By Leigh Eustace

ON a day where former Western Bulldogs ruckman Luke Darcy has suggested his former coach Terry Wallace cost the club two flags for not embracing a Leading Teams approach to in house communication, former North Melbourne and Sydney midfielder Wayne Schwass has sided with Darcy somewhat in his reference to the Kangaroos situation of the late 1990s.

Darcy in his article believes that had North Melbourne been a more open environment for discussion and feedback, there may have been a couple extra premiership cups displayed down at Arden St.

"Wayne Carey was the best player and the most influential individual I have known in football. He was so good and became so big within the North Melbourne Football Club that he was beyond feedback. People would point to the two premierships he delivered as evidence that it didn’t matter.

"But it could be argued that had North Melbourne dealt with Wayne Carey’s indiscretions in the same vein as Steve Johnson and Alan Didak, then the Kangaroos could potentially have won five flags and ‘The Duck’ would have sorted his life out before it went off the rails," Darcy wrote.

Speaking tonight on AFL Live, Schwass didn't go as far to agree with the Darcy position, but said that had a Leading Teams program been in place, a program he is a massive fan of personally, the Kangaroos would have probably won another one or two premierships.

By Leigh Eustace

AFTER penning a column for afl.com.au suggesting his former coach's hesitance to embrace feedback from the players to the point that in his belief it cost the club two flags, former Western Bulldog Luke Darcy has tonight refuted claims his article was a pot shot at his former coach Terry Wallace.

Speaking on Triple M radio, Darcy stood by his stance that the Leading Teams style of communication equates to success and that it would have seen his club take home some silverware in the late 1990s.

"The players that I still speak to talk to me about it being the best thing that changes culture within football clubs," Darcy said.

"I wasn't sitting there thinking 'how can I pot my old coach?'."

Darcy gave Wallace enormous credit for getting his team into a position close to winning premierships, but he stayed true to the belief that it was Wallace's fault, ultimately, for falling ever-so-short, saying the coach saw players meeting on their own as "akin to discontent".

"The reason why we were good (in 1997 and 1998) was because he revolutionised the game," Darcy said.

"95 per cent of what he did got us from nowhere, from being shocking to being competitive enough to win it (the premiership).

"Essentially what I said was the five per cent... my belief is that if he was prepared to be ahead of his time, and no-one else was, we would've have had a chance to win a premiership and I reckon we would've.

"It wasn't a pot shot."

By Leigh Eustace

FORMER Western Bulldogs coach Terry Wallace has hit back at his former player Luke Darcy's article today where he suggested Wallace's inability to embrace a Leading Teams like approach to the way the club was run cost Dogs two premierships.

Wallace, speaking to AFL Live's Wayne Schwass tonight, aired his displeasure at the Darcy column.

"It's disappointing," Wallace said, "we're talking thirteen years down the track."

"Number one, I think it's grossly unfair, number two, I think frankly at the moment I am an easy target."

Wallace refuted the Darcy position, suggesting not only did he believe his methods were mostly well received, but that his former ruckman might not have been as accurate in his recollections.

"I pushed that playing group hard all the way along (in 1997 and 1998), some of them appreciated it, some perhaps didn't appreciate it."

"When you sit back, a 22-year-old as Luke was at that time, I don't know if everything he wrote (today) was factual... I don't know about your playing career but I can't remember every meeting I was in."

By Leigh Eustace

SUNDAY'S football action will see three players make their debut, with two debutants at Etihad Stadium and one at Subiaco.

Liam Jones will play his first AFL game for the Western Bulldogs, replacing Callan Ward who has a hip injury. The Dogs are playing North Melbourne who have handed Marcus White his first game amongst four changes.

Lindsay Thomas, Sam Wright and Scott McMahon have come in for the quartet of Ben Warren (back), Ryan Bastinac, David Hale and Gavin Urquhart (all omitted).

Richmond has made four changes: Kelvin Moore, Matt White, Will Thursfield and Daniel Jackson all return whilst Dean Polo, Robin Nahas, Alex Rance and Jadyen Post have been dropped.

Their opponents Adelaide have included Chris Schmidt and Jack Gunston for the suspended Graham Johncock and Tony Armstrong.

Fremantle's Justin Bollenhangen will play his first game of AFL in the Derby against West Coast. He has come into the side along with Chris Tarrant and David Mundy; Rhys Palmer (knee), Clancee Pearce (knee) and Dylan Roberton (omitted) making way.

Tom Swift and Patrick McGinnity will take part in the Sunday twilight game, coming in for the suspended Ashton Hams and injured Adam Selwood.

By Leigh Eustace

RICHMOND midfielder Richard Tambling's season is over as he will go under the knife next week to repair a hip injury in order to have him fit and ready for the 2011 season.

The fourth overall pick in the 2004 draft, controversially one ahead of Lance Franklin, has only taken part in 13 games this year for the Tigers, and injured his hip playing for Coburg in the VFL last week in an attempt to push for a late-season recall to the seniors.

By Leigh Eustace

TWO-time Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes says the surprise loss to Melbourne last Sunday has provided added motivation to bounce back against the reigning premiers Geelong this Saturday night.

"It's a bit of a shock what happened on the weekend," Goodes said.

Using the chance to bounce back from last week as stimulus, Goodes is relishing the chance to take on the Cats.

"There's no better challenge (than) to come up against the best team in the league," he said.

"We really do have to out-battle them in contested footy because if we don't do that, we're going to see another thrashing."

Goodes also noted the unchanged lineup coach Paul Roos decided on to front the Cats, suggesting the team was on its last chance.

"No doubt if something like that (last week) happens again in the last five games, changes will be made."

By Leigh Eustace

IN a decision influenced by the fallout and backlash from Jason Akermanis' dramatic exit from the Western Bulldogs regarding potential comments he made about teammates, Adelaide veteran Andrew McLeod is willing to leave the club should his upcoming book 'Black Crow' ruffle some of his Crows' teammates feathers.

Reported by Michaelangelo Rucci in The Advertiser, it is believed McLeod has spoken to his teammates and offered a copy to all, proposing to resign from the club after 16 years should any part of the tell-all biography offend.

There has been particular angst about the release with expectations the undoubted coverage to Tyson Edwards, a teammate many calculate McLeod hasn't spoken to in over four years, may raise eyebrows around the football circles, combined with the Akermanis book listed as a reason for his contract being terminated.

McLeod has therefore chosen to get on the front foot and settle any disputes, however unlikely that may be, that the book throws up in house.

When asked about this drastic move, he simply told The Advertiser: "So far they've just asked where are their free copies of the book."

By Leigh Eustace

WITH this year's draft set to be highly compromised with the Gold Coast dominating the board, the Western Bulldogs are quietly smarting at the talent they will secure through the father-son rule.

Mitch Wallis, son of Steve, and Thomas Liberatore, son of Tony, are not only illegible this year, but AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan has suggested the Doggies are going to grab two outstanding players, moreover an outstanding combination.

"There's great cooperation between the two; they go to school together at St Kevin's and play there together, and you can just see that clear understanding they have for each other," Sheehan said.

Wallis is noted for his outside play and fine footskills where Liberatore, much like his father, does his best work in and under packs, extracting the ball for his teammates.

"When they were growing up, Mitchell used to go and finish off all Tom's hard work," Sheehan said.

"Tom is probably one of the best clearance players I've seen in the TAC Cup."

And it's these complementing styles that Sheehan likens to a formidable duo running around for the Kangaroos in the 1980s.

"They just have a sixth sense about where each other is, which is a little bit extraordinary," he said.

"They're like the Krakouer brothers."