westofmoorabbin.com
|
|
|
| HOME l GO BACK |
2007 Round 3 Pre-game Articles
St Kilda v Western Bulldogs Summary: The two sides were impressive in round one, but lost badly last weekend and suffered injuries as well. Following Matt Maguire's stress fracture, fellow Saints key defender Max Hudghton is also out with a quad strain. The Bulldogs will be without boom recruit Jason Akermanis (hamstring). St Kilda regain co-captain Nick Riewoldt from his pre-season injury woes and the Bulldogs recall full-back Brian Harris from suspension. Overall, the 'Dogs look a better side at the moment, but it depends how they rebound from the Crows loss - the 38-point margin was very flattering. Key Saints key forward Fraser Gehrig starred in round one, but he was starved of supply against Brisbane and never really exerted his considerable influence on the game. His double act with Riewoldt is one of the best key-forward setups in the AFL. The Article AAP/TheAge/RealFooty/14Apr07
Ray Ball, Luke's father was interviewed on SEN on Saturday morning. He said "Luke's going OK" and said that it was a myth that his parents intervened regarding the decision about Luke not playing and wanted to put the story right. He said, "We were no more concerned than everyone else". He said that club and club doctor Ian Stone are in control and kept them informed. He said that 'Stoney' phoned them after the game and Jenny, Luke's mother, said that 'Bally was fast asleep on the couch' and that wasn't normal for him, and that is all that happened and they were not overly concerned. He said the Neurosurgeon said Luke can't play and we go along with him and the club's decisions and have total faith in them. Following a question referring to GT's on-air comment that Luke leaves himself open for injury, Ray Ball said that he didn't necessarily agree with that and football is a contact sport and accepts this as part of the game. He said that he gets a "sinking feeling in the gut" when Luke gets hit but suggested that the large bandages often make things look worse than they really are. He said that if you put a small band-aid on a facial cut it would fall off. He said that Luke has had a full pre-season and is extremely frustrated he can't play, the recent incident happened in the early part of his first game which is very unfortunate. It was generally discussed whether there should have been a report and Ray said that he is happy with the way the AFL deals with these types of situations. WoM Ed Ball faces more head scans: Luke Ball, the AFL's regular battering ram, will have more scans this week to monitor the bruising of his brain that was detected after his latest concussion. St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said yesterday while he was hopeful Ball would return in round four, it was unclear how long the co-captain would be on the sidelines. It was Ball's mother, Jenny, who prompted the Saints to further investigate the midfielder's condition after she noticed her 22-year-old son was sleeping excessively following his round-one collision with Melbourne's Matthew Whelan. A neurologist and neurosurgeon advised St Kilda last Thursday week that Ball should not travel to Brisbane to play against the Lions in round two. Then, after a further MRI scan this week showed the swelling in his brain had reduced but not disappeared, the experts ruled him out of tonight's game against the Western Bulldogs. Jenny Ball told The Age last night that the duration of her son's time on the sidelines depended on the results of the scans he has this week. But despite his propensity to come off second-best in head clashes, she said she and her husband Ray were certain that their child was being well managed. Gardiner - M Clarke: There are queries over the fitness of the Saints' chief ruckman Matthew Clarke, who had a hamstring spasm at training during the week, but Lyon said yesterday he was "pretty confident" he would play. But he did bring big man Barry Brooks — the 15th pick of the 2001 draft, who has played only eight senior games — into the line-up this week. Lyon said former West Coast ruckman/forward Michael Gardiner had had another setback after wearing new orthotics in a VFL game last weekend that irritated one of his feet, and is expected to play reserves again this week. The Article Samantha Lane/RealFooty/14Apr07 Saints hopeful on Ball for round four St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says the Saints hope to have co-skipper Luke Ball back in action for next week's AFL clash with Essendon. Ball will miss his second straight match against the Western Bulldogs tomorrow night due to concussion after the Saints received medical advice that there was a significant risk if the midfielder received another front-on knock to the head. While Ball passed the club's first tests to check his recovery from concussion, it was feedback from his parents who suggested he "wasn't quite right" which highlighted some lingering after-effects. "It's frustrating for Luke, the club and myself but there's the human side and you don't won't to risk it," Lyon said. The Article AAP/RealFooty/14Apr07
