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Round 12 Pre Game Articles - Page 2

Life with Grant Thomas
Of all the people I have known, Grant Thomas has been the most scrutinised. And of all the people I know, he seems to care the least about the attention. We started a journey together. My second game was his first as coach and since then I have missed two games, meaning he has me by one, 61-60. It will be an ongoing competition, but I think there is little chance of him getting injured in the coach's box. During Grant's time as coach, all arms of the media have continually tried to "sum him up" or analyse his role rather than talk about the team. I don't know why, they just do. Sunday was another example of this. Even in the face of our 108-point win over Carlton, the media mostly focused on Grant's reactions and unwillingness to heap praise on the side. But there is no hidden agenda. The reason he is like this is simple: above all things, Grant values modesty. Even after our start to the year, he is continually looking to set new goals and demand higher standards. On Sunday, we didn't use the ball well at times and he told us just that. Grant is a very humble person, but he has a clear vision and he won't be happy until he has achieved it. I'm pretty sure winning 10 games in succession is not why he took on the role . . .
Nick Riewoldt Article - MX newspaper - saints.com.au - 04Jun04

Saints have a new mark for courage
Grant Thomas will not tell his star centre half-forward Nick Riewoldt to stop hurling himself into packs against the flight of the ball, instead encouraging the rest of his team to learn from the fearless youngster. Thomas said the courage that Riewoldt displayed to take his outstanding mark against Sydney at the weekend is needed throughout the side to take it to the next level. Thomas rejected suggestions that coaches should tell their players that fearlessness could have an adverse impact on their long-term football career. The St Kilda coach, who has encouraged his team this season to play as hard as possible, said: "I don't adhere to that at all. It's a collision sport and while we don't want any player to get injured, it's just how it happens. "We want players to make the right decisions, but in my mind it was an entirely appropriate decision (by Nick Riewoldt) . . .
The Article - Lyall Johnson - TheAge - 10Jun04

Saints handed reality check: Thomas
Now that his side's 10-week winning streak has been ended, Saints coach Grant Thomas says Sunday's defeat by Sydney might serve as a valuable reality check for his players. "You never orchestrate losses, and you never go in search of them. You actually go to win, but having now lost, there's no doubt that it brings people back to the ground and it gives them a different reality," he said as his players trained in steady rain at Moorabbin Oval on Wednesday. "It ensures that they're not bullet-proof and demands that they give 100 percent effort 100 percent of the time. We were way off 100 percent (against Sydney), and yet I think probably last year and definitely the year before, that game would have probably been an 80 or 90-point loss." Thomas maintained that the Saints were comprehensively out-played by the Swans at the SCG, but admitted there were some alterations to the coaches' preparations that he would not repeat.
The Article - Samantha Lane/Sportal - saints.com.au - 09Jun04

Patrick Smith
. . . That Sheedy is so content is understandable. His side has won eight of their past nine matches and sit in fourth spot. Hawthorn, once a great rival, are in utter despair. St Kilda have been beaten. Catch them with their shorts down and the wonder kids of Grant Thomas might just prove to be little boys and not much more. At least it is a glimmer of hope . . . Sheedy has never seen Hawthorn like this. Rattled, embarrassed and lost. He knows that St Kilda will secretly be thrilled that the winning streak is over. It was becoming a distraction. Thomas can more easily stick with his inputs and his outcomes without speculation of a run at history. Sheedy admires Brisbane and Leigh Matthews too much to lose his focus about their showdown on Saturday . . .
Sheedy sees in the dark . . . - Patrick Smith - TheAustralian - 09Jun04

Riewoldt must pay dearly
What happened on Sunday was unacceptable: players hurling themselves at each other with not a skerrick of respect for their own safety or the image of the game. Somebody could have been seriously injured, killed even. No self-respecting mother would want her son getting involved with this kind of thing. By any measure, the chief culprit deserves a seriously hefty fine. Perhaps even a couple of weeks' suspension. This may be tough on Nick Riewoldt, but the young St Kilda player is a role model who needs to be taught a stern lesson. We're talking, of course, about Riewoldt's kamikaze mark at the SCG on Sunday against Sydney . . .
The Article - Matt Price - TheAustralian - 09Jun04
Fan Forum Thread - Saintsational Fan Forum

A Saint's fearless step
Will Nick Riewoldt still be playing in the AFL when he's 30? I hope so. But I'm not sure that he will. Riewoldt is 21, and too brave for his own good. His mark at the SCG last Sunday, sprinting 25 metres under a high ball and hurling himself into the pack without mind for his safety, brought widespread plaudits. And rightly so. Paul Roos said he had never seen a player go back so hard to mark. It was inspirational for raw courage. Hitting Jared Crouch and Stephen Milne at breakneck speed, his legs were tipped in the air so that for a moment, he would be horizontal. Riewoldt's eyes never diverted from the ball and he hugged the Sherrin to his chest while absorbing the impact of a car crash. But is it in his and St Kilda's longer-term interests? Probably not.
The Article - Martin Blake - TheAge - 09Jun04

