Round 1 PreGame Articles
Sat 27 March: St Kilda vs. Geelong - Telstra Dome - 7:15pm (AEST)
Cats have point to prove, but Saints to prevail
Two weeks ago, when the Saints were presented with the Wizard Cup, it was a glum-faced Thomas who stood on the victory dais. Popular opinion said the Saints were trying to keep the lid on things. But I'm not so sure. I think Thomas was genuinely disappointed with the way his team had played. For three quarters, the Saints were very ordinary. It was only in the last quarter when they kicked five goals to none that they looked OK . . . For Geelong to win, changes since a fortnight ago need to happen. The Cats need to kick more than 11 goals and they need their midfield to help out. Ling, David Spriggs, Gary Ablett, James Bartel, Paul Chapman and Joel Corey contributed only one goal out of 11. It's not enough . . . So the time has come for the Cats to put up and shut up. The resolve from both sides should be strong. But the talent of the Saints is much superior.
The Article - Robert Walls - TheAge - 27Mar04
Milne tested in verbal gauntlet
. . . Hudghton - whose stint on the sidelines with a shoulder injury could stretch beyond the initial six-week diagnosis because of slow recovery - will sit with the coaches at tonight's match. He said the match could be a battle of attrition if played with the same intensity as the Wizard Cup final two weeks ago. "You've got a longer version of the game - 20 minutes plus time-on now - so there's going to be a bit more fatigue," he said. The 27-year-old said there had been good signs around the club this week. "We had a really good week last week training on the track, that's probably the best gauge - how the guys are vocally," he said. "We are just going to go out and provide a good, hard, tough contest and hit Geelong in exactly the same way we hit them each time, with 100 per cent effort" . . .
The Article - Peter Ker - TheAge - 27Mar04
Rex's Rant - St Kilda v Geelong
Same venue, same conditions and similar crowd will see the Saints achieve the same result as a fortnight ago. They dismissed Geelong in 20 minutes of football, the same Geelong that can always play well for a quarter here and there but not maintain it.
The Article - Rex Hunt - HeraldSun - 26Mar04
Round 1 team - Saintsational Fan Forum
Preview - saints.com.au - 25Mar04
Our life less ordinary
In the ruthless and fanatical football industry, it is difficult to see myself as a normal person. Coming from the Gold Coast, I have been astonished at the unbelievable scrutiny the St Kilda Football Club has been under in the past week - from the saturated media coverage of winning the Wizard Cup to the well-publicised police investigation that started soon after.
The Article - Nick Riewoldt - saints.com.au - 26Mar04
Milne selected for Cats clash
St Kilda has selected goalsneak Stephen Milne for the round one clash with Geelong, but Leigh Montagna has been named as an emergency . . . Club stalwart Justin Peckett is the only inclusion to the side that defeated the Cats. Montagna, Troy Schwarze and the suspended Brent Guerra have been removed from that line up. Allan Murray is the third emergency player.
The Full Lists - Saints vs Geelong
Samantha Lane, Sportal - saints.com.au - 25Mar04
All Round One Teams - Sportal - afl.com.au - 25Mar04
A Saint in the West Interactive Match-Ups - Saints vs Geelong sqauds
Dan Warna Match Preview
The cats are a good side, and played well against us. Of all the sides in the competition, the one team that matches up well with us, is the pussy cats . . . We were criticised for brutalising their on ball division, but like us, their midfield is their strength . . . Our defence performed well last game, but still lacks cohesion and has a tendency to fail regularly. Despite the good work of penny, goose, jones, we still let in 12/13 goals every game, which is not good enough . . .
The Preview - DanWarna - Saintsational
Practice Pics - 25/03/04 - Pwoit - Sentational.com
Guerra ruling sought
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas is seeking clarification from the AFL in the wake of Brent Guerra's three-week suspension last week. Thomas believes Guerra would not have been reported last year if he had made the same contact to an opponent and claims he was never made aware of the interpretation change over summer. "There's a change in that thinking . . . I think it's only fair and reasonable that all players in the AFL know that," Thomas said. "I think that's what causes a lot of frustration. We've indicated to the players that we will get some specific tapes from the AFL that will allow us to get a clear understanding of what's reportable and what's not."
The Article - Mark Stevens - HeraldSun - 25Mar04
Saint focus firmly on return clash
"It has been harder than it normally is, but I've got unbending faith in the guys' ability to refocus," Thomas said. The reality for all the Saints is that the place where they are least likely to be distracted is the football ground, where they are most at ease and where they understand clearly the lines that cannot be crossed.
