Round 1 PostGame Articles
Round 1 Images - Getty Images - saints.com.au
Saints belt Cats
ST.KILDA: 3.0 8.2 16.4 19.8 (122)
GEELONG: 4.1 5.4 6.7 9.7 (61)
Goals: St.Kilda: Gehrig 7, Milne 4, Riewoldt, Hamill 3, Jones Thompson
Geelong: Playfair, Kingsley 2, Corey, Riccardi, Kelly, Scarlett, Graham.
Best: St.Kilda: Jones, Gehrig, Thompson, Riewoldt, Voss, Powell, Milne.
Geelong: Ling, Corey, Mooney, Kelly, Chambers
Injuries: St.Kilda: Nil
Geelong: Graham (shoulder muscle), Sanderson (calf), Milburn (knee)
Changes: St.Kilda: Nil
Geelong: Ablett (groin) replaced by Playfair
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Dore, Margetts and Rosebury
Crowd: 35,042 at Telstra Dome.
St Kilda has started the home-and-away season with a thumping 61-point victory against Geelong at Telstra Dome on Saturday night with Fraser Gehrig booting seven goals. The Saints trailed early on but were never headed from mid-way through the second quarter, slamming through a sequence of 11-straight goals broken only by the half-time interval.
The Article - Jordan Chong, Sportal - afl.com.au - 27Mar04
Saints belt Cats as Milne fires - AAP - HeraldSun - 27Mar04
Saints flog soft Cats - AAP - TheAge - 27Mar04
Saints on a high - By Lyall Johnson - TheAge - 27Mar04
Saints share the load to steamroll Cats
The Saints did not miss the presence of Max Hudghton in defence - Luke Penny, Matt Maguire and Brett Voss nullified Graham and Kingsley and rebounded the ball quickly to set up their forwards. Cats coach Mark Thompson said the performance looked as if the side had not developed in a year. Of particular concern would be the lack of on-field leadership from senior players Graham and Peter Riccardi when someone, anyone, needed to stand up and take charge.
The Article - Lyall Johnson - TheAge - 29Mar04
Saint down, Scarlett not out
There is something about Nick Riewoldt. Either he wears a big, red bull's-eye on his St Kilda guernsey, or opposing clubs have worked out that he is a threat to them. Last year, two players were reported and suspended for striking him, and another in 2002. Also last year, Western Bulldog runner Jose Romero was fined for making unnecessary contact with the young Saint. Matthew Scarlett would have been the latest in a long line had the AFL Tribunal not given the Geelong full-back "the benefit of the doubt", as chairman Brian Collis put it last night. And Scarlett was lucky to escape the charge. Two things saved him. One was the old players' code, which kept Riewoldt's evidence from getting too florid last night. The other was a doctor's suggestion that the blow could not have been overly severe.
The Article - Martin Blake - TheAge - 31Mar04
Riewoldt Soft? - Saintsational Fan Forum
Cat beats striking charges - AAP - WestAustralian - 31Mar04
Scarlett cleared for Carlton clash
Samantha Lane/sportal - saints.com.au - 29Mar04
Thompson warns Scarlett
Paul Gough/Sportal - afl.com.au - 31Mar04
Rendell surprised by Scarlett verdict
Jordan Chong/Sportal - saints.com.au - 31Mar04
Roo needs a minder - Saintsational Fan Forum
Montagna cops blow
Leigh Montagna, one of the Saints at the centre of a rape investigation, was knocked out in a Springvale practice match at the weekend. Montagna copped an accidental knee to the head from teammate Allan Murray. The Saints expect Montagna to be fit for this weekend.
Montagna cops blow - HeraldSun - 31Mar04
Cats made to eat their words
Grant Thomas: "There's no doubt that we're up and running," Thomas said. "I don't know where every other club is and that will probably be shown over the next few weeks, but it's good to see that we're up and running early and we've got one win under our belt. "There's 21 more to go and we've got to make sure we get very focused on next week's game as early as we can . . ."
