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"When we get back on November 5 and walk through that door, we're getting on a bus together and we're going down the road to a premiership. You're either on the bus or you get run over," Roo said to fellow players at the B&F Lyon challenges Saints to achieve greatness A heart-to-heart late last week between St Kilda's players and coaches before their last official commitment for the 2007 season produced a blueprint for ultimate success in 2008 and beyond. Among players who were so close it had worked against them at times, brutal honesty would be an essential ingredient for success. "What we did today is we recommitted to that aim of being a great team," coach Ross Lyon said at the Saints' best-and-fairest award dinner on Friday night, explaining that the side had a season-changing meeting before Robert Harvey's 350th game in round 12 when it re-stated its goals. We look forward to '08, and if every player buys in on those aims that we committed to today when we looked at each other in the eye, then success is not far away from St Kilda," Lyon said. "We acknowledged that we're going to have to push beyond what we thought was physically possible and we acknowledged that we needed to be brutally honest with each other in pursuit of being a great team" ... Gehrig spoke passionately about the seven years he spent at Moorabbin. "I had seven years at West Coast, which is a great club as well, and I had a lot of success over there, but it doesn't compare to the people I've met here, to be honest," he said. The Article Samantha Lane/RealFooty/06Oct07 Scorps B&F winners Club champion Riewoldt challenges Saints "I'm 25 next week and I suppose my career is half over. It dawned on me that I don't want to stand by for one more second without the club winning a premiership. If it means that you've got to say things that people might not like to hear, you've got to say it." He didn't hesitate in throwing down the gauntlet to the new board and president-elect Greg Westaway. "Everyone's got to be accountable", Riewoldt said. Looking directly at the new board he said: "You've talked the talk - now it's time to deliver on what you've said. I'm confident you will do that". While he pointed to the team's closeness and unity, he also said that the friendships should not make people shy away from hard realities. "To the players it's obvious we are all great mates and we all love each other and get along really well. But I think too often we let our mateship get in the way of the truth and it gets in the way of us doing the things we need to do and say to win the premiership." Earlier Riewoldt had said that the club should not be content with just being competitive "When we get back on November 5 and walk through that door, we're getting on a bus together and we're going down the road to a premiership. You're either on the bus or you get run over. We all know if we get on that bus together and seriously work together then there's no doubt we will win a premiership. If we get on that bus together it will be the best thing you do for your entire lives." Riewoldt did not spare himself in the quest for improvement. "You need to ask yourself honestly; 'am I doing everything I can to help St Kilda win a premiership'". The Article Russell Holmesby/saints.com.au/06Oct07 Riewoldt awarded top Saint ... On a night when president-elect Greg Westaway addressed the faithful, Riewoldt was good enough to win the the club award despite playing 20 of a possible 22 games. Westaway made a subdued debut, with departed president Rod Butterss and the board allies not in attendance. "Isn't this exciting? Very exciting. This time last week, I was a passionate St Kilda member with a determined focus on creating change in this great club - change that is necessary," Westaway said. "Tonight, I'm humbled to stand here as president elect. I couldn't be more proud of what this club has achieved, I'm inspired by what is to come and I'm committed to giving 100 per cent to ensure everything is done to see our players run on to the field on the last day in September - sooner rather than later." Westaway praised Butterss for "graciously stepping aside" and thanked the former president for his work over the past seven years. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/06Oct07 Riewoldt wins record fourth gong Nick Riewoldt last night made an impassioned plea to his teammates to get honest with each other and raise their standards generally so St Kilda finally could break its premiership drought. And, after equalling a club record by winning a fourth best and fairest award, the 24-year-old co-captain admitted that even he had not been doing everything he could to achieve ultimate success. "To the players, it's obvious we're all great mates and we all love each other and we all get along really well, but I think too often we often let our mateship get in the way of the truth and it gets in the way of us doing and saying the things we need to do and say to get a premiership," Riewoldt said as he accepted his fourth Trevor Barker Medal. "We need to go away and ask ourselves honestly ... 'Am I doing everything I can to win St Kilda a premiership?'