2005 - AFL Home and Away Season
Round 4 - Results and Post-game Articles
St Kilda: 7.2, 9.4, 16.9, 23.13 (151)
Melbourne: 5.6, 9.11, 13.13, 15.14 (104)
Goals: St Kilda: Gehrig 6, Voss 4, Milne 4, Hamill 2, Fiora 2, Jones, Guerra, R.Clarke, Ackland, Goddard Melbourne: Yze 3, Neitz 3, Rigoni 3, Robertson 2, Heffernan, Davey, Green, Johnstone
Best: St Kilda: Gehrig, Ball, Dal Santo, Milne, Voss, Guerra, R.Clarke, Jones
Melb: Rigoni, Green, Yze, Johnstone, Rivers, Brown, Godfrey
Injuries: Melb: Bruce, McDonald, Neitz
Changes: nil
Reports: Miller (Melbourne) for charging Thompson (St Kilda)
Umpires: McBurney, Nicholls, Avon
Saints Hitouts: 31
Saints 50m Penalties: 3
Saints Goals: Free 2; Play 8; Mark 13
Saints Distance of goals: 0-15m 3; 15-30m 6; 30-40m 7; 40+m 7
Crowd: 40,004 at Telstra Dome
Images Round 4 HeraldSun
Return to form was imminent: Thomas
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas said while he was aware his team was getting close to its 2004 form, the most important thing for the success of the Saints is the belief he has in their ability. The Saints were in a position to plummet to a 1-3 record should they have succumbed to the Demons, and Thomas believes that with the improvement his team has recently showed, he had an inclination that winning form was not far away. "It's easy to sit here after we've won and say I knew, but I've got a lot of faith in this group," he said. "I've also realised that each week we were going to improve and get better individually, and when individuals continually improve and get better and work hard as a team, you get those sorts of results."
The Article Jennifer Witham/saints.com.au/17Apr05
Hellish day for Dees and Bruce Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/18Apr05
Saints roll up sleeves Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/18Apr05
True Tiger test in Saints showdown Grantley Bernard/HeraldSun/18Apr05
Saints tackle slump head on
. . . By the end of the day, it (Melbourne) would also lose the run of James McDonald. And St Kilda, a sleepy giant of the early season, was starting to wake. "Over the journey of the game, their midfield were able to work us over," Daniher said. "Never at any stage did I think we had the ascendancy in the part of the game that allows you to set up winning footy." If the game was won in the midfield, it was also won with the kind of desperate, sacrificial acts that warm the hearts of the most hard-bitten coaches. It was a day of finger-breaking smothers and ruthless gang tackles, zealous chases and bone jarring hits. Melbourne did it well but the Saints did it better. In a decisive third quarter, two St Kilda goals resulted from brilliant smothers from Luke Ball and Aaron Hamill.
The Article Chip Le Grand/TheAustralian/18Apr05
Guerra tackle disrupts Bruce's plans Bruce Matthews/HeraldSun/18Apr05
Little things become big Greg Baum/TheAge/18Apr05
Flagging their intentions Rohan Connolly/TheAge/18Apr05
Saints skip past Dees
Melbourne's outstanding start to the 2005 season has struck its first hurdle, after St Kilda inflicted the Demons' first loss, comprehensively thrashing the red and blue by 47 points at Telstra Dome on Sunday. St Kilda 23.13 (151) defeated Melbourne 15.14 (104) to end Melbourne's seven-game winning streak over St Kilda. The last time the Saints tasted a victory over the Dees was when Tim Watson was coaching the club in 1999. Melbourne's loss was soured even further with the loss of early Brownlow Medal favourite Cameron Bruce, who went down with a right AC-joint injury, suffered in the first minute of the match . . . For St Kilda, it was an outstanding win, achieved without skipper Nick Riewoldt, dual Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey, key defender Luke Penny, forward/ruckman Justin Koschitzke and onballer Stephen Powell. After nine lead changes for the match, St Kilda staged a brilliant second half, including seven goals to two in the final term, which was the catalyst for the Saints' victory. Fraser Gehrig (six goals), Stephen Milne (four) and Brett Voss (four) - a career best for the former Lion - were outstanding in front of goals and stood up when they needed to be counted. Acting skipper Luke Ball racked up 30 touches, while Aussie Jones, Brent Guerra and Raphael Clarke were also among the Saints' best.
