Penthouse and Outhouse: Round 22

Victory ... James Hird sings the song after the win over Carlton. Source: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

FOX FOOTY expert Julian de Stoop casts his eye over Round 22, liking Essendon's on-field efforts but disliking their ongoing off-field dramas.

Do you agree? Join the debate and have your say on the weekend's biggest incidents.

In The Penthouse

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Essendon players
Essendon are unlikely to be given the chance to compete for the premiership this year but in 2013 they may have set the foundations for future success.
Resilience and Essendon haven't gone hand in hand in recent years but the character the players have shown this year under extraordinary circumstances has to be admired.
It's likely to count for nothing but Essendon have pulled off some truly remarkable wins this season. Two come from behind wins in Perth and two famous victories over arch rivals Carlton will be remembered by Bomber fans for years.

Steven Motlop
The Cats have some fantastic young players but Steven Motlop is the pick of the litter.
The 22 year-old has kicked 47 goals in 20 games this season and against the Swans he put in a contender for mark of the year to go with his 3 goals.
It's not hard to see why Motlop has been compared to Hawks star Cyril Rioli.
And in further good news for Geelong fans he is on the verge of signing a new 2 year deal.

Zac Clarke
No Sandilands and no Griffen but there is still no worries for Ross Lyon in the big man department thanks to emerging ruckman Zac Clarke.
The 23 year-old is remarkable athlete for someone who stands 203 centrimetres and on current form he is shaping as one of the keys to Fremantle's finals hopes.
Clarke has been tried forward but like Essendon's Paddy Ryder and Carlton's Matthew Kreuzer he relishes the freedom the ruck brings.
Against Port Adelaide he was one of the best on the ground with 15 disposals, 2 goals and 30 hit outs.

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Collingwood's kids
Collingwood are unlikely to win the premiership this year but the future looks bright thanks to the emergence of some fine young players this season.
Injuries to midfielders Dale Thomas, Luke Ball, Dayne Beams and Clinton Young has given the likes of Josh Thomas and Paul Seedman extra opportunity and both have relished it.
Thomas had a career best 35 disposals against the Eagles while Seedsman also starred with 30 disposals.
Throw in young ruckman Brodie Grundy and Jarrad Witts and it's not hard to see why Nathan Buckley is excited about the future.

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Brad Crouch
Jaegar O'Meara will win this year's Rising Star but one man that is coming home with a rush is Adelaide's Brad Crouch.
Like the young Sun, Crouch was a priority selection for the Crows and spent a year honing his craft in the SANFL.
After being in and out of the side for the first half of the season the 19 year-old has played the past 9 matches and gets better every week.
Against the Demons he arguably had the best game of his fledgling career gathering 31 disposals.

In The Outhouse

Carlton
The Blues certainly missed key players Chris Judd, Matthew Kreuzer, Andrew Carrazzo and Andrew Walker against Essendon plus an early hamstring injury to Brock McLean only added to their problems but there is still no way Carlton should have lost this game.
The old saying of 'bad kicking is bad football' rang true with the Blues kicking just 9 goals from 31 scoring shots with Carlton failing to kick a goal in the final term.
Ironically the Blues may take the Bombers spot in the finals via default but given their form this season they barely deserve to be there.

West Coast
Two weeks ago John Worsfold looked a lock to be given a new contract but even by his own admission things have changed after two horrible losses to Geelong and Collingwood.
Their total of 5.9 on Friday night was their lowest ever score at the MCG.
Injuries have played their part but the Eagles have been the most disappointing of the season and after 12 years in the helm you do have to question whether John Worsfold is the right man to take this club forward.

Sydney Swans
The reigning premiers have got the staggers.
In the past 3 weeks they have been comprehensively beaten by fellow finalists Collingwood and Geelong and this week they face ladders leaders Hawthorn before a possible return bout against the Hawks in week one of the finals.
Rhyce Shaw is now out for the season with a serious knee injury with Adam Goodes and Lewis Jetta are both in a race against time to be fit for the finals.
You never write off the Swans but on current form the Hawks, Cats and Dockers have their measure.

