What you missed on TV last night

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TEAMS under the microscope was at the top of Monday's agenda.

Carlton, Sydney, Richmond and Brisbane dominated the Round 4 wash-up after devastating wins on the weekend.

The Blues were the major talking point after a shock loss to Melbourne, which saw them fall to 0-4.

"It was the doomsday scenario. A season that started with a quest to get better now has a realisation that they are much, much worse," AFL 360 host Gerard Whateley said.

Whateley and Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson dissected the Blues with six big questions.

1. What is the No.1 priority for Carlton?

"They're core business is playing footy, so I'll say No.1 winning games of footy," Robinson said.

"We've got verbal bombs being dropped everywhere. It's got to stop and people have got to get off their back."

2. What is the challenge for Mick Malthouse?

"He has to earn his money, he has to call on all his experience to find the trigger to bring that confidence," Robinson said.

"He has to find the confidence ... he has to find a way to get these players playing good footy again."

Whateley agreed: "This get's to the heart of coaching. He's got to give them cohesion."

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3. Is the criticism of captain Marc Murphy fair?

"Yes it is. Mark Murphy has to reach within and find something," Robinson said.

"He was confident today saying 'I've been a leader all my life' so it's there. He's just got to find it on the ground."

Whateley agreed he deserved criticism but the level had been too harsh

"Yes. It is a failing," he said.

"Look at the Bulldogs on Saturday. Brendan McCartney would have said to his leaders 'don't you dare let this happen'. And they didn't."

4. Will Greg Swann and Stephen Kernahan see out the season?

"Not a chance in hell," Robinson said.

"There's a lot of talk Swann will be gone at the next board meeting. Bruce Mathieson said he's got to walk now and I think Swann knows that.

"Kernahan is going after the 150 celebrations and I think he'll see that through."

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5. Could the powerbrokers tear the club apart?

"Not could, the powerbrokers are tearing the club," Robinson said.

"I think it is a disgrace that Bruce Mathieson is talking about the club. It's disrespectful.

"I don't think Bruce understands that footy is about people. He's treating some good people really badly under the name of 'I'm a fierce business man and I contribute to this club'."

6. What becomes of season 2014?

"There must be strategy now. They should aim to get four draft picks inside the top 20," Whateley said.

"Carlton needs to beat the Western Bulldogs but it needs a strategy more than immediate results."

Robinson said the club's fan just wanted to be told the truth.

"At the start of the season, Mick Malthouse said they were approaching 11pm on the premiership window. Then we walks into a board meeting with grave concerns about the list," he said.

"Can you understand the frustration of the Carlton supporters?

"Carlton tells furphies to their members. The club is telling them we will rebuild. They just want the truth."

The last time Carlton started a season 0-4 was 1989 and then-coach Robert Walls was sacked.

The Blues play the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, followed by West Coast and Collingwood.

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■ SYDNEY were outmuscled and outwilled in the wet at the SCG by North Melbourne, leading to more questions about star recruit Lance Franklin and the team's mentality.

Whateley said there were serious concerns about the Swan's mental strength.

"The will to win has always been a given for the Swans," he said.

Robinson pointed to an alarming statistic that suggests the Swans have been down for some time.

"They've won three of their past 11. That is alarming," he said.

"Don't tell me you're playing badly just because Buddy is in the team. It's the collective."

It doesn't get any easier for the Swans, who face Fremantle at the SCG this weekend.

■ BRISBANE are also struggling and sit winless at the bottom of the ladder.

Robinson said it was very frustrating seeing honourable losses against Hawthorn and Geelong, followed by such disappointing losses to Gold Coast and Port Adelaide.

"They lost Daniel Rich and then (Matthew) Leunenberger went off on the weekend.

"We're living in a situation were there are concerns about the market. There isn't a strong team in Queensland.

"They've got nothing. It's such a worry at Round 4."

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■ VICTORIOUS Melbourne coach Paul Roos and Essendon mentor Mark Thompson then joined the boys to look back at the weekend's results.

Whateley started off by asking Roos 'what is a win worth?'.

"For the club and the players, it's a lot," Roos said.

"We've been playing reasonably well but you've got to have a win. It keeps you going forward is a really tough period.

"Even though I've only been there seven months. You still carry the load. You deal with it and it's hard. It's the worst part of the job.

"You know what the fans have gone through and to see them enjoying it was great."

Roos said having key forward Chris Dawes return to the team and James Frawley up forward was a huge plus.

"I'd say (it made) a fair bit (of difference)," he said.

"The Dawes goals were critical. It's just his enthusiasm and he just wanted to play.

"Just to have him up there, it helped Chip Frawley and (Lynden) Dunn so much.

■ THE Bombers weren't as lucky and suffered a big defeat at the hands of Fremantle in the Perth heat.

Thompson revealed he had stopped worrying about the result and how his players would recover ahead of their Round 5 clash with St Kilda on Saturday.

