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2007 Round 17 Post-game Articles - Carlton vs St Kilda
Injured Saint Aaron Hamill is determined to play on next year after having successful surgery on his troublesome knee . . . he is upbeat about his chances of returning next year. "I've got a smile on my face," Hamill said. "I'm on the mend and trying to keep fit. I'm looking forward to summer." Hamill, 30 next month, has not added to his 190 AFL games this season, after managing nine games last year. The former captain still has a year to serve on his contract. St Kilda football manager Ken Sheldon said the club would support Hamill. "And as to next season, that will be determined by the response of his knee to the rehabilitation process," Sheldon said. "The club will provide every opportunity for him to play again." Hamill is a major supporter of the Business Success Panel at today's Herald Sun Melbourne Career Expo. The Article Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/29Jul07 Ratten's spirited Blues give Saints a scare St Kilda inched closer to playing finals with a win over Carlton yesterday, but not before the Blues rallied in a thrilling final quarter under caretaker coach Brett Ratten. The Saints did just enough to secure their ninth win, while the Blues found another bright spot in a dismal year with Ryan Jackson picking up 23 touches in his third game . . . Fraser Gehrig booted the first of his six goals after easily stepping around Bret Thornton, giving the Saints a one-point lead 11 minutes into the match. Gehrig's 250th game (including 115 at West Coast) was among his best this year and coach Ross Lyon said after the match he'd like the veteran to play on next year. Co-captain Nick Riewoldt finished had 23 disposals and again showed why he's one of the game's most dominant forwards, taking 11 marks and booting four goals. Leigh Montagna has helped drive St Kilda's recent improvement, but had just two touches in the first term due to close checking from Marc Murphy. Jackson had the job of minding star onballer Robert Harvey and kept the dual Brownlow medallist quiet by his lofty standards. The Article Martin Boulton/RealFooty/29Jul07 Harvey's the inspiration St Kilda star Nick Riewoldt has revealed Robert Harvey as the inspiration behind the Saints' revival and wants the champion midfielder to play on next year. Riewoldt believed veteran Harvey's milestone 350th career game, against West Coast at Subiaco in Round 12, was the turning point of the Saints' season. The match, which St Kilda won by 23 points, snapped a four-game losing streak and Ross Lyon's men have since won four of their past five games to restore their finals aspirations. Although the Saints were pushed more than they would have anticipated by struggling Carlton on Saturday at Telstra Dome, St Kilda remains a serious threat to teams in the top eight. "Going over to West Coast for Harv's 350th, no doubt that's been the turning point of our year," Riewoldt said. The Article Rebecca Williams/HeraldSun/30Jul07 Saints keep finals hopes alive The Saints had established a 36-point advantage late in the third term, but had to hang on grimly as the Blues rallied with six goals in the last quarter, to stay in the finals hunt and reward Fraser Gehrig with a win in his 250th AFL game. Gehrig was in fine form in his milestone match and finished with six goals. He was well-supported up forward by Nick Riewoldt, who booted four and gathered 23 possessions and 11 marks. Sam Fisher led the Saints with 32 disposals as a loose man in defence with Lenny Hayes (29 touches) and Nick Dal Santo (26 possessions) providing the muscle in the midfield. Andrew Carrazzo had 25 touches in the first half before finishing with 38 while Brendan Fevola was the Blues' most damaging forward with five majors. Having lost their coach during the week, a spirited start by the Blues was always on the cards and that's exactly what happened with Brad Fisher and Fevola banging through the first two goals of the match. Dal Santo got the Saints moving when he left Jordan Bannster in his wake and converted from 50, with Gehrig's first coming soon after. But the Blues had their tails up with Fevola adding successive majors to maintain their advantage. The Article Jason Phelan/saints.com.au/28Jul07 Lyon a relieved man St Kilda coach Ross Lyon was a relieved man after his side held off a late charge from Carlton to take the premiership points on Saturday and he said the match was a timely reminder for his players. Bryce Gibbs could have made it a five-point game inside the final minute at Telstra Dome and Lyon maintained his Saints found themselves in that precarious predicament because they had strayed from the things that have helped turn their season around. "Clearly our last six weeks have been a lot better, but on some of our key indicators . . . we were beaten in a couple of key areas that we've been priding ourselves on [today]," Lyon said. "So it's a really good reminder of how quickly your form can go and how quickly you can get