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Round 19 AFL 2007 Premiership Season - Pre-game Articles - Sydney Swans vs St Kilda
If the Swans are to be successful tomorrow night and keep their chase for the eight on track, expect to see almost as much tackling against St Kilda at Telstra Stadium as there will be in tonight's Roosters-Tigers NRL clash. While it's no secret the Swans rely on a brand of high pressure football, Sydney midfielder Ben Mathews spoke yesterday about the importance of tackling. When Sydney met St Kilda in May, tackling was a statistic the Saints hammered the Swans in and, as a result, won the game. "A lot of it boiled down to our pressure," Mathews said of the round-seven clash. "I think we missed 25 tackles, and I think we only made 20 to 25, which across the team is unheard of for us - a 50 per cent tackling percentage - so if we don't get that right this time, we'll fall off the pace very quickly. It's the basis of our game, our pressure and our tackling and the pursuit of them when we haven't got the ball. If our tackling's not there like it has been the last two or three years, we struggle. We aim for an 80 per cent-plus tackling percentage. It's something we have to get right, and we think we've got that right over the second half of the season. The stats show we have something like 90 per cent success rate when it's [tackling percentage] over 80 per cent. We pride ourselves on that pressure and tackling and forcing them into errors." Sydney made two changes to the team that comfortably defeated Melbourne last weekend, with co-captain Leo Barry returning after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury, and fellow defender Lewis Roberts-Thomson set to make his 2007 debut after a season dogged by injury. The Article Michael Cowley/RealFooty/10Aug07 St Kilda Match Preview: Swans v Saints Ben Broad/saints.com.au AFL Match Preview: Swans v Saints afl.com.au Sportal Match Preview: Swans v Saints sportal.com.au Sydney tackle the big picture The Swans are planning to tackle St Kilda into submission tomorrow night, with defensive midfielder Ben Mathews revealing that Sydney win 90 per cent of their games when they make 80 per cent of their tackles. Sydney suffered their biggest loss of the season against the Saints back in round 7, going down by 26 points at Telstra Dome after making just 50 per cent of their tackles. The Swans are averaging 56 tackles a game this year but Mathews says they made 20 tackles after missing 25 against St Kilda, who blew the game wide open with a five-goals-to-two effort in the third quarter. "That's unheard of for us," Mathews said. "It's something we have to get right." Since rediscovering the cornerstone of their game, Sydney have turned their season around winning four of their last five games to remain in the hunt for the all-important top four finish going into the finals. However, against the Saints the Swans showed just how bad they can be when they don't pressure their opponents. This was compounded by deplorable skills and decision-making when it came to delivering the ball into the forward line. The Article Tim Morrissey/DailyTelegraph/10Aug07 Defenders face biggest test It is shaping as one of the closest finishes to an AFL season in recent years - and the Swans' charge to a third straight grand final could rest with their last line of defence. Over the next four weeks the Sydney backline will encounter some of the game's most formidable forwards, starting tomorrow night with a colossal St Kilda forward line, as the scramble for the finals hots right up. If tomorrow night's task wasn't daunting enough, in the weeks to come the Swans will take on two contenders for the Coleman Medal as well as some of the AFL's best centre half-forwards. The Swans have been light in defence in recent weeks with a hamstring injury to co-captain and fullback Leo Barry, but his return this week has come just in time. Tomorrow night, the traditionally under-sized Swans defence will meet St Kilda and a forward line composing Nick Riewoldt, Fraser Gehrig and Justin Koschitzke. Barry and Craig Bolton are the likely opponents for Gehrig and Riewoldt, and while Koschitzke has played predominantly in the ruck in 2007, he could prove costly for a small-in-stature backline. But few pose as much fear as Brisbane Lions powerhouse Jonathan Brown, who awaits Sydney when they travel to the Gabba next weekend. The Article Amy Dale/DailyTelegraph/10Aug07 Luke Ball: More than a game It was late September of 2006 and Luke Ball had just completed his season as Saints' captain under their rotation policy. The season had not been what the then 22-year-old high-achiever had envisaged. His lower abdominal injuries were a talking point, and the Saints again underachieved, bowing out in the elimination final. But all of that soon became insignificant. In the mid '90s, Ball had his "first real girlfriend", a girl by the name of Nikki Dwyer. He was in year eight and