The moment Boof got Aussies on track

Darren Lehmann has turned the Australian cricket team into a harmonious group. Picture: Phil Hillyard. Source: Philip Hillyard / News Limited

IT was the emotion-charged moment when Darren 'Boof' Lehmann knew Australian cricket was on the right track.

And it didn't have much to do with cricket.

Only weeks after being parachuted into his new job as Australian coach during the Ashes in England last year, there was a birthday dinner for the sick wife of the team bus driver.

Pom Geoff Goodwin, affectionately known as 'Popeye', had been the long-time driver of the Aussie team bus on England tours.

He was the man who spooked Shane Watson into seeing ghosts in the lead-up to the 2005 Ashes series.

Goodwin convinced the all-rounder into believing the local legend of Lumley Castle, where the Australians stayed during the limited-overs series and where a 400-year-old lady ghost was said to roam the corridors.

Lehmann has a giggle ahead of the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge — just two weeks after taking over as head coach. Source: Getty Images

Fast forward to 2013 and Goodwin's wife Suzanne was seriously ill with cancer. What happened next convinced Lehmann, who brought a family-first mantra to the coaching job, that Australian cricket was going places.

"When I knew we were on the right path was when there was a birthday dinner organised for Popeye's wife. She was really sick with cancer, she had lost all her hair," Lehmann said.

"Our players were invited to come with their partners and wives. Even though it was optional, everyone turned up. Nobody missed it. When the numbers came back we had everyone on the bus and all the support staff.

"That said to me that our players were worried about other families as well.

"I thought to myself 'the guys get it, everyone gets it.' When Popeye spoke there were tears in his eyes because everyone had turned up.

"It was what we wanted to be about. Making people's lives better as a family and as a group."

For all the training and planning sessions Lehmann had led, it has been the enormous cultural shift in Australian cricket that has been his biggest influence.

The Australian dressing room is a happy place these days. Picture: Phil Hillyard. Source: News Limited

Before Lehmann, players were sometimes at each other's throat and there was a meltdown in Mohali with four players sacked from a Test and Shane Watson flying home immediately.

Following the sacking of former coach Mickey Arthur on the eve of the 2013 Ashes in England, Lehmann was installed and immediately set about fostering a new team spirit.

And, again, it wasn't all about cricket.

"On my first day I told the players I was going to change a few things," Lehmann said.

"What they had been doing I didn't know and I didn't really worry about what had happened.

"I wanted them to buy into the way we were going to go about things with a family-first policy. And I also wanted them to play a very aggressive brand of cricket and a very entertaining brand of cricket."

Ryan Harris (L) with Darren Lehmann during the Ashes. Source: News Limited

Lehmann's caring, family-first approach, getting partners and families involved at every opportunity, is part of his life-is-too-short mantra.

It comes, at least in part, from the tragic death of his best mate David Hookes from a punch outside a Melbourne hotel in 2004. Lehmann was there that night and what he saw greatly influenced his philosophies as a person and as a cricket coach.

Under Lehmann, the Australian players are about doing as much good off the field as they do on the field. It was why six of the T20 team in Bangladesh visited a hospital for sick kids in impoverished Dhaka last week. The World T20 has been a failure on the pitch but Lehmann is about trying to grow his players as men as well as cricketers.

"It's a real eye-opener and something I'm really glad I've experienced,'' 20-year-old legspinner James Muirhead said after visiting the hospital.

"It was pretty hard to look at. But it's just good to see all the work that is being done."

James Muirhead (R), David Warner (C) and Aaron Finch with a child and mother in the Dhaka hospital. Source: Supplied

Another thing that makes Lehmann click is he appears to have struck a perfect balance between being one of the boys and being a strict disciplinarian. There are his practical gags and joke of the day competition but he has been known to send a player home if they are 30 seconds late for training. He is a stickler for punctuality.

But the overriding factor is his sense of fun and enjoyment.

"You've got to love the game and you have got to be a cricket nuffy but you have got to enjoy the game and have a laugh wherever you are touring," Lehmann says.

"Enjoyment is a huge thing for me — that's why we have the joke of the day and some of the other things we do. They are just to make touring life and maybe life in general have less pressure.

"I know it's easy to say, but cricket is only a game.''

Lehmann has found a balance between being a friend and a leader. Picture: Phil Hillyard. Source: News Limited

In Lehmann's coaching, you can see a little bit of Bob Simpson, a little bit of Geoff Marsh, a little bit of Greg Chappell and a little bit of John Buchanan.

Lehmann is known for his love of a smoke and a beer but he has done well to fuse cricket's old and new worlds.