St Kilda's first-year coach said he had a simple philosophy on information. "I don't want to have things lingering over the club that don't need to linger," he said. "There might be some times where you might have to withhold a little bit, but, where my players know and the club knows, and it's a fact, we'll put it on the table." That's not to say he will stand atop the tower at Moorabbin Town Hall at midday a couple of times a week to announce the club's latest news. After all, St Kilda's regular media releases no longer contain an injury list, which seems more than coincidental, but that's a topic for another day. The difference with Lyon is in the detail when a specific issue is raised. When he was quizzed at Moorabbin yesterday about Ball's condition, he spoke for several minutes about the young star's welfare and immediate future. "I'm not here to divulge Luke's private medical data, but, suffice to say, it's enough for him to be held back from playing league football," he said. The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/14Apr07 Captains' column . . . It should be a fascinating contest this weekend as both teams will be hard and tough in their approach after disappointing losses in round two. A lot has been said about the Bulldogs. Many believe they are the best Victorian chance to win the premiership this year, so it's going to be good to be pitted against them. We've had some great contests against them in recent times and it should be another one beauty this time around . . . It's been frustrating for "Rooey" with his back/hamstring injury, but he has worked really hard to get back from his problem. And you've got to feel for Matt Maguire at the moment. He's pretty disappointed after working hard to come back from his broken leg last year. For Matty now to have a foot stress fracture is disappointing. It took a few days for it to sink in with him. But the good thing is that Matty is a really determined guy. I know he's hurting, but he doesn't show it around the Club and he's still in a good mood, while he's doing everything possible to get the injury corrected. The Article Lenny Hayes/saints.com.au/12Apr07
St Kilda Football Club has today elevated another Rookie to the Senior List, with pacy midfielder Clinton Jones being promoted to the senior side. With an unfortunate injury suffered to Jarryd Allen who dislocating his elbow two weeks ago, the Saints' medical staff have decided to place him on the long term injury list. As a consequence this has provided a fantastic opportunity for Rookie Clinton Jones to be elevated to the Saints senior list. Jones won the South Fremantle's best and fairest award in 2006 and 2005 and came third in the 2006 Sandover Medal. He is a quality left-footer midfielder with great ball-winning ability. The Saints took Jones as their first round selection (pick #9) in the 2006 NAB AFL Rookie Draft. The Article Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/12Apr07 Clinton Jones: Recruited from South Fremantle, WAFL. 23yo, 183 cms, 83kgs. Jones won the South Fremantle's best and fairest award in 2006 and 2005 and came third in the 2006 Sandover Medal. Selection No.9 in the 2006 NAB AFL Rookie Draft (St Kilda's first round selection). Rumour: Matthew Clarke Out saintbot: "SEN have confirmed this afternoon that M.Clarke will not take his place in the side on Saturday night. Andrew Hudson was previewing our game and said in no uncertain terms that M. Clarke will not take his place in the side." plugger66: "Brooks will play in the ruck with Rix. I would think that Mini would come back in as the Dogs are small up forward and it is more important we have runners than slower backman like Voss and Gwilt." The Thread saintsational.com
St Kilda has been forced to overlook Luke Ball again this week because of the after-effects of a serious head injury from Round 1. Ball, heavily concussed in a collision with Melbourne's Matthew Whelan, has been left out of tomorrow night's encounter with the Western Bulldogs on the advice of neuro-surgeons. There is speculation he has an oedema (swelling) in the brain. St Kilda coach Ross Lyon confirmed a significant problem last night, saying: "Basically, he's not well enough to play right now. The reality is he hasn't been given the all-clear to play by the specialists. I'd love for him to play Saturday night, but we have to act in the best interests of Luke Ball; he's a 10-year player. There's an element of risk the club isn't prepared to take with him." The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/13Apr07 Playing on Baker's field As scores of frustrated opponents will testify, St Kilda tagger Steven Baker plays the game pretty hard. And scores of