she was in year nine, and their initial romantic connection transformed into a wonderful, long-lasting friendship. They've developed a strong bond. Last September, though, Dwyer's life changed for ever. "I discovered the lump at the end of September," Dwyer said. "It wasn't really in my breast per se, it was sort of down the bottom, almost where the rib cage is." "About a week later I went to my GP, had an ultrasound and they still didn't know what it was, they presumed it was a cyst. But they recommended a needle biopsy and the next day I was told it was cancer." The Article Nikki Tugwell/HeraldSun/10Aug07 LRT returns to tackle Saints Midfielder Ben Mathews yesterday revealed the simple formula that has helped take Sydney to the past two grand finals. Mathews said the Swans focused on making at least 80 per cent of their tackles stick. If they tie up their opponents that often, statistics show they win nine games out of 10. So it was no wonder they went down to St Kilda by 26 points when they last met in round seven at Telstra Dome. On that May night Sydney made only 20 effective tackles, a count Mathews said was "unheard of". "A lot of it boiled down to our pressure, we missed something like 25 tackles and only went at 50 per cent tackling percentage," Mathews said. At the same time, the Saints registered 59 tackles as coach Ross Lyon, the former midfield coach at Sydney, used his inside knowledge to upset the Swans' well-worn formula for winning. So this time around, Sydney is prepared. Premiership player Lewis Roberts-Thomson, who has not played in the seniors since the 2006 grand final, was yesterday called in from the cold of the AFL Canberra competition as the Swans look to mount a tackling blitz against St Kilda tomorrow night at Telstra Stadium. Key defender Leo Barry is also back after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury to bolster Sydney's defence, which has the task of containing big Saints forwards Nick Riewoldt and Fraser Gehrig. In their last encounter, Riewoldt grabbed 14 marks and 21 possessions as he feasted on the ferocious pressure and in-close work around the ball from the Saints' midfielders. The Article Jenny McAsey/TheAustralian/10Aug07 Clarkes join cancer battle St Kilda brothers Xavier and Raphael Clarke have joined forces with sister Frances in support of Australians living with breast cancer. The Clarke family put out the call yesterday for 13,000 men and women to don bright pink ponchos and take to the field before Saturday night's match between St Kilda and Sydney at Telstra Stadium. Breast Cancer Network Australia wants participants to stand in the shape of a pink lady to represent the 13,000 people diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Xavier Clarke said Saturday's blockbuster offered the perfect setting to raise awareness of the deadly disease The Article Gareth Trickey/HeraldSun/09Aug07 Pre and Post Match Functions in Sydney The Harbour City Saints Supporter Group are holding two functions for our Round 19 clash against the Swans. Saints members and supporters are invited to come along and enjoy the experience both pre and post game with fellow Sainters. Both functions will be held at the Badgery Pavilion, Grand Parade Sydney Showgrounds, which is located just across from the stadium. Pre-Match informal drinks: 5.00pm until 7.30pm - After Match Function: 10.10pm until 11.40pm. Players will be in attendance after the match (post warm down) and our MC for the night will be Rhys Muldoon. Contact info and location map saints.com.au Swans grab ground edge over Saints With the finals less than a month away, you take every advantage you can get, and the Swans have possibly been given the slightest of edges heading into Saturday night's clash with St Kilda. St Kilda has never played at Telstra Stadium, a venue described in the past by visiting clubs as different to most other AFL grounds . . . "(In terms of the Saints not having even seen the ground), I don't know if it is a disadvantage but it is probably a ground you want to get on and have a wander around. I'm not sure what Rossy's (Ross Lyon, St Kilda coach) plans are. It is a bit of an unusual sized and shaped ground. It's a little bit similar to Kardinia Park (at Geelong) and I don't think St Kilda have played down there either this year." Roos is hopeful of being able to include Leo Barry back in the team this week after the full-back missed the past fortnight with a hamstring injury. The Article Michael Cowley/RealFooty/09Aug07 Team to tackle Saints uncertain: Roos Coach Paul Roos and his match committee are still undecided on the make-up of the team for the important clash with St Kilda on Saturday night at Telstra Stadium. Co-captain Leo Barry, missing from the past two games with a hamstring injury is a chance of returning, as is premiership defender Lewis Roberts-Thomson. Roberts-Thomson suffered a foot injury late in the 2006 season and didn't make a return through the seconds