NEU » ncrease in the grassroots side of the game w

Collingwoods Rat Pack is no moreThe retirement of Dane Swan in August, and trading of Marley Williams to North Melbourne on Thursday, means that the Pies now have no remnants of the bad-boy brigade which flourished under former coach Mick Malthouse.Swan and Williams were close friends and formed their own mini Rat Pack -- after the Pies original Rat Pack, which included Heath Shaw, Alan Didak, Chris Tarrant and Ben Johnson, was disbanded.In fact, one neglected story in Swans recently-released autobiography, Dane Swan: My Story, concerns his mateship with Williams.In the book, the Pies cult figure savages Collingwood (and The Ages chief football writer, Caroline Wilson, for writing about it) for effectively stopping Williams from going on holidays with him and Richmonds Dustin Martin at the end of 2014.Collingwood strongly suggested to Williams he not go on that holiday to Las Vegas - so the youngster cancelled the trip. According to Swan, Williams lost his deposit on his plane tickets. Swan and Martin ended up travelling to the US alone.Writing about the incident, Swan said he was furious that Collingwood was meddling in players private affairs when they were on holidays - something no other employer would be allowed to do.Ultimately what gets to me is the idea that a club can control you on your eight weeks of annual leave, he wrote. In my eyes, the club has no rights in this instance. Would any employer exercise that kind of control? So as players, we have lost the annual footy trips, or at least the formal ones where nearly everyone came. And now, even your informal, fun kind of holiday is under scrutiny. Thats where it has got to. Talk about Big Brother.While Swan ended his career as one of the most visible, and charismatic, players in the league, he certainly didnt start out that way. In fact, his first coach at Calder Cannons, Robert Hyde, said Swan was more like an ugly duckling when playing under-18s football.On first seeing Swan, Hyde said: His shorts would be hanging down a bit, his socks would be down and he looked scruffy. Some players look like racehorses; this bloke looked like a bloody Clydesdale, you know, until he started finding the footy all the time, and you realised that he could play.Ben Cousins still gripped by drug addictionTroubled former champion, Ben Cousins, needed to spend time incarcerated in jail to give him some chance of not killing himself from his chronic drug addiction, say those still in touch with the Brownlow Medallist.Many friends and supporters of Cousins have all but given up on saving the 38-year-old from his drug-addled existence, following another incident with police last week.Cousins, who produced a glittering 270-game career, was arrested last week on drugs charges and restraining orders breaches, and then given bail from a Perth court on Tuesday. It was his eighth arrest since retiring from the game.ESPN has been told by a close friend, who wished to remain anonymous, that a jail sentence could benefit Cousins if he continued to flout the law.A stint in prison would be the last untried venture to alleviate his life-controlling dependency, said the friend.ESPN has been told that Cousins:- was still gripped by his drug addiction;- can be uncontactable for days;- regularly changed his phone details, making regular communication almost impossible.Most foresee a grim end to whats been a tragic fall from grace for the decorated former player. Cousins latest misdemeanour is one of many fuelled by his substance abuse.Earlier this year, a disorientated Cousins was found directing traffic on a busy Perth highway. Last year he broke into Perths Special Air Service Regiment and was later assessed at a mental health facility.But the former Eagles captains life began to unravel a decade ago, not long after holding the 2006 Premiership cup aloft.Petries career still alive?Delisted North Melbourne big man Drew Petries career could still be revived, despite Geelong ruckman Nathan Vardy nominating West Coast as his club of choice.Petrie, sensationally sacked by the Kangaroos in a drastic list overhaul, was favoured to head across the Nullarbor to be a temporary fix for the Eagles injury-ravaged ruck stocks, as Nic Naitanui recovers from a knee reconstruction.While Vardys decision would appear to have put paid to Petries hopes of a career revival, ESPN understands the Eagles remain keen on selecting the veteran Kangaroo in the rookie draft as security.The club will tap into his leadership and football nous in hope of fast-tracking its players, akin to the role Sam Mitchell will play.In the likely event a deal between Vardy and the Eagles will take place, utility Mitch Brown is likely to be squeezed out.St Kilda has always been linked to the out-of-contract Brown but, given the Saints recently traded for his twin brother, Collingwood premiership player, Nathan, the 27-year-old could rely on the preseason draft to reignite his career.Liberatore violating his contractWestern Bulldogs star Tom Liberatores exploits abroad could be in breach of conditions in his playing contract, says a sports management expert.Liberatore took to the field in the AFL Asia Championships for the Vietnam Swans during an end-of-season jaunt, along with teammate Luke Dahlhaus.The premiership midfielder was photographed competing in a ruck contest and even booting a goal. Most AFL players have clauses stipulating theyre banned from taking part in any risk-taking behaviour that could cause injury, such as water skiing or snow skiing.Deakin University Professor of Sport Management, David Shilbury, said that the 24-year-old could be in breach of his contract.Its typical in contracts of professional athletes the stipulation that they dont engage in other sports that are likely to cause injuries, Prof Shilbury told ESPN.No doubt someone will speak to him and counsel him on what occurred but in the scheme of things I dont think theres been an injury or difficulties to have