Watt calls for blood profiles

Olympic silver medallist Mitchell Watt has encouraged the AFL to develop a blood profiling system in order to keep the sport clean. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph

OLYMPIC silver medallist Mitchell Watt says the AFL may have to build a biological blood profile for all players if it is determined to keep the game clean.

Watt yesterday told the Herald Sun he was tested for performance-enhancing drugs up to 10 times in a two-month European system.

He also has blood taken as often as every six months so the World Anti-Doping Agency can build a blood profile for him.

Watt said football codes would be naive not to think the same problems that were in track and field had not infiltrated their sports.

More than 50 AFL players have been target-tested by the AFL, but many are not tested at all in a season.

"I think anything we can do to help level the playing field people should be all for," Watt said.

"Blood passports involve a two-minute blood test and you only have to do it once or twice a year. I am surprised it's common practice for track and field, but not in football codes.

"I have got my blood taken every year for the past three years, and it measures different kinds of cells and hormones and matches them with the following year's result.

"Everyone in Australian sport is so laid back and you think if someone is a good bloke they wouldn't do it. But there will always be a percentage of people who will cheat. It's naive to think it doesn't happen in football codes."
 

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AFL urged to name rogue doper

Gill McLachlan, AFL's CEO fronts the press to relay the latest information regarding AFL clubs and players under scrutiny.

The AFL says it is aware of only two specific cases where players or clubs may have breached the league's WADA code.

AFL deputy chief executive Gillon McLachlan confirms Essendon players are being investigated for use of performance enhancing drugs. Picture: Hamish Blair Source: Herald Sun

FRUSTRATED clubs have implored the AFL to come clean with the identity of an alleged rogue drug taker.

Confusion reigned last night after AFL deputy chief executive Gillon McLachlan confirmed multiple Essendon players were being investigated for performance enhancing drug use and revealed an individual player from an unknown second club had been named in the Australian Crime Commission coruption in sport report.

The AFL has sought permission from the Crime Commission to reveal currently classified details from the Operation Aperio report.

The league last night said it was still negotiating with the ACC over what could be released, to whom, and with what conditions.

"We've all just been left hanging because we don't know if it's us," one AFL chief executive said.

"I can't tell you if our club is clean because we haven't been told."

Other club chiefs shared the frustration that while it was known only two clubs had been implicated, the public was open to believe the second club was any one of 17 teams.

Essendon last night said it was "fully co-operating" with an Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigation.

"In this case it is possible that players were administered the WADA-prohibited performance enhancing drugs without their knowledge or consent," McLachlan had said earlier.

Former ASADA Chairman Richard Ings says it will be difficult for the organisation to prove clubs and individuals are guilty of doping.

The mystery rogue player may not even still be at the club in question or in the AFL given McLachlan suggested he was confident of a clean 2013 season.

"The AFL is not aware of any issues, potential use of performance enhancing drugs by any players, on AFL lists coming into the 2013 season," McLachlan said.

"There are some potential historical issues that we are investigating, there are vulnerabilities, but at the moment that investigation will take some time and until we get to the bottom of that the season will go ahead until we have futher information."

In other developments yesterday:

JUSTICE Minister Jason Clare said phone taps had been used to help gather information on those believed to be involved in suspect practices.

MCLACHLAN said a resolution to the saga is likely to be months rather than weeks away.

THE AFL revealed approximately 1100 performance enhancing drug tests were conducted on AFL players last season. A similar number is planned for 2013.

THE league said despite the Crime Commission implicating two clubs in doping, it was aware of a wider danger of illicit drug use by players across the competition.

MCLACHLAN stated no AFL game was being investigated for match fixing.The Crime Commission has said one match-fixing inquiry is under way in Australia.

The AFL's statement yesterday leaves an NRL match as the most likely subject of that probe.

Minister for Home Affairs Jason Clare admits that players have come forward in relation to doping, following the ACC's damaging report.

While the AFL's net of suspicion was yesterday narrowed to two clubs, the NRL has been told it has six clubs with alleged links to the use of performance enhancing drugs and links with crime syndicates.

Clare said evidence against clubs and individuals specified in the ACC's confidential report had been passed to NSW and Victorian police.

"We're not just talking about evidence that's been collected through coercive hearings, we're talking about documentary evidence that the Crime Commission has got as well as the use of phone taps that corroborate all of the information they've got," Clare told ABC TV.