Bomber Thompson: "It's extraordinary to think that we had a pretty good pre-season - four quality games - and the last two were real high intensity, and you'd think that they'd be prepared for this week. The midfield, the forward line, the back line, it's unacceptable . . . all of it was very bad. Next week, we're going to be without some key players and we've told the players to face the music, don't hide".
The Article - Melissa Ryan - TheAge - 28Mar04
Saints prove Cat claims to be bogus - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 28Mar04
Thomas lauds Saints' composure
"The defence deserves a lot of credit because they worked very hard and well together. They didn't allow themselves to be dictated to and they got their structures right . . . Geelong were trying very hard to do some things to unsettle us - getting Aussie Jones back deep and get their structures changed. We stuck to our guns."
The Article - Jordan Chong, Sportal - saints.com.au - 28Mar04
Butterss hopes for good marks
St Kilda president Rod Butterss says he hopes the club has handled the events of recent weeks in an appropriate manner. Butterss touched on the events of recent weeks - where allegations of sexual misconduct surrounding two of their number in Steven Milne and Leigh Montagna have been made - during his pre-match address at Telstra Dome on Saturday night. "I assure you all tonight, the board has done its utmost to act at all times responsibly, with integrity, professionally and in a balanced manner. I, along with my fellow board members and staff, just hope we've got that right," Butterss said.
The Article - Jordan Chong, Sportal - saints.com.au - 28Mar04
Rape claims force St Kilda to re-examine the club
Melissa Ryan - TheAge - 28Mar04
Saints confront some tough lessons
Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 28Mar04
Saints sizzle to flatten Cats
This time the opening was there in the second term when the Saints lifted the tempo. It was then that the Saints stamped their authority through a lift of intensity in the midfield and the classy work of their personnel inside 50. They easily shrugged off a fortnight of upheaval with a comprehensive display that showed their focus has not shifted from the goal of playing in September. Stephen Milne, the subject of most attention with a police investigation still going, did what he has become renowned for and swooped on anything loose. With four kicks he kicked four goals and did his job. Hulking forward Fraser Gehrig ignited the team with three goals from four set shots in 10 minutes during the second term.
The Article - Jackie Epstein - HeraldSun - 28Mar04
Loss 'embarrassing': Riccardi
Geelong veteran Peter Riccardi labelled Geelong's 61-point drubbing to St Kilda as embarrassing. Riccardi was at a loss to explain the Cats' demise after a promising Wizard Cup campaign. "It was disappointing, we went into the game confident and at the end of the day we embarrassed ourselves," Riccardi said. "We got off to a good start, I don't know. It's one of those things where you've got to look at the tape and go through it, they've dominated the midfield and our backline was always under pressure".
The Article - David Davutovic/Geelong Advertiser - gfc.com.au - 29Mar04
Video checks add to Cats' woes
Geelong has an anxious wait with two key players under video scrutiny for incidents on Saturday night. All-Australian full-back Matthew Scarlett and fellow defender Cameron Mooney are causing as much concern as injuries to Ben Graham, Brenton Sanderson and Darren Milburn. Should Scarlett or Mooney be cited, it would compound the Cats' horror start to the season that saw St Kilda crush them by 61 points.
The Article - Bruce Matthews - HeraldSun - 29Mar04
Cat under scrutiny on Riewoldt
The AFL yesterday launched an investigation into an off-the-ball incident between Geelong's Matthew Scarlett and St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt that forced the Saint from the ground last Saturday. The incident happened just moments after the opening bounce of the second half. Scarlett appeared to collect the Saint with his right arm.
The Article - Karen Lyon - TheAge - 30Mar04
The Scarlett/Riewoldt incident - Bigred - Saintsational Fan Forum
Scarlett on striking charge - TheAustralian - 30Mar04
Scarlett cited - Saintsational Fan Forum Thread
Scarlett to face Tribunal - Sportal - gfc.com.au - 30Mar04
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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