Preliminary Final Pre-Game Articles - Page 2
Dal Santo: Port holds no fear
Saints midfielder Nick Dal Santo says a trip to AAMI Stadium holds no fear. Ready to face minor premier Port Adelaide in the preliminary final on Friday night, Dal Santo believes a fine record at the ground this season will hold the team in good stead. St Kilda has not beaten Port at AAMI Stadium since 1997. The Saints have not defeated Power since 2000, losing their past six games against Mark Williams's team. "We've had two wins there this year, which has been terrific," he said.
The Article - Jackie Epstein - HeraldSun - 12Sept04
This time, Thomas gets job done
A week is a long time in football. Just seven days ago, St Kilda coach Grant Thomas was an angry man. The talented, young team he is responsible for failed in its first final under his stewardship. Thomas had selected poorly and managed even worse during the game at the Gabba against Brisbane Lions. I sense he knew he hadn't done a good job, but he really struggled to cope with any criticism of his performance. He was bullying and bombastic behind the scenes to several people in the media. And he wasn't happy with me. He felt I was selective in my reporting; I told him I called it as I saw it. This weekend, after the Saints beat the Swans, the public has seen the quiet, humble, winning coach's persona. It's a nice look. I trust the coach is a lot happier. He should be, because he selected and coached extremely well against Sydney. The major difference between week one and week two of the finals were:
The Article - Robert Walls - TheAge - 14Sept04
Hamill still in doubt
St Kilda's Aaron Hamill remains in some doubt to take the field for Friday night's preliminary final against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. Hamill has a strained posterior cruciate in his left knee and has missed the club's two finals. He sustained the injury in the round 22 win over Fremantle at Telstra Dome. While St Kilda's medical staff regards the injury as still requiring another week, the 27-year-old may still play if he pulls up from the club's main training session of the week on Tuesday without incident.
The Article - Sportal - saints.com.au - 14Sept04
Saints regain their swagger
St Kilda defender Max Hudghton is clear to take on All-Australian centre half-forward Warren Tredrea next week despite an injury scare during Friday's semi-final. Hudghton left the ground after being struck on the right elbow in the third quarter during a marking collision, but returned to play out the game. After the effective blanketing job on Barry Hall he looms as the favourite to take on Tredrea on Friday night. "I just got a whack on the elbow, but it's no worries. It's fine now," he said.
The Article - Angus Morgan/Sportal - saints.com.au - 11thSept04
Relaxed Hudghton coy on Power match-up - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 12Sept04
Honesty opens way for revival
Thompson said a particularly honest meeting set the platform to focus solely on the contest against Sydney rather than worry about what had been the week before. "We had a really good team meeting the day after the game and spoke about the players' feelings. It just seemed to be that everyone was nervous. Even myself. I hadn't played a final for seven years so I was nervous," he said. "We spoke about that and really put it to bed. We were really embarrassed about Brisbane, but we managed to put it behind us and just focus on Sydney. There weren't any positives out of last week's game, so it was a credit to the group that we managed to bounce back the way we did and show the football world we can still play hard, aggressive football like we did at the start of the year."
The Article - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 12Sept04
It's showtime for pumped Pickett
. . . Pickett knows how intense the build-up can be, having been part of the Kangaroos' 1999 premiership-winning team. "I haven't really spoken about the Grand Final," he said. "When I first got here they asked about it and I told them it's what you play for. I think the first one is always a special one. It would be special here because I've played footy with most of the boys as a junior at Lincoln. It's hard not to think about it" . . . "Last week, before the game, the boys were pretty pumped and it ended up going well . . . Hopefully, we'll have the same attitude this week."
The Article - Jackie Epstein - HeraldSun - 12Sept04
Jones: We can get it right on the day - Trevor Grant - HeraldSun - 13Sept04
Thomas to play it straight
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas yesterday ruled out mind games in an effort to unsettle Port Adelaide ahead of Friday's preliminary final at AAMI Stadium. "I've rarely seen mind games work. The only mind game I know is to run in a straight line and keep your head over the ball and that generally works," Thomas said on 3AW yesterday. "I think we can be very subjective and opinionated in relation to situations and I think it suits us to sort of kick some people when they've been down and all the rest of it. That's a little bit of our behaviour in this country." Despite its solid qualifying final win against Geelong last weekend, Port Adelaide's poor record in September - three wins from 10 finals - leaves it susceptible to claims that it struggles under pressure.
