Round 18 Results & Post-Game Articles
A battle won, the war continues
. . . Players were concussed at Shell Stadium yesterday, blood was spilt, bones were broken. And - after the last of an extraordinary 115 tackles was laid - it wasn't so much the seven points Geelong won by that was most impressive, but that there was still no sign of surrender.Cameron Ling could barely put one foot before the other and Luke Ball finished trying to shake the bloody effects of an accidental kick to the head, but both, like so many others, pressed on. No one could question the claim both Geelong and St Kilda make, that they are assembling football teams for brutal physical contests . . . While David Wojcinski and David Johnson could do nothing about the influence of Harvey and Ball, Joel Corey pushed mightily in the opposite direction. In a game where so many possessions had to be won rather than received, Corey's hard-nosed constancy was invaluable. Yesterday's conditions were September conditions.
The Article- Stephen Rielly/Sportal - saints.com.au - 02Aug04
Saints magnificent in defeat
It's cold comfort, but the Saints were magnificent in defeat in an absolute thriller against Geelong at Skilled Stadium on Sunday. The Cats' 15.11 (101) to 15.4 (94) victory over St Kilda puts them within not only one game of the Saints but also Port Adelaide and Brisbane in the race for the double chance. But while it was the Cats who proved victorious in the battle of the AFL's two best young up and coming sides, there were plenty of positives for St Kilda coach Grant Thomas to take back to Melbourne. The fact the Saints - missing their five best defenders through injury in Luke Penny, Matt Maguire, Justin Koschitzke, Troy Schwarze and Max Hudghton - could run Geelong so close - particularly in front of a pro-Geelong crowd at Skilled Stadium - augers well for their prospects should they meet the Cats at full strength at a neutral MCG in September.
The Article - Paul Gough/Sportal - saints.com.au - 01Aug04
Harvey still 'sore' over loss
Four-time St Kilda best-and-fairest winner Robert Harvey concedes the Saints pulled up 'pretty sore' after losing a thrilling battle against Geelong by seven points at Skilled Stadium on Sunday. Harvey said the warm conditions and physicality of the contest meant the players were feeling the effects of playing in a finals-like match, but he was unsure how it rated to other contests.
The Article - Matt Burgan/Sportal - afl.com.au - 02Aug04
Tribunal: Mooney cited
Cameron Mooney's undisciplined indiscretion against St Kilda could return to haunt him at the AFL tribunal tomorrow night. The Geelong back-up ruckman was today reported on video evidence for engaging in rough play against St Kilda's Leigh Montagna in the second quarter of yesterday's game at Skilled Stadium. Mooney was cited for dropping an elbow on Montagna as the Saint lay on the turf over the boundary line near his side's goal and resulted in a 50-metre penalty and an easy goal for St Kilda . . . Geelong coach Mark Thompson also showed his displeasure of Mooney's lack of discipline afterwards, labelling his player's actions 'stupid'.
The Article - AAP - HeraldSun - 02Aug04
Dees on top, Saints so close
St Kilda's Grant Thomas blamed himself for allowing a fired-up Geelong to gain the upper hand when it kicked six goals to two to open up a 25-point lead at quarter-time. "(Cats coach) Mark Thompson prepared them very, very well," Thomas said. "We beat them the last two times and we should have been prepared for that. I've got to take responsibility that we weren't. We didn't seem to approach the start how we approach most starts. We were quite happy with the last three quarters but we got off to a poor start. To have soft goals scored because of insipid efforts, we allowed them to get out of the blocks and it gave them more confidence. Quarter-time couldn't come quick enough."
The Article - Melissa Ryan, Nabila Ahmed - TheAge - 01Aug04
Cats' victory lives up to the hype
. . . The Cats flew out of the blocks with three goals in the first four minutes of the game and by the 10-minute mark of the second, led by 32 points. But five goals in 12 minutes got St Kilda right back into the contest and the visitors hit the front just before the main break when Fraser Gehrig got away from Matthew Scarlett to mark and goal. From there it went goal for goal and despite St Kilda's midfield getting on top, the Cats made the most of their opportunities to post their 11th win from the past 13 games . . . St Kilda got back into the contest through the tireless work of midfielders Luke Ball and Robert Harvey, who were superb, and Nick Riewoldt, whose early strength in the air kept St Kilda in the clash. Riewoldt, Gehrig and Leigh Montagna all kicked three goals for St Kilda. The fierce tempo took its toll on both sides, as Saint Xavier Clarke (knee) and Cat Corey Enright (jaw) suffered what looked serious injuries.
The Article - AAP - HeraldSun - 01Aug04
Thomas finds plenty of positives
. . . "There was a kick in the game, there's a lot of positives and you can't let a quality side have a four goal break at quarter time on their home dung hill." Thomas said he was proud of the way his side finished the match after it added 13 goals to its quarter time tally to the Cats' nine. "You can't win all the time. That's what you strive for, but we felt that if we put our best foot forward today we'd be a very good chance to win the game. The fact of the matter is, for 75-percent of the game we were very good and for 25 percent we weren't too good. Geelong is always going to come back hard here when it's close. They're a difficult side to beat and you want to be double what you think in front of them when you're here in the last quarter. Because they do lift, they get a lift."
The Article - Samanta Lane/Sportal - saints.com.au - 01Aug04
Harvey still 'sore' over loss
Harvey said he could feel out on the field that it was a 'great game' to watch from a spectators' perspective. "It felt (like the) two sides were in reasonably good form and they were having a crack pretty much to the wire and that's the way it felt, and no doubt that's the way it came across," Harvey said. Four-time St Kilda best-and-fairest winner Robert Harvey concedes the Saints pulled up 'pretty sore' after losing a thrilling battle against Geelong by seven points at Skilled Stadium on Sunday. "We've got to learn from that in big games that we've got to close it out - whether that's tiredness or a combination of a couple of things, we'll work out today."