until round ten this year. He has been regaining match fitness and form since then and, up until this week Roos hadn't been convinced he was ready to step up to senior level. "The bottom line with Lewie is we want him back in the team at some point, it is just whether this is the right week or whether he needs another game in the seconds and if next week is the right week?" Roos said today at the SCG, after Roberts-Thomson kicked five goals in the Reserves win over Ainslie on Saturday. "We need Leo to get through training tomorrow but we are hoping and expecting him to play. We talked about Lewie today (in the match committee meeting) and that will probably depend on what the mix of the team looks like and whether Leo comes in or doesn't come in. It is possible we could bring both of them back in, we will take into account that it is going to be a nice night, in which case you don't want to go in with too many talls. We probably won't have much of a better idea until after training tomorrow but we obviously have to put our team in before that so we will make a decision just before training." The Article Tara White/AFL/saints.com.au/08Jul07 Lyon rejects 'no risk' tag St Kilda coach Ross Lyon denies claims his side is playing too conservatively, as they attempt to secure a finals berth. The Saints have a chance to break into the AFL's top eight when they take on Sydney at Telstra Stadium on Saturday night. Lyon said the Saints' results over the last seven weeks was evidence his side does not played a totally risk-free style of football. "Reading between the lines you'd think we play 'no risk' football. I'd debate that, our attack's eighth in the competition since the break," he said. "We are defending well. We've won five-and-a-half out of seven. Could have easily been six. I think we take calculated risks. That's what teams do." St Kilda would currently be in eighth place had they not given up a 23-point final quarter lead to the Western Bulldogs in Friday night's draw at the Telstra Dome. Only a desperate play by rebounding backman Jason Gram gave Nick Riewoldt a chance to level the scores at the death. This weekend's clash with the seventh-placed Swans may hold the key to the Saints' finals hopes. The inconsistent Sydney have been defeated in both matches at Telstra Stadium this season, but Lyon said the venue would not be a factor when the sides meet on Saturday night. The Article ABCNews/08Aug07 Tadhg Kennelly's Take: . . . As for the AFL Women's Round game against St Kilda this weekend, it's a huge match for both teams. It's one we really have to win . . . Of course we'll be coming up against our old assistant coach Ross Lyon again. Rossy was an integral part of our club for many years and he knows us inside out. He's trying to implement our game plan with St Kilda and that's what's going to make it such a tight contest because the game plans are so similar. We know what Rossy likes and doesn't like and he knows what we like and don't like. It's almost like the rivalry we have with West Coast. We know what they're going to throw up and they know what we're going to throw up. It's going to be all about who sticks to their game plan. I know Rossy's copped a little bit of criticism because of the way he is in press conferences, but he's just straight down the line. He calls it as he sees it. That's the way he is. You can see it in press conferences. He doesn't exaggerate, or talk around the point or walk around the point, he just calls it straight. If a player's playing ordinary he'll tell you. That's the way he is. He's just so honest. That's the sort of person you want around a football club. Someone that doesn't talk rubbish and doesn't just tell you what you want to hear . . . 'Football's a running game', he used to always say to us. 'It's all about running'. 'There's a couple of times when you have to put your head over the football, but generally it's all about running, so get on your bike and get going', he would say. The Article Tadhg Kennelly/AFL/saints.com.au/08Jul07 Saints asked to pay Thomas $200,000 Grant Thomas is demanding $200,000 from St Kilda in the latest fallout from his sacking as coach last year. In yet another distraction involving Thomas as the Saints attempt to make the finals, the former coach has issued the demand through lawyers and will consider legal action if the matter is not resolved. St Kilda believes it has already paid out Thomas's contract, which was to have expired at the end of this year, and is expected to reject the claim. Complicating the latest Thomas chapter is the fact his $200,000 demand will not be officially dealt with by St Kilda until he legally resolves a long-running financial stand-off with club president Rod Butterss. While Thomas and Butterss claim to have verbally and confidentially settled on a $1.14 million personal loan Butterss gave Thomas in 2001, documents supporting the resolution have not been lodged in court. Lawyers involved in the Thomas-St