Archives - 2006 POST SEASON

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What an off-season; forgive us for being cranky by 'skeptic' saintsational.com Think about it as a whole • It started when we lost to Melb in the elimination final • Stephen Powell retired that night • Following tuesday GT is sacked • Talk of a player revolt: Riewoldt, Hamil and Thompson noted to be particularly upset • Justin Peckett retired that day • Early talk indicates Saints are after a big name coach those mentioned = Leigh Matthews, Paul Roos, Denis Pagon, Mick Malthouse, Rodney Eade, Mark Thompson, Chris Connelly, Dean Laidley, Mark Thompson • The lesser lights = John Longmire, Gary Lyon, Mark Creswell, Chris Bond, Mark Harvey, Gary O'Donnel and Guy McKenna • Talk is that St.Kilda has already got their new coach • Robert Harvey and a few other saints Gram and Dal I think (don't remember) re-sign • Rod Butters goes on TV and delivers what is supposed to be a very poor interview about why this happened; roundly criticised • GT gets a lot of sympathy • In his last speech to the players GT tells them to be loyal to the club and get on with it • Rendall, McGuane, Cripps and Mifsud take over the list management • McGough and Murray delisted • Roos, Matthews, Eade deny any interest in the saints job • Huge rumour hits the mill that Saints will pay Carlton out for Denis Pagan; few days later Pagan states he's staying put • Malthouse calls an interview; rumour that he will quit Collingwood • Mark Cresswell scandal rocks the news; rumor= he had the saints job in the bag. • Mark Harvey allegedly tells the saints to call him in the final round of interviews • Dust settles a little bit and Gary Lyon emerges as the favorite; big rumor that he will bring a host of assitants and players with him. Gary refuses to deny it on the Footy show • McGuane quits the club • First round of interviews conducted; rumour that after the last interview at 5 a secret interview is conducted with an unamed prospect and that this guy absolutely wowed the socks off everyone. The name Lyon leaks out. • List is narrowed to Longmire, Bond, Rendall, Lyon and Guy McKenna • Huge falling out between Rendall and Butters over Matty's speech at the best and fairest. Matt says the process is not due. • First round of interviews see Chris Bond impress the hell out of every1 • Rumour that Aussie Jones and Luke Penny want back in somewhere • Trade week begins: strong suggestions that the Saints are after Everite, Nick Stevens and Jason Johnson • Shane Birss becomes a Saint • Ross Lyon gets the nod • Becomes evident that the Saints are after Gardiner, we make him an offer which he apparently declines and finally puts pen to paper 30min before trade time ends. • Roo skips the international rules to stay home with the team. • Cripps and Mifsud sacked • Ackland quits, Ferguson gone, Corr, McDonnel and Pfitzner not signed • Roach and Attard training with the club • Saints threaten to leave Moorabbin • Lyon appears to strengthen allegiances with Casey Scorpions and Peter Banfield • Assistant coaches named • Schwarze delisted with talk that Raph may be next • Armitage, Howard, Allan and Ferguson drafted • Matthew Clarke comes out of retirement at PSD and joins us • Attard, Van Reehan (sic), Eddy, Jones and the other 2 rookies that I don't remember are drafted • Saints appear to get the go ahead RE Moorabbin (nobody really believes this will go ahead though) • No major injuries or incidents in the preseason yet BIG OFFSEASON What an off-season 'skeptic' saintsational.com

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ST KILDA 2006 FINANCIAL COMMENTS
ST KILDA 2006 FINANCIAL REPORT

Saints staying put at Moorabbin
. . . Had the sale been rejected, the Saints would have left Moorabbin, their base for 40 years, and headed to Cranbourne East. St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser said: "It underpins the security of our club as it provides an opportunity to put a very good asset on our books in the longer term, and from a player development point of view it will bring us in line with the elite training facilities." Redevelopment of Moorabbin is part of a state government initiative to assist some of Melbourne's major football clubs. The government has committed $3.45 million, Kingston Council $2.5 million, the AFL $2.55 million and the Saints $2 million.
The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/20Dec06
• MOORABBIN REDEVELOPMENT MAIN PAGE

Sale of Moorabbin Reserve Approved
On Monday night the City of Kingston Council met over the sale of 3850 sqm2 of land at Moorabbin Reserve to the St Kilda Football Club. The Club was advised that the Councillors had voted in favour of selling the land on the corner of South Road and Linton Street to the St Kilda Football Club. St Kilda Football Club Chief Executive Officer Archie Fraser said of the decision, "This is a positive step towards our future growth and the long term financial stability of the St Kilda Football Club. It is just the first step of the planned redevelopment for our spiritual home Moorabbin and although we still have some critical issues to work through, this is a positive result for the members and supporters of St Kilda Football Club and the local community."
The Article saints.com.au/19Dec06