hurt on the scoreboard when those basics aren't executed. I thought parts of the game we controlled and scored really well but we didn't defend very well in the first or last quarter. There was some lack of execution in basics [like] spoiling and some ill-discipline with 50m penalties or free kicks off the ball really came back to bite the group on the backside and made it a real struggle. Full credit to Carlton. We knew they were going to be emotional, we knew they were going to be hard at it." The Article Jason Phelan/saints.com.au/28Jul07 Defensive lapses a worry for Saints . . . "We'll take the win and it's really hard to get a win in AFL footy but (today) was a really good reminder how quickly your form can go and how quickly you're hurt on the scoreboard when the basics aren't executed so it gives us a strong focus this week," Lyon said. "Our whole focus coming in was about ourselves and trying to execute those things and it was very patchy today - we'd do it in bursts and Carlton would get on top in those areas - ground balls, tacking those things. There is no easy AFL game. If we take care of winning, at some time I think we'll get on top and score heavily." The Article Angus Morgan/Sportal/28Jul07 Riewoldt sinks improved Blues There were plenty of differences between Carlton and St Kilda at Telstra Dome yesterday. But none was greater than that represented by Nick Riewoldt. Both sides had a contribution from their full-forwards, with Fraser Gehrig booting six goals in his 250th match and Brendan Fevola five. The midfield duels were pretty even. Yet it was Riewoldt who provided the consistent, four-quarter avenue to goal that Carlton simply couldn't find. It didn't help that the Blues' most dangerous half-forward, Jarrad Waite, was used at centre half-back on Riewoldt, but Carlton regularly found its half-forward line was more crowded than Kevin Sheedy's press conference. For all that, it was a much better effort from the Blues, who had been smashed so often recently that coach Denis Pagan was sacked midweek. The Blues were spirited and tenacious all day and still a silly chance to snatch a win when 11 points down with three minutes remaining. The Article David Reed/HeraldSun/29Jul07 Not our best performance: Gehrig . . . Gehrig kicked 6.1 from seven marks but said the Saints were perhaps a little fortunate to notch up their fifth win in six games. "It was definitely not one of our better performances," he told Channel Ten. "They kept coming at us and we were a bit lucky in the end. I'm glad 250 only comes around once because as I said, it wasn't our best performance." Nick Riewoldt chipped in with four goals and Stephen Milne two for St Kilda. The Article ABCNews/28Jul07 Saints take 4 points against Blues Fraser Gehrig kept up his excellent goal-scoring record against a gallant Carlton to guide St Kilda to a 10-point victory at Telstra Dome on Saturday - 16.15 (111) to 15.11 (101). Celebrating his 250th AFL match, Gehrig kicked six majors to take his tally to 35 in his past six outings against the Blues. More importantly, the victory - St Kilda's ninth in-a-row against Carlton stretching back to 2001 - has brought the Saints level with the Western Bulldogs on 36 points and gives them a vital edge in the race for the finals over Essendon, Sydney and Adelaide all of whom are on 32 with a game in hand. Co-captain Nick Riewoldt, who lowered his colours to Jarrad Waite when the teams clashed earlier in the season, won the return bout comprehensively dragging in six contested grabs and bagging four goals. Coming off hammerings by the Swans and Lions over the past fortnight, the Blues lifted for club great Brett Ratten in his AFL coaching debut. For the Blues, Mark Murphy was outstanding in a run-with role on Leigh Montagna, holding the prolific St Kilda ball-winner to just 13 touches. Third-gamer Ryan Jackson was just as impressive in a similar role shadowing Robert Harvey, gathering 23 possessions and 12 marks. The Article Angus Morgan/Sportal/28Jul07 Saints hold off spirited Blues St Kilda's charge into AFL finals contention continued today, despite a late challenge from Carlton at Telstra Dome . . . Saints centre half-forward Nick Riewoldt was best afield with four goals and Fraser Gehrig kicked six in his 250th game, while Brendan Fevola kicked five goals for the Blues. It was St Kilda's fifth win in six games and they now have a 9-8 record, the same for the seventh-placed Western Bulldogs after their 87-point mauling from West Coast last night. Before this weekend, the Saints were level on premiership points with eighth-placed Sydney, Adelaide and Essendon. Ratten took over as coach on Tuesday, a day after the Blues sacked Denis Pagan. Carlton played with much more spirit today, but struggled to contain the Saints' stars, especially Riewoldt and Gehrig. The Saints had the game well in hand when they led by 35 points at three-quarter time, but had narrowed the margin to 11 points late in the game when Bryce Gibbs earnt a free kick in front of goal. The Article HeraldSun/28Jul07 