Round 6 Results and Post Game Articles
Pregame Articles Round 6
St Kilda: 2.6 6.8 9.12 13.14 (92)
Brisbane Lions: 4.1 5.4 7.5 14.7 (91)
Goals: St Kilda: Guerra, Riewoldt, Gehrig, Koschitzke, 2, Milne, Schwarze, Harvey, Ball, Clarke 1
Brisbane Lions: Lynch, Lappin 3, Voss, Akermanis 2, Brown, Power, Black McRae 1
Best: St Kilda: Koschitzke, Riewoldt, Hayes, Voss, Black, Maguire
Brisbane Lions: Brown, Black, Lappin, Voss, Akermanis, Johnson
Injuries: None
Changes: St Kilda Hamill (knee) replaced in the selected side by Schwarze
Brisbane Lions: None
Reports: None
Umpires: James, McInerney, Rowe
Crowd: 52,539 at Telstra Dome
Super Saints nip at Lions' heels
The Saints continue to firm in premiership betting, but bookmakers aren't ready to displace the Brisbane Lions as flag favourites. However, the gap is closing. Sportingbet has Brisbane at $3.40 and St Kilda $3.60. Centrebet has Brisbane at $2.90 and St Kilda at $3.75, and spokesman Gerard Daffy said the main reason for the variation was St Kilda's light liabilities
The Article - Michael Manley - HeraldSun - 03May04
Max beats mental and physical challenge
Max Hudghton wondered if he'd lost it as the weeks on the sidelines with a shoulder injury rolled on. "I think you question whether you can play the game when you miss a bit of footy," the Saints defender conceded. "You still question how you're going to read the ball . . . you question everything." Imagine the added apprehension that goes with confronting the beast that is Brisbane in your first game in 10 weeks - without the luxury of a run in the twos.
The Article - Mark Stevens - HeraldSun - 03May04
Saints on video charges
. . . St Kilda utility Justin Koschitzke has been reported by video reports offcier Ian Robinson for tripping Mal Michael in the third quarter. And Saints skipper Lenny Hayes has been reported for striking Tim Notting in the second quarter.
The Article - Sportal - saints.com.au - 02May04
Key Saints reported - AAP - TheAge - 04May04
Hayes, Koschitzke to face tribunal - AAP - HeraldSun - 04May04
Saints on video charges
. . . St Kilda utility Justin Koschitzke has been reported by video reports offcier Ian Robinson for tripping Mal Michael in the third quarter. And Saints skipper Lenny Hayes has been reported for striking Tim Notting in the second quarter.
The Article - Sportal - saints.com.au - 02May04
Key Saints reported - AAP - TheAge - 04May04
Hayes, Koschitzke to face tribunal - AAP - HeraldSun - 04May04
Saints' lesser lights come out of the shadows
Troy Schwarze had to cast his mind back more than a decade, to the Dingley under 10s, to remember the last time he kicked a winning goal. Which has nothing on the St Kilda Football Club - it has to think back almost 40 years to remember times as exciting as these. We suspect Kevin 'Cowboy' Neale did not have Schwarze specifically in mind when he enthused last week that the team that ended up sinking triple premiers the Brisbane Lions by a point at Telstra Dome on Saturday night was as good, if not better, than the 1966 St Kilda premiership side.
The Article - Chloe Saltau - TheAge - 04May04
Saint goes from sinner to winner - Melissa Ryan - TheAge - 04May04
Magnificent Saints hold off Lions
Losing coach Leigh Matthews felt that Brisbane was lucky to still be in the contest as the match drew towards its conclusion, considering St Kilda held the ascendancy for most of the evening. "They let us off the hook a bit, fortunately so that kept the scoreboard within reach and it was an exceptional last quarter and it was particularly disappointing when you're a goal in front with a minute to play, or five points up with a minute to play and we weren't able to stay in front," Matthews said.
The Article - Jordon Chong/Sportal - saints.com.au - 02May04
AFL considers four more eyes
The AFL is considering the introduction of four goal umps - possibly within weeks. Stung by the error in the dying minutes of Saturday night's St Kilda-Brisbane blockbuster, the league last night confirmed it would step up inquiries into the feasibility of doubling goal umpire numbers. AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said two officials could be covering each of the goals before the end of the season -- if there is enough depth in goal umpiring ranks.