"I was thinking during the game, not how do we win this game, but how do we recover and win the next game," he said.

Losing Brendon Goddard was another blow for the Bombers but Thompson believed he would be right to play.

"I didn't know he came off (during the warm-up)," he said.

"He's had it five or so times during his career. He knows when it comes - it's quite painful when it happens and - he knows how to get rid of it ... but he couldn't.

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ON THE COUCH

FORMER Richmond champion Kevin Bartlett joined the boys in place of Mike Sheahan.

Carlton president Stephen Kernahan was the special guest.

The former premiership captain said his club deserved all the criticism it received after the loss to Melbourne.

"The loss to Essendon was one of our worst performances since the mid-2000s - when we were down - and the game against Melbourne ... was one we expected to win and we were poor," he said

"Our players are lacking a bit of confidence at the moment."

Jason Dunstall asked whether Kernahan had walked out of the board meeting Malthouse had presented his doubts on the club's list.

"I've never walked out of a board meeting in my life," he said.

"I've never over-rated our list. We made finals the last couple of years.

"There is hope for our supporters, Dylan Buckley won the Rising Star (nomination) after the loss to Richmond. Patrick Cripps played on the weekend, Nicky Graham, Troy Menzel will be a really good player for us."

Carlton president Stephen Kernahan talks to the media. Picture: Michael Klein Source: News Corp Australia

He was also asked when Carlton's next premiership would come.

"It gets bandied about too much, premierships," he said.

"Yeah, we got Mick Malthouse in because he was the best coach available in our eyes.

"Quite clearly we didn't get into the top four to give ourselves the best chance and at the moment we're 0-4, so things aren't great.

"When's our next premiership? We need to get over the Bulldogs on Sunday, that would be a start."

Blues powerbroker Bruce Mathieson has been a vocal critic of the club but Kernahan paid no heed.

"I haven't spoken to (Bruce Mathieson), one of my board members has," he said.

"I've got no problem with Bruce having an opinion, he's an integral part of the football club.

"I understand Bruce's philosophy is to throw the bomb in and nuke everybody, I've got no problem with that but it is a bit counter-productive to what we're trying to do down there.

"At the moment, we can only look forward to next week. I understand people want to nuke the place but at the end of the year we can do all that.

"We just need to stick fat."

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■ WITH Bartlett on the couch, Richmond came under the microscope after a disappointing loss to Collingwood on Friday night.

"The skills against Collingwood were a major concern," he said.

"The thing I've been big on for a long time is, Richmond midfielders need to kick goal. Collingwood's midfielders kicked 10 goals.

"Richmond have got some quick players but when they're in space they don't accelerate and they don't back themselves in.

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■ ON Trent Cotchin's battle with Brent Macaffer, Bartlett said it was vital the AFL looked after the star players.

"You've got to protect the good players in the game," he said.

"They can look at you but they can't touch you, they can't hold you.

"I understand a tagger has a job to do - to shut down the opposition's best player - but the game has a responsibility to protect the star player.

"The fans come to see the star players."

■ SYDNEY also came under the blow torch for their poor start to the season.

Dunstall questioned several aspects of their game.

"Their age, pace, work rate and forward structures ... I think all these things would be worrying John Longmire," he said.

"It's not just the players, I think it is some of the structures. If you look at how they were going forward. It was just awful."

"The Swans had an extra 18 inside 50s ... but they would just bomb it long and Scott Thompson stayed back.

"Nick Maxwell was best on ground a couple of weeks ago as the loose defender."

Bartlett wondered if the Swans' gameplan was finally starting to catch up with some of their stars.

"You wonder. There's been a lot of battles for a lot of their players," he said.

"On Sunday, there were conditions that in the past they would have relished with their big bodies."

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■ BARTLETT is perhaps best known recently for his role on the AFL Rules Committee.

He said the game was no longer recognisable and the AFL needed to make some big decisions about the game's direction.

"For me the big question is ... what is Australian rules football?" he said.

"Do we want a hybrid game of rugby, basketball, netball, ice hockey? I don't think we do.

"The interchange is such a critical part of the game and is changing the game so much.

"In 20-25 years time, if we don't have a point of difference people coming to the country will look at our game and say 'I don't want to play rugby, I'll play soccer'.

"It was a unique game once."

In fact, Bartlett suggested the interchange should be scraped all together.

"One of the historic things about AFL is we play on this huge oval with 36 players, so that the game is spread out," he said.

"The idea of the interchange was to replace injured players and it has insidiously crept up and crept up."

Dunstall disagreed saying he like watching the current product.

"I enjoy watching the game. I think there are a lot more elements," he said.

"I think teams are getting better at working out how to beat the press and the game is constantly changing."

■ FINALLY, the boys looked ahead to the blockbuster Easter Monday clash between Hawthorn and Geelong.

Bartlett said it was going to be one of the games of the season.

"It's going to be a great game," he said.

"In a side like Haw, imagine how dangerous they'd be with Buddy Franklin in the team."

