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2007 Pre Season Articles - Page 13
GT REALFOOTY PROFILE Grant Thomas replaced Malcolm Blight as St Kilda's coach midway through the 2001 season and was controversially sacked at the end of 2006, despite coaching more wins than losses. Thomas was a ground-breaking and innovative coach, employing a 'man-management' style and famously introducing a rotational captaincy policy. He took the club to consecutive preliminary final appearances in 2004 and 2005, as well as the pre-season Wizard Cup premiership in 2004. After his sacking, many St Kilda players spoke of their shock at the decision, as Thomas enjoyed a close working relationship with the playing group. Thomas writes regularly for The Sunday Age. The Article RealFooty GT's ARTICLE Winners overcome adversity The feeling in the coach's box was upbeat and focused. We worked cohesively and each coach was in total control of his assigned duties. Apart from some frustration about missed shots at goal, the coaches were all alert, positive and on the edge of their seats. Things were going nearly perfectly to plan. By the end of the match, we were a sombre-looking bunch. A surreal fog seemed to cast itself over our heads. With heavy hearts, we collected ourselves and marched down to the troops to offer our support. It seemed like a few minutes ago we were in complete control and a strong chance to win our elimination final against Melbourne. Alas, within a few moments, we had lost half a dozen of our best players. We had sent Robert Harvey, with a torn hamstring, to the goal square to lure his tag — the dangerous Cameron Bruce — which had bluffed the opposition for a while. But Melbourne had woken up to us, persevered and ended our season. The Article Grant Thomas/TheAgeRealFooty/30Mar07 Grant Thomas on SEN 'sasaint' saintsational.com Lyon oozes confidence in formula and faith in Saints . . . Where some coaches give the hard sell and others obfuscate, Lyon gives the impression he simply knows what he is doing. In keeping with this, Lyon is matter of fact about who will and who won't play tonight against Melbourne, and the changes people should expect in this year's St Kilda team. Nick Riewoldt won't play because of his hamstring troubles, and Matt Maguire and Lenny Hayes will, having recovered from last year's season-ending injuries. Max Hudghton was given some chance to play by Lyon but was not named in the 22. Xavier Clarke will play forward instead of in defence, and Nick Dal Santo, having completed a flawless pre-season, has been named in the midfield but may play as a "high forward" in the style of Sydney's Ryan O'Keefe . . . The St Kilda game plan will not be identical to Sydney's but it will share the defining characteristics of midfield accountability, crowding the midfield with forwards and precise forward entries to leading targets instead of kicking long to dangerous spots. Lyon admits his team over-possessed at times during the pre-season competition but says most teams do. The Article Chip Le Grand/TheAustalian/30Mar07 Davey shrugs off Baker threat Aaron Davey will tuck in the earphones tonight, turn up the reggae and do his best to forget about the outside world. But no matter how much Bob Marley's "don't worry" message hits home, you couldn't blame Davey for having scary visions of Steven Baker. Every big show needs a good guy and a bad guy - the season-opener at the MCG is no different. Baker, St Kilda's favourite villain, is certain to get another shot at Melbourne's own super hero "Flash" Davey. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/30Mar07 Pickett sent to VFL Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/30Mar07
Aaron Hamill's rehabilitation is on track however, after consulting with the Club's medical staff and surgeon the Club has decided to place Hamill on the long term injury list. As a consequence, this has provided a fantastic opportunity for Rookie Jayden Attard to be elevated to the Saints senior list. The Article Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/29Mar07 Riewoldt out of Demons clash AAP/saints.com.au/29Mar07 Kids take centre stage Paul Gough/Sportal/29Mar07 New wave keeps Harvey enthused Nathan Jones was a few months old when St Kilda's Robert Harvey made his league debut in 1988. Tonight at the MCG, 19-year-old Jones will play his ninth game for Melbourne, while Harvey, in his 20th season, will play his 341st. While growing up, Jones not only followed the Saints but lived near his hero. Harvey, who will be 36 in August, said last night he was getting used to the growing age gap between himself and footy's newcomers. Harvey said he could vaguely recall his first game. The Article Daryl Timms/HeraldSun/30Mar07 St Kilda's Lyon hails Maguire's spirit St Kilda's Matt Maguire has completed his rehabilitation from a badly broken leg and will start in the AFL season opener against Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this evening. The match marks Ross Lyon's first premiership match in charge of Saints since taking over from Grant Thomas at the end of last season. He says Maguire has made a remarkable