(DAILY ONE LINERS) Pictured: Cats forward STEVE JOHNSON is a chance to return against Carlton on Saturday night, while Jared Rivers has been ruled out for up to three more weeks

COLLINGWOOD star Dale Thomas is expected to miss the Pies round one clash against North Melbourne after pulling out of last night’s VFL practice match against the Northern Blues. Thomas was in line to play for some match fitness after an ankle injury derailed his pre-season. He has missed the entire NAB Cup and is

(DAILY ONE LINERS) Pictured: The Crows are ready to unleash Rory Sloane and Patrick Dangerfield in a practice match against the Dockers

BACK in January we wrote that in suspending him for two games the Carlton Football Club had done what the legal system couldn’t do: punish Heath Scotland for an off-field incident. Now the justice system has matched the Blues and found Scotland guilty of  assault after a successful appeal today by the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions.

(DAILY ONE LINERS) Pictured: Saints defender James Gwilt says he is in a good space mentally and physically heading into the new AFL season

THE Carlton Football Club has done what the legal system couldn’t (or wouldn’t) do: punish Heath Scotland for an off-field incident. It seems strange that Scotland could walk out of a courtroom with no conviction after a pub brawl in Mulwala (NSW) last October only to be penalised by his club. But then again maybe it’s entirely

(DAILY ONE LINERS) Pictured: Geelong hopes to have star midfielder Jimmy Bartel back in its main training group in the lead-up to the Christmas break.

After the completion of the 2012 AFL season the league will be revolutionised by the introduction of free agency. For eligible players this will give them the ability to leave their current club, bypassing the draft and trade periods, and essentially pick their next employer themselves. For the AFL, this will be an unprecedented change. In the lead