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Wizard Cup - Round 2 Reports

Western Bulldogs: 1.3.1 1.4.4 2.6.5 2.10.7 (85)
St Kilda: 0.2.2 1.2.6 1.6.9 1.9.11 (74)
Super goals: Bulldogs: M Boyd F Ray. St Kilda: L Hayes.
Goals: Bulldogs: D Giansiracusa 3 A Cooney 2 C Faulkner 2 B Johnson R Smith F Ray. St Kilda: A Fioria 2 A Hamill 2 N Riewoldt 2 J Gwilt R Harvey S Milne.
Best: Bulldogs: M Boyd A Cooney S West R Murphy C Faulkner M Hahn. St Kilda: S Hayes N Riewoldt A Fiora B Voss L Ball.
Injuries: St Kilda: M Hudghton (concussion). Western Bulldogs: Nil.
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: S McBurnie S Ryan K Nicholls D Goldspink.
Crowd: 12,948, at Aurora Stadium, Launceston.
Match Stats Bulldogs vs Saints afl.com.au

Saints leave it to reporting panel
The Saints said he was in good spirits yesterday, but won't play in this weekend's practice match. Saints chief executive Jim Watts last night ruled out pursuing the matter further if Grant was cleared. While privately the club is reported to be seething over the incident, publicly it is maintaining a poker face. "The AFL will do its job," a club spokeswoman said. "We'll see what happens." The match review panel will take into account four factors when it views footage of the incident: conduct, impact, location and contact.
The Article Jon Pierik/HeraldSun/28Feb05

Clash riles Saints
St Kilda is seething over the heavy knock that put key defender Max Hudghton in hospital. Anger grew as the Saints watched Hudghton, in a neck brace, wheeled out of Launceston's Aurora Stadium on Friday night badly shaken and slightly concussed. Officials were not prepared to complain publicly, but St Kilda is anxious for the AFL match review panel to scrutinise the first-quarter incident in which Western Bulldogs star Chris Grant cannoned into Hudghton. The Saints visited Hudghton after the shock 11-point loss to the Bulldogs and were relieved when he was released soon after midnight. "We were pleased he was able to join us for breakfast today and he is starting to look much brighter," Saints coach Grant Thomas said.
The Article HeraldaSun/27Feb05

Hudghton survives injury scare
St Kilda defender Max Hudghton has avoided experiencing an early end to consecutive pre-seasons. A smiling Hudghton, who was taken to hospital during Friday night's Wizard Cup loss to the Western Bulldogs, flew home from Launceston with his teammates yesterday, having been cleared of head, neck or shoulder damage. Hudghton was running with the flight of the ball halfway through the opening quarter of the quarter-final when he collided with Bulldog forward Chris Grant's shoulder and was carried from the ground on a stretcher with a brace around his neck. The clash came a year after the defender was crunched during a pre-season game in Adelaide and missed the first five games of the Saints' season after he badly injured a shoulder.
The Article Emma Quayle/TheAge/26Feb05

Hudghton survives injury scare
St Kilda defender Max Hudghton has avoided experiencing an early end to consecutive pre-seasons. A smiling Hudghton, who was taken to hospital during Friday night's Wizard Cup loss to the Western Bulldogs, flew home from Launceston with his teammates yesterday, having been cleared of head, neck or shoulder damage. Hudghton was running with the flight of the ball halfway through the opening quarter of the quarter-final when he collided with Bulldog forward Chris Grant's shoulder and was carried from the ground on a stretcher with a brace around his neck. The clash came a year after the defender was crunched during a pre-season game in Adelaide and missed the first five games of the Saints' season after he badly injured a shoulder.
The Article Emma Quayle/TheAge/26Feb05

Hudghton released from hospital
St Kilda defender Max Hudghton was discharged from hospital last night after colliding with Western Bulldogs opponent Chris Grant in their AFL Wizard Cup match. While the first-quarter incident at Launceston's Aurora Stadium will probably come under video review, Hudghton was fine today apart from a solid headache. Hudghton was running with the flight of the ball when the incident happened. He suffered concussion and was taken off the ground on a stretcher, wearing a neck brace. Although Hudghton was taken to hospital immediately after the incident, he did not have to stay the night.
The Article Roger Vaughan/AAP/HeraldSun/26Feb05

