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2007 Pre Season Articles - Page 9
Shane Birss: back in red, white and black In years gone by, zoning regulations meant there was a reasonable chance that if you made it at the top level, you'd end up playing for the club you followed as a youngster. But in today's drafting system, the maths are simple. If you've got the goods and want to play for the AFL club you barracked for as a kid, the reality is that - unless your dad played for them, too - you've only got a one in 16 chance of doing so. That's one reason new Saint Shane Birss, who crossed from the Western Bulldogs at the end of last season, considers himself fortunate. Birss wore the red, white and black as a boy and jumped at the chance to don the same guernsey as a player. "I spoke to my manager and he sourced out a few clubs and when St Kilda was keen they became first priority, because they're a team on the way up and they're pretty close to having the ultimate success, which is why you play footy," Birss told saints.com.au. "Once they were keen, I was very keen. Being a St Kilda supporter when I was growing up [also helped] and I was lucky enough to go to the Saints in the end." The Article Matt Burgan/saints.com.au/04Mar07
. . . . Lyon used the match to trial his youngsters and admitted he was not impressed with what he saw as he attempts to build the Saints' depth in 2007. "Obviously with some personnel back we will improve but you can’t hang your hat on that all the time," he said. "Blokes get opportunities and they have got to grab them and stand up." However other than rookie- listed players Clinton Jones and former Brisbane Lion Jayden Attard, the Saints' youngsters made little impact against the Pies. "Those two guys are hungry at this time of year and really trying to impress," Lyon said. In fact Jones, who at 23 is a mature age recruit, has been one of the Saints' best players over the pre-season and could well soon find himself in contention for a place on the senior list after having finished third in last year's Sandover Medal in the WAFL. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/04Mar07 Discussion '2007' et al saintsational.com Armitage bound to succeed If commitment, desire and passion are all that's required for a modern day sportsperson to succeed in their chosen sport then Mackay's David Armitage will be playing AFL at the highest level for a long time . . . (In R1 NAB) Armitage started on the bench but came onto the ground via the interchange to acquit himself well for a first-game player. His skill and ability to read play meant he was able to make the most of his opportunities. As the game became more torrid with the ever increasing rain, packs often formed and it didn't surprise those who had watched Armitage play in his junior years that he was last up holding the ball . . . Captain Nick Riewoldt, Robert Harvey, Fraser Gehrig and Nick Del Santo are just some of the players who have gone out of their way to assist Armitage to establish himself at the club. Riewoldt called Armitage prior to the match, and this obviously gave the youngster a lift with the words of support and reassurance being passed on from the team leader to a first gamer. The Article TheDailyMercury/02Mar07 New Magpies waiting in wings Everyone got in a little practice at Princes Park last night - 56 players, a dozen umpires, security guards and about 4000 fans, including a rump of the Collingwood cheer squad, which sent up a reedy chorus of Good Old Collingwood Forever midway through the last quarter as the Magpies eased to an eight-goal win over St Kilda. Their lack of harmony indicated truly that it was a long time since they had last sung it. Sadly for Collingwood, its medical staff also had more of a workout than it really wanted . . . For the Saints, the reply might have been David Armitage, or Shane Birss, or Jarryd Allen, or James Wall, or Jayden Attard, or Luke van Rheenen, or Clint Jones. Armitage, a stockily built Queenslander, wore guernsey No. 20 and in it sometimes resembled Heath Black. He looks ready-made for senior football. He and a reinvigorated Luke Ball seemed to understand each other well. Wall, Attard, van Rheenen and Jones are rookies, so far did the Saints plumb their list yesterday. Jones, a peroxide blond from Perth, won the ball constantly, but like many young left-footers appears to have a right leg only to stop him from falling over. He will learn much this year. The umpires were over-officious in applying the new rule pertaining to marking duels, but like everyone else, were still in rehearsals. McKenna was unperturbed, saying that with time and repetition, he was sure they would make their