locals from his home town of Barongarook, near Colac, know to expect no less either, even when they front up to the Baker family property each Christmas for the traditional game of backyard cricket. "We have a season opener, and if you hit it over the fence, you've got to go and get it and get pelted with grapefruit," he laughed. "We've had a few injuries with that one; a few getting KO'd, and there's always people coming out with black eyes. It gets pretty painful." But bloody good fun. As life still is for Baker, for all the intensity and ultra-professionalism that goes with forging a career playing AFL football. The game's premier "stopper", a best-and-fairest winner in 2005, works as hard and diligently as anyone, driving a constant stream of more feted opponents to distraction with his close-checking niggle. He's done it to Melbourne's Travis Johnstone already this season, and held Brownlow medallist Simon Black in relative check last week even as the Brisbane Lions ran all over St Kilda at the Gabba. They're the sorts of jobs that require complete focus. But there's still plenty of scope to unwind when they're done. Baker loves nothing more than getting back home, where his parents, Greg and Gayle, live on about six hectares. "It's not actually a working property. I don't think Mum and Dad can be bothered. It's just there for a bit of fun, I think. They've got one cow and one horse . . . actually, the cow thinks it's a horse, and the horse thinks it's a cow." The Article Rohan Connolly/RealFooty/14Apr07 Maintaining the rage Analysing a team's performance week after week is both an interesting study in sports psychology and a source of great frustration - for fans and coaches alike. I can assure anguished fans that the process takes up much of the game preview and review time for players and coaches. And what confuses and frustrates the life out of us is inconsistency. So what determines consistency? It relates to a competitor's or team's ability to perform to a high standard on a regular basis. It also involves patterns of behaviour and a steadfast adherence to the same principles. In essence, it means retaining expected form. Why does performance fluctuate? How can a team play with aggression and intensity one week, then with hesitancy and insipid efforts the next? How can attitude vary so dramatically from one week to the next? To answer those questions, we need to understand the fundamentals that dictate effort. I have a view and it is very firm - effort is dictated by importance. Players who have put in a less-than-acceptable day's work have told me they sometimes feel their ability - or inability - to overcome mental adversity or burdens does not allow them to attack the contest or the game with the usual energy and intensity. The result was a lacklustre performance that infuriates all witnesses. The Article Grant Thomas/RealFooty/15Apr07 Doctors force Saint to rest Advice from neuro-surgeons forced St Kilda to rest Luke Ball again this week as he recovers from a serious head injury. Ball, heavily concussed in a collision with Melbourne's Matthew Whelan in Round 1, has been left out of tomorrow night's encounter with the Western Bulldogs. There is speculation he has an oedema (swelling) in the brain. St Kilda coach Ross Lyon confirmed a significant problem last night, saying: "Basically, he's not well enough to play right now. The reality is he hasn't been given the all-clear to play by the specialists . . . He's not playing because there's some lingering after-effects . . . We're hopeful he'll play next week (Round 4)." The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/13Apr07 Saints welcome back Riewoldt . . . "It has been a frustrating process for Nick, but he is a wonderful player and the Club is excited to have him back" Lyon said. While the Saints will head into tomorrow night’s game with a height advantage over the Bulldogs, Lyon admits the game will be determined in the centre. "Just like last week the game will be won and lost in the midfield” he said. Having talls such as Riewoldt, Gehrig and Koschitzke as favourable options, Lyon said winning the clearances and dominating the midfield is the most crucial. There is no use having talls up forward, if the ball doesn’t get to them, so we need to effectively utilise our midfielders" Lyon said. The Article Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/13Apr07 Saint Ball rested on advice from parents . . . Lyon revealed that after initial tests cleared Ball, his parents told the club they noticed their son was still suffering lingering after-effects from his hefty round-one collision with Melbourne's Matthew Whelan. That prompted further tests which showed the 22-year-old needed longer to recover. "They (his family) saw Luke at home in the early stages after the concussion not be quite 100 per cent, which was fantastic feedback for the club," Lyon said. "He passed the