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2007 Round 4 Post-game Articles - St Kilda vs Essendon
Saints battle against tall odds The early signs were good for the Saints. Essendon attacks were being repelled easily and there was the great run and long kicking into forward 50 that had set up so many goals against the Bulldogs. The Bombers had blitzed their opponents early in their opening three games and St Kilda had done a great job keeping them to just one first quarter goal. At the other end however, there was no Fraser Gehrig to stretch the tall Essendon defence and as hard as Riewoldt, Milne and Koschitzke worked, the Saints had trouble getting the ball deep into the forward 50. Robert Harvey was great again early and rotated well with Lenny Hayes, Luke Ball, Leigh Montagna and Nick Dal Santo who all spent time off the ground in the first quarter in an effort to keep them fresh against the quick and hard running Bomber midfielders. The injury to Sam Fisher 18 minutes in would prove costly. With Fisher off the ground coach Ross Lyon was robbed of options and Brendon Goddard and Jason Blake who had been prominent early, were forced to stay down back to cover Essendon’s tall forward options. Kevin Sheedy, realising the Saints’ height deficiency, also moved ruckman Jason Laycock to the forward line. Jason Gram was also forced from the field with injury for a large part of the second quarter. This further depleted the side’s defensive stocks and run off half-back. It was in this time that Essendon made its move. The Article Adrian Blades/saints.com.au/23Apr07 Maguire out for six more Key St Kilda defender Matt Maguire is making a slower than expected recovery from a stress fracture in his left foot. Maguire had expected to miss about six games when the injury was diagnosed after the opening round of the season against Melbourne on March 30. But on the weekend he said he was still about six weeks from resuming - and there are fears he might not be ready to play again until St Kilda's split round game on June 24 against West Coast . . . The Saints are also trying to cover the loss of other key defenders Max Hudghton (thigh) and Sam Fisher who will be sidelined for up to a month after suffering a hamstring injury against Essendon on Saturday. The Article Daryl Timms/HeraldSun/23Apr07 GT's Response to RL soft tissue injury fix Grant Thomas said on SEN today (Monday morning) that St Kilda looked at 'squats' regarding their soft tissue injury issue three or four years ago. He said they increased the squatting excercises and instead of it helping, they had an increase in soft tissue injuries. Lyon figuring it out Ross Lyon admitted he is still figuring out the controls of his new team after the Saints slipped to their second loss of the season at Telstra Dome on Saturday. It's the second time this season that St Kilda has followed a win with a loss, but Lyon is committed to getting a more even performance from his players week-in, week-out. "The ability to string together your pressure over consecutive weeks and good ball use is going to separate teams as the season goes on," Lyon said. "(They're playing to the gameplan) at times, I mean you don't ask them to kick it to the opposition, but I take full responsibility. I'm happy to sit here last week and give you a smile and I'm happy to take the lack of execution today. I'm fully aware that it stops with me and I'll wear it, but we aim to improve, it's a marathon, we're 2-2 which a number of teams will be and we've got to keep working and improving in those areas and take our chances and make our tackles and win the ball and aim to build to your best 22 as the season goes on." The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/22Apr07 St Kilda missed Gehrig dreadfully . . . St Kilda must be filthy on Fraser Gehrig because it missed its suspended full-forward dreadfully. With three tall forwards last week it looked premiership material - this week its balance was thrown out and when it suffered another key injury to its already depleted defence, the Saints were playing patch-up. A hamstring injury to Sam Fisher in the first half left Jason Blake with the task of holding Matthew Lloyd, while Jason Gram was on Scott Lucas. Although the Bomber stars each kicked three goals, their opponents could be satisfied. But it meant St Kilda's run out of defence this season, largely initiated by Gram, had to be sacrificed. Combined with some sensational tackling by the Bombers forwards, the Saints were unable to rebound with the same efficiency and so their goals were invariably snapped and manufactured, rather than set-up. The Article Mark Harding/HeraldSun/22Apr07 Sam Fisher down was the death blow . . . "I really don't know, I don't think (it was) anywhere near the best St Kilda team out there," Sheedy said. The Saints were missing key defenders Matt Maguire and Max Hudghton due to injury and full-forward Fraser Gehrig through suspension. They were further hampered when stand-in full-back Sam Fisher went down with a hamstring injury in the first half. The Saints were still able to build a small early lead, thanks to their midfield dominance in the first quarter, with evergreen Robert Harvey racking up touches in typical fashion, while Lenny Hayes and Nick Dal Santo were also in good touch. The Article AAP/WestAustralian/21Apr07 Sheedy still learning Jason Phelan/Sportal/21Apr07 Rix's pay win over league St Kilda ruckman Michael Rix has become the first player to win a significant pay increase through