"I think I try to marry the old world and the new world, as a coach the new world has a really good place with all the facilities and all the data," he says.

"We never had a lot of this sort of stuff in our day. I can also take stuff from the old days and bring it forward. I have tried to pick the best bits I have liked from various coaches.

"I think with leadership and how to play the game I have looked at David Hookes and with batting it has probably been Greg Chappell."

Lehmann doesn't want to single out any player to credit for the massive leaps in Australian cricket as it has truly been a team effort.

But he takes particular pleasure from the development of fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris. And the batting of potential future captain Steve Smith.

"I think Smith has made the most progress over the last 12 months as a player,'' Lehmann says.

"He is probably unlucky not to be in the one-day and the T20 sides at the moment. We need him to keep improving his bowling. If you have someone who bowls legspinners very well and bats in the top six, that is a big advantage to have.

"Mitchell and Ryan are world-class and they are good for our group.

"The one thing I'm really pleased about is they have really helped the young blokes out as well. That is the sort of stuff you only see behind the scenes.

"What they are doing off the ground has been exceptional, helping to mentor the young bowlers."

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Port the real deal

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AFTER all the off-field point scoring in the lead-up to yesterday's historic first Showdown at Adelaide Oval it was always going to come down to football — and right now Port Adelaide is simply a better side than the Crows.

We're constantly told how form goes out the window when these teams meet but the talent gap between South Australia's two clubs was rammed home yesterday.

Adelaide and Port Adelaide players took part in a tribute to Dean Bailey. Picture Simon Cross Source: News Corp Australia

The Power have made every post a winner since Ken Hinkley took over, making it into last year's finals series when the Crows couldn't and posting a strong win in round one.

And the momentum shows no signs of stopping after yesterday's 55-point win left them unbeaten this season and in a great position to challenge for the top four in 2014.

In contrast, the Crows' finals hopes look increasingly reliant on the successful return of key forward Taylor Walker from a long-term knee injury.

The first bounce of the first Showdown at the renovated Adelaide Oval. Picture Calum Robertson Source: News Corp Australia

For all the talk about its new look attack this summer the reality is Adelaide's forward line features one genuine star in Eddie Betts and a bunch of B graders.

That's probably a bit harsh on Mitch Grigg — who continues to impress — but the rest just aren't doing enough.

James Podsiadly was poor again, Lewis Johnston fumbled away opportunities and it was easy to forget Shaun McKernan was out there when he wasn't rucking.

Matthew Lobbe has the distinction of kicking the first goal at the redeveloped Adelaide Oval. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Corp Australia

Adelaide managed to kick just 11 goals and most of them came from the midfield. The Crows also have some convincing to do about the other line they regularly trotted out over summer — how they're an improved running side.

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After being heavily outscored by Geelong in the final term in round one, the Crows were unable to stay with Port's runners during a one-sided opening term.

Led by the blistering speed of Jared Polec and the enormous appetite for gut running of Brad Ebert and Justin Westhoff, Port put Adelaide to the sword.

The Power built a 28-point lead by outworking their opponents and putting the Crows defence under enormous pressure.

Ollie Wines was at his bullish best and kicked two long goals as a result of Adelaide turnovers. Picture Simon Cross Source: News Corp Australia

At the other end, Adelaide regularly found itself breaking down inside its forward 50.

It's only goal of the first quarter was an end to end play finished by Johnston but that was the result of slick ball movement rather than fine forward play.

Scott Thompson tried to give the Crows a lift in the third term, but the Power put the clamps on for there on. Picture Sarah Reed. Source: News Corp Australia

Power rookie Jarman Impey was entrusted with the job of minding Betts and stood up well against Adelaide's most dangerous forward in the early stages.

But after scoring his opener from a free kick, Betts gained momentum and did his best to drag Adelaide back into the contest with three second quarter goals.

It was all about the fans in the end and Robbie Gray gave them plenty to smile about. Picture Sarah Reed. Source: News Corp Australia

Hinkley had warned his players there would be periods in the game where they had to defend for their lives and it came early in the third quarter.

With Rory Sloane, Richard Douglas, Matt Jaensch and Scott Thompson leading the way, the Crows managed to steal the lead by kicking the first four goals of the quarter.

Adelaide showed the form that allowed it to hang with the Cats for three quarters at Simonds Stadium but you always sensed it wouldn't last.

Mitch Grigg and Travis Boak get up close and personal. Picture Simon Cross Source: News Corp Australia

Hinkley responded by shifting Tom Jonas on to Betts and the versatile defender managed to stop the former Blue from adding to his goal tally.