Dunstall agreed suggesting Geelong were ready to re-start the Kennett Curse.

"Make no mistake, Geelong are building as well," he said.

"They just disposed of West Coast in clinical fashion.

"All these young players have had to earn their place. They have to make good decision and have good skills, otherwise they won't keep their spot."

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FOOTY CLASSIFIED - CHANNEL 9

CARLTON coach Mick Malthouse was the show's special guest and remained defiant despite his team's winless start to the season.

"I have the utmost faith in our footy club," he said.

"At the moment, I have every confidence I have the players all pulling in the right direction.

"All I do week in-week out is send the best players out there to win games and unfortunately you're going to lose games."

Malthouse admitted his team were lacking confidence and his leaders needed to pick up their game to drag the team out of the mire.

"I have been through periods like this before and at the end, the team does go up.

"When you lose confidence, it goes. We need to find a way to get that back.

"Maybe it's a lack of confidence in their abilities.

"It's the quietest club I've ever been at. We're a very quiet club on the ground.

One of the greatest coaches in recent history was still bullish about his club's chances this season.

"I don't think I over-rated the list. This is a good football club and a good football team," he said.

"We had shots on goal against Richmond that I believe professional players should kick.

"We dropped marks at centre half-forward that we should take. For me, that's a confidence thing.

"The players are basically devoid of confidence.

"In 1987, when I was coaching Footscray, we lost the first three games by 42 goals. The next week, we played the reigning premiers, and we won. There has never been a game that I'm not confident we can win."

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Lethal: Browny’s the most courageous

Jonathan Brown is set to play his 250th game. Picture: Marc Robertson Source: Marc Robertson / News Limited

LEIGH Matthews has described 250 game Lions warhorse Jonathan Brown as the most courageous player he has seen.

It is the ultimate compliment for the triple premiership star who was driven to put his battered body through another AFL season by the desire to "empty the tank completely" and help develop the next great Lions side and simply wants to be remembered for his loyalty to the club and as a player who "went to every contest as hard as was possible."

Owing to a series of severe facial injuries, and back, hip and knee problems as well as multiple suspensions, Brown has missed 80 of the 330 games the Lions have played since he made his debut in 2000.

At his best Brown was the most dominant and respected player in the competition and never before has a player combined such fierce attack on the footy with elite endurance.

Matthews has always said Wayne Carey was the greatest player he had seen and said although Brown was a true champion and one of the greats of his era, the horror injury toll the Lionhearted Brisbane centre-half-forward suffered in his prime meant we would never know just what he could have been.

But the man named Lethal for his brutal attack at the ball insists Brown's one legacy was beyond dispute, saying he had never seen an act of courage to rival the mark of the year in 2002, when Brown sprinted about 40m back towards goal with the flight of the ball and threw himself head first into oncoming traffic.

"The memory of Brownie will always be the absolute fearlessness, you could almost call it dumb courage, if he wants the footy he ignores all else that is on the field," he said.

"That mark, I don't think any of us have done that, Wayne Carey's trademark was leaping back with the flight into packs, but even he wasn't sprinting back 40m."

Brown was the young bull in the most brutal position in footy during the glory years when Lions went to four grand finals and won three flags in a row between 2001-03 and although he has often downplayed his contribution saying he was just a role player, Matthews has refuted that saying the premiership era would not have been achieved without him.

"The saying I believe in greatly is you can be a boy at 30 and a man at 20, he wasn't a spectator, he was a critical part of what we became," he said.

Brown simply says the injuries he copped were part of the job.

"It has been a hard road, it is a frustrating a little bit when I look back on that but I have always prided myself on playing a physical brand of footy and it was always going to come at a price," he said.

"My basic ethos is to get to as many contests as I possibly can, it has been from the start, and I guess you are going to be a bit of a battering ram when you operate on that principle."

Adding to the collision injuries, the most notable being the three complete facial rebuilds he endured between 2011 and 2012 was the fact wear and tear Brown suffered from being an elite runner who spent his early running with the midfielders and is famous for clocking a 15 plus score in the dreaded beep test — the realm of only the most elite endurance athletes.

To this day Matthews remains amazed at such running prowess from a man weighing 105kgs, and has suggested the club could have done more to save him from himself.

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Why Jamal Idris didn’t go to Tibet

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HITCHHIKING up the north coast, a backpacking odyssey to Tibet, and no mobile phone whatsoever.

It sounds like a bohemian fantasy, and for one of the NRL's most marketable stars it almost came true.

While other players were trying to keep off the weight last spring, Jamal Idris was fantasising about filling his rucksack and quitting for a year.

TITANS TO TARGET OLD BOY IDRIS

Idris considered leaving the NRL behind. Source: Getty Images

The Panthers star opened up on Monday about his emotionally turbulent off-season, which was fuelled with doubts over whether he could come back from a broken leg.

