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2005 Post-Season Articles
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Grant Thomas has been having operation(s) to fix up some old footy wounds. Last week he had shoulder and knee operations and next Tuesday he will be back in hospital again, this time to have the other knee done. The Age/Sporting Life

Seven, 10 up ante for TV rights
The battle for the AFL television rights intensified last night when the Channel Seven and Channel Ten alliance increased its bid from $700 million over six years to an estimated $740 million. With both networks still awaiting the details of Channel Nine's official five-year bid in conjunction with Foxtel, it also emerged yesterday that the Ten Network had guaranteed live Saturday night coverage into the lucrative Sydney market for every round of the AFL home-and-away seasons between 2007 and 2012. With the AFL believed to be seeking $135 million a year for its TV rights, both bidders are closer to the $120 million mark. But the league acknowledges that the Seven-Ten camp offers better coverage into the strategically important northern markets. There was growing concern from the Swans and Brisbane Lions that the AFL would complete a more financially lucrative deal with the Nine-Foxtel alliance, which might hamper the clubs' efforts to promote the sport in their own back yards.
The Article Caroline Wilson/TheAge/16Dec05
Footy codes ready to do battle Iain Payten/TheAustralian/17Dec05

Hawks reunite old mates
Brent Guerra had hoped he would get another chance to play under former coach Alastair Clarkson after he was delisted by St Kilda. He was yesterday granted his wish when the Hawks snapped him up at No. 3 in yesterday's pre-season draft. Clarkson coached Guerra when he was at Central District in the SANFL and also as an assistant to Mark Williams at Port Adelaide. Guerra said he felt comfortable approaching Clarkson about his game, which he hadn't with other coaches. "As soon as I got delisted I said to my parents that I would love to play under Clarko again," Guerra said yesterday. "He coached me at Central District and at Port as well. At Central District he was really easy to get on with."
The Australian Scott Gullan/HeraldSun/10Dec05

Fisher, not just a footballer!
St Kilda's Sam Fisher was 6 up on the 13th hole yesterday in a Match Play scenario at Huntingdale which saw him claim the MasterCard Masters Footy Challenge Gold Jacket. After beating Daniel Harford representing Carlton on Saturday in the semi final, 5 up with 4 holes remaining, Sam went on to compete against Don Pyke from Adelaide who defeated the Kangaroos Corey McKernan.
The Article saints.com.au/12Dec05

Saints out of Pre Season Draft
St Kilda will not be able to take part in next Tuesday's NAB AFL pre-season draft, despite having room on its senior list, due to salary cap constraints. A review of the total player payment (TPP) estimates from all 16 clubs for next season by league investigator Ken Wood has revealed the Saints did not have sufficient money left in their salary cap to be able to pick up another senior player. However the Saints will take part in the rookie draft, which follows immediately after the pre-season draft. The AFL has ruled that only nine clubs are eligible to participate in the pre-season draft - Adelaide, Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, Kangaroos, Port Adelaide and Richmond.
The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/saints.com.au/02Dec05
Clubs warned over unlisted players Stephen Rielly/TheAge/10Dec05
TD just gets on with job Scott Gullan/HeraldSun/10Dec05
AFL rookie draft HeraldSun/14Dec05
The draft at a glance TheAge/14Dec05
Pre-season draft order TheAge/13Dec05

Luke Penny

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't very shocked by it. Luke's in our best 18. He's our full-back. He's a very important player for us," Thomas said. "So we were very surprised but as time went on, it was quite obvious that he was set in his mind about what he wanted to do." Grant Thomas

"He's been in the game a long, long time and it's only the last four or five years that he's had his head and been able to be what he is, which is a recruiting manager with full autonomy for the role." Grant Thomas on John Beveridge

Ball plays down captaincy hopes
Luke Ball is touted as a leading candidate to take over as the Saints' skipper next season, but the classy midfielder, who filled in admirably for the injured Nick Riewoldt earlier in the year, is playing his leadership aspirations close to his chest. Speculation over the St Kilda captaincy began soon after the Saints' season-ending, preliminary final loss to Sydney with either Ball or Justin Koschitzke expected to get the nod for 2006. "I honestly haven't thought about it - it's only when you and a few other guys in the media ask me about the captaincy that I think about it," Ball said on Thursday.
The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/saints.com.au/02Dec05

Rule changes a concern: Ball
St Kilda onballer Luke Ball has voiced his concerns over recent changes to the laws of the game made by the AFL in an effort to combat flooding and improve the flow of the game. Acting on research showing an increase in stoppages over the past six years, the AFL released a series of new rules and interpretation changes to speed up the game, but some in the football world feel the changes will see players with more athletic ability slowly replace those with natural football talent. Ball - having just returned from the Saints' pre-season trip to China - felt the changes may have been unnecessarily sparked by the resurgence of interest in soccer since the Socceroos recent qualification for the World Cup.
The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/saints.com.au/02Dec05