Essendon saga
Last week was a terrible week for the game and we never want to see football matters end up in the Supreme Court.
Thankfully over the last 48 hours some sanity appears to have prevailed and publicly James Hird opened up and showed some contrition which many have been calling for.
Both parties are working hard to find a resolution before the finals.. a finals series unlikely to feature Essendon.
Throw in a record breaking fine, a likely suspension for James Hird and draft penalties and it's fair to say the Bombers are going to pay big time for their questionable supplements program of 2012.
But make no mistake the biggest penalty is becoming the first club in AFL history to be stripped of all its premiership points.
That's a stain the club has to live with forever and for the players simply heartbreaking in a season where they have consistently performed against the odds.

Hayden Ballantyne's "goal"
We have seen so many trivial score reviews this season but when Hayden Ballantyne failed to make contact with the ball in the goal square no review was called for.
Thankfully the match was one sided and Ballantyne's 'air swing' didn't have an impact on the result.

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Hird prepares to play the long game

Waiting ... James Hird is expected to be banned for 12 months. Source: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

IF IT was the end, as it appears to be for James Hird for the next 12 months, it ended in remarkable scenes.

It wasn't a fairytale - how can it be? - but an exhilarating end to a difficult week and a torturous season.

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Essendon's penalties are expected to be announced today and not even the most hopeful of Bombers people - officials and fans - think they will play finals this year.

There was a look of resignation on plenty of faces on Saturday night.

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Chat live with Robbo from 11.30am on Monday

After the adrenalin release at the final siren, where the players thrust their arms in the air as if it was a premiership win, there was a look of dejection on their faces.

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In the rooms, the players invited Hird into the circle and together they belted out the theme song.

Then Hird did what everyone hoped he would: he opened up at his press conference.

Tellingly, he said he would love to coach the club after a suspension.

It was always thought Hird would give the game away if he was suspended, that it would be too difficult to coach again if he accepted a penalty that meant he accepted guilt to an array of AFL charges.

Hird has wondered, would everyone believe in him again?

It is yet to be announced if he will continue legal action against the AFL and its senior players, Andrew Demetriou and Gillon McLachlan, but if he does he will almost certainly be stood down as coach.

If he's going to be suspended anyhow, people close to him are urging him to fight the AFL to a) reveal the truth as he knows it; and b) fight "99 per cent" of the charges against him. Hird was locked in talks with his legal team on Sunday.

On Saturday night, the seriousness of the situation was initially swamped by the emotion of victory.

Very quickly, however, it became very real that nothing would be the same again.

For club doctor Bruce Reid, who is also charged by the AFL with bringing the game into disrepute, it was goodbye. It is thought it was Reid's final game as club doctor, a role he started in 1981 under Kevin Sheedy.

As players, officials and friends gathered around him, Reid shed tears.

And so did Hird.

Assistant coach Mark Thompson said he did not know what was coming for him or the club.

"I've not spoken to anyone," Thompson said.

A brief discussion about the future, about whether he could step in as coach if Hird was suspended, elicited some hope.

"It's too hard to answer," he said. "Run training for a couple of months? I reckon they would've asked already."

He described the feeling in the rooms as "outstanding".

"Reidy was really emotional, so was Hirdy. It's hard to explain. How would it be to be Hirdy? Just the week he had, and then the player players came out and played for him like that. It was unbelievable."

Hird's press conference was unbelievable for many reasons, not least because it felt like we were listening to a condemned man who believed himself to be innocent.

For the first time, he said he would accept responsibility for what happened at the club at the end of 2011 and throughout 2012.

Asked if he had regrets, he said: "Do I have regrets ... I certainly regret certain aspects of what happened in 2012."

It was his first public utterance of remorse and he promised more would come when it was decided what would happen to the club and himself.

One day soon enough he will talk about his one-time trusted sports scientist Stephen Dank.

Dank continues to make contact with at least one of his former colleagues, and expresses great confidence of winning any legal battle.

But he's been told it's not about legal battles. It's about the players wanting to know one thing from Dank, and that is the truth about what they were injected with.

Hird wants the truth found and heard, and that's why Sunday was spent deciding whether to continue to take on the AFL.

If it was about him being suspended and the club keeping premiership points and draft picks and the players being in the clear, then Hird said he would do it.

His immediate future will be known on Monday, but his long-term future seems more assured.

