by Dan Hanneberry. Photo by Chris Hyde Source: Chris Hyde / Getty Images

IT was a tale of two cities at the Gabba last night.

For Sydney, it was the best times with a case "no Buddy, no problem".

For the Brisbane Lions, it was the worst of times with a case of "no Jonathan Brown, no Pearce Hanley, no chance".

The Swans cruised to a comprehensive 79-point thrashing of the Lions who were guilty of the same football sins that have condemned the club to the bottom of the ladder after seven rounds.

Shocking lapses of concentration late in quarters, poor skills and bad decisions cruelled any chance an inexperienced and undermanned Brisbane had of ever springing an upset over the Swans who claimed their third-straight win with a dominant effort.

Brown was named on Thursday night but was officially ruled out 90 minutes before the first bounce due to 'general soreness'.

Joel Patfull tries to spoil Dan Hannebery. Picture: Mark Calleja Source: News Corp Australia

In reality, the triple premiership star was never going to play after pulling up sore after last week's win over St Kilda.

Brisbane have been waiting for a chance to rest Brown and given he had barely trained all week, he was effectively omitted days ago.

His absence compounded the Lions problems after Hanley was ruled out with hamstring-related back problem on Thursday.

With Swans spearhead Lance Franklin unavailable due to a knee injury, Australian of the Year Adam Goodes stepped in with three goals for Sydney while co-captain Kieren Jack also booted two majors.

Jarrad McVeigh (35 disposals, five clearances, four inside 50s) and Josh Kennedy (34 disposals, five inside 50s, two goals) were outstanding for the Swans while Tom Rockliff battled manfully with 30 disposals, 10 tackles, four clearances and one goal after being physically ill throughout the game.

Nick Malcevski tackles Lewis Taylor. Photo by Chris Hyde Source: Getty Images

One Lions supporter produced an engagement ring in an on-field marriage proposal at half-time and the suffering followed for Brisbane as Sydney raced to a commanding 59-point lead at the last change.

Brisbane showed some fight with two goals to Marco Paparone in the third term but a four-goal burst late in the quarter wrapped up the premiership points

Sydney had also turned on the afterburners in time-on in the second quarter to take a 33-pointy buffer into half-time.

Brisbane closed to within seven points of the visitors late in the term but the Swans piled on four quick-fire goals through Harry Cunningham, Sam Reid, Josh Kennedy and Jarrad McVeigh.

Jed Adcock could not contain Kieren Jack. Picture: Mark Calleja Source: News Corp Australia

It was a familiar tale of woe for the Lions who are the worst "red time'' team in the AFL. Too often, Swans players were in wide, open spaces with a defender nowhere to be seen.

Brisbane was the better side for large portions of the second quarter but too many promising build-ups broke down with unforced errors.

Sydney suffered a major blow when ruckman Mike Pyke was subbed out of the game with hamstring strain just before half-time but the loss of the big Canadian appeared to have little impact as the Swans tore the Lions to pieces in the dying minutes.

Sydney looked determined to put the game on ice by quarter-time after racing to a 19-point lead in the opening minutes with the two goals to Goodes and another major to Jack before Brisbane troubled the scorers.

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Fast-start Dons want consistency

Brendon Goddard clears by hand. Pic: Michael Klein. Source: Michael Klein / News Corp Australia

WHILE every coach loves a fast start, Essendon's Mark Thompson wonders whether it's the cause of temporary complacency in his group.

Like Anzac Day, the Bombers surrendered an early lead to the Western Bulldogs last night, but this time they produced a stirring third quarter comeback to ultimately save the game.

Lauding the fightback after half-time, Thompson said: "What we have to learn to do is be that team and look like that team consistently. That's a real challenge for us.

"The worse thing that can happen to us is to get a few early goals and then everyone wants to be on the end of them. We go away from what makes us good.

"You regroup at half-time. You've got 25 minutes to say is this the way we want to play? No. well, what are we going to do about it or who's going to do it?

Essendon's Jobe Watson and coach Mark Thompson after the win. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: News Corp Australia

"Yeah, we worked in the (coaches) box tonight. It was pretty hard to get that victory.

"I think it's as much mental. Everybody chooses what they do in this world. They choose whether they go in or stay out, whether they go in and win the ball or sit out and wait for a handball receive. They choose that.

