Round 18 Pre-Game Articles - Page 1
R18 Geelong vs. St Kilda
Skilled Stadium - Sun 01Aug04, 1:10 PM AEST
R19 Crows, R20 Kangas, R21 Lions, R22 Freo
Saints' man in the trenches
Steven Baker was described by his coach Grant Thomas as one of the best taggers this time last year. He had just shut down one of the game's most potent midfielders in West Coast's Chris Judd, which prompted Thomas to think about the type of mates he would want in combat. "He has a determination to carry out duties that I don't think I've seen in many other players," the coach said. "If you're at war and in the trench and you look to your right and you've got Baker there, you'd feel pretty happy I think."
The Article - Jackie Epstein - HeraldSun - 01Aug04
Bragging rights at stake - AAP - FoxSports - 31Jul04
One change for Saints, Cats
Both the Saints and the Cats have kept things simple for Sunday’s match of the round clash at Skilled Stadium, by each making one change to their respective sides. The Saints have regained tough forward Aaron Hamill after a one-week absence because of a hip injury. Raphael Clarke is dropped just one week after making his debut. Corey Enright returns from two matches in the VFL, which followed a shoulder injury, replacing veteran defender Brenton Sanderson, who will miss a week because of a medial ligament strain.
Article & Teams - Sportal - saints.com.au - 30Jul04
INTERACTIVE MATCH-UPS - Updated 31Jul04
Kossi ready for round 20? - Saintsational Fan Forum
Cats throw off handbag tag
. . . A regular at Geelong games, Yeates also saw portents of something special in Geelong's win over Brisbane. "Luckily enough I had a few people from Brisbane sitting with me and they were quite cocky," he said. "I said nothing and watched what happened. Chris Johnson on a young Gary Ablett was a classic. Gary didn't get intimidated at all. In fact, he kept his eye on the ball and matched him for strength and the physical side. Geelong shouldn't hold fears for anyone because we have beaten every side above us and it is a matter of putting it together on the day." So what better test of new-found respectability than a resurgent St Kilda, priding itself on its increased attack on the ball and intensity. Yeates said all was set for Geelong's biggest challenge this year. "(Brisbane) are the benchmark, but this will be a bigger test. We are striking a team that has come back to form and we owe them," he said.
The Article - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 01Aug04
Cats to reap windfall - Scot Palmer - HeraldSun - 01Aug04
No weight to Gram's jibe
The last thing Geelong and St Kilda need before tomorrow's big game at Skilled Stadium is more feuding words. Which is why the Saints were yesterday hosing down comments attributed to one of their players that labelled the Cats as "a pack of pussies". "We'll kill them," the Geelong Independent quoted St Kilda player Jason Gram as saying at a function last weekend. "They're a pack of pussies."
The Article - Grantley Bernard - HeraldSun - 31Jul04
Hamill fit for Cats clash
St Kilda will regain tough man Aaron Hamill a week ahead of schedule, in what is a significant boost to the club before it meets fifth-placed Geelong at Skilled Stadium on Sunday. Hamill had arthroscopic hip surgery eight days ago and was originally expected to miss two matches, but he trained strongly with his teammates at their main session at Moorabbin on Thursday.
The Article - Samantha Lane/Sportal - saints.com.au - 29Jul04
Hamill on the attack - David Davutovic - GeelongInfo - 30Jul04
Q & A with Grant Thomas
GL: Are you satisfied with where you are at as a club at Round 17?
GT: Good question. As professional sportspeople, and coaches, you can never be truly satisfied. But having said that we would have taken 13 wins and four losses and equal top spot on the ladder at the start of the year. We can get better though . . .
GL: Do you need Maguire, Hudghton, Penny, Koschitzke, Hamill and Powell up and going to compete with them?
GT: Logically you would say yes, but everyone knows you can only pick your best side. I sometimes wish all clubs could have their full lists. Imagine even this weekend's game against Geelong, how good it would be if we both had full lists. But you can't devalue those players that come into the side by bemoaning the loss of others. You just move on.
