Local knowledge gives Oar Dutch courage

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AFTER impressing in the Dutch Eredivisie this season, both Tommy Oar and Jason Davidson are confident of bringing their club form with them into the Socceroos World Cup squad.

Davidson plays for Heracles Almelo, while Oar is at FC Utrecht alongside his former Brisbane Roar teammate Adam Sarota, who was also named in Ange Postecoglou's initial 30-man squad.

Four years ago Oar came so close to getting on the plane to South Africa, only to miss out on then coach Pim Verbeek's final 23-man squad for the World Cup.

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But this year, with so much more experience under his belt, the 22-year-old believes he is a step closer to reaching his dream.

"Every kid dreams of going to the World Cup and of course I'm no different, so for it to be so close to becoming a reality is a fantastic feeling.

"When you arrive in camp it becomes a reality. It's always good to see all the boys again and everyone is really happy to have made the 30-man squad."

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Oar made 31 appearances for his club this season and is very familiar with many of the faces that will line up against Australia when they face the Netherlands in their second group game.

"I looked at their team and I know their entire squad," Oar said.

"I get to see a lot of them play every week and they have some fantastic players. If I was given the chance to play against them I think I would know what to expect from their play, so for me that might be a little bit of an advantage."

Four more years ... Tommy Oar poses ahead of the 2010 tournament. Source: News Limited

Davidson, who is the only left-back in the Socceroos squad, also believes his knowledge of Dutch football will stand him in good stead.

The 22-year-old was a mainstay for his club this season and is pleased with his form heading into the Socceroos' two training camps before the squad leaves for Brazil.

"I was happy I got picked, but in the same breath I thought I deserved it because I've played a lot of games this season," Davidson said.

"Tommy and myself and Adam Sarota all play in Holland and I think it's an advantage. If any of the boys or coaching staff decide to ask us for any advice I'm sure we can help out because we play against these players every week."

As Postecoglou begins the task of rebuilding the Socceroos, there is an emphasis on youth in his squad. The majority of players have fewer than 10 caps and most have never been to a World Cup.

Jason Davidson got suited up at Socceroos camp in Terrigal. Picture: Gregg Porteous. Source: News Limited

But Oar insists that just adds to their motivation.

"We're not scared of the challenge and we're confident we can surprise a lot of people," he said.

"Everybody has had good seasons and now, with the team being a lot younger than before, I think the enthusiasm at training might be a bit higher. Everybody will be doing everything they can to impress and I think that can only benefit the team."

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Star Hawk goes under the knife

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HAWTHORN'S premiership defence has been rocked by a full-blown injury crisis, with defending best-and-fairest winner Josh Gibson out for up to three months.

As revealed on superfooty.com.au yesterday, Gibson has had surgery to repair a left pectoral muscle tear suffered in a marking collision with Kurt Tippett.

THE HAWKING WOUNDED

Amazingly, Gibson flew to Los Angeles to catch up with his girlfriend this week but returned on Wednesday and told club medicos the injury was not healing.

A scan revealed the damage, with Gibson in surgery last night for an injury Hawthorn footy manager Chris Fagan said would put him out for ten weeks.

Fagan told the Herald Sun last night the leadership group and coach Alastair Clarkson had approved his trip to LA well before the Sydney game.

Lance Franklin contests a mark with former teammate Hawthorn's Josh Gibson Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: News Corp Australia

But it understood questions have been asked at club level about why he was allowed to go after sustaining the injury.

"The doctor said to him that he will get some bruising come out in his bicep and might experience a bit of tingling for a few days,'' Fagan said.

"He went to LA, he went to see his girlfriend there, which he had full approval from the leadership group, and from Clarko and myself, there were no dramas there, the doctors said there was no need to worry about any treatment, and said, "You can look after it yourself".

It means the Hawks' best six players will be missing against Port Adelaide next weekend if captain Luke Hodge fails to recover from hamstring soreness.

