2005 - AFL Home and Away Season
Round 14 - Results and Post-game Articles
Western Bulldogs: 2.3, 6.4, 10.5, 15.8 (98)
St Kilda: 5.3, 8.8, 13.13, 17.14 (116)
Goals - Western Bulldogs: Robbins 2, Johnson 2, Gilbee 2, Eagleton 2, Griffen, Murphy, Smith, Faulkner, Hargrave, Birss, Ray St Kilda: Gehrig 4, Koschitzke 3, Milne 2, Guerra 2, Harvey, Riewoldt, Penny, Ball, Ackland, Goddard
Saints - Free 1; Play 7; Mark 9, Bulldogs - Free 3; Play 9; Mark 3
Distance of Goals: Saints - 0-15m 4; 15-30m 5; 30-40m 2; 40+m 6
Bulldogs: 0-15m 4; 15-30m 2; 30-40m 1; 40+m 8
Best - Western Bulldogs: Johnson, Gilbee, Cooney, Eagleton, Hargrave, McMahon St Kilda: Ball, Powell, Goddard, Koschitzke, Maguire, Gehrig, Milne
Umpires - Stevic, Allen, Quigley
Crowd - 33,622 at the MCG
Hitouts: Saints 30, Bulldogs 26
50m Penalties: Saints 2, Bulldogs 1
Injuries - Western Bulldogs: Smith (ankle)
St Kilda: Riewoldt (shoulder), Harvey (hamstring)
Changes - Western Bulldogs: none
St Kilda: Hamill (ankle) replaced in selected side by McQualter
Reports - none
Saints prevail after brutal clash
St Kilda has responded to taunts of being labeled soft in the best possible way by surviving a final quarter onslaught from the Western Bulldogs and the early loss through injury of Nick Riewoldt and Robert Harvey to win a brutal game at the MCG on Sunday. With their season on the line after last week's disappointing loss to Essendon, the Saints lost Riewoldt to a shoulder injury and then Harvey to a hamstring injury in the first half and then had to survive a last quarter comeback in which the Dogs came from 33 points down to level the scores before steadying to win 17.14 (116) to 15.8 (98). The win was not enough to move the Saints back into the top eight but ensures their season record is now back on level terms at seven wins and seven losses while the self-belief the Saints will gain from such a tough win will stand them in good stead for the rest of the season. In the toughest game of the 2005 season to date, it was the greater experience of the Saints which proved the difference in the desperate final few minutes as the gallant Bulldogs also suffered a major casualty in a bruising game which had everything.
The Article Paul Gough/saints.com.au/03Jul05
Gehrig blow as toll mounts for Saints
St Kilda has suffered another savage blow, with full-forward Fraser Gehrig in danger of missing four to six weeks with a serious thumb injury. It is believed the Coleman Medal favourite suffered a ruptured ligament late in Sunday's courageous victory against the Western Bulldogs. Although Gehrig emerged from scans yesterday saying he was "as sweet as a bun", it is understood the real story is far more sour. Gehrig requires surgery - it is just a matter of when.
The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/05Jul05
More Riewoldt pain for Saints
St Kilda superstar Nick Riewoldt is likely to miss at least the next five matches after his collarbone nightmare of Round 1 resurfaced at the MCG yesterday.Riewoldt was the major casualty of a brutal encounter with the Western Bulldogs, with the Saints fearing an almost identical crack to the bone that required surgery after he was injured trying to take a diving mark in the season-opener against the Brisbane Lions. "The likelihood is similar to what happened last time," St Kilda coach Grant Thomas said last night. Riewoldt had scans on his right clavicle bone last night and his plight will become clearer today.
The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/04Jul05
Saints' stars in the wars Michael Gleeson/TheAge/04Jul05
Riewoldt injured again
St Kilda has been dealt a major injury blow, with skipper Nick Riewoldt damaging his AC joint in a marking contest against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Sunday. The incident took place in the first term, with Riewoldt immediately leaving the ground, before heading to the St Kilda rooms at the quarter-time break. The captain fell heavily after taking a mark in the Saints' forward 50, with the force of his fall assisted by opponent Ryan Hargrave.
The Article Jennifer Witham/Sportal/saints.com.au/03Jul05
Thomas: Add me to Saint injury toll
Grant Thomas conceded post-match yesterday he had a 'little headache'. God knows what the diagnosis would be if the Saints had lost. That they didn't was comforting after a week of intense probing that was so direct, so in his face, he'd probably opt for a prostate test rather than relive that all again. At least now he gets a breather from the negative press. It's a pity he can't say the same about his damned headache.
The Article Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/04Jul05
Koschitzke delivers
Koschitzke has been a tease for St Kilda, a Rising Star winner in his first season, but clocking only his 64th game yesterday in his fifth season. This year has been typical. He tore a hamstring in round two, missed two matches, then tore it again, this time badly. Yesterday was his sixth game of the season. Nobody doubts his physical ability nor his football savvy, and yesterday's performance was another reminder of that. But it is just that he spends so little time on the park. The 22-year-old did it all yesterday, starting in the ruck and drifting forward, pulling down pack marks in the goal mouth, kicking three goals. To three-quarter-time, he was the most influential player on the ground. Yet even on a day of triumph, there would be a problem. Koschitzke was spent at the last change, cramping in both calves and hamstrings. He could not go back on the ground and Grant Thomas, the St Kilda coach, was told that he might not be back at all. So as the Bulldogs began their final rally, kicking five consecutive goals to draw level at the 17-minute mark, Koschitzke was down on the boundary having his legs manipulated by staff.
