2005 - AFL Home and Away Season
Round 9 - Results and Post-game Articles
ST KILDA: 5.2, 5.4, 8.6, 8.9 (57)
ADELAIDE: 1.2, 7.3, 13.7, 15.13 (103)
GOALS - St Kilda: Milne 2, Riewoldt 2, Gehrig 2, Powell, Fiora
Adelaide: Welsh 5, McGregor 2, Reilly, Ricciuto, Edwards, Thompson, Burton, Goodwin, Hart, McLeod
BEST - St Kilda: Hayes, Ball, Jones, Powell, Dal Santo
Adelaide: McLeod, Ricciuto, Goodwin, Welsh, Burton, Hart, Bock
INJURIES - St Kilda: Nil
Adelaide: Nil
CHANGES - St Kilda: Nil
Adelaide: Nil
REPORTS - Nil
UMPIRES - Margetts, Wenn, Goldspink
CROWD - 35,100 at Telstra Dome
ST KILDA HITOUTS: 27
ST KILDA 50m PENALTIES: 0
ST KILDA GOALS: Free 1; Play 2; Mark 5
ST KILDA DISTANCE OF GOALS: 0-15m 1; 15-30m 1; 30-40m 3; 40+m 3
Get off Grant's back, says Riewoldt
St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt yesterday leapt to the defence of coach Grant Thomas as the Saints looked for answers to the disastrous loss to the Adelaide Crows on Friday night. Emerging from a long, soul-searching, post-match review of the second quarter turnaround against the Crows, Riewoldt said: "Grant is up to it. There is obviously going to be those questions posed after a performance like that last night. But you can't put in a first 15 minutes like we did, then turn it around and blame it all on the coach. That's unfair." Riewoldt said the roasting the club was copping was hard to stomach and that the players had ignored the coach's "simple" instructions for the game. "It was to kick it long and to advantage," Riewoldt said. "When you start a game like we did – we had it under control – and then allow that transformation, it's pretty staggering. The focus on the meeting was all related to effort and our inability to follow instructions."
The Article Scot Palmer/HeraldSun/22May05
The Article Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/22May05
Saints slump similar to '04
St Kilda's coach and captain have conceded that criticism of the underperforming club is justified and suggested it will draw upon last year's mid-season slump to help turn around its current plight. Captain Nick Riewoldt said yesterday criticism of the Saints was "well and truly justified" after Friday night's 46-point spanking from Adelaide, while coach Grant Thomas said a third consecutive loss was "not panic stations or anything, but we're really bitterly disappointed". Riewoldt, who was hobbling at recovery yesterday, said on Triple M that he was only "a little bit sore" and insisted he was right to play against the Crows."(The criticism) is well and truly justified after the performance we put in last night," he said. "You can only really comment on effort and last night it wasn't good enough." Riewoldt said the coaching staff did not deserve blame for Friday night's loss, pointing out the team had started strongly. He said the players had not followed instructions.
The Article Roger Vaughan and Samantha Lane/TheAge/22May05
Saints' spirit fades
The coach wanted his captain to keep his chin up last week when the Saints were heading for a loss. Poor body language, especially from the team's best player, is an instant giveaway that hope, confidence and desire are lost. But it was hard for Nick Riewoldt or any player in a red, black and white jumper to hold their head high on Friday night. The fadeout from such an impressive opening 15 minutes was so stark that even the most fanatical supporter would concede it was a disaster. Players missed targets, took the wrong options and, most alarmingly, did not chase or attack the ball. From cruise control they suddenly lost direction and fell into a bumbling mess.
The Article Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/22May05
Saints stunned by Crows
After a dazzling start, the Saints completely lost their way in going down to the Adelaide Crows in an upset result - 15.13 (103) to 8.9 (57) at the Telstra Dome on Friday night. The Saints did it easily in the first quarter and a blowout was on the cards. St Kilda kicked five goals for the term, but a different Adelaide side emerged from the quarter-time huddle. The Saints added only three more goals for the match while the Crows kicked 14. Lenny Hayes was best for the Saints, running hard all night for 31 disposals, while Luke Ball and Nick Dal Santo toiled away for 26 possessions each. Andrew McLeod (29 touches) was back to his best off a half-back flank while Mark Ricciuto (32 possessions) and Simon Goodwin (26 disposals) provided strong run through the middle.