Already the club is missing its best-and-fairest winner in Gibson, the reigning Norm Smith Medallist in Brian Lake, its best game-breaker in Cyril Rioli and its best midfielder in Sam Mitchell.

Jarryd Roughead is suspended this week, Rioli could miss more than a month, Mitchell is out for seven more weeks with a hamstring tendon injury and Lake continues to battle with repeated calf issues.

The Hawks are shocked at the spate of serious injuries, many of which could drag out longer than the official return date.

Fagan said the ten-week prognosis was a best-case scenario, but said Gibson was keen to play on for another three years.

"He will be 10 weeks providing everything goes well and they obviously expect it to. They have to reattach the tendon and he will have to go through full rehab,'' he said.

"We have to look after him, you could take a punt and say let's play him and go with it, but he would have ended up with a pretty ordinary pectoral shoulder connection and we are hopeful that Josh Gibson is going to play for another three or four years, so we have to look after him."

Grand Final emergency Jed Anderson was struck down by pre-season pneumonia and now has a shoulder injury which might end his season.

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Bombers focused on the footy

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ESSENDON ruckman Paddy Ryder has dismissed claims the playing group is distracted by the supplements saga, but conceded he was frustrated the issue remained unresolved after 15 months.

The Bombers have struggled, losing three games in a row before racking up scrappy eight-point wins over the Bulldogs and Lions over the past two rounds.

Their poor form has prompted some commentators to suggest the players are distracted, but Ryder disagreed.

"No, (the ASADA investigation) is out of our hands now,'' he said. "We've just got to focus on our footy. There are no excuses.

"You might think about it and stuff like that, but at the end of the day you can't do much about it. But you can do stuff about your footy, so that's where all of our energies are put, and that's our release from it all.''

Ryder said Essendon's acting chief executive officer, Xavier Campbell, had met with the players this week to discuss concerns about a report suggesting ASADA show cause notices were imminent.

"Upstairs is always talking to us and a lot of the stuff that comes out in the papers and that is a lot different to what we know and what we've been told by the people that we trust," Ryder said.

"We've just got to trust the word that we're getting from the footy club and that's the only thing that we can go on.''

"Personally I think it's just dragged on. Another article pops up and it's just the same stuff over and over again. People just keep talking about it and talking about it."

Ryder, who expects to shoulder the bulk of the ruck duties against the Swans tonight, attributed the club's poor form to not doing the football basics.

"The last couple of weeks we've had a couple of wins, but they've been ugly wins really,'' he said. "We've gone away from some of the things we pride ourselves on, really. Contested ball is the one that every team prides itself on and we've been lacking in that area.

"The main thing is we're looking to play a consistent four quarters rather than playing in patches or having a good quarter here and there."

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Buckley, Menzel commit to Blues

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A WIN, a break and a couple of re-signings — suddenly things are starting to look up for Carlton.

The Herald Sun can reveal young guns Troy Menzel and Dylan Buckley have resolved to recommit to the Blues.

Menzel, 19, is understood to be on the verge of signing a three-year contract extension while Buckley, 21, has formally inked a new two-year deal.

Both have started the season impressively under Mick Malthouse and both played key roles in Carlton's 32-point win over St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Monday night.

Menzel, the younger brother of Geelong's Daniel, was said to be a risky selection when chosen with by the Blues with pick No.11 of the 2012 national draft given his history of knee injuries, but has more than justified the club's faith in his 14 games thus far.

DOCHERTY LOVING BLUE LIFE

The forward kicked three goals in the second quarter on Monday night to blow the game wide open.

Buckley, son of three-time club premiership player Jim, was the Round 2 Rising Star nominee and his run and dare from the half-back line has been a shining light for the Blues this season.

He put pen to paper last week on a deal that will tie him to the club until the end of the 2016 season.

"He is very excited to get his contract locked away," Buckley's manager Nick Gieschen of ESP, said.

"He's been given a lot of opportunities under Mick, they have a great relationship and it's given him a lot of confidence.

"He's really happy to be playing at Carlton. He's barracked for the club for his whole life, obviously his dad played there. We are really happy to get it done."

