Archives

Wizard Cup 2005 - Round 1

Hawthorn: 0.1.2, 1.4.4, 1.8.5, 1.8.9 (66)
St Kilda: 0.3.5, 1.6.9, 1.7.14, 1.8.18 (75)
Nine point goals: Hawthorn: Bateman 1.
St Kilda: Fiora 1.
Six point goals: Hawthorn: Dixon 4, Williams 2, Lonie, Barker 1.
St Kilda: Riewoldt 3, Milne 2, Fisher, Ball, McGough 1.
Best: Hawthorn: Croad, Hodge, Bateman, Barker, Miller, Mitchell.
St Kilda: Goddard, Hayes, Ball, Fiora, Hudghton.
Injuries: Hawthorn: Thurgood (concussion) St Kilda: -
Reports: Mitchell (Hawthorn) for striking Ball (St Kilda) in the first quarter. Murray (St Kilda) for engaging in rough play against Thurgood (Hawthorn) by S.Ryan in the first quarter.
Umpires: Ryan, Sully, Lee-Archer, McBurney
Crowd: 27,513 at Telstra Dome.
Murray: Charge Thrown Out ABCSport/21Feb05

Saints do it tough
The reigning night premiers St Kilda have progressed to the second round of the 2005 Wizard Home Loans Cup, but not without a considerable struggle in a nine-point defeat of a much-improved Hawthorn at Telstra Dome on Saturday night . . . The Saints' 1.8.18 (75) to 1.8.9 (66) victory books them a match with the Western Bulldogs at Launceston's Aurora Stadium next Friday night, while the Hawks will hit the practice match circuit in Western Australia. Alhough Hawthorn never held the lead, it turned around a 39-point second-quarter deficit to be within three points at the last change. And after a 15-minutes of deadlock in the desperate final term, it was St Kilda's new skipper Nick Riewoldt who finally broke through to give his side a seven-point buffer and ultimately seal the match.
The Article Samantha Lane/Sportal/saints.com.au/19Feb05
Some great Reviews Saintsational Fan Forum Thread
More game Reviews Saintsational Fan Forum Thread

Riewoldt leads the future troops
A new era of AFL superstars has swept through the ranks, with the game's established champions nowhere to be seen in a Sunday Herald Sun poll rating football's hottest commodities. New St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt smashed the opposition, including Brownlow medallist Chris Judd, when 40 members of football's inner sanctum were asked to select three players they would draft in an open market. The days of trading for short-term success are long gone, with Riewoldt hauling in 25 first votes compared with Judd's seven. Brisbane powerhouse Jonathan Brown trailed into third position with three votes. A collection of current senior coaches, match committee members, recruiters and player managers showed again that while midfielders may garner Brownlow Medal attention, key forwards are the hottest AFL properties. The survey also showed salary expectations are in line with current AFL figures, participants saying the best player in the game should be paid about $716,000.
The Article Jon Ralph/Herald Sun/20Feb05

Classy Saints prevail
Last season, St Kilda lost a chance to play in a grand final and Hawthorn lost its self-respect. Both brought their peculiar forms of pain, but at least the Hawks know their loss can be recovered. Which is why the Hawks will have gained more than a little from St Kilda's victory in last night's Wizard Cup first-round, and the Saints achieved little more than avoiding a trek to far-flung Western Australia. Given the recent history of the sides, these were always the most likely outcomes. This was the late game on an double-header program but these are the earliest of competitive days, and so divining too much from the events of the Saints' nine-point win would be foolhardy. Each team was missing a Brownlow medallist, and the Saints several key defenders besides, which means the tea leaves are better tossed on the garden than read with intent.
The Article Mark Fuller/TheAge/20Feb05

Saints win a close one
Defending AFL Wizard Cup champion St Kilda outlasted Hawthorn by nine points in their first-round clash at Telstra Dome tonight. A blow-out loomed before the Hawks lifted in the second term and trailed by only one point during the last quarter. New Saints captain Nick Riewoldt kicked the only goal of the last term after 15 minutes to give his side the decisive break. Hawthorn trailed by 39 points midway through the second term and looked on the way to a belting. But two goals to Ben Dixon sparked the Hawks and they lowered the margin to 17 points at halftime.
The Article AAP/HeraldSun/19Feb05
Saints' shaky win Ken Piesse/HeraldSun/20Feb05
Four players to face new-look tribunal HeraldSun/20Feb05
Schwab's posers HeraldSun/20Feb05

Saints sink improved Hawks
St Kilda has reached the second round of the Wizard Home Loans Cup after securing a hard-fought nine-point victory over Hawthorn at Telstra Dome on Saturday evening. The reigning night premiers were pushed all the way by a much-improved Hawks side, which grew in confidence as the match wore on, before winning 1.8.18 (75) to 1.8.9 (66). Hawthorn never hit the lead at any stage, but coach Alastair Clarkson will have been impressed with the way his side turned around a 39-point second-quarter deficit to be within three points at the last change.
The Article Sportal/19Feb05

Mitchell, Murray face revamped tribunal
Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell and St Kilda's Allan Murray will become the first guinea pigs to run the maze of the AFL's revamped tribunal system after the pair were reported during the first quarter of the Hawks' gallant loss to defending Wizard Cup champion St Kilda last night. Mitchell, who starred for Hawthorn, was reported after laying a high tackle to the head of St Kilda counterpart Luke Ball. Murray was reported minutes earlier for alleged rough conduct against rookie Hawk Josh Thurgood. Both reports were made by umpire Shaun Ryan.
The Article Melissa Ryan/TheAge/20Feb05

