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Archives - 2007 PRE SEASON

State-by-state 2007 TV breakdown QUEENSLAND • All 22 matches involving Brisbane Lions and all Gold Coast matches broadcast live or near-live on free-to-air TV across Queensland • Friday night football to be broadcast live on Fox Sports across Queensland • Seven Network to show Friday night football at: - 8.30pm in Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Cairns - 11.30pm in rest of Queensland, including Brisbane • Saturday night football to be broadcast live or near-live on Ten Network across Queensland • Live or near-live Saturday and Sunday afternoon matches each week across Queensland NEW SOUTH WALES/ACT • All 22 Swans matches broadcast live or near-live on free-to-air TV across NSW • Friday night football to be broadcast live on Fox Sports across NSW • Seven Network to show Friday night football at: - 8.30pm in ACT, Wagga, far South Coast - 9.30pm in Northern Rivers (excluding Gold Coast) - 11.30pm in rest of NSW, including Sydney • Saturday night Swans matches no later than 7.30pm on Ten Network across all NSW and ACT • Live or near-live Saturday and Sunday afternoon matches each week across NSW/ACT VICTORIA • All three Sunday games televised in full and live or near-live, two on Fox Sports and one on Seven • Sunday afternoon match played in Melbourne broadcast in full 3pm-6pm on Seven Network • Sunday 1pm matches in Canberra, Launceston or Gold Coast replayed at 10.30pm that night on Seven Network • From 2008, up to five matches scheduled in Melbourne on Saturday night to be shown live on Ten Network TASMANIA • Four matches per week live or near-live on Seven and Ten Networks • All three Sunday games televised in full and live or near-live, two on Fox Sports and one on Seven Network SOUTH AUSTRALIA • All Adelaide and Port Adelaide home matches live on Fox Sports • Showdowns live on free-to-air TV • All Adelaide and Port Adelaide home matches near-live on free-to-air TV, except for four matches a year broadcast on a three to four hour delay on free-to-air TV • All Adelaide and Port Adelaide away matches live or near-live on free-to-air TV • Ten Network can show up to four Saturday matches per year live from AAMI Stadium • If SA team scheduled in live Fox Sports match on Saturday, Ten Network will show match live or near-live instead of other match in that timeslot • If SA team scheduled in live Fox Sports match on Sunday, Seven Network will also show it live or near-live in addition to one other Sunday game WESTERN AUSTRALIA • All West Coast and Fremantle home matches live on Fox Sports • Derbies live on free-to-air TV • All West Coast and Fremantle home matches near-live on free-to-air TV, except for four matches a year broadcast on a three to four hour delay on free-to-air TV (one hour delay in regional WA) • All West Coast and Fremantle away matches live or near-live on free-to-air TV • Ten Network can show up to eight Saturday matches per year live from Subiaco Oval • If WA team scheduled in live Fox Sports match on Saturday, Ten Network will show match live or near-live instead of other match in that timeslot • If WA team scheduled in live Fox Sports match in Sunday 1pm timeslot, Seven Network will also show it live or near-live in addition to one other Sunday game NORTHERN TERRITORY • Four matches per week live or near-live on Seven and Ten Networks • All three Sunday games televised in full and live or near-live, two on Fox Sports and one on Seven Network. Foxtel big winner in AFL carve-up AAP/TheAgeRealFooty/08Feb07 Ask not what the club can do for you . . . but what you can do for the club I ask myself how can we get our membership numbers to compete or even over-take the Victorian power house's of the bumbers and the filth How do we as a club try to convince every occasional fan and bandwagon jumper to sign up? What can we the fans do to help us get more members? 'st_Trav_ofWA' . . . I remember filling in a survey during the year and one of the questions was who are the club sponsors. It would make an interesting pop quizz - how many can you name them off the top of your head? • Do we actually use Bill EXPRESS ? is there one in your area? • Do you have a Vodofone product? • Have you continued with The Age subscription? • Do you buy NEC or Wine Club ? • Do you have saints.com as your homepage - we get some cents for every hit - even if you then navigate away • Do you buy at the club - or go to the alternate sports stores? 'saintbrat' The Post & Thread 'st_Trav_ofWA' et al - saintsational.com Lenny Hayes SEN Interview Transcript by '2007' Would rather have Chris Judd than Jonathan Brown at St. Kilda if he had to choose (was the topic of discussion before he was interviewed). Everything's going well ... on schedule for round 1, but won't push it. Hasn't started contact work yet, but that should start in 2-3 weeks. Hopes to play a couple of praccy games. A lot of the guys are tapering off at the moment after a big pre-season. Compared to previous pre-seasons ... hasn't been totally different, a lot of running, weights etc. A few different things emphasised in terms of what is happening with the footy ... probably gone a bit harder than the previous year. Less injuries this year and the players have worked harder on the track. The playing group have taken a little while to grasp how RL wants them to play ... but nothing is too complicated ... few different drills, seem to have grasped it well. Is the game plan like the Paul Roos one? Bit more of a defensive side to the St. Kilda game, but a different list ... tighten up the accountability, but not at the sake of attacking. Captain ... up in the air at the moment ... meetings talking about vision, values, trademark were held last week. Will have a player vote for the leadership group in the next couple of weeks. Bally training well and is a chance, Sammy is a chance as captain, so is Rooey. Luke Ball and Nick and Lenny reckons he is a chance himself too. The rotational policy is over. Reckons the pre-season is about 85% successful ... the guys who have been training couldn't have done more, but there are still a few under-done guys. Approach for NAB Cup will be to play a lot of kids ... 14 new guys at the club, rookies have been training well. New optimism for some of the fringe players? Yep. Happens whenever a new coach comes in. Everyone has to earn their spot and deserve their spot. Will give the others a chance to get a run. Milney similar role to an Adam Schnieder and looking to have a big season. Lenny has been really impressed with David Armitage and Brad Howard who he thinks looks good. Clint Jones will get his chance in the NAB cup and Lenny is impressed with him. Might take a couple of rounds to get going, but they will be fired up when it counts ........ The Transcript '2007' saintsational.com