Kilda dispute have said they will not consider crunching a settlement until the Thomas-Butterss matter is officially resolved. "I've got no comment to make at all," Thomas said when contacted by the Herald Sun last night. The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/09Aug07 AFL injury fears start on bench The AFL has warned interchange rotations will continue to explode, potentially peaking at 200 a game. Research findings released yesterday predict teams will make 80-100 interchanges each a game if the use of the bench is left uncapped. In a game of 120 minutes, the possible future scenario is a move every 36 seconds. Bench moves have already risen 235 per cent in seven years - from a game average of 17 a club in 2000 to 57 a club this year. The AFL is investigating whether more bench moves and the resulting lift in intensity is causing more high-speed collision injuries. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/10Aug07 Barry Hall and his mother Three cheers for the mums who make footy great Barry Hall/RealFooty/10Jul07 Team to tackle Saints uncertain: Roos Coach Paul Roos and his match committee are still undecided on the make-up of the team for the important clash with St Kilda on Saturday night at Telstra Stadium. Co-captain Leo Barry, missing from the past two games with a hamstring injury is a chance of returning, as is premiership defender Lewis Roberts-Thomson. Roberts-Thomson suffered a foot injury late in the 2006 season and didn't make a return through the seconds until round ten this year. He has been regaining match fitness and form since then and, up until this week Roos hadn't been convinced he was ready to step up to senior level. "The bottom line with Lewie is we want him back in the team at some point, it is just whether this is the right week or whether he needs another game in the seconds and if next week is the right week?" Roos said today at the SCG, after Roberts-Thomson kicked five goals in the Reserves win over Ainslie on Saturday. "We need Leo to get through training tomorrow but we are hoping and expecting him to play. We talked about Lewie today (in the match committee meeting) and that will probably depend on what the mix of the team looks like and whether Leo comes in or doesn't come in. It is possible we could bring both of them back in, we will take into account that it is going to be a nice night, in which case you don't want to go in with too many talls. We probably won't have much of a better idea until after training tomorrow but we obviously have to put our team in before that so we will make a decision just before training." The Article Tara White/AFL/saints.com.au/08Jul07 Saints asked to pay Thomas $200,000 Grant Thomas is demanding $200,000 from St Kilda in the latest fallout from his sacking as coach last year. In yet another distraction involving Thomas as the Saints attempt to make the finals, the former coach has issued the demand through lawyers and will consider legal action if the matter is not resolved. St Kilda believes it has already paid out Thomas's contract, which was to have expired at the end of this year, and is expected to reject the claim. Complicating the latest Thomas chapter is the fact his $200,000 demand will not be officially dealt with by St Kilda until he legally resolves a long-running financial stand-off with club president Rod Butterss. While Thomas and Butterss claim to have verbally and confidentially settled on a $1.14 million personal loan Butterss gave Thomas in 2001, documents supporting the resolution have not been lodged in court. Lawyers involved in the Thomas-St Kilda dispute have said they will not consider crunching a settlement until the Thomas-Butterss matter is officially resolved. "I've got no comment to make at all," Thomas said when contacted by the Herald Sun last night. The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/09Aug07 Mick McGuane in crime probe Mick McGuane has allegedly been caught on police surveillance visiting men claimed to be linked to Melbourne's gangland war. McGuane has allegedly been detected associating with an accused drug manufacturer and another man claimed to be involved in organised crime. He has been named in a brief of evidence that will be made public in a trial set for February. At least one of the men he knows is linked to convicted drug trafficker and captured fugitive Tony Mokbel. Police claim they saw McGuane repeatedly entering a house used as an amphetamine laboratory. It is believed anti-gangland Purana detectives have spoken to McGuane over his alleged relationships with gangland figures. McGuane would not comment on whether he had been interviewed by police. The Article HeraldSun/09Aug07 Lyon hunts Roos St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says his inside knowledge will again help the Saints prepare for Saturday night's crunch clash against Sydney. However whether his surging side will be good enough to win at Telstra Stadium