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Late-starting Ben eyes big kick-off
By NIKKI TUGWELL
March 10, 2004
BEN Mathews, the last Swan to begin pre-season training, will make a timely return for the Swans on Saturday provided he comes through training sessions unscathed.
While Mathews' prognosis is encouraging, MRI scan results yesterday confirmed a grade-two hamstring tear will prevent fellow defender Andrew Schauble from playing for at least four weeks.
Mathews had a pin inserted in his troublesome ankle during the off-season and was the only player not ready to start full pre-season training early in the new year.
"It will depend on how my ankle pulls up," Mathews said.
"I would love to play in round one but if it's not right, it's not right. I've just completed about two weeks of full-on training."
Mathews, aboard the Spirit of Tasmania yesterday with teammate Paul Williams, first made headlines for hanging on to the famous Sydney red and white No. 4 guernsey when Tony Lockett made his comeback.
About to begin his ninth season, Mathews personifies Sydney's effective but no-frills backline that provides the springboard for the Swans' running game.
Should Mathews play, he will face the team he once supported, Essendon, in Newcastle.
Mathews said studying the games of former Swans Daryn Cresswell, Paul Kelly, Wayne Schwass and former Bomber Gary O'Donnell has guided his approach to football.
"You look at Daryn Cresswell, for instance, and how he got in and under the packs, his quick hands, to use of the footy out of a pack situation," said Mathews.
"Kelly and Schwass, their toughness and aggression at the contest. And I liked to watch O'Donnell, a player who could play in the backline and play a number of different roles in midfield."
AFL umpiring officials will this season publicly explain contentious decisions within 24 hours of the completion of each round.
Director of umpiring Jeff Gieschen and umpires coach Rowan Sawers will face the media late on Mondays in an initiative designed to streamline debate and end protracted public scrutiny of decisions.
Officiating umpires may also attend the conferences, if work commitments allow.
"We suspect there will be weeks where there will be no interest in it, but others where there will be," Sawers said yesterday.
"We will have to wait and see how it unfolds.
"If you look through last year, and if you take out the incidents of contact with umpires, there was only the odd [contentious] decision here and there.
"There weren't any huge issues with umpiring.
"What this does, though, is make it all transparent, and that's what we have been working toward for some time."
Late-starting Ben eyes big kick-off
By NIKKI TUGWELL
March 10, 2004
BEN Mathews, the last Swan to begin pre-season training, will make a timely return for the Swans on Saturday provided he comes through training sessions unscathed.
While Mathews' prognosis is encouraging, MRI scan results yesterday confirmed a grade-two hamstring tear will prevent fellow defender Andrew Schauble from playing for at least four weeks.
Mathews had a pin inserted in his troublesome ankle during the off-season and was the only player not ready to start full pre-season training early in the new year.
"It will depend on how my ankle pulls up," Mathews said.
"I would love to play in round one but if it's not right, it's not right. I've just completed about two weeks of full-on training."
Mathews, aboard the Spirit of Tasmania yesterday with teammate Paul Williams, first made headlines for hanging on to the famous Sydney red and white No. 4 guernsey when Tony Lockett made his comeback.
About to begin his ninth season, Mathews personifies Sydney's effective but no-frills backline that provides the springboard for the Swans' running game.
Should Mathews play, he will face the team he once supported, Essendon, in Newcastle.
Mathews said studying the games of former Swans Daryn Cresswell, Paul Kelly, Wayne Schwass and former Bomber Gary O'Donnell has guided his approach to football.
"You look at Daryn Cresswell, for instance, and how he got in and under the packs, his quick hands, to use of the footy out of a pack situation," said Mathews.
"Kelly and Schwass, their toughness and aggression at the contest. And I liked to watch O'Donnell, a player who could play in the backline and play a number of different roles in midfield."
AFL umpiring officials will this season publicly explain contentious decisions within 24 hours of the completion of each round.
Director of umpiring Jeff Gieschen and umpires coach Rowan Sawers will face the media late on Mondays in an initiative designed to streamline debate and end protracted public scrutiny of decisions.
Officiating umpires may also attend the conferences, if work commitments allow.
"We suspect there will be weeks where there will be no interest in it, but others where there will be," Sawers said yesterday.
"We will have to wait and see how it unfolds.
"If you look through last year, and if you take out the incidents of contact with umpires, there was only the odd [contentious] decision here and there.
"There weren't any huge issues with umpiring.
"What this does, though, is make it all transparent, and that's what we have been working toward for some time."