2005 - AFL Home and Away Season
Round 13 - Results and Post-game Articles
Essendon: 4.3, 9.3, 14.4, 19.5 (119)
St Kilda: 3.2, 6.5, 11.8, 16.8 (104)
Goals - Essendon: Lloyd 4, M. Johnson 2, J. Johnson 2, Cupido 2, Monfries 2, Lucas, Slattery, Bolton, Lovett, Stanton, Hird, Peverill
St Kilda: Riewoldt 4, Gehrig 3, Milne 3, Ackland 2, Maguire, Hayes, Ball, Harvey
Essendon: Free 1; Play 10; Mark 8, St Kilda: Free 2; Play 5; Mark 9
Distance of Goals: Essendon: 0-15m 2; 15-30m 6; 30-40m 3; 40+m 8
St Kilda: 0-15m 2; 15-30m 4; 30-40m 4; 40+m 9,
Best - Essendon: Murphy, Stanton, Hird, Rioli, Lovett, Welsh
St Kilda: Hayes, Maguire, Riewoldt, Ball, Dal Santo, Harvey
Injuries - Essendon: Nil
St Kilda: Nil
50m Penalties: St Kilda 1, Essendon 2
Hitouts: St Kilda 32, Essendon 34
Changes - Essendon: Fletcher out (flu), replaced in selected side by Slattery
St Kilda: Nil
Reports - Nil
Umpires - Vozzo, Allen, Meredith
Crowd - 48,342 at Telstra Dome
Dascman's Analysis saintsational/com/Fan Forum
Saints may stay at home
St Kilda will review its costly overseas pre-season training camps, and may favour a domestic location over a more exotic one in November. The Saints' trail-blazing camps in London, in 2003, and South Africa at the end of last year, were the brainchild of coach Grant Thomas and cost an estimated $200,000 each. They were designed to expose the players to elite athletes and training facilities, and provide educational and cultural experiences. But given the maturing playing group and the club's debt, any proposals for a third international camp would be closer scrutinised by the St Kilda board and new chief executive Jim Watts. Saints president Rod Butterss, who travelled to Potchefstroom, South Africa, where the team was based for three weeks last November, said a successful camp could be run in Victoria.
The Article Samantha Lane/TheAge/26Jun05
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Moorabbin's All Star Team saints.com.au/28Jun05
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Saints need to do a 'Hammy'
. . . Ask any coach about the ingredients to winning a flag and physical/mental intimidation is on the podium. It's a must. Ask the old-schoolers in Pagan, Matthews, Sheedy and Malthouse, the wannabes - Neale Daniher and John Worsfold - and Port Adelaide's Mark Williams. Remember Matthews' disdain for those opposing - including yours truly - the Mal Michael-Chris Scott confrontation on Nick Riewoldt? It's a man's game, Matthews barked. Whatever your take on that affair, it's not in dispute that big bodies combined with big, nasty mindsets win games of football. It's something St Kilda's hierarchy can only dream of. Simply, they have lot of one but none of the other. Without Hamill, the leader of the gang, the Saints rely on playing the game rather than taking the game to the opposition. There is a difference.
The Article Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/27Jun05
Saintly dilemmas
NO ENFORCERS
It was obvious on Friday night that Essendon was far more willing to scrap and scrape in close than were the more talented Saints. This time last year, the Saints had three hard goers that put some fear into the opposition. They were Aaron Hamill, Brent Guerra and Trent Knobel. Hamill has missed the past seven games, a period in which he has seen his team lose five times. Hamill is sorely missed - he likes to hurt. Guerra has fallen out of favour. His bone-breaking tackle on Melbourne's Cameron Bruce is the sole highlight of his five games played. And clearing Knobel to the Tigers was always going to be a bad move. The big fella's greatest asset is his willingness to crash bodies. None of St Kilda's current ruckmen, Ackland, Blake or Koschitzke do that.