is another story. The Saints will head north with every chance of winning after defeating the Swans by 26 points in Round 7 at Telstra Dome - Lyon's first game as senior coach against great mate and former boss, Paul Roos. "I said last time the world knows how Sydney plays but not many beat them," Lyon said yesterday. "They have evolved a little bit from '03 to '04 to '05 but '05-06 they have fundamentally the same structures, same game plan. It's whether you are good enough to cope with it and beat them." Lyon admitted after the Round 7 win that there had been a heavy emphasis on smothering and tackling the Swans, the competition's stoppage specialists. That same mantra will again be required this week in what looms as a tight contest. The Swans have won four of their past five matches, while the Saints have lost just once since the mid-season break and sit outside the top eight only on percentage. Their hopes will be buoyed by the expected return of midfielder Luke Ball, who was a late withdrawal against the Western Bulldogs on Friday because of groin soreness. The Article Jon Pierik/HeraldSun/08Aug07 AFL Match Preview: Swans v Saints afl.com.au Sportal Match Preview: Swans v Saints sportal.com.au Lyon rejects 'no risk' tag St Kilda coach Ross Lyon denies claims his side is playing too conservatively, as they attempt to secure a finals berth. The Saints have a chance to break into the AFL's top eight when they take on Sydney at Telstra Stadium on Saturday night. Lyon said the Saints' results over the last seven weeks was evidence his side does not played a totally risk-free style of football. "Reading between the lines you'd think we play 'no risk' football. I'd debate that, our attack's eighth in the competition since the break," he said. "We are defending well. We've won five-and-a-half out of seven. Could have easily been six. I think we take calculated risks. That's what teams do." St Kilda would currently be in eighth place had they not given up a 23-point final quarter lead to the Western Bulldogs in Friday night's draw at the Telstra Dome. Only a desperate play by rebounding backman Jason Gram gave Nick Riewoldt a chance to level the scores at the death. This weekend's clash with the seventh-placed Swans may hold the key to the Saints' finals hopes. The inconsistent Sydney have been defeated in both matches at Telstra Stadium this season, but Lyon said the venue would not be a factor when the sides meet on Saturday night. The Article ABCNews/08Aug07 Lyon praises old boys Ross Lyon has revealed he instructed Jason Gram to abandon caution in the moments before his long torpedo punt to Nick Riewoldt last Friday and will encourage the Saints to take more calculated risks in an effort to scrape into the finals. Lyon yesterday declared St Kilda's season "well and truly alive" and hopes to give flickering finals hopes further oxygen by ushering Luke Ball into the team for Saturday night's crucial match against Sydney at the Olympic Stadium. "He's fine. He got a bit tight (in the groin last week)," Lyon said. "He's really keen. He will be managed again tonight and train Thursday and he's a big-game player. There is real hope he will play." He also gave further sign that he wants Robert Harvey and Fraser Gehrig to continue next season. Lyon said the form of Harvey and Gehrig, who have played more than 600 games between them, warranted them being selected every week and they deserved the right to say when they wanted to bow out. Apart from addressing errors of skill and decision-making that the Saints made in the final quarter of Friday's draw against the Western Bulldogs and against Carlton the previous week, Lyon said he was willing to back his players to take risks in coming weeks. He also hoped his involvement with Sydney, as an assistant coach for three years, would help him coach against Paul Roos, who has taken the Swans to the past two grand finals with a simple but effective game-plan. "The world knows how Sydney plays, but not many beat them," he said. "It's a massive challenge, but our form since the break has been outstanding and we go up there full of confidence." The Article Chloe Saltau/RealFooty/08Aug07 Saints banking on Ball for finals . . . Lyon, an assistant coach to Roos for three years, was on hand in Canberra last Sunday to watch the Swans easily defeat Melbourne. "They were really well disciplined and well organised," Lyon said. "They were last year's grand finalist, they've added Spida Everitt to the ruck, they're scoring more and defending well. It's a massive challenge." But St Kilda has won five and drawn one of its past seven games to lift itself from 14th at the halfway mark of the season. "Since the break our form has been outstanding and we go up there full of confidence," Lyon said. "The world knows how Sydney plays, but not many beat them. Our season is well and truly alive." Lyon said he did not expect Sydney's poor record this season at Telstra Stadium - where it has