"I want to come back if I am suspended," he said.

"I love the players, I love the people I work with and this year has brought us close together."

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No finals, Dons fight to save picks

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ESSENDON is clinging to the hope it could retain prized draft picks as part of a deal that will see it stood down from the finals on Monday.

The supplements drama will come to a dramatic resolution when Essendon bows out of finals consideration, with James Hird almost certain to have coached his last game of the year.

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Hird was Sunday night considering abandoning Supreme Court action and submitting to a 12-month ban demanded by the AFL ahead of a return in 2015.

It is expected senior assistant coach Mark Thompson will escape with a fine of $20,000.

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Veteran club doctor Bruce Reid is understood to be preparing to stand down as early as Monday. He was adamant he would not be part of a compromise deal.

Essendon will be forced to accept a fine of up to $2 million. The fourth individual charged, football manager Danny Corcoran, will be stood down for three months.

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The AFL's lawyers, Minter Ellison, and Essendon's QC, Jack Rush, were locked in discussions on Sunday. Hird's legal team was not directly involved.

The AFL Commission will meet at 8am Monday and while many facts are agreed between the two parties, it might take all day to reach a resolution.

The Bombers were lobbying the AFL to keep their draft picks or lose just the first two picks at this year's national draft in November.

They argue it would penalise the players and hurt the club for a decade, but the league has pushed for a two-year exclusion from the first two rounds of the draft.

Hird's lawyer Julian Burnside SC labelled the AFL's actions "scandalous" and accused them of bullying Hird.

But the Bombers have effectively conceded defeat. Now the club is trying to limit the damage to its reputation and future success.

An insight into what the AFL might deem acceptable was contained in a draft "accepted facts" document provided to Essendon.

It stated:

THE club failed to adequately protect the health, welfare and safety of the players.

THERE was an unacceptable risk that players may have been administered substances that were prohibited by the AFL Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Code.

THE club is unable to determine whether players were administered substances prohibited by the AFL Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Code.

Essendon has refused to sign an agreement that says officials deliberately set out to breach anti-doping rules.

Hird will either accept a 12-month ban or Essendon will stand him down for next season while he continues to fight his legal battle.

But that second option looks less likely, with legal figures saying many points in his Supreme Court writ would be undermined by Essendon's guilty plea.

On Saturday night Hird issued two contradictory statements - that he wanted his punishment wrapped up in the club's sanctions, but that he wanted to clear his name first.

"First of all I want to prove I'm innocent of a lot or 99 per cent of those charges," he said.

"I look at those charges and they make me sick that they're out there and that people would believe that is the truth about me.

"I'm determined to clear that up. Then we'll go from there about suspension or not suspension."

Bombers captain Jobe Watson on Sunday continued to express support for Hird but said the fate of his coach was beyond the club's control.

"I mean, it's not whether or not we want him to coach - it's the decision of the Commission and that's the reason there is a Commission," Watson said.

Reid is determined to protect his reputation as a medical practitioner. He has told confidantes he will continue his fight separate to Essendon.

Essendon chairman Paul Little spoke on Saturday night of a middle ground, which meant that the AFL was prepared to drop the focus on drug cheating and instead hit the Dons with governance charges.

While the sanctions are unprecedented, attention will quickly turn to who fills the coaching void.

Thompson would be available given he will only be fined but has made it known he is not interested in a senior coaching position.

Former Bombers stars Mark Harvey and Neale Daniher have been linked to the club but a one-year secondment would not appeal if Hird was definitely returning.

Hird's barrister Burnside said "the AFL's bullying tactics seem to be the standard in Australia now".

"The AFL seems to think it's OK to bully a bunch of individuals and a club without letting them have a fair hearing. I think the AFL's conduct has been scandalous."

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Live: fifth Ashes Test, day five

Graeme Swann is clean bowled by James Faulkenr to end England's innings. Source: AP

THE final day of the final Ashes Test is upon us.

The English weather is once again refusing to do Australia any favours, delaying the start of play, but the action is set to get underway at 8.30pm (EST).

Join the conversation by leaving a comment in the blog below, or let us know what you think by getting in touch on Twitter, @FoxCricketLive.

If using the comment box in the blog, you can just enter a name where it says 'Display Name', or you can log in using one of your social media accounts. Get involved now!