Plaudits for Beveridge
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas has returned from the club's China training camp marvelling once again at the ability of his recruiting manager, John Beveridge, to pluck an unknown youngster from way outside the state league system at the NAB AFL Draft. In 2004 John Beveridge selected James Gwilt from Noble Park, while at Saturday's draft, it was his call of Justin Sweeney from Tyabb, which again had fellow recruiters diving for their files and left Thomas shaking his head in amusement once again. In just his second game last season, Gwilt starred for the Saints in the upset qualifying final win over Adelaide, and Thomas holds similarly high hopes for Sweeney.
The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/saints.com.au/29Nov05

Stokes blinks in AFL case
Kerry Stokes's Seven Network yesterday blinked first in its $1.1billion pay-TV claim, settling with the Australian Football League, one of the parties the network accused of being part of a massive conspiracy against it. The breakthrough in the case, which is one of the biggest in Australian corporate history, will have the AFL removed from the list of 22 defendants Seven is suing for allegedly helping destroy its fledging C7 pay-TV operation in 2002. The case began in September and was expected to last for up to nine months. But yesterday's settlement, on confidential terms, raises the possibility that Seven may reach agreements with other defendants. Seven, which observers said would now stand a better chance of winning AFL broadcast rights for games after next year, remains in talks with another defendant, the Australian Rugby League, over a potential settlement.
Settlement paves way for TV rights talks Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/02Dec05
Seven drops its case against AFL Caroline Wilson/TheAge/02Dec05
Clubs line up for $3.5m payday Caroline Wilson/TheAge/02Dec05

Saint Penny forced to retire
A debilitating knee injury has forced St Kilda key defender Luke Penny to retire from the AFL. The 24-year-old Penny still had three years remaining on his playing contract with the Saints. But he made the decision to quit today because of problems which date back to mid-2003 when he damaged the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The injury forced Penny to miss the 2005 finals series, when the Saints bowed out in the preliminary final for the second successive year.
The Article AAP/TheAustralian/29Nov05
Knee injury forces Penny to retire Mark Stevens, Michael Stevens and AAP/HeraldSun/29Nov05
Luke Penny Appreciation thread saintsational.com
Penny walks away from $700,000 deal Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/30Nov05

Thomas stumped by Penny's exit
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas is baffled by Luke Penny's decision yesterday to retire from the AFL at the age of 24. The full-back announced he would leave the game because of a chronic knee injury. But Thomas said the decision seemed premature, especially given he still had three years to serve on his contract. "Guys have knee reconstructions," Thomas said. "They might have 12 months out, but they do come back. We thought, irrespective of the situation, it's worth a go but he didn't see it that way and that's fine. That's his decision."
The Article Peter Krupka/TheAustralian/30Nov05

Saints lose Penny, shut up shop
. . . The 24-year-old full-back, who was contracted for another three seasons, would be delisted, Thomas said, but his replacement would come from within. "I think our list, apart from rookies, is pretty much finished. We'll pretty much shut up shop now," said Thomas, who added that the club didn't think it was worth retaining Penny on its list in the hope of a reconsideration. "No, he's retired and finished. His AFL career is finished."
The Article Stephen Rielly/TheAge/30Nov05

2005 Draft

"We've picked up a tall, running back-line player, a ruckman who can also play back and a couple of kids with promise with late picks." John Beveridge, recruiting manager

Matt Burgan's Analysis
After some outstanding early selections in the early part of the 2000s, St Kilda has dropped back into the pack in recent times. This year it did not have its first pick until No.33, but it was delighted to snap up promising tall defender Sam Gilbert, after it was somewhat of a wait-and-see game. It was a smart choice from highly-respected recruiting manager 'Gentleman' John Beveridge, particularly with Max Hudghton's battle-wearied body not getting any younger and Luke Penny's continual knee problems. After continual talk about St Kilda's ruck department, it strengthened it with the addition of Michael Rix, who will be 25 years old in January, yet is ready to play senior football, after a long apprenticeship, which included winning the best-and-fairest with the Coburg Tigers this year.
Two medium-sized forwards were also taken late - Phillip Raymond and Justin Sweeney. It was the drafting of Sweeney, who booted 70 goals for Tyabb this year that was one of the stories of the draft and one of the genuine smokies of this meeting. After Beveridge plucked James Gwilt out of suburban football last year, it was a case of: "JB, you've done it again!" when he called out Sweeney's name. It will be interesting to see if St Kilda uses its vacant selection in the pre-season draft. In recent times, it has not filled up its senior list, largely due to Total Player Payments (TPP) restrictions.
All Clubs Analysis Matt Burgan/saints.com.au/27Nov05