"You've got to choose it based on what you see and our boys just choose it not based on what they see. They actually don't have enough people inside on a consistent basis.

"I would like nothing more than to be a good attacking team and a good defensive team. It seems in part in games we get one or the other.

"Tonight our attack was missing because we just couldn't get the ball and we went a little bit into ourselves.

"You play like that in periods, it should be there. Basically, it's up to the players. To let them see for themselves what it looks like and how good it feels to play really good football and how driven you are to succeed. Those are the things they should be asking themselves and challenging each other.

Paul Chapman marks over Jake Stringer. Pic: Michael Klein. Source: News Corp Australia

"The guys who want to play in a premiership and be a good team, they want to play with blokes who have the same attitude. That's what good clubs are about.''

Veteran defender Dustin Fletcher was pivotal to the Bombers's eight-points win, particularly with several telling spoils and intercept marks deep inside the defensive 50 in the last quarter.

"Here we go again, talking about the old man. He was outstanding. He just won contests and in that last quarter positioned himself in some of the best spots,'' the Bombers coach said.

"He's an outstanding player for his age and I can't see him retiring soon.''

And Thompson was pleased with the response from young key forward Joe Daniher and his forward "project'' Jake Carlisle.

"I thought that was the best game Joey has played by far. I thought he attacked the ball, attacked the game. And Carlisle was much better with his attitude and his influence on the game. So that was a real positive for us,'' he said.

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Swans back on track, Lions crippled

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SYDNEY coach John Longmire says the Swans are on track to give Hawthorn a run for their money in this Friday's blockbuster at ANZ Stadium after thrashing Brisbane by 79 points tonight.

Longmire said both Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett were a chance of taking on the Hawks after missing the convincing disposal of the Lions at the Gabba.

If they get through training this week, they will join a side that is starting to hum with three straight wins after a sluggish start to their 2014 campaign.

Tippett trained strongly today while Franklin's availability is less certain after his knee injury failed to come up for this weekend.

"We've certainly started to play a bit better over four quarters a bit more consistently and that's been the pleasing thing over the past three weeks,'' he said.

Brisbane Lions v Sydney Swans at the Gabba. Shaw gets chaired off after playing his 200th. pic Mark Calleja Source: News Corp Australia

"We come up against one of the sternest tests in the competition next week and we'll see how we go against that.

"Not sure yet (about Franklin). He wasn't able to do anything at all on Thursday so we'll see how he goes next week. Hopefully he will be.

"Tippett trained today and did the whole session and pulled up really well. We are hoping those two guys come into contention for next week.''

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Longmire said the Lions were competitive early but was happy with how his side got on top and kept their foot on the throat of the last-placed Brisbane.

"I just thought that we kept running and kept working,'' he said.

"Whether it was our tackles or our contested ball work, we kept persisting through the course of the game. The longer we were doing that, we were able to have 33 shots on goals and kept the opposition to six goals.''

He was happy with Adam Goodes' first full game back from a knee injury.

"He looked really good. He was on fire the first couple of minutes. We'd actually forgotten what he was like, moving like that,'' he said.

Jed Adcock tackles Kieren Jack. Picture; Mark Calleja Source: News Corp Australia

"Just good to get some decent game time into him.''

Meanwhile, Lions coach Justin Leppitsch was philosophical post-match saying the club was being forced to play young kids before they were ready given the club's injury toll.

"I want Tom Cutler to play his 20-40 reserves games, I want Robbo (Nick Robertson to do it as well, I want Aishy (James Aish) to have the odd stint in there as well to get lots of ball in hand but we can't, we can't do it,'' he said.

"It's a bit unfair on them a little bit. You want them to build their careers.

"To be perfectly honest, they are not our worst players … they've got some things within their game they've got to improve but there's still plenty of players who have been around for four or five years out there that didn't perform at the level they should have.''

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Leppitsch said Jonathan Brown was omitted because he pulled up sore from last week's trip to New Zealand.

"We've got to look after our 30-pluses as much we look after our 18-year-olds,'' he said.

"A few weeks ago we put him out when we shouldn't have and it wasn't helpful for him or the team so we just have to keep making the right calls on that.''

He said conceding multiple goals in time-on was killing Brisbane.

"Players get fatigued and tired. Anything that results in a contest with lots of bodies and the later it goes in quarters, you combine those two things together that's when younger teams tend to struggle,'' he said.