Hall of Fame: Carl a holy terror
Ditterich is remembered as a ruckman who made the most of his talents once injury robbed him of his prodigious leap. That leap is still remembered when talk turns to Ditterich's debut. That was Round 1, 1963, at the Junction Oval when Ditterich climbed all over his Melbourne ruck opponents. One of the spectators was 14-year-old Rex Hunt, who had climbed the fence after being refused entry as he didn't look young, or small, enough to be under 15. "I knew of Carl from East Brighton, the red guernseys with the white V, and he was a sensation," recalled Hunt. "That game in 1963 is the most electric debut you would ever see and I remain privileged to say I was there. What I didn't know then is eight years later I would be playing on him in a VFL preliminary final. We were leading and after halftime Allan Jeans moved Barry Breen off me (centre half-back) and big Carl to centre half-forward. He turned the game around, directing traffic in his awesome way."
The Article - Jon Anderson - HeraldSun - 08Jun04

'Big Carl' one of six into hall of fame
Two of the game's most skilful players, arguably the most feared player in the history of the game, a Western Australian coaching legend, a great goalkicker of yesteryear and one of the best known umpires of recent years make up this year's AFL Hall of Fame inductees. And the new inductees certainly cover a fair spread of football history with the names of Doug Hawkins and Rowan Sawers instantly recognised by current-day football fans while Carl Ditterich was the most feared player in the VFL in the 1970's. The classy Denis Marshall was one of the pin-up boys of the 1960's while Jack Moriarty and Western Australia's answer to Jock McHale - Phil Matson - were stars of the 1920's.
The Article - Paul Gough/Spotal - saints.com.au - 08Jun04

Big Carl and Dougie, contact was inevitable
Ditterich said he was "very elated and feeling very humbled" by his induction. Before the start of last night's dinner, Ditterich was taken aback by the number of football greats with whom he would be sharing the limelight. "Just looking around the foyer, it's an amazing array of old players," he said, conceding to some nerves at the prospect of addressing the gathering. "When I was made a life member of the AFL, fortunately, I didn't have to speak that evening. Denis Pagan did a wonderful job for us, so it was a lot easier than tonight. I'm starting to worry a bit because some of the players could really play the game." Ditterich said he had never contemplated being inducted into the Hall of Fame. "I'm not quite sure I deserve it, but 18 years, I suppose, is a long haul and anyone who can play 10 years in league football has got to be recognised, particularly with the amount of running and training they do now."
The Article - Len Johnson, Rohan Connolly - TheAge - 08Jun04

Heavenly home for Powell
Football journeyman Stephen Powell has found his true home at the St. Kilda Football Club. With uncanny goal sense and penetrating kicking, Powell has been a wonderful addition to the Club since arriving at Moorabbin at the beginning of 2003. After playing school football with St Kevin's and Central under 18s, Powell was 'a steal' for the Western Bulldogs in the 1996 National AFL Draft with the 61st pick overall. For three seasons, he displayed to the football world glimpses of his ability, managing 30 games and 21 goals. Prior to the 2000 season, he was traded to Melbourne and it was there where people stood up and began to take notice. In a year that saw the Demons surge up the ladder, Powell repaid the faith of the Demons by having an outstanding season. The 2000 Grand Final against Essendon was a testament to his year. Playing a key forward option, he ignited the Demons early in the game to eventually gather 21 disposals and three goals, a shining light in a dark day for Melbourne. After missing the majority of 2001 with osteitis pubis, he returned in 2002 to rekindle his magnificent form. He averaged over 17 disposals a game and helped Melbourne into the finals again. After being unable to come to a contractual agreement with the Demons, he nominated himself for the Pre-season Draft, leaving Melbourne after 44 games and 43 goals in three seasons . . .
The Article - Luca Giacobello - saints.com.au - 08Jun04

Hawks-Dons melee results in record fines
Hawthorn will be without three senior players for at least a month after a costly night at the tribunal, during which four Hawks and one Essendon player were suspended for their involvement in the spiteful third-quarter brawl at the MCG last Saturday. Richie Vandenberg was hit hardest, after being dealt a six-match ban for striking and misconduct charges, Lance Picioane and Campbell Brown will be sidelined for four matches each for striking, and Simon Beaumont will miss one game after he was found guilty of striking and misconduct in that he head butted Bomber Justin Murphy. The Tribunal also handed down a record $69,500 in fines for melee charges against 16 players - eight from both Hawthorn and Essendon.
The Article - Samantha Lane and Jordan Chong/Sportal - saints.com.au - 09Jun04
3 hawks out for Saints game - Saintsational Fan Forum Thread