judgements more finely. So said all of them. The Article Greg Baum/TheAgeRealFooty/03Mar07 Collingwood account for Saints in trial . . . St Kilda were roundly beaten and their coach Ross Lyon said there was still "a lot of work to do in a short period of time". Lyon said his side didn't play to instructions in the first half, where the Magpies outscored them 8.5 to 3.4, but improved in the second. "It was really good signs when we actually did play the way we wanted them to play," Lyon said. "Blokes get opportunities. You've got to grab it and stand up and a few did and a few didn't so it's good to know who's who." Of the St Kilda stars who didn't play last week, Luke Ball and Nick Dal Santo had plenty of touches while Fraser Gehrig was quiet with only one goal from three-quarters of play. Of the youngsters, David Armitage and the rookie-listed Clinton Jones impressed. The Article AAP/WestAustralian/02Mar07 Two hurt as Magpies beat Saints Collingwood defeated St Kilda by 48 points in a practice match at Princes Park today, but the win came at a cost with two Magpies suffering injuries. Goalsneak Paul Medhurst and youngster Brad Dick suffered injuries in the first half, but their severity was not yet known straight after the 15.10 (100) to 7.10 (52) victory. Former Docker Medhurst hurt his leg when leading for a mark 13 minutes into the opening term and Dick, 18, was knocked down close to half-time. Both did not return. Of the St Kilda stars who didn't play last week's NAB Cup loss to Brisbane, Luke Ball and Nick Dal Santo had plenty of touches. Fraser Gehrig was quiet with only one goal in three quarters. The Article AAP/HeraldSun/02Mar07 Magpies pair hurt in win over Saints AAP/afl.com.au/02Mar07 Medhurst injured in Pies win Collingwood faces a nervous wait to find out if star recruit Paul Medhurst will be fit for the start of the AFL home and away season after the former Fremantle goalsneak limped off with a foot injury during the Pies' practice match win over St Kilda on Friday night. And the Pies also lost first year draftee Brad Dick to a knee injury in a behind the play incident just before half-time at MC Labour Park. While the incident was not seen by most of the 4000 strong crowd at Carlton, Collingwood defender Nick Maxwell immediately began remonstrating with St Kilda tagger Steven Baker following the clash . . . the Saints are still waiting for their first win under new coach Ross Lyon and for the second week running failed to score a goal in the final term. The stars for the Pies were Heath Shaw, who had 21 touches and two goals to half-time, while Josh Fraser kicked four goals and Travis Cloke two as St Kilda's short defence - which was missing Max Hudghton, Justin Koschitzke and Matt Maguire - was overwhelmed . . . For St Kilda the best thing to come out of the match was the fact they had no injuries although Luke Ball and Robert Harvey looked sharp in their first hit-outs for the year while Stephen Milne kicked three goals and rookie Clinton Jones impressed on a wing. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/02Mar07 Saints, Pies struggle with new rule The AFL's contentious hands-in-the-back rule will have severe teething problems come Round 1 if the practice match between St Kilda and Collingwood yesterday is anything to go by. Throughout the match at Princes Park, players from both sides struggled with interpretations of the ruling, expressing their frustration to the umpires. And for a player such as St Kilda's James Blake, it will take a complete re-education to adjust to a ruling that goes against natural reactions for many players. Neither St Kilda coach Ross Lyon or Collingwood assistant Guy McKenna wanted to buy into the issue, but buckle your seatbelts and get ready for the controversy as the season gets under-way. The Article Jon Anderson/HeraldSun/03Mar07
The AFL'S clamp on front-on contact hit home last night when Geelong's Matthew Stokes and Fremantle's Michael Johnson were suspended for four matches. Both tried to have their charges downgraded, claiming they acted negligently rather than recklessly. This would have given them both only a one-match ban. Their pleas fell on deaf ears. A jury of former players Emmett Dunne, Wayne Schimmelbusch and David Pittman, found them guilty as charged. Johnson failed to convince the tribunal he had tried to stop before cannoning into Kangaroo Lachlan Hansen during Sunday's match at Telstra Dome. Player advocate John Prior said Johnson's actions immediately before the bump signalled his intent to stop. The Article Michael Stevens/HeraldSun/07Mar07 AFL toys with plan to bring back reserves football The AFL is exploring the idea of creating a national reserves