The Article - Mark Stevens - HeraldSun - 04May04
Punter: I was robbed - Michael Manley - HeraldSun - 04May04
Extra ump fair request - Mike Sheahan - HeraldSun - 04May04
Dream now a reality for slick Saints
The Saints can start to believe now. In the biggest game of the season, against the best team of the era, before the second-biggest crowd yet at Telstra Dome, they stood the test. A new force is moving in the football land. Three years ago, this night would have been nothing more than a fantasy for the Saints. As it was, they needed a fairytale to come true. Troy Schwarze, a late if not totally unexpected replacement for Aaron Hamill and scarcely sighted on the night, kicked long and straight on the run from the 50-metre line to score the winning goal.
The Article - Greg Baum - TheAge - 02May04
Umps in firing line as Saints triumph - Ken Piesse - HeraldSun - 02May04
Max beats mental and physical challenge
Max Hudghton wondered if he'd lost it as the weeks on the sidelines with a shoulder injury rolled on. "I think you question whether you can play the game when you miss a bit of footy," the Saints defender conceded. "You still question how you're going to read the ball . . . you question everything." Imagine the added apprehension that goes with confronting the beast that is Brisbane in your first game in 10 weeks - without the luxury of a run in the twos.
The Article - Mark Stevens - HeraldSun - 03May04
Injury list after Round 6 - HeraldSun - 03May04
Saints make emphatic point
In one of the best games of football in recent years, the Saints snatched a remarkable victory on the back of a booming 55-metre goal from unlikely hero Troy Schwarze in the dying seconds. The result sent the crowd of 52,539 - the second largest for a home and away match at Docklands - into raptures. Despite Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews' assertion that the Saints were "flying", St Kilda coach Grant Thomas was trying to keep a lid on the excitement.
The Article - Peter Ker - TheAge - 02May04
Thomas praises composure
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas felt his team's ability to deliver under pressure was the most impressive thing to come out of beating the Brisbane Lions. The Saints had a hold of the majority of Saturday night's epic encounter with the reigning triple premiers, even going out to a 25-point advantage 10 minutes into the final term. But the Lions stormed back into the contest and were a goal in front inside the final five minutes before Aussie Jones' point and Troy Schwarze's on-the-run goal gave the home side a deserved one-point result. "The one area that I was extremely proud of was the relentless pressure and effort that we put on Brisbane continually as a team, Thomas said.
The Article - Jordon Chong/Sportal - saints.com.au - 02May04
Villain turns hero for Saints
It is only May and Leigh Matthews says you can forget all about that month's form when the finals come around. But we would rather not forget this game between St Kilda and the Brisbane Lions, thanks Lethal. Words almost fail to describe the Saints' one-point win in the match billed as the brash young contender against the heavyweight champion of the AFL . . . With the margin back to within a kick, the Saints were able to win possession from the kick-in and switch play across the centre to where Schwarze waited for his moment of glory and redemption. It would be a pity for too much to be made of the goal-umpiring decision because this was a match of the most exquisite drama and quality. St Kilda deserved to win, although Brisbane's capacity to come back in the final term with seven goals was breathtaking.
The Article - Mark Harding - HeraldSun - 02May04
St Kilda flags premiership hopes
St Kilda went into last night's match against three-time champions Brisbane Lions the young punk of the AFL and came out of it not only as a stunning, one-point winner but a serious premiership contender. The Saints also emerged with a new and unlikely hero in the gangly form of Troy Schwarze, who would not even have been playing had Aaron Hamill not withdrawn before the match with a sore knee, and who kicked a raking, 50-metre-plus goal to steal the match in its final moments, causing scenes of delirium at Telstra Dome.
The Article - Chloe Saltau - TheAge - 02May04
Brett Voss savours time of life
Coach Grant Thomas last night described Voss as not only extremely courageous but a player who had become a role model for the rest of the squad. "The way he backs back into packs and dangerously puts his body on the line in very difficult situations is a tremendous example to the younger players," Thomas said. In his ninth year of league football, including five at Brisbane where he averaged only seven matches a year, Voss's stellar start to this season puts him among St Kilda's genuine top-liners. "It's what you play footy for," he said of the excitement at the siren and afterwards in a packed dressing room. "We were out on our legs and in a way should have been further ahead. But they're a class outfit as they keep on showing everyone." Voss said it was the second titanic finish against the Lions in successive years and said the excitement of last year's win remains one of his favourite memories.