Saints stay in hunt for AFL finals Riewoldt was best-afield with his four goals and 11 marks, while Gehrig kicked six majors in his 250th game. Brendan Fevola kicked five goals for the Blues and Ratten described his pressure and workrate as "outstanding". The third term was crucial with the Saints, as they kicked four goals to two to lead by 35 points at the last change. Carlton then charged home with six goals to two and Bryce Gibbs had a shot at goal with less than a minute left. Had he kicked straight, the Blues would have been only five points down, but it was a behind. The Article Roger Vaughan/BlayneyNews/28Jul07 Carlton game thoughts 'mad saint guy' saintsational.com Posted on this site: R17 Post-game Articles Roumour - St Kilda Board Challenge 'skeptic' et al saintsational.com The run home With five weeks remaining in the home and away season, 13 sides still harbour hopes of playing finals football . . . GEELONG (1st, 56 points): Richmond (SS) Adelaide (SS) Kangaroos (TD) Port Adelaide (SS) Brisbane Lions (G) KANGAROOS (2nd, 48pts): Brisbane Lions (G) West Coast (TD) Geelong (TD) Carlton (TD) Western Bulldogs (TD) PORT ADELAIDE (3rd, 44pts): Adelaide (A) Carlton (A) Hawthorn (Au) Geelong (SS) Fremantle (A) WEST COAST (4th, 44pts): Fremantle (S) Kangaroos (TD) Richmond (S) St Kilda (TD) Essendon (S) HAWTHORN (5th, 40pts): Essendon (MCG) Brisbane Lions (MCG) PortAdelaide (Au) Western Bulldogs (TD) Sydney (SCG) COLLINGWOOD (6th, 40pts): Carlton (MCG) Richmond (MCG) Melbourne (MCG) Sydney (MCG) Adelaide (TD) SYDNEY SWANS (7th, 36pts): Melbourne (M) St Kilda (TS) Brisbane Lions (G) Collingwood (MCG) Hawthorn (SCG) ESSENDON (8th, 36pts): Hawthorn (MCG) Fremantle (S) Carlton (MCG) Richmond (MCG) West Coast (S) ST KILDA (9th, 36pts): Western Bulldogs (TD) Sydney (TS) Fremantle (TD) West Coast (TD) Richmond (MCG) WESTERN BULLDOGS (10th, 36pts): St Kilda (TD) Melbourne (TD) Adelaide (A) Hawthorn (TD) Kangaroos (TD) BRISBANE LIONS (11th, 34pts): Kangaroos (G) Hawthorn (MCG) Sydney (G) Adelaide (A) Geelong (G) ADELAIDE (12th, 32pts): Port Adelaide (A) Geelong (SS) Western Bulldogs (A) Brisbane Lions (A) Collingwood (TD) FREMANTLE (13th, 28pts): West Coast (S) Essendon (S) St Kilda (TD) Melbourne (S) Port Adelaide (A) Key: S - Subiaco Oval, A - AAMI Stadium, TD - Telstra Dome, TS - Telstra Stadium, SS - Skilled Stadium, G - Gabba, Au - Aurora Stadium (Launceston), M - Manuka Oval (Canberra) The Article AAP/afl.com.au/30Jul07 Ladder Predicter allthestats Not a good year for Brendon Goddard's brother in heroin ring The half-brother of St Kilda football star Brendon Goddard has pleaded guilty to large-scale heroin trafficking. Beau Raymond Goddard, 29, was one of three people who yesterday owned up to their part in a major drug ring operating from Melbourne's western suburbs. Goddard pleaded guilty in the County Court to trafficking a large commercial quantity of heroin between February and August, 2003. Goddard was a key player in a ring broken by Taskforce Mystical, made up of officers from the former Victoria Police drug, Asian and tactical response squads. Police told an out-of-sessions court hearing after his September 2003 arrest that Goddard had been captured on phone intercepts talking to other crime gang members. It was alleged he had sold blocks of heroin for between $105,000 and $115,000. Houses, sports cars, jewellery and cash were seized from gang members in the police swoop. The Article Mark Buttler/HeraldSun/31Jul07 All teams have players with heart who are not good enough . . . If we are to do any good this year we need that little bit more. In the ruck: M Clarke will displace Rix as Clarke does more around the ground and his ruckwork is better. Kosi and Clarke will share the ruck, which will still be short of WC . . . but will still be better that what we have had for several years. To improve our team in 2008 we really do need Gardi to emerge, the odds of getting another ready made ruckman would be slim, and van Reenen while promising is realistically two years or more away. Midfield: with X's underperformance and Mini having gone backwards this year. We are short a midfielder. Blake is playing by default. Medium Forward: with Hamill being injured we have no one. Ouch!!! Sweeney is not yet there. raymond has not come on at all. Raph is also not there, nor is Gwilt. You need another REGULAR pathway to goals besides your tall forwards (we are very good here) and your small forwards (where Milney is doing ok). Key defenders: While Sam Fisher can play there were are way better of with him on a flank or running free. Goose is still underdone but IF we make the finals he should be in ok form by then. Ditto for Max. We cannot afford for either to have an injury though, and with Max's recent record this is alittle risky. Now there is no such thing as a perfect team . . . all teams have flaws, however Premiership teams tend to have less flaws. At present we have the problems of having: • Several players playing below what they need to be (X, Gram-injury restricted