Schoenmakers opts against LARS

Ryan Schoenmakers will have traditional surgery on his injured knee. Picture: Robert Cianflone Source: Getty Images

RYAN Schoenmakers will have a traditional knee reconstruction next week, Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson confirmed this morning.

The defender snapped his anterior cruciate ligament and strained the medial ligament in his right knee early in the win over Fremantle last Saturday.

He has consulted with surgeons in the past 48 hours, but Clarkson said LARS surgery - which would have given the 22-year-old a chance to return before the end of the season - was not considered.

Schoenmakers' absence has opened the door for Brian Lake to make his debut for the club against North Melbourne at the MCG tomorrow.

The former Western Bulldogs defender has endured a frustrating start to his career in brown and gold, having struggled with a lingering calf injury before searching for match fitness in the VFL.

"He's a pretty handy replacement for Schoenmakers," Clarkson said.

"We needed a key back to come in to the side, but we just needed to make sure he had that really good base and match fitness and that's why he played two or three games in the VFL side.

"Certainly (Lake does) solidify our defence a little bit with Schoey going out of the side with that knee. We recruited him for a purpose, to help play on those bigger fellas in the front half.

"The Kangaroos have got two or three bigger type guys in their front half, so it's a really good game for him to come in and give us some assistance there."

Clarkson said it was too early to say what the loss of Schoenmakers and addition of Lake to the Hawks backline would mean for other defenders such as Josh Gibson.

"This is the first week that we're going to find out what it's like without Schoey in our side," he said.

"He's been a really important part to our back mix for a long time now, he's still learning as a player but we're slowly getting there with him and it's really unfortunate that he's going to miss so much footy for the rest of this year.

"He's a strong and resilient player, he'll come back from that. But in the meantime we've just got to see how our back mix unfolds and that will just present an opportunity for a different player.

"This particular week it's Brian Lake. How that implicates other players? Matthew Spangher will get an opportunity in the weeks to come. We'll just see what sort of forward lines we have to come up against and then make our decisions on how we structure up from there."

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A review was needed, say AFL

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has blasted the umpires for not calling for a goal review in a decision that could have cost the Tigers victory against Fremantle.

Fremantle post a thrilling one-point victory over Richmond in their AFL clash at Patersons Stadium.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon addresses the media after his side's thrilling one-point win over Richmond.

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick shows his anger after losing the match by one point to the Dockers. Picture: Paul Kane. Source: Getty Images

THE AFL has conceded a score review should have been called in the dying minutes of last night's Fremantle and Richmond clash at Patersons Stadium.

Tiger Matt White snapped a shot at goal with about four minutes remaining that would have put his side four points in front.

The ball bounced in to the leg of the goal umpire standing against the post as it appeared set to cross the goal line.

Play on was called, before the Dockers took the ball over the line for a rushed behind.

A furious Damien Hardwick labelled the call a "joke" after the game and insisted a score review should have been called for because, from his vantage point, he felt the ball had crossed the line for a call.

AFL spokesman Patrick Keane admitted today the goal umpire made an error.

"(The) AFL view is that a review should have been called by goal umpire last night,'' Keane said.

The AFL will also ask the umpiring department to review line positioning of goal umpires.

Both Hardwick and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon believed the ball had gone through for a goal before bouncing off the umpire's leg and back into play

Freo break Richmond hearts

White ended up kicking a goal a minute later to give Richmond the lead, but Dockers goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne snapped the winner with 84 seconds left to secure the 12.9 (81) to 12.8 (80) triumph.

"We've got this fantastic thing called a review system haven't we? Fair dinkum,'' Hardwick said. "Use it, or don't bother.

"At the end of the day there's a field umpire, a goal umpire, and four or five blokes sitting up in a box upstairs. Someone make a decision.

"Seriously, in a tight game - joke.''

Lyon said he understood Hardwick's frustrations all too well.

In the 2009 grand final when Lyon was coach of St Kilda, Geelong forward Tom Hawkins was awarded a goal despite his shot shaving the post.