The Article Jason Phelan/saints.com.au/20May05
Learning experience for NRL's Folkes Jennifer Witham/saints.com.au/21May05
Saints failing to march on Samantha Lane/TheAge/22May05
Saints' lethargy confounds Thomas
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas said he doesn't hold the answers as to why the Saints were swamped by the Crows after an explosive start at Telstra Dome on Friday night. Speaking after the loss, he refused to make excuses - despite his players looking dramatically sluggish after the first quarter, during which they had notched up a handy 24-point lead. "As the game wore on, we just looked more lethargic and looked very slow, very reactive, didn't run, and they grew in confidence, and full credit to them, they ran us off our feet," Thomas said. "I don't know whether it was management during the week or from coming back from Perth, I don't know. I haven't got any answers. We were very lethargic after quarter-time, and if we play like that every week well, you'll get that result."
The Article Jen Witham/saints.com.au/20May05
Listless Saints
This was a game between a team with no forwards and a side that had a stack of them. The first quarter made it perfectly clear which was which. Fraser Gehrig bounded energetically from centre half-forward to the goal line before the first bounce, then completed his warm-up by skipping along the boundary line. The full-forward equalled his one-goal effort against West Coast last week in the first few minutes, by watching two Adelaide defenders run under a boundary-line ball and gratefully accepting Aaron Fiora's over-the-head handpass. A 50-metre penalty took Stephen Powell close enough for a second score, Nick Riewoldt curled the next set shot through, Fiora and Stephen Milne giving St Kilda a five-goal start against a side that had averaged only seven in its past three games. In the end, St Kilda lost its chance to separate itself from another four-win side in mid-table. The Saints kicked only three goals after their five-goal spurt. They looked tired through the middle and a bit befuddled down back.
The Article Emma Quayle/TheAge/21May05
Crows lower Saints' place in pecking order
St Kilda's AFL season sits on a knife-edge after unheralded Adelaide dealt a severe jolt to its top four hopes with a 46-point upset at Telstra Dome tonight. The underrated Crows overcame a sluggish first quarter to unleash a 12-goal turnaround and run out 15.13 (103) to 8.9 (57) winners, sending the Saints tumbling to their third successive loss. Adelaide forward Scott Welsh kicked five goals, with skipper Mark Ricciuto and midfielder Simon Goodwin leading an outstanding effort by the Crows to raise serious questions about the Saints' premiership credentials. St Kilda ambushed the Crows early, kicking four goals inside the first 12 minutes, leading by five goals at one stage and taking a 24-point lead to quarter-time as Adelaide struggled to find a route to goal. But with Ricciuto and Goodwin dominant, the Crows took control of the centre in the second term and kicked seven unanswered goals to lead by 11 points at halftime.
The Article AAP/TheAge/20May05
Saints plain dumb and lazy
That's three in a row for the Saints and, please, let's not use injuries as an excuse. Not this time. Simple facts are St Kilda's depth is an enormous issue and at 4-5 with the unpredictable Sydney Swans next week, and the equally spasmodic Port Adelaide after that, the Saints are suddenly being questioned about their authenticity. No Hamill. No Harvey. No Koschitzke. No Maguire. No Thompson. No Xavier Clarke. Of course, their structure has been disturbed, but there weren't too many complaining when the Saints bolted to a five-goal lead in the first 20 minutes. From there, except for an eight-minute period at the start of the third quarter, the Saints were bamboozled by the hard-running Crows.
The Article Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/21May05
Spiritless St Kilda far from contender
The words Adelaide coach Neil Craig spat at his players shortly after the quarter-time siren should be taped at the weekend to be filed for future use. The finger-waving, wake-up blast, followed by a comprehensive game-plan overhaul, produced amazing results. It transformed the Crows from a hesitant, reactive bunch to the free-running, cocky unit that steamrolled St Kilda last night. But Craig can't take all the kudos as a super coach, after leaving forward Scott Welsh on the interchange bench for the first 20 minutes at Telstra Dome.
The Article Bruce Matthews/HeraldSun/21May05
Crows settle in the eight TheAge/22May05
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