SAM GILBERT No. 33 (Southport) DOB 19/08/86 - 19 years 194cm 82kg Tall defender, a year older than most draft players. Played in a premiership with Southport and impressed for Queensland at under 21 level this year. Should be ready to play.
MICHAEL RIX No. 49 (Coburg) DOB 08/01/81 - 24 years 200cm 98kg Mature, and one of the best of the VFL ruckman. Picked as a ruck back-up, but will have chances aplenty at Moorabbin if he is good enough.
PHILLIP RAYMOND No. 63 (Glenelg) DOB 24/06/87 - 18 years 186cm 69kg Medium forward. Lean, good mark, kicked 60 goals for his school side and played with Glenelg under 19s.
JUSTIN SWEENEY No. 71 (Tyabb) DOB 25/12/87 - 17yo 188cm 80kg Draft 'smokey' with athletic ability, a good leap and balance. Medium forward who kicked 70 goals for Tyabb this year.
PASS - 79
THE SUNDAY AGE SAYS
Beveridge's eye for the obscure player, like James Gwilt last year, fell upon Tyabb forward Justin Sweeney, the last player chosen in the entire draft. First selection was used on a tall defender from Queensland, Sam Gilbert, who, with Max Hudghton turning 30 next year and the career of Luke Penny jeopardised by a knee problem, is part of a succession plan.
Who your club picked TheAge/27Nov05
All Draft Picks & More Info

RIX: Pay time for years of persistence
Having nominated for the draft for years, Michael Rix is now free to live his football dream after he was picked by premiership favourites St Kilda for 2006. Yesterday's oldest first-time draftee, 24-year-old Rix had been training at Essendon and described his recruiting as "absolutely amazing". "I didn't hear my name read out, but then my mobile phone started to ring again and again . . . As an 18-year-old, I was so young and skinny and just wasn't ready for it. Hopefully, now I am," he said. A journeyman who this year won Coburg's best and fairest, Rix was a rookie with Hawthorn in 2004. His coach Andy Collins described him as one of the most switched-on young players he'd ever been involved with.
The Article Ken Piesse/HeraldSun/27Nov05

Sweeney has Saints talking
". . . He doesn't turn 18 until December, so he's a pretty young footballer. He's an apprentice builder so he couldn't get to play with the Stingrays because of his work. Hopefully he's OK, I mean it's a bit of a punt - we'll see what happens - we've just followed him through and thought as a late pick he was worth a go . . . He's very athletic, he can really jump, he's strongly built and his power-to-weight ratio is very, very good."
The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/saints.com.au/26Nov05

New Saint treasures his gift
. . . In the clandestine way that these things tend not to happen with a junior pathway and national draft, Sweeney came to Beveridge's attention via an unnamed contact with Tyabb. "He's a bloke who plays with Tyabb," Beveridge said after the draft. "He's . . . played a lot of inter-league football. He really does rate (Sweeney). I talked to him a few times and we got a bit of film of the kid. "Then one of my boys saw him play at the country football championships up at Warrnambool . . . Without knowing anything about him, he said, 'There's a kid, Sweeney, that really looked good out there'." Thinking he might be on to something, Beveridge kept things pretty quiet. Sweeney came up to Moorabbin a couple of times for a run so that Beveridge could meet him and assess his character and enthusiasm for the game. He rated well on both counts.
The Article Len Johnson/TheAge/27Nov05
Saint plucked from nowhere Jon Ralph/HeraldSun/27Nov05

Penny ponders future
St Kilda key defender Luke Penny is considering his future, with a chronic knee injury threatening to end his career. Penny, 24, was to travel with the Saints to a training camp in China but said it would be pointless making the trip because he could not join in training. He damaged his right posterior cruciate ligament when he landed heavily in the first quarter against Fremantle in round 21 and was forced to watch the Saints' finals campaign from the sidelines. He had struggled with the injury all season, playing only nine games to take his career total to 80. The knee has not healed without surgery and the recovery time has been listed as indefinite. St Kilda chief executive Jim Watts said from China yesterday that Penny had not announced his retirement but was considering whether he wanted to continue playing league football.
The Article Lyall Johnson/TheAge/25Nov05
Penny yet to drop for Sainters Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/25Nov05