perhaps???, Goose , Max, Ball). We need more out of them. • Several players such as Rix and Blake who are simply not good enough. (Though yes they have great attitudes and wrk ethics). • Several areas of weakness (ie with X not up to scratch at present we area class mifielder short, we do not have regular HF, key backs are at the bare minimum, ruck are competitive but not good). We remain blessed with good power forwards, with Roo running into top form at the right time of year . . . and Kosi edging towrds ok form. GTrain despite the flack is a good contributor. To be succesful this year we need more from some lesser lights and for our injury restricted players to run into better form. The Post'saintsRrising' saintsational.com Ladder Predictictions 'saintsRrising' et al saintsational.com
Australian football's Tonga venture is gaining momentum as next year's International Cup approaches. The nation's close proximity to Australia, its hunger for physical sport and the enthusiasm of a few Aussies wanting to spread the game they love has been a positive mixture that, whilst not immune to setbacks, has so far been a recipe for success. We explore their journey from that first kick around to being the AFL's newest affiliate nation. The Article AFL/saints.com.au/30Jul07 Saints rave: the next generation Saturday's rendezvous with the Blues always felt like it had that potential to be a pothole in the road to September for the Saints. With Carlton finally filing for a divorce to end their loveless marriage with their coach earlier in the week, there was always the potential for trouble. This would be no Kramer v Kramer saga, either. Denis Pagan wouldn't be hanging around fighting for custody of the kiddies and, come to think of it, Dustin Hoffman could probably have done a better job with the Blues than Pagan has in recent times. A favourite son was returning as new coach in the guise of Brett Ratten, and he was taking charge of a team with nothing to lose. The Article Francis Leach/saints.com.au/30Jul07 Lyon wants Gehrig to play on . . . Lyon said yesterday he would encourage Gehrig to play on, considering the form he was displaying. "He is a really respected team leader and it was a great result for his 250th," he said. "We will have plenty of time to sit down with Fraser. He will say, 'Let's go and sit down and have a coffee, or maybe a beer'. And, as it sits today, would I like Fraser to play on? In a perfect world, yes, but there are some issues we have to work through." St Kilda faces the Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome on Friday night. "They have their backs to the wall and they will be under a lot of heat . . . we will be aware of them coming in fully committed and desperate but there is no reason we shouldn't be the same," Lyon said. The Article Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/29Jul07 AFL, clubs discuss hot topics THE AFL executive concluded a two-day meeting with the 16 club chief executives on Thursday, with discussions centered on a number of key items within the game. AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said the executive had updated each of the clubs following last week's AFL commission meeting in Melbourne. Club bosses were updated on the continuing development of: • The AFL's Player Behaviour Policy under Rule 1.6 • The second tier review of the game • The Laws of the Game process following the 2007 season • State of Origin planning for 2008 • Research into player alcohol consumption and the Illicit Drug Policy. The Article afl.com.au/26Jul07 More on AFL's club executive meeting oucomes in: R17 Pre-game Articles Mother's Day weekend for Origin match One State-of-Origin concept under consideration by the AFL for next year would have Victoria play an All-Stars team on Mother's Day weekend. The match would be played at the MCG on the night of May 10, a Saturday, the only fixture on a weekend when the AFL struggles to maintain its usual crowds. AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou confirmed the All-Stars possibility last night: "It was certainly canvassed at our meeting (club chief executives); it's a real option." Both teams would be picked on State-of-Origin basis, with players in the All-Stars line-up wearing a miniature emblem of their state on a common guernsey. Demetriou said the AFL would consider four choices to mark football's 150th year, with a decision expected within a month. "We're desperately keen to have an event next year incorporating something that relates to State-of-Origin," he said. "We're no closer to making a decision, but the All-Stars idea had support." The problem, of course, is an All-Stars team doesn't represent a specific state, rather the rest of Australia. The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/28Jul07 Jobs for the Premiers, as Kennett attacks Demetriou on Bracks Hawthorn president and former premier Jeff Kennett took a swipe at AFL boss Andrew Demetriou yesterday for touting outgoing Premier Steve Bracks as a potential league commissioner. The Article