Archives

ST KILDA 4.1 9.4 11.6 13.10 (88)
RICHMOND 3.2 6.4 10.7 11.11 (77)
GOALS - St Kilda: Gehrig 3, Riewoldt 3, Clarke, Dal Santo, Goddard, Harvey, Montagna, Fiora, Hayes. Richmond: P Bowden 3, Pettifer 3, Jackson 2, Richardson, Tivendale, Simmonds.
BEST - St Kilda: Riewoldt, Dal Santo, Hayes, Maguire, Harvey, Hamill. Richmond: P Bowden, J Bowden, Johnson, Tuck, Coughlan, Jackson.
INJURIES - St Kilda: Ball (stomach) replaced in selected side by Peckett. Richmond: Stafford (leg) replaced in selected side by Jackson.
UMPIRES: Margetts, McLaren, McInerney.
CROWD: 40,740 at Telstra Dome.

HITOUTS: St Kilda: 21, Richmond: 33
50m PENALTIES: St Kilda: 3, Richmond: 1
GOALS: St Kilda: Free 2; Play 7; Mark 4, Richmond Free 4; Play 1; Mark 6
DISTANCE OF GOALS: St Kilda: 0-15m 2; 15-30m 1; 30-40m 4; 40+m 6
Richmond: 0-15m 0; 15-30m 4; 30-40m 3; 40+m 4

"You've just got to hang tough and win the early ones, and try to build momentum . . . Try to build confidence and everything else, and I think sides start to build more fitness after games three, four or five . . . You've just got to make sure you win those early ones when you're a bit vulnerable." Grant Thomas

Ball and Kos for Thursday
. . . St Kilda captain Luke Ball missed the game because of an abdominal strain but is expected to play against the Brisbane Lions on Thursday. "He did (it) last week chasing Chris Judd and I think that could happen to any of us, with the speed of that fellow, so he'll be back this week," (Matt) Maguire said. There had been speculation Ball still had the osteitis pubis that wrecked his football in 2002. But coach Grant Thomas said Ball told him a few days ago that the condition was "basically gone". "Hopefully, he'll come up this week, but no chances will be taken," Thomas said. The Saints might also welcome back ruckman and forward Justin Koschitzke from a knee injury.
Saints need to improve: Maguire Reko Rennie/TheAge/09Apr06

Ball's injury threatening blow for St Kilda
St Kilda captain Luke Ball is in doubt for Thursday night's Telstra Dome match against Brisbane because of an abdominal muscle strain. The Saints yesterday denied Ball withdrew late against Richmond last Friday night with a bout of osteitis pubis, saying he damaged a stomach muscle while giving chase to Chris Judd in the second quarter against West Coast the previous Thursday night at Subiaco Oval. Ball played on against the Eagles, but struggled with three second-half possessions in one of his most mediocre performances in three years at St Kilda. St Kilda described Ball's condition as "unpredictable" and one which could easily be aggravated. The Saints may opt for caution and he could miss one to two weeks. Ruckman/key-position player Justin Koschitzke is almost ready to resume but is also in doubt to take on the Lions. He has not played since round 21 last year when he damaged his quadriceps. Koschitzke had knee surgery after the finals, and it is a combination of knee tendonitis and his quadriceps problem that has restricted his preparation this year. Veteran Justin Peckett, who replaced Ball on Friday against the Tigers, also remains in doubt with a hip injury.
The Article Greg Denham/TheAustralian/10Apr06

Saints not up to speed
St Kilda is struggling to adapt to football's new trends, according to stand-in skipper Matt Maguire. Maguire said the quick possession game was something the Saints were still learning. "Footy's changed a little bit from what it was last year and we just haven't adjusted enough yet," Maguire said after the Saints' 11-point win over Richmond on Friday night, "We were kicking long and that was probably our downfall a little bit. They got a lot of numbers behind the ball. We didn't really give Fraser (Gehrig) and Nicky Riewoldt up there much of a chance, and they were both working really hard . . . It's just more of a possession game these days. If you kick long, most of the time the opposition has more numbers back."
The Article Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/09Apr06
Saints off the mark Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/09Apr06

I don't think we need to worry and we are definately still building - they were always going to have a real crack . . . admittedly injury didn't help them . . . but I reckon there were some lessons there for us tonight that I hope we heed 'cause we won't get the chances against good sides or at finals time. Teflon/saintsational.com