GET THE ULTIMATE MATCH COMPANION, FEATURING VIDEO OF EVERY WICKET AND BOUNDARY, BALL-BY-BALL COMMENTARY AND HAWKEYE, IN OUR ASHES MATCH CENTRE!

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Starc hits out at England tactics

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MITCHELL Starc has criticised England for the negative way it has played the last Test at the Oval.

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Speaking as rain delayed the start of the fourth day, Starc claimed England was not playing as a quality side despite being 3-0 up in the series.

"It's frustrating, especially while we're on top and making all the running in the game as the only team with any intent really but it was the same at Old Trafford," said Starc.

Despite denials to the contrary, England is clearly intent on a draw, scoring just 215 runs on the third day in 98.3 overs, going to stumps at 4-247 in reply to Australia's 9-492 declared.

This is despite captain Alastair Cook claiming before the match that England wanted to achieve history by becoming the first team to beat Australia 4-0 in England.

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"It was a little surprising being 3-0 on top and really talking themselves up as a quality side," Starc said of England's go slow tactics.

"I think the quality sides go out there and try and win series especially at this stage 4-0 so their lack of intent was a bit disappointing but we're not going to worry about them.

"We were going about our business yesterday and it was a great day for the bowlers and one of our better days on tour."

Starc claimed he had no idea what took place in the exchange between Kevin Pietersen and Michael Clarke shortly before tea on day three.

"I'm not too sure. I was at the top of my mark I think KP might have been asking Michael for dinner, I'm not sure."

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Dockers demolish Power

Fremantle star Nathan Fyfe starred in the Dockers win over Port Adelaide. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

RECORD breaking Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is in a privileged position to consider resting some of his star Dockers ahead of next month's finals after thumping Port Adelaide at Patersons Stadium.

The Dockers secured at least a third-place finish with the most home-and-away qualifying wins in the club's history and travel to Melbourne for next Saturday's clash with Lyon's old outfit St Kilda when vital finals play-makers could be rested and freshened ahead of a looming clash with Geelong in a fortnight.

A casualty from Saturday night's imposing win over eighth-placed Port is classy utility Nick Suban who suffered a hamstring strain in his right leg during Freo's opening term blitz and looks certain to miss the Saints clash.

Lyon and his advisers must now ponder prospects of resting as many as seven of their regular guns that have been serviceable in all 21 qualifying engagements this season.

Despite a near best-afield four goals fiery small forward Hayden Ballantyne should be a front-runner to have a week off ahead of a potentially gruelling finals series.

The gutsy sharpshooter was troubled with his nagging right shoulder problem that he dislocated deep into last week's whopping win over Melbourne at the MCG but ran out the game.

The Dockers finished their 12 Perth engagements with 11 home ground victories as the league's tightest defensive unit obliterated Port 21.8 (134) to 9.6 (60).
 
Fremantle's 12-goal trouncing follows a 95-point demolition of struggling Melbourne at the MCG last Sunday a week after smashing Greater Western Sydney in Perth by a record winning margin 113 points.

Freo had effectively secured the victory at the long break with a 55-point lead and Port with just one goal.

Superstar forward Matthew Pavlich was a beneficiary from Fremantle's supremacy around the ball in another vital match-conditioning and fine-tuning outing in his comeback from a three-month layoff through mid-season after Achilles surgery in April.

The big power forward improved the longer his Dockers dominated and booted four goals from his 18 possessions and eight marks.

Just how Lyon and his medical staff refine their troops ahead of next month's finals with rests over the last qualifying round at Etihad is certain to emerge as major consideration ahead of team announcements on Thursday.

Indefatigable follower Ryan Crowley, All-Australian defensive candidate Michael Johnson, Matt deBoer, full-back Zac Dawson, ace forward Chris Mayne as well as utility pair Tendai Mzungu and Danyle Pearce are the Dockers who have played every game so far this season.

The Dockers are expected to swing crucial key defender Luke McPharlin, nuggety half-back Clancee Pearce and big ruck force Aaron Sandilands back into the starting line-up against the Saints to fine tune their injury-interrupted late preparation to the finals.

