Milestone for big Trav
Collingwood spearhead Travis Cloke says he has battled confidence issues throughout his career as he prepares for his 200th game against Richmond on Friday night. Cloke booted seven against the Tigers in Round 4 last year and will be hoping to do the same this time around as he looks to turn around a quiet start to 2014. "Half the time the battle is within my head," Cloke told reporters. "Winning that is the greatest challenge of mine. If you drop a mark early on then obviously your confidence goes down. You want to take one, you want to kick goals, you want to do perfect things. You're not human if you don't get upset with those type of things. Half the time you've got to keep yourself going, push yourself forward: next contest, next game of footy."
A Giant task
There are first times for everything and one of those occurred today when Leon Cameron gave his weekly press conference. For two seasons Greater Western Sydney have been the AFL whipping boys but with a 2-1 record for the season so far and sitting in sixth on the ladder, the word finals was associated with the Giants for the first time on Wednesday. But like many coaches before him, Cameron wouldn't have a bar of such talk despite his side having beaten a premiership favourite in Sydney in Round 1. "Yes," said Cameron with a chuckle, when asked whether finals talk was too much of a stretch. "We go out to try to win every game, but in terms of that, we are a week-to-week prospect. We understand where we're at. We're the 18th-youngest side in the competition. Yes, we're developing, I acknowledge that. Our boys are growing and getting better and they're staying in games for longer. But all we can focus on is the Dogs this week."
Massive blow for Freo
The Dockers are bracing themselves for the worst in terms of Michael Walters' ankle injury. The small forward has rapidly become one of the Dockers' most important players but suffered a dislocated ankle tendon during last week's horror loss to Hawthorn. Doctors have said the club must wait seven to 10 days for swelling to go down before assessing whether Walters' needs surgery on the tendon, but the likelihood is he will, ruling him out for 2014. "It would be unlikely he would play football again this year, although a slim chance," Lyon told Channel 7 news. "We’ll give it a week to settle down, and there is a slight chance that everything will fall into place and he’ll be okay, but it’s more unlikely than likely."
Cornes was close to quitting Power
Port Adelaide veteran Kane Cornes says he would have ended his decorated AFL career if the Power hadn't risen from their doldrums.
"If the side is going to keep finishing down the bottom of the ladder, then what's the point - you may as well turn to younger players," Cornes told reporters on Wednesday.
"But the ability to turn that around is probably the reason we're still here."
Wingard out
Port Adelaide young gun Chad Wingard has been ruled out of Saturday night's match against Brisbane Lions with an ankle injury.
The Power's best and fairest as hurt in last Sunday's loss to North Melbourne and arrived back in Adelaide on crutches.
Port had originally said Wingard was likely to play against the Lions but football manager Josh Carr now says it's not worth the risk of further damage.
"We'll go into the game with a no-risk policy this year and if it doesn't look like he's going to get up, which it doesn't at this stage, he won't play," Carr said.
Setback for Sewell
Hawthorn veteran Brad Sewell is facing more time on the sidelines after suffering hamstring soreness in his VFL comeback game at the weekend.
The 30-year-old had 20 touches and pulled up well from Box Hill's win over Werribee on Saturday but was sore the following morning.
He looks set to miss another fortnight with the club to investigate how his sciatic nerve is affecting his hamstring.
The injury first occurred during a practice match against Melbourne last month.
Tribunal wins and losses
Gold Coast's Steven May has beaten a charge of rough conduct but a one-match ban handed to GWS player Devon Smith will stand.
May and Smith both appeared at Tuesday's AFL tribunal hearing via video link.
May argued his chest and shoulder made contact with Zorko's chest and shoulder and that he had no recollection of any head contact, the tribunal agreed.
But Smith had no luck overturning his suspension for striking Melbourne's Bernie Vince.
A request by GWS to hear evidence from Vince was rejected and he will miss Sunday's match against the Bulldogs in Canberra.