Elder McVeigh sizes up Sydney switch
By Jessica Halloran and AAP
October 3, 2003
Essendon's Mark McVeigh met Sydney officials at their SCG headquarters this week, showing an interest in returning to his home state of NSW.
McVeigh is the older brother of the Swans' 2002 No.1 draft pick Jarrad, and is out of contract with the Bombers. Swans recruiting manager Rick Barham said the club was interested in McVeigh.
"We look at all NSW kids, that's where we are at with Mark, we always try and get them back," Barham said.
McVeigh grew up on the Central Coast and played for Pennant Hills football club before being drafted to Essendon in 1998.
Nick Cummins, a spokesman for Elite Sports Properties, which manages the McVeigh brothers, said Mark's priority was to stay down south.
"He's out of contract this year and ideally he would like to stay at Essendon," Cummins said. "At this stage his first choice is Essendon."
Barham said the "big price tags" on Dean Cox, Jade Rawlings and Matthew Richardson might prevent the Swans from picking them up.
Swans midfield coach Steven Malaxos has left the Swans after five years and is interested in continuing coaching in either Perth or Melbourne.
Sydney ruckman Adam Goodes won another award after his stellar AFL season, but this time he had it to himself.
Goodes last night won the Bob Skilton Medal as the Swans' club champion, a week after sharing the Brownlow with Mark Ricciuto and Nathan Buckley.
Goodes's strong finish to the season meant he overtook much-improved midfielder Brett Kirk to win with 416 votes.
Kirk was runner-up on 387 and Jude Bolton next on 331.
Bolton was also named the club's most improved player for the season.
Key forward Barry Hall, who was fourth in the club champion voting, was named the players' player and the best clubman award went to Jason Ball.
Small forward Adam Schneider was named the Swans' rising star and Leo Barry won the "one percenter" award.
All match committee members gave players a mark out of 10 per game for the club champion award.
In the season aftermath at Brisbane, Jason Akermanis said yesterday that the Lions should be able to strut and gloat for six months. This was despite calls from coach Leigh Matthews to end arrogance over the club's AFL premiership "threepeat".
Matthews has voiced displeasure at "arrogant" comments by some of his players as they celebrated their convincing grand final victory over Collingwood.
But midfield star Akermanis had his own thoughts yesterday.
"Arrogance, I don't like the word myself," he said. "I don't think it exists.
"I thought when you win you strut and you gloat and that's about it - what else are you going to do for six months?"
Veteran full-forward Alastair Lynch said the coach's comments should be taken on board. "Leigh's got no dramas with guys enjoying the celebrations, just he felt there may have been a couple of comments that may have been a bit over the top," he said.
The coach, and captain Michael Voss were noticeably absent yesterday from a final victory parade for the team on the Gold Coast.
Travelling in convertibles and holding umbrellas, the players were led by the newly retired Marcus Ashcroft, the only Queenslander to record 300 VFL/AFL games, as fans and tourists lined the streets and city mall.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/...988350502.html
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