THE AFL's new offer to the players should be accepted, says Herald Sun chief football writer Mike Sheahan.
He hopped straight on the front foot, labelling the revised offer generous and writing, "I doubt there is a union in the country that wouldn't roll over on the promise of pay increases of 11, 5, 3, 3 and 3 per cent in salaries."
A failure to accept the new deal and the players "risk being seen as greedy", Sheahan wrote.
It is a public relations battle that is going to be very hard for them to win if this offer is rejected because, as Sheahan said, "the average wage for the five years, 2012-16, will total $1.398 million".
The main sticking point is the fixed share of income that the AFLPA is seeking, something the AFL and Andrew Demetriou will not budge on.
"We have a promise on that and he doesn't often back down," Sheahan wrote.
The AFL had given the players an out in the public relations battle by offering such a significant increase, vindicating their rejection of the first offer.
But if they stick with the fixed-share argument they won't win, according to Sheahan: "With Demetriou. Or with the public."
Tigers look to Tuck midfielder up
Shane Tuck has long been a favourite of the Tiger faithful but that popularity has not always carried to the match committee, with the possession-accumulating midfielder overlooked for much of this season by Damien Hardwick and company.
Tuck's ball-use has often been floated as the reason for his long spells in the VFL. The midfielder has averaged more than 20 possessions a match in each of the last six seasons at Punt Road but what he has done with the ball once he has won it has been the biggest issue.
In the past two seasons, Tuck's effective disposal percentage has been below the AFL average - in 2010 he recorded 71 per cent while the league average was 72.9. In 2009, it was a low 69 per cent, well down on the average league mark of 74.1.
After only limited opportunities early this season, it appeared his career at Richmond was coming to an end. Out of contract, and with the Tigers re-building, the end seemed nigh.
Some stellar form since being recalled to the AFL in round 18, however, has Tuck on the verge of being re-signed, with the Tigers opening negotiations with the 29-year-old according to The Age.
Damien Hardwick said of Tuck: "He's doing everything right".
And he appears to be, winning 28-plus touches in four of his five games since his recall to go with more than four tackles and more than five clearances in four of his five matches.
To top it all, his effective disposal average of 77 per cent is well above the league mark of 72.8 per cent.
A Goodes chance for a third Brownlow
Is Sydney Swans star Adam Goodes on the verge of becoming only the fifth player to claim a third Brownlow Medal?
That is a distinct possibility, at least according to bookmakers who have slashed his odds from $67 to $17 in the last six weeks, according to The Age.
A return to the midfield gas reignited Goodes after "a quiet period in the middle of the season" with coach John Longmire saying he is back to his Brownlow Medal winning form of 2006.
The newspaper says that his form over the last six weeks means he is likely to poll Brownlow votes in four out of five matches, while his statistics since returning to the midfield are similar to those of 2006.
If he were to win, Goodes would join Haydn Bunton Snr, Dick Reynolds, Bob Skilton and Ian Stewart as three-time Brownlow medallists. He would become the first triple Brownlow medallist in 40 years and only Skilton would have a bigger gap between his first and last Brownlow, winning his first in 1959 and his last in 1968.
Goodes is certainly going to be in the mix but the favourite, of course, is Chris Judd, who himself will become the fifth triple-Brownlow medallist if he was to win Charlie.
We could be in for an historic Brownlow night.
In short
Fremantle will seek special permission to upgrade more rookies to its senior list after another run of injuries that has left Mark Harvey "struggling to find another two players to make up a 22-man squad," reports the Herald Sun.
The 2013 WAFL competition is likely to be 27 weeks with a three-competition format that would allow West Coast and Fremantle to have their own reserves teams while maintaining the integrity of the WAFL, reports The West Australian. The Eagles and Freo will instead play in a new "cup" competition against WAFL teams on one of their four byes.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
