Crows wait on Wright move

Adelaide midfielder Matthew Wright is considering a trade. Picture: Luke Hemer Source: Luke Hemer / The Advertiser

CROWS midfielder Matthew Wright holds the key to Adelaide's trade strategy this week that is designed to score Jared Polec from Brisbane and a second-round draft pick from a Melbourne-based rival.

Wright, 23, is the potential deal-maker in the slow-moving Polec saga that has - for the first time - Adelaide and Port Adelaide eagerly competing for the same player in a come-home trade.

Brisbane steadfastly wants a player - rather than a second-round draft pick - in return for Polec as the Lions deal with the damage of having too many young players seek exits.

Port has no player at Alberton prepared to move and will struggle to find a candidate at a rival club.

Adelaide, by contrast, has several players prepared to be part of a trade - but to a Victorian-based club and not Brisbane. The list is Shaun McKernan, Ricky Henderson, 2009 club champion Bernie Vince and perhaps Victorian draftee Jarryd Lyons.

Wright - who played 17 games this season, the least in his three years at Adelaide - faces a career-defining decision this week when Polec wants to nominate either the Crows or Power as his club of choice.

If Wright accepts the chance to sign a long-term deal with the Lions gives him security that is unlikely to unfold at West Lakes, the Polec trade to Adelaide would be virtually secured.

The Crows would then focus on finding the second-round draft pick coach Brenton Sanderson has demanded from his recruiting staff all year. Adelaide has no early call in next month's draft - its first pick is currently at No. 42 - as a result of the Kurt Tippett sanctions.

Finding that second-round draft pick could come by:

VINCE accepting a long-term deal at a Victorian-based club. He is contracted to Adelaide for next season when the 28-year-old midfielder becomes a free agent - and could leave the Crows without compensation.

LYONS also is under contract for next season but is being tempted by a long-term deal from Melbourne, where his father Marty played 27 games from 1975-77. The 21-year-old midfielder was a fourth-round draft pick in 2010.

HENDERSON is on contract for the next two seasons. And despite keen interest in the Victorian, the Crows are increasingly reluctant to trade the 25-year-old utility.

But McKERNAN is drawing little, almost no, interest from Victorian-based clubs. He is destined to have to return to Adelaide where the Crows are willing to persist with the ruckman-forward.

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Victory prepares for Ange exit

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MELBOURNE Victory is preparing for life after Ange Postecoglou with the coach emerging as the favourite to take over the Socceroos post.

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The Herald Sun understands that Victory has been made aware of Football Federation Australia's interest in the 48-year-old and discussions have taken place at Victory about a succession plan.

While Postecoglou has firmed the possibility remains that an outstanding overseas candidate comes into contention with FFA chief executive David Gallop and board member Phil Wolanski being bombarded with some interest overseas candidates.

Gallop and Wolanski are still talking with overseas options as the Socceroos prepare to play Canada in a friendly tomorrow in London.

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Guus Hiddink remains the preferred overseas candidate but his interest in returning to Australia is lukewarm at best while it's understood Central Coast coach Graham Arnold was informally contacted before the France game.

Victory is unlikely to seek compensation for Postecoglou, who has two years of a $500,000-a-year deal left, but want him to continue on in a dual role for the rest of the season before taking sole charge of the Socceroos in May, a month out from the 2014 World Cup.

FFA would prefer Postecoglou's sole focus was the Socceroos but aware of his importance to Victory who are aiming to win the A-League title and advance past the group stage of the Asian Champions League.

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The governing body may be willing to compromise on a transitional dual-role before someone else takes over the Victory role for the tail-end of this season. Assistant Kevin Muscat would be frontrunner to take over.

Victory chief executive Robson said FFA had made no approach for Postecoglou and refused to speculate

"We haven't had an approach. We appreciate that there is a lot of interest surrounding Ange and possible links to the vacant Socceroos coaching position but we haven't had any formal conversations with the FFA about it," Robson said.