return. "He's got great spirit, great determination and physically he's in really good shape," he said. "There's no doubt he's not going to be Matt Maguire as he left off, it's going to take a little while to build that up. But we're prepared to carry that to get him back to his best." The Article ABCNewsOnline/30Mar07 Lyon at ease ahead of clash with Demons "Do I look excited?" he deadpanned to a reporter when asked how it felt to be one day away from coaching an AFL team for the first time, taking the St Kilda reins against Melbourne at the MCG on Friday night. No, he didn't. He looked serene, unflustered. Although he did remark it never felt like there was enough time to prepare for round one, even though there have been months. But Lyon, 41, has been preparing for his senior coaching debut for years, having worked in various assistant roles at Richmond, Carlton and Sydney over the past decade . . . Lyon admitted he did not know what sort of persona would come over him on Friday night, but clearly he was not expecting My Hyde to emerge. He maintained despite being the only new coach this season, there was no more pressure on him than there was in the last meaningful match he was involved in, Sydney's 2006 grand final loss to West Coast. The Article AAP/SydneyMorningHerald/29Mar07 Countdown almost over Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/29Mar07 Lyon confident Saints can match Demons AAP/WestAustralian/29Mar07 Saints are "excited and upbeat": Ball Well, it all kicks off again on Friday night and we can't wait to run out on the 'G'. Over the pre-season there have been a lot of changes and new faces at the club, but the guys are excited and upbeat about the year ahead. It's good to be playing in Melbourne for the first match of the season, and it's a sign of respect from the AFL that we are playing in the season opener. We're looking forward to the challenge of playing Melbourne first up. The Demons were the last team we played in 2006 and they knocked us out of the finals. We're not thinking about revenge, but it will be great to have another crack at the Dees. We haven't won our first match of the season since 2004, so that's also another incentive. It's great that we've got some guys back from long-term injuries, with Lenny Hayes and Matt Maguire set to play in round one. They've done a super job to get themselves right and it's great for the rest of the boys to see them back out on the park. The Article Luke Ball/saints.com.au/29Mar07 Remarkable comeback for Maguire Just seven months after he was in danger of losing his leg St Kilda's brave defender Matt Maguire will make his comeback in Friday night's 2007 AFL season opener against Melbourne at the MCG. While new St Kilda coach Ross Lyon confirmed on Thursday that co-captain Nick Riewoldt will miss the clash with the Demons due to the hamstring injury that has plagued him through the pre-season, he said Maguire was a certain starter capping off the one of the most remarkable comebacks in league history. Maguire fractured his left fibula and tibia in round 18 last year and then had to endure eight operations over a three week period in hospital as he contracted the serious compartment syndrome as a result of the amount of trauma his leg suffered. That could have resulted in the 22-year-old even losing his leg but a successful 30cm incision in his leg enabled doctors to release fluid and end the build-up of pressure. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/29Mar07 St Kilda's Lyon hails Maguire's spirit ABC774/abc.net.au/30Mar07 Saints field two new players Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/30Mar07 Countdown almost over Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/29Mar07 Saints hit for six New St Kilda coach Ross Lyon believes his team won't be operating at full capacity until Round 6. Lyon has conceded the Saints are a long way behind most of their rivals because of a pre-season that has been ravaged by injuries. "I don't think we will be at our best, our fittest with our full personnel until maybe Round 4-6," Ross said. Most of the Saints big guns have had interrupted preparations including Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes, Justin Koschitzke, Matt Maguire, Max Hudghton, Aaron Hamill and Andrew Thompson. Lyon said Maguire, who broke his leg last year, will play tomorrow night against Melbourne. "He (Maguire) is a certain starter for Round 1. He is a fantastic story and it is a credit to his determination and his character," Lyon told Channel 7. The Article Scott Gullan/HeraldSun/29Mar07 SEN'S first off the mark As it approaches its historic first coverage of an AFL game on Friday, 1116 SEN reveals it's out to get a jump on its rivals. At 7.40pm the umpire will bounce the ball for the start of the Melbourne-St Kilda game and SEN's call will begin. But in a surprise move, the station will start its pre-game coverage two hours and 40 minutes before first bounce. The ABC, 3AW and Triple M won't start their pre-games until at least 6pm, but SEN has decided to start at 5pm. The same goes for the Saturday and Sunday-afternoon pre-game