SYDNEY chairman Richard Colless believes that while Australian football has made significant inroads, the AFL is still "a long way from being in a position to have a second team in Sydney".

Colless was responding to comments by AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, who vowed to establish a club on the Gold Coast even should the Kangaroos decide against relocating, but also spoke of an 18th licence for a second Sydney club beyond 2010.

"In fairness to Andrew, I didn't hear what he had to say, but I'd be absolutely staggered if he was talking about a second team in Sydney by 2010," Colless said.

"What we are concerned about — and I think any thinking person would be, and I put the AFL in this category — is relocating a team or starting a team would require massive capital injection, then competing with the Swans in what is still a pretty modest market, and ending up with two financially challenged clubs. That's the essence of the issue.

"I think the best test for me was when the Swans played Collingwood, I think in the first final, and we went head-to-head (on television) with rugby league and we just got smashed."

■Ashley Sampi will pull on a red and blue training singlet on Monday after an invitation from Melbourne to train with the club in an attempt to restart his AFL career.

With the Demons' long history of artistic forwards, Sampi could just be the best small forward in the game if he wasn't habitually overweight. Instead, at 23, he was released by West Coast earlier this week.

Melbourne has not committed to a contract or even the promise of an offer. If he is in the national draft, Sampi may be claimed before Melbourne gets the opportunity to call his name and the Demons have to hope that he first gets by Richmond and Carlton if he is in the pre-season draft.

Before that, new coach Dean Bailey will want to see a commitment from Sampi to shed about six kilograms.

"The plan is for him to start training with us Monday," Melbourne list and recruiting manager Craig Cameron said. "We've left the time of his stay with us open-ended. It will be however long it takes us to assess him and him to assess us but the best way we thought for both of us to do that is to get him to train."

■Former Essendon and Geelong ruckman John Barnes has been appointed ruck and stoppage coach with the Western Bulldogs.