Questions to ponder ahead of Round 3: Can the Pies be re-heated, Are Port the real deal, Can Jezza's form last for the Cats?
Collingwood look far off the conquering team of 2023 and one aspect of real concern is their struggles in defence.
West Coast forward Isiah Winder has been charged with assault over his alleged drunken punch-up in Victoria last month, the club says.
The Eagles revealed the charge on Monday after Winder joined teammates in returning to training after the Christmas break.
Winder, 20, had been attending an Indigenous players’ summit in Geelong and was allegedly out drinking when the incident occurred in early-December.
It came just days after Winder had been given a rookie lifeline by the Eagles following his surprise de-listing by the AFL club.
He was demoted to the WAFL program while Victoria Police investigated the incident.
The Eagles said Winder had worked hard to regain the trust of players and staff before returning to train with the AFL squad.
“The club has also been informed that Winder has been charged with assault as a result of the incident in Geelong,” West Coast said in a statement.
“As this matter is scheduled to go before the courts later this year, the club can make no further comment at this time.”
Winder, drafted with pick 57 in 2020, has played seven AFL games for West Coast.
Gold Coast young gun Mac Andrew will miss the first two games of the AFL season after being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol late last month.
The highly-rated defender met with the Suns leadership group on Saturday to explain the events that led him to blow over the legal limit when stopped by Queensland Police early on December 31.
After the meeting, the Suns hit 19-year-old Andrew with a two-week ban that will rule him out of matches against Sydney and Essendon.
In addition, Andrew will be unavailable for pre-season games, must complete alcohol and driver education sessions and will assist with the club’s multicultural community programs over the next six weeks.
In a statement, the Suns said they were satisfied the former first-round draft pick was remorseful for his actions. He will face court later this month.
Andrew signed a two-year contract extension last year that keeps him on the Gold Coast until at least the end of 2025.
© AAP