Maguire makes progress on long journey back
Matt Maguire can sense immense goodwill towards him in the football world at the moment. As the St Kilda centre half-back steps up his training and ponders when he might play again, onlookers recall sympathetically the horrendous collision last year that left Maguire with badly broken tibia and fibula bones in his left leg. The complications - including eight operations before the 20-centimetre wound was finally closed - were almost as bad. The ramifications, at least at the most extreme possibility, were dire. Had it not been diagnosed and treated, compartment syndrome, with a build-up of blood, could potentially have led to the loss of the limb. Scary? Surprisingly not, says Maguire. "There was a chance (of losing the leg) if the doctor didn't get it four days after I broke it. If he had let it go, (there was) a very minor chance," he said. "At the time, I probably wasn't able to take in the full meaning of what was happening. It was more scary for Mum and Dad and others around me. I was just like, 'Well, let's get it done'." If he was pragmatic then, Maguire is pragmatic now. He knows much of the goodwill will dissipate as soon as he pulls on a St Kilda jumper and plays a game in anger.
The Article Len Johnson/TheAgeRealFooty/09Feb07
Matt Maguire eyes Round 1 return Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/09Feb07

Hamill plans a training cutback
. . . "I think I'll be limited in what I can do during the week," Hamill said yesterday. "The two hours' game time will be the most important two hours in the week, and then I'll taper it back and do a lot of cross-training. I'll probably do the main session of 30 minutes a week on the track and have a really good hitout and a good two hours (on match day)" . . . "I'm working a lot closer with the physio. Daily . . . sometimes hourly contact," Hamill said. "It's frustrating, but you move on and do everything you can to get right." Part of doing everything possible is losing weight. Last year he played at 95kg. Now he weighs in at 92kg.
The Article Scott Spits/HeraldSun/08Feb07
RECENT COMMUNITY CAMP PICS 'SaintBot' saintsational.com

Flat-out gets ruled out in Hamill's new regime
Aaron Hamill is prepared to change the habits of a lifetime if that is what it takes to get back to playing regular AFL football. Ever since he was a youngster playing at Tuggeranong in the ACT, Hamill has gone at his training pretty much as he has gone at opponents - full-on. But the St Kilda on-field leader realises that he will have to work smarter, not harder, as he battles to overcome the knee injury that has restricted him to 21 games in the past two seasons and reduced him to a cameo role in last year's ill-fated finals' campaign. Hamill admitted yesterday that he had already been forced to pull back and accepted that he would have to continue to restrict his on-field work in favour of cross-training and rehabilitation. It is not his nature. "It's something I've found reasonably hard to adapt to," Hamill said after a light session at the Saints' community camp yesterday. "Ever since I was 17 or 18 I have trained (flat out)."
The Article Len Johnson/TheAgeRealFooty/06Feb07