original tests that they do. His results were perfect. Based on Luke not feeling 100 per cent right himself and the parents, that stimulated some further investigation and that highlighted an area that wasn't quite right. In a week's time we are hoping he'll be perfect and then he'll play." The Article AAP/TheAge/12Apr07 Riewoldt in, Ball to miss Luke Ball will not play this weekend against the Western Bulldogs, while co-captain Nick Riewoldt will return from injury. Ruckman Barry Brooks is also included in the team, boosting the Saints' height against the Bulldogs. Midfielder Clinton Jones, 23, who was selected in last year's rookie draft, will make his debut for the Saints. Jones was promoted to the senior list after first-year player Jarryd Allen dislocated his elbow two weeks ago. The Article AFL/saints.com.au/12Apr07 Riewoldt in - Ball out . . . St Kilda named one of their co-captains, Nick Riewoldt, to return from a hamstring injury and play his first game of the season against Western Bulldogs at the Telstra Dome on Saturday night. But another co-captain, Luke Ball, will miss a second match with the head injury he sustained in the opening round. The Saints, who have lost defender Max Hudghton (quad), also named upgraded rookie Clinton Jones for what will be his first senior match. The Bulldogs lost Jason Akermanis with a hamstring injury, among three changes, while fullback Brian Harris returns from suspension for his first game of the season. The Article Sam Lienert/TheAustralian/12Apr07
St Kilda Football Club has today elevated another Rookie to the Senior List, with pacy midfielder Clinton Jones being promoted to the senior side. With an unfortunate injury suffered to Jarryd Allen who dislocating his elbow two weeks ago, the Saints' medical staff have decided to place him on the long term injury list. As a consequence this has provided a fantastic opportunity for Rookie Clinton Jones to be elevated to the Saints senior list. Jones won the South Fremantle's best and fairest award in 2006 and 2005 and came third in the 2006 Sandover Medal. He is a quality left-footer midfielder with great ball-winning ability. The Saints took Jones as their first round selection (pick #9) in the 2006 NAB AFL Rookie Draft. The Article Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/12Apr07 Clinton Jones: Recruited from South Fremantle, WAFL. 23yo, 183 cms, 83kgs. Jones won the South Fremantle's best and fairest award in 2006 and 2005 and came third in the 2006 Sandover Medal. Selection No.9 in the 2006 NAB AFL Rookie Draft (St Kilda's first round selection). Captains' column . . . It should be a fascinating contest this weekend as both teams will be hard and tough in their approach after disappointing losses in round two. A lot has been said about the Bulldogs. Many believe they are the best Victorian chance to win the premiership this year, so it's going to be good to be pitted against them. We've had some great contests against them in recent times and it should be another one beauty this time around . . . It's been frustrating for "Rooey" with his back/hamstring injury, but he has worked really hard to get back from his problem. And you've got to feel for Matt Maguire at the moment. He's pretty disappointed after working hard to come back from his broken leg last year. For Matty now to have a foot stress fracture is disappointing. It took a few days for it to sink in with him. But the good thing is that Matty is a really determined guy. I know he's hurting, but he doesn't show it around the Club and he's still in a good mood, while he's doing everything possible to get the injury corrected. The Article Lenny Hayes/saints.com.au/12Apr07 Pies swoop on Sydney teen For the second consecutive year, Collingwood has snatched an elite Sydney teenager away from another club's hold in an AFL-endorsed talent-spotting scheme. As they did last year with Central Coast prodigy Scott Reed, the Magpies have enticed a highly-regarded 188cm 14-year-old to join their list under the New South Wales apprenticeship scheme. Thomas Young, from Campbelltown, will on May 1 be revealed as the club's latest recruit. The ability of Collingwood to snare Young has prompted at least three clubs to again question the Pies' tactics. St Kilda had spotted Young last July and had been given an undertaking he would join it under the scheme. However last month the Saints were shocked when told by Young he had chosen the Pies. Rival clubs yesterday said St Kilda was seething over the situation . . . Young was yesterday described by an AFL recruiter as "six-two in the old, has good movement, nice hands, kicks the ball well, a good mark, he looks a very promising lad and you would expect him to grow into a key position player". St Kilda recruiting manager John Beveridge said he had been confident of securing Young, who will soon turn 15. "I think we were the first ones to make contact and we did a fair bit of follow-up in meeting people and meeting the family," Beveridge said . . . "Suffice to say, with all the follow-up that we did, we thought we were in the favoured position when it came to the prospect of signing him. What Collingwood has suggested they would do for him that we couldn't, I am not sure." The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/12Apr07