the AFL's arbitration panel after his initial contract was over-ruled because of league regulations. Rix and St Kilda had agreed on a one-year deal in the wake of Cain Ackland's departure to Carlton, but were instructed by the AFL he must be paid the stipulated second-year wage of $53,400, plus match payments of $3,600. St Kilda, Rix's manager Brad Lloyd and the AFL Players' Association successfully argued before AFL arbitrator Tony Nolan, SC, that Rix's salary was being unfairly restrained. Contesting an AFL submission, Rix and St Kilda believed because the 26-year-old had already been a rookie, was a mature-aged player and had been offered a larger contract, he should be free to negotiate his own terms. Nolan reinstated Rix's initial contract, with St Kilda happy to pay the agreed sum, believed to be worth tens of thousands of dollars more. The Article Jon Ralph/HeraldSun/22Apr07 Hamstrings and woe for Saints St Kilda coach Ross Lyon last night lamented a 31-point loss to Essendon and yet another hamstring injury, this time to defender Sam Fisher, as he said the club's fitness regime could be to blame. Lyon was also baffled by the decision to leave the Telstra Dome roof open during a rainstorm, ensuring a wet and slippery surface . . . Fisher left the field in the second quarter and the extent of his injury is not known. In recent years, the club has had plenty of hamstring injuries. Lyon said their new fitness expert, Peter Mulkearns, had gone over previous fitness regimes and found an important component was missing. When pressed, Lyon said the actual thing missing was the humble squat exercise. "The meat and potatoes is there hasn't been much squatting in the program. Meat and potatoes, that's what's missing — it's a basic. You can laugh, but if you're not doing it under the extreme forces of AFL footy, something's going to give and it seems to be the hamstring." The Article Lyall Johnson/RealFooty/22Apr07 Open Dome roof raises Lyon's ire St Kilda coach Ross Lyon was last night seeking answers about why the Telstra Dome roof was left open yesterday until after 1pm despite rain lashing the ground by midday. While Lyon was in no way blaming the slippery conditions for his side's 31-point defeat, he was left ruing another upset loss for his Saints and another hamstring injury, this time to Sam Fisher . . . "Maybe we want wet, slippery conditions? But in saying that, both teams had to play in it, so it's no excuse. They've got (Matthew) Lloyd and (Scott) Lucas, who are super forwards, so it's no excuse. I've been interstate for a while so I don't know what the agenda is." The closure of the roof is decided by the AFL. It is believed that yesterday Telstra Dome officials notified the AFL of the inclement weather heading directly towards the stadium more than two hours before the start of play at 2.10pm. But a decision to close the roof was only made at about 1pm, the roof finally being closed at about 1.10pm. The Article Lyall Johnson/RealFooty/22Apr07 Saints out-tackled, says disappointed Lyon Essendon's superior tackling and ball use was the key to their 31-point defeat of St Kilda, Saints coach Ross Lyon says. "It's a disappointing result and an opportunity missed," Lyon said after Saturday's round four match, which the Saints lost after leading by eight points at quarter time. "Credit to Essendon, they out-tackled us. Their ball use and accuracy was better. That's what separated the teams fundamentally. They seemed to take their opportunity every time one presented." Lyon refused to blame the loss on the Saints' lack of key personnel, after they went into the match missing defenders Matt Maguire, Max Hudghton and full-forward Fraser Gehrig, and lost stand-in full-back Sam Fisher to injury early on. "You can't take anything away from Essendon. The ability to string together your pressure over consecutive weeks is going to separate teams as the season goes on," Lyon said. The Article saints.com.au/21Apr07 Saints need consistency, says Harvey Former Brownlow medalist Robert Harvey says the Saints must gain consistency in their performances if they're to play finals footy this year. "At the moment we're week on and week off and you can't afford to be like that if you want to be a finals side," Harvey said after St Kilda's loss to Essendon at Telstra Dome on Saturday. "Overall they worked harder than us, they won more positions. They got a lot of players back into our forward line and we didn't cope with that going forward. We just didn't use the ball well." The 35-year-old, who had 26 possessions and seven marks during the match, believed turnovers conceded at crucial times proved fatal for the Saints. "All our players were guilty of it and I think it's just a sign that we weren't quite switched on today," Harvey said. "A side like Essendon, with their pace and the way they run and carry, they're really going to hurt you and that's what they did. They've obviously got the forwards and we were a bit under-manned down back. Combine all those factors and it doesn’t help you win a game of footy." The Article saints.com.au/21Apr07 Undermanned Saints fall to Bombers St Kilda has lost its second game of the season, falling to Essendon by 31 points in a high-quality contest at Telstra Dome. The Saints lost every quarter after leading by eight points at quarter time, struggling to contain the Bombers' key forwards in the 15.9 (99) to 9.14 (68) loss. The Saints went into the match missing injured key defenders Matt Maguire and Max Hudghton and full-forward