The Article Robert Walls/TheAge/28Jun05
Thomas in line for St Kilda's curse of the disappearing coach
St Kilda has won just a single premiership since it helped form the VFL in 1897. That one-point victory came in 1966. St Kilda may not be the place coaches go to die but it is certainly a place from where most never reappear. Since 1985 the Saints have been coached only by men who never worked again at senior level in the AFL. They include Graham Gellie, Darrel Baldock, Ken Sheldon, Stan Alves and Tim Watson. We could have included Allan Davis, who took over for a handful of games from an ailing Baldock in 1987, and Malcolm Blight, who survived just 15 matches before he was sacked during 2001 . . . It is indisputable that St Kilda is under-achieving. Since the run of 10 wins last year the Saints have won just 13 of their past 28 matches. And with matches to come against the Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, Melbourne, Geelong, the Kangaroos and the Brisbane Lions it is conceivable that the Saints, six-point losers to premier Port Adelaide in a preliminary final last year, may miss the final eight.
The Article Patrick Smith/TheAustralian/27Jun05
Time for Thomas to prove credentials
. . . For the first time in five years at the helm, Thomas is under pressure to prove he has what it takes when the going gets tough . . . As one AFL coach said yesterday: "If it's good enough for Alex Ferguson to do the contracts of his players at Manchester United, people should reserve judgment on Grant Thomas." The coach said that in the end success in football was all about respect and belief. "If they respect him and believe in his game plan then he hasn't got a problem," he said. "If that starts to waver then he is in trouble" . . . One football acquaintance feels Thomas's greatest obstacle might prove to be himself. "He has the ability to be a very good coach but he struggles to take advice," he said. "This could ultimately prove the difference between success and failure. He doesn't know everything."
The Article Malcolm Conn/TheAustralian/29Jun05
Thomas hits out
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas defended himself and his team against a wave of criticism yesterday, claiming it was not the time for "hara kiri". Thomas's blunt declaration came after an avalanche of radio talkback callers who questioned his coaching moves, his body language and his dual role as contract negotiator. "I am accountable. I am accountable to the team and to the board . . . they're the ones that make the decisions about my tenure as coach," Thomas said. "And I am very confident I have a lot to offer the team and the club, and from what I gather they are too. I don't think there is any reason, when you see the results this year and the 15-point defeat against Essendon, which has been in reasonably good form, to commit hara kiri." In a busy week where St Kilda announced new contracts for young stars Nick Dal Santo and Lenny Hayes and dealt with a long-term contract extension for captain Nick Riewoldt, Thomas said the workload was not interfering with his coaching time. He denied St Kilda's mediocre performances this season had anything to do with his dual role.
The Article Scot Palmer/HeraldSun/26Jun05
Maguire: Great expectations hurt Saints
. . . "We don't try to come out and play like a millionaire side and expect to just beat teams because we've got good players. We really have to work on doing the hard things well, and just get back to basics." St Kilda coach Grant Thomas lashed his players for an uneven contribution, and Maguire said the lack of input from the bottom six to 10 players hurt the side. "The effort just wasn't there from the whole side, the whole 22 players," Maguire said. "You can't win games with only 12 or 15 blokes contributing, meaning that you win games with your bottom six players. And depending on how good their effort is, that's how well you go as a team. Right now it's our bottom 10 who aren't contributing and getting us across the line. I can't explain why we haven't lifted. (Friday night) was a very good chance to set up our season, and we thought that it was real season-defining moment" . . . "We may win the next nine on the trot, but right now we just have to focus on the basics, winning the hard ball and doing the hard things well, and then worry about the easy things."
The Article Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/26Jun05
Wake-up call for sleeping Saints
St Kilda fans take heart. Friday night's Bomber serve may have been unpalatable, even unpardonable, but, as an educational exercise, it could be a season-turning point. Hitting his mark: Nick Riewoldt pulls down one of his 12 grabs for the match - this time over Mark Johnson. For those who felt it was the club's inalienable right to make this year's Grand Final - having finished a kick out from last year's one - the reality has been sobering and illuminating. Grant Thomas was out-coached on Friday night, but he is a survivor and, as he takes some precious hours off with his family on Brighton Beach today, he knows it can only be his way or the highway. The great Melbourne coach Norm Smith apologised to his players after the 1964 Grand Final for being too tough on them, but the bottom line was that they had won the premiership.