competition, a league that would replace the various state-based competitions as the second tier of the game and involve a return to the days of "firsts" and "seconds". The option, one of several being examined as part of a review of the relationship between the AFL and the competitions closest to it, would be expected to increase list sizes to a minimum of 55 players. It would sever the alignments that have existed, in Victoria for example, between nine of the state's 10 AFL clubs and the VFL since the demise of reserves football a decade ago. Fourteen of the 16 AFL clubs have been briefed on the national reserves competition proposal and several other alternatives, including the idea of an eastern seaboard reserves competition and a stand-alone Victorian reserves competition that would effectively relegate the Victorian Football League to third-tier status. The Article Stephen Rielly/TheAgeRealFooty/08Mar07 Schwab resigns from match review panel The AFL is searching for a match review panel chairman after the resignation of Peter Schwab. Schwab's appointment as the head of AFL Victoria (formerly Football Victoria) became official yesterday. AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said last night Schwab would continue in the role until a replacement is found. If the search rolls on, it is conceivable Schwab will be in the hot seat for Round 1. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/08Mar07 Crackdown on footy's bad boys The AFL is desperate to deter the game's bad boys, with heavier penalties being considered for players who misbehave in public. The league will call on all clubs to submit ways to eradicate the bad behaviour, most recently highlighted by Daniel Kerr's assault charge in Perth, with community experts and the players' association also asked for input. AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou showed his diminishing tolerance of errant footballers this week when he tabled the topic for heavy debate at next month's annual two-day gathering of club chief executives in Melbourne The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/08Mar07 Deja vu for Aurora as umpire misses siren More sirens will be installed at Launceston's Aurora Stadium, site of last year's Fremantle-St Kilda fiasco, following another malfunction in the ground's sound system on Saturday night. Ground manager Robert Groenewegen had a horrible sense of deja vu when several small horns failed in the NAB Cup match between Carlton and Hawthorn, and he had to resort to an emergency plan to ensure the full-time siren was heard. He spoke to AFL grounds operation manager Jill Lindsay yesterday and recommended a further upgrading of the system before Hawthorn plays the first of four home-and-away games at Aurora on April 22. The Article Samantha Lane/TheAgeRealFooty/05Mar07 Give meat pies the boot Nutritionists have called for the iconic Aussie pie to be banned from sale at AFL games. Pies sold at AAMI Stadium, the MCG and Telstra Dome contain up to a whopping 35 grams of fat. Fans consume about 6000 pies and pasties at each AFL game at AAMI Stadium, eclipsed only by hot chips as the most popular snack. Nutritionists now say if Australia is serious about curbing the obesity epidemic, football fans should avoid the pie. Prominent nutritionist Dr Rosemary Stanton wants signs at football canteens telling patrons the exact fat content of the chips, hamburgers and pies they are consuming, while another, Shane Bilsborough, wants the pie banned. His call follows a move by top UK soccer clubs, including Glasgow Celtic and Arsenal, to ban pies at their venues. The Article Suellen Hinde, Elissa Doherty/AdelaideAdvertiser/04Mar07 Lyon defends co-captains policy New St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says he is prepared to cop the flak if the Saints' bold decision to go with three co-captains in 2007 doesn't work . . . With Thomas now gone, it was widely thought the Saints would revert to the traditional model of one captain being appointed for several years to bring stability to their leadership. However, Lyon has gone for the same model used by Sydney, where he was an assistant coach to Paul Roos last season . . . While no team with multiple captains has ever won the Premiership, the Swans did go within a point of winning the flag with three skippers last year, while the last time St Kilda reached a grand final, in 1997, they had co-captains in Nathan Burke and Stewart Loewe . . . Ball is expected to have first crack at leading the Saints, with Hayes and Riewoldt to again sit out this week's practice match against Collingwood at MC Labour Park on Friday afternoon owing to injury. Ball will play after being rested from the NAB Cup defeat by Brisbane in Cairns, while Robert Harvey, Fraser Gehrig and Nick Dal Santo will also play their first games of the season. Several senior players who played in the heavy conditions in Cairns last week, including Xavier Clarke, Matthew Clarke and Leigh Montagna, will be rested this week. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/saints.com.au/28Feb07