McLachlan said fans awaiting the investigation's outcome needed to be be patient.

"The reality is it's not going to be as quick as everybody would like," McLachlan said.

"It's not going to be as quick as the club, the players, the AFL, the media, the supporters would like.

"The reality is that the investigators - which ultimately is ASADA in conjunction with the AFL - has to get the right answers and that will take as long as it takes.

"It's more likely to be months rather than weeks."
 

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Lake has 'tall gorillas' covered

Josh Gibson says former Western Bulldogs defender Brian Lake will be a welcome addition to Hawthorn's backline. Picture: Nicole Garmston Source: Herald Sun

JOSH Gibson says new teammate Brian Lake will ease the pressure on Hawthorn's tall defenders this season.

Gibson said Lake would change the way he previously had to play the game and said the former Bulldog had already given him invaluable defensive insights.

"Obviously it's another big body to play on some of those tall gorillas," Gibson said.

"It's going to make my job a lot easier as well as some of the other guys...we can flick ideas off one another and work on our little secrets to beat certain forwards.

"He's slotted in really nicely and is going to be a really valuable member of the team this year."

Without Lake to support him, Gibson has already been the AFL's pre-eminent spoiler for the past three seasons, making 125 more spoils than anyone else since 2010.

Asked specifically what Lake's recruitment meant for him, Gibson said: "I might not have to play on some of those taller gorillas. I suppose it will allow me to match up on players more my height."

Youngster Ryan Schoenmakers also stands to benefit from Lake's presence in the backline given he won't be required to play on the opposition's best forward as much as he has in season's past.

"The beautiful thing about having Lakey is that he's really going to help develop Schoey's game and really help him work out how to play certain forwards," Gibson said.

"Schoey's improving all of the time and I think people forget how young he is. He's 22 and he's playing that key defender role which isn't easy.

"I'm sure he'll enjoy having Brian down there just as much as I will."

Despite the hype surrounding Lake's arrival, Gibson stressed the club's defence was not the only area that needed addressing in the wake of last year's agonising grand final defeat.

"I don't think it all comes down to our defence, there's plenty of areas all over the field that we want to improve on," he said.

"Marking those key forwards is one of the pieces of the puzzle and he's going to be really good for us in that sense, but we're not putting all of our eggs in one basket and just worrying about our defensive work and nothing else.

"Every year the game evolves and you've got to keep evolving with it."
 

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Drug tests off target

The AFL says it is aware of only two specific cases where players or clubs may have breached the league's WADA code.

Minister for Home Affairs Jason Clare admits that players have come forward in relation to doping, following the ACC's damaging report.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou and chairman Mike Fitzpatrick answer questions about the ACC investigation. Picture: David Caird Source: Herald Sun

THE AFL has known for several years that random testing of footballers for performance-enhancing drugs has almost no chance of catching dopers using cutting-edge substances.

The revelation means statistics showing players have not tested positive in recent years is almost irrelevant.

AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick said on Thursday: "We feel the WADA testing was relatively successful to about 12 months ago, and it's become clear today it's not."

But the AFL's integrity department has known there is little to no chance that single random drug tests will find performance-enhancing peptides in a player.

The AFL has been aware of this for some time, which is why many players are not tested while others are subject to a battery of tests under target testing to form a biological blood passport.

While football codes are under siege, the AFL has been target testing players it suspects for at least three years, using sophisticated analysis, and is promising to catch drug cheats.

That analysis includes intelligence from police bodies including the Australian Crime Commission.

Now wire taps, forced interviews with the Australian Crime Commission and a potential paper trail can form part of a case against transgressors, potentially including in the Essendon case.

It is known a key Essendon figure spoke to the ACC in November last year, with the ASADA inquiry into the club to include seizing documents that may prove what peptides were given to players.

There is growing speculation Essendon consultant Stephen Dank may have been caught on wire taps by the ACC.

The AFL conducted about 1100 tests for performance-enhancing drugs last year, but some players can go several years without testing.

Someone with intimate knowledge of the system said this week: "It's not about the number of tests, because we can't test for peptides. It's about using an intelligence-led approach."

One AFL sports scientist said it was impossible to detect peptides and drugs replicating human growth hormone for several reasons.

Some are in the system for only a matter of hours, while cutting-edge designer drugs have molecules changed so they are indistinguishable in modern testing procedures.