discussions. SEN will start at 11am; the others won't kick off until noon. The Article Glenn Mitchell/HeraldSun/28Mar07 Saints' co-skipper to play if he clears final hurdle A final training session at Moorabbin today will determine whether St Kilda's co-captain Lenny Hayes plays his first game since round nine last year, but the odds are tilting his way for a berth in Friday night's season-opener against Melbourne. Hayes, who ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and has since had a reconstruction, said yesterday he would make himself available provided there were no last-minute problems. With Nick Riewoldt (back-hamstring) unlikely to play and Aaron Hamill, Michael Gardiner and Raphael Clarke all unavailable, the news about Hayes is more than welcome for new coach Ross Lyon. Hayes has completed two practice games, having set round one as the target for his return. "I had another run on Saturday and pulled up pretty well. We've got one more session to go. If I get through that, I'll put my hand up," he said yesterday. The Article Martin Blake/TheAgeRealFooty/28Mar07 Form the factor for Yze: Daniher AAP/TheAge/28Mar07 Only Ball locked in for Saints The question of who will lead the Saints in this Friday's season opener was closer to being answered yesterday, with Luke Ball the only St Kilda co-captain appearing certain to play. Fellow Saints skipper Lenny Hayes yesterday said he and injured co-captain Nick Riewoldt remained doubtful for the game against Melbourne at the MCG. Hayes, who has played two pre-season games since returning from a knee injury suffered in Round 9 last season, said he would wait until after today's closed training session before putting his hand up to play. Hayes was less confident about Riewoldt's availability, with the star forward still recovering from back-related hamstring soreness suffered in the warm-up against Port Adelaide two weeks ago. "He's still probably a 50-50 chance," Hayes said. "I still think he's probably a little bit doubtful with what's happened with his hammy. If he trains Wednesday, I'm not sure what they've got in store for him yet, but he has been doing some running and it is coming along well, but you've got to be careful when he's been out for that long." The Article Gareth Trickey/HeraldSun/28Mar07 Armitage waiting in wings for start AFL recruit David Armitage faces a nervous wait to see if he will play his maiden match for St Kilda in the opening round at the MCG tomorrow night. The No.9 pick in the national draft for the Saints, the former Mackay junior said yesterday he was ready to play against the Melbourne Demons in front of an expected crowd of more than 70,000. "I'm not sure at the moment, I'll find out tomorrow (today) if I play," he said. "I've been going really well, I've been training well and doing the right things, it's up to the coaching staff now . . . A lot of people have predicted us to win the flag this year," he said . . . His parents, Greg and Annette, also face a nervous wait to see if he will play. "The AFL takes the parents of players to four games a year and also to their first game," Greg said. "It's tricky, if we don't find out whether or not he's playing until Thursday night we won't have much time to get organised to get down to Melbourne." The Article DailyMercury/29Mar07 McKay for Schwab's job - Burkie on the match review panel Former Carlton premiership defender Andrew McKay will today replace Peter Schwab as chairman of the AFL's match review panel. McKay, former 300-game umpire Peter Carey and former St Kilda champion Nathan Burke will form the new panel which will adjudicate from this weekend's opening round. Schwab has left his position and will next month become chief executive of AFL Victoria and its two main competitions, the VFL and the under-18 TAC Cup. McKay, a veterinarian, has been a member of the panel since its inception 26 months ago. He played 244 matches with the Blues and won their best-and-fairest award in 2003, his final year. He was recruited from Glenelg in the SANFL and went on to be a four-time All-Australian. The match review panel is the first step in the AFL's tribunal system. The second step, if required, is a hearing before a jury of former players. The third is the appeal board, which no club has successfully challenged under the new system. The Article Greg Denham/TheAustralian/28Mar07 AFL 2007 Season Preview - St Kilda . . . The midfield will be bolstered by the recruitment of old hands Michael Gardiner and Matthew Clarke, who, should they remain on the park and out of the medical room, will provide first use of the Sherrin for the likes of Robert Harvey, Lenny Hayes, Nick Dal Santo and Luke Ball, who have been crying out for aid at the stoppages. It was well known in football circles that Grant Thomas was not an avid fan of ruckmen, apparent in his use of the 189cm Jason Blake as a ruckmen. Now, the damaging midfield quartet will be licking their lips in anticipation as they seek to return to their absolute best, last seen on a consistent basis in early 2004. PREDICTION: 5 - 8 There is simply too much talent within the St Kilda top line to miss the eight, and, in full fitness, the top four. However, when have St Kilda ever been at full fitness for a whole campaign? The Full Review Luke Mason/SportsAustralia/27Mar07