. . . Brian Harris is set to return to his station at full-back, Mitch Hahn is poised to simply play again and Tom Williams is emerging from two years in injury-imposed exile and, significantly, is being mentioned in selection discussions months before it was expected he would be. Eade declared Harris, who missed the first two rounds of the season due to suspension, a certain starter against St Kilda on Saturday night. "Obviously, they've (St Kilda) got some good quality talls and we were hurt last week in that area which, obviously, at some stage is going to catch us out. But Brian straight back in will hopefully stiffen our defence," Eade said. Harris' fast track back into the team may provide instant relief by helping the Dogs to deal with Fraser Gehrig, Justin Koschitzke and, in all likelihood, Nick Riewoldt. The Article Stephen Rielly/RealFooty/11Apr07 Sportal Match Preview St Kilda vs Dogs The Bulldogs lose Akermanis but full-back Brian Harris makes a timely return from suspension with the Saints likely to have co-captain Nick Riewoldt available after almost seven weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring/back injury. Luke Ball, a late withdrawal against the Lions after suffering a nasty gash to his forehead and a dose of concussion against the Demons, will make a welcome return also. Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade took the extraordinary step of naming and shaming the senior players he believed let him down against the Crows and, by all accounts, the offenders have accepted the spray and moved on. The Saints are generally well-placed down back when both Matt Maguire and Max Hudghton are available, they can usually get by with one of them, but they look exposed when both are missing. Ross Lyon may follow the Crows' lead and stack the forward line with talls, but lightning couldn't strike twice, could it? Yes it could. With more firepower available, it's St Kilda by 10 points. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/11Apr07 AFL Match Preview St Kilda vs Dogs Both sides are coming off losses after starting their seasons well. The Saints failed to match the Lions last Thursday night and the Dogs are still reeling from their surprise loss to the Crows at the MCG on Sunday evening. The Saints are looking to add co-captains Nick Riewoldt and Luke Ball to their side, which would see them field their strongest side for the season so far. The Dogs have lost the class and experience of Jason Akermanis, who will be nursing his hamstring for at least the next two weeks. The Saints have a formidable record at Telstra Dome, winning 13 of their past 16 matches there. They beat the Dogs at the Docklands ground twice last season. Rodney Eade's men, however, also hold an impressive recent winning ratio under the roof. They have won 14 out of their past 17 appearances including a defeat of the Cats in round one. The Article Jennifer Witham/AFL/saints.com.au/11Apr07 Dogs will hit back: Eade . . . "We had a good meeting yesterday and guys spoken openly - individually and about their team-mates - and I certainly get a real strong feeling they want to atone for last week," he said. "We started training a bit flat last week and maybe individually some of the guys didn't prepare as well as they did in the past. We didn't notice anything specific (but) mentally we were flat." The Bulldogs' biggest problem against St Kilda in recent meetings has been combating the Saints' tall and powerful attack and Ross Lyon's team is set to be strengthened in that area this week by the return of co-captain Nick Riewoldt for his first game of the season following a hamstring injury. Eade admitted the Dogs' short defence struggled against the Crows but the return of full-back Brian Harris from suspension is a big boost for this week. "Obviously they (St Kilda) have got some good quality talls and we were hurt last week in that area but hopefully Brian will stiffen that defence" he said. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/11Apr07 Dogs clear the air Bruce Matthews/HeraldSun/12Apr07
