2005 Post-Season Articles
Page 3
Heavenly pad for $15m plus
This is the house that could break Melbourne's house price record: St Kilda Football Club president Rod Butterss' beachfront mansion in Brighton. Bayside splendour: The sale of Seacombe, owned by St Kilda Football Club president Rod Butterss, could break price records. Seacombe, in Seacombe Grove, is on the market for more than $15 million and Hodges Real Estate Brighton director Damian Taylor believes the price could edge towards $20 million. The record was set in 2002 when transport magnate Paul Little paid almost $16 million for Toorak mansion Coonac. Most rooms in Seacombe, an 1800sq m, four-level house.
The Article Andea Moss/HeraldSun/23Oct05
Fans deal Nick Dal Santo hot hands
St Kilda's silky smooth Nick Dal Santo has become a calendar model and a high-stakes poker player all in the space of a week. But it was at the photo shoot at Black Rock beach where a few young onlookers tried to unsettle him with jibes about his modelling assignment that probably tested his patience most. Nick is one of the AFL players who appear in Fever06 (www.fevercalendar.com.au). Teammate Xavier Clarke also stripped to the waist and received a razzing from the cheeky uninvited audience.
The Article Scot Palmer/HeraldSun/23Oct05
Grant Thomas has denied reports the club had already offered three veterans, Andrew Thompson, Justin Peckett and Stephen Powell, new contracts for next season. Club officials have been fielding calls from excited managers representing the three players and advised them that a decision has yet to be made. HeraldSun
Heavenly Warriors of 2005
Regardless of what transpired, the St Kilda Football Club made a significant step in 2005. Despite a mixed bag in the first half of the year, the latter produced some stellar football with both outstanding team efforts and sheer individual performances. The spirited win over the Bulldogs in Round 14 saw the Saints steady the ship in the right direction, winning eight of the last nine premiership games and being the inform side in the competition with their only hiccup a after the siren loss to Fremantle in Perth.
The Article Luca Giacobello/saints.com.au/17Oct05
Saints stick with trio of veterans
St Kilda has decided to retain veteran trio Justin Peckett, Andrew Thompson and Stephen Powell for the 2006 season. The Saints will offer Peckett, Thompson and Powell one-year contracts within the next few days as they finalise their senior list in preparation for next month's national draft. St Kilda coach Grant Thomas already has lost Austinn Jones to retirement, but the decision to keep 33-year-old Peckett, Thompson, who turns 33 next week, and 29-year-old Powell means the Saints will start 2006 with all their older players on the list, bar Jones, with 29-year-old key defender Max Hudghton having signed a two-year contract late in the season. Thompson, Peckett and Powell are all keen to play on and while they have not yet accepted the club's offer, this is likely to be a formality, given that none of the trio was highly paid in 2005.
The Article Jake Niall and Stephen Rielly/TheAge/14Oct05
Open season on AFL TV rights
The action shifts to the boardroom as the AFL declares an opening offer of $130 million. Four days ago, the AFL threw down the gauntlet to Channels Seven and Ten, the renegade free-to-air networks that took the competition by surprise back in March when they joined forces to bid for the game's broadcast rights. It has been an unnerving and difficult time since then as far as the league's relationship with Seven and Ten has been concerned. Angry at and disdainful of Seven - its broadcast partner over four decades - for taking it to court and costing the AFL millions of dollars in legal fees, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou and his commission seem even angrier at Channel Ten for jumping ship to bid with Seven.
The Article Caroline Wilson/TheAge/16Oct05
Watts an excited Saint
New St Kilda forward Fergus Watts has conceded it was a tough decision to leave Adelaide considering he was on the cusp of senior selection and set to play a greater role for the Crows in 2006. But from a personal point of view, Watts said the lure of returning home to Victoria - after playing five matches with Adelaide in two seasons with the club - was irresistible. "I'm feeling relieved and excited and I was ready for a long stressful week and nothing to happen until Thursday or Friday, but for it to happen this quick, I'm really pleased and very excited to come to St Kilda," Watts told afl.com.au. "The Adelaide Football Club is a very good football club and the environment they are building there and the team they're building - it's going to be a successful team. It was a very hard decision for me to make and I had to weigh up my football opportunities and also my personal opportunities and where I'd enjoy my life the most."
The Article Matt Burgan/saints.com.au/04Oct05
Watts traded to St Kilda Matt Burgan/saints.com.au/04Oct05
Watts Saint at heart Jordan Chong/HeraldSun/05Oct05
Watts flies to Saints Jesse Hogan/TheAge/05Oct05
"The 2006 fixture was always going to be very difficult for the AFL and we appreciate the complexities involved with the Commonwealth Games scheduling. There are a number of aspects of the draw that we would have preferred to see different, but overall we are extremely enthusiastic about season 2006 and looking forward to the challenge."
