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MID SEASON 2004 - Articles - Page 1

Born to be the best
When a young blonde teenager arrived at Moorabbin with the hype and fanfare the number one pick brings, the first thing noticed by fans was the uncanny comparison with a former Saint, Hall of Famer Carl Ditterich with his size and standout blonde hair. Watching the young man play his first game, old diehard supporters must have got all misty eyed as with his skill and ability, Nick Riewoldt showed he could be something special, much like the former cult figure. Taken with the #1 pick overall in the 2000 National AFL Draft, Riewoldt was hyped as to be the 'next big thing' in modern football. Orginally from Southport on Queensland's sunny Gold Coast, he was approximately fifty kilometres outside the recruiting zone of the Brisbane Lions, no doubt much to their disappointment. With this, he was selected by St Kilda and upon his arrival, was heralded as the man to lead the club into the 21st Century. After an injury hampered 2001 where he managed just eight senior appearances, Riewoldt ignited the competition in 2002 and showed he could live up to the hype. He led the AFL in marks with 178 and was a runaway winner of the National AFL Rising Star award. In what was also his first full season, Riewoldt added to his status at the club by winning the Trevor Barker medal as the Club's best in 2002. Following the end of the season, he quashed any rumours of a desire to return home and re-signed with the club.
The Article - Luca Giacobello - saints.com.au - 20Jun04

Season starts again: Hayes
St Kilda captain Lenny Hayes says the Saints' season starts again against Port Adelaide this Sunday. Despite a stunning 11-2 start to the season and a pre-season cup adorning the club's trophy cabinet, Hayes said before training at Moorabbin on Wednesday that what had been achieved up to this point 'meant nothing now'. "The last nine games and then beyond that, it's something that we've made a pretty heavy focus that we want to play well for the next nine games and see what happens from there," Hayes said. The club's 'new' season begins with one of the competitions tougher tests with St Kilda hosting Port Adelaide at Launceston's York Park. At the corresponding match in round 12 last year, the Power came away from Tasmania with a seven-goal victory . . .
The Article - Jordon Chong/Sportal - saints.com.au - 30Jun04

Veteran Saint is still top-shelf
Like a good bottle of red wine, St Kilda champion Robert Harvey seems to get better with age. He has been in the cellar at Moorabbin for 16 years and the attention has shifted from him to the newer vintages, but that shouldn't distract from what is a quality product. Once again on Friday night, Harvey showed his class with 20 possessions and a staggering 10 centre-square clearances as the Saints cruised past Hawthorn. Harvey has won just about every award there is to be won in football, including two Brownlows, four club best and fairests, eight All-Australian selections, three E. J. Whitten medals and, just three months ago, the Michael Tuck Medal for best-afield in St Kilda's Wizard Cup premiership. But he has his sights set on the big prize that has eluded him throughout his brilliant career - a premiership medallion. While reluctant to talk about grand finals and premierships down at Moorabbin, it would be a fitting reward for the 289-game veteran . . .
The Article - Jamie Berry - TheAge RealFooty - 20Jun04


The Next Big Thing
It's amazing how quickly people have jumped off St Kilda after two straight losses. But the Saints remain top of the table and are the success story of the year so far. The Saints are all but cemented in the eight, they have an extraordinary batch of talented youngsters, and, in Nick Riewoldt, probably the signature player of the AFL for the next decade. In modern football, even the best sides lose, so Grant Thomas and his coaching staff won't be overly concerned about the recent lapse. In truth, they would be cock-a-hoop arriving at the halfway stage on top, with minimal injuries and capable of making a real challenge for the flag. No matter what unfolds this year, we'll look back on 2004 as the start of a St Kilda dynasty . . .
Season likely to climax with Brisbane four-play - Mick Malthouse - TheAustralian - 18Jun04

Will G Force stay with the Saints?
Fraser Gehrig came close to walking away from football last year. Matthew Capuano's mid-year sacking by the Saints had proved the final straw for the physically robust but fragile 28-year-old. But his self-doubt and disenchantment with the game, and in particular coach Grant Thomas, is said to have evaporated, in time-honoured St Kilda fashion, at a bar in Brighton midway through the season. Thomas summoned Gehrig for a heart-to-heart and the pair sorted out their differences in a style that on the day suited both men - over a long succession of beers. Rumours of a threatened punch-up between them could not be substantiated, but there was certainly physical tension . . .
The Article - Caroline Wilson - TheAge - 25Jun04