"We can't stop the clock. I'd love to call a time-out … we just have to show a bit of leadership and get better and tough it out.''

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Aussie Miller on pole in Jerez

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AUSTRALIAN Jack Miller claimed pole position for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez with a commanding performance on Saturday.

The Moto3 world championship leader finished over half a second ahead of Italy's Niccolo Antonelli and Spaniard Alex Rins in a time of 1min 46.173 sec to claim just his third career pole.

Having won in Doha and Austin in the opening two races of the season, Miller, riding a KTM, was third in Argentina as Romano Fenati moved into second place in the overall standings.

However he will be confident of extending his 17-point lead as Fenati qualified down in 10th and Efren Vazquez, currently third in the title race, will start on the third row of the grid in seventh.

Jack Miller claims pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez. Source: AFP

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Famous trio spark Bombers win

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YOU would like to know how often over the years a Daniher has a produced a moment of inspiration to spark Essendon into action.

Or a Watson has kicked the matchwinning goal. Or a Fletcher has held the team together with his composure in the back half.

This eight-point win was another to add to the ledger. Unlike most, though, it was not one punctuated by free-flowing moments of brilliance.

Daniher's moment was not a towering mark or a booming goal. Rather, with the Dons desperately needing to find some momentum early in the third quarter, after a flat and listless opening half, it was the young full-forward who lit the fuse.

Michael Hurley takes a mark in the fourth quarter over Western Bulldogs' Stewart Crameri Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: News Corp Australia

With the Bombers trailing by 13 points he came charging through the centre square like a young colt released from the paddock. Gathering the ball cleanly he swept a long handball back into the corridor, where Jobe Watson accepted it without breaking stride and delivered a long pass into the path of Jason Winderlich. The ensuing goal proved the moment when the Bombers wrested momentum from the Dogs, and began to engulf them like the inevitable incoming tide.

Brent Stanton celebrates his goal in the third quarter. Picture : George Salpigtidis Source: News Corp Australia

The tenacious Dogs hung in grimly until the end, but it was a goal from Jobe Watson that eventually took the game away from them. Watson, who was superbly contained and overshadowed by Tom Liberatore, found himself resting in the forward line midway through the final term when a long kick was headed Daniher's way. While Dale Morris and Luke Dalhaus flew to spoil, Watson worked his way to the front, gathered the crumb and set off on a bouncing run into an open goal, essentially icing the game.

Paul Chapman marks over Jake Stringer. Pic: Michael Klein. Source: News Corp Australia

Fletcher, four days short of his 39th birthday, was part of the reason the Dons were even in the contest at half time. Time and again he read the play and took intercepting mark to repel Bulldogs attacks. His cool distribution was vital, as others around him chose poor options that got the ball into opposition hands. Were it not for the likes of Fletcher and fellow defenders Michael Hibberd, Dyson Heppell and Cale Hooker the Dons might have been in awful shape at the long break.

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The remarkable part is that 11 minutes into the match Essendon had three unanswered goals on the scoreboard. It was dominating the contested ball and slicing open the game with quick play-on disposal through the centre corridor.

But, damningly, for the remainder of the opening half the Bombers managed just four behinds.

The Bulldogs tightened up, cut out Essendon's overlap running and clawed their way back into the contest by forcing the Bombers to cough up the ball.

Liam Picken up close and personal with Essendon's Brent Stanton Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: News Corp Australia

The Dogs' first three goals were the direct result of turnovers: one caused at centre-half-back, the next shoving Brendon Goddard into an out-of-bounds on the full in the back pocket and the third intercepting a Courtenay Dempsey pass.

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The Bombers had players down on form everywhere in the opening half. In a rare off day, Watson was struggling to have an impact, Goddard looked rusty, while Winderlich and Brent Stanton could not shake the attention of Easton Wood and Liam Picken respectively.

Jake Carlisle, who opened the match at centre-half-forward on unexpected opponent in Jake Stringer, was working hard enough but still looked down on confidence.

Brendon Goddard made a timely return from injury. Picture: Michael Klein. Source: News Corp Australia

However it was the senior players who lifted when the match was won in the third quarter: Watson, Paul Chapman, Heppell and Stanton all kicked vital goals when the surge was on.