The Herald Sun revealed on Friday that a group of players from a Victorian AFL club had regularly been target-tested in recent years.
 

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Edwards discovers his heritage

Richmond's Shane Edwards on the road to Santa Teresa - the place of his ancestors. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

THE bitumen lasts about 10 minutes as the road sweeps south from Alice Springs.

Then it's a vibrating combination of rocks, gravel and red dirt - interrupted by wild horses - before you get to Santa Teresa 80-odd kilometres down the road.

It takes an hour to get there, but for Shane Edwards it has taken a lot longer.

In fact, it has taken the Richmond forward all of his 24 years to truly arrive at this tiny Aboriginal settlement.

Edwards discovered little more than two weeks ago that his family heritage could be traced back to Santa Teresa, a town with nothing more than a store, school, health building and a sandy footy oval.

For Edwards, whose shyness prevented the Tigers and the AFL from becoming aware of his indigenous heritage for the first 18 months of his career, it is the latest piece in an emotional family puzzle he is piecing together with the help of his grandmother, Monica.

"It's just amazing, I can't believe how far back it goes now," Edwards said.

"Knowing what my grandmother had to do to find out where she came from. She's just done it through years and years of work. She was raised through the Catholic church and has just gone back to everyone she knew."

Edwards was born in Adelaide to parents Tara and Greg.

Shane Edwards in action for Richmond against the Indigenous All-Stars in Alice Springs on Friday. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

His grandmother Monica - on his mum's side - is indigenous and his great grandmother Elsie had lived in Santa Teresa before she and her brother were taken from their mum Annie (Edwards' great-great-grandmother).

All hail from the Arrernte tribe, one of the biggest in central Australia.

"They were taken down to Mt Gambier because they were half-caste," Edwards said.

"From there they went across to Adelaide. As long as I've known my grandmother she has lived in Salisbury (a suburb north-east of Adelaide)."

Edwards had been to Santa Teresa once before on a Richmond pre-season camp a few years ago.

But back then he was oblivious to his links to the area as he clowned around with teammates Dustin Martin and Kel Moore and the local kids.

It is why, during his second visit to the town last week, he quietly sneaked away for a precious moment of reflection and to take some photos.

"It was so much different this time," Edwards said.

"In one of the classrooms as soon as I said my great-grandmother's last name (Summerfield) the assistant principal recognised it like it was still around.

"I think that's amazing in any area to have a name still lingering.

"I loved saying, 'This is where I'm from'. If I don't, I've got no chance of finding out any more. I'm just lucky that I've got the opportunity to play for Richmond and to actually go to a place like Santa Teresa.

"My brother Kym, living in Adelaide, is just as curious as I am, but he doesn't get the opportunity to go."

Edwards was bestowed the honour of captaining Richmond against the Indigenous All-Stars in Alice Springs on Friday.

Shane Edwards greets some fans and family members after the game. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

After the game, while his teammates let their hair down at Lasseters Hotel and Casino, Edwards was in a separate room meeting 40 members of the extended family he never knew he had.

There were more than a few tears.

Belinda Duarte, director of Richmond's Korin Gamadji Institute at Punt Rd, was there - and has been there throughout Edwards' journey of discovery.

"The one thing people don't necessarily know about Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander communities is the depth that they want to connect with family given the issues around the stolen generation," Duarte said.

"For Shane, having that in his history and to go back on the weekend and meet his family was really special.

"Seeing him go through that and sharing that with him as an Aboriginal person, we collectively feel that - because it's a part of that connection to home.

"It's the history that we inherit and what I love about our people is seeing the immensity of love and welcome. I'm getting teary just speaking about it.

"Given our history it wasn't a choice for us to experience a disconnect from family, it was a consequence of government policy."

Shane Edwards on the school oval at Santa Teresa - the place of his ancestors. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

Edwards believes the urge to find out more about his family's past has been fuelled by a developing maturity and his status as Richmond's only indigenous player.

His family tree is growing before his eyes and he is growing with it.

"I just said to my family that I wanted to know the finer details about everything. I was getting really curious," Edwards said.

Edwards has come a long way from his early days in yellow and black, when most of his Richmond teammates did not even know he was indigenous.

He wasn't invited to indigenous training camps and was left off official AFL indigenous lists.

He even played in the Dreamtime game against Essendon without being recognised.

He has always been proud of his heritage, but said he "didn't really speak up".