Hudghton pays for courage
As a distressed Max Hudghton sat in the back of an ambulance on his way to Launceston General Hospital last night, he would have felt a somewhat sickening sense of deja vu. This time last year, Hudghton was running back with the flight of the ball in a Wizard Cup match against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. The last thing he remembers was a flash of a Crows jumper. The next time he played was two months later, after enduring the painful rehabilitation of a badly wrecked shoulder. Last night, it was Hudghton running back under the ball again, this time against the Western Bulldogs at the recently renamed Aurora Stadium. Chris Grant, charging the other way, met Hudghton with a shoulder between his shoulder blades, sending the St Kilda defender tumbling awkwardly to the ground.
The Article Chip Le Grand/TheAustralian/26Feb05

Dogs put the bite on Saints
. . . Stephen Milne got his hands on the football for only the fifth time all night and snapped a goal to put the Saints a point up. The Bulldogs' chance to get back in front came minutes later, when a long ball dropped over Chris Grant's head. As the forward tried to turn, Faulkner slipped underneath his feet. Faulkner threw the footy on his foot . . . his snap wrenching the lead back. Harvey burst from the centre square at the next centre bounce but, for one of the first times all night, Bulldog defender Brian Harris out-positioned Nick Riewoldt and backed back to mark. The ball ended up the Bulldogs' end, Cooney snapping the sealer as the siren blew.
The Article Emma Quayle/TheAge/26Feb05

Sainters Comments
. . . (saint66au) You have to remember that we are no longer the underdogs or sentimental favorites, especially during the Wizard Cup against a side who have been in a similar position to ourselves during the last few years. I fully expected the commentators to sound like they were willing the Dogs home, as quite rightly they would have been dead stiff to lose. Plenty of people on this forum have wished us to stop being everyones second favorite team, and to stop the patronising and such from the media. Now its starting to happen and we will have to deal with it. There have been plenty of times when commentators have sided with us when we have shown a sniff during bad times. Those of you with a half-decent archive should check the exact corresponding game 10 years ago . . . when we rolled Carlton with seconds to go
The Thread Saintsational Fan Forum

Flood takes Thomas by surprise
St Kilda's 11-point loss to the Western Bulldogs has provided Saints coach Grant Thomas with much food for thought - namely how he will combat the Rodney Eade flood with their sides next meet. "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 told Channel Nine after the match at Launceston's Aurora Stadium. "It worked for them tonight, and we probably weren't well enough ready for that, and I've got to take responsibility for that." And in what might be interpreted as a jibe at Eade's characteristic game plan, Thomas described the Friday night quarter-final as 'very, very ugly'. "Crikey. I feel sorry for all you people at home watching that. I mean, it was an ugly game, it was very, very ugly. And we didn't have any semblance or rhythm or system going."
The Article Samantha Lane/Sportal/saints.com.au/25Feb05

Rocket sets 10-win target
. . . Although the Dogs were thrilled with their progress, St Kilda coach Grant Thomas was less impressed. Thomas said a win would've been robbery and accused his players of leaving some of their win-at-all-costs attitude at Melbourne Airport. "You can't pick and choose and turn the light on and off," Thomas said, "You've got to go 100 per cent whenever you're out there. I think we would've been beaten by the other 15 sides if we'd taken in that attitude and that performance in any game." Thomas said the club was behind in terms of preparation compared with this time last year when it blitzed its way to the Wizard Cup final.
The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/26Feb05
Eade's pups upset Saints Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/26Feb05
Dogs upset Saints Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/26Feb05
Bulldogs put bite on Saints Sportal/25Feb05