Victoria's ship sinking below TV's airwaves
The new AFL television rights deal is a great outcome for four of the five states in the almost-national competition. The AFL website enthuses that in NSW and the ACT, all Swans games will be shown live, or near-live, on free-to-air television. In Queensland, all 22 Brisbane Lions games and all matches on the Gold Coast will receive the same treatment. In South Australia, all 44 matches involving Port Adelaide and Adelaide will be broadcast free to air, with all away games live or near-live. The Eagles and the Dockers will receive the same level of coverage in Western Australia . . . The state that was once in a league of its own is becoming second-rate. Uncle Doug's biblical prophecy on League Teams all those years ago - about the descent of a strange pestilence - is taking on a prescient ring. Victorian football has been knocked from pillar to post.
The Article Tim Lane/TheAgeRealFooty/10Feb07
TV's big grab Caroline Wilson/TheAgeRealFooty/10Feb07

Not such a good deal for WA Sainters
According to the official AFL Broadcasting schedule St Kilda supporters in Perth don't get a good deal at all. R1 - 3hr delay on 7, R2 - 3hr delay on 7, R3 - No telecast, R4 - Live on 10, R5 3hr delay on 7, R6 3hr delay on 7.
The Post 'The Peanut' saintsational.com

Foxtel's CEO Interview
Foxtel's Chief Executive, Kim Williams, spoke to ABC Business Editor Peter Ryan on AFL TV deal
The Transcript AM Radio/09Feb07
Real Audio | Windows Media | MP3 Audio Files abc.net.au

Saints Make A Special Visit
Patients at The Bay Hospital in Mornington were treated to a special visit from dual Brownlow medallist and Saints champion Robert Harvey, and St Kilda's General Manager of Football Development, Tony Elshaug. Harvey and Elshaug spent the morning at The Bay as part of the AFL Community Camp, where players visited local hospitals and schools along the Mornington Peninsula. Many of The Bay's patients were keen to discuss Harvey's celebrated career and reminisce about the old time greats of the game. The Saints' visit to the Mornington Peninsula ends today, with the Club returning to training at Moorabbin on Friday, 2pm.
The Article Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/08Feb07
Image - Harvey and Elshaug Hospial visit saints.com.au

NICKED OFF
Winmar and his cousin walk out of Martin Park
Nicky Winmar has walked out on the Wodonga Saints. After months of confusion about the former St Kilda champion's future, Saint officials confirmed yesterday Winmar wouldn't be coaching the Tallangatta and District Football League club's reserve grade team and doubted whether he would be returning to Martin Park. It is believed the controversial football journeyman has returned to Melbourne with star forward and cousin Lorrence Farmer. Club president Jon de Wit said yesterday he was unsure of Winmar's plans . . . The St Kilda team of the century member crossed to Wodonga Saints from rival Tallangatta and District club Rutherglen late last year in a move the club hoped would be a huge marketing tool . . . Wodonga Saints coach Kade Butters said the only chance of seeing Winmar at Martin Park was in a playing capacity.
The Article Brett Kohlhagen/TheBorderMail/14Feb07

The Buckley image
For those that missed it, here is the much talked about Nathan Buckley image. This one was sourced from Adelaide Advertiser but it has been all over the news.com.au network and has been discussed around the traps. The image was taken at training in Terrigal, NSW, on Friday . . . and to keep some perspective, a couple of file images of Banger and Luke Ball.
Click for image Nathan Buckley image Adelaide Advertiser/news.com.au
Click for image Banger file image
Click for image Bally file image

Riewoldt still a chance
Injured St Kilda forward Nick Riewoldt believes he's on track to return during the latter stages of the pre-season NAB Cup competition. Riewoldt is recovering from a hamstring injury - the first in his career - which he sustained during training last week. Speaking after a light session at Frankston Oval as part of the club's Community Camp on the Mornington Peninsula on Wednesday, Riewolds said the injury was 'coming along really well'. The forward was restricted to a bit of running while the main group went through its paces in front of a smallish crowd . . . Also, Riewoldt told Channel Nine he's keen to have another turn at captaining the club, having been skipper in 2005 when he injured his collarbone in the opening round of the season.
The Article Sportal/07Feb07
Riewoldt puts his hand up for Saints Captaincy 'saintm' et al saintsational.com

