DANIEL Southern was always a bit different from your average AFL player. The former Western Bulldogs defender had a collection of pet snakes long before ex-Richmond ruckman Troy Simmonds did.
He was also a free spirit prepared to think differently from your typical AFL player, one who wanted more adventure from his end-of-season trip than Bali and Las Vegas could offer.
Where that free spirit has led Southern since his 2000 retirement makes interesting reading in The Age and Herald Sun.
Since forging a new career in the travel industry, he has moved to Egypt's capital of Cairo, got married, become a dad and converted to Islam, adopting the Arabic name Mustafa.
Southern has lived in Cairo for the past seven years and is back in Melbourne to speak at the AFL Players' Association Next Goal breakfast on Thursday.
Southern told The Age he would be comfortable discussing his conversion to Islam at the breakfast but said he had experienced racism, sexism and other prejudice during his 1994-2000 AFL career.
He told the Herald Sun of life in Cairo, which has been gripped this year by anarchic civil unrest. At the height of the protests, he did not leave his home and he still won’t go out after dark, he said.
"There's still no police presence on the streets and it's still pretty much lawless," Southern said.
The timing of Southern's visit was perfect for the dailies' photographers. They were able to snap him alongside some of the ancient Egyptian artefacts at the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Melbourne Museum.
For Media Watch, it was just good to hear from the one of the game's unique characters again.
Pagan fearful of North's southern venture
Former North Melbourne coach Denis Pagan fears for the club's future.
But, unlike most, not because of the widening financial gap between competition heavyweights such as Collingwood, West Coast and Essendon, and the Kangaroos.
Pagan told the Herald Sun North did not have to match the astronomical amounts such clubs are pouring into their football departments to remain competitive.
"I have been at two clubs who didn't have two bobs to bless themselves and one of the them (North) was in three Grand Finals and seven preliminaries," Pagan said.
"Did they go out onto the field and think, 'Our rooms are pretty ordinary, I might not mark this one'?"
Rather, the two-time premiership coach's concern is with the widely reported deal in which North will play two home games a year in Hobart from next season.
While the deal will reportedly be worth up to $900,000 a game to his former club, Pagan feared the move would be the precursor to an eventual relocation.
As such, he urged North to turn down the money and maintain their "unique" identity by remaining in Victoria.
Given it's barely three years since North rejected an AFL offer to relocate to the Gold Coast, it's understandable Pagan, and others, are wary the Kangaroos will soon be pressured to make their home on the Apple Isle.
Collingwood in song and poetry
What's next?
We’ve had to put up with a Collingwood premiership and the subsequent gloating of our family and friends in the Magpie Army.
We're also facing the prospect of a prolonged period of Magpie dominance, dare we say it, like the 'Machine' 1927-30 era.
But now it seems we can't even take refuge in the world of the arts, with the Herald Sun reporting an English poet and broadcaster has plans to base a musical around Collingwood, as well as penning some Black and White poems.
It seems, though, we can expect something slightly more highbrow than last year's Joffa - The Movie.
The Herald Sun reports the said playwright/poet, Hillary Elfick, has penned 10 books of poems and adapted Shakespearean works. As such, the tabloid concludes her planned musical is unlikely to be a "bogan opus".
Media Watch has just one concern - won't this alienate most of Collingwood faithful?
Brownlow count could be headed to Sin City
The front page of Thursday's Herald Sun warned of a "Brownlow Hijack".
It reported the New South Wales Government had held confidential talks with the AFL about luring the Brownlow Medal count to Sydney.
Although there was no mention of the year the hijack is supposed to take place, the tabloid reported it would coincide with the launch of GWS, so we assume it's talking about this year's count.
But Andrew Demetriou told afl.com.au that the AFL had no plans of re-locating the Brownlow.
In short
Port Adelaide captain Domenic Cassisi says the Power does not have an "A-grade" player on its current list, but Hamish Hartlett, Travis Boak, Robbie Gray and Jasper Pittard have the potential to become elite players, The Advertiser reports.
Gold Coast Suns assistant coach Shaun Hart hit back at media criticism of the Suns' first two AFL performances, saying people could not expect the new club to perform "miraculously overnight", the Gold Coast Bulletin reports.
Adelaide forward Jason Porplyzia is hopeful he can return for the Crows this season after recent reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder, The Advertiser reports.
Paul Roos told The Sydney Morning Herald the Sydney Swans' unbeaten start to 2011 had proved this season had been the right time for him to hand the senior coaching reins to John Longmire.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