"Apart from not having such a cultured upbringing and that fact that I was pretty shy coming into the system, I didn't really know how to bring it up," he said.

Shane Edwards with the children of Santa Teresa. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

"I guess that shows how much the AFL has improved over the years since, and that was only seven years ago, when it comes to finding people lost in the system.

"Belinda found out and we just started talking. She was like, 'We've got to get you involved' and I was like, 'I want to be'. She was pretty surprised and a bit upset that it wasn't known.

"But I reckon all this has definitely matured me. Just the fact that I now know more about myself and more about my family.

"One side of my family is so pieced together, but this side, it's not until the last couple of years that I've found out about real places and people."
 

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Chris McDermott: Fall on sword Hird

The buck stops with Essendon coach James Hird. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

MAKE absolutely no mistake - you will be caught. That's the promise from AFL headquarters after the Australian Crime Commission's explosive revelations regarding drug cheats in Australian sport.

Problem is we've heard it all before. And despite boasting world's best practice in the fight against drugs, the reality is the AFL has anything but.

Its Integrity Unit established in 2008 to protect the game has proven to be insipid at best, an abject failure at worst.

The AFL has not fumbled the ball, it has lost sight of it. The game of Australian rules at the highest level has rarely been in worse shape.

It beggars belief that the practices revealed at Essendon Football Club this week by the Melbourne media could have gone unnoticed by everyone at AFL House. This is surely a case of gross negligence by trusted members of the game's governing body and those heads must be held accountable as much as those involved with the administering of substances legal or otherwise.

The AFL says ignorance is no defence for players choosing to put unknown substances in their body. It can be no defence for them either.

Sadly the first head to roll might have to be one the biggest in the game.

James Hird, coach of Essendon, must be held to account for his role in the debacle at Windy Hill even if the substances involved are found to be legal. That he has allowed his players, almost to a man, to be used like guinea pigs without comprehension of what he was asking them to do is the worst football decision he will make and it could be a career changer.

It was not long ago the Brisbane Lions were banned from intravenously rehydrating their players under medical supervision because it wasn't a good look for the game.

Off-site injecting rooms have far greater implications and cannot go unpunished.

Despite suggestions injections were not forced on players, mob mentality is strong inside a football change room and young players would have felt obliged to participate in the practice after their coach condoned it.

It is abuse of his position at the very least - and the sight of Essendon's press conference with chairman, CEO and coach minus any Bomber logos, colours or sponsors was clear indication their issue is far greater than suspect supplements.

The AFL has pleaded for voluntary confessions rather than forced ones, so Hird may well be best served falling on his sword and admitting misuse of his powers in the hope of returning to the game in some fashion in the not-too-distant future.

By Hird's own admission as coach the buck stops with him. The 253-game dual-premiership player, Brownlow medallist, Norm Smith medallist, five-time All-Australian, AFL hall of famer and former club captain might have to make one more sacrifice for his team in the hope others follow suit.

Australians are by nature a forgiving mob to those that admit fault and in time Hird will be welcomed back with open arms, but choose the Lance Armstrong method of deny, deny, deny and in the public's eye a life sentence could await.

As powerful as the ACC's findings were, talk is cheap and villains must be identified and, where appropriate, arrests must follow.

The sporting public of Australia is currently left with more questions than answers. Quick action by the law enforcers is needed to protect the innocent as much as to catch the guilty.

Thursday February 7, 2013, has been labelled the blackest day in Australian sport history.

A nation so proud of its sports heroes has been left to question every one of them and every team they cheer.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou pleaded with fans yesterday "not to lose faith in the sport".

Too late, she cried, for some.

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Rich puts hand up for co-captaincy

Captaincy material? Midfielder Daniel Rich goes through his paces as the Brisbane Lions train at Coorparoo. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail

BRISBANE midfielder Daniel Rich says it would be a "huge honour" to be appointed Lions co-captain.

Rich, along with Tom Rockliff, Daniel Merrett, Jed Adcock and Joel Patfull, is a leading contender for the post created by Jonathan Brown stepping down from the sole captaincy to help usher in a new generation of leadership.

The 22-year-old said he would relish the opportunity to work alongside Brown if given the chance.

"To be able to learn from Brownie would be huge because it is not like you are being thrown in the deep end," Rich said.