The Sydney-isation of St Kilda continues apace. While the St Kilda players recently voted on who they would like to be captain in 2007 - it has been reported that Lenny Hayes won the vote - coach Ross Lyon decided there should be three skippers . . . a reporter at yesterday's announcement at Moorabbin inquired as to whether they need a coin toss to decide who tosses the coin on weekends? "That was going to be our joke but you just went and ruined that one for us," said Riewoldt, the 2005 skipper. "We haven't spoken about that. Tossing the coin, that's not a huge part of it, so we'll just rotate that on a week-to-week basis." Sydney won a flag under joint captains in 2005 when the incumbent Stuart Maxfield broke down, and the Swans persisted with the policy last year. The Brisbane Lions also had success under co-captains in Michael Voss and Alastair Lynch previously. The Article Martin Blake/TheAgeRealFooty/28Feb07  Trio testament to Saints' leadership depth AAP/saints.com.au/27Feb07
St Kilda's Hayes eyeing round one start AAP/saints.com.au/27Feb07
Saints opt for trinity Guy Hand/AdelaideAdvertiser/28Feb07
Three Saints fit for halos St Kilda's ground-breaking revolving door screeched to a halt yesterday, leaving Lenny Hayes, Nick Riewoldt and Luke Ball trapped inside. The last three players to lead the Saints under former coach Grant Thomas's rotation policy were given another chance as co-captains. In a by-product of Thomas's daring step to share the load, a player vote was so close that new coach Ross Lyon could not split the trio. Thomas last night made it clear he felt no sense of vindication, but said the club's leadership model had helped mould up to nine suitable candidates. "He (Lyon) had three guys to choose from and I reckon he could've added another six to that as well," Thomas said. "That's the leadership model that exists at the footy club." The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/28Feb07 Plenty of questions for St Kilda in 2007 Here's what we know - Ross Lyon has served the ideal AFL coaching apprenticeship and takes over a playing list still boasting top-four potential. The problem for St Kilda is that the "don't knows" vastly outnumber the "knowns". After an off-season of upheaval, the Saints enter 2007 with a new football department and a team still struggling to overcome three seasons of rotten injury luck. When you put together your ladder prediction, where do the Saints figure? Still top four contenders? Middle of the pack? Or this year's plunger? A lot would have to go wrong for the Saints to dive, but there are reasonable arguments for the first two scenarios. If St Kilda can turn around their injury problems and Lyon's match-day strategy clicks, the Saints have more than enough talent to stay entrenched in the top half of the ladder. The Article AAP/WestAustralian/05Mar07 Saints rookies show their stuff New midfielder Shane Birss says the form of the club's rookies has been one of the major positives out of the 2007 pre-season. Birss said Clinton Jones, a 23-year-old from Western Australia, and former senior-listed Lion Jayden Attard had impressed for the Saints during the pre-season. "The rookies have done a great job. Last week we played a really young side in Cairns (against Brisbane) in the wet and the guys put their head over the ball and really stood up well," Birss told saints.com.au. "Clint Jones (against Collingwood) on Friday night was fantastic and he showed a lot of run and he kicked a couple of nice goals and Jayden (Attard) has been doing well down back, so the rookies and young guys have stood up well in the practice games. It's great at this time of year because the rookies get to show what they've got. We've got a lot of numbers coming back, so we're definitely not hitting the panic button yet. We're just trying to get the fundamentals of the team structure right." The Article Matt Burgan/saints.com.au/05Mar07 Saints appoint three co-captains St Kilda have appointed Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes and Luke Ball as their co-captains for the 2007 AFL season. Riewoldt, Hayes and Ball all spent one season as captain under the previous rotation policy employed by former coach Grant Thomas. But new Saints coach Ross Lyon has decided to implement the co-captains policy used by