The Article TheAge/04Jul05
Milne rescues Saints in MCG thriller
St Kilda blew a 33-point lead early in the final term before a moment of individual brilliance by Stephen Milne helped them beat the Western Bulldogs by 18 points at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday afternoon. The Saints had opened up what looked like the match-winning lead soon after the last break only to see the Bulldogs come back, kicking five goals straight in a thrilling spree to level the scores. But with just seven minutes to go Milne scored his first goal of the match as he streaked in on the wing and kicked for the sticks with the outside of his boot to give the Saints a six-point lead. Minutes later Milne popped up again with a crucial handball assist which found Luke Ball unopposed right in front of the goal.
The Article ABC Sport/03Jul05
Gutsy win costs St Kilda
St Kilda's's finals aspirations and forward line threaten to unravel following what may be another serious and controversial shoulder injury to captain Nick Riewoldt, the likely report of full-forward Fraser Gehrig and more problems for the injured Aaron Hamill. The Saints remain in touch with the final eight following a gutsy 18-point win over the Western Bulldogs at the MCG yesterday but immediately after the match, Riewoldt was taken to Epworth hospital for scans. Coach Grant Thomas fears they will reveal a recurrence of the broken collarbone which Riewoldt suffered in round one and sidelined him for eight weeks. Gehrig seems certain to be cited for hitting opponent Brian Harris with an open hand across the face after being outmarked. Given Gehrig's record, two weeks on the sidelines is a distinct possibility. The power forward has already been suspended for one match this season after throwing a powder puff punch at Collingwood's Jason Cloke. Hamill, St Kilda's toughest forward, fears he may have broken down again after feeling another twinge during the club's final training session on Friday. He was a late withdrawal yesterday and is also awaiting the results of scans.
The Article Malcolm Conn/TheAustralian/04Jul05
Herald sun: Saints too tough for Bulldogs
. . . Nick Riewoldt suffered a right shoulder injury, Robert Harvey a hamstring injury and full-forward Fraser Gehrig is likely to be scrutinised by the match review panel for a swipe on Dogs full-back Brian Harris. The Bulldogs also emerged with some major concerns as Rohan Smith was stretchered off the ground with what appeared to be a bad ankle injury in the second term. And a high bump by skilful forward Robert Murphy, which flattened Saints star midfielder Nick Dal Santo late in the third term, will almost certainly come under review. The Saints also had plenty of positives apart from the four points, including a return to an intimidating, intense style of football and a sensational comeback game from Justin Koschitzke in his return from a quadriceps injury. With Aaron Hamill pulling out of the selected 22 before the game, making it eight missed games in a row, and Riewoldt leaving the ground after 15 minutes, Koschitzke stepped into the breach beautifully.
The Article AAP/HeraldSun/03Jul05
Saints meet challenge
Given all the circumstances, there could be no alibis this time. St Kilda just had to get the job done yesterday. Had to be all of committed, positive, brave, aggressive, tough, supportive and persistent. Had to win, too, even in the face of more hurdles than Edwin Moses negotiated in his entire career. In the finish, the Saints met every challenge, refusing to roll over. Despite events that actually would have constituted an alibi.
The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/04Jul05
Saints fight to shake off Dogs
If at times it had appeared counter-productive - certainly it was a further sting for Jade Rawlings, who sat on the bench for much of the day and came on only to play in defence - it made more sense when Nick Riewoldt was lost to the game in the first quarter and Robert Harvey early in the second. The Saints were down to 20 players with three quarters to go and had to be vulnerable to a fast finish from the opposition. In fact, it got worse than this for the Saints. Justin Peckett and Luke Penny were unable to play out the final quarter because of injury and Koschitzke, who had cramped in both calves and hamstrings late in the third term, was forced to return. Nick Dal Santo, dropped like a stone into a pond by Murphy in the third term, had no choice but to clear his head and remain in the game. As if to make the point, the moment Harvey left the field, the Dogs kicked four unanswered goals to take the lead for the only time in the match. They duly lost Rohan Smith to a jarring Brett Voss tackle that the Dogs might look back on as decisive. In these circumstances, it was a magnificent response from St Kilda to defy the Bulldogs and produce the last three goals of the game. As fewer players wanted the responsibility of possession, the likes of Ball ignored the tension and demanded it, and Stephen Milne, who had done nothing more than talk in his few minutes on the ground, began to zip as others, even Bulldogs, sagged or froze. Milne kicked the goal that put the Saints back in front and fed Ball the next. His fly-in-a-bottle enthusiasm and the fast finish it helped engineer were, in the circumstances, an irony that the Dogs won't appreciate.
The Article Stephen Rielly/TheAge/04Jul05
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