But it was an unlikely hero who stepped up when Port needed it most. John Butcher would not have ranked too highly on anyone's list of potential Port match-turners but it was the maligned key forward who helped the Power regain control midway through the third.

Butcher calmly slotted a set shot to give Port back the lead before setting up another with an accurate pass from the half forward line.

Aerial photos from the 7 News helicopter of the first AFL game at the redeveloped Adelaide Oval, Pic. Dean Martin Source: News Corp Australia

Chad Wingard — who was quiet for his standards in the first half — joined the party too and the Power's lead was back out to five goals at the final change.

Given Port's fourth quarter record it was always going to be more than enough. Adelaide will find Adelaide Oval more hospitable when it looks to avoid falling in a 0-3 hole against Sydney at home next weekend.

But for now it's Port Adelaide's oval.

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PORT ADELAIDE 19.14 (128)

ADELAIDE 11.7 (73)

BEST

PORT — Hartlett, Ebert, Schulz, Cornes, Wingard, Wines, Monfries.

CROWS — Smith, Sloane, Douglas, Betts, Jaensch.

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Voss speaks about life after footy

Former AFL coach Michael Voss now has time to watch his son Casey, 13, play football. Picture: Adam Head Source: Adam Head / News Corp Australia

MICHAEL Voss lost his dream job as coach of the Brisbane Lions, but his kids gained a basketball court.

Ten-year-old Gemma Voss recently beamed when her dad told her he would be able to watch her play a tennis match when she had been expecting him to say he could not manage it.

It's amazing what a man can do with a little time on his hands.

And Voss has made lemonade from the sour lemons of his dismissal last August by the Australian Football club for which he played for 15 years and coached for five draining, challenging more years.

Voss, the triple premiership captain of the Lions, has now finished a summer without playing or coaching football.

"I liked the summer off so much, I want to have another one next summer,'' he says.

That was how Voss, 38, decided he will not chase a job in the AFL industry next year.

"We'd probably go on an extensive holiday if that happens,'' Voss says, four days after Brisbane played, and lost, their first match of the season under the coaching of his former clubmate Justin Leppitsch.

"I've really cherished the last four or five months. We had a summer where we went on day trips to the beach and did things I hadn't done with them so much.

Michael Voss with his children at the beach. Picture: News Corp Source: Supplied

"The job just sucks you in. There's no other way to describe it.''

Voss is aiming to keep his AFL knowledge current this year with media commentary for Foxtel and a Melbourne radio station, plus a three-month role in a television reality program shot in Melbourne. He will be the coach of 12 would-be AFL players in a "Big Brother'' house environment for Foxtel, "The Recruit'', with the last man standing to be given an AFL club contract.

"Being able to have some flexibility in your life is pretty bloody important,'' he says.

"We went away for 10 days and I said to my wife, `I just want to enjoy being home'. So I needed mini projects.''

Voss is the sort of home handyman with a track record of gung-ho misadventure, having once sliced his calf badly and also cut his finger to the bone when hitching a trailer to a car.

But he flattened out a grassed area in his backyard and had it concreted so 13-year-old twins Casey and Kayla and his youngest, Gemma, could play backyard basketball a little easier.

"It took him a good three weeks but he really enjoyed it,'' says Voss's wife Donna.

"For the kids to have six weeks off with their dad was great. He was there all day every day … he was never home that long, ever. It's been good for him and good for the kids.''

Michael Voss in the garden. Picture: News Corp Source: Supplied

Voss's eyes appear a little more crinkled around the edges than when he was named the youngest coach in the AFL, at 33, in late 2008.

But as the conversation goes on, it's apparent that is due mostly to the stress of a punishing get-fit session at a gym, another of the holiday projects Voss has attacked with relish.

Michael Voss is one man who has managed to avoid being totally annihilated by the demands of being an AFL head coach, a profession which allows in only 16 per year and can turn self-assured men into quivering wrecks.

Asked if he found he was not defined by his job when he lost it, Voss said: "I'd like to think not. You are pouring so much effort of your own into it it's hard not to. But you can't have that.''

As a player skilful and brave enough to become a Brownlow Medallist and a member of the AFL Hall of Fame, Voss was one of those rare breed of athletes able to bend matches to his will.

For instance, his back-pedalling, muscle-on-bone mark late in Brisbane's second grand final win, against Collingwood in 2002, remains a hackles-raising memory for Lions fans among their recollections of a now distant, golden era.

When he finally retired as a player in 2006, he devoted two years to the television industry before, after knocking back the chance to be head coach of two clubs, agreed to an assistant coach role with the West Coast.