The Cats ended up winning the match by 12 points.

"I've seen the other side of the coin,'' Lyon said. "At the end of the day, we're all humans. We all make mistakes.

"Damien is entitled to voice an opinion but I'll leave it to the papers and the AFL to sort it out.''

Hardwick was confident captain Trent Cotchin would be fit for Saturday night's clash with Geelong at the MCG.
Cotchin hyper-extended his knee late in the second quarter, but managed to play out the match and finished with 26 possessions and seven clearances.

Tigers debutant Nick Vlastuin put in a gutsy effort in defence, while former Crow Chris Knights played his best game for Richmond with three goals from 20 possessions.

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Suns too strong for Giants

Gold Coast Suns claim their biggest win in their short history, after a 44-point win over Greater Western Sydney.

• GOLD COAST SUNS 21.22 (148) GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY GIANTS 16.8 (104)

THE GWS Giants look destined for another rough education in the school of hard knocks that is AFL football.

Kevin Sheedy's boys are rooted to the bottom of the ladder following Saturday's loss to the Gold Coast Suns without a win after five matches. The prospect of their first victory remains a long way off with matches against Essendon, Adelaide, Hawthorn and West Coast to come.

Records tumbled in Canberra as the Suns kicked their highest score and big man Charlie Dixon became the first Gold Coast player to kick six goals in a match.

In what looks like a serious case of the second-year blues, the Giants have lost to three teams who finished in the bottom five last year - Port Adelaide , Melbourne and now the Gold Coast.

Live HQ: SuperCoach stats, scores

Only a handful of GWS players could hold their head high at the end of match. Callan Ward, Jeremy Cameron, Devon Smith Toby Greene and Dylan Shiel were all solid contributors, but their defence remains a massive problem as opposition forwards continue to have their way with them week after week.

Sixteen goals was a reasonable return for the Giants, but conceding 21 goals to the Suns put any chance of a victory out of range. Dixon, Gary Ablett and Zac Smith (three goals each) were unstoppable.

Ablett set the match up for the visitors with 19 possessions in the first half and gave Tom Scully the run-around in the first quarter, picking up nine disposals.

Fortunately, for the Giants the damage of Ablett's hot start was limited in the opening term as scores were locked at three goals a piece.

Goals to the Giants' Rhys Palmer, Cameron and Setanta O'hAilpin were cancelled out by goals to Dixon, Steven May and Jaeger O'Meara.

Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy takes positives out of loss to the Gold Coast Suns.

Steve Coniglio earned a rising star nomination in the corresponding match last year and provided an inspirational moment for his teammates at the end of the term by sprinting 50m to smother a kick by Michael Rischitelli.

Canberra was the scene of the Giants' first win over the Suns last year, but this time they met a Gold Coast team in much better form.

Led by Ablett, who was moved forward in the second quarter, the Suns kicked the three straight.

The Giants stemmed the flow temporarily with a monster 80m goal from Devon Smith. It was an effort of which AFL great and Suns football director Malcolm Blight would have been proud, with Smith using the torpedo punt to land the major.

Long goals became the order of the day for GWS, with Jeremy Cameron and Dylan Shiel landing left-foot bombs from outside the 50m arc.

Relieved of the job on Ablett, with Toby Greene taking the job, Scully pushed forward and goaled on the run.

But the Giants defence was no match for the tall timber in the Suns forward line.

Dixon was dominant for his side, as he booted three goals for the quarter and ruckman Zac Smith chipped in with one.

Their return of 7.8 was the highest score for a single term in the Suns' short existence, passing the previous record of 7.3 set against North Melbourne last year and set up the victory.

GWS's Lachie Whitfield and Phil Davis under pressure from Gold Coast Suns Charlie Dixon . Picture: Kym Smith

Gold Coast forward Charlie Dixon booted a club record six goals to help the Suns defeat the Giants. Picture: Kym Smith

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Voss haunted by recruiting decisions

Lions coach Michael Voss. Picture Jono Searle Source: The Courier-Mail

RECRUITING, or more specifically luring established players, is one of the few tangibles where AFL coaches can be judged.