The Article Matt Burgan/saints.com.au/17Apr05
Ball magnetism
. . . Luke Ball is a player for the ages. He has the qualities and star power that have elevated the likes of Voss, Buckley and Hird into a league inhabited by very few players. It is not groundbreaking news to declare that Ball will be, or is, a star of the game. Various footballing people have been telling us that since his days as a dominant schoolboy footballer with Xavier College. Ball's football CV reads much deeper than that. He is the complete package and, at just 20 years of age, there can be few who are as well placed to have an influence on the competition in the next 10 years. He ticks every box on a champion footballer's report card. The only one you can't mark is longevity, but injuries notwithstanding, you can be confident that it won't be an issue.
The Article Garry Lyon/HeraldSun/19Apr05
AFL to tackle hidden joint toll Chip Le Grand/TheAustralian/19Apr05
Harvey's hopes grow by the day
. . . With injuries to captain Nick Riewoldt (broken collarbone), Justin Koschitzke (hamstring) and onballer Stephen Powell (back soreness), the Saints can ill afford to lose another prime mover after losing two of their first three games. "We've just got to see how he pulls up over the next couple of days. We're pretty lucky we've got that extra day this week," former skipper Lenny Hayes said before training yesterday. "We don't play until Sunday so we'll give him right up until the last minute." Harvey only did light ball work yesterday at Moorabbin.
The Article Michael Horan/HeraldSun/13Apr05
Harvey gives Saints hope
The infirmary that is St Kilda's Moorabbin training base these days received some rare welcome news when scans revealed Robert Harvey was some chance of playing in Sunday's vital match against a rampaging Melbourne at Telstra Dome. The highly decorated veteran damaged his hamstring in Saturday's dreadful fade-out against the Kangaroos at the same venue and was expected to miss at least a fortnight. However, an ultrasound and MRI scan showed minimal damage to the 33-year-old's well-worn legs. On an injury list that has climbed to seven, with captain and star forward Nick Riewoldt set to miss another month with a broken collarbone, the loss of Harvey would be a crippling blow.
The Article Malcolm Conn/TheAustralian/13Apr05
Harvey a chance
Champion St Kilda midfielder Robert Harvey may yet play in Sunday's big clash against Melbourne at Telstra Dome. It was thought that the hamstring injury the dual Brownlow medallist suffered against the Kangaroos on the weekend might keep him out of the side for up to three weeks, however an ultrasound, followed by an MRI indicated he only suffered a slight strain, rather than a tear. A St Kilda spokesperson said Harvey would undergo a fitness test later this week and may be passed fit to play against the unbeaten Demons. If not, he will definitely play against Richmond, also at Telstra Dome, the following Sunday.
The Article Jennifer Witham/Sportal/saints.com.au/12Apr05
Hopes for Harvey Jordan Chong and Jon Pierik/HeraldSun/11Apr05
Flooders doomed: Blight Jake Niall/TheAge/12Apr05
Dal Santo: Cut above the rest
Since his debut, Dal Santo has proved he is capable of becoming a superstar, coming to the club via a draft pick from the Barry Hall deal. In 2004, Dal Santo made a quantum leap in his game. He showed he deserved to be in the seniors with his relentless chasing of the ball and his outstanding tackling. In Round 8, he tore up the Magpie midfield with his pace and smart football, a lethal mix for any opposition club to stop. His fine form continued and he contributed well in the finals in a year which saw the side finish Top 4. With St. Kilda flag favourites this season, the pressure was no doubt on the players from fans and the media to deliver, but according to Dal Santo, "We didn't feel any more pressure than usual. Our training, our game preparation and our beliefs are the same they were twelve months ago." No doubt the St. Kilda side is hurting with the loss of Riewoldt in the opening round and also no Koschitzke, "It's disappointing to lose our leader and it's hard to fill his spot. The spotlight on him following the injury, I guess that's just football. Losing Justin is another unexpected setback, but it gave a chance for Barry Brooks to come in and fill his spot."
The Article Luca Giacobello/saints.com.au/11Apr05
Saints back on fast Train
. . . For Thomas, having a fit and firing G-Train transports his team from the pack to the pulpit. "He's a very, very important player to us," Thomas said. "He gives us a focal point, he straightens us up a lot, and I suppose we need to work out whether it was Fraser's good play that got us going or was it our good play that got Fraser going?" The return to form of Gehrig, the energy of Ball and Dal Santo, the cameos of Brett Voss and Stephen Milne, and the soon-to-be-returning Riewoldt, Justin Koschitzke and Robert Harvey, paints a rosy picture for the Saints. Above it all, though, is the G-Train . . . "He is our most influential player," Riewoldt said. "He's a natural leader. He doesn't need to say a million things, he leads through his actions."