Gifted defender Garrick Ibbotson is not expected to be considered for selection as he continues to overcome effects of a nagging calf strain.

Freo sealed their double-chance top-four finish with a blistering opening and four goals in 16 minutes between Ballantyne and zippy Michael Walters bagging two each on the run and a clear dominance around the ball up field.

The match-up of the night was relentless tagger Crowley running alongside in-form Port play-maker Travis Boak.

Crowley added another scalp to his impressive season of big wins over trump opposition star players with Boak held to 17 disposals while the hard-core Docker also racked up 17 touches and hammered home a first term goal.

Another strategic one-on-one assignment though was last season's WAFL Sandover medallist Kane Mitchell running with dashing Dockers midfielder Stephen Hill.

Hill spent most of his time operating from a half-back flank, but never with the floppy haired Mitchell far away and Port veteran tagger Kane Cornes renewed acquaintances in a minding role on former teammate Danyle Pearce.

FREMANTLE            5.4    10.4    15.7    21.8 (134)
PORT ADELAIDE      1.1     1.3      4.4      9.6   (60)

BEST: Fremantle:  Ballantyne, Neale, Fyfe, Johnson, Clarke, Pavlich, Crowley
Port Adelaide: Gray, Westhoff, Lobbe, Cornes, Wines,

GOALS: Fremantle: Ballantyne 4, Pavlich 4, Walters 3, Clarke 2, Sheridan 2, Barlow 1, Crowley 1, Neale 1, Hannath 1, Johnson 1, Sutcliffe 1.
Port Adelaide: Schulz 1, Ebert 1, Neade 1, Wingard 1, Mitchell 1, Monfries 1, Young 1, Gray 1, Moore 1.

INJURIES: Fremantle: Suban (hamstring), Ballantyne (shoulder)
Port Adelaide: Ebert (hamstring soreness), Carlile (cut eye)

REPORTS
Fremantle: Nil
Port Adelaide: Nil

UMPIRES: Dean Margetts, Jeff Dalgleish, Shane McInerney.

Crowd: 35,565

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Bombers comeback stuns Blues

Victory ... David Zaharakis kicks the winning goal with 30 seconds left. Source: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

SOMEWHERE in amongst Essendon's war with the AFL, a game of football broke out at the MCG on Saturday night.

And what a ripsnorter of a game it was, a spirited and emotional triumph, a fluctuating contest that drew the curtain on a week that Bombers insiders described as the low point of the club's season.

5.4 (34)	Q1	1.1 (7)
10.4 (64)	Q2	1.3 (9)
15.7 (97)	Q3	4.4 (28)
21.8 (134)	Q4	9.6 (60)

Hayden Ballantyne 4	Brad Ebert 1
Matthew Pavlich 4	Robert Gray 1
Michael Walters 3	Kane Mitchell 1
Zac Clarke 2	Angus Monfries 1
Tom Sheridan 2	Andrew Moore 1
Michael Barlow 1	Jake Neade 1
Ryan Crowley 1	Jay Schulz 1
Jack Hannath 1	Chad Wingard 1
Michael Johnson 1	Aaron Young 1
Lachie Neale 1
Cameron Sutcliffe 1

The Bombers looked a spent force at three-quarter time, but as they have done so often this season they found a way to fight on, fight back and pinch a victory.

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They kicked the final four goals of the match, with the matchwinner coming when scores were tied 27 seconds from the final siren.

To illustrate what a fighting win it was, the sealer came from David Zaharakis, barely sighted for three quarters, but a massive part of the gutsy rally in the final term. He gathered 10 disposals in that frantic last 30 minutes -- most of them under intense pressure -- and helped turn around Essendon's clearance work at stoppages.

He wasn't alone in lifting when it was needed.

Ruckman Paddy Ryder was quiet early, but took the match by the scruff of the neck late in proceedings. Never more so than when he leapt to pull in a contested mark midway through the final quarter to put the Dons one point in front.

As his teammates celebrated wildly, Ryder ran from the field, blood streaming from the bandage around his forehead.

To be fair, there were signs from the opening bounce that the under-seige Essendon playing group was switched on.

The desperation that had been noticeably absent for the past month was now part of the Dons' game once more.

They were winning the ball from the stoppages and applying enough pressure to force numerous turnovers.