The Article Ken Piesse/HeraldSun/26Jun05
Saints at bursting point
. . . "During those bursts, I probably more think, 'This is how I know we can play . . .' " Maguire said. "When we're there, it feels comfortable and natural and that's the way we know we all can play. For some reason, whatever it is, we just don't (maintain it). Right now, we just don't have the killer instinct at all. We're not willing to work hard to put a team away. To come back from three goals down at half-time to hit the front and then get two goals in front; from there, we should have put the game beyond doubt . . . like we did last year. But this year . . . we just haven't been able to do it." The Saints have been cursed by injuries, and Luke Ball and Austinn Jones were just two players who played hurt at times on Friday night. In some regards, St Kilda has been catching up all year. But to rely on the spark that Justin Koschitzke or Aaron Hamill will provide, once fit enough to return, is dangerous.
The Article Samantha Lane/TheAge/26Jun05
Too many passengers, says Thomas
St Kilda had too many passengers who were playing for their survival in the side rather than for the team, a disappointed Grant Thomas said after the Saints' 15-point loss to Essendon last night. And with the Saints having slipped out of the eight, Thomas admitted that while the season was far from over, the time had come for his team to "start to make a move". "We couldn't get any real continuity going. We looked as though we were playing really tentative footy. They obviously came to play . . . We thought we were prepared well enough to come to play, but in the end, we just had too many passengers, too many guys who didn't make a valuable enough "& Thomas said. "This is the year where if you've got a few players who don't give a good account of themselves, you'll get exposed."
The Article Lyall Johnson/The Age/25Jun05
Rioli throws his weight around
We'll talk about Dean Rioli first and then St Kilda. One was a winner and one a loser on a night when a bit of substance was needed at Telstra Dome. One player brought it with him. A whole side left with barely none. Many folk, outside Essendon, can't really understand why Dean Rioli is still on the list . . . It's tough on them, but the Saints simply don't run deep. Their forward line is a mess at the moment. Particularly half-forward. There's Nick Riewoldt, Fraser Gehrig and Stephen Milne and little else. They were good, but not good enough on their own. Wouldn't Thommo love to have Aaron Hamill back.
The Article Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/25Jun05
Thomas: Too much left to too few Saints
. . . Thomas said the Saints couldn't get any continuity to their play and were too reliant on key forwards Nick Riewoldt and Fraser Gehrig, who kicked seven of the side's 16 goals between them. "We looked as though we were playing very tentative footy," Thomas said. "They obviously came to play, we knew they would. We thought we were prepared well enough, but in the end we just had too many passengers. Too many guys who didn't make a valuable enough contribution. It's the old story, this is the year where if you've got a few players who don't give a good account of themselves you'll get exposed. I thought the opposition had 22 pretty even contributors and we didn't. They made the most of their chances - 19.5 - and we didn't."
The Article Michael Stevens/HeraldSun/25Jun05
Heat on Saints after loss
Essendon kept its faint hopes of playing in this year's finals alive with a rousing 15-point win over St Kilda last night. Kevin Sheedy and his team might have been the only believers before last night and, in truth, the win may not attract many more converts. At five wins and nine losses, this is not even the end of the beginning. What it will do, however, is add to the sceptics about St Kilda's chances. At 6-6, the Saints needed to start the second half of the season with a win. It didn't happen and, with no sign of a revival in sight, St Kilda is looking pretty sick As many people would reckon St Kilda as premier now as . . . well, as the number who believed Essendon would win this match . . . Saints defender Sam Fisher yesterday joined captain Lenny Hayes and onballer Nick Dal Santo in committing to the club, the 22-year-old agreeing to a three-year deal. Hayes signed on for three years, while Dal Santo agreed to a two-year contract
The Article Len Johnson/The Age/24Jun05
Dons back in hunt
Essendon breathed life back into its season and helped Matthew Lloyd celebrate his 200th AFL game with an entertaining 19.5 (119) to 16.8 (104) win over St Kilda at Telstra Dome tonight. It kept the Bombers' finals hopes alive, taking them to a 5-8 record, while pre-season premiership favourite St Kilda is now teetering dangerously on 6-7 and out of the top eight. It was a richly deserved win for Essendon, who worked hard and led for almost the entire night, although the Saints were able to hit the lead for brief spurts in both the second and third quarters. In particular, the Bombers had to fight back from a huge St Kilda surge in the third term, when the Saints kicked the first five goals to turn a 16-point half-time deficit into a 15-point lead.