The Interview - Garry Lyon - HeraldSun - 29Jul04
Saints have altitude
Altitude training is a practice usually associated with elite runners, particularly with the Athens Olympics little more than three weeks away. But while I would love a tripto the Snowy Mountains to indulge in such training, there simply isn't time during a footy season. Instead, this week we have been hooked up to face masks for simulated altitude training. And, no, it has nothing to do with how high someone jumps for a mask. It is more to do with aerobic fitness. During the sessions we are hooked up to an altitude simulator machine which modifies the air being pumped into the mask. After starting at sea level, which is 21 per cent oxygen in the air, the machine takes us as high as 6.6km and 9 per cent oxygen concentration. It is very difficult to breathe at these levels and makes you feel light headed. The reason we do this, we are told, is to improve concentration and recovery from exercise, increase our stamina and to decrease our heart rates.
The Article - Nick Riewoldt/MX Newspaper - saints.com.au - 29Jul04
Why 1971 seems like yesterday
This weekend is about the past; a chance to walk down memory lane and reflect upon not just footy's rich history, but what first drew us to a game that is uniquely Australian. Football has been one of the few comforts in my life outside my family, and my most powerful memories include some of the most brilliant acts on the ground and some of the most simple pleasures off it. I remember my father, Des, frantically searching for a car park on the Anderson St hill for the little blue VW that got us to the 1971 Grand Final. The Thursday night before the game I was waiting up in the hope of watching League Teams, devastated when Mum demanded bedtime at 10pm. Going to bed then meant not knowing who was in the St Kilda line-up but, worse still, whether Dad had managed to lay his hands on a couple of tickets for my first Grand Final.
The Article - Gerard Healy - HeraldSun - 31Jul04
Footy sings with the Cats on song - Martin Flanagan - TheAge - 31Jul04
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
Saints' man in the trenches
Steven Baker was described by his coach Grant Thomas as one of the best taggers this time last year. He had just shut down one of the game's most potent midfielders in West Coast's Chris Judd, which prompted Thomas to think about the type of mates he would want in combat. "He has a determination to carry out duties that I don't think I've seen in many other players," the coach said. "If you're at war and in the trench and you look to your right and you've got Baker there, you'd feel pretty happy I think."
The Article - Jackie Epstein - HeraldSun - 01Aug04
Bragging rights at stake - AAP - FoxSports - 31Jul04
Gehrig wanted to quit
In a rare interview last night, the St Kilda full-forward said he struggled mentally last year, inflamed by a nagging foot injury . . . The low point came against Port Adelaide at York Park in Round 14, where he had no impact and copped a two-game suspension. "I probably lost the plot a little bit down in Tassie," Gehrig said. He also spoke about clashing with coach Grant Thomas, but dismissed reports their relationship was fractured. "We've got a pretty good relationship, an unusual relationship, I guess, in many ways," Gehrig said.
The Article - Mark Stevens - HeraldSun - 30Jul04
Gehrig wanted to quit
In a rare interview last night, the St Kilda full-forward said he struggled mentally last year, inflamed by a nagging foot injury . . . The low point came against Port Adelaide at York Park in Round 14, where he had no impact and copped a two-game suspension. "I probably lost the plot a little bit down in Tassie," Gehrig said. He also spoke about clashing with coach Grant Thomas, but dismissed reports their relationship was fractured. "We've got a pretty good relationship, an unusual relationship, I guess, in many ways," Gehrig said.
The Article - Mark Stevens - HeraldSun - 30Jul04
Matt Maguire Chat Transcript
nicksbabe: Who do you think will play on Ablett and Graham?
Matt Maguire: I think Sam Fisher on Graham, and Steven Baker on Ablett, but I’m not sure.
such_a_saint: Hey Matty, do you think playing away from the Telstra Dome affects how you guys play?
Matt Maguire: No, I don't think so . . . we play well at the Telstra Dome, but I think the boys haven't played well away for different reasons.
The Transcript (28 July 2004) - saints.com.au
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