Unfortunately for Michael Voss, who has guided the Lions to just 36 wins and a draw from 94 games as coach, it's an area that continually haunts him.

Voss was the first of the legendary trio (consisting of James Hird, Nathan Buckley and himself) to coach.

An anointed threesome that combined for 17 All-Australian selections and 16 club best and fairests, their on-field deeds almost forced their former clubs to appoint them coach.

When Voss made the move in 2009, it came after he had rejected offers from Carlton and Gold Coast and reneged on an apprenticeship as an assistant at West Coast.

And after a 14-9 debut season, including a thrilling finals win over Carlton, Voss seemed on track to emulate his playing career.

So he recruited experience, thinking the likes of Amon Buchanan, Xavier Clarke, Brendan Fevola, Matt Maguire, Andrew Raines and Brent Staker could take them deeper into September. They didn't and it helped set Voss and the club back a couple of years.

Hird has been more circumspect in his short time in the job, identifying just Brendon Goddard, while Buckley has overseen the recruitment of Quinten Lynch, Jordan Russell and Clinton Young.

Voss's triple premiership teammate Alastair Lynch said Voss was not someone who will succumb to the pressure.

"As a player, he almost craved pressure and from what I have seen of him as a coach, it won't be the pressure of the situation that gets to him," Lynch said.

"Brisbane hasn't had a good run with its recruiting during Michael's time and ideally any new coach would want to go into the job with an apprenticeship. For 'Vossy' it was just a matter of circumstances coming together for him to coach his old club.

"Getting the best experience around you, such as James Hird has done with Mark Thompson, is also vital and Vossy is trying to do that."

Sadly, for Voss and Brisbane, the next two months aren't going to get any easier with a draw that reads Sydney, West Coast, Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Geelong and Hawthorn. Making today's game against Melbourne all the more vital.

As for Buckley and Hird, Lynch says he can't help but admire the pair for the way they have conducted themselves this year.

"Nathan Buckley has done a magnificent job and gets more impressive by the week," Lynch said. "He has been under pressure taking over from Mick Malthouse and he hasn't put a foot wrong.

"James Hird has conducted himself equally as impressively in very different circumstances."

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Mick's slick Blues click

Adelaide spearhead Taylor Walker is expected to miss 6-10 weeks after straining the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the first quarter against Carlton.

Taylor Walker is helped from the ground. Picture: Colleen Petch Source: Herald Sun

Taylor Walker sits on the bench after injuring his knee against Carlton. Source: Getty Images

WHO needs a star key forward when you can light it up at ground level like Carlton can.

No longer are we focused on what the club lacks at centre half-forward.

When you pull out the switchblade like the Blues did last night, maybe having the big name tall in attack doesn't matter.

Not when you are as quick and slick and get a rush of early goals from your classy midfielders like they did in the 32-point win over Adelaide at the MCG.

After trailing by 41 points at three-quarter time, the Crows fought their way back kicking four straight goals to get back within 18.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores, stats

But another piece of boundary line magic from Chris Yarran, brushing off Brent Reilly and then curling in his third goal, stopped the charge. Jeff Garlett then snapped the sealer, which was his third, from almost an identical spot.

For the Crows, the night began on a disastrous note when spearhead Taylor Walker hyperextended his right knee in a marking contest in the 18th minute of the first quarter and had to be helped off the MCG.

It is believed Walker may have sustained a posterior cruciate ligament rupture.

Defender Luke Brown's night was also over in the second term after suffering concussion, leaving the Crows a man short on the bench for most of the night.

After losing Kurt Tippett, and now Walker for what looks like an extended period, Adelaide's finals hopes are starting to look rather shaky.

The Blues, on the other hand, are looking at getting their season back on an even keel at 3-3 next weekend against Melbourne.

After a big statement win over West Coast last week, things have clicked under Mick Malthouse.