first drill i saw: small groups of players practising evasive skills. going the man with the ball. ross was VERY vocal and as usual in control. * then the midfielders and rucks broke off and worked on evading opposition and picking a ball up of the ground and then hitting a target. dally and harvey were the best. while matty clarke suprised me as well. milney was quite messy. * the backs and forwards were up the other end going through leading and marking contests. * they then broke into groups and went over kicking/marking contests. feregus watts worked his a$$ off in this one. SOS spent alot of time coaching milney and telling him where to improve. * during this i noticed matty clarke get work done on his hammy. he left shortly after... * then went through a mini - game i suppose. but multiple games were played at once with heaps of rotations. joey kicked a few from outside 50!noticable matchups - kosi v brooks (kosi won easily) and gwilt v riewoldt (rooey won even more easily) * towards the end of the session aaron hamill came out and did skill work with armo and howard. while the others worked on tackling and roo and kosi practised goal kicking. * goose made an early appearance and signed plenty of things. * didnt see frase...maybe just me * michael gardiner left early. * ross's saying of the day "run and carry boys" * very proud of dally who stayed back after training to have a kick with a few kids. sweet guy that one. Report and Images 'lovin_dal_santo' saintsational.com Saints keen to take on Dogs One of the AFL's fledgling rivalries will resume on Saturday night when two of Victoria's most exciting teams, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs square off in a crucial game at Telstra Dome. The game will be St Kilda's first game at Telstra Dome for the season, a ground where the Club has built an imposing record since emerging as a power side in 2004. The Saints have won 28 of their 35 matches at the venue over the last three seasons. Two of those victories were against the Bulldogs last season. The Saints will field their strongest side for the year with the possible return of co-captains Nick Riewoldt and Luke Ball. Riewoldt's inclusion will likely see Justin Koschitzke moved down back in the absence of Matt Maguire and Max Hudghton. The Bulldogs will also most likely be without boom recruit Jason Akermanis. The Article Adrian Blades/saints.com.au/11Apr07 Saints welcome back co-captains St Kilda is expected to have its three co-captains available for the first time this season when it takes on the Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome on Saturday night. While Lenny Hayes has played both games to date, Luke Ball missed last Thursday night's loss to Brisbane at the Gabba due to concussion while Nick Riewoldt is yet to play this season due to a hamstring injury. However the Saints' star wingman Nick Dal Santo said on Tuesday he expects both Ball and Riewoldt to be ready to face the Dogs. Dal Santo said Ball almost played against the Lions, after going off with a heavy knock in the season opener against Melbourne. "He had some tests last week, which he actually passed but they took a cautious approach with him," Dal Santo said. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/10Apr07 Ball and Riewoldt likely starters St Kilda midfielder Nick Dal Santo believes Luke Ball and Nick Riewoldt will return from injury this week. Ball suffered concussion in the Saints' round one clash with Melbourne while Riewoldt is recovering from a hamstring injury. Dal Santo says Ball was rested last week as a precaution and Riewoldt is also looking a likely starter. "I won't make any big statements but I assume he would play this week," Dal Santo said. "I think he did it at the end of January and had a couple of little setbacks along the way but he's done everything. I think he'd trained for two to three weeks completely and I guess with the history of hamstring injuries at St Kilda, they just took another precautious approach with that and I'd like to think that he'd play this week." The Article Radio Australia/10Apr07 Bulldogs will be prepared for Saints Western Bulldogs midfielder Adam Cooney does not believe the reason behind their loss to Adelaide was players believing their own publicity. While coach Rodney Eade said immediately after Sunday's 38-point belting that some of his players might have got swept up in the hype of their opening-round thrashing of Geelong, Cooney blamed a poor week on the track for the disappointing performance. "It was spoken about, that we may have gotten too far ahead of ourselves, I personally don't think that's the case," Cooney said. "It was maybe a lack of preparation. Coming off a good win, it was a bit flat during the week, training was a bit flat. I don't think we got too far ahead of ourselves or believed our own publicity." On Saturday night, the Bulldogs face St Kilda, another team who fell back to earth with a thud after a 52-point thrashing by Brisbane in round two. Hopes rise for Riewoldt AAP/WestAustralian/10Apr07 Pies swoop on Sydney teen For the second consecutive year, Collingwood has snatched an elite Sydney teenager away from another club's hold in an AFL-endorsed talent-spotting scheme. As they did last year with Central Coast prodigy Scott Reed, the Magpies have enticed a highly-regarded 188cm 14-year-old to join their list under