The Article - Greg Baum - TheAge - 25Mar04
Thomas, Thompson exchange barbs
Saints coach Grant Thomas continued the slanging match earlier this week suggesting that some "disparaging" remarks by the Cats following the Wizard Cup final would be used as motivation by his team. It was Cats coach Mark Thompson's turn yesterday to hit back and he wasn't mincing words. "I wouldn't care what Grant Thomas said," he said. "Not at all, I don't care, (I really) couldn't care less." . . . Thompson was also wary of what the furore would do to the Saints. "It's hard to know," he said. "I know if it happened at this club it would be a major focus. People I have spoken to and who understand the psychology of it all say that it actually might work in St Kilda's favour, that they just look forward to the footy and really get that team spirit up and going."
The Article - Scott Gullan - HeraldSun - 25Mar04
Milne selection up to psychologists: Thomas
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas said Stephen Milne would play in the round-one match against Geelong, unless club psychologists ruled him out . . . Former Australian Institute of Sport sports psychologist Jeff Bond said athletes who were thrust into the limelight in a negative way could possibly have symptoms such as depression, general withdrawal, denial, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, loss of motivation and sleep disturbance. "None of them would be ideal for sporting performance. To me, it would be a matter of de-stressing them as much as possible in preparation, having clear goals, making sure their focus is on very specific things they have got to do in a game and trying to block out, if you like, the unwanted stuff," said Bond. Bond said a footballer not mentally prepared could be exposed to injury or "be on a shorter fuse" and commit misdemeanours that might land them in front of the tribunal.
The Article - Lyall Johnson - TheAge - 25Mar04
Milne more likely to play than Montagna
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas has declared Stephen Milne a definite starter for Saturday night's season opener against Geelong provided the star goalsneak passes two more psychological tests between now and game day. However his younger teammate Leigh Montagna - the other Saints' player currently under police investigation for an alleged sexual assault - is rated only a 50/50 chance to play in the first round clash at Telstra Dome . . . Meanwhile Waldron said the Saints were not expecting an outcome into the investigation against Milne and Montagna to be known before Saturday night's game . . . And Thomas said the players had not forgotten the comments by Geelong's Paul Chapman after the Wizard Cup grand final that the Cats were still a better side than the Saints despite being beaten in the pre-season decider.
The Article - Matt Burgan Sportal - afl.com.au - 24Mar04
Reduced line-up for Saints rematch
Geelong could field a virtually unchanged line-up for its rematch with St Kilda at the Telstra Dome on Saturday night. The team which the Cats took into the Wizard Cup Grand Final a fortnight ago was near full strength and needs to be trimmed by two players for the opening round. Geelong can rule out at least three players who would have been certain starters in round one with the injured Steven King (ankle), David Loats (knee) and Steve Johnson (ankle) unavailable.
The Article - Fiona Welsh - GeelongAdvertiser - 24Mar04
Thompson cool on subject of Saints
Meanwhile, Thompson said highly talented midfielder Kane Tenace was 'probably' one of the two players that would be omitted from the Wizard Cup grand final side, due to the fact that the home and away season consists of 22 players and not 24, as is the case in the pre-season competition. Thompson said that skipper Steven King (achilles) was still several weeks away and could return as early as round five or as late as round seven. He added that recruit David Loats (knee) is expected to resume in round four, while forward Steve Johnson (ankle) has been penciled in for round five, but Will Slade (osteitis pubis) has been placed on the long-term injury list.
The Article - Matt Burgan Sportal - afl.com.au - 24Mar04
No live tribunal on TV
Tribunal hearings will not be broadcast this year after 83 per cent of players voted against the concept. The AFL yesterday announced its push to allow access for Fox Footy cameras would be postponed until at least next season. A series of pilots will instead be conducted on designated hearings in 2004.
The Article - Damian Barrett and Mark Stevens - HeraldSun - 24Mar04
Books before footy - Mark Stevens - HeraldSun - 24Mar04
Best of the best - Robert Walls - TheAge - 24Mar04
Cats to spare the sledge
Cameron Ling says Geelong's players are unlikely to sledge Stephen Milne or Leigh Montagna when the Cats meet St Kilda on Saturday night, notwithstanding the heat generated by the clubs' previous meeting and the rape investigation hanging over the two Saints. Deputy vice-captain and midfield general Ling said yesterday the subject came up in general discussion at Geelong earlier this week, and that the feeling was that the pair would be spared any personal abuse.
The Article - Martin Blake, Karen Lyon - TheAge - 24Mar04
Fourth ump proposed to end tagging
A fourth field umpire may be needed if the AFL is to completely stamp out the illegal tagging of ballwinners. The league's national umpiring director, Jeff Gieschen, admitted yesterday that it was impossible for three umpires to pick up every contravention of the rules in a game.
The Article - John McGrath - TheAge - 24Mar04
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