Suffered last July while he was still with the Titans, the major injury conjured some surprise demons for Idris, who is generally renowned for his laid-back approach to life.

"Footy was the only thing that made me happy and when you take that away from someone, what do they have left?" he said.

"That started stressing me out a bit because It's not the person I am, or want to be. I thought maybe I should take a break, because I didn't want footy to consume me and be my entire life.

"If it's starting to become that important, then you have to stop and think. Look at what's happened to poor Alex (McKinnon). It can all be taken away, it can all change in a split second."

Idris hotfooted back to his parents in Sydney once his commitments with the Titans were finished last September. The next six weeks were unlike any he — or any other player — will encounter again.

Idris was looking for a way out of professional sport. Source: Getty Images

Firstly, Idris ditched his phone. He'd grown tired of its constant demands clouding his headspace.

But what his free spirited soul really craved was a complete escape. The thought of going back to Robina repulsed Idris, so he began investigating exotic destinations. Selling his Varsity Lakes house and buying a campervan to drive around Australia was one option. Travelling around Europe was another.

"But when I was looking around I found Tibet was the best for me, because I just wanted to live simply," he said. "I looked right into it — visas, flights and accommodation. My mum was supportive, she thought maybe it was a good thing for me to get away."

His brother Isaac felt differently. A heart-to-heart conversation persuaded Idris not to interrupt the rare opportunity his talents had provided.

But there was still a twist in this very unique tale. Because he flew to Sydney, Idris had no wheels to get him back to the Gold Coast from a holiday with family in Forster, on the mid-NSW north coast.

IDRIS: HENRY TURNED THE TITANS

"I actually hitchhiked to Byron Bay," he revealed. "It didn't take me very long to find a ride — only about forty minutes. They were two young guys from Sydney. They did recognise me and thought it was a gee-up at first. But then when we got to Kempsey they realised I was serious."

A $250 taxi ride sufficed for the final leg of the journey, returning Idris to the holiday strip in time for pre-season training on the first week of November. He lasted two months, before the demands of full-time rehab and isolation from his family became too much.

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Ahead of Monday night's clash against the Titans, Idris stresses his gratitude to John Cartwright for allowing him to go. From the moment he arrived at Penrith in January, Idris was honest and clear about the person he is.

"There's a lot of people in football who try to make the game too serious," he said. "In essence, it's a simple game complicated by idiots.

"I'm just not the type of person who can change into that. If they want to change me, they won't win. Penrith know who I am and how to handle me.

"I'm a human being, not just a footballer."

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Titans won’t drop the ball again

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THE Titans may be sitting pretty at the top of the NRL ladder but they're not taking a finals place for granted — and with good reason.

Since the inception of compulsory grand finals in 1954, just six teams have missed the finals after leading through the first six rounds of the season.

And the last of them?

The Titans in 2008.

The club finished in 13th position that season, well outside playoff contention.

IDIRS: HENRY CHANGED TITANS

So it's understandable coach John Cartwright is taking nothing for granted.

"It's way too early to look at the ladder because there's sides that have had probably easier runs than others and home games, away games and all that sort of stuff,'' Cartwright said.

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"You don't get a good read on the competition probably until you hit the Origin period and it all changes again then, teams are losing their key players and it's a tough period in itself.

"It's nice to be where we are but there's a lot in front of us.''

Since the inception of the top eight, the Titans (2008), Cowboys (2006) and Canberra (2005) are the only teams to miss the finals after leading the competition at Round 6.

Fox Sports stats also show the Roosters (6th, 1992), Canterbury (7th, 1990) and North Sydney (5th, 1959) missed the finals after leading early in the season.

Cartwright knew it was vital the Titans maintain their winning momentum.

John Cartwright believes the Titans' attitude is having an effect on the field. Source: News Corp Australia

"You look at the sides that aren't in the eight at the moment and I'd be very surprised if they're not there at the end of the year,'' he said.

"That means that someone in the eight has to make way for them.

"It's way too early in the year to look at the table as far as where it's going to finish but you'd certainly rather be there than not.''

After missing the finals for the past three years, the Titans have been rated the surprise packet of the competition having won five of their first six to sit in outright first place.

But Cartwright, who has argued for the past two years his team has not been far off the pace, is not surprised.

TITANS TO TARGET OLD BOY IDRIS

"There's a struck match in (the competition). A lot of it is turning up with the right attitude on the day and we've been able to do that,'' he said.

"That's a lot easier to do when you're winning and we'll be tested as the year goes on.''

While captain Nate Myles and forward Mark Minichiello noted a new professionalism on their return from World Cup duties and fullback David Mead said he was simply "sick of losing'', Cartwright said there had been no huge shift in team culture.

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"The difference is we're winning some tight games,'' he said.

"In all honesty we've had a bit of luck but you've got to be there to take advantage of that luck.

"There's no one thing the side has gained, it's been a whole lot of small things and a little bit of luck comes into it as well.