Fraser Gehrig through suspension. They were further hampered when they lost stand-in full-back Sam Fisher to injury early in the match. Despite their missing manpower, the Saints were still able to forge a small early lead, looking stronger at the packs and rebounding well with the likes of Steven Baker and Jason Gram getting plenty of the ball. Evergreen Robert Harvey racked up touches in typical fashion, while Lenny Hayes and Nick Dal Santo were also in good touch. Just three goals were kicked to quarter time, despite the Telstra Dome roof being closed. Across town in soggy conditions at the MCG, Collingwood and Port Adelaide had managed six goals at the same stage. Co-captain Luke Ball took the field in a dimpled, Jason Dunstall-style helmet. He won a couple of early touches and refused to shirk contests, surviving a heavy collision with Duncan Fletcher in the second term. The Article saints.com.au/21Apr07 Bombers crush Saints . . . The victory means the Bombers have now equaled last year's tally of three wins after just four rounds with the spirit shown by their players in sealing the win in the second half making the woes of 2006 seem a distant memory. The win came on the back of 33 possessions to Brent Stanton - with Damien Peverill not far behind on 32 - and three goals apiece to key forwards Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas. St Kilda started the match strongly, but too many players faded when put under pressure late. Skipper Nick Riewoldt can't be considered among those, however, as he toiled tirelessly up forward and kicked four goals - one in each quarter. The Saints were up and about early and should have done better than a nine-point lead midway through the first term. Lucas pegged a goal back for the Bombers from 45 metres out on the boundary, but when Riewoldt performed a near-mirror image goal at the other end, St Kilda went into the first break eight points up. Essendon didn't appear to have anyone minding Robert Harvey in the second quarter, but he didn't have nearly enough support as the Bombers made their move. The Article Jason Phelan/Sportal/21Apr07 Bombs away as Dons surge Lyall Johnson/RealFooty/22Apr07 Sheedy defends McVeigh 'spirit' Jon Ralph/HeraldSun/22Apr07 Dons triumph over Saints Essendon scored a 31-point win over an understrength St Kilda, 15.9 (99) to 9.14 (68), at Telstra Dome today. The Bombers trailed by eight points at the first change, but kicked six goals to two in the second term to establish control, before pulling away to win. It gave them their third victory in four rounds, already equal to their tally of wins in 2006. St Kilda, which was without key defenders Matt Maguire and Max Hudghton because of injury and full-forward Fraser Gehrig through suspension, was further hampered when it lost stand-in full-back Sam Fisher to injury early in the match. But the Saints were still able to forge a small early lead, thanks to their dominance in the midfield in the first quarter, with evergreen Robert Harvey racking up touches in typical fashion, while Lenny Hayes and Nick Dal Santo were also in good touch. It helped St Kilda to a 2.4 to 1.2 lead at quarter time. Once the Bombers began to tip the balance in the middle of the ground in the second quarter, due largely to the ball-winning efforts of Damien Peverill and Brent Stanton, their forward firepower enabled them to pull away from the Saints. The Bombers finished the game with 11 goalkickers, compared with four for the Saints, with Nick Riewoldt and Stephen Milne between them scoring seven of their team's nine majors. The Bombers piled on six of the first seven goals of the second term, with two of their exciting young players - Patrick Ryder and Alwyn Davey - providing an early spark. The Article AAP/HeraldSun/21Apr07 Bombers continue resurgence . . . The Bombers piled on six of the first seven goals of the second term, with two of their exciting young players - Patrick Ryder and Alwyn Davey - providing an early spark. Ryder, who provided some good run off half-back and also took a spectacular flying mark in the third quarter, gathered a loose ball at half-forward and goaled on the run from 50 metres. Davey scored the next goal from a free kick, then after the Saints had responded with a goal to Milne, Davey set up the Bombers' next goal with an inspirational chase and tackle on Brendon Goddard on the wing. It was one of two goals for the match resulting from a brilliant tackle from the speedster, who also ran down James Gwilt in the final quarter to set up Essendon skipper Matthew Lloyd for an easy goal. The Bombers edged further in front in the third term, helped by a 60m torpedo goal on the run from veteran defender Dustin Fletcher. Only some missed shots at goal from Andy Lovett, who was dangerous on the lead, kept the Saints within 23 points at the last change. But Essendon quickly blew the game out of the Saints' reach in the final term, with four quick goals in a seven-minute burst. The Article AAP/RealFooty/21Apr07 Cap AFL clubs' spending: Butterss St Kilda president Rod Butterss has called on the AFL to look at capping the amount clubs spend on their football departments to combat what he says is a growing divide between the rich and the poor. Butterss said if the richer clubs continued to expand their spending at the current rate, they would have a coach per player in 10 or 20 years' time and be flying their players on private Learjets for interstate matches. He said he understood one club's players were already flying business