Although they hardly took a mark in the forward 50m in the first half, and faded late, the Blues' ball use and leg-speed through the middle was a warning for the rest of the competition.

Heath Scotland and Andrew Walker were outstanding, intercepting the ball and rebounding from half-back.

Bryce Gibbs also controlled the play before he was substituted off with hamstring tightness at halftime.

The quick transition forward routinely found Yarran, Garlett and Eddie Betts with space to burn off their minders. They posed a continual threat, breaking goal-side of the stoppages and aerial contests.

While the Crows worked their way back into the contest, Carlton looked invincible at times with that run and carry and crushing pressure, up by 28 points at quarter time.

Adelaide Crows forward Taylor Walker being helped off the MCG by trainers. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: Herald Sun

The move to switch Walker into defence has worked wonderfully. The former high-flying forward was largely untouched by the opposition, racking up 19 touches until half-time. Each one hit their target.

Scotland was also excellent, driving the ball from half-back and kicking a tight-angled shot on the run from the boundary in the third term.

Chris Judd, in his 244th game, needed a tag from Crow Sam Kerridge to quell his enormous early influence around the stoppages.

Betts was subbed on in the third term, replacing Gibbs. His first goal of the nigh brought chants of "Edd-die, Edd-die, Edd-die" from the Blues' faithful. Betts, Yarran and Garlett booted eight goals between them.

Adelaide was the No.1 contested ball side last year, but its midfield is not the same. Carlton ruckman Robert Warnock has taken his chance in the absence of Matthew Kreuzer, shading Sam Jacobs.

The Crow's early-season form has been patchy. Likewise, onballer Scott Thompson was down again early.

The Blues had 12 more clearances and 35 more contested possessions at three-quarter time, before the Crows turned the momentum their way in the last quarter.

Andy Otten presented forward after Walker exited the field, but Josh Jenkins was well-held by Michael Jamison. Crows' midfielders Patrick Dangerfield, Richard Douglas, Rory Sloane and youngster Rory Laird helped engineer the fightback, with limited bench rotations.

Laird's tough attack on the ball was a highlight for the Crows, in his second game. Matthew Jaensch and Otten each kicked three goals.

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Cats deny plucky Dogs

Mature-aged Bulldogs recruit Brett Goodes may come under scrutiny from the AFL match review panel for this bump on Geelong's Josh Caddy.

Joel Selwood bursts out of the middle. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

THE massive screen on the way into Etihad Stadium beamed the words "Western Bulldogs v Geelong: Mission Possible".

And while there were occasional glimmers of an improbable upset - including midway through the final quarter - there was always going to be flaw in the plot that counted against a Hollywood ending.

In a nutshell, it was simply that for all the Dogs' grunt and sweat and good intentions they were no match for the class, experience and occasional brilliance of the Cats.

And while it would be easy to laud the bravery of the underdog for refusing to give in, the same applies to a Geelong team that was reduced to 20 men from midway through the second term.

The Bulldogs began brightly, kicking the first two goals of the match and dominating the centre bounces largely through the powerful ruckwork of Will Minson.

Up forward Liam Jones was plucking marks and looked dangerous in the Dogs forward line, even though the Hawkins-less Cats still had Harry Taylor and James Podsiadly as effective marking targets at the other end.

Live HQ: SuperCoach stats, scores

Nick Lower kept Geelong captain Joel Selwood to just three touches in the opening term, and although the Cats led by 16 points at the first change there were encouraging signs for the Dogs.

Geelong had the most influential player of the first half: Steve Johnson spent the early part of the match in the midfield and was as creative as he was unpredictable. But while you never knew what he would do with the ball, he could be relied upon to do the basics when he didn't have it.

Three times he laid crunching tackles that resulted in scoring chances for teammates. After all, even Picasso obeyed some of the time-honoured principles of his craft when his paintbrush championed cubism.

The match looked headed for a predictable storyline when Geelong got out to a 34-point lead midway through the second quarter. So much so that Cats looked like they were becoming bored and started searching for ways to entertain themselves. The Dogs made them pay by scrapping their way back into the contest.