"We've got some young guys who have played up on 100 games now, so they're getting towards where you're playing your best football; we've got some guys at the back end of their career that really want to go out on a high; and we've got some halves that are really gaining experience every week.

"You put all those things together and it's a bit of each, I think.''

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Johns tips Mullen for Blues role

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JARROD Mullen was hailed as "the next Joey" when arrived in first grade way back in 2004 as a teenager at Newcastle, but a decade on the real Joey has anointed the now 27-year-old as the answer to NSW's five-eighth problems in 2014.

With out-of-form Roosters five-eighth James Maloney under pressure to keep his place in the Blues team after a slow start to the year, Andrew Johns said on The Sunday Footy Show that it was time to reconsider Mullen at Origin level.

SNOWDEN SENDS CHILL THROUGH KNIGHTS

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Mullen's only Origin appearance was way back in 2007 when he was thrown into the Blues side at halfback as a 20-year-old — but after playing one game Mullen suffered an injury and he never got another crack.

While his consistency over the years has been questioned, Mullen came of age last year when he took over the Newcastle captaincy in Kurt Gidley's absence and guided the Knights to finish just one game short of the grand final.

And he looked set for another big year in 2014 before he went down with a hamstring injury at the Auckland Nines.

Jarrod Mullen has matured under Wayne Bennett at Newcastle. Source: News Corp Australia

But Mullen took no time to settle back in on Saturday when he returned for the Knights against Canberra and his ball playing and kicking game was instrumental in the Knights' 26-12 win.

Maloney's form this year has been a major worry for the Blues and it even forced NSW coach Laurie Daley to publicly declare last week that it was time for Maloney to lift his game.

Bulldogs five-eighth Josh Reynolds has also had a great start to the year and will surely come into consideration — but Mullen's great strength is his kicking game and ability to create opportunities for his outside men while he is also strong defensively.

FARAH INJURY GIVES DALEY THE BLUES

ORIGIN FARCE KEEPS SEMI FROM NSW

Johns also threw up Jarryd Hayne as a wildcard option for NSW five-eighth this year — but Johns said Mullen would be his pick to wear the number six jumper.

"I know I would be tempted to play Jarryd (Hayne) at five-eighth but (Mullen) is my five-eighth for Origin," Johns said on The Sunday Footy Show.

"He controls the game.

"When (the Knights) were leading the game his kicking game the last 15 minutes just totally controlled it."

Johns said he thinks Hayne would play fullback for the Blues this year but could also handle the five-eighth job.

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Misfiring Cowboys dazed and confused

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THE misfiring Cowboys attack is in danger of derailing their season, with coach Paul Green's new structure leaving players dazed and confused.

Despite possessing the brilliance of Johnathan Thurston, the only team the Cowboys have scored more tries than this season is last placed Cronulla.

A one-try performance against a depleted Wests Tigers on Saturday night plunged North Queensland to their fourth loss this season and 12th place on the ladder.

TIGERS ROAR AS COWBOYS COLLAPSE

The Cowboys haven't been able to get the best out of Johnathan Thurston this season. Source: Getty Images

Frustrated North Queensland and Australian Test prop James Tamou said the Cowboys were playing as if they had never trained together before.

They now face last year's grand finalists Manly Sea Eagles at fortress Brookvale on Friday night, their third game in 12 days.

Tamou said their spluttering attack against the Tigers was devoid of cohesion.

"We worked all week at training on our sets to score tries but then when we were out there it looked like we had never played with each other," he said.

"No one knew what was going on when we got down to their end.

"It was very frustrating."

The Cowboys have only scored 18 tries in six games, rendering them second last for tries scored in the NRL.

They average one try fewer per game than their eighth-placed 2013 season, despite the competition's overall try-rate increasing this year through faster play-the-balls.

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To further highlight how often Cowboys players shoot themselves in the foot, they are among the NRL's top six teams in linebreaks made.

"We are struggling to score points at the moment," Tamou said.

"It is the littlest things. We can hold them off all right.

"We do all the hard work on our line defensively. We defended three sets, penalty after penalty.

"We are talking to each other (in defence) but when we get down their end we are tanked.

"Weary passes just aren't going to the target."

Green may be new to the NRL but he has been in worse positions before.

He steered Wynnum Manly to a premiership after they opened their season with six straight losses.

The Cowboys, who are stuck in Sydney due to Cyclone Ita, have legitimate excuses for their erratic play and they are the best defensive team in the competition.

North Queensland coach Paul Green has come under fire for making wholesale changes. Source: News Corp Australia

WOODS, TAMOU IN TEST SHOWDOWN

Green was adamant even before the season started players would take time to adjust to a new spine and remodelled structure.

He has changed practically everything since arriving in Townsville following the sacking of Neil Henry.

Green has introduced Sydney Roosters' structures to their attack.

They were clearly successful in Bondi and players are confident they will be in Townsville.

The Cowboys however only have two wins from their six games.