. Because I know I'm not. When we get back on November 5 and we walk through that door, we're getting on a bus together and we're going down a road towards a premiership." The Article Samantha Lane/RealFooty/06Oct07 Saints re-sign Baker Onballer Steven Baker has re-signed with St Kilda for three years. After rumours that Carlton had offered Baker a lucrative deal to cross to MC Labour Park, the Saints were pleased to secure the tough-nut tagger's signature. Football operations manager Ken Sheldon said, "We are very pleased to have Steven commit long term to the club and play for the Saints until 2010." Baker played 18 games for this Saints this year. Debuting for St Kilda in 1999 against Melbourne, Baker has since played 152 matches. "I'm very happy to have re-signed with St Kilda for another three years and look forward to playing in a successful Saints team," Baker said. The Article AFL/saints.com.au/05Oct07 Blues on prowl for new Baker Jake Niall/RealFooty/05Oct07 Dean Wallis joins Freo fremantlefc.com.au via saints.com.au/05Oct07 Bakes cops the heaviest penalty for 2007 Hawthorn will start 2008 without three of its best players - Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis and Shane Crawford - after all were suspended for offences in its elimination final loss to the Kangaroos in the second week of the finals. That situation is bad enough, but the demerit points system in use since the AFL Tribunal system was reviewed means that Hodge, Grant Birchall and Campbell Brown also carry over enough points to put them in jeopardy of an extra game on any sanction they incur next year ... Steven Baker copped the year's heaviest penalty, the St Kilda tagger receiving seven games for rough conduct against Farmer in round 20. Farmer, six matches for eye gouging Daniel Pratt in the pre-season competition, and Ben Johnson, six for forceful and high contact on Daniel Bell in round 20, were next. The Article Len Johnson/RealFooty/05Oct07  SUPPORTERS OPINION Copies of Open Letters re 'Bakes' and 'The future'
Saints and Sheldon part ways St Kilda has parted company with its football operations manager Ken Sheldon after opting not to renew the contract of the former coach, who had held the job for only one year ... Sheldon joined the club at the end of the 2006 season, in the immediate aftermath of former coach Grant Thomas' sacking but before the Saints had installed Ross Lyon as coach ... It is not the first time Sheldon and the Saints have parted company. The former Carlton premiership player had coached the Saints between 1990 and 1994, taking them to the finals in 1991 and 1992. After the Saints finished 12th in 1993, he was replaced by Stan Alves. Sheldon played in three premierships with with the Blues in 1979, 1981 and 1982. The Article Karen Lyon/RealFooty/14Oct07 St Kilda Statement on Ken Sheldon St Kilda CEO Archie Fraser has today announced the departure of Ken Sheldon, General Manager Football Operations. After fulfilling all of its contractual obligations the Club has informed Sheldon that his contract would not continue into the 2008 AFL Season. "We have enjoyed working with Ken over the past twelve months and he has assisted us in achieving a lot of positive things for the Club." Fraser added "Ken provided our football department with a safe pair of hands through a difficult period at the end of the 2006 season. We are grateful for Ken's contribution to the Club, he will always be welcome at the Club and we wish him well in his future. The General Manager Football Operations position is one of the most important roles in the modern football club structure. At St Kilda, this role is a key part of our executive management team and the person we seek must have a broad and extensive skill set. We will be targeting and appointing the best available talent to this key position." Sheldon is today heading overseas on a planned holiday for a few weeks. 13Oct07 Saints dump manager Ken Sheldon The winds of change continue to blow through St Kilda, with the club dumping its football manger Ken Sheldon. Sheldon, a former Saints coach, will not be offered a new contract for next year, club chief executive Archie Fraser said. His departure follows the recent board upheaval which saw president Rod Butterss and most of his fellow directors resigning last week to make way for a Greg Westaway-led ticket that includes former players Nathan Burke and Andrew Thompson. Sheldon arrived at the club at the end of 2006, shortly after Grant Thomas was sacked and replaced by current coach Ross Lyon. The Article AAP/TheAge/13Oct07 AFL plans to take over lower levels of game An Internal feud between the AFL and its Victorian heartland has threatened to erupt over the AFL's push to overthrow the VFL's governing body and replace it with an advisory board hand-picked by the competition's head office. AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has outraged key directors on the board of AFL Victoria - the independent body that runs the game across all levels below the AFL, including the VFL, the amateurs and at community level - by recommending it be disbanded. The historic push from the game's head office came in a written request from Demetriou in the belief that a push towards a national governing body would be better equipped to oversee the game at its second-tier level. The move would mean the game in its traditional state of Victoria would be restructured and commanded from head office via a chief executive who reported to an advisory board in the