The Bulldogs' grunt credentials have never been in question, but it was the silky play of their pups that helped them look at times capable of running away with this match. Unfortunately two perennial problems, a lack of class in the key posts and a costly lapse — where they conceded six of the eight goals in the third quarter — again cost them victory.

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Wenger: ‘I won’t pick my heir’

Wenger's contract is up at the end of the season. Picture: AFP Source: ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP

Ferguson recommended David Moyes to the United board after retiring last year, but the former Everton manager has endured a disappointing first season at Old Trafford.

Wenger, 64, recently presided over his 1,000th game as Arsenal manager, but he feels that it will not be his responsibility to play a part in the recruitment process when the club go in search of their next head coach.

"I always said, and you can check that, everybody has his job (at the club). My job is to do well for the team, not to do anything else," he said, in comments reported by several British newspapers on Saturday.

Asked if he would choose his own successor, the Frenchman replied: "No."

Wenger's contract is due to expire at the end of the current season, and although he has verbally agreed to remain at the club, he suggested that he could yet change his mind.

"My word is my word," Wenger said.

Pressed as to whether that meant that he would definitely stay at the club next season, he replied: "Yes, unless I decide otherwise. I have told you many times, we have had no time to sit down and do it.

"(I am) not going anywhere, don't worry for that, but I want to have a feeling coming out of the season that I have done the maximum for the club."

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The moment Boof got Aussies on track

Darren Lehmann has turned the Australian cricket team into a harmonious group. Picture: Phil Hillyard. Source: Philip Hillyard / News Limited

IT was the emotion-charged moment when Darren 'Boof' Lehmann knew Australian cricket was on the right track.

And it didn't have much to do with cricket.

Only weeks after being parachuted into his new job as Australian coach during the Ashes in England last year, there was a birthday dinner for the sick wife of the team bus driver.

Pom Geoff Goodwin, affectionately known as 'Popeye', had been the long-time driver of the Aussie team bus on England tours.

He was the man who spooked Shane Watson into seeing ghosts in the lead-up to the 2005 Ashes series.

Goodwin convinced the all-rounder into believing the local legend of Lumley Castle, where the Australians stayed during the limited-overs series and where a 400-year-old lady ghost was said to roam the corridors.

Lehmann has a giggle ahead of the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge — just two weeks after taking over as head coach. Source: Getty Images

Fast forward to 2013 and Goodwin's wife Suzanne was seriously ill with cancer. What happened next convinced Lehmann, who brought a family-first mantra to the coaching job, that Australian cricket was going places.

"When I knew we were on the right path was when there was a birthday dinner organised for Popeye's wife. She was really sick with cancer, she had lost all her hair," Lehmann said.

"Our players were invited to come with their partners and wives. Even though it was optional, everyone turned up. Nobody missed it. When the numbers came back we had everyone on the bus and all the support staff.

"That said to me that our players were worried about other families as well.

"I thought to myself 'the guys get it, everyone gets it.' When Popeye spoke there were tears in his eyes because everyone had turned up.

"It was what we wanted to be about. Making people's lives better as a family and as a group."

For all the training and planning sessions Lehmann had led, it has been the enormous cultural shift in Australian cricket that has been his biggest influence.

The Australian dressing room is a happy place these days. Picture: Phil Hillyard. Source: News Limited

Before Lehmann, players were sometimes at each other's throat and there was a meltdown in Mohali with four players sacked from a Test and Shane Watson flying home immediately.

Following the sacking of former coach Mickey Arthur on the eve of the 2013 Ashes in England, Lehmann was installed and immediately set about fostering a new team spirit.

And, again, it wasn't all about cricket.

"On my first day I told the players I was going to change a few things," Lehmann said.

"What they had been doing I didn't know and I didn't really worry about what had happened.

"I wanted them to buy into the way we were going to go about things with a family-first policy. And I also wanted them to play a very aggressive brand of cricket and a very entertaining brand of cricket."

Ryan Harris (L) with Darren Lehmann during the Ashes. Source: News Limited

Lehmann's caring, family-first approach, getting partners and families involved at every opportunity, is part of his life-is-too-short mantra.

It comes, at least in part, from the tragic death of his best mate David Hookes from a punch outside a Melbourne hotel in 2004. Lehmann was there that night and what he saw greatly influenced his philosophies as a person and as a cricket coach.