The Article - Lyall Johnson, Stathi Paxinos - TheAge - 12Sept04
Punters' paradise: Cats, Saints still rough - Michael Manley - HeraldSun - 13thSept04
Sportal Betting Zone- www.bettingzone.com.au - 12thSept04
Training test for Hamill
Injured St Kilda star Aaron Hamill must complete training tomorrow to regain his place in the Saints' side for Friday night's showdown against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. Hamill has missed St Kilda's finals against the Brisbane Lions and Sydney after straining the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in round 22, and Saints coach Grant Thomas has said Hamill will not play in the club's bid for a grand final berth if he does not make it through tomorrow's training session. The former club captain and ex-Carlton player was one of the few Saints to have experienced finals before this year's campaign, but the injury has not yet let him make his presence felt in September. The Saints had no fresh injury concerns out of their semi-final victory over Sydney.
The Article - Melissa Ryan - TheAge - 13thSept04
Would you risk Hamill? - Saintsational Fan Forum
Dilemma over fitness of Hamill - Mark Stevens - HeraldSun - 13thSept04
Finals medical room - Dr Peter Larkins - HeraldSun - 13Sept04
Crunch time for Cats, Saints - Rohan Connolly - TheAge - 13Sept04
Thomas has his eyes on the prize
Harvey celebrates his 300th game against Port Adelaide on Friday and Coleman medallist Gehrig needs only two goals to notch his first century of goals, but there will be no fanfare. Thomas said both players were interested only in a victory that would launch St Kilda into its first Grand Final since 1997 . . . "'Harves' is a very humble guy who doesn't necessarily like the attention. The only way we can recognise his outstanding performance over 17 years is give him a win. We won't be going for any big focus on him or any speeches from anyone or anything like that." Gehrig's six goals on Friday against Sydney mean his first 100-goal season seems a formality, but Thomas said the famously relaxed spearhead cared even less than Harvey. "'Harves' is not the slightest bit interested in personal accolades, and if he is not the slightest bit interested, 'Frase' . . . just couldn't give a continental," Thomas told Radio 3AW.
The Article - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 11Sept04
Plenty of fight in St Kilda - Mark Stevens - TheAustralian - 11Sept04
Let the mind games begin - Paul Gough/Sportal - saints.com.au - 10Sept04
Blake predicts Saints are a big chance
Fresh from conquering Adam Goodes and Sydney, St Kilda's Jason Blake predicts his side has the belief and talent to win the premiership. Blake emerged from a week in the spotlight as Jonathan Brown's "rough-play victim" to fill a key role in stifling Goodes in the Saints' 51-point over Sydney on Friday night. Brisbane might have belted St Kilda only nine days ago, but Blake said the young side had the mental toughness to not only trump Port Adelaide, but go a step further. To advance to the Grand Final, the Saints would have to break a Power hoodoo dating to Round 11 of 2000, with Port Adelaide having won the past five encounters by an average of 57 points.
The Article - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 12Sept04
Young Saints respond to new directions
Grant Thomas is admired as a leader of young men, but his bona fides as an astute tactician have repeatedly been called into question. On the night his young St Kilda side faced and overcame its judgment day, we might have also seen the Saints' brains trust pass its sternest test. Becoming competitive again after the mother of all hidings at the hands of Brisbane was one thing, but a performance of Friday's magnitude was another achievement altogether.
The Article - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 12Sept04
Harvey: Never a half measure
Robert Harvey was still at high school when he ran on for his first game for St Kilda at 16. On preliminary final day, he joins the distinguished group to play 300 games. Robert Harvey has played in a Grand Final and in a wooden spoon outfit, yet the midfield star said he did not have any regrets about his awesome playing career. Sure, Harvey would consider changing the last hour of the Grand Final day in 1997 when Adelaide came from behind to snatch the premiership. But St Kilda had its chance, he said. On the day the team simply was not good enough to take it. "I've thought about that game a lot," he said yesterday after the club's recovery session. "I don't know if we could have done anything differently. You only get one chance and, as the game went on, we simply fell away."
The Article - Ken Piesse - HeraldSun - 12Sept04
Former AFL head Jackson slams 'unreasonable' MCG
Former AFL head Wayne Jackson has hit out at the management of the Melbourne Cricket Ground for refusing to allow non-Victorian teams to play their preliminary finals in their home states. Speaking to the ABC's AM program, Jackson described the situation as a "terrible inequity" and accused MCG management of being "inflexible, unreasonable, parochial, [and] narrow-minded". The Brisbane Lions will be forced to travel to the MCG this weekend for their 'home' preliminary final against Geelong, because of contractual agreements between ground management and the AFL. "There is a great inequity in the preliminary final issue, where non-Victorian teams often have to come to Melbourne to play a preliminary final, when they've earned the right to play at home," Jackson said
The Article - ABC Sport - 13Sept04
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