Saints back into debt to buy land
St Kilda says its multimillion-dollar purchase of land alongside its Moorabbin headquarters is a key step in developing facilities that will put it on an equal footing with the financially powerful clubs. And the Saints, who will need to borrow money to finance the strategic purchase of the land - which is at the corner of Linton Street and South Road - say that their financial health is such that the debt holds no fears for them. The club had recently become debt free following a succession of strong profits . . . "It provides St Kilda with the opportunity to be competitive from a facilities perspective - you know with gymnasiums and administration blocks, medical, rehabilitation and all the rest of it." Butterss said the once impecunious club was comfortable with assuming some debt.
The Article Jake Niall/TheAgeRealFooty/20Dec06

'YES' TO REDEVELOP MOORABBIN
. . . but with conditions
On Monday night the City of Kingston voted 4 - 3 for the sale of land that stood in way of the St Kilda Football Club's Moorabbin Redevelopment project. The decision followed a drawn out and at times some emotional presentations. There were councillors who vere passionate about the issue of selling open public space but the 'Pokies' appeared to be the real key factor against the proposal. There was about a dozen St Kilda fans at the Council meeting and some clapped when the final vote was counted. In the end it was the Mayor, Councillor Topsy Petchey (Chair) who appeared to surprise some with a strong argument for the City of Kingston to support the St Kilda Football Club's proposal and she voted in favour of the redevelopment project going ahead, but with conditions. westofmoorabbin.com
The Conditions - Council Report Page 119 - 120 & Attachment 1.

Report from 'casey scorp'
. . . Cr Greg Alabaster moved a motion to refuse to sell the land. It was defeated 3-4. That debate took about an hour, and then was defeated. Then Cr Justin McKeegan moved in favour of the land sale, but subject to a long list of conditions which the Club will have to examine closely to see whether they are acceptable. Those in favour were:
Councillors votes:

There was a very angry man at the end (11:40pm) who yelled out about Mayoral robes and selling out. He was the odd one out in the public gallery though. He also said to the Councillors: "This is just the start - see you in court". I think it will still be very messy. A number of the Councillors who voted in favour of the sale made it clear that their support for the land sale did not mean that they supported the relocation of 83 gaming machines to the new site. Archie Fraser had, however, made it very clear in a letter to the Council (which the Councillors had in their printed agenda) that the Club required the 83 gaming machines in the new social club. So perhaps the Council giveth with one hand, but taketh with another. However, that seems unlikely as the greatest political storm was likely to be over the sale of the land.
The future of Linton Street 'casey scorp' saintsational.com

Darkhorses for 2007
by 'st.mart'
saintsational.com Who will be the next big thing . . . who will step up and be a surprise, like Gram / Montagna / Goddard last season, and S.Fisher in 2005 . . . every year one bobs up and goes another level . . . who????
The list to choose from (all these can improve from 06 form)
X. Clarke to Gun
Watts to regular
Gardiner back to best
R. Clarke to make a big impact
Fiora to finally realise talent
Goddard to STAR
S. Gilbert to hit the scene big time
Armitage to slip straight in
Ferg to get his chance and take it
Birss becomes a regular midfielder
Kosi injury free dominates the league
Brooks makes his mark as a fwd/Ruck worth the wait
Howard surprises as he takes to it like a duck to water
McQualter becomes a consistent AFL player
Gwilt back to '05 finals form
Raymond looks at home in the AFL after debuting
Allen shows form at Springy, and gets a chance in first year and takes it
Sweeney explodes Robbo style, kicks 30 goals in 15 games
Jones gets elevated and makes immediate impact
Van rheenan gets elevated to senior list after a ruckman goes down
Eddy elevated and gets a game after dominating Casey, and does well
Wall elevated and debuts
Geary elevated and looks good at senior level
Attard elevated and plays plenty of seniors, holding his spot...
After watching Casey in 05 and seeing some pre-season my pick is in RED
What is your pick?
Darkhorses for 2007 'st.mart' et al saintsational.com

Saints Bring Some Christmas Cheer
On Tuesday, 19th December Saints players, Jason Blake, Justin Koschitzke and Michael Rix made a special visit to the Starlight Room at the Monash Medical Centre to help hand out Christmas presents to the kids. The players spent the afternoon answering questions, signing autographs, and visited children on the wards that couldn't make it down to the room.
The Article saints.com.au/20Dec06