Under Lehmann, the Australian players are about doing as much good off the field as they do on the field. It was why six of the T20 team in Bangladesh visited a hospital for sick kids in impoverished Dhaka last week. The World T20 has been a failure on the pitch but Lehmann is about trying to grow his players as men as well as cricketers.

"It's a real eye-opener and something I'm really glad I've experienced,'' 20-year-old legspinner James Muirhead said after visiting the hospital.

"It was pretty hard to look at. But it's just good to see all the work that is being done."

James Muirhead (R), David Warner (C) and Aaron Finch with a child and mother in the Dhaka hospital. Source: Supplied

Another thing that makes Lehmann click is he appears to have struck a perfect balance between being one of the boys and being a strict disciplinarian. There are his practical gags and joke of the day competition but he has been known to send a player home if they are 30 seconds late for training. He is a stickler for punctuality.

But the overriding factor is his sense of fun and enjoyment.

"You've got to love the game and you have got to be a cricket nuffy but you have got to enjoy the game and have a laugh wherever you are touring," Lehmann says.

"Enjoyment is a huge thing for me — that's why we have the joke of the day and some of the other things we do. They are just to make touring life and maybe life in general have less pressure.

"I know it's easy to say, but cricket is only a game.''

Lehmann has found a balance between being a friend and a leader. Picture: Phil Hillyard. Source: News Limited

In Lehmann's coaching, you can see a little bit of Bob Simpson, a little bit of Geoff Marsh, a little bit of Greg Chappell and a little bit of John Buchanan.

Lehmann is known for his love of a smoke and a beer but he has done well to fuse cricket's old and new worlds.

"I think I try to marry the old world and the new world, as a coach the new world has a really good place with all the facilities and all the data," he says.

"We never had a lot of this sort of stuff in our day. I can also take stuff from the old days and bring it forward. I have tried to pick the best bits I have liked from various coaches.

"I think with leadership and how to play the game I have looked at David Hookes and with batting it has probably been Greg Chappell."

Lehmann doesn't want to single out any player to credit for the massive leaps in Australian cricket as it has truly been a team effort.

But he takes particular pleasure from the development of fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris. And the batting of potential future captain Steve Smith.

"I think Smith has made the most progress over the last 12 months as a player,'' Lehmann says.

"He is probably unlucky not to be in the one-day and the T20 sides at the moment. We need him to keep improving his bowling. If you have someone who bowls legspinners very well and bats in the top six, that is a big advantage to have.

"Mitchell and Ryan are world-class and they are good for our group.

"The one thing I'm really pleased about is they have really helped the young blokes out as well. That is the sort of stuff you only see behind the scenes.

"What they are doing off the ground has been exceptional, helping to mentor the young bowlers."

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McKinnon a victim of extreme courage

We live in an age of certainty. Or we like to think so.

It is an age in which we no longer shake our heads in awe at the miraculous technology that allow us to find a few scraps of metal in a remote ocean and identify them as the wreckage of a missing aeroplane. Instead we wonder how a spec could go missing from the radar and why it took so long to find.

Such certainty does not allow for mishaps. It leads us to believe accidents don't happen. To conclude there is always something that should have been done to prevent chaos; or that something can be done to make sure it never happens again.

In this age of certainty the horrible injuries suffered by Newcastle's Alex McKinnon challenge our smug self-assurance. They defy the belief that we can legislate against danger. That we can retain the sense of peril that remains one of the most compelling elements of a still brutal sport, but avoid the casualties.

Now here is young McKinnon. Lying prone in an induced coma in a Melbourne hospital. A sad and uncomfortable reminder of the inevitable price to be paid for the ferocity and physicality that is rugby league's essential point of difference.

Yes, rugby league is not as rough as it once was. The game is faster and more athletic. On the same weekend McKinnon was injured, Brett Morris performed a piece of try-scoring gymnastics to rival Nadia Comaneci. Fortunately he stuck the landing.

You can't question the courage of a rugby league player. Alex McKinnon in action for Newcastle earlier this year. Source: News Limited

The NRL now sets the bar high. Immense physical attributes are required to reach the highest level. Pace, skill, size, raw power. But you can have the whole package and it still doesn't matter unless you have heart. Unless you can defy the reasonable assumption that sooner AND later it will hurt.

I used to watch Melbourne Storm training sessions from behind the posts. The last drill was always a series of high balls under which Billy Slater and his fellow backs would stand flat-footed, while the forwards charged at them with murderous intent. Jeff Lima, a human canon ball, took particular delight testing his smaller teammates' mettle.