emerged from it.Had he got injured, hed be subject to financial penalties by being unable to play. The club, depending on whats written in the contract, could also invoke some other penalty.His health and welfare provides him access to that professional trade and the club have a very strong investment in each and every players health and welfare.Bulldogs list manager Jason McCartney was concerned one of the clubs most prized players would be participating in the match.Young Tom shouldnt be doing those things. You cant put yourself at risk, McCartney told Melbourne radio station RSN.Liberatore, the son of 1990 Brownlow Medallist, Tony, isnt the only player to get in strife with their extracurricular activities.Earlier this year, Collingwood recruit Jeremy Howe broke his finger attempting to catch a frisbee. It was initially reported he sustained the injury while playing cricket, a report denied by then-football manager Neil Balme.And Sharrod Wellingham, who had just defected from Collingwood to West Coast, seriously injured his ankle in a preseason trampoline mishap in 2013.Trade week: AFLs crazy seasonIts a crazy time of year where people, seemingly, cant get enough of trade-week rumour, scuttlebutt and speculation. Most AFL-related websites attract their biggest traffic numbers of the year - even bigger than at finals time - as fans appetite for any trade information can barely be sated.To illustrate the silliness of the situation - and peoples gullibility - a Big Footy poster on North Melbournes page set up a bogus Twitter account this week with the handle @The_trade_guru.He then went to town, floating a series of absurd rumours that clearly had no basis in fact - not that that worried those hungry for any trade news.After his first post - The inside word is Luke Hodge to Carlton, offer of two years - The Trade Guru wrote mischievously to his fellow North fans: Let the games begin, retweet away people.Not long afterwards, a caller rang AFL Trade Radio and asked whether anyone had heard about Luke Hodge possibly going to Carlton on a two-year deal.And this is how crazy the situation has become: anyone with a keyboard, a Twitter account and an imagination can become a trade expert - and attract a following.A short time later, a poster with the Twitter handle Gregoir R Nelli posed a question to our new resident trade expert.Any truth in the rumour of Andrew Gaff touring punt roads facilities? he/she asked.The Trade Guru, with a straight face and slipping straight into character, replied: Definitely something in the works, still waiting for Prestia deal to go ahead, before Gaff can be looked at.Not content with that, he then posted: There is word that Marc Murphy is disgruntled about the whole Gibbs situation. Possible move coming up.And then: Now the saints have thrown their hat into the ring for Josh Gibson. Peter Wright interested in dogs as well. Watch this space.And finally: Im hearing the Hawks are making a big play for Jack Darling. Have you heard this?Each suggestion got more and more preposterous but his number of followers, and those who retweeted his posts, grew by the hour. Welcome to the madness of trade period.Random facts and figures:This week, its all about Geelong champion Jimmy Bartel who announced his retirement on Wednesday.After a career that featured 305 games, 202 goals, 3 flags, 2 All-Australian selections, 1 Brownlow Medal (116 votes) and 1 Norm Smith Medal.AFL players with Premiership, Norm Smith and Brownlow Medals: Jimmy Bartel, Simon Black, James Hird, Chris Judd and Greg Williams.Bartel, strangely, is one of 11 players to win a Brownlow Medal but not a club Best & Fairest award.Bartel and teammate Corey Enright won 70.4% of games they played together at Geelong -- the highest winning percentage of any of the 29 pairs to play 250+ AFL games together.Bartel and Enright finished second on the list as most wins as teammates: 193 - Kevin Bartlett and Francis Bourke (Rich), 190 - Jimmy Bartel and Corey Enright (Gee), 177 - Craig Bradley and Stephen Silvagni (Carl), 176 - Leigh Matthews and Kelvin Moore (Haw).Bartel and Brisbane great Simon Black form an elite club of two: 300 Games, 3 Flags, 1 Brownlow Medal and 1 Norm Smith Medal. 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The Welsh Rugby Union has increased its spend in the grassroots side of rugby as they focus on investment back into the game.The latest accounts show the WRU has increased its turnover by 13 percent, up to ￡73.3m, which has led to into an 11 percent increase in the grassroots side of the game with ￡33.1m now being invested.The hope is this will have a positive knock-on effect on the four Welsh PRO12 regions.The regions are essential to our success, the WRUs group finance director Steve Phillips said. For Wales to do well, they have to and the way we look at it now is to look at how to assist as best as we are able.The dialogue and co-operation are better now and we are working together. You want the community game to feed the Premiership and the Premiership to feed the region and that is what we are trying to bring about.And in further positive news for the WRU, its net bank debt has been reduced from ￡14.2m to ￡￡11m.dddddddddddd.We are delighted to be able to announce a solid set of financial results for the year ending June 2016, said WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips. We have been able to increase re-investment in all levels of the game specifically the community game, the Premiership clubs and the regions.Our clubs, the community game and all the players, coaches and other volunteers at that level are the lifeblood of our national sport. We are proud to be able to say that all the Groups revenues have been re-invested back into the game and that investment is at record levels in each of the regional, Premiership and community game, as well as on an overall basis.This is pleasing as the percentage growth in the re-investment in rugby is broadly tracking the percentage growth in revenues. ' ' '