Former Lions coach Michael Voss at boxing training at Coorparoo Boxing Gym. Picture: Adam Head Source: News Corp Australia

But he handed the Perth job back swiftly when his Lions premiership coach Leigh Matthews retired a few days after Brisbane's elimination in 2008.

It was nothing less than a sporting coronation and he took the Lions to the finals for the first time since 2004 in his first year in charge.

Voss effectively bet the farm by recruiting the mischief-prone but gifted Brendan Fevola to the Lions for 2010, necessitating a raft of player movements which annoyed many hardened Brisbane followers.

Fevola's Brisbane misadventures ended in rehab at a New Farm clinic.

He built gambling debts and a list of misdemeanours, including a visit to the police watch-house while the Brisbane media waited outside.

On his way back to Victoria, Fevola was paid out for the rest of his contract, impacting on the club's ability to pay players in the following year. He has not played for an AFL club since.

Voss, the coach, was unable to fight his way back from the consequences of his 2009 decisions, losing a rearguard action over his remaining three seasons, in which the Lions failed to make the finals.

"The first year, the work never stopped, because I'd bounce in — I was loving it — and clocked off late at night, working at the office at home,'' he recalls wistfully.

"When you are trying to improve 48 players and keep a culture sound, it's a big machine which has to operate and there's only so much you can get done.''

In the first two years of his coaching reign, the Voss family came to negotiate a "phone down'' policy on Michael.

Voss takes time out before fronting the media. Picture: Darren England Source: News Limited

"He was coming home and spending his first two hours on the phone,'' Donna says.

So a penalty jar was brought into play. Every time dad-the-coach took a work call at home, he had to put a $5 note in the jar.

"A fair bit was put in there. If it had been $2, it would have been, `throw the coin in and take the phone call','' Voss says, laughing.

"After the first year, it was about finding some way to discipline myself and I needed my kids to keep me accountable. They loved it.''

The first five months of the 2013 season, his fifth as coach, was played against a background of speculation over whether Voss would be offered another contract by a board harassed by a deteriorating financial position due to a levelling off of ticket sales and corporate support.

Lions players, or at least managers of Lions players, made it known outside the club that they were unsure about signing a new contract with Brisbane if Voss remained in charge.

The existing Lions board was, at around the same time, drawn into a dispute with a rival ticket, which resulted at the end of the season in chairman Angus Johnson's departure.

Asked if he was convinced he had kept the loyalty of all in the coaching staff, the football department (correct) and the players during this period, Voss says: "I don't know. The overwhelming feeling I had … was, 'who do I trust?'.

"I'm sitting here (without the Lions job) for a reason. I can't answer the question whether I had the coaches. I can't answer the question, did I have the players. I felt I had the players, but how do you know? I probably never will be able to tell you what scale (of support) it was.

"Clearly I didn't have the board. The board bought into a different idea.''

Voss in action as Brisbane coach. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

Donna Voss says she did not see 2013 as her husband's hardest year in the job, probably because he had decided that all he could do was concentrate on what he could control.

"It didn't end well, but 2011 was the most challenging year because they won four games,'' she says.

A victory over competition heavyweights Essendon in May and a miraculous win from a 51-point deficit over Geelong in June gave heft to Voss's contention that his mostly young team was making distinct progress.

It was widely reported a new contract would come his way in the days before a phone call came from then Lions chairman Johnson on August 13.

It was time to clean out his desk. The Lion king had lost his throne.

What was striking, and rare among the ranks of sacked football coaches, was that Voss sat at the press conference to announce his professional termination, alongside Johnson, the man who fired the metaphorical bullet.

"He handled it with a lot of class,'' Donna Voss remembers.

Voss explains: "I just thought it was important the members, who had followed me since I was 16 years of age, knew I loved my club and despite the fact it finished really badly, I love it and I always will.

"It's an integral part of me and that overrode really everything else.

"I wasn't too sure what had happened. I had an idea, but there wasn't a lot I could do. I didn't want to throw bombs.

"So I was saying to the club and the supporters, `I'm OK … I will push on and the end won't define me'. That's what I wanted to communicate.''

Former Lions AFL coach Michael Voss at boxing training for fitness at Coorparoo Boxing Gym. Pics Adam Head Source: News Corp Australia

In the months since, Voss has been asked many times how much he was hurting. He was not the first AFL coach to be left in the dark by a dissatisfied board of directors, but he was the first triple premiership coach to be cut adrift in such a fashion.

"The only thing I would have liked was a chat that they were thinking of something else,'' he says.

"Looking back, that's, it's my only disappointment, I guess, that I couldn't get a courtesy chat, that my own club couldn't have (it) with me. There might be a couple of individuals I was disappointed didn't do that.