Koschitzke out two months
St Kilda giant Justin Koschitzke will miss the next two months after dislocating his elbow at Telstra Dome on Friday night. Early hopes that Koschitzke's injury might not have been serious ended late yesterday when scans revealed a tendon had dislodged from the bone in the right elbow. Scans showed no bone damage, but revealed bone fragments from a previous injury. A surgeon will perform an examination of the elbow under anaesthetic tomorrow and will decide if Koschitzke requires an operation. Koschitzke will enter hospital today and have a pin inserted into the joint. St Kilda coach Grant Thomas learned after scans were taken that the latest problem was partly a legacy from an injury that Koschitzke suffered as an eight-year-old.
The Article - Scot Palmer - HeraldSun - 20Jun04

Saints deliver bold answers
The questions were: How long could the Hawks keep it up? And when, if at all, would the Saints click into gear after two poor displays? At half-time the answers were still forthcoming. At that stage the difference between league leaders and cellar dwellers was barely noticeable. If anything the Hawks looked a better team as they jumped out to a four-goal lead nearing the end of the first quarter . . . Captain Lenny Hayes and fellow midfielders Robert Harvey and Stephen Powell began the charge. The ball was so often in their area that Stephen Milne and Fraser Gehrig figured heavily in the demolition with five goals apiece. The scary aspect is that there was no Aaron Hamill or Matt Maguire and little contribution came from several leading players, yet the result was still so emphatic. Brent Guerra, Nick Dal Santo and Luke Ball were all held to fewer than 15 possessions . . . Trent Knobel and Jason Blake spent a combined total of 137 minutes on the ground but will have to see much less of the pine at York Park in a fortnight when they have to take care of ruck duties against the Port Adelaide big men. At Sorrento yesterday the Saints would have felt content and relieved that the juggernaut rolls on. Today the Hawks would still be wondering how it's possible to bridge the gap between them and the best.
The Article - Jackie Esptein - HeraldSun - 20Jun04

Saints swamp hapless Hawks
St Kilda has ended a two-match losing streak by defeating an initially spirited, but ultimately inadequate Hawthorn by 66 points at Telstra Dome . . . The Hawks led after the first half of the battle between first and last on the table, but were besieged and eventually battered after the major break when the Saints kicked a whopping 14 goals to three . . . The competition's leading goal kicker Fraser Gehrig also responded to two off weeks, kicking five goals on Jonathan Hay. Stephen Milne equalled his contribution, and ran his opponent Michael Osborne ragged . . .
The Article - Samantha Lane/Sportal - saints.com.au - 18Jun04
Gehrig goes marching in . . . - Damian Barrett - HeraldSun - 19Jun04

Win the ideal tonic: Thomas
Thomas said it was important for the belief and confidence of the playing group to have notched up a win against the Hawks which the Saints did in emphatic style by 66 points on Friday night. "It was obviously a very important game for the club to have a win prior to the break. As much as anything, to come back after the break with a win under our belts - I think is a good tonic," Thomas said. Thomas said after the Saints made some 'horrendous' errors in the first quarter, he was pleased with the perseverance shown by his players. "To our credit, the guys just got stronger belief as the game went on," Thomas told his post-match media conference. "Whether it's a close game or, in the end, a good, strong win, it's pretty much irrelevant from our perspective. We just needed to get that win on the board today and keep a little bit of momentum going. It's just a very important game for the club."
The Article - Matt Burgan/Sportal - saints.com.au - 19Jun04