The practice games
It is one thing to be excited by the return of football, another to think that it has much meaning or consequence in February. Hawthorn threw down the gauntlet to St Kilda at Telstra Dome last night, belying the gulf between the two teams last season, and it made for an engaging match. But it does not mean that the Hawks are suddenly back in town, nor that the Saints are headed for the doldrums. Hawthorn was obliged by last year's wretchedness and the makeover of the club in the off-season at least to put on a first-up show. After a faltering beginning, the Hawks did. The Saints' eyes are fixed on a farther horizon this season, and once they had flexed their muscle early seemed content to see the match through. But February is dangerously early to do the complacency thing.
The Article Greg Baum/TheAge/20Feb05

The new boys: Hawthorn v St Kilda
Aaron Fiora: The former Tiger was silky smooth on the wing for his new club, collecting well-earned possessions, taking strong marks and providing one of the highlights of the night with his supergoal, taking three bounces down the wing before belting the nine-pointer through in the second quarter. Had another couple of attempts at supergoals but was just off line . . .
The Article Melissa Ryan/TheAge/20Feb05

Saints think ahead
Coach Grant Thomas admitted at training yesterday that while competitive juices would flow (in the Wizard Cup), beating the unfancied Hawks wasn't paramount. "Without any disrespect to the Wizard Cup - it's a great event - I don't think it really puts any pressure on anyone," Thomas said, when asked if there was any pressure going in as the reigning champ. "At the end of the day it's a practice-game format and we're just trying to prepare ourselves as well as we can for the in-season program" . . . "A win is obviously an outcome we'd like to get, but we just want to see how a lot of the young guys have come up," Thomas said.
The Article Michael Horan and Jordan Chong/HeraldSun/19Feb05

St Kilda Squad:: Peckett, Hamill, Thompson, Jones, Hayes, Hudghton, Baker, Montagna, Riewoldt, Voss, Ball, Powell, Goddard, Penny, Murray, Ferguson, Fiora, Koschitzke, Fisher, Dal Santo, Blake, Ackland, Stone, McGough, McQualter, Gwilt, Guerra, Milne.
Hawthorn Squad:: Everitt, Holland, Mitchell, Williams, Osborne, Bateman, Smith, Lonie, Miller, Hodge, Ries, Brennan, Dixon, Beaumont, Vandenburg, Kane, Croad, Clarke, Barker, Sewell, Greene, Brown, Ball, Thurgood, Lekkas, Campbell, Lewis, Taylor.
All Wizard Cup Squads Round 1 HeraldSun/18Feb05

Momentum incentive for Saints
Dashing St Kilda midfielder Austinn Jones says the Saints are keen to defend their Wizard Home Loans Cup title because of the positive momentum it generates for the premiership season. St Kilda emerged as one of the leading teams in the AFL by claiming the pre-season title last year, before winning its first 10 matches of the season proper. "It got us off to a great start and as everyone knows we were 10-0 so it certainly set that up in a good way," Jones said on the eve of the Saints' Wizard Cup opener against Hawthorn at Telstra Dome. "It's great for membership and every time every player represents the St Kilda footy club, (we're) out there to win. There are no easy games, you don't want to be taking any games lightly because it certainly could get your season off on the wrong foot, and our campaign last year set us off on a good note."
The Article ScottSpitts/Sportal/saints.com.au/18Feb05

Newcomers in for Saints
St Kilda has named several newcomers in its side for Saturday night's Wizard Home Loans Cup clash against Hawthorn at Telstra Dome. Former Port ruckman Cain Ackland will be attempting to fill the void left by departed Trent Knobel, while Adam Fiora (Richmond) and Mark McGough (Collingwood) have been named as Saints for the first time since leaving their respective clubs in 2004. Former under 18 Vic Country skipper Andrew McQualter has also been named, and will be preparing for his first senior match after being selected as St Kilda's number one draft pick in the 2004 National Draft.
The Article Jennifer Witham/Sportal/saints.com.au/18Feb05

Match Preview
Expect a routine win to the Saints here because of a considerable edge in talent all over the field and the express wish of their coach that they are out to win every game they contest. Nevertheless, Clarkson has vowed that the Hawks will have a harder edge in 2005 and all Hawk fans want at this stage is a reason to believe him.
St Kilda v Hawthorn Ashley Browne/Sportal/afl.com.au/16Feb05

Vengeful Saints keen to make a fast start
. . . "Aaron Fiora, who's come across from Richmond - he'll play tomorrow night and he's been in great form," Aussie Jones said. "Cain Ackland, who will play a fair bit in the ruck for us this year, has been great as well." "Everyone knows Mark (McGough) pretty well, he played a couple of great Anzac Day matches and certainly wraps up getting the ball. That's what he'll bring to our side, just his strength at getting the ball and giving it to us, the guys who are running and delivering it into our forward line."
The Article AAP/TheAge/18Feb05

Saints are the ones
St Kilda is the overwhelming favourite to win the pre-season Wizard Cup at $3.75. The Saints open against Hawthorn, which won't be much of a test for them. Coach Grant Thomas has a strong squad and in most pundits eyes looks poised to challenge for the premiership. The Saints will probably have the home ground edge throughout the tournament and are superb at the Telstra Dome. Defending premier Port Adelaide should account for local rival Adelaide in its opening match. Port is at $8, equal second favourite with last year's surprise packet Geelong.
The Article Sportal/15Feb05