Saints keep Tigers at bay
St Kilda got the points, but Richmond won the plaudits at Telstra Dome last night after almost pulling off a monumental upset. And Tigers coach Terry Wallace will be left lamenting what might have been had young defender Will Thursfield's left knee not buckled at a crucial stage of the last quarter. When Thursfield was taken from the ground by motorised stretcher it left the Tigers with few options to stop key Saints forward Nick Riewoldt, and that proved the difference in a thrilling final term when the game was in the balance. Trailing by five points at three-quarter time, the Tigers hit the front when ruckman Troy Simmonds kicked truly after being awarded a free kick for an infringement by Max Hudgton.
The Article Amanda Buivids/saints.com.au/07Apr06

Tigers invite a contest and scrap to finish
Richmond came to play at Telstra Dome last night. That is the least that is expected of an AFL team, and ordinarily would not be worth reporting. But after last week's debacle, a willingness to take part would always be the first measure of the Tigers this week. As it transpired, their fanaticism became the dynamic that ruled the game. The Tigers ran hard. They ran straight. Importantly, they ran down the middle. They ran themselves into the ground. Defenders Darren Gaspar and Andrew Kellaway ran regularly into attack. Forward Matthew Richardson periodically ran into defence, to mark bravely or spoil in the nick of time. They even ran into trouble. The mistakes they made were born of too much enthusiasm rather than too little. They took on opponents, gallantly, recklessly, but did not always win. They invited contests, as if to stimulate the football instincts that deserted them last week. Whatever else they were this night, they would not be meek.
The Article Greg Baum/TheAge/08Apr06

"We're comfortable where we are, but we've still got a lot of work to do. Our decision- making and our execution has fallen away the last two weeks at different stages and I think their fitness base, we're probably not as physically fit as we could be, but that's something that we want to aim at getting better each week rather than be 100 per cent now." Grant Thomas

Early wins crucial:Thomas
With a first win under his belt against Richmond at Telstra Dome on Friday night , St Kilda coach Grant Thomas believes wins on the board early when teams are still lacking match fitness is the key to the start of the season. Promisingly for St Kilda fans, Thomas said his team, rated by many as a genuine premiership contender, had considerable improvement left in it and would get better with each outing. "As a coach you always want to set really high standards and you want to be 100 per cent the whole time, but that's just impractical in this day and age," Thomas said . . . Describing the game as "not the greatest spectacle" due to both the determination of both teams to scrap for a win, Thomas said his side, which had 63 entrances inside its 50 compared to Richmond's 45, should have won by more, but was content to get away with the four points. We weren't able to break clear," he said. "We needed to come here for a win and we did."
The Article Andrew Wu/saints.com.au/07Apr06

Richmond goes down fighting
. . . St Kilda was weakened when new captain Luke Ball withdrew from last night's side with what the club described as an abdominal injury, not a recurrence of osteitis pubis. Down by five points at quarter-time, the margin slipped to three goals at the big break. A Robert Harvey goal started the quarter, but then Kayne Pettifer kicked two goals, and Patrick Bowden kicked two more. Fraser Gehrig kicked his third goal to wrench back a bit of space, but had Bowden's third shot not slammed into the post, the Saints would have had some chasing to do. That said, there were more things to deal with before they could secure their first points. The Tigers dominated the first eight minutes, stopped to watch Will Thursfield get taken off on a stretcher, then dominated a little bit more.
The Article Emma Quayle/TheAge/08Apr06
Tigers pay big price for brave effort Michael Horan/HeraldSun/08Apr06

Riewoldt sneaks Saints over line
. . . Even when St Kilda had stretched its lead to 12 points late in the quarter, the Tigers still had an opportunity to forge a remarkable victory when courageous centreman Mark Coughlan marked within 30m at the 23-minute mark. However, his kick missed and the disappointment of the Tiger players was palpable. But what a turnaround from last week's 115-point thrashing. Wallace had promised a competitive effort and his young side delivered in spades. Youngster Daniel Jackson, a late replacement for the injured Greg Stafford, was a revelation early with two first-half goals after contested marks. And while key forward Matthew Richardson sacrificed his own game to play as a spare defender, the Tigers got good value from Patrick Bowden and Kayne Pettifer, who each contributed three goals. One of Bowden's goals, from an impossible angle on the boundary line on his wrong side, will be a contender for goal of the year, but his game could have been even better had he not hit the post twice.
The Article Michael Stevens /TheAustralian/08Apr06

Relief for Saints
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas has conceded his team is underdone and still a fair way off being up and running for the new season. Pride restored: Tigers Darren Gaspar and Matthew Richardson after the final siren. While relieved to get away with victory against a gutsy Richmond last night, Thomas admitted his players' minds and bodies weren't on the job after two rounds.
The Article Scott Gullan/HeraldSun/08Apr06
Tigers' frustrating best Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/08Apr06
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