Archives

SYDNEY: 0.1, 3.3, 5.5, 7.8 (50)
ST KILDA: 2.3, 5.5, 7.6, 7.10 (52)
GOALS – Sydney: Schneider 3, Hall, Roberts-Thomson, McVeigh, Kirk
St Kilda: Gehrig 3, Rix, Goddard, Blake, Montagna
BEST – Sydney: Goodes, Kirk, J.Bolton, Schneider
St Kilda: S.Fisher, Maguire, Riewoldt, Ball, Goddard
INJURIES – Sydney: Nil
St Kilda: Ball (concussion)
CHANGES – Nil
REPORTS - Nil
UMPIRES - Vozzo, Schmitt, Ellis
CROWD - 31,146 at SCG
FREE KICKS - Sydney 28, St Kilda 22
HITOUTS: Sydney 39, st Kilda 40
50m PENALTIES: Sydney 1, St Kilda 0
GOALS: Sydney Free 0; Play 6; Mark 1
St Kilda Free 2; Play 1; Mark 4
DISTANCE OF GOALS: Sydney 0-15m 1; 15-30m 3; 30-40m 1; 40+m 2
St Kilda 0-15m 1; 15-30m 1; 30-40m 2; 40+m 3
MATCH STATS

"It's a season-turner right here, right now, but it basically means diddly squat if we don't continue on with that next week." Grant Thomas

Saints' Divinyl inspiration
Whether it was a conscious thing or not was hard to ascertain. Either way, Fraser Gehrig – sitting on the floor of the St Kilda changerooms late on Saturday night, stretching his mud-caked legs, running his hands through his windswept mullet and singing (with some verve) to himself – probably articulated it best. Psychologically, the gulf between six wins, five losses and fifth position, and five wins, six losses and a probable 10th position, is considerable. In the middle of the buoyant St Kilda rooms and in a world of his own, the carefully chosen words of Gehrig aptly summed the moment: "It's a fine line between pleasure and pain . . . "
The Article Nikki Tugwell/HeraldSun/12Jun06

Saints prove point
Coach Grant Thomas hailed it as the side's best four-quarter effort of the year and it showed the Saints were still capable of being a force. "It was more a point about making a statement, about taking responsibility for the situation we're in and being heavily focused towards the disciplines of the team and what we want to achieve," Thomas said. "To that end I thought everyone made significant contributions. I think we followed off on the last half last weekend against Melbourne." The buzz was clearly back, with knee victim Lenny Hayes and club legends Nathan Burke and Stewart Loewe among the excited faces in the rooms after the game.
The Article Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/12Jun06
Streak comes to an end David Sygall/smh.com.au/12Jun06
Sydeney Morning Herald also named BJ as Brett Voss in the Pic in this article???
Roos: It may be time for axe Michael Cowley/smh.com.au/12Jun06

"You could just sense an extra edge. There was a steely focus before the game. Grant spoke well both before the game and during the week, outlining the game plan. The theme revolved around winning the contested ball and it became even more important when the rain began pelting down . . . It was great to play in those conditions. It doesn't seem to happen that much. It was traditional footy." Nick Riewoldt

Riewoldt mark one of best
. . . "The season was at the crossroads – and I suppose it still is – but it was just so important we won . . . It was very important to get up in a contest as the underdog. We hadn't been able to do that this year." But he was quick to deflect the importance of his mark, saying: "I was lucky enough to be positioned well. A number of guys did important things in the last quarter. It wasn't just me. Leigh Fisher took some important marks and Brett Voss threw himself at a contest bravely."
The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/12Jun06

Saints still in there fighting
. . . A host of St Kilda lesser lights stood up when needed on Saturday, none the least a pair of Fishers; Sam, who pulled down the shutters on Ryan O'Keefe, and the even less-heralded Leigh, who blanketed Nick Davis to make sure there would be no repeat of those semi-final heroics. There was Brett Voss, who himself took a hefty blow in the hectic finale, while debutant ruckman Michael Rix not only goalled with his first kick in AFL football, but also helped the Saints break even in the hit-out department. With none of that long roll call of considerable talent in Lenny Hayes, Justin Koschitzke, Aaron Hamill, Xavier Clarke and now Andrew Thompson due back for at least another three games, the second and third-tier Saints will have to continue to stand up for some time yet.
The Article Rohan Connolly/TheAge/12Jun06
Maguire makes a Hall of a point TheAge/12Jun06

"Yeah I suppose there is a little bit of motivation there when people question your integrity and I suppose the way you play the game . . . I suppose that's the way to play footy, you beat the man to the ball rather than verbally . . . You can talk all you want, but it's your actions that count the most." Matt McGuire

Actions count for Maguire
Matt Maguire admitted that having his integrity questioned after last year's now famous preliminary final incident with Swans spearhead Barry Hall gave the St Kilda defender added motivation heading into their much anticipated rematch at the SCG on Saturday night. And the Saints star had the last laugh in their round 11 encounter, with the hard-nosed backman not only inflicting Hall's poorest outing for the season but playing a vital role in what might turn out to be a season-defining win for the Saints.
The Article Ben Broad/saints.com.au/10Jun06