"Eventually, for me it gets you back to, `Why sit there and wonder who it is and why did it happen? Why would you let something external drive what you feel and think during a day?' I don't let it affect me.''

One immediate way Voss renewed his association with the Lions was to share some thoughts on the club in a phone call with his triple premiership teammate and former assistant coach Leppitsch prior to Leppitsch's interview for the Brisbane head coach job.

A few weeks later, Voss and another ex-Lions teammate Craig McRae were at Leppitsch's house, outside Melbourne, when he fielded a call, letting him he would be the new coach.

Leppitsch and his wife Christie also caught up with Michael and Donna Voss soon after their arrival in Brisbane.

"He rang for a chat. I communicated where I thought the club was at and answered some of his questions,'' Voss says.

"He's the one who had to walk in and get the job and he's developed a strong skill set in his seven years as an assistant coach. I'm proud of him that he rose to the top and got the job.

"Justin is the beneficiary of my demise and that's sport, and he and Christie have been very good friends of mine for a long time. I hope he does a great job."

Towards the end of the conversation, I wanted to ask Voss when he had last spoken to Fevola, who turned out last year as a gun for hire for Victorian country clubs.

Did he try to keep in touch with you, I asked?

"No, not really. I haven't spoken to Fev for quite a while,'' Voss says.

How did he view Fevola's life since?

"I wouldn't know.''

It was the only time during the one-hour interview when I received an insight on what it might have been like to have stood between Michael Voss, the braveheart player, and his game's red football.

Voss might have to decide late this year if he wants to try to build his career back up again as a coaching prospect at a club other than Brisbane, first, probably, as an assistant coach.

"Three years, you probably have to make a decision if you want to get involved again,'' he says.

"I really don't know. It is hard for me to talk about clubland now. I don't see myself there.

"Our eldest are 13 so there is their schooling to consider.''

Michael and Donna Voss say that is a conversation they are yet to have.

"I've been able to put the head on the pillow and not worry about tomorrow. I've loved that,'' he says.

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Wenger: ‘I won’t pick my heir’

Wenger's contract is up at the end of the season. Picture: AFP Source: ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP

Ferguson recommended David Moyes to the United board after retiring last year, but the former Everton manager has endured a disappointing first season at Old Trafford.

Wenger, 64, recently presided over his 1,000th game as Arsenal manager, but he feels that it will not be his responsibility to play a part in the recruitment process when the club go in search of their next head coach.

"I always said, and you can check that, everybody has his job (at the club). My job is to do well for the team, not to do anything else," he said, in comments reported by several British newspapers on Saturday.

Asked if he would choose his own successor, the Frenchman replied: "No."

Wenger's contract is due to expire at the end of the current season, and although he has verbally agreed to remain at the club, he suggested that he could yet change his mind.

"My word is my word," Wenger said.

Pressed as to whether that meant that he would definitely stay at the club next season, he replied: "Yes, unless I decide otherwise. I have told you many times, we have had no time to sit down and do it.

"(I am) not going anywhere, don't worry for that, but I want to have a feeling coming out of the season that I have done the maximum for the club."

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Maxy’s not crazy about split round

Magpies veteran Nick Maxwell is not a fan of split rounds. Picture: Getty Source: Robert Prezioso / Getty Images

MAGPIES premiership captain Nick Maxwell is not a fan of a split AFL opening round, believing the long delays between games lead to "crazy'' criticism of teams and individuals.

Collingwood, Carlton and Richmond have all been heavily analysed and panned for the past fortnight after suffering disappointing losses on the opening weekend of the split round.

"In an ideal world I think everyone, AFL included, would like to start it on the same (weekend) but due to circumstance with the way everything is at the moment with all of the grounds, we just have to split it,'' Maxwell said on the eve of his 200th match. "Because up north (the NRL) are getting a jump on us with the league and we've just got to make sure that we're on TV and in front of people.''

Maxwell with his children Milla, 3, and Archie, 16 months, ahead of his 200th game. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

Maxwell said the fact that there a huge number of television and radio shows, some of them needing to fill airtime on a daily basis, meant there was some extravagant and kneejerk criticism.

"All Round 1 was just crazy with a lot of the commentary coming out of it,'' Maxwell said. "So much of it was way over the top, not just for individuals but for teams as well. Now that there's games every week and there's more to talk about they'll take a breath and they'll actually take a few notes before they start mouthing off.''

Maxwell said it "felt like a lifetime'' since the Pies opened the season with a wretched 70-point loss to Fremantle "and look it's probably felt the same for Sydney as well''.