The Article - Ken Piesse - HeraldSun - 02May04
Matthews: Saints best - for now
Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews conceded last night only that St Kilda are the best side "at this period in time", after coming away from a one-point loss at Telstra Dome buoyed by his players' fighting spirit . . . While the Lions were five points up at the 27-minute mark of the last quarter, Matthews acknowledged any win would have been undeserved. "They are doing all the good things that good teams do and they are flying at the moment," he said. "Just at the moment they are a side going really well and we couldn't quite match."
The Article - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 02May04
Saintly signs of flag potential
Everyone knows premierships are won only in September, but St Kilda continues to show every sign it has what it takes to win this year's flag. It was not that it won against Brisbane - the Lions lost six games and drew one to Round 22 last year - but the manner in which it did so.
The Article - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 02May04
Villain turns hero for Saints
It is only May and Leigh Matthews says you can forget all about that month's form when the finals come around. But we would rather not forget this game between St Kilda and the Brisbane Lions, thanks Lethal. Words almost fail to describe the Saints' one-point win in the match billed as the brash young contender against the heavyweight champion of the AFL . . . With the margin back to within a kick, the Saints were able to win possession from the kick-in and switch play across the centre to where Schwarze waited for his moment of glory and redemption. It would be a pity for too much to be made of the goal-umpiring decision because this was a match of the most exquisite drama and quality. St Kilda deserved to win, although Brisbane's capacity to come back in the final term with seven goals was breathtaking.
The Article - Mark Harding - HeraldSun - 02May04
Matthews: Saints best - for now
Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews conceded last night only that St Kilda are the best side "at this period in time", after coming away from a one-point loss at Telstra Dome buoyed by his players' fighting spirit . . . While the Lions were five points up at the 27-minute mark of the last quarter, Matthews acknowledged any win would have been undeserved. "They are doing all the good things that good teams do and they are flying at the moment," he said. "Just at the moment they are a side going really well and we couldn't quite match."
The Article - Jon Ralph - HeraldSun - 02May04
Saints pass crucial test
They won it, they lost it, then won it again. And if anyone still thinks St Kilda has anything to prove after last night's amazing one-point win over the Brisbane Lions, they'll never be satisfied. The Saints will seldom, if ever, have to withstand the sort of pressure that the triple premier threw at them in the last quarter at Telstra Dome. More than four goals to the good, and with the fans already starting to celebrate, St Kilda was suddenly struck by one of those surges of Brisbane brilliance with which we've become so familiar.
The Article - Chloe Saltau - TheAge - 02May04
AFL points to higher posts
"It's important we don't lose perspective. This has been one error and there have been two assessed errors in the 2004 season. We're always interested in minimising the number of errors, but we've got to make sure the way we do that is an overall benefit to the competition," Anderson said. "Video replays is something we're reluctant to go down that path. We tried video replays in the Wizard Cup with the nine-point goals. It tended to slow down the game a significant amount and in a number of cases the video was also unclear, so that's not a clear solution."
The Article - Bruce Matthews - HeraldSun - 04May04
What the coaches say about more umpires - Bruce Matthews - HeraldSun - 04May04
Golf background no handicap for Saint
While all AFL scouts' eyes were on Adam Cooney, St Kilda's recruiting manager John Beveridge was hunting another West Adelaide player: Sam Fisher. Fisher, who had been pursuing a professional golfing career and boasted a handicap of one, caught the Saints' attention with just three games in his return to football in the SANFL in 2002. The 21-year-old secured an AFL career with strong performances with West Adelaide the following year, including a spot in the premiership side. Although Fisher missed an invitation to the draft camp, Beveridge tracked him to the state screening sessions, and secured the versatile player from the Riverland region at No. 55 in the draft . . .
The Article - Emily Power - HeraldSun - 04May04
Lions falling short
Not good in the close ones. It's a little-known and barely discernible chink in the Lions' armour. With three successive premiership cups in his cupboard, Leigh Matthews isn't fretting but does acknowledge that losing tight games isn't a good look for one of the great teams of the era. Of 12 matches decided by single figures in the past 49 games, the Lions have won two, lost nine and drawn one . . . "I don't know what you read into it, but it's a fact and it's an uncomfortable statistic and it's not something we'd be proud of," Matthews said.
The Article - Darren Cartwright - HeraldSun - 04May04
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