The Article AAP/HeraldSun/24Jun05
Saints take heavy hit
The Saints' quest to contest the 2005 finals has suffered a setback with a 15-point loss to a more desperate Essendon at Telstra Dome on Friday night - 19.5 (119) to 16.8 (104). St Kilda led by 15 points halfway through the third quarter and appeared to have the match in its keeping, but the Bombers dug deep to regain the lead and hold off the Saints throughout an enthralling final term. Robert Harvey and Lenny Hayes were prominent for the Saints with 27 and 25 touches respectively, while Nick Riewoldt put in a lion-hearted effort taking 12 marks to go with his 16 disposals and four goals. Matt Maguire was great in defence in the first half especially, before being pushed forward late in a bid to fire-up the attack.
The Article Jason Phelan/saints.com.au/24Jun05
Heat on Saints after loss
Essendon kept its faint hopes of playing in this year's finals alive with a rousing 15-point win over St Kilda last night. Kevin Sheedy and his team might have been the only believers before last night and, in truth, the win may not attract many more converts. At five wins and nine losses, this is not even the end of the beginning. What it will do, however, is add to the sceptics about St Kilda's chances. At 6-6, the Saints needed to start the second half of the season with a win. It didn't happen and, with no sign of a revival in sight, St Kilda is looking pretty sick As many people would reckon St Kilda as premier now as . . . well, as the number who believed Essendon would win this match . . . Saints defender Sam Fisher yesterday joined captain Lenny Hayes and onballer Nick Dal Santo in committing to the club, the 22-year-old agreeing to a three-year deal. Hayes signed on for three years, while Dal Santo agreed to a two-year contract
The Article Len Johnson/The Age/25Jun05
Sheedy's men fend off the fat lady Martin Blake/The Age/25Jun05
Sheedy looks to Aboriginal players Martin Blake/The Age/25Jun05
Bombers ignite to down Saints
Essendon has kept its season alive with a 15-point win over St Kilda in the round 13 AFL match at Docklands stadium in Melbourne. The Bombers survived a third quarter comeback from the Saints with an inspired team effort to win 19.5 (119) to 16.8 (104). Essendon had 12 individual goal scorers with gun forward Matthew Lloyd (four goals) celebrating his 200th match by topping the list. Justin Murphy was the standout player for the Bombers with 30 touches, while captain James Hird was his usual busy self with 25 possessions. Saints forward Nick Riewoldt was arguably the best on field but received little support from his team-mates. The win sees the Bombers move to 20 points alongside Fremantle, while the Saints remain outside the top eight on 24 points. The Bombers made a confident start with Lloyd kicking the opening goal of the match inside 90 seconds.
The Article Katie Franklin/ABCSport/24Jun05
Hayes, Fisher re-sign
The St Kilda Football Club is delighted to announce the re-signing of Lenny Hayes and Sam Fisher, which follows the re-signing of Nick Dal Santo earlier this week. 2004 Captain Lenny Hayes has re-signed for a further 3 years until the end of 2008. Lenny has played 128 games for the Club, was the Club's 2003 Best and Fairest winner, runner up Best and Fairest in 2002, 3rd Best and Fairest in 2004, All-Australian 2003 and a member of the International Rules Series in 2003. Chief Executive Officer, Jim Watts said of the re-signing: "We are thrilled. The St Kilda Football Club is in a critical phase where we must ensure that our playing list stays together to realise its vision of creating their own history."
The Article saints.com.au/24Jun05
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