He agreed with coach Nathan Buckley's assessment that the players had "a churning in the guts'' about their performance against the Dockers and were determined to bounce back against the Swans.

Maxwell stretches during the Magpies training session. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

The Magpies are expected to make two changes at selection, with former Sydney forward Jesse White coming into the team.

Maxwell suggested Nathan Brown or Jack Frost would be given the key match-up on Lance Franklin, but the key to nullifying his influence would be to "to make sure we match them in the contested possessions and the clearances'' in the midfield.

He said Franklin did "not need a lot of possessions to tear you apart'', but warned that a fully fit Sam Reid, who was hobbled by injury last season, was also an extremely dangerous prospect.

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How should the NRL punish McLean?

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SHOULD the severity of Alex McKinnon's injury influence Jordan McLean's punishment?

This is the extremely difficult decision facing the NRL ahead of next Wednesday's judiciary hearing that will determine responsibility for a tackle that led to a "terrible, terrible accident".

That is how leading Sydney neurosurgeon Dr Richard Parkinson described the tackle that left a promising young footballer in a medically induced coma following an operation to repair two fractures to his neck.

In Thursday's Daily Telegraph, Dr Parkinson said he could not blame Melbourne defenders McLean, Jesse Bromwich and Kenny Bromwich, for the incident.

"It appears that rather than the tackle, it's the weight of two players coming down on Alex which has caused the injury," Dr Parkinson said.

So how come only McLean has a case to answer?

Newcastle's Alex McKinnon suffered a broken neck as a result of this tackle. Source: FoxSports

After initially being stood down indefinitely before his judiciary hearing, McLean was yesterday granted leave to take his place in the Melbourne team to take on the Bulldogs in Perth on Saturday.

But his future beyond this remains unclear.

The NRL were only trying to do the right thing by everyone concerned when they stood McLean down this week, but it was a mistake to do so before the hearing.

And before we even start to debate what McLean's final penalty should be, let's go back to before this season kicked off, when the judiciary secretary Mark O'Neill visited Newcastle to talk to their players about the match review process, and judiciary system.

You'll remember there was a lot of debate towards the end of last year surrounding Kade Snowden's seven-match suspension.

Knights players were rightly questioning how the NRL could possibly rub out one player for seven weeks for a shoulder charge _ and yet let other players walk free for similar, sometimes seemingly worse, offences.

Alex McKinnon receives treatment on the field. Source: Getty Images

But as O'Neill explained to the Knights, the judiciary's code of conduct actually stipulates that the severity of an injury is taken into account when establishing the grading of a charge.

So they are affectively saying, we will punish the outcome, not the act.

The fact North Queensland's Ray Thompson suffered a broken jaw in that tackle was significant in Snowden's sentence.

Which brings us back to McLean, and the awful predicament this young Melbourne prop finds himself in as he waits to front the judiciary in the wake of a tackle that has almost certainly ended McKinnon's career.

Again, should McLean's punishment be influenced by the severity of McKinnon's injury, as was the case with Snowden last year?

This is how the NRL has previously stated their process works.

Almost everyone who saw the tackle agrees that it was a terrible accident with no degree of malice.

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And while no one in rugby league wants to see the blame of McKinnon's injury pinned on McLean, the judiciary panel might have no alternative.

Not if they are going to stand by their own standards.

Unless the NRL admits that the match review system and judiciary process is inconsistent, and in urgent need of an overhaul, the panel presiding over this case will have no option but to come down hard on McLean.

People are asking why McLean's case was put on hold this week, and questioning if this declares McLean guilty before his trial?

In fairness to the NRL, it was done out of respect to McKinnon and his family, and everyone who was involved in, or affected, by what occurred in Monday night's game.

The NRL is obviously keen to make sure this case is as open and transparent as possible given the scrutiny it is sure to receive _ and they will want to hear from all sides before a final punishment is determined.

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But what is a fair and reasonable outcome will divide many because no matter how hard we all look for answers it is impossible to make sense of what has happened.

And the more and more you look back over that tackle, the more you struggle to blame McLean.

As Melbourne captain Cameron Smith argued on the field at the time, the way McKinnon fell, ducking his head into his chest prior to hitting the ground, probably made the impact worse.

McKinnon could not possibly be blamed for his actions.

As for McLean, he would have went in to slow the play-the-ball down for sure and certain _ but not to cause serious injury to his opponent.

As Dr Parkinson said, it was a "terrible, terrible accident".

And McLean should not be judged on the injury that resulted, but his actions on the field.

As Snowden should not have been last year.