There were little signs all over the ground that Essendon was having a crack. Acts such as defender Mark Baguley's diving ankle tap on Eddie Betts midway through the opening term. His lunge prevented Betts from running into an open goal and forced the goalsneak to have a set shot from 45 metres, which he missed.

On a forward flank Nick Kommer used his pace and recklessness to retain the ball in the Bombers' forward line.

In the midfield the disciplined Heath Hocking was not only keeping Carlton skipper Marc Murphy out of the game, he was running and crashing into packs to win plenty of his own ball.

And yet somehow Carlton was still managing to create some uncontested possessions and the cleaner scoring opportunities, and could well have split the match open had it not started with 3.10 from its first 13 scoring shots.

The Bombers lifted their game in the second quarter. They began to win the football at the centre bounces and centre-half forward Michael Hurley began exerting his influence on the lead at centre half forward.

Brownlow Medallist Jobe Watson began to break free of the attention of Bryce Gibbs. It was never difficult to differentiate between a Watson possession and a ray of sunshine: every time the Sherrin found it's way into the

Essendon skipper's hands he was roundly booed by the Blues fans. When those possessions came at a pause in play, those jeers were countered by an equally loud round of cheering from the Essendon faithful.

But it seemed the match was going to follow what has lately become a familiar plot when the Bombers started to fade in the third term.

Carlton began to dominate the contested possessions, while Essendon reverted to static uninspired football. Quite simply manyof the team, including such notables as Zaharakis, Brent Stanton, Stewart Crameri, Jake Melksham and Alwynn Davey were having no impact on the contest.

The counterpoint to that was the performance of Brendon Goddard. He simply refused to yield in that third term.

When Carlton kicked three goals to stretch their lead to 19 points, it was Goddard who dragged the Bombers back into the match.

He unleashed one beautiful 50 metre pass that virtually forced Hurley to run back tio the goalsquare for a mark and goal, and the followed up with a goal of his own when he won a free kick for an arm chop in a marking contest.

And yet it seemed inevitable that the Blues would  be the ones who drew away.

Throughout they were brilliantly served by the fearless Kade Simpson on a back flank. Even with 70 seconds to go he dropped back in the hole to block the oncoming truck that was Hurley, winning a free kick and seemingly saving the match for the Blues.

Other Blues such as Tom Bell and Chris Yarran prodeuced season-best form, while Murphy at times threatened to get off the Hocking leash.

Ed Curnow outplayed the dangerous Brent Stanton, so effectively that at one stage the Bombers midfielder did not touch the ball for one-and-a-half quarters.

But when it really mattered, when the match was there to be won and it was a matter of who wanted it more, it was the Essendon players who stood up.

Maybe they drew upon their previous experiences from earlier in the season.

Maybe they wanted to make a statement.

Maybe this was their grand final.

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Report: Bale arrives in Spain

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Tottenham Hotspur striker Gareth Bale has reportedly landed in Spain in a private jet and will take another plane to Madrid to meet with Real Madrid.

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The report comes as Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas says he does not expect Gareth Bale to make a farewell appearance at White Hart Lane before completing his anticipated transfer to Real Madrid.

Bale is reportedly close to joining Madrid for a world-record fee that could exceed STG85 million ($A148 million), with the Spanish giants having erected a stage at Estadio Bernabeu in apparent preparation for his presentation to the club's fans.

Due to injury, the 24-year-old Welsh forward has not played for Spurs since a friendly appearance in mid-July, but Villas-Boas does not think he will be present to say goodbye to the club's supporters during Sunday's home game with Swansea City.

"We have no rules or obligation for players not selected to be on the bench or in the stadium, so I don't expect Gareth to be seen at the club,'' Villas-Boas said.

Chelsea are thought to have hijacked Villas-Boas's bid to sign Brazilian playmaker Willian from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, but Spurs are reportedly in talks with Roma over a move for Argentine attacking midfielder Erik Lamela.

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Game owes awesome All Blacks

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RARELY does rugby pause to contemplate the debt it owes the All Blacks for constantly showing how the game can be played no matter what the straitjacket of laws, scrum tweaks and pedantic referees.