"It is a massive responsibility for whoever gets the job but also a huge honour." Adcock, who has filled in for Brown when the skipper has been unavailable in recent years, says he still has plenty to offer.

"If the position came up for me, I'd love to do it but in saying that there is a really good crop of players that could take that role," he said. "I'm only 27, I hope I'm not too old."

The Lions are expected to name the co-captain before their first NAB Cup fixture on February 23.

Meanwhile utility Brent Staker has had a hiccup with his comeback from a knee reconstruction. He will undergo a precautionary arthriscope procedure tomorrow on the knee that was not reconstructed.

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Watters confident Saints are clean

St Kilda coach Scott Watters, left, and captain Nick Riewoldt. Picture: Dustin Bradford. Source: Getty Images

St Kilda coach Scott Watters yesterday admitted the shock and scale of the Australian Crime Commission's explosive report made it difficult to avoid distracting the players.

Watters said the club had addressed the players and staff on their responsibilities to the AFL and the game in general.

"I think initially players need to be informed and we've done that internally. We certainly want our players to be educated and have an understanding of their role and their place within everything that has been discussed," the Saints coach said after the first intraclub practice match at Seaford.

"At the same time, they're here to play footy. That's what they love doing and that's our core business. So, really it is business as usual for us. The footy's a fantastic distraction for a lot of things that happen.

"As a coach, we're very focused on what we do. So, it's about limiting the distractions to our players. Because of the enormity of the stories that are out there, that's a challenge because we're all affected by it.

"Having said that, players want to play, individuals want to get better, coaches want their sides to improve and we'll remain focused on the here and now and ultimately try and make every second count.

"It's a time when the game's being challenged and we need to sit back and have a real close look at it."

Watters said, like everyone, he was shocked by the Australian Crime Commission report that uncovered links between organised crime and performance-enhancing drugs being used by elite athletes.

And the Saints are another AFL club that immediately conducted an internal audit of all daily procedures.

"There has been an enormous amount of opinion and comment on what's gone on. Everyone in the industry, it has caused us to reflect. You wouldn't be human if that's not the case," he said.

"You do look at your internal processes. We're really comfortable and really reassured where we sit, the importance of our doctor being the ultimate filter on anything that happens here, medically. That's something that we've always had, but it certainly brings that into focus.

"It also causes you to look at your staff and we've got staff here that I have full confidence in the ethics they bring to the football club.

"Whilst you always have to be vigilant, we're really comfortable from a process and staff point of view. But it's a testing time for everyone and we're part of that.

"It (ACC report) was certainly some interesting reading. Obviously, we'll all sit back and wait to see where it all goes."

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Prized Giants safe from rivals

GWS Giants' 2011 No.1 draft pick Jonathon Patton has committed to the club. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph

GREATER Western Sydney is on the verge of re-contracting some of its most prized young players, helping safeguard its glittering list from a poaching raid.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal three of its top-four picks from the 2011 national draft, including top selection Jon Patton, 19, have agreed to re-sign with the Giants.

The man Richmond made a big play for last year, inside midfielder Dom Tyson (No.3), line-breaking wingman Will Hoskin-Elliott (No.4) and versatile big man Aidan Corr (No.14, 2012 draft) have all made commitments to stay. 

The club, which made welcome progress on the deals on Friday, want to make an announcement about the youngsters' agreements in the coming weeks.

But a deal for last year's No. 1 pick Lachie Whitfield has not yet been finalised. The Giants are confident of extending terms before the end of the year.

The commitments are a major coup for the club, as it strives to keep its batch of youngsters safe from rival advances.

It is believed the youngsters either will or have signed for another two years, tying them to the club until 2015.

It is known the Giants fledgling young stars have raved about their relationship with GWS's new senior assistant coach Leon Cameron, who replaced Mark Williams late last year.

A source said Cameron's impact on GWS's first to third year players in particular has been "significant".

The Tigers, where Williams is now a development coach, made a major bid to snare the highly-rated Tyson, 19, last year, offering their first round draft pick for the prolific ball-winner.

Tyson has been laid low by a posterior ligament injury, but has been carefully managed by the Giants to help the Oakleigh prodigy return about mid-season.

Patton, the hulking key forward, has also been widely hunted but is set to stay at the Giants, helping make one of the formidable burgeoning big man partnerships with Jeremy Cameron.

Patton has been linked to Hawthorn, as a potential replacement option for Lance Franklin, if the out-of-contract All-Australian leaves Waverley.

