Rockliff set to join Adelaide CrowsJaded Brisbane Lions captain Tom Rockliff is ready to sensationally defect to Adelaide in a trade coup that could launch the Crows into 2017 premiership favouritism. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys .And the two-time best and fairest winner could play alongside Richmonds Dustin Martin, as the Crows look to assemble a formidable midfield.Rockliff, from the Victorian town of Benalla, is favouring a move to the South Australian club, despite his manager, Tom Petroro, saying the 26-year-old is 99 percent certain to remain at the besieged Lions.Rockliff had sought an extension to his Lions contract, which expires at the end of next season, but withdrew the offer mid-year, fuelling speculation of a possible move.Negotiations waned as the Lions prioritised its search for a new senior coach after installing former Adelaide Crows football chief David Noble as its football operations manager.The Crows are also attempting to lure Tiger superstar Martin in a lucrative deal tipped to be worth $6 million across five years.The club has one of the brightest football lists, with seven players nominated in the AFLPAs under-22 squad, and six named in the All-Australian squad of 40.Since Patrick Dangerfields departure to Geelong, the Crows on-ball brigade has been the clubs Achilles heel.Already boasting the games most attacking forward line, and with defensive pillars Daniel Talia and Jake Lever holding the backline, Rockliffs possible inclusion to the side would add much-needed grunt to the Crows lacklustre midfield.Petroro failed to return calls form ESPN.Premiership coach reveals recipe for draft camp grillingAs dozens of the countrys brightest prospects prepare for next months AFL draft combine, their football fate can be determined in just 15 heart-racing minutes.Thats all Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark Williams needed during intense player interviews to work out whether a player had what it took to be a part of his next flag-winning ensemble.You only have 10 to 15 minutes and youre trying to make some sort of judgement on them, which is really unfair, Williams told ESPN this week.Its about how willing they are to join the team but also how willing are they to stand on their own principles. Thats what Im looking for.Williams, until recently an assistant coach at Richmond, was one of the camps most feared interviewers, regularly bamboozling the promising youngsters with mind-game trickery.Williams says his infamous interview techniques have been embellished, but regardless, are entrenched in the combines folklore.Like the time he asked a player if he would jump out of the rooms second storey window to be drafted.Or when he pulled up a deck chair in lane two of the athletics track during the 3km time trail and lambasted those trailing at the back of the pack.During interviews I would often ask what happened after their footy finals. That allows me to find out a bit about their social lives, he told ESPN.Did you go out with everyone? They say yes or no. If they say no, I might say: Arent you a team player? Dont you go out with everyone? If they say yes, I might go: Why did you go with everyone and just follow everyone else?The last thing would be, so you do whatever anyone says? What if someone told you to jump out the window, would you do it?There isnt a right answer. I just muck around just to see how they handle a little bit of pressure.As some wither under the intense grilling, Williams recalls Jimmy Bartel, Darren Glass, Travis Boak, Dom Cassisi and Jude Bolton standing out during his rigorous assessment.But he does admit he judged one superstar player incorrectly.(Nick) Dal Santo was someone when I interviewed him, I didnt think he would ever work for me, Williams said.Thats not saying he wasnt going to be a good player. To see him play over so many years, I was wrong with that.It teaches me to be more open-minded with that personality.You make assessments and you try to see if those assessments are right. You want to be black and white.Williams, who was a victim of Richmonds football department overhaul, still has the passion to remain in the industry. Im looking around for whatever is available, he said. Im not sure what that will be.Skipper Swallow set to hand over reins to ZiebellStand by for an announcement from Arden Street that Andrew Swallow will soon hand over his captaincy to Jack Ziebell for the 2017 season.Swallow, 29, has been North Melbournes skipper since 2012, when he took over the role from Brent Harvey.While no-one could doubt Swallows commitment to the cause - the West Australians grunt work and tackling (he was second on the AFL tackling table this season with 165) are still elite -- he has got progressively slower, and his kicking now lacks any penetration.He might even struggle to get a regular game in Brad Scotts new-look midfield next season which consistently