Only three teams in the 100-plus year history of first grade rugby league have won a premiership from that start.

The last team to do so was the Sydney Roosters in 2002, which featured Green albeit for one game before injury struck.

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Blues power figures push for change

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CARLTON could start its radical club rebuild in coming weeks with coach Mick Malthouse the only key pillar left untouched by the end of 2014.

Powerbrokers agitating for change at Carlton are predicting major turnover in the days after the Easter break following Round 5.

Some key figures are overseas in the week leading into Easter, but those calling for a major clean-out held key talks again after Sunday's humbling loss to Melbourne.

It means the mood for change will only intensify in coming weeks, with growing momentum for the new look from influential club figures, powerbrokers and board members.

The Blues have already forecast more radical list changes this year, planning to turn over another 10 or more players.

Carlton president Stephen Kernahan has some big decisions to make on the future of his club. Source: News Limited

But the off-field changes could be more significant, with the potential for a new president, chief executive, recruiting boss and rejigged board.

Carlton powerbroker Bruce Mathieson is adamant a new broom must be swept through Carlton, pointing directly at CEO Greg Swann and president Stephen Kernahan.

Highly-regarded chief executive Swann, close to being poached by St Kilda on a four-year deal this summer, is under pressure given the results and lack of membership growth.

St Kilda believed it was desperately close to winning his services on a four-year deal but after enjoying rolling three-year deals at Visy Park he is now on a season-by-season contract.

The poker machines donated by Mathieson contribute millions of dollars yearly, which means his call to review the tenures of Swann and president Stephen Kernahan carries huge weight.

Kernahan is prepared to hand over the reins early should a successor be identified, with director Mark LoGiudice likely to be elevated.

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The Blues have already revamped their recruiting department, changing some interstate staff and elevating Shane Rogers.

But the Herald Sun reported this weekend after attempting to poach Geelong's Stephen Wells they would try to pursue Sydney's Kinnear Beatson or Hawthorn's Graeme Wright.

Highly-rated recruiter Luke Williams was poached last year but lasted only six months and is said to have been taken aback by the old-school methods used at the Blues.

Malthouse's position is rock solid, with football boss Andrew McKay again stating yesterday if anyone could right the ship it was wily veteran Malthouse.

Kernahan believes Malthouse, 61, would be prepared to rebuild Carlton but Swann said on Saturday any contract extension would only come at the end of the season.

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Malthouse faces key decisions on some of his veterans given the Blues will quickly turn into rebuild mode with more early-season losses.

Heath Scotland (34 in July) will retire, with Chris Judd saying this month he was still enjoying his football but unsure if he would play on next year.

Brock McLean is out of contract, Andrew Carrazzo is 30 and injury-prone, and Bryce Gibbs is still considering free agency offers.

Carlton had indicated as recently as last week to 31-year-old Jarrad Waite it would re-sign him.

But amid confusion about exactly why he was dropped it is not clear where he fits into Malthouse's plans.

Kade Simpson (30 in May) and Andrew Walker (28 next month) have re-signed after consistently strong performances.

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Buzz: Hayne v Inglis is Origin heaven

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It could be one of the greatest one-on-one duels in State of Origin history.

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Right up there with Lewis and Kenny, Langer and Stuart, Lockyer and Fittler.

When Laurie Daley names his NSW Blues team for the opening Origin game, there's every chance Parramatta Eels superstar Jarryd Hayne will be opposite the great Greg Inglis.

Does Jarryd Hayne have what it takes to match Greg Inglis? Source: News Corp Australia

A mouth-watering proposition and a colossal confrontation between two genuine NRL champions.

Hayne will be named Australia's right side centre with Inglis on the left when Tim Sheens reveals his Kangaroos outfit to play New Zealand on May 2.

ORIGIN FARCE KEEPS SEMI FROM NSW

Both play their club football at fullback but are equally at home in the centres — the same positions they played in for last year's triumphant World Cup campaign.

While Hayne and Inglis have opposed each other at fullback before, never have they come one-on-one in the frontline in club or Origin football.

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Two absolute powerhouses and remarkably similar for their strength, skill, pace and potency.

While Inglis is regarded by many as the game's premier player, Daley has enormous confidence in Hayne's ability to more than hold his own.

He has stood out in a struggling side for years while Inglis has had the benefit of playing in one of the NRL competition's most competitive clubs.

Hayne's selection in the centres will be one of the few changes to the NSW side.

Jarryd Hayne looks back to his best just in time for Origin. Source: News Corp Australia

The biggest problem facing Daley and his adviser Bob Fulton is the poor recent form of Sydney Roosters halves, Mitch Pearce and James Maloney.

Understandably they are reluctant to make changes with the half-back and five-eighth who got us so close to victory last season. Plus Pearce was there the year before when the Blues were beaten only by a Cooper Cronk field goal.

The pair again struggled on Saturday night against the Parramatta Eels.

On one occasion, Maloney threw a pass almost into touch on the full when a try was on that would have won the game for the Roosters.