"It's the FFA's process and until and unless anything changes we're just going to continue with our plans and remain focused on achieving success next year.

"It's not for me to pre-judge or second guess what they may or may not do. But we appreciate that there's a lot of media interest that has surrounded Ange and speculation would suggest that he's in their thinking but it's not something that we can control and certainly not something we're aware of in a formal sense."

FFA is aiming to appoint Holger Osieck's replacement before November when the Socceroos are likely to play two friendlies.

Plans to play Ireland twice in Australia have fallen through and now there's a possibility that the games could be played abroad.  

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Summers: Saints must work together

St Kilda president Peters Summers flanked by Port Adelaide chairman David Koch and Hawthorn supremo Andrew Newbold. Picture: Tim Carrafa Source: Tim Carrafa / HeraldSun

ST KILDA president Peter Summers knows there are issues at his football club.

From Scott Watters' contract talk, to the unease between Watters and football boss Chris Pelchen, to the scuttlebutt about the trading seasoned stars, to membership, to finances, to list management and to dealing with life in 2013 as a bottom-three club as compared to 2010 when they played off in two Grand Finals.

It's why the club's vision statement to be presented this week to the board -- on the back of a fierce club review -- is the foundation for the future and, hopefully, good times ahead.

"There's been this perception we've had a couple of those crises, but from my point we need to get the right blueprint in place," Summers said yesterday.

"What has been portrayed as everything up for grabs, that's not really what it is. This isn't about survival.

"I wanted to make sure the club -- and that's why I was pretty strong on the vision statement -- that everyone from bottom up is aware of what our targets are going forward and how we're going to get there."

He hopes the vision statement will be presented to the board on Thursday and then that meeting would be rolled into a secondary meeting where the statement is discussed in-depth with senior staff, including the coach.

Summers is a new president, but he's also a realist, meticulous, a goalsetter and not one to back away from a tough topic.

He knows there is unease between Watters and Pelchen.

He also knows the two work well together in list management, but that there's issues surrounding the execution of Pelchen's role at the club.

He also knows other staff find the relationship between Watters and Pelchen is unsettling.

How significant is the issue?

Summers: "Significant. And identified. But I honestly think there has been too much made of it. We've had some tension in the place, you don't mind some tension because it's an indication of active successful people, but there just can't be too much.''

How do you fix it?

Summers: "Like most things in life when you have a problem it's called communication."

Watters' contract extension has been talking point, but Summers can't understand why.

"I found the whole thing around Scott's extension the wrong way round, it's been seen as an uncertainty (his future), but it's got nothing to do with it," he said.

"I can't see how you can put a contract extension to somebody, whether it be one year, two years, five years, how would you put that to them until they see where you are taking the list management. How could you put that to them until they see the whole structure you're trying to achieve at the club over that period?

"I can't see how you can do it ... Because you'd be buying into it for your own reasons and not club reasons."

This season, the Saints finished 16th with a 5-17 win-loss record.

Summers said it was "one of those years you had to go through to get a better consensus on where you're heading".

"As a club, we are very anxious and anxious people tend to act in a negative way, anxious people want to hide, get scared, they go to ground, and what I'm trying to do through this vision statement is to empower and encourage people to lift themselves out of that,'' Summers said.

"The worst thing in life is not to have a go."

It's not all doom and gloom, he said. Nine debutants this year was a major plus, for example, and while not wanting to discuss the contents of the vision statement, he was confident in its depth.

"Having done the review, we can be pretty strong in our reviews, we set our targets, debate them and, most importantly, own them,'' he said.

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Fifita misses honeymoon for Cup

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IT'S not the honeymoon Andrew Fifita imagined but at least the ­giant Kangaroos prop could see the funny side of it all.

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Fifita married Nikkita on Sunday, then returned to camp on Monday to crack jokes with Jarryd Hayne before flying out for the World Cup.

"It is exciting but tough," Fifita said from Sydney Airport as the squad waited for their flight to Manchester.