Saints' leading contender
St Kilda may follow Sydney's lead and have multiple captains under new coach Ross Lyon. The Swans appointed Barry Hall, Leo Barry and Brett Kirk as co-captains last season. A former Swans assistant, Lyon is keen to adopt a similar approach at Moorabbin . . . (Luke) Ball said he was over the osteitis pubis problems that marred his 2006, and he was feeling fit. But he was wary about making any grand declarations on the eve of a new year . . . "Fraser's (Gehrig) been training well and he's been interrupted in the past. Coming back from longer term injuries, (Matt) Maguire, (Aaron) Hamill and (Lenny) Hayes are doing modified work but come January we'll have most . . . up and running," Luke said.
The Article Jackie Epstein/FoxSports/31Dec06
Saints may go with multiple captains Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/31Dec06
Lyons lines up leaders Tim Morrisey/SundayTelegraph/31Dec06
Luke Ball image - Source: HeraldSun Picture: Andrew Brownbill
Ross Lyon image - Source: news.com.au Picture: Andrew Brownbill
Identical article as above reputed to be a different writer??

Notice of the St Kilda Football Club AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the St Kilda Football Club will be held in the Centera Room, located on the Ground Floor, Hemisphere Conference Centre, 488 South Road, Moorabbin, on Sunday 4th February 2007, commencing at 10:00am. The ordinary business of the Annual General Meeting shall be the consideration of the 2006 Audited Financial Statements of the Company, the consideration of a report of the Board, the election of Directors to the Board of Directors, the election and presentation of Life Memberships, and any other business that may be raised in accordance with the Constitution.
James R Van Beek Company Secretary
Dated this 21st day of December, 2006
(Source: St Kilda Football Club notice - mail out)
ST KILDA 2006 FINANCIAL & COMMENTS This site

Click for larger view Photo: Bendigo Advertiser Joel Selwood, Jarryn Geary and Andy Collins with fitness coach Marty O'Rielly

Rookies have lots to do
. . . three of the AFL's newest recruits who have returned to central Victoria for the Christmas break, there's no let-up from their pre-season training program . . . Jarryn Geary was picked up by St Kilda in the Rookie Draft earlier this month . . . He will have just one day off while he is at home in Eaglehawk. Geary's training program includes weights, pilates, running and stretching. "When you get back to training after the break, you don't have a week or so to get back into the swing of it, you have to get straight back into it on day one," Geary said. "So you don't want to be the bloke who is behind when you get back." Geary, who won the Neville Strauch Medal as the Pioneers' club champion this year, has only been training with the Saints for a fortnight, but is happy with how he is progressing at his new club. "Most of the guys are fairly young and enthusiastic around the club, which makes it easier on everyone else," he said.
The Article BendigoAdvertiser/28Dec06

Soccer on rise as AFL treads water
. . . (in 2006) 269,000 Australian boys aged five to 14 played in soccer competitions out of school, up from 209,000 nine years ago. By contrast, the number playing Australian rules grew only slightly to 189,000, and the three rugby codes - league, union and touch - had 182,000 between them . . . Soccer is making serious inroads in traditional Australian rules territory. It has now overtaken Australian rules in Tasmania and the Northern Territory, and is moving up to challenge it in South Australia. The exception is Victoria. This year, 83,000 boys played Australian rules, almost three times as many as the 30,000 playing soccer. Nine years ago the numbers were 79,000 and 20,000 respectively.
The Article Tim Colebatch/TheAge/01Jan07

St Kilda cricket club wants a Warne Oval
Shane Warne's local cricket club wants to rename its home ground in honour of the leg-spinning legend. The board of Premier club St Kilda will vote later this month to rename the Junction Oval to the Shane Warne Ground. It will then present the proposal to relevant authorities, such as the City of Port Phillip Council. "It's been the Junction Oval, the St Kilda Cricket Ground, for 151 years - we think a change of name would be appropriate," club president Ron Laird told Channel Nine.
The Article AAP/TheAge/03Jan07
St Kilda fans at Junction Oval Source: fullpointsfooty.net
Junction Oval Grandstand 2006 Source: A.Tritschler ajft.org
Another image of Junction Oval Source: thetriffids.com
St Kilda played 580 games at Junction Oval, winning 257. The record attendance was in Round 5 on 20th May 1950 where St. Kilda defeated Carlton by 19 points.