The likes of Matthew Boyd, Tom Liberatore and Daniel Cross kept toiling away honestly, while Jason Johannisen and Luke Dahlhaus used their dash to try to take on the Cats and create.

In the third quarter the Dogs simply tightened up and made the Cats more accountable, opting to go one on one with their opponents.

For all of their sustained periods of discipline, though, they frequently found themselves sliced open by a Geelong team prepared to back itself and takes risks. The Cats were prepared to flick handballs around to find space and then charge through the middle of the ground.

Once in space they either delivered the ball to Taylor and Podsiadly, or backed in the pace and creativity of the likes of Steven Motlop, Johnson and Allen Christensen.

Steven Motlop celebrates his goal in the second quarter. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

Taylor was superb in the absence of last year's club champion Tom Hawkins, and when the Cats needed steadying in the final quarter he even switched to defence and took some timely marks.

sThe Dogs probably had the better of the centre bounces and midfield stoppages, but struggled to make inroads in their forward half, where the cool Geelong heads of Andrew Mackie, James Bartel and Corey Enright controlled play.

The Bulldogs kicked the only goals in the final term (three) as Geelong, down on its interchange rotations, began to tire. But the Cats did what good teams do: they gutsed it out and did what they needed to do to win.

But there were plenty of encouraging signs for a Bulldogs team that seemingly was faced with Mission Impossible. Several of their youngsters showed a bit, and while they were ultimately outclassed, it's worth remembering they were without four of the most polished players on their list: Ryan Griffen, Bob Murphy, Daniel Giansiracusa and Shaun Higgins.

Then again, Geelong could argue it was down to a measly 13 premiership players.

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Cats' Mr Versatility

Cat Harry Taylor marks in front of Bulldog Jordan Roughead. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

IS there a more versatile footballer in the game right now than Geelong's revolving key-position player Harry Taylor?

Defender by trade; forward by opportunity or circumstance.

Wherever he plays, he is damn hard to stop at the moment and looms as a critical jigsaw puzzle in the Cats' flag hopes.

The circumstance last night was the late withdrawal of last year's best-and-fairest winner Tom Hawkins.

The opportunity was to play deep in attack and Taylor lived up to his end of the bargain, kicking a game-high five goals.

Live HQ: SuperCoach scores, stats

Sports betting agencies knew as soon as they heard Hawkins was not going to play that the man to shorten in terms of the most goals kicked on the night would be the 26-year-old, two-time premiership defender.

He started second favourite in those markets (at $4) behind teammate James Podsiadly and was clearly the dominant forward on the ground last night.

Only Bulldog Liam Jones threatened to unseat him as the biggest goalscorer of the night, finishing with four goals. In the air Taylor was almost unstoppable; on the lead he was powerful and sure of hand; and in front of goal he rarely looked like missing.

Before this season, Taylor had only kicked 23 goals, including 15 last year. But the Cats have lived up to the pre-season promise of using him in attack as much as defence this year, and last night it proved the difference.

After two goals against Carlton and Sydney in Rounds 3 and 4, Taylor made it a tough night for Bulldog backman Jordan Roughead.

Cats deny plucky Dogs

Taylor booted one goal in the opening term, another in the second and three crucial goals in a big third term.

Just to highlight his importance - and his versatility - he took himself into defence during the last quarter as the Bulldogs threatened to make it a real contest.

Roughead went forward for the Bulldogs and took a big mark and finished with a goal of his own.

Taylor took one of his own big grabs deep in defence late in the final term - showing just how important he is at both ends. And that's why he looms as a wildcard forward-back option that will scare plenty of teams for the rest of the season.

And why Geelong must claim his signature on a long-term contract as soon as it possibly can.

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It's official - Power's the real deal

Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak celebrates a goal with Robbie Gray. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: Sunday Mail (SA)

IT just keeps getting better for Port Adelaide.

The Power's dream start to the year continued at AAMI Stadium last night when it produced one of the great AFL comebacks.