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The Kiwis are the one team that always rises above that ball-and-chain to generate the exhilaration and consistent results that all other teams, including the Wallabies, chase.

Imagine for a moment if there was no All Blacks side. We'd be left with South Africa's bludgeoning style, England's mostly pragmatic game, the bumbling-or-brilliant French and the sporadically dynamic Wallabies as the benchmark.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being the whipping boys for the All Blacks because it makes any breakthrough win so much more satisfying. It's just that the welts have been inflicted for a decade now. The Wallabies have had enough and must start to play like that in Wellington tomorrow.

Creating more for Israel Folau is a part-solution. Just hope the All Blacks don't get the ball in the hands of Julian Savea more often too.

The Wallabies have played more than five hours of Test rugby this season and led for just 23 minutes. Playing catch-up rugby continually is a sure way to mistakes so a fast start would be a tonic tomorrow

When coach Ewen McKenzie finished playing Test rugby, he learnt even more about the psyche the All Blacks will channel into Bledisloe II.

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The All Blacks just don't have clanging off nights, certainly none like the error-strewn 47-29 loss by the Wallabies a week ago in Sydney.

"A 'friendly' between Classic All Blacks and Classic Wallabies doesn't exist for retired players. The Kiwis don't know how to play half-paced,"' McKenzie said.

"I played in the 1988 game when the All Blacks played Randwick. It was their only ever time playing against an Australian club side yet there's Buck Shelford, in a famous photo, still trying to rip Simon Poidevin's head off.

"So many people want that honour they can't have a day off.

"It's part of their psyche that they play for keeps. I've met plenty of former All Blacks after our playing days. When it comes to rugby, the Kiwis are inherently competitive so even when you win it is only by a couple of points."

For the new Wallabies coach, it is just another take on how tough it is to beat a perpetually relentless, clinical All Blacks outfit.

That relentless streak of precision is something McKenzie is aiming at for the Wallabies. Every coach is after that mindset to always play for keeps...turning a turnover into a try, not a gallant near-miss, as Ben Smith did to give the All Blacks the early lead a week ago. 

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Pies need Shaw-Flank redemption

Run ... Heath Shaw has been down on form in recent weeks. Source: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

COLLINGWOOD must find a way to help unshackle rebounding machine Heath Shaw after a dramatic decline in his offensive output in recent weeks.

The running defender is known to be battling groin soreness after consecutive six-day breaks, but it is tactics used to stifle him that are causing some concern before tonight's clash against West Coast at the MCG.

One of the game's most damaging backmen, Shaw averaged 410m gained a match up to Round 18, (ranked No.4 at the club), running off half-back.

But in the past three games that figure has dropped to 210m an outing (ranked 16th).

Shaw has been dragged back to the goalsquare by the opposition, in a bid to curb his run and carry.

It has left the 184cm premiership defender guarding some of the game's best key forwards such as Swan Kurt Tippett and Hawk Lance Franklin, creating a headache for coach Nathan Buckley.

Shaw's uncle, Collingwood premiership captain Tony Shaw, said the 27-year-old's form had dropped off but questioned whether the Pies were best "utilising his strengths" deep in defence.

"I think he doesn't mind playing deeper in defence, but is it better for the team when he gets up the ground?" he said. "If the opposition see him on the last line, they will be rubbing their hands together."

Shaw had only nine possessions last Friday against Hawthorn and again came in for criticism for his body language, after clashing passionately with teammates including captain Nick Maxwell.

Triple M commentator Luke Darcy said Shaw had to improve his output.

"It's not career-defining, but there's a bit of crossroads about his game leading into halftime," Darcy said.

Shaw is contracted for next season and, despite some ups and downs with Buckley this season, remains a required player at Collingwood.

The immediate challenge for Buckley is to help release Shaw into a greater upfield role. He has managed only one forward-50 entry in the past three games, according to Champion Data.

St Kilda great Danny Frawley said last night the return of teammate Alan Toovey from a knee reconstruction next year would help release Shaw.

"Toovey is normally that type of player to take the heat off 'Heater' (in a back pocket)," Frawley said on Fox Footy's The SuperCoach Show. "You can see he has looked frustrated, but it will be good for his development long term to say, 'I've been back there, Toovey comes back into the fold, we'll have a ripper year next year'."

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