CAROLINE Wilson writes in Saturday's The Age that former Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams is the man doing the on-field coaching at Greater Western Sydney and that the reports out of Sydney have been "glowing".
Williams did an outstanding job at Port Adelaide, leading the Power to their first flag, but the relationship between coach and club soured in his final years.
Those final years could have damaged Williams' reputation but his time out of the limelight has seen his reputation grow with his refusal to comment on the Port situation and his preparedness to work in a new frontier with a team of kids leading to his name being bandied about for a senior coaching job in 2012.
The big question seems to be whether Williams will remain at Greater Western Sydney or move back to Melbourne with Wilson suggesting he could be in the mix at Hawthorn, Carlton, Melbourne or the Western Bulldogs, depending on how 2011 plays out for those four clubs.
Greater Western Sydney will certainly be keen to keep him. He is contracted to the club until 2013 but could leave for a senior job if it arises.
This could lead to, as Wilson calls it, "a management restructure" where the club "subtly redefine the job descriptions of the two men (Williams and current coach Kevin Sheedy) - perhaps anointing Sheedy football manager in the final year of his current contract while Williams officially becomes the senior coach."
Where Williams ends up in 2012 is anyone's guess but it is quite clear he still has the desire to be a head coach at AFL and it seems like he could get his choice of job in the very near future.
A long road
It was a long time between drinks for Simon Phillips, the Port Adelaide recruit who played his first game in over four years against Hawthorn last Friday night.
Phillips was signed with the Sydney Swans and played five games in 2006-07 but found himself on the outer at the Swans and was moved on.
"I had a few crosses against my name." Phillips told The Advertiser.
It has taken four long years but hard work and persistence have paid off for Phillips, who went to the SANFL in an attempt to get back into the AFL.
Phillips played for Norwood and broke his jaw in last year's SANFL Grand Final, re-breaking it in the off-season.
Port Adelaide have stuck by Phillips though, nursing him back to fitness with the belief he can contribute to the Power's resurgence.
The experience, though, has made him a more mature player and as Port Adelaide looks to rebuild, Phillips will get his opportunity to entrench himself in the team and AFL football.
Judd deals with bite claims
Though no formal complaint was made by St Kilda's David Armitage, either during Monday night's match with Carlton or in the after-math of the hard-fought contest, speculation was rife that Armitage believed he had been bitten during the match.
The Herald Sun today reports that Carlton skipper Chris Judd called Armitage to clear the air.
Judd was unaware of any biting incident throughout the match but upon hearing speculation, was on the phone to the Saints midfielder.
"Chris became aware that there was a suggestion that there was an incident during the game," Judd's manager Paul Connors said.
"Chris has no recollection of anything of this nature happening, but, because he had heard speculation, he wanted to clear the air with David.
"David said there was no issue and appreciated Chris taking the time to call.
St Kilda officials "refused to discuss the issue this week", the Herald Sun says.
It is a credit to Judd's leadership that Judd sought to put out the fire rather than let the embers burn. Monday's match was spiteful at times and Judd was right in the centre of it, so it would have been easy for him to brush aside any chatter of dirty play.
That isn't Judd's style though. He is a leader who gets on the front foot but also one who prizes his own reputation as well as that of his club. It is little wonder Judd has achieved so much as both a footballer and a captain.
In short
There could be thousands of extra Grand Final tickets allocated to rank-and-file fans from this year and beyond, reports the Herald Sun.
North Melbourne's Daniel Wells is starting to find the right balance between football and life, Greg Buckle says in The Age.
The Advertiser reports Neil Craig is offering no apologies for pumping up expectations in the pre-season or for dropping hot prospect Taylor Walker.
