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Raphael Clarke Chat Transcript
mad-saint-guy: Where do you prefer playing, midfield or forward?
Raphael Clarke: Probably on the wing, at the moment i'm pushing for a half back flanking role.
mad-saint-guy: What are your main footy goals for this season?
Raphael Clarke: My main aim is to play 10 to 15 senior games and to remain injury free.
The Transcript Noddy/saints.com.au/02Mar05

GT: I want passion
ROB HARRIS: Every footy fan around the place is excited at this time of the year. All the clubs are on a level footing I suppose. Is this a time of year when you get excited?
GT: Not yet. Theres a fair bit of work still to do. Were really building our momentum at this stage.
RH: Is it a setback to be playing at Lavington at this stage instead of being in a Wizard Cup semi-final like you were last year?
GT: I suppose thats where youd rather be, but its only a setback if you view it that way. We wont be easing up by any stretch in our preparations towards round one.
RH: Theres a lot of expectation on the Saints this year from supporters like myself, and the greater football community I suppose. How do you cope with that?
GT: Its the pressure you put on yourself which you take notice of and measure yourself against. Look wed be disappointed if we werent a better side than last year. So whether that means winning a premiership or making a grand final, Ill let the fans be the judge.
RH: Finally I suppose. The fans make it well and truly clear what they want from you. What do you want from them?
GT: Passion. Just passion. I want them to embrace the game and the club.
The Article TheBorderMail/02Mar05

Riewoldt a $1m man
S Kilda superstar Nick Riewoldt has agreed in principle to a new three-year deal which will keep him at the club until the end of 2007. An upgraded contract worth between $500-600,000 a season and topped up by a swag of endorsements could make the new Saints captain the youngest millionaire in football. It was reported last night that he is about to sign off on the deal. The Herald Sun revealed last July that Riewoldt's manager Ricky Nixon and the Saints were set to upgrade his contract. At 22 years of age, he is poised to join the game's greats - Wayne Carey, James Hird and Nathan Buckley - as the only players to command those sort of dollars. Carey earned $1 million in 2001, aged 30, and Hird and Buckley, both 32, are understood to have surpassed that figure in recent seasons.
The Article Jon Pierik/HeraldSun/03Mar05

Fiora's fresh start
He has put up with being compared to Matthew Pavlich for years and battled being jeered by his own supporters but a change of club has given Aaron Fiora the boost his AFL career badly needed. The former Tiger cannot believe his good luck at being traded to reigning Wizard Cup champions and last year's preliminary finalists St Kilda and has been one of the stand-out players of the pre-season so far. Fiora has been amongst the Saints' best in both their Wizard Cup matches and helped himself to a nine point goal in the first round win over Hawthorn and two goals during last week's narrow quarter-final loss to the Western Bulldogs. But most of all his first pre-season at St Kilda has proven to the soon-to-be 24-year-old that he needed to work harder if he was going to succeed in the AFL
The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/saints.com.au/02Mar05

Be Part Of The Team
The Saints are offering an exclusive opportunity for four Saints supporters to be part of the St Kilda Football Team's inner sanctum. There are 4 available spots to travel with the team on Friday, 4th March to Lavington for the Practice Match against Melbourne. You will fly with the team, 2.45pm from Melbourne Airport; eat meals with the team; be in the dressing rooms: pre-match, half time and post-match; sit in the Coaches' box during the game and return with the team, arrive in Melbourne at midnight . . . Cost per person is $2,500.
The Article saints.com.au/01Mar05

Smith suspension halved
It took a long time but Rohan Smith's decision to challenge his two-match ban handed to him by the AFL match review panel has paid off with the star Bulldog having his suspension reduced by half at the tribunal on Tuesday night. In a case which took two hours - despite the fact Smith pleaded guilty to a level three charge of striking - the three man jury of former players Michael Sexton, Barry Stoneham and Richard Loveridge took less than five minutes to reduce his ban to one match for striking St Kilda's Troy Schwarze. It means Smith, who had never been suspended in 256 AFL matches, will be eligible to play in his first ever senior grand final - the Wizard Home Loan Cup decider on Saturday week - should the Bulldogs win their semi-final against Carlton this week. In a decision that is likely to set a precedent for other experienced players with a similar playing record, the Bulldogs successfully argued that Smith should not only have received a 25 per cent discount in his base demerit points (325 for a level three striking offence) for pleading guilty but also a further 25 per cent discount on his penalty for his record.
The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/saints.com.au/01Mar05
Bulldog wins tribunal discount Len Johnson/The Age/02Mar05
Clean Smith cleared by tribunal Michael Stevens/heraldSun/02Mar05