gets exposed for a lack of pace.Swallow and Ziebell were part of a five-man leadership group in 2016 that featured Shaun Higgins, Scott Thompson and Jamie Macmillan.Expect Macmillan, 25, whose form this season across half-back was outstanding, to become Ziebells vice-captain in 2017.Cordy still chasing his AFL dreamFormer Western Bulldog big man, Ayce Cordy, could receive an AFL lifeline and have his career resurrected, as seasoned ruckmen become hot property.With clubs more desperate than ever to secure mobile, mature-bodied talls, Cordy has garnered some interest from AFL clubs following a solid season with VFL side, Williamstown.The 26-year-old has proven to be a valuable ruckman-cum-forward, kicking multiple goals in 11 of his 21 matches this year, including three goals or more on six occasions.Cordy, taken at pick 14 in the 2008 draft, was delisted last year after mustering a mere 27 games.The gangly 202cm is one of three Seagulls players who are attracting attention ahead of Novembers draft.Ball magnet Michael Gibbons, who recently won the VFLs JJ Liston Trophy, has had a masterful season, winning best afield honours in last years grand final as well as this seasons state representative match.The standout for us has been Michael Gibbons. Hes had about three or four clubs interested in him, Williamtowns football development manager Chris Dixon told ESPN.Hes our best chance of getting someone picked up. Theres no-one thats committed to him as yet. But hopefully it might become a bit clearer one the footy season wraps up.Former St Kilda forward Sam Dunell, son of Essendon premiership player Frank, is also a chance of making an AFL revival following consecutive VFL Team of the Year gongs.Sams been on the radar for the past couple of years, Dixon said. Its going to be a club that has a specific need for him. Its whether a club sees a role for him as a third tall that works hard up the ground.Sharpshooters skills blunted on the big stageIts funny how finals pressure can turn even the most skilful, composed, sure-footed player into a jibbering wreck.Two of the straightest goalkickers in the game -- the Bulldogs Tory Dickson and Hawthorns Luke Breust -- were pitted against each other in the second semi-final last weekend.Before the match, they sat at No.1 and No.2 respectively on the set-shot accuracy table, Dickson converting at 73.3% (33 goals from 45 shots) with Breust not far behind on 72.8% (43 from 59).Yet, playing in front of 87,823 at the MCG, Dickson went to jelly in the first half, missing three sodas from straight in front -- before eventually finding the target, once, in the last quarter.At the other end, Breust also showed uncharacteristic nerves.His miss in the second quarter, from 30 metres dead in front, has been pinpointed by some as the turning point in the match. It would have put the Hawks 29 points ahead and well on the way to victory. But he poked tentatively at the shot and sent it wide.Breust finished the match with a tally of 1.2, and Dickson 1.3.Random stats of the week:The four finalists record against each other in 2016:GWS 4-2 (117.7%)Geelong 3-2 (110.4%)Sydney 2-3 (95.3%)Western Bulldogs 1-3 (72.9%)1212 - The number of matches that have been played since the Western Bulldogs last grand final appearance, in 1961. This is the longest wait of any club in VFL/AFL history. After that, the teams to round out the top five are: Fitzroy (1070 games, from 1945-1996); South Melbourne/Sydney Swans (1041, from 1946-1996); St Kilda (883, from 1914-1965) and Richmond (755, from 1983-present.)4 - The number of times Sydney midfielder Josh Kennedy has racked up 20 contested possessions in a final. No-one else has done it more than once. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Cheap Jerseys USA .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. http://www.wholesalecheapjerseysauthentic.us.com/ . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.PITTSBURGH -- Tomas Vokoun had forgotten what it was like to start in the playoffs. Tyler Kennedy wondered if hed ever get the chance again. Thats never an issue for Sidney Crosby, who followed the lead of his decidedly less-heralded teammates to establish a bit of order to the Pittsburgh Penguins first-round series with the New York Islanders. Vokoun stopped 31 shots in his first post-season appearance in six years, Kennedy broke a scoreless tie with a sizzling breakaway and Crosby delivered another magical goal in a career stuffed with them. The Penguins beat the Islanders 4-0 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Kris Letang and Doug Murray also scored for Pittsburgh, which finally looked like the team that rolled to the best record in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. Game 6 is Saturday in New York. Another 60 minutes like the Penguins put together on Thursday and a Game 7 wont be required. "They played harder than us," New York coach Jack Capuano said. "The better team won tonight. They deserved the hockey game." One the Penguins desperately needed after the Islanders evened the series 2-2 with a wild 6-4 victory in Game 4 that appeared to have the top seed reeling. Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma grew so frustrated watching eighth-seeded New York overwhelm goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury that Bylsma benched the Stanley Cup winner -- who had made 79 consecutive playoff starts -- in favour of Vokoun, a 36-year-old journeyman who has never made it out of the first round of the post-season in his career. Vokoun is three periods away now after shutting out the Islanders for the second time this season. Not bad for a guy starting his first playoff game since April 20, 2007 while playing for Nashville. "I was a little bit nervous the whole day; you wouldnt be human if you werent," Vokoun said. It didnt look like it once the puck dropped. Vokoun didnt budge when the Islanders dominated the first period, turning aside 14 shots in the first 20 minutes as the Penguins tried to gain their bearings with a new lineup designed to cut down New Yorks speed advantage. Though Bylsmas biggest change was inserting Vokoun in place of Fleury, he also scratched defenceman Mark Eaton and forwards Jussi Jokinen and Tanner Glass in favour of younger, quicker skaters Simon Despres, Joe Vitale and Kennedy. The moves paid off handsomely. Kennedy, squeezed out of the rotation by the influx of veterans brought in at the trade deadline, gave the Penguins the confidence boost they needed 7:25 into the second period. The play began innocently enough in Pittsburghs end before Letang hit Kennedy with a pinpoint 80-foot stretch pass right up the middle of the ice. Kennedy greedily accepted the puck at New Yorks blue line, then flipped a wrist shot over Evgeni Nabokovs glove to give Pittsburgh the lead. The score seemed to rattlee Nabokov. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping. Murray loped in a lazy wrist shot from the point that Nabokov tried to glove only to have the puck slip out of his left hand, over his back and into the net. There was nothing fluky about Crosbys third goal of the series, a masterpiece that ranks among the more dazzling plays of his already highlight-heavy career. The Pittsburgh captain, still wearing a cumbersome mask to protect his broken jaw, took a pass from teammate Jarome Iginla at centre ice then effortlessly split New York defenders Lubomir Visnovsky and Thomas Hickey. Crosby crossed the blue line and poked the puck ahead as the defencemen closed in, lifting his stick before stepping through a pair of flailing poke checks. Nabokov didnt have a chance as the wrist shot zipped over the goaltenders stick to push the lead to 3-0. Theres a statue outside Consol Energy Center commemorating a similar goal by Hall of Famer and team co-owner Mario Lemieux. The bronze sculpture shows Lemieux slicing through two Islanders defenders in 1988 on his way to the net. Crosby downplayed any similarities. "His was much nicer than mine," Crosby said. "He went through guys and stickhandled through them and stickhandled around the goalie, too. I had a few less moves and a pretty basic shot, but Ill take the goal anytime it goes in." The Islanders never recovered. While they kept Vokoun busy, he was rarely outnumbered as Pittsburgh cut down on the turnovers that led to a seemingly endless flurry of odd-man rushes by the Islanders in Games 2-4. "We didnt do a great job of helping Marc out," Crosby said. "We wanted to make sure we did a better job in front of our goalie." When New York did manage to get deep, Vokoun didnt falter and neither did the guys in front of him as the Penguins were able to develop a consistent rhythm for the first time since a 5-0 romp in Game 1. Nabokov never located one and found himself on the bench when Letang scored on the power play 5:43 into the third period. Nabokov finished with 23 saves but spent the final 14:17 watching backup Kevin Poulin kept the Penguins off the board. The Islanders will get a chance to regroup at home on Saturday in their bid to win a playoff series for the first time in 20 years. At least Game 5 is over. New York hasnt won a Game 5 of any playoff series since 1988. "For us its two Game 7s right now starting on Saturday," New York defenceman Mark Streit said. "Weve just got to concentrate on our game, what brought us in this situation and what makes us successful. We know we have it in the room. Were a confident group." NOTES: New York played without D Andrew MacDonald, who is dealing with an upper body injury. The Islanders also scratched F Marty Reasoner and D Matt Carkner among others ... Kennedys goal was his sixth winning goal in the post-season, sixth most in Pittsburgh history. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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