Saints Chief Executive Officer, Jim Watts.
2006 Toyota AFL Fixture - All Teams afl.com.au/04Oct05
2006 AFL Draw - The Article Ashley Browne and Paul Gough/saints.com.au/04Oct05
17 into 15 doesn't go ????? saintsational.com
SAINTS FIXTURE 2006
Television bill tops $700m
The AFL is seeking more than $700 million from its next broadcast deal. The opening shot of the TV rights battle was fired on Wednesday, when the AFL formally issued Channels 7 and 10 with their contractual rights to bid first. The Seven-Ten alliance, formed in March, is expected to reject the offer, freeing Channel 9 to officially enter the rights auction. Nine, left on the football free-to-air outer by the shift of its co-rights holder Ten, has maintained throughout the past three months it intends to retain AFL content through a partnership with Foxtel. As part of the terms forwarded to the Seven-Ten consortium on Wednesday, it is understood the AFL has requested more than $140 million a year - cash - for the next rights, which are expected to cover the 2007 to 2011 seasons.
The Article Damian Barrett/TheAustralian/14Oct05
Thailand rejects unruly Lions and Saints
Several Brisbane Lions and the AFL's Coleman medallist were turned away by Customs officials at Bangkok International Airport early on Tuesday morning following complaints on a flight from Sydney to Thailand. Lions vice-captain Justin Leppitsch, assistant coach Craig Lambert, forward Jonathan Brown, midfielder Tim Notting, St Kilda forward Fraser Gehrig and former Lion Steven Lawrence were among those refused entry at Bangkok . . . St Kilda chief executive Jim Watts also said it was not a matter of concern for the club. Gehrig was awarded the Coleman Medal for topping this year's home and away goal-kicking, with 74 majors for St Kilda. Lawrence played 81 games with the Lions between 1995 and 2000 before being recruited by St Kilda where he played 39 games before being delisted at the end of 2003. He has a history of being a problem player, having once put his hand through a plate-glass window during an altercation at a Lions teammate's party, and his career ended on a low when he crashed his car and lost his licence while playing for St Kilda.
The Article Darren Cartwright/TheAustralian/13Oct05
Footy stars get the Bangkok boot Sam Edmund/HeraldSun/13Oct05
A Saint too far away Allan Grant/saints.com.au/12Oct05
Craig Starcevich heads training services
Craig Starcevich, the former Collingwood and Brisbane forward who was the fitness coach for the Lions when they won their three straight premiership flags, will head St Kilda's training services department in 2006. The Saints have confirmed the appointment of Starcevich as one of several changes to their football operations for next season, following a complete review of the season, which finished with a losing preliminary final for the second season in a row.
Staff changes for Saints Sportal/saints.com.au/06Oct05
Craig Starcevich playing Stats stats.rleague.com
Heads roll at Moorabbin
St Kilda has left little doubt about what it believes cost it the premiership this year by completely overhauling the training services department that presided over the club's disastrous injury run. In a ruthless revamp of the club's football department, the Saints also have sacked popular assistant coach Terry Daniher, with club legend Nathan Burke having quit the coaching panel last week. Training services chief Chris Jones has resigned from his position, while his assistant Adam Larcom has been removed. Former Brisbane Lions fitness adviser and ex-Collingwood premiership player Craig Starcevich has been appointed the new head of training services and will have responsibility for overcoming the plague of soft-tissue injuries that many observers believe cost the Saints the premiership. The removal of Daniher and resignation of Burke leaves with the Saints with just three of their five-man 2005 coaching panel - senior coach Grant Thomas, Matt Rendell and Jason Cripps - although they will obviously consider hiring a new assistant.
The Article Jake Niall/TheAge/06Oct05
Injuries down on less-durable surface Len Johnson/TheAge/06Oct05
Saints to decide on veteran trio's future
St Kilda will decide on the footballing futures of three of its more seasoned players this week, with the uncontracted trio of Andrew Thompson, Justin Peckett and Stephen Powell all waiting on the nod from coach Grant Thomas. Full-forward Fraser Gehrig also will settle on a new deal once Thomas returns from a brief trip to China, where he will inspect the site of the club's proposed pre-season camp. Unlike former Saint Austinn Jones, who recently made a stunning decision to end his career prematurely, Peckett, 33, Thompson, 33 this month, and Powell, 29, have indicated a desire to play on in 2006. "I've got no doubt about where they're at; it's more about where we're at and what the best mix is for us," Thomas said before leaving Australia today. "We've elected to do that when I get back, so that will be done in a week or so . . . No decisions have been made yet."