Having a Ball
So is any of this stuff going to be useful to the Saints from a purely footballing perspective? "Oh definitely, the gymnasts with the exercises they do to enhance their core strength as well as their general strength, the concentration and the repetition that's required - I'll certainly be trying to apply some of that," he says. As promised by Thomas before the Saints took the 10-hour plane ride to Guangzhou, the players have been exposed to some ancient Eastern practices and philosophies, including the centuries-old discipline of Tai Chi. "Two or three mornings we've got up before the break of dawn and done a bit of Tai Chi which is certainly a lot harder than it looks," he says. "It requires a lot of concentration and some of the movements are really difficult - I've got a new-found appreciation of it that's for sure."
The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/saints.com.au/25Nov05

HeraldSun Draft wish list
ST KILDA - 33, 49, 63, 71, 75
St Kilda's recruiting manager, John Beveridge, says three picks are likely to be used. "We like midfielders who can get the ball and tall key position types," he said. "People keep saying we need a ruckman but we've still got hopes that Barry Brooks will blossom. He's still only very young in ruckman's terms. Our first pick, because we traded For Fergus Watts, is at 33, so it will be a waiting game to see who's around." What the Saints need: Running defender.
All Clubs Wish Lists Jon Ralph and Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/20Nov05

AFL Rule Changes
Goalkickers warned to speed it up Michael Gleeson/TheAge/26Nov05
Hurry up, Lloydy Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/26Nov05
Roos rails against 'one size fits all' changes Michael Gleeson/TheAge/26Nov05
One point missed in rush to speed game Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/26Nov05
Modern game faster, but with a stutter Michael Gleeson/TheAge/26Nov05

Dal's China Trip Diaries
Guangzhou Sports Training and Technical College is a campus for elite Chinese athletes (4 years - 18 years) specialising in sports such as martial arts, swimming, diving, fencing, gymnastics, trampolining, table tennis and tennis. The students live on campus, do all their schooling and train every day. We definitely stand out on campus, but they are very friendly, even with the language barrier. Very little English is spoken here, fortunately we have a couple of interpreters which are making our stay a lot easier. Our first day we had a gym session followed by an aquatic session then for the afternoon we spent wandering through all the training centres watching the Chinese students training in their specific field. What we saw was amazing, their strength and concentration at such a young age, is incredible.
Dal's Diary - Part 1 Nick/saints.com.au/21Nov05
Dal's Diary - Part 2 Nick/saints.com.au/22Nov05
Images from China saints.com.au

Big G: Two more years
St Kilda full-forward Fraser Gehrig will play on for another two years after signing a new deal with the club. Gehrig made the announcement to journalists who saw off the side as they boarded a flight for their pre-season camp in Guangzhou, China at Melbourne airport on Friday morning. The burly forward turns 30 next year and the announcement has surprised many in the football world as Gehrig himself had previously been uncertain whether he would play on for just one more year, let alone commit to a further two. Gehrig struggled with persistent injuries throughout the season, but has been refreshed by some time off as well as off-season corrective surgery.
The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/saints.com.au/18Nov05
Gehrig goes on a health kick Jon Pierik/HeraldSun/16Nov05

Gehrig's enthusiasm fires up Saints
St Kilda has flown out of Melbourne for a training camp in China, buoyed by the news Fraser Gehrig will play on for another two years. St Kilda forward Fraser Gehrig said he had returned from the off-season break with a renewed passion for the game. It was a dramatic about-face for the forward, who contemplated retirement after the Saints' lost to Sydney in the preliminary finals. Coach Grant Thomas said he had been impressed with Gehrig's attitude since returning from the off-season break. "His attitude in the last few weeks has been the best I've ever seen it," Thomas said. "He's really excited. He's upbeat and he's in a terrific frame of mind and if you get a guy of his dimensions and talent in a terrific frame of mind, you know, I think his best footy could still be in front of him."
The Article ABC Sport/18Nov05

Next stop . . . China
Grant Thomas is not afraid to think outside the square. He has never been one to shy away from the unorthodox as he undertakes his mission to lead the Saints to the holy grail. The former high-powered insurance executive has always taken a more holistic approach to grooming young talent for AFL success and his decision to take his players on a pre-season training camp to China is the latest example of this. The Saints are no strangers to international travel in the pre-season, having spent time in England and South Africa in previous years, but the southern port city of Guangzhou in Guandong province is another kettle of fish entirely. On first hearing of this destination many Saints fans would have justifiably been scratching their heads and asking, 'where?', but with issues such as terrorism and bird flu swirling around in recent weeks, many are now also asking, 'why'?
The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/saints.com.au/16Nov05
Saints don't fear terrorists Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/16Nov05
Nick backs Kosi to lead Michael Stevens/HeraldSun/16Nov05