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Win an autumn share in Boban

Glyn Schofield celebrates last spring's Group 1 Epsom win with connections at Royal Randwick. Picture: Mark Evans Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

YOU would like to walk in Matt Dominello's shoes.

Dominello's a successful businessman with diverse interests, operating a couple of gymnasiums, owns magazines, has a consultancy firm — and he's a shareholder in emerging superstar Boban.

"I keep myself busy but during spring and autumn my focus is on horse racing,'' Dominello said.

And with good reason as Boban chases his fourth Group 1 win in the $1 million George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

This is likely to be Boban's final lead-up run before the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) during The Championships at Royal Randwick on April 19 where the Chris Waller-trained gelding is challenging for favouritism.

As part of an innovative Tabcorp promotion, there's an opportunity to join Dominello and the horse's other part-owners on a ride of a lifetime this autumn carnival.

Glyn Schofield greets happy owners after Boban's Chipping Norton Stakes win. Picture: Simon Bullard Source: News Corp Australia

One lucky TAB customer will enter the realm of champions by winning a five per cent share in Boban for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

In what is described as the ultimate "money can't buy'' experience for most racing fans, the lucky winner will enjoy an access all areas pass and become one of the ownership group for the day.

Best of all, this opportunity is open to everyone whether you are a punter or not. Go to www.jointeamboban.com.au from Monday (March 31) to register for your chance to win this once in a lifetime prize.

"We are delighted to be giving someone the chance for an experience that they haven't had before or are likely to have again," TAB's general manager marketing and communications, Glenn Lee said.

The lucky winner will be taken into the inner sanctum of the Boban ownership group and become one of them.

Trainer Chris Waller is mobbed by owners after Boban's Group 1 Emirates Stakes victory at Flemington. Picture: Jay Town Source: News Limited

Waller said Boban's preparation for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes is back on track after the gelding bounced back from two unplaced runs to win the Chipping Norton Stakes last start.

"It was hard to tell if he was where we wanted him to be after his first two runs back, however, he proved he was spot on with his victory in the Chipping Norton," Waller said. "Hopefully he will be going into the Queen Elizabeth with another win next to his name."

Boban is raced in partnership by a syndicate of friends including Mark Pejic and John O'Neill of Mummify fame.

Dominello guarantees the winner of the TAB Boban promotion will have a memorable experience at the Queen Elizabeth Stakes next month.

"The group of people who race Boban are a lot of fun,'' Dominello said.

"It is great owning a horse with such a good group of people, we feed off each other and it adds to the excitement on a raceday.

"We will invade Rosehill (tomorrow) — everyone will know we are there.''

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Scott backs Roos to bounce back

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NORTH Melbourne will take no risks with Todd Goldstein, holding Daniel Currie back from his VFL duties as insurance.

Goldstein was hampered by a shoulder injury during last week's "bitterly disappointing" Round 1 loss to Essendon.

But scans revealed no structural damage.

Goldstein will be given until Sunday to prove his fitness, with Currie to sit out of VFL action as insurance.

Kangaroos coach Brad Scott said Goldstein would need to be "perfect" to play.

"He'll do some work out on the track today, I'll watch him closely," Scott said.

"Goldy is a survivor, even when he's struggling he still battles through, battling through is not going to be good enough this week so unless he's perfect he won't play."

Scott also tempered suggestions of wholesale changes after the 39-point loss Essendon.

"I suspect we'll give the majority of our midfield group in particular the chance to atone," he said.

"The way we looked at the weekend was bitterly disappointing in the contest, I think that's uncharacteristic of the group we've put together over the last 3-4-5 years.

"We'll give them another opportunity to go out there and get the job done but we'll be holding everyone accountable from this week onwards, that's for sure."

Scott said injured forwards Robbie Tarrant (leg) and Majak Daw (knee) needed continuity of training to be considered for selection.

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Pleasure and pain of grand final: SKD

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ROOSTERS centre Shaun Kenny-Dowall has revealed the true pain and courage he showed to play last year's NRL grand final against Manly with a broken jaw.

Kenny-Dowall told of the moment at halftime when he couldn't sit down due to the excruciating agony.

Even Kenny-Dowall admitted it took "an enormous amount of courage" to play the entire 80 minutes with such an horrific injury.

Seven months on and Kenny-Dowall is fit, healthy and ready for another tilt against Manly on Friday night at Allianz Stadium.

Roosters Shaun Kenny-Dowall celebrates victory. Source: News Limited

Kenny-Dowall sustained the injury in just his second hit-up of the grand final through an accidental knee from then Manly forward George Rose.

He played on, showing incredible courage. Kenny-Dowall later had two plates inserted to mend the shattered jaw.