The Article Samantha Lane/TheAge/09Oct05
Gehrig a Saint for '06
St Kilda full-forward Fraser Gehrig has confirmed his desire to play on next year. On holiday in Port Douglas, the Saint said yesterday he expected a deal to be finalised after he had more post-season surgery. "We're going around again," Gehrig, 29, said. "There's still a few things . . . we haven't put pen to paper or anything like that. I've been away and still got to get a couple of operations done so still just tearing through a few things. We're pretty keen to go on I think." Gehrig has had surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his left thumb since season's end, with hand, wrist and groin operations to come.
The Article HeraldSun/09Oct05
G-Train stokes up for one more season
Fraser Gehrig has told St Kilda he wants to play on next year. It is understood Saints coach Grant Thomas received the good news over lunch with Gehrig and his manager Ron Joseph yesterday. Contract talks: Fraser Gehrig wants to keep playing next season. But he and the Saints are yet to agree on a new deal. But the "G-Train" rolling into another season is not a done deal just yet. Even though the Saints have crossed a major hurdle, the dual Coleman medallist is yet to agree formally to a new deal. It is believed Thomas and Joseph have yet to reach the nitty-gritty of the financial details. If all goes to plan, a formal announcement could be made before the end of the week . . . At one point, the Crows asked for Sam Fisher. But the Saints quickly dismissed any chance of sending the defender, who finished sixth in the club's best-and-fairest, back home to South Australia. Another club could yet become involved in the deal to allow Watts to go to Moorabbin. It could be one of the first deals done.
The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/04Oct05
Tribunal under Eagles' fire
. . . Hall walked out of the tribunal with a reprimand after pleading guilty to a charge of striking St Kilda defender Matt Maguire in the preliminary final. He was offered a one-match suspension by the match review panel, but successfully had the location of the charge downgraded at the tribunal from 'behind play' to 'in play'. The downgrade resulted in Hall accruing fewer than the 100 demerit points that would have resulted in a one-match ban. He kicked two goals - one a crucial kick in the last quarter from just outside 50 metres - in leading the Swans to a four-point victory and their first flag in 72 years. West Coast did not comment immediately but chief executive Trevor Nisbett was critical of the decision after the game. "The system didn't help us," Nisbett said then. "We believe a lot of procedures need to be reviewed." Nisbett said the offence would have merited a two-game suspension during the home-and-away season.
The Article Len Johnson/TheAge/06Oct05
Spida trapped in contract web of his own making Jake Niall/TheAge/06Oct05
Tribunal likely to retain discretion Melissa Woods/TheAustralian/06Oct05
Saints sex sue threat
. . . According to police interviews, Milne and Montagna each took a girl into separate rooms in the two-storey house where they had consensual sex. Then Montagna is alleged to have walked into Milne's room where it was suggested they swap partners. One of the women alleged she was sexually assaulted when the four were in the same bed with the lights off. A complaint was made to police the following morning and Milne and Montagna were interviewed twice for several hours . . . Milne's lawyer at the time, George Defteros, said the pair had "done absolutely nothing wrong" and it was announced in May last year there was insufficient evidence to support a prosecution. Mr Defteros claimed at the time that, on the evidence available, the case would have been unlikely to progress beyond committal, let alone convince a jury at trial. Legal experts said yesterday requirements were different in the matter of civil actions. In criminal cases, an alleged offence must be proved beyond reasonable doubt, but in civil actions the complainant only had to prove on the balance of probability that the offence occurred.
The Article Chris Tinkler/HeraldSun/09Oct05
Docker Dunn may head home
Fremantle midfielder Ryley Dunn, originally from Shepparton, continues to be a talking point. Word is the Saints might be keen. The Dockers are telling clubs to forget about Graham Polak. It would have to be a super deal to prise Polak away from WA. He apparently doesn't want to leave Perth.
The Article HeraldSun/05Oct05
THE 2006 SEASON OPENER
West Coast Eagles v St Kilda, round one - Subiaco: The teams with the most to prove in 2006 will have the honour of kicking off the season on a Thursday night in round one in what is certain to be a sell-out clash. These are the teams that for most of 2005 were favoured to win the premiership before both fell to the Swans, the Saints in the preliminary final and the Eagles in the grand final. So both will be desperate to start 2006 off with a win in what looms as the ideal season opener.
MONDAY NIGHT BLOCKBUSTER IN ADELAIDE
Port Adelaide v St Kilda, round four - AAMI Stadium: With Anzac Day falling on a Tuesday this year, the AFL has revived Monday night football, which will come to the City of Churches for the first time. And with a public holiday the next day, the AFL is expecting a huge turnout for this clash, not to mention a massive television audience back in Melbourne, for a game which is a re-match of the memorable 2004 preliminary final between the same two teams at the same venue.
