There has been some talk of late about the AFL lowering the number of matches required for father-son eligibility from 100 to 50 (as was the case before 2003), or even lower. One man who can relate to those both for and against a change is Andrew Bews. The gutsy and speedy Bews played played 207 games for Geelong before 75 at Brisbane (Bears and Lions.) His son Jed has been a regular in the Cats side this year after being taken as a father-son selection at the end of 2011. "If it had have stayed at 50, my boy would've had a choice of two clubs, so it would have been a nightmare to be honest!" Bews snr told Pssst. While he wouldn't be overly fussed if it dropped again to 50, Andrew thinks that 100 is about right. "I see pros and cons, but I have no issue with it being 100 ... 100 makes it a little bit more meaningful for the punters." As for Jed's form with the Cats, Andrew is quietly pleased. "He's improving, His graph's moving the right way. I know it took me 50 games until I played a decent one, and he's played some more than serviceable games," he said.

Manager wars

Not only do AFL player agents have to negotiate deals for those currently under their management, they must also be fostering relationships with the next batch of draftees. With the under-18 championships on in earnest, it makes now a busy time of year, and there is no love lost between some competing managers. One manager Pssst spoke to recently was very keen to have a crack at a relatively new agent on the scene, who was labelled a "miserable" bloke who families would not enjoy welcoming to their dining rooms.

Robbo rocks

Former Melbourne livewire Russell Robertson remains a fan favourite at the Demons in his role as the club's development manager. A group of Dees supporters joined "Robbo'' for the trip to Alice Springs last weekend to watch Melbourne's game against Port Adelaide. Ever the showman, Robertson displayed his well-publicised musical talent to all those at the local casino's restaurant bar, getting behind the mic (and guitar) on match eve. The Power ended up winning that match comfortably, but there were plenty of locals miffed when small forward Jake Neade - who hails from nearby Elliott - wasn't selected for the encounter.

Full of bounce

There's been plenty of debate over the tradition of the centre bounce, and whether it is still needed as umpires struggle from time to time in getting it right. Nathan Buckley, however, remains a fan. Said the Collingwood coach: "I don't mind it at centre bounce, in particular, but I think the biggest argument is, does that discount really good decision-making umpires from being at the level because they struggle to get that one skill right? With three umpires on the ground, I think you can work around that - just get your best bouncer doing the bounces."

Knight rider

Life as an AFL coach can be a torrid business, as we have seen with Mick Malthouse's departure. One man who also knows all about this is Matthew Knights, who was dumped as Essendon coach in 2010 with two years left on his contract. The Bombers would then go and get what was dubbed their dream team of James Hird and Mark Thompson. Knights has since impressed at Geelong as its VFL coach and as an assistant to Chris Scott. Despite the turmoil of that time, Knights says he still would like the chance to again be a senior coach. "I certainly would consider it," he said. Speaking of Malthouse, there's talk he will sign a lucrative contract with Fox Footy.

Wristy business

That former Australian batsman Dean Jones erred in asking West Indian spearhead Curtly Ambrose to remove his white wristbands while bowling with the white ball in the first final of the 1992-93 one-day international series at the SCG is now a story of lore - the "infamous wristband incident" as Ambrose referred to it in his autobiography, Time to Talk. Ambrose had endured a most difficult summer to that point - the finals were oddly held during a break in a Test series in which Australia led 1-0 with two Tests remaining - but Jones' request had so infuriated Ambrose that he "seriously wanted to knock Dean Jones out with the ball". After steaming in for a few deliveries upon reluctantly agreeing to remove his wristbands, Ambrose has now revealed Jones realised he had made a mistake."What many people don't know is that when he was standing at the non-striker's end, maybe an over after he made his request, he said something to me while I was walking back to my mark. He spoke to me quietly, almost in a whisper, that if I wanted to put my wristbands back on he would not have a problem. He realised what was happening but by then it was too late to put the lion back to sleep. I thought 'you've made your bed, brother; you're in some serious trouble now'. I finished with five for 32 and we won the game quite easily. I understand his team were not too happy with him and rightly so. I should have thanked him for motivating me." Ambrose would go and play a key role in the tourists winning the final two Tests, denying Australian captain Allan Border of his final chance to topple the world champions. Ambrose is now the Windies' bowling coach in the ongoing series against Michael Clarke's men.

Earth mover

"The earth shook - what a catch!" was how David "Bumble" Lloyd described the memorable slips catch by portly Bermuda cricketer Dwayne Leverock to dismiss Indian opener Robin Uthappa during the (never-ending) 2007 World Cup. Leverock's former teammate David Hemp, who has taken over as the coach of the Victorian women's team, VicSpirit, recalled the moment during a chat with Age cricket reporter Jesse Hogan. Hemp was at square leg at the time. "It was an incredible catch - and not just the catch. The reaction of him. It was quite comical because you had the bowler break down, obviously the emotion of  the whole first ball, [the] wicket, reaction of Dwayne, in terms of running off - half of the team following him ... I remember saying to the umpire, what do you reckon I should do? That was Bermuda cricket - very passionate."

Tune in

Stay tuned for developments in discussions over a new AFL broadcast rights agreement. Channel Seven chief Tim Worner was recently spotted having lunch with AFL boss Gillon McLachlan. While there was nothing unusual in McLachlan meeting TV heavies, the midyear mark was expected to prompt more intense conversations, as the AFL searches for a deal it hopes will reap $1.7 billion.

THE WATCHMAN

1 minute to midnight for... one-sided commentating.

At least, according to Richmond supporters. Tigers fans, still euphoric after Richmond's shock win over Fremantle in Perth, were furious on Saturday at the Channel 7 commentary team, who at times made it sound as though Nat Fyfe was giving the Tigers a lesson by himself despite the Dockers being behind by as much as 49 points.

LOCAL HERO

Fairfax soccer writer Dominic Bossi says Canadians have gone mad over soccer's Women's World Cup which begins today in Edmonton, with the ice-hockey-mad country – or at least the fans in Winnipeg where Australia's first two games will be held – even foregoing news on the Stanley Cup finals in its favour. The Matildas will be a contender with a team built on the disappointment of a round of 16 exit four years ago. They will get their chance on the world stage when they play their opening game against powerhouse USA on Tuesday.

NUMBERS UP

4 days after being elected for a fifth term as FIFA president, Sepp Blatter finally took the hint from the rest of the world and stood down amid the widening corruption scandal.

2,000,000 people will be on the lookout for Daniel Geale for putting a dampener on New York's annual Puerto Rican Day parade if the Australian beats WBC middleweight champion and Puerto Rico hero Miguel Cotto in Brooklyn on Sunday.

Got a tip? Contact Daniel Cherny or Jon Pierik. Twitter: @danielcherny or @pierik_agesport