"As I got up I spat my teeth out," he said.

"I knew there was something wrong because my mouth kept filling up with blood.

"She was pretty painful but it was a grand final and obviously adrenaline was running high. It was a big moment and I definitely wasn't going to let it slide. I wanted to be part of it.

"I just tried to talk as much as I could and be involved in the game as much as I could. I was always moving and keeping busy to keep my mind off it.

"There was one point at halftime when I sat down and that's when I really felt the pain coming on.

"I remember I had to get up and keep talking and walking to the players around me about what our job was.

"I was finding ways to keep my minds off it. I didn't want to say anything to the boys or training staff. I knew how important the night was for me and the team."

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To help ease the pain, Kenny-Dowall was given a morphine shot after the game.

"It's definitely something I am proud of looking back,'' Kenny-Dowall said. "It takes an enormous amount of courage but it's not hard to do something courageous like that when you are playing in a grand final.

"You work your whole life to be part of those moments and I wasn't going to let it slide."

Kenny-Dowall says the jaw is now "100 per cent".

Shaun Kenny-Dowall scoring in the 2013 NRL Grand Final. Source: News Limited

He missed representing New Zealand at the World Cup but is ready to help his side defend their NRL title.

"I had a big pre-season and had a lot of time to recover," he said. "I can't afford to be going into games thinking about it. It's a thing of the past for me now.

"I am moving on into the 2014 season. It seems quite a while ago now but I have still haven't forgotten it. It was a great game and a big night for the boys.

"It is awesome to be able to play the re-match again. Manly is always tough.

"They find it very easy to lift against us. It's always a fierce battle we look forward to."

The Roosters and Manly both snatched late wins last weekend.

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Ange urges ‘Roos to create a legacy

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ANGE Postecoglou has called on the Socceroos to "create their own legacy" and win the Asian Cup next January on home soil, after seeing his team drawn against Kuwait, Oman and regional heavyweights South Korea.

Insistent that his team should embrace the expectation that they will be among the tournament favourites, Postecoglou said a "challenging group" could be countered by the support of partisan home crowds.

The Socceroos will open their campaign against Kuwait in Melbourne on January 9, before moving to Sydney to meet Oman at ANZ Stadium on January 13.

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Postecoglou's side then faces the toughest test of the group when they host South Korea at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on January 17.

Winning the group becomes essential to avoid meeting holders Japan until the final - assuming Australia do come top they will face the runners-up from Group B, including Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea.

AFC General Secretary Dato' Alex Soosay holds up the name Australia during the draw. Source: AP

Coming second in their group would mean them facing the winner of Group B, but Postecoglou said his eyes were locked on the ultimate prize - embracing the favouritism that being host involves.

"It may be added pressure but it's my expectation and I'm sure it's the players expectations," Postecoglou said. " How often do we get to play in a major tournament in our own country? We have to make the most of it and try to create our own legacy by winning it.

Get to know our Asian Cup opponents

'It's tough, Australia is favourite'

Roos get Korea in tough Asian Cup draw

Ange's attention back on Brazil after draw

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"You look at the footage of past Asian Cups and our history's not that deep in this region. We want to create our own special moments and see us up there with silverware at some point.

"The way you do that with these tournaments is competing as hard as you can and creating these rivalries and feeling part of it. This will be our third go at it, we just missed out last time and as this tournament grows I want us to take our rightful place in it."

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The group pits Australia against two coaches who have caused Australia angst in recent years. Jorvan Vieira, now in charge of Kuwait, was coach of the Iraq side that beat the Socceroos on the way to winning the 2007 Asian Cup, while Paul Le Guen has beaten Australia once and drawn twice in four matches since taking over as coach of Oman in 2011.

"It's a challenging group - obviously the standout is Korea, but Jorvan Vieira is a very experienced manager, and Oman gave us a tough time here on home soil last year," Postecoglou said.

"In this group the first game against Kuwait becomes critical in order to get off to a good start. We have some advantages - we're playing in our own country, and a packed AAMI Park in that first game should help us."

Retired Socceroo Brett Emerton raises the trophy before the Asian Cup draw. Source: AP

The draw took place at the Sydney Opera House, with Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea placed into Group C while defending Asian Cup champions Japan are in Group D with Jordan, Iraq and the winner of this year's AFC Challenge Cup, being held in May in the Maldives.

The 2015 Asian Cup will be held in five Australian cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Newcastle and Canberra – from January 9 to 31. It will be Australia's third attempt at winning it after losing to Japan in both 2007 - at the quarterfinal stage - and in the final in 2011.

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