The new contract agreements are a major accomplishment for Giants bosses, led by CEO David Matthews, list manager Steve Silvagni and veteran football manager Graeme Allan.

Despite the interest of Victorian clubs, the Giants have made an excellent start to keeping their list together.

A GWS spokesman said the club was happy with its list management progress as the club approached its second AFL season.

"Developing and retaining our best talent is a key priority for the GIANTS," the spokesman said.

"Last year we re-signed 13 players, including seven of our eight NAB Rising Star nominations, to long term agreements.

"We are not in a position to comment on any other players because nothing has been finalised at this stage but it will remain a key priority for the club as the year progresses."

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Warnock desperate to make impact

Robbie Warnock in action. He faces stiff competition for a spot in the side this season. Picture: Colleen Petch Source: News Limited

WHEN he gets his hand on the ball, Robbie Warnock makes things happen. The problem is he doesn't make them happen enough.

Warnock, 26, has only played more than 12 games in a season once (20 in 2011) since first playing with Fremantle in 2007.

A career that has promised so much is in danger of delivering little and the 206cm left-footer knows it. And it won't be easy as he enters 2013 in a desperate race for a rucking spot given Matthew Kreuzer and Shaun Hampson are at the club.

Kreuzer, fit and well, will presumably take the number one role leaving Warnock head to head with Hampson, given coach Mick Malthouse is prepared to play two ruckmen if their form and hardness at the contest warrants it.

At 206cm the former Brighton Grammarian is one of the tallest in the game (Aaron Sandilands is number one at 2011cm) but height alone won't put him in front of Kreuzer or Hampson.

"We've all had our time in the sun as number one ruckman at different stages. We haven't all been fit at the same time so it will be interesting to see what they do. If we are all up and playing well then it's out of our hands," said Warnock from Carlton's community camp in Bendigo.

Last year he played just five matches, averaging 32 hit-outs to place him fifth in the competition. But the key to Warnock was his number one ranking on the hit-outs to advantage table.

It's why his midfielders like roving to him, plus Warnock isn't out of the contest once the aerial work has ended judging by his four clearances per game (2nd best of the top 10 hit-out winners).

He also won 74 per cent of his possessions in a contest, second only to the predictable figure of Nic Natainui. But none of the above will guarantee a game under a new coach named Michael Malthouse.

Warnock, who is a clear thinker, wasn't totally sure what to expect when Malthouse arrived although he knew he was a winner.

"I find him a great communicator. He actually keeps things pretty basic and as much as that might sound not smart, I think it is (smart) to a degree. He just doesn't over-complicate it," said Warnock.

"And his record speaks for itself. He took the Bulldogs a long way in the 1980s (3rd in 1985), the Eagles to finals every year (10 seasons) including two premierships from three Grand Finals and then Collingwood from 15th to 9th to a Grand Final.

"He has the runs on the board and is very clear on what he wants.When you speak to him it is obvious he knows what has to be done."

What Malthouse desires at Carlton is for at least two of Warnock, Kreuzer and Hampson to play in the same team, with Levi Casboult a chance to play as a forward who can go into the ruck. Sam Rowe and Luke Mitchell will have the chance to secure a key forward spot which would allow Jarrad Waite to use to his aerobic ability rather than being constantly bashed in pack marking situations.

Warnock knows he is third in the pecking order when it comes to being effective up forward, although he figures if he's rucking well enough it won't matter as much.

"Ruck is my preferred position. You do have to go forward these days the way the game is going but if you are number one ruckman then you will play 70 per cent of the time," he said.

"My season last year was slow to start after double shoulder surgery, then I came back and did my hammy, played a couple then hurt my shoulder again. I knew I was unprepared."

Last season his three year contract with the Blues had finished prompting speculation he could find a third AFL club over summer with up to four teams showing interest. Warnock decided to end speculation by re-signing during the year.

It was an act of faith in a place he believes is going places, claiming expectations this season are "limitless".

"The facilities are great, our playing list is really talented. If things click I really believe we can have some success and I want to be part of it. Our staff, medical, assistant coaches are all very good. We have no limitations on where we can finish," said Warnock.

"But you don't know what can happen so all you can worry about is week to week. When you see blokes play consistently, be injury free, then you will improve. You have to be on the track session after session, you can't do it in the weights room."

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