"I just got married and we were meant to go on our honeymoon with the entire family today to Hawaii."

The 24-year-old prop wasn't even considered a rough hope at the start of the year to make the Australian squad — but after a barnstorming season for Cronulla he was named Dally M prop of the year and is now pushing for ­selection for the first Test against ­England on October 26.

"I even offered to stay home with my family," Fifita said.

"I said to them, 'I want to do what is best for us'.

"And she said she wanted me to follow that dream of mine.

"I am not with them at the moment but they will be on my mind 24/7 and that is all I do when I play footy, think about my family.

"That is all I want to do."

And he's not on his own there. Billy Slater is no new kid on the block anymore with these big end-of-season trips but he admits saying goodbye to his wife and kids never gets any easier.

"Yeah, it's pretty tough," Slater said.

"And a lot of the boys have got kids.

"Usually we go over for I think a five-week stint but this one is seven and a half weeks before we get home, so it's pretty tough on the little ones and wives that stay back here.

"But that is what we do.

"We just have to get over there and get on with things.

"Obviously with the technology these days you can Skype your families back home, which is great.

"But we are over there to do a job for our nation and whenever we get the chance to play for our country it is pretty special. I just went away for a little bit with the family.

"I would have found it tough if I had to keep playing and then go straight away.

"Homesickness is probably the biggest factor, missing your family.

"We have just been through a winter here and we're going to the winter over there.

"They are the little factors, but we are over there with a good bunch of fellas and we are having a good time.

"We are playing footy and we are doing what we love.

"At the end of the day, it's not that hard."

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Saints deny Watters extension

St Kilda coach Scott Watters has been refused a contract extension. Picture: Jason Sammon Source: Jason Sammon / HeraldSun

ST KILDA coach Scott Watters will coach for his future early next season after the Saints backed out of a proposed contract extension.

The decision not to offer Watters a new contract before Round 1 came after an official review of the club also backed the authority of head of football Chris Pelchen.

The review stated both Watters and Pelchen would remain at the club next year, but the Saints board won't consider a deal into well into next season.

It is a massive blow for Watters, who was eager for the security of a contract extension given more hard times ahead for the Saints next year.

Both Pelchen and departing chief executive Michael Nettlefold had publicly stated Watters would receive an extension over the off-season.

But it is understood the club does not believe it is in a position to extend his deal given the uncertainty at the club.

Now Watters will need early wins as well an increased focus on harmony in the football department if he is to save his career.

Pelchen has already forecast another tough season on-field next year as the club rebuilds its list, meaning Watters will come under searing pressure early in the season.

St Kilda has had to deal with continued controversies in recent weeks, with Pelchen and Watters at odds, the players involved in a dwarf-lighting furore, and the list in a rebuild mode.

Watters was seen to totally take over the club's running in the last six weeks of the year, taking control of training and team selection.

But former Hawthorn list manager Pelchen will be given the power to control the football department and ensure proper delegation across the team of assistant coaches.

Pelchen had indicated Watters was likely to get a contract extension as recently as July.

"Obviously Scott is contracted until the end of 2014 and the club is pleased with the progress in his first 18 months as coach," Pelchen said.

"As you would expect, any discussion about Scott's contract is a matter for the board in due course."

Nettlefold was just as adamant the deal would be forthcoming in recent months.

"He'd be keen to get an extension to his contract, we've got a young group coming through and it's something the board will consider in due course," Nettlefold said.

"It's something that we'll work on over the next couple of months. It really depends on workloads, these things need a fair bit of work."

St Kilda will employ the services of former AFLPA and Geelong consultant Pippa Grange and her Bluestone Edge team next year.

Like Leading Teams, the company deals with "culture, ethics and leadership", with the understanding that the Saints have significant ground to make up in all those areas.

The decision not to provide Watters security means the former Pies assistant will face scrutiny from the first round of next year.

He will do that despite the club trading off former top ten draft pick Ben McEvoy, with Nick Dal Santo still a strong chance to get to North Melbourne as a free agent.

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