The overall form of the defending premiers Roosters is a major concern for the Blues selectors.

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Second-rower Boyd Cordner will be picked on reputation alone and Roosters' Michael Jennings looks certain to lose his spot to Jarryd Hayne.

If Maloney survives the undeniable challenge from Josh Reynolds, it will be for his goal-kicking alone.

FARAH INJURY GIVES DALEY THE BLUES

No one else, outside of part-timer Greg Bird, has kicked this year.

If he misses a position in the starting line-up, Reynolds has to be the first player chosen on the bench.

While the halves are causing huge concern, the Blues have also got an issue in the hooking role if Robbie Farah does not recover in time. The experienced Michael Ennis is doing a great job at the Bulldogs but Parramatta's Nathan Peats is the form No 9 in the competition. On a positive, there is more front-row depth than ever before with skipper Paul Gallen, James Tamou, Andrew Fifita and the premiership's form prop Aaron Woods.

Nathan Peats is the competition's form No. 9. Source: Getty Images

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THE Parramatta Eels have become the feel-good story the NRL desperately needed.

Saturday night's victory over the Roosters — a 50-point turnaround in a month — confirmed this side can play finals football this year.

They've beaten the Broncos, almost beaten Manly, knocked off the Panthers and now the Roosters.

And the little man who has provided the spark is comeback half-back Chris Sandow.

EELS SHOCK ROOSTERS IN MIRACLE WIN

It so refreshing and such a pleasure to watch him play after his career appeared to be over.

The chips over the top, the regathers, the second phase runs, the beautiful passing — he's got the lot.

Victories by the Eels and the Wests Tigers sets up an Easter Monday blockbuster between the two clubs at ANZ Stadium.

This could seriously be a showpiece of footy between two clubs that love to use the football.

Two exceptionally exciting sides who have over achieved in the early rounds and play such an exciting brand of rugby league.

With the Easter Show next door, a crowd of 40,000 plus is not out of the question.

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Nathan Merritt's form this season has been a highlight. Source: News Corp Australia

HIGHLIGHT

Nathan Merritt's 145th try for the South Sydney Rabbitohs to break the club's all-time record.

This guy is not just a fabulous winger but a wonderful Indigenous role model.

HIGHLIGHT II

Chris Sandow's mighty game against the Roosters, smacking Mitch Pearce's backside in the battle of the halfbacks.

HIGHLIGHT III

Jarryd Hayne's sensational match-saving tackle on the normally unstoppable Sonny Bill Williams in the dying moments.

HIGHLIGHT IIII

Parramatta and the Roosters was an epic game of football. Put down Brad Arthur as an early candidate for the Dally M coach-of-the-year award.

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LOWLIGHT

Ben Barba's continued poor form for the Brisbane Broncos and the blunder that cost his team victory against the Titans. He still hasn't made a line-break all season.

MISSING FANS

Where are all the NRL fans in Sydney's west? On Saturday night the Wests Tigers and Cowboys attracted a pathetic 6456 fans to Campbelltown.

Penrith, despite an improved team and performances, is averaging only 10,000 at home games. I'm starting to like ANZ Stadium again.

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Hawks show Suns who’s boss

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THE gaping chasm between where the Gold Coast are and where they want to be was ruthlessly exposed by reigning premier Hawthorn at Metricon Stadium.

The ambitious Suns took the fight up to the Hawks early but the genuine star power of the flag favourites proved to be far too good, far too often as the visitors romped home in the second half to record a thumping 99-point thrashing.

HAWKS V SUNS: FULL STATS, SUPERCOACH POINTS AND MORE

When the game was briefly in the balance, it was Hawthorn's rolled-gold rockstars such as Jarryd Roughead, Cyril Rioli, Sam Mitchell and Shaun Burgoyne who put the pedal down and put the Suns fairly and squarely in their place.

Jordan Lewis crunches Gary Ablett in the first quarter. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

The four premiership points were safely in the bag by midway through the third term as the champs reminded the contenders that they still owned the competition's ultimate knockout punch.

Hawthorn kicked the last 11 goals of the match to underline its vast superiority.

Ablett cops the full "unsociable Hawks" treatment. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

Jack Gunston kicked five goals while Roughead added four as 12 Hawks players got among the goals. Mitchell finished with 35 disposals while Luke Hodge (32), Josh Gibson (31), Matthew Suckling (29) and Grant Birchall (27) also saw plenty of the Sherrin.

Gary Ablett had 36 disposals while David Swallow, Dion Prestia and Jaeger O'Meara also battled hard for the outclassed Suns.

Lewis bumps Ablett off the ball. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

It will only be matter of time before the Suns are physically and mentally capable of matching superpowers like the Hawks for four quarters.

That time has not arrived yet.

But which team in the AFL is capable of matching Hawthorn's intoxicating blend of brilliance and brutality at the moment?