Hamill eyes round one
Veteran forward Aaron Hamill expects to be in the St Kilda line up for round one of the home-and-away season. Like several of his Saints teammates, Hamill has spent the off-season undergoing intense rehabilitation after his 2006 campaign was beset by injury problems. Swimming, boxing and cycling have all been on the agenda, but Hamill is excited to have his hands back on the footy. He trained with the main group at Frankston Oval on Wednesday afternoon as part of the club's Community Camp on the Mornington Peninsula.
The Article Jordan Chong/Sportal/AFL/saints.com.au/07Feb08
Saints Meet Peninsula Locals Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/08Feb08

Maguire keen for round one
. . . "I still find it hard to believe that I had a broken leg," Maguire said. "I can remember doing the injury but I don't actually relate it to me. It sounds funny but I think it kind of happened to somebody else. I replay it over and over in my mind and watch it happening almost like it's happening to someone else. There's no pain at all through the break, which is fantastic, and it's tolerating everything really well. The next step is to join in every training session." Maguire expects to be given the all-clear to play when he can stand up to a full training load for a period of four to six weeks. "At the moment, I'm not setting any date," he said. "It's just when I'm ready, I'll be out there. I don't want to put any pressure on it and try to push it along too fast because it's not going to help me."
The Article Sam Lienert/TownsvilleBulletin/08Feb07

Million-dollar double for clubs
The AFL is offering a $1 million bonus to any club that manages to win both the NAB Cup and the AFL premiership this year. The huge financial lure, to be announced today, comes on top of the existing prizemoney already on offer. This year's AFL premiership team already stands to reap $1 million.
The Article Gareth Trickey/HeraldSun/09Feb07

Saints to get 20 FTA (Free to Air) games in 2007
19 at worst according to Archie Frasier. Just another in the long line of reason why the Saints stayed in melbourne. Archie stated that it showed that the AFl wanted the big drawing clubs like the Saints at the heart of the AFL. mentioned the good draw and how we are being acknowledged by the AFl for one of the stronger AFL Vic clubs.
The Post 'joffaboy' saintsational.com

Out of the box:
New carve-up unmissable for those with pay-TV
VICTORIA
The only material improvement is all eight games will be available in full. Under the previous agreement one Sunday game was shown in truncated form. The downside is there is one less game a week on free-to-air, no improvement on the Friday night 60-minute delay and only marginal improvement on the Saturday night delays for Melbourne games (five games to be shown live against the gate from 2008 onwards). The need to subscribe to pay-TV will depend on which team you follow. Clubs such as St Kilda will have good free-to-air exposure, with eight Thursday/Friday night games and two Sunday afternoon games guaranteed to be shown on Seven. Geelong, which has seven games in either the early or late Sunday timeslots will have a greater presence on Foxtel. Unfortunately, the AFL has decided to release its broadcast schedule six weeks at a time. Only Demetriou and the television executives know how many of your club's games will be broadcast this season on pay-TV. The AFL has made a concession to supporters of wandering teams such as the Kangaroos, Hawthorn and the Bulldogs, ensuring that "home" matches played interstate are broadcast into Victoria live or near live on free-to-air.
Summary and Other States Chip Le Grand/TheAustralian/09Feb07
'Best deal' for football fans comes under attack Matthew Ricketson/TheAgeRealFooty/09Feb07
Foxtel pays out Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/09Feb07
Broadcast Times a disgrace '1989 saint' et al saintsational.com

Broadcast deal puts Foxtel in the box seat for AFL
In the stroke of a pen, Foxtel has become the AFL's de facto broadcaster.
Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams yesterday played down the importance of the agreement with the AFL for Foxtel to broadcast half of all home and away games each season until the end of 2011, but it is hard to overstate the importance of this deal for the network. It represents a beachhead for Foxtel, and a significant setback for free-to-air television. The AFL broadcasting deal is nirvana for the well-heeled footyhead. For others less fortunate, it is anything but. They will be forced to subscribe to Foxtel, for $634.80 a year, or they will miss many of their team's games this year. It is a deal that may well be within the letter of the anti-siphoning legislation, which protects major sporting events for free to air television, but what about the spirit of the law? In the 11 years subscription television has existed in Australia, it still reaches just under a quarter of all households. Whatever the merits of subscription TV, Australians have not taken to it, and we are a nation that usually takes to new technologies like a cat to catnip.
The Article Mathew Ricketson/TheAgeRealFooty/10Feb07