Mick Malthouse talks with Dylan Buckley in the win over St Kilda in Round 8. Source: News Corp Australia

Another youngster starting to make his mark at Visy Park is Sam Docherty, who kicked his first goals for the club and also celebrated his first win as a Carlton player on Monday night.

After receiving the customary Powerade soaking from his teammates the 20-year-old, born in Phillip Island, said the move back to Victoria had been a positive one so far despite having to overcome a nagging quad complaint.

ROBINSON BANNED, MURPHY CLEARED

"I'm loving it down here," Docherty said.

"The club's great. Living down here I'm a bit closer to family, I see my mum nearly every week now which is great. I couldn't be happier to be honest.

"It's a great feeling to get that first win. There's a good bunch of boys here — I think they've been looking forward to soaking me (in Powerade) for a few weeks.

"It was a bit of a stitch-up, the boys had about 50 bottles unhinged just ready to go."

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Barty earns French Open wildcard

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TEENAGE tennis prodigy Ashleigh Barty isn't ruling out a career-best grand-slam run after being awarded a wildcard into the French Open starting this month.

Tennis Australia had no hesitation in throwing another wildcard Barty's way after the former Wimbledon junior champion scored her breakthrough first win at a major last year at Roland Garros. Barty then kicked on to also reach the second round of the US Open in a breakout season in which she also made three grand slam doubles finals with Casey Dellacqua.

Winning the Wimbledon junior championship on grass at just 15 didn't immediately translate into any notable triumphs on clay, but the teenager says she's learning to enjoy playing on the red dirt. "It's a part of the season that we have to play on for a couple of months so you have to learn to love it, otherwise you're never going to have success on it," Barty said on Tuesday.

"Sliding around and playing a few shots on it, hopefully I can re-create the success that I had at the French last year and get hopefully another win." Or perhaps even two or three.

"Sometimes a draw's got to work out in your favour and I've just got to turn up on the day and give it the best that I can. I'll give it a go," she said.

Long touted as the next Martina Hingis for her small frame and crafty playing style, Barty turned 18 last month and says she's developing well physically and mentally.

"Once you do hit 18, you're really ready to take on the world in a way," she said.

"I'm still working to get there but I'm happy with where I'm at at the moment.

"I've had some good success. I've just got to keep knuckling down and working hard and I'm sure I'll get the results that I want." AAP djw/gc

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Why Darley sought Beadman’s viewpoint

Darren Beadman has been confirmed as an assistant trainer with Darley under main man John O'Shea. Source: News Limited

HIS trainer's CV might be empty, but Darren Beadman's knowledge of horses — and his unbelievable ability to read a race — made it a no-brainer for Darley to bring him on board.

Beadman was confirmed on Tuesday as an assistant trainer to John O'Shea, inking a one-year deal with the giant racing and breeding operation.

While his contract officially lists him as an "assistant trainer'', Beadman describes his role as "John's eyes and ears''.

On Monday, he clocked 17 horses with O'Shea at Darley's Osborne Park, raced across town to the Rosehill trials, then boarded a flight to Brisbane where he watched Safeguard, among others, work at first light at Doomben.

An example of Beadman's meticulous attention to detail is how he noticed a post-race report suggested Safeguard had shied away from runners in the Roval Sovereign.

Beadman will be O'Shea's 'eyes' and was such at early morning trackwork ahead of the Doomben Cup. Source: News Corp Australia

"I went back and watched the replays and realised his off-side winker had come unstuck and it was flapping. That's was why he had appeared to be field shy that day,'' Beadman said.

"He went on to run second to Dothraki on a heavy track, and on Saturday he'll be third-up. He looks a picture.''

Beadman was forced to end his riding career more than two years ago after a horrific fall at trackwork in Hong Kong.

Despite Beadman's success around the world, his best strike rate was when he combined with O'Shea.

"So there's a good understanding and working relationship already there before I took this on,'' Beadman said.