lost both games to West Coast and Collingwood - to be an advantage to the Saints. "Last year they (the Swans) were better at Telstra Stadium than the SCG," Lyon said. "We (at Sydney) used to chuckle a little bit because everyone thought they were coming up to a bigger ground at Telstra Stadium, but it's smaller than the SCG. It's longer but narrower. It is a little bit different. Does it give you any advantage over Sydney? I don't think so." The Article Greg Denham/TheAustralian/08Aug07 Roberts-Thomson, Barry return Premiership defender Lewis Roberts-Thomson, who has not played an AFL game this year, will come under the strongest consideration yet for a Swans call-up in their pivotal match against St Kilda on Saturday night. And 2005 grand final hero Leo Barry (hamstring) is almost certain to return for the showdown at Telstra stadium. Coach Paul Roos indicated Roberts-Thomson, who has been searching for form in the reserves after a long-term foot injury, is in his plans as they close in on finals. Roberts-Thomson kicked five goals in the reserves last Saturday. "He played a lot better on the weekend so we will discuss him (today)," the Swans coach said. "It will come down to who is available, who is not available match-up wise, the good thing is, he looked a lot more comfortable on the weekend." Craig Bolton and Barry are expected to mind Nick Riewoldt and Fraser Gehrig respectively but if Justin Koschitzke also plays forward, Roberts-Thomson represents a handy option for Roos. "We want him back before the end of the season," Roos said. "It is just a matter of his form, whether it is improving as to when he gets back in." The Article Nikki Tugwell/DailyTelegraph/08Aug07 Lyon expected to play Ball . . . "He's fine (Luke Ball). All last week he was playing and training then he got a bit tight," Lyon told the media before his troops trained at Moorabbin. "We did a fitness test Friday morning. He had improved, but not enough," I spoke to him before and he's really keen. He'll be managed again tonight and train Thursday. He's a big game player, he's a midfielder, and he's already said to me that he wants to be in the midfield. There's real hope that he will play." Lyon flew to Canberra to watch the Swans dismantle Melbourne on Sunday and admits his side has a tough task ahead . . . "I said last time the world knows how Sydney plays, but not many beat them. It's certainly easier for me during the week in preparation. You know where to drill into them and what to look for. Hopefully that will help me coach a little bit better." He is not finding any solace in the fact Sydney is winless in 2007 at this weekend's venue, however. "If you look at last year, obviously which I was involved with, they were better at Telstra Stadium than they were at the SCG," Lyon said. "The SCG actually opened up a little bit for them. We used to chuckle a little bit because everyone thought they were coming up to a bigger ground at Telstra Stadium but in area surface it is smaller than the SCG." The Article John Clark/Sportal/07Aug07  VIEW ROSS LYON TUESDAY PRESS CONFERENCE Sportal
Lyon happy for Saints to take risks St Kilda coach Ross Lyon is happy for the Saints to take calculated risks like Jason Gram did last week to help reach the finals. Lyon has revealed he sent a message to Gram in the dying stages of last Friday night's game against the Western Bulldogs, instructing the long-kicking half-back to get into a position where he could thump the ball into attack. With seconds left in the game and St Kilda down by a point, Gram got himself in the clear, got the ball and unloaded a 60-metre torpedo punt, which was marked by team-mate Nick Riewoldt. Riewoldt's resultant kick was touched for a behind which forced a draw and at least earned the Saints two points, which kept their finals ambitions alive. Gram's kick went against Lyon's belief in playing the percentages, but the coach praised the play and indicated he was happy for his players to be daring where needed. "It was unpredictable," Lyon said. "We sent the message to Gram to run forward, take every risk and to his credit he took that on and unleashed the torp and he had a champion on the end of it, marking it, so it was a really good play. Reading between the lines you think we play no risk football - I'd debate that. Our attack's eighth in the competition since the break, we're defending well, we've won five-and-a-half out of seven and it could have easily been six. "I think we take calculated risks. That's what teams do." The Article Adam Cooper/AFL/saints.com.au/07Aug07  VIEW NICKS MARK OF THE YEAR NOMINATION afl.com.au