his former club Sydney last season. The three were voted in by teammates with all recording similar numbers of votes. The Article AAP/AFL/saints.com.au Saints name three captains AAP/HeraldSun/27Feb07 Saints appoint tri-captaincy ABCSport/27Feb07 The road to the top Career profiles of the three Captains by Matt Burgan. The Article saints.com.au/27Feb07 Three to lead Saints . . . All have outstanding credentials with Hayes, 27, having led the side in 2004 while 24-year-old Riewoldt was captain in 2005 and Ball, 22, held the job last year. The trio between them have also claimed the Saints' past five best and fairest awards with Hayes winning in 2003, Ball in 2005 and Riewoldt in 2002, 2004 and 2006. The new skippers denied the club had taken the easy way out by not settling on a single captain, saying they all felt comfortable with the surprise decision. "Pressure wise I think it will be great for our careers personally and that will directly help the team achieve what we want to achieve this year," Riewoldt said. "And the most exciting thing is while this appointment is only for this year - Luke, Lenny and I are all only middle-aged players so we are not at the end of our careers by any means and long-term we can be a good group of leaders." The Article Sportal/27Feb07 Saints appoint three co-captains St Kilda have appointed Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes and Luke Ball as their co-captains for the 2007 AFL season. Riewoldt, Hayes and Ball all spent one season as captain under the previous rotation policy employed by former coach Grant Thomas. But new Saints coach Ross Lyon has decided to implement the co-captains policy used by his former club Sydney last season. The Article AAP/TheAge/27Feb07 Ball, Roo and Hayes - Three Co-Captains 'saintsRrising' et al Swans' way not for all Sydney Swans co-captain Leo Barry doesn't necessarily reckon having multiple captains would be successful at every AFL club. Barry, Brett Kirk and Barry Hall were all appointed co-captains last season by Swans coach Paul Roos. St Kilda has followed Sydney's lead by also appointing three captains - Luke Ball, Lenny Hayes and Nick Riewoldt. New Saints coach Ross Lyon was an assistant to Roos before taking up his new role at Moorabbin, and Barry said he obviously liked the way the system worked in Sydney. Barry said the traditionalists might argue the appointment of co-captains dilutes the honour of having just one leader. "For us it has worked really well to have three captains and it was initiated after we had a really strong leader in Stuart Maxfield who retired," Barry said. The Article Daryl Timms/TheAustralian/01Mar07
The St Kilda Football Club today launched a new clash guernsey for the 2007 season. The guernsey will be worn this Friday afternoon in the NAB Challenge Round 2 game against the Magpies at MC Labour Park . . . Throughout the 2007 season the players will continue to wear their traditional strip during 19 rounds of the home and away season. However, the new clash guernsey will be worn in Rounds 1, 9 and 17, against Melbourne, Fremantle and Carlton respectively when St Kilda is the away side. Throughout the 2007 season the players will continue to wear their traditional strip during 19 rounds of the home and away season. However, the new clash guernsey will be worn in Rounds 1, 9 and 17, against Melbourne, Fremantle and Carlton respectively when St Kilda is the away side. The Article + image saints.com.au/28Feb07
Saints' new strip Sportal/01Mar07 Saints chief buys into troubled Concept crew St Kilda Football Club president Rod Butterss has bought a 2 per cent stake in Concept Sports, the troubled sports merchandise company run by the president of rival AFL club Richmond, Gary March. Butterss Management Services bought 2.5 million shares in Concept Sports late last year. That gives the St Kilda president control over a 2.08 per cent stake in the company and made him the 10th largest shareholder when the company last lodged its share register . . . Mr Butterss referred all further questions to Concept Sports' new non-executive chairman, Andrew Plympton, who was Mr Butterss' predecessor as president of the St Kilda Football Club . . . Mr Plympton's appointment to the board heralds a new era for the company, according to managing director Mr March. "We have had a major restructure of the company in recent months and that includes Andrew joining the board," Mr March said. "Our goal is to get this company back to trading profitably on the back of its major merchandising events." The Article Mark Hawthorne/TheAge/07Mar07 GO BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
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