Steven May makes a flying spoil against Jarryd Roughead. Picture: Darren England. Source: News Corp Australia

Hawthorn emphatically stamped its authority on the contest with an imposing second term that set up a 33-point buffer at halftime.

The Suns did not trouble the scoreboard attendant until the 16th minute of the term when Ablett produced a trademark snap for goal such was Hawthorn's swarming pressure that forced the Gold Coast into costly turnovers.

The only other joy for the home side came through veteran midfielder Michael Rischitelli who goaled after a brilliant pick-up on the run.

Graphic by Champion Data Source: Supplied

Other than those two rays of light for the Suns, it was all Hawks who put the Gold Coast to the sword with scorching speed and skill.

Hawthorn punished every Suns error to the full extent with their big names to the fore.

Their ability to force a turnover, spread and ruthlessly hit the scoreboard was too much for the Suns who battled manfully but lacked the polish of the premiers.

Graphic by Champion Data Source: Supplied

It was a physically fierce opening term that also contained flashes of attacking flair from both sides.

Only a three-goal burst from the talented trio of Roughead, Rioli and Mitchell pit some space between the teams with the Hawks enjoying a two-goal advantage at the first change.

Cyril Rioli dumps Gold Coast star David Swallow. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

Earlier in the day, Karmichael Hunt was forced out of the NEAFL match after a sickening head knock in the second quarter of the curtain-raiser against the Northern Territory Thunder.

Hunt was visibly dazed by the knock and had blood gushing out of his head. He required stitches and was sent home.

He was not required to go to hospital but his chances of earning a recall to the senior side next Sunday have all but been wiped out.

REPLAY OUR LIVE SUPER SATURDAY COVERAGE BELOW:

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Barba prepares to feel the axe

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BESIEGED Broncos fullback Ben Barba says he is letting his teammates down and is facing the prospect of being dumped to the Queensland Cup.

In an honest critique following his side's heartbreaking 12-8 loss to the Titans, Barba says he is testing Brisbane's patience after his "terrible" showing in the Queensland derby.

The big-name import had a bitter-sweet Friday night at Cbus Super Stadium.

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Barba shaped as the hero when he produced a magnificent try-saving tackle on Mark Minichiello in the 65th minute, using his foot and hand to wedge the ball millimetres above the turf.

But nine minutes later, Barba was a shattered soul.

Allowing a high kick to bounce, Barba leapt in his in-goal to defuse it, only to be stripped of possession by Aidan Sezer, who duly scored the match-winner.

Given his outstanding effort on Minichiello, Barba deserved a better finale.

But the Broncos custodian wants no sympathy after taking responsibility for the Titans' great escape.

"It was terrible," a crestfallen Barba told The Sunday Mail. "I was happy with that (Minichiello tackle), but in saying that, I have one job in particular ... and that's to be safe under the high ball.

Ben Barba has had a difficult start to his career with the Broncos. Source: Getty Images

"To be honest, I have to find something soon or I could find myself playing Queensland Cup in the next few weeks."

Barba's opening six weeks have produced a mixed bag.

His first month was solid and featured some confident plays, laying on a four-pointer for Dale Copley against his former club the Bulldogs with a pinpoint grubber in round one.

He also produced a slick inside ball for a Matt Gillett try in Brisbane's crushing 36-20 round four win over the Dragons.

But in the past fortnight, Barba's confidence has taken a hit.

He was poor against Parramatta, and made three errors in the derby – the first in the 17th minute when he grassed a Titans bomb.

On the eve of the Titans clash, Barba approached coach Anthony Griffin seeking feedback on his game.

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Griffin has assured Barba he is happy with his contributions.

But without a try or line break in six games for his new club, the 2012 Dally M Medallist is not satisfied with his output.

"Personally, I feel I'm letting these boys down," he said.

"I've got to find something because I can't keep doing this every week.

"I'm disappointed, because these boys work so hard and I'm the one letting them down.

"I need to look at myself and turn it around."

Broncos prop Ben Hannant, who played alongside Barba at the Bulldogs, said the 24-year-old needed time to settle at Red Hill.

"He'll bounce back," Hannant said.

Ben Barba weighs up his options as he runs the ball against the Titans. Source: Getty Images

"He didn't have his best night (against the Titans), but he's a top-class player and we have every bit of confidence that he will find his form.

"It's a new club, new structures, it will take time for Benny. But look out when he does find his confidence and where he needs to be."

Brisbane enforcer Josh McGuire dismissed suggestions Barba's self-belief had been eroded.

"I don't think it's a confidence thing," he said.

"I think he lost sight of it (the high kick) and I wouldn't want to be back there trying to catch it.

"Barbs is having a tough time at the moment with all the criticism but the team is behind him 100 per cent.

"We're a tight-knit group here. If one guy is having a hard time, the whole team feels it and we have to get through it as a team.

"I have full faith in Ben. He is a freakish player. It was just a freak moment and hopefully he bounces back next week."

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