Saints upset by Bulldogs
St Kilda's campaign to claim back-to-back Wizard Home Loans Cups has been brought to a premature end after an 11-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in a second round match at Launceston's Aurora Stadium on Friday night. The Dogs were able to hold out the pressing Saints to triumph 2.10.7 (85) to 1.9.11 (74) despite the best efforts of Lenny Hayes, Aaron Fiora and Nick Riewoldt who were best for the Saints. The Saints hit the lead after Stephen Milne goaled in the dying minutes of the match, but Cameron Faulker hit back with less than a minute remaining, and Adam Cooney made it a formality after nailing a major on the final siren.
The Article Samantha Lane/Sportal/saints.com.au/25Feb05
Bulldogs put bite on Saints Samantha Lane/Sportal/afl.com.au/25Feb05
Bulldogs too good on the night Jemma Reale/FootyGos/25Feb05

Saints Wiz Cup R2 squad (Inclusions in bold)
Justin Peckett, Aaron Hamill, Andrew Thompson, Austinn Jones, Lenny Hayes, Max Hudghton, Steven Baker, Leigh Montagna, Nick Riewoldt, Brett Voss, Luke Ball, Stephen Powell, Brendon Goddard, Allan Murray, Matthew Ferguson, Aaron Fiora, Justin Koschitzke, Sam Fisher, Nick Dal Santo, Jason Blake, Cain Ackland, Nick Stone, Mark McGough, Andrew McQualter, James Gwilt, Robert Harvey, Troy Schwarze, Stephen Milne.
Bulldogs squad Sportal/saints.com.au/23Feb05

Matt Rendell on Wiz2
. . . "Every game we play we want to win to keep the winning culture going and the Western Bulldogs game will be no different," Rendell said. "The Saints will look to a number of players to fill the full forward role and cover the key defensive posts. "Nick Riewoldt, Justin Koschitzke or Aaron Hamill can cover for Gehrig and we have a few that can go forward or back like Hamill and Koschitzke," Rendell said. "But having Brooks back will also be a bonus as he has recovered from plantar fascia (a foot muscle injury) pretty well and has had a brilliant pre-season. He should be a good option for us this season and we are hoping he can give it his best shot as he is pretty talented."
Saints stars absent Mark Wiliams/TheAdvocate/26Fe05

Big guns return for Saints
St Kilda has bought back the big guns for Friday night's Wizard Home Loans Cup quarter-final against the Western Bulldogs in Launceston. The Saints, who began the defence of their pre-season crown with a narrow win over Hawthorn, have recalled four of their veterans in Robert Harvey, Stephen Powell, Aussie Jones and Andrew Thompson for the trip south. The four were all rested against the Hawks but all were named in the Saints' 28 man squad on Wednesday and all are expected to play at least some part of Friday night's game.
The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/saints.com.au/23Feb05
AFL Preview afl.com.au/22Feb05

Bulldogs near full-strength
The Bulldogs have named virtually the same squad as last week but have added veteran Ben Harrison to their team for Friday night's Wizard Home Loans Cup quarter-final against St Kilda in Launceston. The Dogs will be close to full-strength with their only absentees being Nathan Eagleton, Shane Birss, Matthew Robbins, Steven Koops and Adam Morgan. The Saints, who began the defence of their pre-season crown with a narrow win over Hawthorn, have recalled four of their veterans in Robert Harvey, Stephen Powell, Aussie Jones and Andrew Thompson for the trip south.
The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/saints.com.au/23Feb05
Johnson to lead Dogs Sportal/24Feb05
Eade holds back on Dogs captain Lyall Johnson/TheAe/25Feb05

Penny's injury puts spotlight on Saints' defence
St kilda's defensive stocks took a further blow yesterday when Luke Penny hobbled from the training track after injuring his knee in a training drill, putting him in doubt for the Wizard Cup quarter-final on Friday. The Saints appeared to struggle for height down back last week against the Hawks with both Penny and Matt Maguire out of the side - Penny with a bout of gastro and Maguire still recovering from an osteitis pubis operation before Christmas. Penny, who had minor knee issues last season and wears supporting strapping on his right knee as a precaution, complained of jarring his knee as he ran yesterday and left the track for treatment. Last night, the club said it was not sure what the problem was and Penny would have scans to check. Until yesterday, he was expected to play Friday night against the Western Bulldogs.
The Article Lyall Johnson/TheAge/23Feb05
Training Info and Video's Moose/saintsational.com/23Feb05