ON FRIDAY night, Joel Selwood will become the fifth-fastest player to reach 100 games in the League's history.
It has taken the Geelong vice-captain, who turns 23 later this month, four years and 42 days to reach the milestone, just 40 days longer than it took the record-holder, former North Melbourne skipper Wayne Schimmelbusch, to get there.
The quality of Selwood's 99 games to date has been equally remarkable. Since he stepped into the Cats' powerful line-up in round one, 2007, Selwood has looked at home on the AFL stage.
A natural ball-winner and courageous to a fault, Selwood soon made himself an integral part of the best midfield in the League, not once looking out of place alongside superstars such as Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel and Paul Chapman.
Already, he has won a best and fairest (2010) and is a two-time All Australian (2009 and 2010), while he is a popular choice to replace Cameron Ling as Geelong captain, perhaps as soon as next season.
Which was why it was refreshing to read in Friday's Herald Sun that Selwood does have some weaknesses. And who better to dish the dirt on him than his three brothers, current West Coast players Adam and Scott, and former Brisbane Lion Troy?
They did not shy away from the task either.
"There has been too much good stuff said about him through the 100 games, it's time he had some other stuff written about him," Adam said.
As his elders by four years, twins Adam and Troy, 27, freely admitted they dished out some tough love to the sibling they knew as "Curl Girl" growing up.
This included regularly riling a nearby nest of plovers and leaving a three-year-old Selwood to flee from a pack of angry birds with spiked wings.
Adam said such ordeals had probably turned Selwood into the hard-nosed player he is today, but that's where the compliments ended.
All three siblings said Selwood was petrified of heights, while Troy added he was an "absolute pussy" whenever taken out of his comfort zone.
On a holiday the four took to Queenstown, New Zealand, after the 2009 season, Selwood was the only one who backed out of a pact to go skydiving.
Everyone has their kryptonite. Even Selwood.
AFL's drug testing not random
If anyone thought the AFL's testing for performance-enhancing drugs is simply random, think again.
The Footy Show revealed on Thursday night that of 1000 tests the AFL conducts each year for performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids, human growth hormone and the endurance-boosting hormone EPO, it has specifically targeted up to 30 players for tests in the past 15 months.
In determining which players to target test, AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said the League looked at the game's highest achievers, such as best and fairest winners, and those whose performances had recently dramatically improved or whose body shape had noticeably changed.
St Kilda utility Brendon Goddard, who underlined his status as one of the game's brightest stars in last year's final series, told The Footy Show he had been subjected to two surprise early-morning visits in three days from drug testers this pre-season.
Anderson told The Footy Show the AFL would do everything it could to rid the game of any drug cheats.
"You can never be 100 per cent sure in these things, which is why we need to make sure we are doing everything we can to protect the integrity of the sport," Anderson said.
Anderson said target testing ensured the AFL was using its drug tests in "a smart way".
Media Watch commends the AFL's approach. It emulates the approach of international athletics, in which the top-three placegetters are routinely drug tested, along with a random selection of the also-rans.
But it also recognises it's not just the best who are tempted to cheat. Anyone from champions to fringe players can look for an artificial edge.
By monitoring players' body shapes and running capacities, the AFL will be better placed to pinpoint any extraordinary spikes in performance that demand further investigation.
Naitanui's pain for ailing mate
West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui has been carrying some heavy emotional baggage for the past two weeks.
One of his best mates, Swan Districts ruckman Luke Adams, has been on life support since being punched, and then hitting his head on the ground, on a night out in Northbridge on May 1.
Adams sustained such severe head injuries in the incident and his chances of survival are slim.
With this on his mind, Naitanui had to prepare to partner Dean Cox against Essendon's formidable ruck trio David Hille, Tom Bellchambers and Patrick Ryder last Sunday.
Naitanui told Channel Seven in Perth he played that game with Adams' name written on a piece of tape he wrapped around his wrist. He finished the match with a career-high 24 disposals, and 27 hit-outs, in a performance that was perhaps the best of his 36-game career.
This after not training on the day after Adams' assault and after receiving counselling throughout the week leading up to the game.
"[I want to] keep up that spirit by playing for Luke and fighting for Luke. He's doing it tough at the moment and I just can't wait to do it for him," Naitanui said.
Naitanui's talent has never been in doubt. Now it seems his mental strength is similarly beyond question.
If he can match those qualities with improved game sense, he will be a scary proposition for opposition sides.
In short
Gold Coast vice-captain Nathan Bock is "looking forward" to the hostile reception he will probably receive when he returns to AAMI Stadium to take on his former side Adelaide on Saturday, The Advertiser reports.
Collingwood midfielder Dane Swan shared his love of American sports with the Herald Sun, revealing Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose was his favourite sportsman and Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Clay Guida and Diego Sanchez were his favourite mixed martial arts fighters.
The Age has set out four tactics it believes Geelong should use to overcome Collingwood's forward press on Friday night: kick more often; play six forwards; from kick-outs, kick long around the boundary line; and win its share of the contested ball.
Geelong president Frank Costa told the Herald Sun Skilled Stadium was so rundown 12 years ago the Cats were almost forced to switch their home games to the MCG or Etihad Stadium.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
