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2nd Semi Final
Pre-Game Articles

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Results and Post-Match Articles

Saints make early call on Hamill
St Kilda will have to confront its MCG bogy without Aaron Hamill after the inspirational forward was ruled out of Friday night's final against Sydney with a knee injury. Hamill sat out last Friday night's mauling in Brisbane after slightly straining a posterior cruciate ligament in the round-22 match against Fremantle. He barely participated in training yesterday and St Kilda coach Grant Thomas said Hamill would not be considered for this week's sudden-death final against the Swans.
The Article - Peter Ker - TheAge - 08Sept04

Thomas forecasts changes
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas has forecast several changes to the side for Friday night's knockout semi-final against Sydney at the MCG despite former skipper Aaron Hamill still not being ready to return from his knee injury. A tough-talking Thomas said several Saints' players had forfeited their right to be in the side for what will be the Saints' first final in Melbourne for six years - following last week's meek 80-point capitulation to Brisbane in the qualifying final at the Gabba.
The Article - Paul Gough/Sportal - saints.com.au - 07Sept04
Injured Hamill ruled out - Michael Stevens - HeraldSun - 08Sept04
Injured Davis Out - Jessica Halloran - SydneyMorningHerald - 09Sept04

Gehrig OK, Hamill not
There was mixed news for St Kilda on Tuesday with Coleman medallist Fraser Gehrig striding out fully during an afternoon training session at the MCG, but Aaron Hamill again ruled out of the side . . . Hamill suffered a slightly strained posterior cruciate ligament in round 22, missed the trip to the Gabba, and according to coach Grant Thomas, will miss again this week. Thomas said that those in contention to be recalled to the side this week include Steven Milne, Steven Powell, Sam Fisher and Justin Peckett.
The Article - Paul Gough/Sportal - saints.com.au - 07Sept04

Hamill doesn't have a prayer
. . . St Kilda coach Grant Thomas said Hamill had not recovered sufficiently from a knee injury to "represent the club in the way it needs to be represented this week". Those words were an obvious reference to the Saints' insipid performance at the Gabba and their need to improve against the Swans if they are to salvage a season that started with so much promise. While Hamill will not return, Thomas said there could still be several changes to the St Kilda line-up with goalsneak Stephen Milne, midfielder Stephen Powell and veteran defender Justin Peckett in line for a recall . . . While there has been much talk of how the AFL's finals agreement with the MCG has robbed Brisbane of a home preliminary final, it has also meant there was no chance St Kilda could play this match under the roof at the Telstra Dome, where the Saints have been undefeated in 13 matches this season. By contrast, at the windswept MCG, the Saints have lost their two matches to the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne. "We've got a great record at our home ground [Telstra Dome] and we don't hide from that," Thomas said. "But the guys love playing here, they enjoy it and we're looking to improve our record at other venues." Friday night's final will be a strange occasion for St Kilda captain Lenny Hayes, who grew up in Pennant Hills barracking for the Swans. However, the desperation to atone for a miserable performance now easily overrides any lasting schoolboy sentiment. "Obviously after last week all the players will be out there to redeem themselves and I'm not different," Hayes said. "So it wouldn't matter who we played this week."
The Article - Richard Hinds - SydneyMorningHerald - 08Sept04

Brilliantly simple defence frees big Lion from tribunal's jaws
This was not so much a tribunal as an IQ test. Take Jonathan Brown for example. Here is one of the best footballers in the land just two matches away from possibly making modern football history. He is one of the grisly keys to Brisbane winning four premierships in a row. Yet in a match against St Kilda last Friday night he wrapped his right arm around the neck of St Kilda's Jason Blake and pulled him to the ground, only releasing his grip once Blake was planted on the turf. This was dumb. This sort of thing does not make for a good IQ score. Such is Brown's recent record at the tribunal - he has appeared four times before the tribunal in 12 months - he fronted the chairman Brian Collis in handcuffs and leg chains. He sat in a small bullet-proof cage to the side of the room. Inside the cage a security guard nervously trained a bazooka on him.
The Article - Patrick Smith - TheAustralian - 08Sept04

Swans sticking to game plan
A savage onslaught softened up St Kilda last week, but Swans coach Paul Roos isn't planning any strong-arm intimidation tactics for Friday night's semi-final at the MCG. "I don't think there is any false bravado or any underhanded-type tactics, and that's the way our team plays their best footy," Roos said yesterday. "Sometimes you are dictated to by the opposition. St Kilda will come out hard and physical, but we're about going after the footy and making tackles when we have to." While Sydney demonstrated its physical attack on the ball, it did not batter its opponents in the brutal fashion of preliminary finalists Brisbane Lions and Port Adelaide. But captain Stuart Maxfield said yesterday he expected both sides to make an early statement through controlled aggression.
The Article - Nikki Tugwell - HeraldSun - 07Sept04

Guerra, Murray in the clear
Better news for St Kilda emerged on Monday with news that Allan Murray and Brent Guerra will not have to front the tribunal, after AFL video reports officer Ian Robinson cleared the duo on two separate incidents from last Friday's night's second qualifying final against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. The St Kilda pair will be eligible for Friday night's second semi-final against Sydney at the MCG on Friday night.
The Article - Matt Burgan/Sportal - saints.com.au - 06Sept04
Summary Of GT from On The Couch - Saintsational Fan Forum

