Just in from Subiaco Oval - With a two-week break ahead of its next NAB Cup fixture, West Coast lifted its running load in a solid two-hour session.
 
The Eagles had too many legs for Essendon in Friday night’s NAB Cup opener at Subiaco Oval and hard running was the focus for the final 40 minutes on Monday.
 
Key defenders Mitch Brown, Eric Mackenzie and Matt Spangher, who will all push to play against Port Adelaide, trained strongly with the main group. Draftee Koby Stevens was a standout in the kicking drills, offering plenty of voice and direction for a first-year player.
 
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A STRONG display from flashy utility Travis Varcoe was the highlight of Geelong's intra-club match at Greystanes in western Sydney on Friday.

The vast majority of the squad took part in the hour-long hit-out with Gary Ablett and Brad Ottens the only members of the travelling party to watch from the sidelines.

Jimmy Bartel and Max Rooke did not make the trip after spraining their ankles in training and they missed out on witnessing Varcoe’s blistering performance through the midfield.

While the dual premiership pair was absent, several hundred locals flocked to the ground to watch the Cats put the final touches to their preparation for a NAB Cup opener against North Melbourne on February 21.

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COLLINGWOOD forward Paul Medhurst showed the ankle injury that ruined his 2009 season was well and truly behind him as he blitzed his club’s final hit-out ahead of next week’s NAB Cup opener against St Kilda.

The Magpies’ intra-club match at Gosch’s Paddock on Friday morning, featuring almost their entire list, was their most intense of the summer.

And Medhurst’s performance was among the biggest pluses for coach Mick Malthouse and his coaching staff on a day when there didn’t seem to be any negatives.

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RICHMOND young gun Trent Cotchin is expected to play at least 50 per cent of the opening NAB CUP game against Hawthorn on Saturday night as he works to be fit for round one.

With an extended bench available during NAB Cup games, Richmond will rotate heavily to protect the 19-year-old.

Cotchin trained away from the main group at Friday's light run at Punt Rd, kicking and handballing with assistant coach Wayne Campbell for 15 minutes before disappearing inside.

The Tigers are being ultra-cautious with Cotchin, who is now in his third year, after he missed almost all of his first two pre-seasons with achilles problems, and then missed the last four games of 2009 with a hip injury.

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ESSENDON will be without ruckman Patrick Ryder and first-round draftee Jake Melksham for its NAB Cup opener against West Coast, with the pair withdrawn from the 29-man squad on Thursday.

Ryder, 21, has remained in Melbourne for the imminent birth of his child while Melksham, 18, has fallen ill with a stomach bug.

"Paddy's daughter is due at the drop of a hat and it is too far for him to go home quickly if the baby comes so he will stay in Melbourne and support his partner," Essendon general manager of football operations Paul Hamilton told the club website.

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BRISBANE Lions forward Brendan Fevola will make his club debut against a Barry Hall-less Western Bulldogs side in their NAB Cup opener at Manuka Oval this Sunday.

Michael Voss has also named other new Lions Brent Staker, Andrew Raines and Amon Buchanan in the squad of 29, which will be cut by three players before Sunday.

Todd Banfield, Ryan Harwood, Jesse O'Brien, and rookies Josh Dyson, Claye Beams and Sean Yoshiura have been named to debut.

Captain Jonathan Brown, Luke Power, Simon Black, Ash McGrath and Josh Drummond have all been on limited pre-season programs and will miss.

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ESSENDON has suspended young gun Michael Hurley from this year's 2010 NAB Cup and Challenge competition, and will expand the penalty in coming weeks.

The penalty is the result of an altercation Hurley had with a taxi driver in September 2009 that saw him charged with assault.

The 19-year-old defender will face court on March 5th.

Essendon CEO Ian Robson said the club was liasing closely with the AFL, as Hurley and his lawyer work their way through the legal issues involved.

"Michael made a serious mistake and he is extremely remorseful for his actions," Robson told the Essendon website.

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HIGH-PROFILE Sydney Swans recruit Daniel Bradshaw is set to return to training after recovering from knee surgery.

Bradshaw had an arthroscope last week to remove floating cartilage, but is expected to resume light duties on Friday.

The 31-year-old said he was glad to have dealt with the problem well before the home and away season, and should be available for selection for the round one clash with St Kilda.

He will not be considered for matches before then.

"It was a bit frustrating when I found out, but we decided it was worth getting it done now because there's still plenty of time before the season starts," Bradshaw told sydneyswans.com.au.

"It's a pretty minor operation and it's all been going smoothly so I'll start bike riding and swimming tomorrow.

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ADELAIDE fans will get their first glimpse of top-10 draft pick Phil Davis when the club does battle with Port Adelaide in the NAB Cup opener at AAMI Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Davis, 19, made a slow start in his first year at the club as he recovered from shoulder surgery, but was on the verge of an AFL debut late last season after being named an emergency on several occasions.

He has impressed at both ends of the ground this summer and coach Neil Craig said the 195cm utility was likely to play in defence against the Power, with centre half-back Nathan Bock set to miss with a calf strain.
 
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HAWTHORN midfielder Jordan Lewis will not compromise his signature crash and bash style despite his new trim figure.

Lewis has shed seven kilograms since the end of last season but said he has not lost his ability to win the contested ball.

“I’ve maintained my strength by losing the weight, but I think it’s mainly endurance and being able to run out the games would probably be the biggest difference,” Lewis said.

"Obviously being a little bit lighter you can perform more consistently on the track. I didn’t go out at the start of pre-season to lose this much but it just so happens that I did.

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