manner of the game in developing states NSW and Queensland. Peter Schwab, the recently appointed chief executive of AFL Victoria - previously known as Football Victoria - would run the competition under the new model. But the independent board of the Victorian body met last Friday and unanimously rejected the proposal. The Article Caroline Wilson/RealFooty/12Oct07 Casey still keen on Saints - Westaway keen on Moorabbin Casey Council has not given up hope of convincing St Kilda to relocate to its multi-million-dollar sporting complex, Casey Fields, at Cranbourne North. The Saints are yet to commit to staying at Moorabbin, although president-elect Greg Westaway has indicated the club's desire to stay. A move to Frankston is also being discussed, while other venues under consideration include the Junction Oval and Port Melbourne's TEAC Oval. St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser said yesterday he had briefed Westaway on Moorabbin. With most of the Rod Butterss-led board resigning, Fraser said the club had only two serving directors: John Gdanski and Ross Levin. "The others have got to be sworn in," Fraser said. "We have a board meeting later this month, but I should be able to update them all by then." "We have only two guys in an official capacity at the moment and while I can update the others, we can't make any decisions." St Kilda said in May it would seek another base after a dispute with Kingston Council over the redevelopment of Moorabbin. Fraser said he had had more talks with Kingston Council, which wants the club to remain at Moorabbin, where it has a 32-year lease. "And we are very much in conversation with Casey and Frankston," Fraser said. "They would be the main ones we have focused on." The Article Daryl Timms/HeraldSun/12Oct07 Gilbert is on the move Amid the disappointment of St Kilda's 2007 campaign there was one indisputable positive. Sam Gilbert went from a player given a two-game taste of the big time in 2006 to a significant force within the team. His running across the lines and penetrating disposal were enough to secure a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination in round 16 and at year's end he won St Kilda's Most Promising New Player Award. For a young man with a rugby background he has come a long way in a very short time. Those fleeting appearances in 2006 were a crucial step on the ladder. "It's always good to get the first game out of the way," Gilbert said. "I was pretty nervous coming into my first game (against Carlton) and I never got a touch until the last quarter. When I got it I was pretty happy. Coming into his year I knew what to expect. The West Coast game (in 2006) was a lot quicker than the Carlton game. It was a hard match." Sitting next to centre half-back Matt Maguire, Gilbert is quick to add: "I broke Matt's leg as well, so the boys didn't exactly gather around me!" The pair can joke about it now. "It was a tough off season - he didn't talk to me. We'd go to lunch and everyone would walk away from me. I just remember that Goose played in the same position as me and coming across I wanted to play centre half-back!" The Complete Article Russell Holmesby/saints.com.au/10Oct07 Premiership ruckman King exits Geelong AAP/RealFooty/12Oct07 Goddard recovering well, but no more double tons Just when St Kilda's tide of injuries started to turn in 2007, star all-rounder Brendon Goddard went down with a knee injury that wiped out his year. The 22 year-old who was the No.1 draft pick in 2002 is now on track for a return and is seen as a key element in resurrecting St Kilda's fortunes after a disappointing year. "It's going really well," he said this week. "I started running three weeks ago - for three days a week. There's weights and bikes and swimming. In the early stages it was well ahead of schedule, but you get to a stage where you can't do much more - it kind of flattens out. If there are no complications hopefully I should be in full training after Christmas." He admits to early self-doubts but realises that is normal for knee victims. "At the beginning when you start running, unconsciously you compensate. I felt like I could run five or six weeks ago - obviously I couldn't, but I felt that way. Two or three weeks in it is fine." Goddard was talking having just completed an eight-lap jog at a "fairly hard" pace at Moorabbin. The frustration of watching his teammates in action led him to head overseas late in the 2007 season. The Article Russell Holmesby/saints.com.au/09Oct07 Greg Westaway Brisbane Meeting Report ... The priority for the new Board is to secure new sponsors for 2008 and beyond, and expects to make an announcement in regard to a major sponsor (he hinted a national company with HQ in Brisbane - could it be Virgin???). In 2007 sponsorships raised $5.3 million, but expect to exceed this to close to $6 million in 2008, or more if that can be done. A vital criteria in the composition of the new Board is the ability to attract and retain financial sponsors - Greg mentioned that one of the failings in the past few years has been neglect by the club to adequately service its sponsors, resulting in disillusionment and ultimately their withdrawal of support. A major sponsor who contributed $1.3 million may require as much as $400,000 in servicing costs (corporate entertainment, tickets, signage etc etc) so that the net