Ten games to watch in 2006 afl.com.au/04Oct05
Thompson's fate decided after trade week
St Kilda has told Andrew Thompson his fate will be decided after trade week. The veteran midfielder, who will turn 33 on October 21, said that although it was difficult to be left "a little bit in limbo" by Saints coach Grant Thomas for another week, he hoped he would play on in 2006. "I've been waiting for a couple of weeks now but apparently it's not going to be until after trade week, that's the latest news I've got. I can sort of relax now when the phone rings for another four or five days," Thompson said on radio 3AW. "It's a difficult situation to be in - You know that they're always going to look at the list and the old blokes are always a chance not to be there next year. (I'm in) a little bit of limbo and until I get the call and the nod of the head to say that I can go on again, I suppose I'll still be a little bit toey." Thompson admitted the retirement of Austinn Jones probably helped his cause, and that of Justin Peckett, to be kept. "There's a school of thought that you maybe don't want to have too many old guys running around and if one of them's gone then it may just leave the door a little bit more ajar for myself and Pecko," he said.
Richards quits Dons Samantha Lane/TheAge/02Oct05
Shopping list:
The quality of the Saints' list has been well-documented, but they find themselves in need of one of the rarer commodities in the AFL - an established ruckman. Barry Brooks failed to deliver when given his chance, and Cain Ackland needs immediate help, so it wouldn't surprise to see the Saints actively seeking one via trade week. Whether any club is going to let one of their big men go is another question altogether, but the club desperately needs a genuine 200-centimetre-plus ruck beast to give its ultra-talented midfielders first use.
2005 St Kilda Report Card Jason Phelan/saints.com.au/03Oct05
Saints Draft Picks: 17, 33, 49, 65, 81, 97.
Ted Richards
Image source: hamptonrovers.com.au
Ted Richards
Height 194m
Weight: 86kg
Drafted: 2000
Debut: 2002
DOB: 11Jan1983
Stats stats.rleague.com
Former Clubs:
Sandringham Dragons
Hampton Rovers
East Sandringham
Xavier College
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Aurora boost in 2006
A record five AFL matches will be played in Tasmania during the 2006 season including a round 12 blockbuster between Hawthorn and Richmond, the AFL announced on Thursday. It is the most number of games ever staged in a season in the Apple Isle with all the games to be played at Launceston's Aurora Stadium, formerly York Park. In recent seasons Hawthorn and St Kilda have each staged two home matches in Tasmania but the Hawks will play an additional home match at the ground this season - in round one against Fremantle - because its home ground the MCG will be unavailable early in the season due to the Commonwealth Games.
The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/saints.com.au/29Sept05
Saints to assess China camp
Itinerate St Kilda is planning to hit China for an eight-day training camp that, for a third successive year, would have the club's playing and coaching group travelling to foreign athletic headquarters in the pre-season. Coach Grant Thomas will this week make a rapid dash to Guangzhou, a manufacturing centre in the south of China with an urban population of about 4.05 million. A proposal for the trip will then be put to St Kilda's board for approval. The Saints have become the AFL's training camp trendsetters under Thomas. The team travelled to London in 2003 and to South Africa at the end of last year. In an effort to find a competitive edge on their football rivals, the players have worked with world-class athletes in both years. The expensive exercise was reviewed by the St Kilda board this year and club president Rod Butterss told The Sunday Age in June that the camps were becoming difficult to justify. However, a third successive international trip appears to have been all but finalised. This year's camp would be considerably shorter than the 2004 version, which cost an estimated $200,000 and lasted 20 days.
The Article Samantha Lane/TheAge/02Oct05
Fergus Watts!
The Saints might take the offer of pick 17 for Adelaide's Fergus Watts off the table if a deal doesn't happen soon. The Crows have told several clubs that they want a homecoming South Australian, rather than a draft pick - the likelihood is that Adelaide will trade the pick it gets from the Saints.
Stephen Rielly The Age 04Oct05
Ted Richards!
Essendon big man Ted Richards has told the club he wants to move to a new home, bemoaning a lack of opportunity in recent years. The Swans have flown him to Sydney, and it is believed Melbourne, St Kilda, Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs are all interested in the 22-year-old.
Damian Barrett and Jim Wilson HeraldSun 04Oct05
Richards vs Watts saintsational.com
Trade Options - What's likely
Don't expect too many headlines, unless Fraser Gehrig retires. With the G-Train expected to go on, there's not much room to move. Given former Crow Fergus Watts is keenly eyeing Moorabbin, he could end up there - but only if the deal is right. Some clubs have major queries on Watts' pace.
The Article Mark Stevens, Scott Gullan, Damian Barrett and Jon Anderson/HeraldSun/30Sept05
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ARTICLE ARCHIVES: 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006