Once more at Moorabbin?
AFL football could return to Moorabbin with the Saints understood to be keen to host either West Coast or the Kangaroos at their home base in Melbourne's southern suburbs for the final round of Wizard Regional Challenge Series matches next weekend. The Saints are drawn to play the loser of Friday night's Wizard Home Loans Cup semi-final on Saturday, 12 March at a venue to be advised and are hopeful of playing the game at what was their home ground between 1965 and 1992. An intra-club match there last month drew about 4000 fans. It might also represent the last chance for the Saints to play a competitive match at the ground with plans afoot for a complete redevelopment of the ground, which would include demolition of the grandstands.
The Article Angus Morgan/Sportal/afl.com.au/01Mar05

Tribunal has the Dogs barking
The AFL's new tribunal system is under attack again, the Western Bulldogs smarting about what they claim is blatant inconsistency after the citing of veteran Rohan Smith on a striking charge yesterday. Smith has been charged with striking St Kilda's Troy Schwarze during the Bulldogs' Wizard Cup win over St Kilda in Launceston on Friday night. Smith will receive a 25 per cent reduction on any penalty if he pleads guilty to the charge, but is unable to receive any further clemency - despite not having been suspended before - because he previously has been found guilty and fined on wrestling and melee charges. The Bulldogs last night claimed that presented an obvious contradiction in the new legislation, as those previous charges will not be counted against Smith in the weighting of any future penalty should he be subsequently suspended. "It smacks of inconsistency," Bulldogs' coach Rodney Eade said last night. "It's like they're trying to sit on the fence. I think the new system has its merits, but on this occasion, it's been shown up. Rohan's good record is going to count for bugger-all now, but then those previous fines won't be used against him if he comes up again."
The Article Rohan Connolly and Len Johnson/TheAge/01Mar05
Dogs to contest ban Sportal/01Mar05
Clean-cut Smith given no favours Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/01Mar05

Eade lashes Thomas over 'ugly' tag
Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade has accused Grant Thomas of being a hypocrite after Eade's game plan was labelled "very, very ugly" by his St Kilda counterpart. Thomas lashed out at Eade and his renowned flooding tactics after the Saints were surprisingly bundled out of the Wizard Cup in Launceston on Friday night. "The Western Bulldogs play a Rodney Eade style of game and other sides be warned - it's not unusual to have 18 players behind the centre," Thomas said. "Crikey. I feel sorry for all you people at home watching that. I mean, it was an ugly game. It was very, very ugly." As the Dogs prepare for Saturday night's semi-final against Carlton at Telstra Dome, Eade said he had nothing to apologise for. "There was a reasonably strong wind going to one end, and it was a three or four-goal wind going one way," Eade said.
The Article Jon Pierik/HeraldSun/01Mar05
Eade attacks Saints' defensive claims Dan Oakes/TheAge/01Mar05

All clear for Hudghton
St Kilda defender Max Hudghton remains on target for the round one season opener against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, despite being knocked out during last Friday night's Wizard Home Loans Cup clash at Aurora Stadium in Launceston. The courageous backman was involved in a clash with former Western Bulldogs skipper Chris Grant and was carried from the ground on a stretcher with a brace around his neck. Hudghton was running with the flight of the ball before colliding with Grant halfway through the first quarter. A St Kilda spokesperson said Hudghton didn't break any bones during the collision and that he had recovered from the incident. "He is fine now and has nothing wrong with him," she said. However, as a precautionary measure, Hudghton will not play in the club's Wizard Regional Challenge Series match next weekend.
The Article Matt Burgan/Sportal/saints.com.au/27Feb05

How a Saint saved Frawley
When Danny Frawley was at his lowest ebb, Lindsay Fox pointed out some home truths, reports Caroline Wilson. Lindsay Fox and Danny Frawley had always kept in contact since their 1980s St Kilda days but it was a telephone call from Fox last year during Frawley's darkest hour that provided the light that has led the former coach from the abyss into his new life. A new career with the Linfox group started officially two days ago. The call came several days after the then-Richmond coach had been spat on in the players' race at Telstra Dome. Frawley's insipid Tigers had hit rock bottom against Adelaide but Fox was not ringing up to talk football. Instead the former St Kilda president and trucking tycoon reminded the younger man - whom he had known since Frawley was a teenage recruit from Bungaree - of his priorities. He advised him to dwell not upon coaching but how coaching might be affecting his family.
The Article Caroline Wilson/TheAe/25Feb05

Gwilt-edged investment
. . . According to the AFL's talent manager, Kevin Sheehan, Gwilt is the only player selected in last year's draft from a local football club who did not come through the AFL's recognised junior elite development programs or competitions such as the TAC Cup or to have been exposed to senior football in state competitions such as the SANFL. "To be honest, the first time I heard his name was the moment he was read out," Sheehan said. "I knew nothing about him at all, which is unusual, because normally they'd be on the radar somewhere. I think it adds tremendous interest to the draft because there's probably only one that bobs up like that maybe every two years completely from left field. And I reckon it's great. It gives every one of the 1700 (players who have nominated) the belief that I might be the one from left field" . . . And after a solid season, it was his final game of the year, the grand final, that sealed his fate. A best-on-ground performance on the half-back flank caught the eye of a St Kilda talent scout, sent down to watch Noble Park by Saints' recruiting manager John Beveridge, who had some inside information on Gwilt, having coached Dennis Knight as an under 11.
The Article