Mario Xuereb/RealFooty/29Jul07 AFL considers Bracks for commission Caroline Wilson/RealFooty/29Jul07 Dump the priority pick The AFL's priority selection is doomed. As positive as it might be in principle, it is fatally flawed in practice and has to go. It has turned the second half of Carlton's season into farce, with the administration and probably the majority of the club's supporters happy, even keen, to continue losing. Virtually everyone connected to the club -- players aside -- got what they wanted at the weekend: a respectable 10-point loss to St Kilda at Telstra Dome. With five rounds remaining, Carlton collectively wants nothing more than another five gallant losses . . . Melbourne, God forbid, might be so bad by then that Carlton might win simply by turning up . . . One win will disqualify Carlton from a priority selection before the national draft, a benefit that carries first pick of every potential draftee in the country. Free. For nothing. Without any penalty in the draft proper. It is a massive reward, one reserved for any club that fails to win more than four games in two seasons running. I support the philosophy of helping clubs mired at the bottom of the ladder, regardless of the reason. But the current example, and perhaps one or two examples in recent years, attacks the competition's integrity. The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/31Jul07 Pies, Bombers get luck of the draw This is the time of the year when the unfairness of the AFL draw really starts to kick in. And this season it is set to play a bigger role than ever in shaping the eventual make-up of the final eight. With just four games separating the teams from second to 12th on the ladder, there is everything to play for with five rounds remaining and the only certainties right now are that Geelong will be involved in the September action and Carlton, Richmond and Melbourne won't be. But the Blues, Tigers and Demons are still going to have a significant say in which teams take part in the finals and which don't in 2007. That is because the teams that get to play them twice are virtually assured of extra premiership points compared to the teams that don't. The three strugglers between them have won just eight games for the season and you have to go back to 1993 - when Brisbane, Richmond and Sydney won just nine games between them - for a year when there were three teams as uncompetitive as the Blues, Dees and Tigers are right now. And it is Collingwood and to a lesser extent Essendon, which are the big winners from the AFL's unfair draw in the crucial run home to this year's finals series. The Magpies play all three strugglers over the next three weeks and right at a time when they are starting to look vulnerable, following their 93-point loss to Brisbane this weekend. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/31Jul07 Roos stresses the need for junior development Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos says AFL clubs need to invest more resources into development to stand any chance of prolonged success. Roos said the fact that clubs who consistently finish near the top of the ladder miss out on the best young talent in the draft meant more time needed to be devoted to junior development. "Teams are well aware that you want to finish as close to the top as possible, but by doing that you're not getting pick one, two and three in the draft," he said. "So you actually have to put more resources into your development and that's the next stage for us as well. We want to stay at the top but it is very, very difficult if you're not getting the top half a dozen kids in the country." The Article ABCNews/30Jul07 AFL origin 'insult' Michelangelo Rucci/AdelaideAdvertiser/31July07 THE SACKED COACHES Voss, Sheeds on Dee radar Melbourne is ready to interview "preferred candidates" for its coaching vacancy with Kevin Sheedy and Michael Voss among them. A statement issued by the club last night said: "Melbourne FC is well advanced with its process for the appointment of a new head coach. The club has completed the first two stages of the process and is now moving to the stage of interviewing preferred candidates over the next few weeks before drawing up a short-list for final discussions and an appointment." Interviews are expected to start on Thursday, with Carlton caretaker coach Brett Ratten and Collingwood assistant Guy McKenna among them. Melbourne chief executive Steve Harris spoke with Voss by phone yesterday and he, too, is expected to be interviewed this week. The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/31Jul07 Matthews advises Voss to think twice Caroline Wilson/RealFooty/31Jul07 Voss's ready for coaching fight Dan Koch/TheAustralian/31Jul07 Voss would be ideal AFL coach: Matthews AAP/TheAge/30Jul07 Voss ready to coach, says Lethal ABCNews/30Jul07 Fans want answers on Sheedy Mark Robinson/FoxSports/31Jul07 MORE: SACKED COACHES ARTICLES This site GO BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
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