return is considerably less than the money that is reported. The Report 'saintwill66' saintsational.com Greg Westaway Brisbane Gold Coast Report ... Moorabbin redevelopment - 'A touchy subject because we all love the place so much. I guess the facts are regardless of how much we feel, Kingston Council don't want us there. It would seem and this is just my point of view, that its just not going to happen. I guess we need to all start coming to terms with that. The good news is there has been lots of offers with lots of dollars. So we have plenty of options. It would seem that maybe Casey grounds is a last option because of the distance. Also Fitzroy Street (Junction Oval) is not a goer, the buildings are classified and Melbourne already train there. We need a facility that no one else is using. The new board are committed to have the best facility in the league. That may mean that our training factility is seperate to our social club'. The Report 'Saint Bev' saintsational.com 2007 End of season report: St Kilda ... What went right Halting the club's run of injuries in the second half of the season was a major positive which augurs well for 2008. On the playing front, Leigh Montagna stepped up, placing third in the club's best-and-fairest award, and Sam Gilbert continued to develop. Nick Riewoldt, who was extremely unlucky not to be rewarded with All-Australian selection, capped off another outstanding season with his fourth Trevor Barker Award. Champion Robert Harvey, the game's oldest player, agreed to play on in 2008 - a great result for a club that has lost some experienced stock. What went wrong Four wins in 11 rounds was not the start new coach Ross Lyon had hoped for. Injuries remained an issue when it mattered. In round eight's 28-point loss to Hawthorn, St Kilda had 15 players unavailable. In fact, from rounds six to nine inclusive, the side had 10 or more players either injured or suspended. Hope springs from the Saints' second-half fightback to ninth spot, but the departures of Fraser Gehrig, Aaron Hamill, Andrew Thompson, Brett Voss and Matthew Clarke make for a significant dip in experience at the club. Gehrig in particular is a massive loss. The Full Report Matt Burgan/afl.com.au/09Oct07 AFLPA launch inaugural Madden Medal for retiring players The Madden name will now stand alongside that of Coleman, Smith and Brownlow after the AFL Players' Association yesterday launched the inaugural Madden Medal for retiring players. Named in honour of former AFLPA presidents Simon and Justin Madden, the medal recognises the playing careers and off-field contributions of retiring AFL players. The inaugural short-list includes Shinboner of the Century Glenn Archer, Essendon Brownlow medallist James Hird, Carlton's Anthony Koutoufides, former Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley, Brisbane Lions star Michael Voss, Crows Brownlow medallist Mark Ricciuto and Western Bulldogs Luke Darcy and Chris Grant. Essendon legend and Norm Smith medallist Simon Madden said he was honoured to have his name associated with such luminaries of the game. More Gareth Trickey/HeraldSun/13Nov07
Eight Junior Academies replaces TAC cup The AFL will establish eight new junior academies, replace the TAC Cup grand final with two national under-16 finals on the MCG on grand final day and completely revamp the under-18 championships as part of a raft of changes to the elite underage pathway program. Recruiters will be able to assess second-division draft prospects against first-division sides under the new under-18 program, which will become a six-week series played in several states. Mark Ricciuto and Luke Darcy have accepted coaching roles with both the national AIS-AFL Academy and the new state-based programs. The TAC Cup grand final - played on the MCG on grand final day since the competition began in 1992 - will be moved to Telstra Dome, possibly on the Friday of grand final week, and the ground will host the mid-week national under-18 finals during the AFL's split round. The changes mean the championships will start with a qualifying tournament in May between the four division-two sides - Tasmania, the Northern Territory, Queensland and NSW-ACT - with the top two teams to play against Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia and Western Australia when they meet the following month. More Emma Quayle/RealFooty/11Nov07
AFL puts focus on juniors Emma Quayle/RealFooty/11Nov07
Darcy and Ricciuto accept roles with Academy AFL/12Nov07
TAC Cup decider may lose its place on grand final day Geelong Falcons coach Garry Hocking has expressed his concerns about a proposal to shift the TAC Cup grand final away from AFL grand final day. The AFL instead wants to play the two finals of the under-16 national championships before the main event, with the TAC decider to be moved, possibly to Telstra Dome and played on the Friday night of grand final week. The TAC Cup grand final has been played on the MCG on grand final day since the competition began in 1992. Before that, the under-19 grand final was played on grand final day for many years. Hocking said he would be disappointed if that happened, as every player in the TAC Cup trained and played to be able to have the chance to play on the MCG on grand final day. More Brad Green/GeeelongAdvertiser/13Nov07
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