Trailing by 41 points 19 minutes into the third quarter, Port lived up to its "never give in" catchcry to stun one of this year's premiership favourites, West Coast.

In a remarkable revival, the Power kicked 10 goals to three in the second half and five goals to one in the final term.

It hit the front for the first time 11 minutes into the last quarter.

The Eagles regained the lead with a Brad Dalziell goal entering time-on.

But Port - as it has done all season under first-year coach Ken Hinkley - hit back to kick the winning goal through Angus Monfries after some superb work from rookie sensation Jake Neade and Robbie Gray.

Kane Cornes, in his 250th game, scores a crucial goal against the Eagles. Picture: Sarah Reed.

The Power kicked just two goals in a dreadful first half but was inspired by best afield Hamish Hartlett - who won the Peter Badcoe VC Medal - and captain Travis Boak.

The star midfielders kicked three of Port's five final quarter goals to help extend Port's record winning start to a season to five.

"This win shows what we are made of," said a jubilant Hartlett after the game.

"We never give up and the boys are really proud to have won this game for Kane Cornes (who was playing his 250th game)."

The Power has now beaten Melbourne, GWS, Adelaide, Gold Coast and the Eagles in the opening five rounds to put one foot in the finals door.

It is an incredible turnaround for Port which hasn't made the finals since 2007 and in the past two seasons won a combined total of eight games.

Last night proved once and for all that this Power side is made of stern stuff.

Its first half was woeful and reminiscent of the dark days under previous coach Matthew Primus.

It was taught a football lesson by a finals-hardened Eagles side which, at 1-3, was playing for its finals life.

At half-time, Port had not taken a mark inside 50 while West Coast had hauled in 16 on its way to a 38-point lead.

The Power had crumbled under the weight of the Eagles' immense pressure in what became a tale of two halves.

Port was forced into a late change when defender Jasper Pittard failed to recover from soreness suffered in last week's win against Gold Coast.

His withdrawal paved the way for former Eagle Lewis Stevenson - an unlucky omission from the Power's named side - to play his first game against his former club. Stevenson started at half-back on brilliant playmaker Daniel Kerr.

Within four minutes, West Coast appeared to have its back to the wall.

Ace midfielder Matt Priddis was knocked out when he had his arms pinned in a perfect tackle from Monfries and he crashed head-first into the AAMI Stadium turf.

He was stretchered from the field on a mini-ambulance and was subbed out of the game 15 minutes later.

By that time, the Eagles - with Priddis's replacement Jamie Cripps on fire - had skipped to a 21-point lead, kicking the first 3.3 of the game.

Displaying a fierce desire to win the hard ball, West Coast dominated possession while Port crumbled under the pressure.

The Power struggled to get the ball out of its defensive half of the ground and it took a classy finish from Hartlett to break its scoring drought after 23 minutes when he burst inside 50 to goal on the run.

Amazingly, Port did not take a mark for the final 16 minutes of the term and when Kennedy broke clear of Alipate Carlile to kick his third goal of the quarter, the Eagles had broken to a 22-point lead at the first change.

The mark numbers highlighted West Coast's early dominance, with the visitors taking 30 to the Power's meagre seven.

Kennedy was at the forefront of nearly every Eagles attack and continued to give the Port defenders, in particular Carlile, nightmares in the second term.

The Power missed some gilt-edged chances in front of goal to keep itself in the match and when Kennedy bobbed up for his fourth major and Josh Hill and Jack Darling slotted goals, West Coast was out to a commanding 38-point lead at the long break.

Looking for some inspiration, Hinkley threw his side around after half-time with the move of Chad Wingard to full forward paying dividends.

He kicked two classy goals in the third quarter to give Port a glimmer of hope. That was all it needed.

PORT ADELAIDE  1.0   2.5    7.7    12.12 (84)

WEST COAST       4.4  7.13  9.16  10.19 (79)

Best - Port Adelaide: Hartlett, Boak, Wingard, Neade, O'Shea, Cornes. West Coast: Selwood, Shuey, Glass, Kennedy, Gaff, Waters.