class, while the rest flew economy. "Maybe it's time that we re-opened the debate or the discussion around putting a salary cap on football department spends," he said. Speaking at the Saints' official function ahead of Saturday's match against Essendon, he said the league's annual special distribution to poorer clubs was failing to address the imbalance. "It's time we asked our independent AFL Commission to look at football department costs before they get ridiculous, and some would argue that they are now ridiculous or getting to that point," Butterss said. The Article Sam Lienert/AAP/AFL/saints.com.au/21Apr07 Self-controlled teams are masters of own destiny History shows that Melbourne or Fremantle will effectively have their 2007 hopes ended today, just four rounds into a season in which both started as legitimate premiership contenders. In 110 years of the VFL/AFL, only North Melbourne, in 1975, has recovered from a 0-4 start to win the flag. Only two other teams that started 0-4 have gone on to make the top four. That gives today's MCG clash huge importance — that is, of course, if you allow history to decide your destiny! On any given Sunday, a match between Melbourne and Fremantle would be considered a chance for genuine entertainment — under normal circumstances. Both sides possess exciting talent, move the ball quickly, aim to score heavily and rely on brilliant individuals to get the job done. But when you factor in what's riding on the result, it becomes a different story. Fear and panic, self-doubts, anxiety, tagging, flooding combined with truckloads of contested ball and physical assaults on the man with the ball, provide an arm wrestle that looks captivating. The Article Grant Thomas/RealFooty/22Apr07 AFL to take over player penalties The AFL is set to crack down on poor player behaviour and will take over the power to punish footballers for off-field transgressions from the 16 clubs. In a move forced by incidents involving players from a number of clubs, the competition's governing body has recommended a historically significant rewriting of the player rules. The new heavy-handed approach put forward and passed three days ago by the AFL Commission under the guidance of new chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, would change the "conduct unbecoming" rule and increase the AFL's disciplinary powers to fine, suspend and deregister footballers for antisocial and criminal behaviour. The AFL has lost faith in the clubs penalising players guilty of such behaviour. Although the move will cause concern among some clubs and the players' union, the power to change the rules rests with the AFL. AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said last night the move had been largely encouraged by the clubs who recently admitted as a group that they did not believe they were capable of sanctioning the players appropriately. The Article Caroline Wilson/RealFooty/23Apr07 McVeigh apologises, accepts fine Essendon's Mark McVeigh has apologised and accepted a $900 fine for making a one-fingered gesture to a section of the Telstra Dome crowd yesterday. The AFL match review panel today charged McVeigh with making an obscene gesture to the crowd during the Bombers' round four win over St Kilda. An Essendon spokesman confirmed the midfielder would accept the penalty. In a statement, McVeigh apologised for his action, which was "inexcusable", and admitted he had let himself and Essendon down. The Article AAP/RealFooty/23Apr07 Port tipped off on tests The AFL is investigating how a Port Adelaide Football Club employee was tipped off 52 hours before yesterday's drug-testing at Alberton. Four-time Magarey medallist Russell Ebert, the Power's community youth program manager, was told of the impending drug tests at 10am on Saturday during his job as a sports talkback panellist on radio station 5AA. The man, who did not go to air and did not have his tip-off aired on Saturday, told Ebert "to be forewarned is to be forearmed". The accurate warning brings into question security measures around the AFL's random drug-testing process. Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority testers arrived at Port's Alberton Oval base at 2pm yesterday to enforce both the AFL's performance-enhancing and illicit-drugs code on five Power players. The players, who have not been identified, were asked to provide urine samples. The Article Michelangelo Rucci HeraldSun/24Apr07 Player pledge on behaviour The AFL Players' Association is moving to implement a code of ethics that would involve making a stand on staging, sledging and swearing. AFLPA chief executive Brendon Gale wants players to pledge support for a clear list of values covering on-field behaviour. Players would not be fined for breaching the code, but would face peer and public pressure to toe the line. Amid a string of controversies about player indiscretions, Gale is prepared to get on the front foot with what would amount to a public "players' pledge" document. Gale will soon put the concept to the AFLPA executive. If it is given the green light for further consideration, every player in the competition will be consulted. The Article Mark Stevens HeraldSun/24Apr07 AFL + Telstra = online debacle There isn't too much that you can be sure of these days, but one safe bet is that if two organisations of the calibre of the AFL and Telstra get together, you can almost guarantee that the result will be a fiasco.  Locked Article crikey.com.au
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