"It's so hard to come out of a riding career after 30 years of riding, not knowing where you will fit in, but then to be put on by Darley, I feel very honoured.''

Beadman has been a regular at trackwork and on Sydney race days the past couple of months. It was all part of the Darley crash-course, "just to find out what John was looking for, what floats his boat, all those sorts of things''.

Part of the job description for Beadman, 48, will be to watch races and relay his thoughts to O'Shea. There will also be an emphasis on assisting the jockeys, including Darley No. 1 Kerrin McEvoy.

As O'Shea said: "Our jockeys come under a lot of scrutiny, and a lot of times unfairly, so Darren can put that into perspective — there's a completely objective view if the criticism is justified.

Beadman takes notes as he analyses the performances of Darley's horses at trackwork. Source: News Corp Australia

"There's a lot to running a major stable.

"Darren brings a great brand to Darley, and a knowledge of racing not only here but throughout the world.

"I couldn't afford to get to Brisbane this morning, but we needed somebody there, we have three important runners on the weekend, so Darren went up. There's plenty for him to do here.''

Beadman joins fellow assistant Brad Widdup — who O'Shea once tried to recruit, only for him to sign with Darley and work under former trainer Peter Snowden — and David Charles in Melbourne. There's also Tom Ward who is in charge of jockey bookings and programming.

"I've only been there a week, but it's a great team, I'm telling you, and Johnny runs a good ship,'' Beadman said.

Hall of Fame Beadman is one of the greatest jockeys Australia has ever produced, and should he have a fraction of that success in his new role, Sheikh Mohammed will be ecstatic.

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Live NRL: Parramatta v Cronulla

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ROUND nine of the NRL comes to a close with Parramatta hosting Cronulla in Monday night football at Pirtek Stadium.

The Eels are chasing six wins at home but have lost seven of their past 11 games against the Sharks.

CLICK ON THE SCORE CENTRE AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE TO ACCESS THE NRL MATCH CENTRE!

Or follow the action in our live blog below:

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Warner in action for Sunrisers in IPL

SUNRISERS Hyderabad will be shooting for three straight wins when they take on the Mumbai Indians tonight in the Indian Premier League.

Watch the match LIVE here from 12:30am AEST: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FvGPphkePY

AUSSIES IN ACTION

Of the three Australians in the Sunrisers side, only David Warner could consider his position secure. Coach Tom Moody's decision to move him to the middle order sees him sit comfortably as Hyderabad's highest run scorer with 242 runs at 40.33.

But Aaron Finch is not so safe, with four consecutive scores under 20 casting doubt over his position in the side. On his day, Finch is one of the most destructive short-form batsmen in the world, but his inconsistency in the IPL may see Moody reshuffle his overseas contingent.

One change that has already been enforced is the replacement of West Indies Twenty20 skipper Darren Sammy with a third Australian, Moises Henriques, in Hyderabad's last two matches. While he can't match Sammy's awesome hitting power, Henriques provides a more reliable bowling option for the Sunrisers, while his pace across the ground in the outfield is invaluable.

MATCH PREVIEW

The last meeting between these sides came in the tournament's UAE finale, when Hyderabad emerged 15-run victors thanks to Warner's 65 and brilliant bowling spells from Dale Steyn (2/20) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/17).

Has it not been for AB de Villiers's ridiculously good batting against Steyn in Bangalore, the Sunrisers would be shooting for five straight victories against Mumbai. But three is a row would be nothing to sneeze at, and should their bowling continue to fire they look destined to achieve that mark.

Amit Mishra has returned to form and, alongside Steyn and Kumar, gives Hyderabad an international standard attack. Captain Shikhar Dhawan has not made it past 38 in eight innings in IPL 2014 and will be looking for a big score to give his bowlers a defendable target.

Mumbai came within a whisker of beating Chennai last time out and appeared aided by the return of former India swing bowler Praveen Kumar, who took 2/31. Destructive international hitters Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson appear ready to explode and may find themselves elevated up the order to take on more responsibility. Captain Rohit Sharma may also return to the top of the order, with his side yet to post a half-century opening stand so far in IPL 2014.