Injuries - West Coast: M. Priddis (concussion).

Report - D. Glass (West Coast) for rough conduct by field umpire Pannell against P. Stewart in the second term.

Umpires: G. Fila, C. Kamolins, T. Pannell.

Crowd: 26,132 at AAMI Stadium.

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Power answer Hinkley's challenge

Power coach Ken Hinkley called on his leaders to lift against West Coast. Picture: Getty Source: The Advertiser

KEN Hinkley's promise that his Port Adelaide players will never give in held up again last night as the Power extended its best-ever start to an AFL season to five wins.

Port overcame a 41-point deficit in the third term - 10 points more than it gave Adelaide at the same stage of the Showdown a fortnight ago - to beat West Coast by five points at AAMI Stadium.

Hinkley last night paid tribute to his team's leaders - best-afield Hamish Hartlett and captain Travis Boak - for carrying the Power to an extraordinary victory with their superb second-half efforts.

"I challenged Hamish at three-quarter time because I felt there was something there that he was going to deliver," said Hinkley. "I challenge my leaders really hard all the time; I demand things from them. I can't shy away from that.

"Hamish, Travis and Brad Ebert and Robbie Gray, Jay Schulz - our team leaders - they kept fighting, wanting to find a way. I know this group of young men want to do everyone proud ... they won't give up.

"I have a group that are just willing to give everything they've got. The message at half-time was to make sure we did not give up. And they did not give up."

At 5-0, Port will be considered a contender to reach the AFL finals for the first time since 2007. But Hinley says his "no limits" theme will not change at Alberton.

"No limits, no restrictions," said Hinkley. "People will want to make more of it, but we just need to make sure we stay focused. As I said on Friday, we will not get ahead of ourselves. If you step ahead of yourself, you'll be in
trouble. We're not going to do that."

Hinkley cleared his whiteboard at half-time to remove all the technical issues exposed in statistical sheets, such as the Eagles' dominance in contested football.

"We had some things written on the board - things I thought were hurting us - but I ended up rubbing them off; that was not our biggest problem," said Hinkley. "Our biggest problem was getting some effort. And if we had some effort we would put ourselves in the contest.

"In the end, you get what you deserve."

Port reported one injury with key defender Jackson Trengove, who was subbed for Robbie Gray after showing the signs of a sore foot. Key forward Jay Schulz also was nursing a sore foot after the game.

Neither is considered in doubt for next weekend's clash with North Melbourne in Hobart.

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Beams stays focused on recovery

Dayne Beams stretches out at Collingwood training. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: Herald Sun

INJURED Collingwood star Dayne Beams has revealed plans to return to football within the next two to three weeks.

Speaking for the first time about the torn quad muscle that sidelined him for the past five games, Beams said he had plans to step up his running this week before aiming to return via the VFL in a fortnight.

He suffered the injury the day before Collingwood's first game against North Melbourne and had a slight setback a few weeks later which brought about a more conservative approach from the medical team.

"I'm not too far away," Beams said yesterday.

"I have just got back into training and things are looking positive again.

"Obviously, with the little re-bleed that I had, they have gone the ultra-conservative path now. It's a long year, so I have got to look after it, and hopefully come back in the second half of the season bigger and better."

Beams said he would likely "step it up a bit this week and see how my legs feel."

"My ambitions compared to the physios' are completely different. I am hoping for a couple of weeks, but obviously I will have to come back through the VFL.

"I am looking at about two or three weeks."

The 23-year-old midfielder said the injury had been "extremely frustrating", but it had been put into perspective by the season-ending knee injury suffered by his brother, Brisbane's Claye Beams.

Dayne said: "I had never torn a muscle before, so it was a different feeling.

"Claye is laying up on the couch and it is just so disappointing for him. I've really got nothing to complain about."

Beams is confident the Magpies would hit back hard from their Anzac Day loss in Friday night's game against St Kilda.

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