The Article - Matt Burgan/Sportal - saints.com.au - 02Aug04
Saints rue free - and poor start
Another game, another controversial umpiring decision. But this time, beaten St Kilda coach Grant Thomas tried to bite his tongue . . . When asked about the decision after the game, Thomas tried to avoid controversy. "They are just a magnificent group of men who do very, very well," Thomas quipped. "I just think, when the scene's been set, and you've got 44 men going hard at each other for two hours, let the men do their work and let the battle continue. Don't interrupt it with stuff that probably isn't in line with what's been paid. I know they're (under) as much pressure as us and everyone makes mistakes." Graham's goal gave the Cats the lead by six points, while Kent Kingsley's point three minutes later was the final score of the game.
The Article - Mark Robinson - HeraldSun - 02Aug04
The ball's in Luke's court
Out of contract at the end of the year - the Hawks already have had a nibble - Ball says the Saints will remain his home. "I'm very happy at St Kilda," he said. "The call was at the start of the year that I wanted to just concentrate on footy and do it at the end of year. I spoke to my manager the other day and we're pretty keen to get things going now so hopefully something will happen."
The Article - Mark Robinson - HeraldSun - 02Aug04
Sweet revenge for Cats
The Cats suffered a huge blow in the opening quarter when Corey Enright suffered a broken jaw after an accidental clash with teammate Tom Harley, an injury that is likely to sideline him for the rest of the year. But it hardly upset the Cats' momentum as they booted the first two goals of the second term to go a 32-point lead as the game threatened to become a blow-out. However the momentum changed halfway through the term when Cameron Mooney gave away a silly free-kick for appearing to drop his elbow on Montagna, an incident which cost the Cats a goal. Suddenly the Saints, with Luke Ball inspirational in the middle and veteran Robert Harvey seemingly everywhere, came to life and by half-time they were even in front. It was Nick Riewoldt who did the damage in the second term with two quick goals as Tom Harley appeared to be struggling to contain him. But Harley was superb after half-time in keeping Riewoldt goalless although his forward partner Fraser Gehrig got away from Matthew Scarlett to kick two in the third term.
The Article - Paul Gough/Sportal - afl.com.au - 01Aug04
Cats eye top-four ladder position - Grantley Bernard - HeraldSun - 02Aug04
Thompson keeps faith in Cats - Grantley Bernard - HeraldSun - 02Aug04
Cats show they're genuine contenders
Saint Kilda have slumped to their third defeat in five games with a tight seven-point loss to Geelong at Kardinia Park. The Saints joined the Brisbane Lions and Port Adelaide on the round 21 scrap heap, with all three high-flyers tasting defeat.
The Article - Joel Zander - ABC Sport - 01Aug04
AFL Ladder Predictor
The AFL and Network Ten have created an interactive ladder predictor that will allow you to select the winning and losing teams for each round for the remainder of the season. Where do you think your team will finish on the ladder? If they win all their remaining games, will they make the 2004 Toyota AFL Finals Series? Or if they lose where will they finish in comparison to all the other teams? You can find out the answers using the Network TEN AFL ladder predictor.
AFL Ladder Predictor - afl.com.au
The Grunt Factor
St Kilda's rise as an AFL power is mostly put down to the appearance of silky smooth players such as Nick Riewoldt, the Saints' svelte forward, whose coach thinks he could run 400 metres for Australia at the Olympic Games. Or to the dancing feet of Nick Dal Santo, or the beautiful hands of Lenny Hayes or an assortment of other prized draft selections. But if you listen to Grant Thomas, it is the grunt factor that has made the difference in 2004. The same applies to Geelong, St Kilda's opponent in today's match of the round between two of the league's emerging clubs. The Cats have been steadily rebuilding with young players since Mark Thompson arrived in 2000. But it's only this year that they have been equipped to handle the physical nature of AFL football.
The Article - Martin Blake - HeraldSun - 01Aug04
Injuries Round 18
St Kilda will be sweating on tests today on Xavier Clarke's right knee. Clarke went down just before halftime and did not return after being taken from the field on a motorised buggy.
List - Round 18 - Grantley Bernard and Emily Power - HeraldSun - 02Aug04
Tribunal: Mooney cited
Cameron Mooney's undisciplined indiscretion against St Kilda could return to haunt him at the AFL tribunal tomorrow night. The Geelong back-up ruckman was today reported on video evidence for engaging in rough play against St Kilda's Leigh Montagna in the second quarter of yesterday's game at Skilled Stadium. Mooney was cited for dropping an elbow on Montagna as the Saint lay on the turf over the boundary line near his side's goal and resulted in a 50-metre penalty and an easy goal for St Kilda . . . Geelong coach Mark Thompson also showed his displeasure of Mooney's lack of discipline afterwards, labelling his player's actions 'stupid'.
The Article - AAP - HeraldSun - 02Aug04
Mooney gets off - ABC Sport - 03Aug04
Mooney cleared - Saintsational Fan Forum
Choice of two for Wallace
Terry Wallace has emerged as the key figure in the AFL coaching merry-go-round with the former Western Bulldogs' coach believed to be the top choice to lead both Richmond and Hawthorn next year.
The Article - Paul Gough/Sportal - afl.com.au - 02Aug04
|
ARTICLE ARCHIVES: 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006
