AFL Wrap: Eddie dismisses rumours; Looming ‘disaster’ for Crows; Monster can become even bigger

EDDIE McGuire has been forced to smack down an explosive rumour after he was again bugged by one of his pet hates.

McGuire and Malthouse won’t be reuniting.

EDDIE McGuire is adamant it’s not a case of back to the future at Collingwood, dismissing rumours former coach Mick Malthouse will return to the club.

McGuire was seen with Malthouse at a Pies game recently but the Collingwood president slammed any suggestion the premiership-winning mentor was in line to take up a director of coaching role at the club.

“No. That’s complete rubbish,” McGuire said on Triple M Melbourne’s The Hot Breakfast on Thursday morning.

“I can tell you right now — that is made up.

“It’s just made up. There’s been no discussions, it’s not even crossed anyone’s mind.”

Malthouse was offered a similar role when Nathan Buckley replaced him as head coach for the 2012 season, but he decided to walk away from the club he’d coached for more than a decade. He became Carlton coach in 2013, a position Malthouse held for three seasons.

McGuire still didn’t bite when asked by co-host Luke Darcy if Malthouse rejoining the Pies was a good idea in theory, and said the matter was another example of the media “hysteria” he complained about earlier this year.

“He would have been a great director of football — five years ago when the job was there,” McGuire said. “It’s not even happening.

“I sit next to my son most weeks at the footy and he’s not going to be the director of footy ... actually he might be a better chance (than Malthouse). It’s just nonsense.”

SEN commentator Mick Malthouse has spoken to SEN off-air and denied the rumour about a potential return to Collingwood.

"News to me!"

— SEN 1116 (@SENNews) August 3, 2017

CROWS FACE LOOMING DISASTER

The Crows need Jake Lever (L) and Mitch McGovern (R) to stay in Adelaide.

Melbourne legend Garry Lyon says it would be a “disaster” if Adelaide was to lose off-contract young guns Mitch McGovern and Jake Lever at season’s end.

Key defender Lever has reportedly met with Melbourne officials in recent weeks while Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs have also shown interest in the 21-year-old.

McGovern has some of the best hands in the AFL and they were on show last weekend when he took a pack mark on the final buzzer, slotting his set shot to draw the Crows’ game against the Pies.

A West Australian product, there have been suggestions the forward is thinking about heading back home to play in 2018.

Essendon great Tim Watson says the loss of those two players would “significantly” weaken Adelaide and Lyon believes their departure could rob the Crows of potential 10-year key position players.

“It would be a disaster,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast. “If the Adelaide Crows were to lose Jake Lever and McGovern, you’re talking key posts for 10 years. That’s a disaster waiting to happen if in fact that does happen.”

Adelaide coach Don Pyke refused to weigh in on his stars’ contract situations on Thursday while captain Taylor Walker said on Wednesday he hopes the Crows’ culture will convince Lever to stay in the South Australian capital.

FOOTY MONSTER STILL GROWING

Rory Lobb can become even bigger.

GWS’s next milestone man Rory Lobb has untapped potential and can add to his already imposing physique, according to Giants coach Leon Cameron.

Lobb, 24, will make his 50th appearance in Saturday’s crucial AFL clash with Melbourne in Canberra. A win would move the Giants to 52 points, generally considered to be the tally needed to guarantee a top eight spot.

Alternating between the ruck and the forward line, 207cm West Australian Lobb is listed at 104kgs but Cameron described him as a skinny kid. “He’s still filling out, he’s still got another six or seven kilos to put on,” Cameron said.

“He’s an untapped player that still doesn’t realise what he can probably do on game day each weekend.

‘We’ve seen some rapid improvement, we’ve seen some ups, we’ve seen some downs.

“But he’s an integral part of this footy side and we feel as though his best footy is just starting to come along now.”

Lobb could have a part to play on Saturday in curbing the influence of Melbourne’s Max Gawn, especially if the Demons go with just one specialist ruckman.

Cameron indicated on Wednesday the Giants could throw two specialist big men at Gawn if Shane Mumford recovered from his ankle injury.

If that was the case, Mumford could join Dawson Simpson in a two-pronged attack on Gawn, leaving Lobb to concentrate on playing up forward in the absence of the injured Jeremy Cameron.

CROWS MADE OF ‘SCARY’ STUFF

Crows coach Don Pyke (L) and Port coach (Hinkley) together ahead of this weekend's Showdown.

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says arch rival Adelaide is made of “really scary stuff”, but believes fifth-placed Port’s four-game losing streak to the Crows is irrelevant entering Sunday’s much-anticipated Showdown.

“I don’t worry about the four in a row, I mean, I don’t really care,” Hinkley told reporters on Thursday.

“I would have much rather won them but I really care about this week, that’s the facts.

“Every stat is there to be broken at some point.”

Hinkley was more concerned with matching it with a Crows outfit he described as “the best side in the competition”. Hinkley watched with awe last weekend when the Crows came from 50 points down to draw with Collingwood.

“They are sitting top of the ladder for a reason,” he said. “There was some really scary stuff.

“A side that is down by 50 points be able to get back, you go, ‘Wow’.

“You know what is coming (this week) and you expect the best, that is the crucial part for us.

“Defensively this year we have been incredibly strong. We are going to get tested to the max this week.”

— with AAP