Honour Stewart
St Kilda and Richmond have joined forces to acknowledge one of the AFL's greatest footballers, Ian Stewart. The 44 players who represent the two clubs in next month's Round 16 match at Telstra Dome will compete for the inaugural Ian Stewart Medal, to be awarded to the best player afield. The medal, named after the only footballer to win Brownlow medals and a premiership at two clubs, will be presented when the Saints and the Tigers meet for the first time each season . . . The Ian Stewart Medal is the brainchild of Ian "Molly" Meldrum, who marvelled at Stewart's silky skills as a St Kilda cheer squad member in the 1960s. "When you look at Ian Stewart's record, it's almost Bradmanesque," Meldrum said. "But he probably hasn't got the recognition he deserves in recent years." Meldrum convinced an initially reluctant Stewart to agree to the suggestion and then approached the St Kilda and Richmond about honouring the three-time Brownlow medallist and AFL Hall of Fame Legend. "To be honest, I had to talk him into it because he likes to keep a low profile these days," Meldrum said. Stewart said yesterday he was humbled by the honour, but was at first reluctant to step back into the spotlight. "It did concern me a bit at first, but the honour of the award outweighs everything else," he said. "I've got so many great memories from both clubs. They both possessed outstanding people on and off the field and I think that's why they had success at the time. The clubs meant so much to me for a significant part of my early life that this (the medal) is a great honour. I really do appreciate it."
The Article - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 20Jun04

Code of silence under fire
Years of dishonesty under the "code of silence" has cost players credibility and the tribunal no longer has faith in their evidence, according to a 12-year member of the AFL's judiciary. Professor David Shilbury sat in judgment on AFL players from 1992-2003. Speaking for the first time since standing down at the start of the year, Professor Shilbury said the tribunal had heard so many lies from players that it no longer believed them. He said it was ridiculous that players and clubs constantly complained about decisions when they refused to tell the truth. "What players say falls into the code of silence," Shilbury said. "The video has made it much harder these days but there are numerous cases where the player who has been hit has been reluctant to share what he really believes has happened. We've listened to players tell us what clearly happened on the video did not happen" . . . "It's hard to ask the tribunal to place the credibility on that sort of evidence above the umpire or the video when it's accepted that players won't say what has happened." Professor Shilbury's explosive comments follow AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson's announcement that the league will conduct a review of the tribunal at the end of the season. Already there have been calls for tribunals to be established in each State, lawyers to be allowed to defend players and set penalties to be introduced."
The Article - Craig O'Donoghue - West Australian - 26Jun04

Doc greatest Tassie great
The magical skills and dazzling footwork of Darrel Baldock have long been admired by footy fans. Captain marvel: Darrel Baldock leads the Tassie team out in part of this original painting by Jamie Cooper. Now the "Doc" has been officially proclaimed Tasmania's greatest player by being named captain of its Team of the Century. Rivals for the honour were triple Brownlow medallist Ian Stewart, legendary full-forward Peter Hudson, dual premiership captain Royce Hart and high-flying Swan Laurie Nash. St Kilda has six players in the team, announced in Hobart last night, Richmond four and Melbourne, Hawthorn, Carlton, South Melbourne-Sydney and Fitzroy-Brisbane three each . . .
The Article - James Bresnehan - HeraldSun - 26Jun04
Our 'Doc' handed Team of Century captaincy - Mark Williams - TheAdvocate - 26Jun04

Leave the Brownlow alone
The Brownlow Medal is football's ultimate individual award. Many have called for changes to the voting system since it was first awarded in 1924, especially as some superstars have missed out on their place in history. But even though it must be difficult for the field umpires to adjudicate on the match and pick the best three players, I believe the Brownlow should stay as it is. This year it will again go to a worthy champion and, if I'm any judge, there would be two leaders as we head into the second half of the year: Paul Hasleby and Brendan Fevola, who is now ineligible. The only reason I feel I may be in any position to make such a call is that I've seen every game played this year.
The Article - Terry allace - HeraldSun - 23Jun04

Footballers accused over school fast food promotion
AFL footballers have been accused of helping to promote McDonald's fast food to children in Victorian secondary schools. Footballers involved in a McDonald's-sponsored motivational campaign have been discussing their goals and lifestyles with high school students, and at the same time some have mentioned the company's salad menu. McDonald's and other fast food providers are currently at the centre of a debate over the causes of rising levels of childhood obesity. The Australian Education Union's Victorian president Mary Bluett said McDonald's should not include product promotion in the motivational package.
The Article - ABC Sport - 24Jun04