I'm right to go, says Hayes St Kilda co-captain Lenny Hayes is confident of returning from a knee reconstruction when the Saints line up against Melbourne on Friday night in the season-opener. However, the midfielder said fellow team leader Nick Riewoldt was a doubtful starter as he struggles to overcome back soreness. Hayes suffered his debilitating knee injury in round nine last year but believes he is now fully recovered both mentally and physically. "I had another run on Saturday and pulled up pretty well but we've got one more training session to go and if I get through that I'll put my hand up ... I'll be a bit more confident after that," Hayes said on Tuesday. "I said all along that if I didn't have any hiccups along the way I was aiming for round one and the physios and medical staff have put me in a pretty good position and the knee's responded pretty well." The Article Robert Grant/AAP/saints.com.au/27Mar07 Riewoldt 50/50 at best Nick Riewoldt is, at best, a '50/50 chance' to take his place in the St Kilda line-up for Friday night's season opener against Melbourne at the MCG, according to co-captain, Lenny Hayes. Speaking at Moorabbin on Tuesday, Hayes said that Riewoldt, who has been sidelined for more than a month with a torn hamstring, would need to prove his fitness at training on Wednesday along with several other senior players returning from long-term injuries, including Matt Maguire. "I still think he's a little bit doubtful with what's happened with his hammy," Hayes said of Riewoldt. "He's coming along well, but you have to be careful when he's been out for that long." Hayes said that Justin Koschitzke was finding his touch again after a disastrous 2006 when suspension and a succession of injuries including a fractured skull limited him to just seven senior appearances, and a pre-season interrupted by a quad strain. The Article Angus Morgan/Sportal/27Mar07 When action starts scandal takes back seat What a strange feeling to be at the MCG yesterday, on a brilliant, sunny afternoon, watching footballers actually playing football. What a curious thing to be asking an AFL player, arguably one of the competition's best, how his team might fare instead of the last bet he made or last drug he took . . . How peculiar then, to realise for players such as Melbourne's Cameron Bruce, the biggest rush will come this Friday night when the Demons play St Kilda in the opening match of the season and the playing surface finally shifts from some bloke's coffee table to the open spaces of the MCG . . . The Melbourne injury list reads ludicrously short, with only Colin Sylvia, Lynden Dunn and first-year player James Frawley unavailable. The story at St Kilda is mixed. New coach Ross Lyon has introduced a new game plan but is suffering the same injury curse as his predecessor, Grant Thomas. For a scandal-weary AFL, such details are unimportant. Come Friday, two teams will meet under lights and a wretched pre-season will come to an end. The Article Chip Le Grand/TheAustralian/27Mar07
There has been a fair bit of change over the pre-season - we've got a new coaching staff, new ruckmen and a lot of new faces - but I can assure you since we started pre-season last year, we have all worked extremely hard. And now we're on the verge of the premiership season starting and although we are not quite at our best - in terms of having everybody ready and out on the park - the signs are still very positive. For me personally, I'm obviously coming back from a knee injury. When you come back from a long-term injury, you don't know what to expect, but to be able play the final NAB Challenge match was great. It makes the hard work worthwhile. My knee has pulled up really well, there hasn't been a lot of swelling or soreness. And if I can manage it for the first month or two, then hopefully it will be smooth sailing. The Article Lenny Hayes/saints.com.au/26Mar07 AFL hopes season start will shift focus . . . The season opens Friday night when Melbourne host St Kilda at the MCG. Melbourne ended the Saints' season at the same ground in their elimination final last season and St Kilda shocked everyone when they sacked coach Grant Thomas a few days later. Former Sydney assistant coach Ross Lyon will make his senior coaching debut on Friday night as the new Saints boss. The Article AAP/WestAustralian/26Mar07 R1 - Team Speculation 'maverick' et al saintsational.com TAB Sportsbet Odds (as at 7.47am 26Mar07) R1 Melbourne 1.60, St Kilda 2.20 R1 First score: Melbourne Goal 3.20, Melbourne Behind 3.40, St Kilda Goal 3.50, St Kilda Behind 3.70 R1 Exact winning margin: St Kilda 1-2 Points 31.00, St Kilda 9-10 Points 35.00, St Kilda 27-28 Points 31.00 2007 Top Victorian Team (R1-22): St Kilda 40, Bulldogs 4.00 2007 Top 8: St Kilda 1.28 - Wooden Spoon: Kangaroos 3.00 2007 Grand Final Quinella: St Kilda vs - Sydney 28.00, West Coast 17.00, Fremantle 25.00, Bulldogs 32.00, Melbourne 61.00 2007 Premiership Winner: St Kilda 8.00, Fremantle 