the New South Wales apprenticeship scheme. Thomas Young, from Campbelltown, will on May 1 be revealed as the club's latest recruit. The ability of Collingwood to snare Young has prompted at least three clubs to again question the Pies' tactics. St Kilda had spotted Young last July and had been given an undertaking he would join it under the scheme. However last month the Saints were shocked when told by Young he had chosen the Pies. Rival clubs yesterday said St Kilda was seething over the situation . . . Young was yesterday described by an AFL recruiter as "six-two in the old, has good movement, nice hands, kicks the ball well, a good mark, he looks a very promising lad and you would expect him to grow into a key position player". St Kilda recruiting manager John Beveridge said he had been confident of securing Young, who will soon turn 15. "I think we were the first ones to make contact and we did a fair bit of follow-up in meeting people and meeting the family," Beveridge said . . . "Suffice to say, with all the follow-up that we did, we thought we were in the favoured position when it came to the prospect of signing him. What Collingwood has suggested they would do for him that we couldn't, I am not sure." The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/12Apr07 No action on Kerr drugs tape No action will be taken against troubled West Coast midfielder Daniel Kerr despite his link to a convicted drug dealer. The league has completed its investigation into four-year-old police tapes in which Kerr has a phone conversation with drug dealer Shane Waters. At a meeting between the competition's 16 chief executives and the AFL executive, clubs were told that police had no evidence other than the tapes in which Kerr's conversation with Waters centres on Kerr talking about a horse sedative, ketamine. The Article Greg Denham/TheAustralian/13Apr07 AFL gauges public reaction to drugs issue A concerned AFL has commissioned an opinion poll to find out the extent of any negative impact the Ben Cousins affair has had upon the game. The nationwide Roy Morgan poll yesterday began questioning people in every capital city with four specific questions relating to the Cousins drug scandal and whether his downfall has changed the public's attitude towards the game. With the 28-year-old Brownlow medallist into his second week in a Californian rehabilitation facility - treatment which the 16 clubs learnt yesterday could cost as much as $100,000 - the AFL confirmed it would have a clearer picture in about 10 days as to whether Cousins' plight could have a deeper long-term effect on the game. The Article Caroline Wilson/RealFooty/13Apr07 Call to trial cap on interchange AFL interchange moves have exploded to new levels, raising fresh concerns about the impact the "revolving door" is having on the game. Rotations from the bench this year have risen to an average of 115 a game - or one every 63 seconds. Four-time premiership coach David Parkin, a member of the AFL's research board investigating the rise, last night backed trialling a cap on the number of rotations. " I would love to trial it, because I think it has an end product of raising the excitement through a higher level of uncertainty," Parkin said. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/13Apr07 No spark with Seven's coverage Need Improvement: Damian Barrett believes Channel Seven need to lift its footy coverage or otherwise the AFL may be forced to intervene. Two terrible losses from two weekends of the new season. Under-performing senior players. Off-field staff in panic. Doom here. Gloom there. Shambles best describes Seven's efforts to date in its return to football, and no amount of spin from the network can convince anyone otherwise. The problems that have beset Seven have become problems for the AFL. Take it as fact that if a call about this matter hasn't yet been made from the game's headquarters to the game's most traditional broadcaster, then it will be very soon. Head commentator Bruce McAvaney is still accurate, still the most-researched caller, still regularly capable of accompanying a game high-point with beautiful commentary. But . . . McAvaney seems to lack what he once exuded every time the cameras rolled for a big event -- an infectious bounce in his voice and tangible excitement in his body-language. In general, a spark. The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/13Apr07 Eade fear bench legal ramifications Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade fears there could be legal ramifications if players are injured because of restrictions on the number of interchanges made by coaches. Following his comments in yesterday's Herald Sun about the rise in interchanges, Eade said he did not want to see a situation where players were injured and took legal action because they were forced to stay on the ground. Eade had already warned against a knee-jerk