I liked standing as close as I could because the next time I wrote about the game I had some idea what was going through the mind of the hapless fullback when he muffed a "simple take''. It reminded me that I would sooner stand between Kyle Sandilands and a breakfast buffet than have several hundred kilograms of prime forward charging at me.

There are countless other moments in the game where danger is real. Put 26 muscular, highly motivated athletes on either side of a line and you don't need a risk assessment expert to tell you that more than egos will be bruised.

The ability to endure pain and confront the possibility — even probability — of serious injury is what separates the real warriors from the couch variety. It is why the mere willingness to cross the line is the source of deep admiration.

Rightly we have tried to minimise the risks. We have legislated against the cheap shots, the shoulder charges and, as far as possible, the dangerous tackles that made an already brutal game unjustifiably dangerous. Especially now that the muscularity and speed of the athletes alone makes the head-on clashes so bone-jarring.

But despite reflexive calls to ban three-man tackles or harshly punish those who inflict serious injury in the wake of McKinnon's trauma, we cannot remove chance. We cannot guarantee that a heavy hit or a jarring tackle will not cause injury. Possibly a horrible and life-altering injury.

Not if rugby league, and other contact sports, are to retain their essential character. Not if they are to remain a test of courage as well as sheer skill and athleticism.

Given the chilling nature of McKinnon's injury, we are entitled to ask if the price for that is too high. Sport presents other tests without leaving its practitioners broken.

About the worst thing most golfers suffer is a sprained wrist from hacking the ball out of long rough. Yet the mental examination is gruelling.

Last week Adam Scott was labelled a "choker'' by some because he blew an eight shot lead in a USPGA Tour event. Less than a year after he won a play-off at Augusta with the weight of Australia's tragic Masters history on his shoulders.

Golf's scars are mental. Rugby leagues are all too real. All the more shocking because, despite our best efforts, they are often unavoidable. An unspoken yet very real part of the game.

From every angle I've seen, and from the testament of far more learned observers, McKinnon is the tragic victim of a terrible accident. He is also a victim of the immense courage required to step on the field. Sometimes what happens out there, where the stout-hearted go, is beyond our control.

Big things will be expected of Australia and Ange Postecoglou at the Asian Football Cup. Source: Getty Images

ASIAN CUP TO POSE A HOST OF QUESTIONS

The draw for the Asian Football Cup at the Opera House last week was made without too much fuss. Not when you consider there was several squillion dollars worth of Asian footballing nobility in the concert hall.

Australia drew — cue the drum roll — a group of death.

Well, a group of potential hazard with South Korea pitched in alongside the less foreboding Oman and Kuwait.

Understandably, with the World Cup in Brazil approaching, the Asian Cup has flown under the radar.

The thought of matches involving nations such as North Korea and Saudi Arabia aren't exactly setting pulses racing, with the Socceroos set to take on the might of Spain, The Netherlands and Chile in Brazil.

Still, within football circles, there is a strong belief the Asian Cup — not the World Cup — will provide the first realistic challenge for Ange Postecoglou's regenerating team.

It is not an idea the new coach publicly embraces. Postecoglou is acutely aware the cupboard of talented players is bare, and constantly reminded of the extremely low expectations of his team in Brazil.

Yet he insists he will demand a competitive performance from his callow squad.

But the Asian Cup might shine an even harsher light on the Socceroos. Losing to three teams ranked in the world's top 12 in Brazil is one thing. Stumbling against Asian neighbours on home turf is quite another

That the Asian Cup starts in January, head-to-head with the BBL, adds some more intrigue.

Ticket sales will be launched this week.

On and off the park, the tournament shapes as a stern test of football's growth.

Will James Hird survive as Essendon coach if his players receive infraction notices. Source: News Corp Australia

HIRD'S LONG TERM SURVIVAL STILL IN THE LAP OF THE GODS

ESSENDON'S coach in exile, James Hird, has survived the consequences of his own bitter reprisals.

Despite the calculated attacks of his family and associates on the AFL, whose sanctions he accepted last year, Hird retained the lucrative contract extension he was granted despite his failure to adequately supervise the club's supplements regime.

Still, the question remains; Will Hird survive if his players receive infraction notices, and will his devoted cheerleaders remain so supportive?

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