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2004 Post-Season Articles

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Potchestroom Training Camp 2004 - All 2004 Articles

Brownlow

Saints Crowds Increase by 27% in 2004
The AFL's hopes of negotiating another lucrative television rights deal next year received a shot in the arm yesterday, with new figures showing the game is booming at all levels. The AFL revealed match attendances increased by 0.6 per cent this year, making the season the third-most watched in history. St Kilda (27 per cent), Fremantle (23 per cent) and Carlton (21 per cent) experienced the biggest jumps in crowd support. The increased support for the game was also reflected in TV ratings for the home-and-away season. The ratings were up 2.8 per cent on last year, although the AFL did not include the figures for Rounds 20-22 because of the clash with the Athens Olympics. Round 6, which included the clash between St Kilda and Brisbane, the first western derby for the season and a Port Adelaide-Collingwood stoush on national TV, was the most watched of the season.
The Article - Jon Pierik - HeraldSun - 23Sept04

Harvey: I will play in 2005
There is some welcome news for the shattered Saints, with veteran Robert Harvey poised to play on next year. Harvey, 33, will decide his future this week, the Saints' season coming to an end against Port Adelaide on Friday night. "I will (sit down) in the next week or so and see how it all settles down," Harvey said yesterday. "Obviously, I would have liked a better finish to the year, so it encourages you to go another year." When pressed further, Harvey said, "Yeah" he would go on. The gallant onballer had one of his best games this season in his 300th match at AAMI Stadium.
The Article - Jackie Epstein - HeraldSun - 20Sept04
Harvey won't be going: coach - Stathi Paxinos - TheAge - 1Sept04
Harvey best of Saints legends - Mike Sheahan - HeraldSun - 17Sept04

Keeping a straight face at the Brownlow
. . . Knowing how to react when your name is read out for votes on Brownlow night can be a little embarrassing. I tried to keep a straight face, but it is almost impossible when you have teammates around the table trying to make you laugh. Still, they copped the same treatment when it was their turn in the spotlight. People have made mention of certain hand signals the St Kilda players made when on camera. They were designed for the St Kilda players who were not invited to the night but had gathered to watch the count. It is part of a drinking game they play.
Terrible Tuesday - Nick Riewoldt/MX Newspaper - saints.com.au - 23Sept04

Cocaine linked to Brownlow
Drug use was widespread at the Brownlow Medal presentation according to tests carried out at the end of the event. Drug tests at Crown Casino's Palladium Room on Monday night revealed the presence of cocaine, speed and ecstasy. The Sunday Herald Sun investigation found traces of the drugs in the toilets at the game's glamour event, which was attended by more than 1400 people including current and former players, their partners and big number of celebrities. Paying and invited guests also attended. As the stars left, the Sunday Herald Sun tested the lids of toilet seats in male and female bathrooms. Preliminary tests performed with cocaine detection kits show the drug was present on seven of eight samples taken from the men's toilets and one of eight taken from the women's.
The Article - Kelvin Healey - HeraldSun - 26Sept04

Brownlow night performances
. . . It's fair to say that for anyone, other than the guys polling plenty of votes, it's not the most riveting function you'll have been to in your life. It doesn't help that you have to stay in your seats until commercial breaks. For many tables, the challenge is to find ways to keep yourself entertained while the votes are being read out. There is widespread custom among most of the non-grand final players, which involves having a decent sip for every vote you poll (it might also involve the same routine for every vote your direct opponent polls). Of course, the players are pretty conscious of the fact there are cameras roaming the room, ready to zoom in every time your team is mentioned. It can be embarrassing, particularly if you're battling to get off the mark late in the season. You also are a bit wary of acting too surprised when an opponent jags some votes when your memory of the game is that he didn't particularly set the world on fire.
The Article - Matthew Richardson - TheAge - 19Sept04

Midfielders take centre stage in modern game
Kevin Bartlett is a legend of Australian football. He played 403 games, won five premierships with Richmond, winning the Norm Smith Medal in 1980 and later coached the club. He is a selector of the All-Australian team. There isn't much he doesn't know about football. If anything. So when he talks footy you listen. If he had to build a team from scratch he believes he would pick a dominant forward first, a mid-fielder second and then a key defender. Around this trio he would arrange his side. It is a selection philosophy that is not reflected in Brownlow Medal voting. This year's medal went to Chris Judd and that was appropriate. The West Coast mid-fielder is a player of pace and purpose. Such is his influence that he can make games do U-turns in a blink.
The Article - Patrick Smith - TheAustralian - 22Sept04
Bulldog coup: $20m to upgrade facilities - Caroline Wilson - TheAge - 23Sept04

SAINTS BROWNLOW VOTES 2004

All Clubs - Brownlow votes - HeraldSun - 21Sept04
Game by Game Brownlow Count
Reward for consistent brilliance - Rohan Connolly - TheAge - 21Sept04
Most votes earned by a Brownlow winner - AAP - HeraldSun 21Sept04

Saints go shopping
A ruckman and key defenders will be the priorities on St Kilda's shopping list for next year. Coach Grant Thomas said he would look at all available players and make necessary trades to ensure the Saints took the next step. "We need to strengthen our defence. We've got some good power forwards and a pretty good midfield," Thomas said. "We need to bolster other areas and there's opportunities to do some trades and get some good young players into the club . . . We need a rucking option. We'll look at all options of who's the best player. If there's a ruckman out there that fits into what we're about then obviously we'll look at him."
The Article - Jackie Epstein - HeraldSun - 19Sept04

Optus battle in court
The battle over Optus Oval will reignite today when the Carlton Football Club and a rebel supporters group head to the Supreme Court. The preliminary hearing is set to begin at 10am at the old High Court but no decision is expected today. The Stay at Optus Oval group issued a seven-page affidavit in court last week in a bid to prove its petition and motions calling for an extraordinary general meeting were valid. The rebels also want a binding vote to be given to Carlton members at the EGM in the hope of retaining some home games at Optus Oval. Carlton has arranged for home games to be split between the MCG and Telstra Dome from next season. The club says it will be in debt by about $8 million late next year if its plan is derailed. The court action will cost several thousand dollars.
The Article - HeraldSun - 23Sept04

Everyone accepts it's a four-gone conclusion
This time last year the nation was all atwitter at the prospect of the Brisbane Lions winning three AFL premierships in a row. Could they? Would they? Headlines trumpeted the quest for the one, two, three. A moment to remember in Australian sporting history was upon us. So excited were the AFL boffins that they gained copyright on the word threepeat. The occasion was given a special twist because the first premiership came when the Lions overran Essendon in 2001 and then squeezed past Collingwood in a memorable final in 2002. Victories any time over two of the Victorian powerhouse clubs are sweet. A third flag would come if they could defeat Collingwood again. Cameras trained on Collingwood president Eddie McGuire as he watched from the stands. He had railed against Brisbane's salary cap concessions, saying his team had been forced to play with one arm tied behind their back. He may have been more right literally than figuratively. Collingwood were beaten by 50 points, with Brisbane touching the ball 62 times more than the opposition.
The Article - Patrick Smith - TheAustralian - 25Sept04

Whitten Oval plan launched
Bulldogs chairman David Smorgon has hailed the promised $19.5 million reconstruction of the Whitten Oval as the best thing to happen to the club since its sole 1954 premiership. After hosting Prime Minister John Howard and wife Janette at the ground on Thursday when the government's $8 million dollar commitment to the redevelopment was announced, Smorgon could not contain his delight. "Sometimes you aim for the moon and you hit the top of the cow shed. Well, today we hit the moon."
The Article - Sportal - 23Sept04