reaction to the increase in interchanges. "I think there is a few things to think through," Eade said yesterday. "If they do limit it, gradually get to the number they want to, rather than go to 20, go to 40 or 45. Because if you had 20 or 30, I would hate to see players get injured and sue the competition and sue clubs because we have had to leave players on the ground and (they) get injured." The Article Rebecca Williams/HeraldSun/14Apr07 AFL arch rivals - a thing of the past? Growing up in Melbourne in the late 1970s and 1980s, I loved the simplicity of the VFL competition even though my team Footscray lost much more than they won. The simplicity as far as I'm concerned came from the raw passion supporters injected into their club, especially when their teams came up against sides they hated. As a primary school student just getting into footy in the late 1970s (yes, I'm almost 40!), Carlton and Collingwood were successful teams and their battles were the biggest clashes in the game, stemming from their epic 1970 grand final when the Blues careered home from seven goals down at half-time. They were followed by two of the so-called newer clubs from 1925, North Melbourne and Hawthorn, who did battle in many matches of the day and finals and faced off in three grand finals in 1975, '76 and '78 . . . Then there's the four least successful teams of the past 40 years. Geelong is playing Melbourne and there's no such rivalry of note from their playing history, but they are two of the oldest clubs, while St Kilda and the Bulldogs have only won one flag each and that was a long time ago now. That pairing seemed to make sense from that reason alone. They have had a couple of interesting stoushes on the field recently, especially in 2003 when there was an all-in brawl, but I don't think their rivalry would make you bristle like the Eagles and Dockers, Carlton and the Bombers and the Power and the Crows. Anyway, this rivalry round is another AFL marketing ploy and as usual it's got the public talking about our great game, but if this round exists for many years to come, they might have to look at more recent rivalries to keep our younger folk interested. The Article Dan Lonergan/ABCSport/13Apr07 When Judd rests, it's time to pounce West Coast champion Chris Judd has turned football on its head. Opposition coaches are mystified as to the best way to curb the Eagles midfielder, with few managing to stop him in 117 games. Judd, who will lead his side in tonight's derby against Fremantle, is also rendering the coaching cliche about "four-quarter efforts" being the key to victory a half-truth. While there is merit in the notion that a consistent and committed effort is required to keep pace with the premiers, it seems the best way to beat the Eagles is to exploit Judd. Or, more precisely, to punish the Eagles during the limited time Judd is on the bench recuperating from a defence-splitting sprint, a freakish goal or gut-busting quarter. An analysis of West Coast's two outings this season, along with last year's derbies, reveals the extent of Judd's influence. It shows a scenario of which Fremantle coach Chris Connolly will no doubt remind his midfielders as the Dockers, who have won their past five matches against the Eagles, including two NAB Cup matches and an end-of-season exhibition in London in 2005, seek to continue their dominance. Without Judd on the field, West Coast is vulnerable. The Article Courtney Walsh/TheAustralian/14Apr07 Strike three on Demetriou's revamped illicit drugs policy The AFL looks to have seen off the recent attacks on its much-maligned illicit drugs policy. Last Thursday's meeting between the league and the 16 club chief executives appears to have been an overwhelming victory for Andrew Demetriou and his administration. Demetriou said the clubs supported an earlier decision to increase the number of tests conducted under policy protocols. Nothing new there, that was flagged four weeks ago. And in the climate of police taps and footballers flying to rehabilitation clinics overseas, it would have been a brave but ultimately naive club that protested against greater testing. The AFL rolled out one of its doctors, this time Harry Unglik, to take the executives through the policy once more and discuss the results of recent testing. It was one of several addresses from experts in drug and alcohol abuse. It had been predicted that there would be fierce debate over whether Daniel Kerr and the police tapes made public last month had brought the game into disrepute. There wasn't. Finally, Demetriou addressed the media after the meeting and said: "What emerged very clearly from today's discussion was that the clubs and the AFL want to reassure supporters that we will continue to take a leadership role in tackling serious social issues." The Article Patrick Smith/TheAustralian/14Apr07 GO BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
|