The Article Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/18Apr05
Gehrig boots six to steamroll Dees
Without Bruce and with the G-Train running and muscling - and kicking goals - the result in hindsight was predictable. But, having said that, there was no doubt Gehrig was back to his frightening best. St Kilda has steamrolled Melbourne in the second half to inflict the Demons first defeat of the AFL season by 47 points at Telstra Dome. Trailling by seven points at half-time, the Saints overwhelmed Melbourne to win 23.13 (151) to 15.14 (104). Injury was added to insult for the Demons, who lost Cameron Bruce in the first minute of the game to a shoulder injury that brought a sudden end to his run of three best-on-ground efforts to start the season . . . Demons centre-half-forward Brad Miller was reported for a heavy hit on Andrew Thompson, while a flying knee by Aaron Davey will also be scrutinised. The game was worthy of its game-of-the-round status for the first three quarters, with the lead changing hands more than a dozen times. St Kilda trailled by ten points entering time on of the first quarter but three goals in two minutes saw them go in eight-point leaders at the first change, with Aussie Jones kicking the final goal on the siren to cap a good individual quarter. The margin went out to 15 points before Melbourne took the ascendancy, and they led by seven at the main break - scant reward for having had six more scoring shots. Jared Rivers was controlling centre-half-back but otherwise the Demons backline was struggling to hold a Saints forward line missing Nick Riewoldt, with Fraser Gehrig kicking four first half goals that could have been six and Stephen Milne dangerous if goalless.
The Article AAP/HeraldSun/17Apr05
Saints back on track
St Kilda have put its season back on course with a 47-point victory over the previously undefeated Melbourne, in the round four AFL match at Docklands. Having lost two of its opening three matches, St Kilda downed the Demons 23.13 (151) to 15.14 (104) thanks largely to a six-goal haul to Fraser Gehrig. The 2004 Coleman Medallist led the goal kicking for St Kilda and he was well-assisted by Stephen Milne and Brett Voss who both claimed four majors. Aaron Hamill and Aaron Fiora were the other multiple goal kickers with two six-pointers each. For the Demons, captain David Neitz, Adem Yze and Guy Rigoni all kicked three goals while Russell Robertson registered a double.
The Article ABC Sport/17Apr05
Saints tackle slump head on
. . . By the end of the day, it (Melbourne) would also lose the run of James McDonald. And St Kilda, a sleepy giant of the early season, was starting to wake. "Over the journey of the game, their midfield were able to work us over," Daniher said. "Never at any stage did I think we had the ascendancy in the part of the game that allows you to set up winning footy." If the game was won in the midfield, it was also won with the kind of desperate, sacrificial acts that warm the hearts of the most hard-bitten coaches. It was a day of finger-breaking smothers and ruthless gang tackles, zealous chases and bone jarring hits. Melbourne did it well but the Saints did it better. In a decisive third quarter, two St Kilda goals resulted from brilliant smothers from Luke Ball and Aaron Hamill.
The Article Chip Le Grand/TheAustralian/18Apr05
Guerra tackle disrupts Bruce's plans Bruce Matthews/HeraldSun/18Apr05
Little things become big Greg Baum/TheAge/18Apr05
Flagging their intentions Rohan Connolly/TheAge/18Apr05
Saints skip past Dees
Melbourne's outstanding start to the 2005 season has struck its first hurdle, after St Kilda inflicted the Demons' first loss, comprehensively thrashing the red and blue by 47 points at Telstra Dome on Sunday. St Kilda 23.13 (151) defeated Melbourne 15.14 (104) to end Melbourne's seven-game winning streak over St Kilda. The last time the Saints tasted a victory over the Dees was when Tim Watson was coaching the club in 1999. Melbourne's loss was soured even further with the loss of early Brownlow Medal favourite Cameron Bruce, who went down with a right AC-joint injury, suffered in the first minute of the match . . . For St Kilda, it was an outstanding win, achieved without skipper Nick Riewoldt, dual Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey, key defender Luke Penny, forward/ruckman Justin Koschitzke and onballer Stephen Powell. After nine lead changes for the match, St Kilda staged a brilliant second half, including seven goals to two in the final term, which was the catalyst for the Saints' victory. Fraser Gehrig (six goals), Stephen Milne (four) and Brett Voss (four) - a career best for the former Lion - were outstanding in front of goals and stood up when they needed to be counted. Acting skipper Luke Ball racked up 30 touches, while Aussie Jones, Brent Guerra and Raphael Clarke were also among the Saints' best.
The Article Matt Burgan/saints.com.au/17Apr05
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