Players warned on guilty pleas
Footballers have been unofficially warned from within the AFL itself not to plead guilty to intentional contact at its tribunal if the contact has caused a severe injury to another player. A guilty plea at the tribunal would be raised as damning evidence against an infringing player in court if an injured party decided to take legal action, an AFL insider, who did not wished to be named, said. "It would be evidence that would be used against him, so he couldn't contest it. It would only be a matter of how much money," the insider said yesterday when asked about the possibility of a large payout if a footballer admitted to intentionally hurting another player outside the rules. You would advise against it (pleading guilty to intentional contact).
The Article Dwayne Russell/TheAge/26Feb05

AFL looks to NZ for expansion
The league hopes New Zealand can become a land of the long, white Australian football goal posts. The AFL's focus on expansion has shifted to New Zealand, with community camps to be held there next year, as well as a Wizard Cup game, probably between Geelong and Melbourne. The two clubs have been sounded out about the idea, with the Cats particularly keen as the club is popular among the burgeoning Auskick centres in NZ. Positive strides have been made in converting predominantly expatriate playing stocks to a 50-50 split with local players. Last year, the AFL appointed former St Kilda player Rob Malone as general manager of the NZAFL, one of five full-time staff, including three development officers. Malone found a market, if not quite ripe, certainly revealing buds of fruit. For instance, Friday night football is somewhat of a hit, albeit on Saturday mornings when it appears on NZ television screens
The Article David Reed/TheAge/25Feb05

Dal Santo's focus on hard work
St Kilda midfielder Nick Dal Santo says the club is focusing on sheer hard work rather than aiming to claim back-to-back titles in this year's Wizard Home Loans Cup. Dal Santo, who said the club's first-round win against Hawthorn was a "scrappy" affair, said the team had not even mentioned a pre-season title at this stage of the Wizard Cup. "Our approach, at the moment, is to give 100 per cent every time we run onto the ground and whether we've got our best side in there or it happens to be our second side, we know every individual has to give what they've got," Dal Santo said at Moorabbin on Tuesday.
The Article Matt Burgan/Sportal/saints.com.au/22Feb05
Penny injures knee at training Jon Pierik/HeraldSun/23Feb05

Our President: CPA Guest Speaker
. . . Continuing the Corporate theme, the St Kilda Football Club has introduced certain KPI's for continuing success on the field as well as HR methodology in player empowerment . . . St Kilda Football Club uses an eight basis criteria (things such as speed, skill, courage etc) for evaluating our players against the best in the league and see where they are coming up short. For example after 2001 the analysis was conducted on the Saints players compared to the Brisbane players. The evaluation is out of five and this showed Brisbane with an average of 4 while the Saints had an average of 2.8. This in essence meant the Saints had no hope of beating the Lions with the list at the end of 2001. With this in mind the Saints have turned over its list in a fairly dramatic fashion. Every player that the Saints draft or recruit has had this analysis done on them since 2001 and the process is ongoing.
Rod Butterss Speach joffaboy/Saintsational Fan Forum

Xavier Clarke Chat transcript
saintbrat: Do you do any study or work outside of footy?
Xavier Clarke: I am doing a Bachelor of Arts in Education, part time, at the moment.
lilsainta23: Are there any injury concerns down at the club?
Xavier Clarke: Luke Penny hurt his knee yesterday and may miss up to 5 weeks. That's all at the moment.
sainters: What are your ambitions after football?
Xavier Clarke: Not too sure - I think there's a long way to go in footy yet, but probably move back to Darwin and hopefully work with young Indigenous kids.
The Transcript Noddy/saints.com.au/23Feb05

Row over new ruck rules
One of the most enthralling rituals in football is the confrontation of the gladiators at the opening bounce of big games. What did I do wrong? The new ruck rules have caused controversy, and Josh Fraser is among those struggling to get the hang of them. Enjoy your memories of Clark Keating, Shaun Rehn, Simon Madden and company because you won't be seeing the like again. The new, reduced 10m centre circle for the bounce of the ball to start and restart play is going to emasculate the most athletic of the gladiators. Watching Josh Fraser, Jeff White and Peter Everitt struggling to function in their new, claustrophobic workplace at the weekend was the most disturbing aspect of the first round of Wizard Cup games.
The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/22Feb05
Spida: new rules make us extinct Scott Gullan/HeraldSun/24Feb05