Jordan De Goey channels James Bond after Collingwood teammates set star an unusual Oaks Day task

AFL stars are a common sight in Spring Racing Carnival marquees. But Jordan De Goey set a new mark on Oaks Day after Collingwood teammates set him an unusual task. Plus that camp still haunting the Crows and more in THE SCORE.

De Goey ... Jordan De Goey.

BEING a star in the biggest team in town has its benefits.

In particular come spring carnival time as doors certainly open for AFL players who are keen for a flutter.

Marquees are keen to get the biggest names inside so they can claim bragging rights about being the best in the Birdcage.

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The likes of Buddy Franklin and Dusty Martin have never had to pay for a drink this time of the year.

And we’re told the main man this year was Collingwood young gun Jordan De Goey who embraced the Flemington carnival much to the amusement of his teammates.

We hear they set De Goey a task on Oaks Day to gain entry to every marquee in the Birdcage but there was one condition.

He was only allowed to say one word to gain entry … his surname.

So like the great 007 would say, “Bond, James Bond”, the controversial Magpie could only go with “De Goey” to the clipboard holders at the door.

Not surprisingly, we hear the tactic had a very good strike rate.

De Goey ... Jordan De Goey.

PLAYERS IN A SWEAT OVER TOWEL RACK

THE introduction of a towel rack at the end of the court for sweaty tennis players has received a mixed response.

After Fernando Verdasco’s berating of a ball boy at last month’s Shenzhen Open for being too slow to hand over his towel, tennis authorities have stepped up the introduction of the racks.

The ATP wants to relieve ball boys and girls of the duty so they can concentrate on their prime job and not be at the beck and call of temperamental players.

They used the Next Gen Finals to trial a few new initiatives including the towel rack but not everyone was in favour including tournament winner Stefanos Tsitsipas, who defeated Australian teenager Alex de Minaur in the final.

“One thing that I didn’t like that much was the towel thing,” Tsitsipas said. “I was always, you know, had to run for the towel, always had it in my mind when I was playing.”

This statement from the world No.15 didn’t go down well with some of his peers including Alexander Zverev.

“I heard Tsitsipas say it’s the ball boys’ job but it’s the ball boys’ job to give you balls — that’s what I see the ball boys as,” Zverev said.

Other new rules to be trialled included on-court coaching, shorter sets, no-Ad scoring, medical time-out limits, shorter warm-ups and no lets on serve.

The most popular innovations with the players were the shot clock, and Hawk-Eye making all the line calls.

Stefanos Tsitsipas places his towel in a rack during the men's final of the Next Generation ATP Finals. Pic: AFP

KUCHAR, WESTWOOD’S EERIE COINCIDENCE

GOLF punters take note.

If you like Matt Kuchar or Lee Westwood in a tournament then make sure you back the other one as well because there is an eerie symmetry starting to happen.

This weekend Kuchar, 40, won the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico while in South Africa Westwood, 45, won the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.

Both broke four-year droughts but that’s not the kicker ... the date in 2014 when they both last tasted victory was the same day, April 20.

Westwood’s last European Tour victory came in the 2014 Malaysian Open while on the same day over in America Kuchar was saluting on the PGA Tour in the RBC Heritage event.

Taylor Walker and Rory Sloane after the 2017 grand final loss. Pic: AAP

THE WHISPER

Adelaide’s pre-season camp debacle continues to haunt them, even at Buck’s parties.

We hear one of Richard Douglas’ mates thought it would be funny to play the Richmond theme song on the party bus in a tribute to the controversial camp.

Apparently it went down like a lead balloon with the senior Crows players who were present.