Warne's new AFL ambition
. . . Warne spent the winter of 2003 in a similar role with his beloved St Kilda Football Club during his year-long suspension for taking banned diet pills. "I enjoyed my time at St Kilda helping out with the leadership group and being around the place, just there for players to talk to," he said . . . Warne remained coy yesterday when asked about speculation he was set to play a role as a surprise AFL radio commentator this year. "I love my AFL football," he said. "If it's commentary, if there is some role with TV and football, or a club - obviously the Saints would be at the top of the list - that's something I will weigh up as well - if somebody wants me." If Warne were to commentate, he would have to opt out of the remaining two years of his English county contract with Hampshire.
The Article Jon Pierik/AdelaideAdvertiser/02Jan07
Shane Wayne Image Source: Adelaide Advertiser

Warne eyes AFL role
With his international cricket career just about over, Shane Warne now wants to live out another boyhood dream - joining an AFL club . . . "I would love to be involved in some sort of mentoring role with AFL footballers," Warne said last night . . . Warne spent the winter of 2003 in a similar role with his beloved St Kilda Football Club during his year-long suspension for taking banned diet pills.
The Article Jon Pierik/foxSports/02Jan07

Shane Warne wants Saints role
. . . Last night club president Rod Butterss said the club would again be delighted to tap his leadership qualities. "Shane is a favourite son of the club and we would love to think he could help us achieve a quarter of what he achieved," Butterss said. "Clearly he is a champion. He knows how to perform under pressure, having done just that time and again throughout his cricket career, and I see first-hand what happens when he walks in to our rooms. Everyone has enormous respect for him and they all love to have a coffee with him, kick some ideas around, and he is a very passionate Saints man. In 2001 when we had the unfortunate parting of the ways with Malcolm Blight, something that gave us all a lift at the time was when Shane draped a St Kilda guernsey over the players' balcony at Lord's."
The Article Jon Pierik & Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/02Jan07
Image: Shane Warne in St Kilda Guernsey Souce: HeraldSun

Footy codes thinning cricket ranks
. . . Australia does face a fight to retain its top ranking, and not just from our cricketing rivals. Rather, our football codes could be the enemy that robs cricket of the next Warne, McGrath or Langer. It is happening already, with the past two AFL Rising Star winners, Brett Deledio and Marc Murphy, both outstanding junior cricketers rated good enough to represent Victoria. Hawthorn star Luke Hodge and 2006 St Kilda captain Luke Ball are other talents that preferred chasing leather to line and length, while Wallabies five-eighth Berrick Barnes was an outstanding junior Queensland wicketkeeper. AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan said multi-talented teenage sportsmen were increasingly deciding that football provided a quicker and easier path to fame and fortune than cricket.
The Article Courtney Walsh/TheAustralian/06Jan06
Sam Kekovich lamb ads Simon Canning/smh/05Jan06
Matthew Lappin Blues Captain? Bruce Matthews/HeraldSun/05Jan06
WARNING-Number Plate stickers !! 'Eastern' et al saintsational.com

Year in review - off the field
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas was the biggest casualty of a 2006 AFL year which will be remembered for "Sirengate", the continuing problems at Carlton, the shock decline of Geelong and the on-going saga over the league's new television deal. In a year that had everything, the biggest shock was that Thomas was the only coaching casualty while Carlton's Denis Pagan and Geelong's Mark Thompson lived to fight another day despite appearing set to join the AFL's "sacked coaches club".
The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/AFL/saints.com.au/02Jan07
Grant Thomas Image Source: afl.com.au
International Rules Series ABC RADIO(PM) Transcript, also on POPCAST

The Martians to wear clash jumper against St Kilda
Essendon will not only don a clash jumper next season but do so twice and, as a further provocation to the many traditionalists opposed to any strip change, will also wear red shorts against St Kilda and Richmond. The Dons have been told by the AFL that the alternative jumper they reluctantly submitted mid-year will be required to be worn in away games against the Saints at Telstra Dome in round four next season and against the Tigers at the MCG five weeks later.
Bombers to don clash jumper twice next year Stephen Rielly/TheAgeRealFooty/22Dec06
The Essendon Clash Jumper essendonfc.com.au
ST KILDA 2007 GUERNSEY Replica saints.com.au