Win gets Saints' season on track
St kilda conjured its best performance of the season just when it was most required at the SCG last night, eking out a narrow win over defending premier Sydney and getting a bonus after the game when captain Luke Ball, apparently seriously injured just half an hour before, emerged to help his teammates sing the song. Ball was knocked senseless in a "friendly fire" incident during the frenetic final quarter, his head cannoning into the elbow of teammate Matt Maguire. Stretchered off yet again, Ball's plight raised fears of another bad head injury in the wake of Blake Caracella's terrible mishap last weekend. But Ball escaped with a bad cut to the mouth and possible light concussion. He was on his feet and talking to friends in the rooms after the game, and coach Grant Thomas said he should be fit to play against Adelaide in Melbourne on Friday night.
The Article Martin Blake/TheAge/11Jun06

"We'd like to think we're a better side than just one out-of-the-box-type performances. We've taken a while to get going and we're not going yet. We had a four-quarter performance, which was really healthy from a club perspective and a team perspective but there's a lot of work to be done yet. Next week we've got a big challenge against Adelaide on our home turf." Grant Thomas

Thomas: No Crowing
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas believes last night's win against Sydney could be a season-defining match, but said the wins needed to keep flowing if it was to stay in touch with the top teams. In driving rain and torrid conditions, the Saints staved off the fast-finishing Swans by two points after the home team kicked two unanswered goals in the final quarter. "It's a season turner right here, right now, but it basically means diddly squat if we don't continue on with that next week," Thomas said.
The Article Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/11Jun06

Saints sink Swans in a slog
St Kilda has won its sixth game of the season by two-points over Sydney after skipper Luke Ball came off on a stretcher with concussion. The Saints played terrific wet weather football to overrun the premiers 7.10 (52) to 7.8 (50) as the Swans struggled to come to terms with the conditions. With goals hard to come by, Fraser Gehrig was a force up forward kicking three goals before halftime when the ground was at its best while Matt Maguire was magnificent in keeping Barry Hall quiet. The Saints took the lead early and were able to maintain a two-goal advantage for most of the game before a tense final term in which they lost Ball.
The Article Ben Broad/AFL/saints.com.au/10Jun06

Saints wet their whistle
. . . St Kilda wanted revenge for its preliminary final defeat by Sydney, no one more so than Matt Maguire. At the first bounce, the gutsy Maguire jogged down to centre half-back to play on Barry Hall, his first rendezvous with Big, Bad, Bustling Barry since Hall's blow to his solar plexus at the MCG last September sent the football world into apoplexy for a week. Maguire was magnificent, going body-for-body with Hall, winning a free kick for a shove in the first quarter and then continuing to hold sway for the rest of the match. Hall's only goal came from a beautiful feed from Michael O'Loughlin early in the second; he could not make any impact. It was a defenders' game, of course, but Hall has been in wonderful form and Maguire has had few better days. This was redemption.
The Article TheAge/11Jun06

Saints reign in rain as heavens open
. . . Terrific all night, Ball was knocked out by an elbow from teammate Matt Maguire and was writhing on the ground with blood pouring from his face. Play was stopped for several minutes and Ball was put in a neck brace with an oxygen mask. That was the only dampener on a torrid night when the gritty Saints held their nerve to record what could become a season-defining win. The Saints' lead looked shaky as the fast-finishing Swans gathered momentum. Brett Kirk and Adam Schneider goaled in time on, but it took too long in the wet to consistently score and get clean possession. The Saints sent numbers back and in the finish the slippery ball conspired against the home team.
The Article Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/11Jun06

Saints sink Swans in the wet
. . . St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt played a brilliant mobile role around the ground, including a pivotal pack mark in defence as the Swans chased a last-gasp victory in the dying moments. Full forward Fraser Gehrig was also excellent kicking three goals in difficult conditions and was unlucky not to have a couple more on the night. Defender Matt Maguire outplayed Barry Hall in their first match since Hall's controversial strike in last year's preliminary final which the Swans won by 31 points . . . The Saints host heavyweights Adelaide at Telstra Dome next Friday while the Swans clash with Collingwood in June 24.
The Article AAP/HeraldSun/10Jun06

Saints end Swans' winning run
The Sydney Swans' six-match winning streak came to an end on Saturday night with a tense two-point loss to St Kilda at the SCG. The Saints, who led at every change, won the round 11 AFL encounter 7.10 (52) to 7.8 (50). Fraser Gehrig kicked three goals for the visitors while four players - Leigh Montagna, Jason Blake, Brendon Goddard and Michael Rix - managed single majors. Adam Schneider matched Gehrig's effort with a treble of his own to be the only multiple goal kicker for the defending premiers. Slippery conditions did not allow for much of a spectacle, but a final quarter fight-back from the Swans provided for an exciting finish.
The Article ABC Sport/10Jun06


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