6.00, Bulldogs 9.00 2007 Brownlow Medal: Dal Santo 31.00, Riweoldt 51.00, Goddard 81.00, Hayes 101.00, Gardiner, Kosichitzke 151.00, Harvey 301.00 - all others 501.00 - 1001.00. TAB Sportsbet AFL Index Saints odds shorten HeraldSun/23Mar07 AFL letter defends drug policy The AFL launched a concerted defence of its illicit drugs policy last night as Sports Minister George Brandis continued the Federal Government's opposition to the code. The league released a lengthy open letter from its chief executive Andrew Demetriou, stressing that the AFL was the only Australian sporting code that tested for illicit drugs out of competition. Brandis attacked the "three-strikes" policy in Parliament yesterday, following criticism in the last few days from Prime Minister John Howard and Treasurer Peter Costello. The statement from Demetriou also featured comments from three experts, who commended the AFL for its approach to illicit drugs. The Article AAP/TheAgeRealFooty/28Mar07 Grant Thomas Writes Room for improvement in search for coaching's holy grail There can be no question about the value and influence of an AFL coach, but the training he gets before being appointed to the job is scarce, to say the least. For all of the qualities and results attained by some of our truly great coaches, I am sure they would all agree they learned more "on the job" than they did about the job before their appointment. People crave the role of AFL coach without understanding all that it entails. In most senior executive positions, there are stringent criteria that need to be met before becoming a candidate. In coaching, this is not the case. Most coaches are appointed after a decade or more playing the game and a few years assisting a senior coach who is also feeling his way. A high profile and perhaps a little help from the inside are then the main criteria for appointment. The Article Grant Thomas/TheAgeRealFooty/25Mar07 Maguire wants shot at Dees Friday night's MCG season opener against Melbourne can't come quick enough for comeback Saint Matt Maguire. "It has been a long journey," Maguire said after a final hitout at Casey Field in Cranbourne yesterday. "I'd love to play if Rossy (Lyon, St Kilda's new coach) and the match committee can squeeze me in there. The mojo isn't quite back just yet, but it's great to be playing again." The defender lost 12kg after breaking his leg in early August and being hospitalised for weeks when infections developed. Having played most of the first three quarters yesterday for the Casey Scorpions, St Kilda's feeder team, Maguire said the prospect of starting in the first match of the season, under lights against the Demons, in front of a likely crowd of 70,000 was exciting. The Article Ken Piesse/HeraldSun/25Mar07
He is smaller than a football, but Frazer Hodder has the fighting spirit of his full-forward namesake. Born on February 5 -- at just 24 weeks and six days -- Frazer was rushed to neonatal intensive care. He weighed just 875 grams. Dad Will, a big St Kilda fan, never doubted his 31cm son would survive, and signed him as a Saint. The Cranbourne man also named his boy after his favourite player -- Fraser Gehrig. So Mr Hodder was stunned when Gehrig visited their battling son at Monash Medical Centre this week. The Article Jane Metlikovec/HeraldSun/24Mar07 Saints stars survive final hit-out St Kilda had an encouraging end to its sometimes rocky AFL pre-season, with several senior players making it through a VFL practice game. The Saints have had ongoing injury problems throughout the summer and co-captain Nick Riewoldt could miss next Friday night's round-one match against Melbourne with hamstring and back problems. But full-back Max Hudghton had his first hitout of the year, playing for St Kilda's VFL affiliate the Casey Scorpions in their practice game on Saturday. Co-captain Lenny Hayes, Justin Koschitzke, Andrew Thompson and Leigh Fisher also played in the match as they staked their claims for round one. The Article Roger Vaughan/AAP/saints.com.au/24Mar07 Riewoldt in mix for round one Nick Riewoldt's first competitive hitout of the year could yet be in Friday night's season opener against Melbourne. The star forward's new coach, Ross Lyon, said yesterday that despite his limited preparation, Riewoldt would be back by round two at the latest. Seven St Kilda regulars, including vital cogs Justin Koschitzke, Lenny Hayes, Max Hudghton and Matt Maguire, squeezed in last-minute match practice before round one by playing a VFL game six days before the Saints meet the Demons. Lyon said that the quartet - as well as Andrew Thompson, Leigh Fisher and Brett Voss, who also played for the Casey Scorpions yesterday after injury-interrupted summers - were also in line for round-one selection. In a rare VFL outing that did not end badly, Koschitzke took three marks and kicked three goals. The pair of key defenders got through the best part of three quarters and, in the half that he played, Hayes, who injured his knee in round nine last season, had an influence. The Article Samantha Lane/TheAgeRealFooty/25Mar07
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