Lyon backs' veterans' form for next season St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has given a further sign he wants veterans Robert Harvey and Fraser Gehrig to continue their AFL careers next season. Lyon said the form of both Harvey and Gehrig, who have played more than 600 games between them, warranted them being selected every week and they deserved the right to say when they wanted to bow out. Harvey, who turns 36 this month, is showing no signs of weariness amid another great season in the midfield and is desperate to cap his brilliant 356-game career with a premiership. Gehrig, 31, has booted 42 goals at full-forward this season and although he had a shocker against the Western Bulldogs last Friday night, his form over the next month will go a long way to determining whether the Saints reach the finals. Lyon said he had not spoken to either of the veterans about playing on next year, and did not expect to until after the season. "I haven't spoken to Harvey once about it (a new contract)," he said. "He deserves to control his own finish and agenda and when he feels it's appropriate to come and talk to me, which I assume will be after the season, and Fraser would be the same because that's the way they are, well, then I'll sit down. At this point both of them could obviously go either way. If you predicate it on form, their form warrants selection every week without doubt." The Article AAP/HeraldSun/07Aug07 Harvey, Gehrig can play on: Lyon AAP/Adam Cooper/AFL/saints.com.au/07Aug07 Tadhg Kennelly's Take: . . . As for the AFL Women's Round game against St Kilda this weekend, it's a huge match for both teams. It's one we really have to win . . . Of course we'll be coming up against our old assistant coach Ross Lyon again. Rossy was an integral part of our club for many years and he knows us inside out. He's trying to implement our game plan with St Kilda and that's what's going to make it such a tight contest because the game plans are so similar. We know what Rossy likes and doesn't like and he knows what we like and don't like. It's almost like the rivalry we have with West Coast. We know what they're going to throw up and they know what we're going to throw up. It's going to be all about who sticks to their game plan. I know Rossy's copped a little bit of criticism because of the way he is in press conferences, but he's just straight down the line. He calls it as he sees it. That's the way he is. You can see it in press conferences. He doesn't exaggerate, or talk around the point or walk around the point, he just calls it straight. If a player's playing ordinary he'll tell you. That's the way he is. He's just so honest. That's the sort of person you want around a football club. Someone that doesn't talk rubbish and doesn't just tell you what you want to hear . . . 'Football's a running game', he used to always say to us. 'It's all about running'. 'There's a couple of times when you have to put your head over the football, but generally it's all about running, so get on your bike and get going', he would say. The Article Tadhg Kennelly AFL/saints.com.au/08Jul07 Saints asked to pay Thomas $200,000 Grant Thomas is demanding $200,000 from St Kilda in the latest fallout from his sacking as coach last year. In yet another distraction involving Thomas as the Saints attempt to make the finals, the former coach has issued the demand through lawyers and will consider legal action if the matter is not resolved. St Kilda believes it has already paid out Thomas's contract, which was to have expired at the end of this year, and is expected to reject the claim. Complicating the latest Thomas chapter is the fact his $200,000 demand will not be officially dealt with by St Kilda until he legally resolves a long-running financial stand-off with club president Rod Butterss. While Thomas and Butterss claim to have verbally and confidentially settled on a $1.14 million personal loan Butterss gave Thomas in 2001, documents supporting the resolution have not been lodged in court. Lawyers involved in the Thomas-St Kilda dispute have said they will not consider crunching a settlement until the Thomas-Butterss matter is officially resolved. "I've got no comment to make at all," Thomas said when contacted by the Herald Sun last night. The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/09Aug07 Mick McGuane in crime probe Mick McGuane has allegedly been caught on police surveillance visiting men claimed to be linked to Melbourne's gangland war. McGuane has allegedly been detected associating with an accused drug manufacturer and another man claimed to be involved in organised crime. He has been named in a brief of evidence that will be made public in a trial set for February. At least one of the men he knows is linked to convicted drug trafficker and captured fugitive Tony Mokbel. Police claim they saw McGuane repeatedly entering a house used as an amphetamine laboratory. It is believed anti-gangland Purana detectives have spoken to McGuane over his alleged relationships with gangland figures. McGuane would not comment on whether he had been interviewed by police. The Article HeraldSun/09Aug07 End of the uber-coaches Jake Niall RealFooty/09Jul07 GO BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
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