Aussie returns to elite field
As much as this year's AFL All-Australian team represents a massive changing of the guard with 12 players named for the first time, the side also is significant for its older inclusions. The most prominent of those is St Kilda's Austinn Jones, 27, who has been notable for his absence since he was first named in 1997. Selector Gerard Healy says Jones' inclusion on a half-back flank represents a cornerstone in the Saint's 202-game career. "I can remember the day when Aussie first got picked," Healy said. "He was heading towards a Grand Final and at the time I thought to myself he appeared to take the honour with a grain of salt."
The Article - Michael Stevens - HeraldSun - 08Sept04

Don't write us off, says Hamill
But the Saints believe they have the resolve and talent to rebound and gain a berth in a preliminary final against Port Adelaide. "I have no doubt," St Kilda forward Aaron Hamill said on Channel 9 yesterday. "You don't win 16 games without playing really good footy, and that's what we've played, especially our first 10 weeks, and that seems like a long time ago. We're not playing our best footy, there is no doubt about that, but I'm sure we can bounce back and play the footy that we all know we can play."
The Article - Grantley Bernard - HeraldSun - 06Sept04

Finals injury list
Fraser Gehrig Thigh
"He still appears to be limited with his left thigh. He has been carrying that for a couple of weeks with his kicking leg."
"I don't expect he would be in doubt in any way (to play), but he will be below his best."
Justin Koschitzke Heel
"He's still reported to be playing with painkilling injections for his heel and he's limited in his mobility."
"He will again require treatment and injections.
Max Hudghton Ankle
"He was visibly limping after the game and favouring his lower shin or ankle area.
"He's certainly sore in lots of places and not at his best."
Robert Harvey Hamstring
"He was played off the bench (on Friday night) coming back from his hamstring.
"You would have to say he was probably still a little restricted."
Aaron Hamill Knee
"In ideal circumstances he would be having another week off because of his posterior cruciate injury.
"He's a likely starter, but he will not be fully recovered."
The Article - Dr Peter Larkins - HeraldSun - 06Sept04

Nightmarish Leo Barry set for Gehrig
He has kicked 92 goals this season, but St Kilda's Coleman medallist Fraser Gehrig meets his acrobatic nemesis Leo Barry in Friday night's semi-final against the Swans. Barry kept Gehrig kickless in Round 11 at the SCG, when Sydney put an end to St Kilda's unbeaten run. Gehrig tends to out-position defenders who play from behind by using his rump. But the elasticity and hand-eye co-ordination of Barry allowed him to spoil what would usually have been Gehrig chest marks. Barry then was superior at ground level and had too much dash for him.
The Article - Nikki Tugwell - HeraldSun - 06Sept04

Hamill hopeful on knee
St Kilda's Aaron Hamill says he is aiming to be available for the semi-final clash against Sydney at the MCG next weekend after he missed the Saints 80-point loss to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba with a knee injury. Hamill, who has also had hamstring and hip problems this year, was optimistic he could resume in the second week of the finals series. "I'm a good chance. Hopefully I'll start running Wednesday or Thursday and see how I go. It's sort of a day-by-day thing with it," Hamill told Channel 9 on Sunday morning. Hamill said the side had to be 'super positive' after the club's heaviest loss in a finals match. St Kilda has played 36 finals since its first in 1907.
The Article - Matt Burgan/Sportal - saints.com.au - 05Sept04

Injuries: Thigh injury hurts Gehrig's run
St Kilda forward Fraser Gehrig will have to play hurt again this week in a bid to keep the Saints' premiership dream alive. Sports physician Dr Peter Larkins said Gehrig could expect deterioration, rather than improvement, to his damaged left thigh. Larkins said the Coleman medallist would again require a light training week to be ready for Friday night's semi-final against Sydney. "I still think he'll be in the same situation this week. St Kilda would have loved a week off, and they haven't got the luxury of that," Larkins said.
The Article - Bruce Matthews - HeraldSun - 06Sept04

Swans have eyes on prize
Asked if he thought St Kilda was distracted by being sucked into a push and shove by the Brisbane Lions, Roos wasn't sure. "Every team is a bit different and every coach is a bit different in terms of their philosophies about tactics," he said. "I think Brisbane's most intimidating factor is they are hard at the footy."
The Article - Paul Carter, Jessica Halloran - TheAge - 07Sept04

Roos tips a Sydney hat-trick
While badly beaten St Kilda are trying to restore their battered self-esteem ahead of Friday's knockout semi-final clash with Sydney, the Swans will go into the match full of self-belief after an emphatic win over West Coast. The Saints' forward line can be their real strength: injured forward Aaron Hamill (knee) is a self-labelled "good chance" to play, Fraser Gehrig, the leading AFL goalkicker this season, will be there, as will the talented Nick Riewoldt. Swans assistant coach John Longmire said the side was still wary of St Kilda's forward power. "If you look at some of the games that St Kilda have won, they've had some very big victories, they are capable of kicking some very big scores, they've got a very talented midfield and a super forward line. So you've got to make sure they don't get too much supply," Longmire said. Defender Nicks also pointed to the Saints' goal-kicking power. "If they are playing footy like they have most of this year, then they are really hard to stop," Nicks said. "We watched the Brisbane game; you really can't go by that. Brisbane came out and really put the heat on them."
The Article - Jessica Halloran - SydneyMorningHerald - 06Sept04

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