WHAT THEY SAID

"David is an exceptional player but at the moment the balance of the side requires him to bat at No. 4." – Tom Moody on Warner

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Tom Hafey loses cancer battle

Football legend Tom Hafey enjoys his daily morning swim in the chilly waters of Port Phillip Bay. Source: News Limited

RICHMOND has lost its greatest coach after Tom Hafey died today, aged 82.

Hafey, who coached Richmond to four premierships and also coached Collingwood, Geelong and Sydney, passed away after a short battle with cancer.

"This is an extremely sad day in Richmond's history, to have lost a giant of the club in Tommy Hafey," Richmond CEO Brendon Gale said.

PICTURES: REMEMBERING TOM HAFEY

"Tommy means so much to the Richmond Football Club. He has had an enormous influence on so many people connected with the club.

"His coaching achievements at Tigerland are legendary, and he was a constant source of inspiration to the yellow and black.

"Tommy was a fine example of how to get the most out of life — his mantra of hard work, discipline, dedication, persistence, honesty, loyalty, integrity, good health and vitality, was not only the recipe for success on the football field, but success in his wonderful life.

"At this time, our thoughts are with Tommy's wife Maureen, their children Rhonda, Karen and Jo, and the extended family."

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE TRIBUTES TO HAFEY AND LEAVE YOUR MEMORIES

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou described Hafey as an inspiration.

"Australian Football is mourning Tom Hafey, who numbers among just 14 individuals recognised in our history for service to the game as one of our great coaches. Tom Hafey built teams and clubs to be successful, guided young men to be successful both on the ground and off their ground in their lives and, above all, simply loved our game," Demetriou said.

"Through each of his stints at four clubs, Tom championed fitness, teamwork, morale and dedication, and lived those ideals to the fullest with his personal creed of five Ds that 'Desire plus Dedication plus Discipline plus Determination equals your Destination'."

Tom Hafey played 67 matches for Richmond in the 1950s. Source: Supplied

Hafey was inducted as an Original Member of the Hall of Fame in 1996, as well as being an AFL Life Member.

"Tom's record of 522 games as a senior VFL-AFL coach is exceeded by just four men in history and he was a loyal and trusted friend to thousands across our game, who are feeling his loss deeply today."

Hafey was an average footballer, great coach and father figure to many of the players he mentored from 1966-88.

Hafey was happy to describe himself as a battler in his 67 games for Richmond in the back pocket between 1954 and 1958 (10 goals) after being recruited from Malvern.

And he was too modest to ever speak of his glittering coaching career, but the facts clearly point out he was born for the caper.

Lacking the necessary profile to secure a VFL coaching job on retirement, he coached Shepparton to four grand finals from 1962-65, winning the last three.

The fitness of his players and their desire to play for Hafey had caught the eye of Tiger secretary Graeme Richmond, who appointed him in 1966.

After just missing that year's finals Hafey took Richmond to premierships in 1967, 69, 73 and 74. He resigned after the 1976 season when he believed he had lost the support of powerbroker Graeme Richmond.

Collingwood, which had finished last for the first time in 1976, snapped up Hafey and he took the Magpies to within a point of going from first to last, drawing the 1977 Grand Final before losing the replay to North Melbourne.

Tom Hafey is chaired off the MCG after winning the 1969 Grand Final. Source: News Limited

Losing Grand Finals followed in 1979, 80 and 81 with what some considered a side lacking the quality of some opponents, before Hafey was sacked by Collingwood during the 1982 season.

He then spent three muddling years with Geelong before taking Sydney to the finals in 1986-87, then being sacked at the end of 1988.

He never coached again, finishing with a record of 336 wins from 521 games at a very healthy winning percentage of 64 per cent.

In terms of games coached, Hafey has the equal-best winning percentage of the top 10 with only Jock McHale, Mick Malthouse, Kevin Sheedy and Allan Jeans having sat in charge of more matches.