At last, TV deal logic prevails
. . . Despite reports at various times last year that all eight games a week could be shown on free-to-air television, speculation fuelled by AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, that was never a commercial reality. Foxtel simply couldn't afford to step away from football, while Seven and Ten couldn't afford to turn their backs on $50 million a year, nor engage in head-to-head competition in immature and costly northern markets. Industry observers say the compromise has a net worth of $80 million to Seven and Ten. The deal finally was consummated yesterday at AFL headquarters at Telstra Dome, 399 days after the AFL announced Seven and Ten had won the broadcast rights for the period 2007-11 for $780 million in cash and kind.
The Article Mike Sheaghan/HeraldSun/09Feb07

The great AFL TV carve-up: Everyone gets piece of the action
but is it a fair split?
. . . After 13 months of negotiation, new partners Seven, Ten and Foxtel finally announced how they would carve up the AFL schedule, with the pay providers (Foxtel and Austar) greatly increasing both the number of games they will broadcast and the quality of content in return for their $365.5m investment. The welcome news for AFL supporters in Sydney is that marquee Friday night games will now be shown live on Foxtel. Viewers in regional NSW will also get better coverage on Friday nights, with games to be telecast no later than 9.30pm on Seven's affiliate stations . . . However, with the 1.10pm Sunday games to be shown only on Foxtel in Melbourne, the 7000-plus Swans members in Victoria will now need pay television to see seven Swans Sunday games. "We understand that some of our Melbourne-based supporters may be disappointed with this outcome," said Swans chief executive Myles Baron-Hay. "But looking at the bigger picture, the new broadcasting schedule provides a greater level of national coverage, which is all important for the growth of the game."
The Article Richard Hinds/SydneyMorningHerald/09Feb07
Seven eyes premiership with Foxtel on team Michael Bodey/TheAustralian/09Feb07

Deal done on AFL broadcast rights
The AFL, the Seven and TEN networks and Foxtel have announced a five-year agreement for broadcast rights to the game across free-to-air and pay television. Under the deal for the 2007-11 seasons, Seven and TEN will retain four games a round - including one Friday night and Sunday afternoon game for Seven, and one Saturday afternoon and night game for TEN - as well as exclusive live coverage of the finals series, grand final and Brownlow Medal count. Pay TV groups Foxtel and Austar will show four games per round including one Saturday afternoon and night game and one Sunday afternoon game and the new twilight game via the Fox Sports channel. The long-running negotiations over the deal have been finalised just in time for the first pre-season match of 2007 between Essendon and the Aboriginal All Stars team to be played in Darwin tomorrow night.
The Article AAP/SydneyMorningHerald/08Feb07
The Perth Perspective SundayTimes/08Feb07
Foxtel faves to return Sportal/08Feb07
AFL TV deal at a glance AAP/TheAustralian/08Feb07

AFL bonanza set for TV
FOX SPORTS today announced it will broadcast four AFL games live across Australia each week during the 2007 Premiership season and up to the end of the 2011 season. FOX SPORTS will broadcast matches on Saturday afternoons and Saturday nights, as well as Sunday afternoons and during a new Sunday twilight slot. Every game from every round will also be replayed on FOX SPORTS throughout each week of the season. Games will be broadcast on FOX SPORTS 1 through FOXTEL, Austar and Optus TV, as well as pubs and clubs throughout Australia. Free-to-air broadcast rights holder Channel 7, meanwhile, will televise games on Friday nights and the later Sunday afternoon fixtures, while its free-t air broadcast partner Channel 10 will retain its Saturday afternoon and Saturday night timeslots. Part of FOX SPORTS's commitment will also see the Friday night games telecast into crucial growth areas for the code: New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.
The Article TheAustralian/08Feb07

TV footy web blunder
Farce descended on AFL House today as a long-awaited announcement on football television broadcast rights was mysteriously delayed - despite details appearing on the league's website. AFL chief Andrew Demetriou appeared before an impatient media at 4.25pm - almost two hours after the AFL said it would make a major announcement. "We waited for 399 days and we thought we'd go an extra couple of hours," joked Demetriou. Under the new deal, Foxtel will pay the Seven and Ten networks $315.5 million for the next five years for the right to show four live games each weekend, including matches involving the South Australian and Western Australian teams into their home markets. Victorian viewers will get four free-to-air games each weekend. The announcement of the new broadcast arrangements between Foxtel and Channels Seven and Ten was already shrouded in mystery after a day of drama at AFL headquarters.
The Article Scott Spits/TheAgeRealFooty/08Feb07