Risking a schedule fit to burst
You only had to turn on the box for five minutes at some stage this year to observe just how much of 2006 was spent looking back. With television in this country celebrating its 50th anniversary, there seemed to be a cavalcade of most memorable this, our favourite that and top 10 such-and-suches. Sport featured prominently in many of those nostalgiafests, this year also the 50th anniversary of Melbourne's hosting of the Olympic Games, a milestone that managed to spawn not a lot less publicity than did the original. AFL football did its share of reflecting, too. It was 40 years since St Kilda's famous one and only premiership, and 10 years since the dramatic "year that football changed forever" with its ill-fated attempt to merge Hawthorn and Melbourne, birth of the Brisbane Lions and death of Fitzroy.
The Article Rohan Connolly/TheAgeRealFooty/31Dec06
The best of the best in footy's 2006 Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/30Dec06

AFL players' health warnings
The AFL has been warned to be as wary of alcohol abuse as it is of illicit drug use. At least 20 players found themselves in strife with police or their clubs this year, many after booze-related incidents. And VicHealth chief executive Rob Moodie said the league needed to do more to educate and regulate its players on alcohol use and abuse. In the past two months, elite players, including Ben Cousins, Brendan Fevola and Alan Didak have wound up in trouble after nights out turned ugly. Dr Moodie said the AFL needed to encourage moderation and club leaders should step in to a greater degree to urge restraint from younger team members.
The Article Mark Buttler/HeraldSun/29Dec06

AFL faces new year hangover
This time last year the AFL was celebrating a $780 million Christmas, courtesy of Channel Nine, its dying boss Kerry Packer and Foxtel. But as the competition's bosses quickly learned, that money came at a heavy cost, a cost that amounted to indecision, legal threats, managing tricky egos and the grim fact that one year later there is still no clear picture of where and when the AFL will be televised next season. Andrew Demetriou's big television challenge is to repair the damaged relationship between the AFL and its media partner of most of the previous four decades, Channel Seven and its more recent ally in Channel Ten.
The Article Caroline Wilson/TheAgeRealFooty/24Dec06
Thanks Caro . . . made my day '2007' saintsational.com

Small states risk losing AFL to pay-TV
AFL matches in South Australia and Western Australia are in danger of being shifted to pay-TV under a new rule demanding that broadcasters show an event to a potential audience of at least 50per cent of the population. While free-to-air television retains the right to hold sports programs even if they are not broadcast live, broadcasters and the Opposition yesterday raised the prospect that football matches in less populous states would fall foul of the "use it or lose it" rule. Under the current anti-siphoning regime, free-to-air television networks have first rights to broadcast 10 sports, including AFL, cricket, rugby league and the Olympic and Commonwealth games. If they fail to do so, under the new rules pay-TV could bid for the broadcast rights, with the most likely events to go to pay-TV including multi-round tennis and golf tournaments.
The Article Samantha Maiden/TheAustralian/21Dec06

The Annual Report in Detail
by 'Sainter_4_life'
Considering where we have come from, its very hard to complain about a figure of $1.025m EBIT. However, this figure was down about $400,000 from last year.
Here are some concerns:
• Merchandise sales were down almost $500,000 on last year
• The $300,000 per year that we are getting from the sale of Waverly is about to dry up (in 2008)
• The need to take out a short-term loan of $1m. On face value this would seem to be for the purchase of new property (up almost $500,000) but further investigation sees the rise in value of PPE due to holding some more leased assets and writing of less in depreciation.
• Sponsorship was down nearly $500,000
Here are some positives:
• The social club being granted tax-exempt status
• Holding less stock of Merchandise at the end of 2006, compared to the end of 2005. Obviously means less need to sell tonnes of old stock cheaply
• The elimination of a long-term debt of $110,426, which also resulted in less finance costs
• An increase of cash of around $800,000
• On face value, the increase of liabilites would be seen as a bad thing, but the increase is due mainly to a higher level of income taken in advance (well done to those who have paid up early)
• A significant drop in Player payment commitments for the period 2007-2012. This basically means less commitment to pay long term contracts (Hamill anyone ?)
• Almost $40,000 more money raised in fundraising compared to 2005
• Less cost invloved with the processing of memberships and reserved seats
• All debt has fixed interest rates. Therefore not exposed to forecast rate rises.
Some interesting points:
• There was $270,375 paid in termination benefits to the coaches
• Gate receipts continue to outweigh membership receipts
• The club has 9 less full time employees than last year
All in all, the positives outweigh the negatives, with the major concern being the large drop in merchandise sales. And after 2 years there will no longer be $300,000 being tipped into the bank from Waverly which could dent profits a bit. It just emphasises the need to keep selling memberships and keep the fans coming through the gate for us to keep making significant profits
The Annual Report in Detail 'Sainter_4_life' saintsational.com

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