Hafey with Richmond champion Royce Hart. Source: News Limited

After coaching, he dedicated himself to motivation and fitness, travelling the country where he would put local teams through their paces or speak to schoolchildren about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

His approach to life was highlighted by a positive outlook, beginning with the way he answered his phone. After a caller inquired how he was, Hafey would reply "good and getting better".

He still cut a remarkable physical figure in his 80s, complete with trademark T-shirt and bulging biceps. For almost his entire adult life his day would begin with a run, swim and push-ups at St Kilda beach.

TOM HAFEY

Player:

67 games for Richmond, 1953-58, 10 goals.

Played Richmond Amateurs 1959.

Played Shepparton 1960-65.

Coach:

Richmond coach 1966-76. 248 games for 173 wins, 73 losses, two draws. 20 finals for 15 wins, four losses, one draw.

Collingwood coach 1977-82. 138 games for 89 wins, 47 losses, two draws. 18 finals for nine wins, eight losses, one draw.

Geelong coach 1983-85. 66 games for 31 wins, 35 losses.

Sydney Swans coach 1986-88. 70 games for 43 wins, 27 losses. Four finals for four losses.

Coached Shepparton 1960-65.

Overall Coaching Record:

522 games (fifth most ever) for 336 wins, 182 losses, four draws.

42 finals games (fourth most ever) for 24 wins, 16 losses, two draws.

Richmond premiership coach 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974.

Richmond Team of the Century Coach (1998).

Richmond Hall of Fame Inductee (2002).

Richmond Immortal (2003).

All Australian Coach 1980.

AFL Hall of Fame Inductee 1996 (coach).

Shepparton premiership coach 1963, 1964, 1965.

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Hawks’ Clarkson hectors Harley

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HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson has questioned Tom Harley's objectivity as a commentator, pouring more petrol on the Hawks-Cats rivalry.

Clarkson was irritated in the wake of his side's Friday night loss to Sydney, which is likely to be salted by the sighting of Jarryd Roughead for rough conduct.

INJURY, BUMP ADD SALT TO HAWKS' WOUNDS

HAWKS 'ORDINARY', BUT PLENTY OF DEPTH

Roughead diverted his attention off the ball in the third quarter to collect Ben McGlynn with a shoulder to the head that left the diminutive Swan momentarily dazed.

Harley captained Geelong to two premierships in 2007 and 2009 before joining Channel 7. Not known for his decisive commentary, he was categoric on the Roughead hit.

"Chose to bump, head-high contact," Harley said during Friday night's broadcast.

Jarryd Roughead's head-high bump on Ben McGlynn is likley to come under scrutiny. Source: Channel 7

"My personal view is the rule is clear as day; you choose to bump and you make head-high contact, you're gone.

"I actually can't understand the confusion about it ... the onus is on the player who makes the contact (and) he's in trouble."

Such was his concern over the incident, Clarkson reviewed the footage before the end of the game.

But when asked later if he had seen it, the Hawks coach took aim at Harley.

"Apparently Tom Harley saw it. Surprise, surprise, that a Geelong player would be trying to put a Hawthorn guy in," Clarkson said.

"We will wait and see. I think Tom wants to be general manager of footy operations there next year."

Harley was a dual premiership captain with Geelong. Source: News Limited

Harley's opinion was shared by Hawthorn greats Leigh Matthews and Jason Dunstall, who predicted Roughead would be spending some time on the sidelines.

"(You) don't need to think about it — shoulder bump to the head," Matthews said.

Roughead will almost certainly be charged tomorrow by the match review panel. The Coleman Medallist also has a costly 93.75 carry-over points stemming from a rough conduct charge on Geelong's Cam Guthrie in last year's preliminary final.

Roughead's hit on McGlynn, which briefly forced the Swan from the field, came barely 24 hours after Melbourne's Jack Viney overturned a much-criticised guilty verdict for his collision with Adelaide forward Tom Lynch.

"After the week we've just had (with the Jack Viney case), why would you go for the bump," Dunstall said on Triple M.

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