More games, more viewers
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou: . . . "This arrangement delivers on our key broadcasting aim. That aim was to have more people in more locations across the country able to watch our game on television either live or near live than ever before," he said "And this agreement as you know has provided $780 million in cash and kind which underpins the $1.4 billion Next Generation strategy - the greatest investment into our game in the history of Australian Football which will secure our 16 AFL clubs and provide record investment for the game at all levels." The deal also includes confirmation that all AFL finals will be broadcast live or near-live nationally on free-to-air TV. Night finals will be broadcast into NSW or Queensland no later than 8.30pm.
The Article Ashley Browne/Sportal/AFL/saints.com.au/08Feb07

At last ... TV deal done
Fifteen days before the 2007 season begins, and 399 days after awarding its TV contract to Channels 7 and 10, the AFL will today sign off on the 2007-11 broadcast rights . . . Foxtel has bought four of the eight weekly games from the free-to-air networks. The pay-TV provider will broadcast matches on Saturday afternoon and Saturday night, as well as Sunday afternoon (early) and the new Sunday twilight slot. Seven will televise games on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons while Ten will retain its Saturday afternoon and Saturday night timeslots . . . Foxtel will broadcast Friday night and Saturday night matches live, or near-live, into New South Wales and Queensland.
The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/08Feb07
Seven pins hopes on ratings war getting ugly Michael Bodey/TheAustralian/08Feb07

No anti-siphoning breach in AFL deal, says Howard
Prime Minister John Howard says the new AFL broadcasting deal does not breach anti-siphoning laws which are designed to make sure that key sporting events are shown on free-to-air television. Under the new arrangement four live games will be shown on pay-TV each weekend, but viewers in some states will have to wait three hours to watch some matches on free-to-air television. Today Mr Howard told Southern Cross Radio he understands why some fans feel put out by the delayed free-to-air coverage. "It doesn't breach the anti-siphoning laws," Mr Howard said. "It's a commercial deal involving the AFL and obviously that is a matter that . . . people who are unhappy have got to pursue with the AFL. "But I can understand a little bit of unease about it."
The Article ABC Sport/09Feb07
AFL TV deal not the best in the west, says PM AAP/TheAustralian/09Feb07
Labor blasts AFL broadcast deal AAP/TheAustralian/08Feb07

Thumbs-up for wounded Saints
After seemingly being cursed for years on the injury front, there is finally good news aplenty on that score at Moorabbin. While St Kilda has lost star forward Nick Riewoldt for the upcoming NAB Cup due to a hamstring injury, new coach Ross Lyon is brimming with excitement over the progress of two of the Saints' most important players in Aaron Hamill and Matt Maguire. The tough forward and the key defender are both on the comeback trail from serious injuries with Maguire breaking his leg in round 18 last season while Hamill is battling continued knee problems, which sidelined him for 14 weeks in 2006. Lyon, speaking at the Saints' AFL community camp at the Mornington Peninsula on Tuesday, said the long-term prognosis for both players was good. While Maguire's return remains a long way off, Lyon said the Saints were growing more confident that Hamill could even be ready for the start of the home and away season at the end of March.
The Article Paul Gough/AFL/saints.com.au/06Feb07
COMMUNITY CAMP IMAGE GALLERY saints.com.au
Great Gig At The Mornington Races 'saint patrick' saintsational.com

Minor surgery won't stop Gardiner
Lyon said while Gardiner could have pushed through the soreness, the Saints decided to be pro-active in a bid to have him fit at finals time. "Often you can push through and by Round 16 you're cooked and you're wishing you had've had it done," Lyon said. "We've been super-happy with his physical condition and his training." Gardiner will not be the only key Saint to miss the Saints pre-season opener against the Brisbane Lions in Cairns on February 24. Lyon will take a no-risk policy with Nick Riewoldt (hamstring), Aaron Hamill (knee) and Max Hudghton (groin) who are all certain to miss the NAB Cup. Veteran Robert Harvey is not being hampered by a calf problem, but is also unlikely to head north. "He had a bit of tightness, but he's fine. There's been no strain," Lyon said. Hudghton is on track to play in the season opener against Melbourne on March 30 and Hamill remains line-ball. Riewoldt and Harvey are on track. "I'm used to key players being ramped up slowly and the whole focus being Round 1 -- clearly I've brought that with me," Lyon said. "We're building to Round 1."
ON THE CAPTAINCY
. . . Lyon said players would vote on the leadership group, based on "trademark behaviours". And he gave a strong hint that Luke Ball, captain last year under the rotation system, was firmly in the mix. "The reality is, Luke Ball is a really talented leader," he said
The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/07Feb07
Lyon 'ready for head-coach pressure' AAP/TheAge/07Feb07

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