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Round 5 AFL 2007 Premiership Season - Pre-game Articles - Port Adelaide Power vs St Kilda Saints
Brogan in hush-hush appraisal Port Adelaide will test ruckman Dean Brogan's fitness at a secret training session at Alberton Oval this morning. But the in-form Power big man is almost certain to miss tomorrow night's home clash against St Kilda. Brogan, Port's best player in the opening two rounds, failed to join his team-mates at last night's main training session under lights at AAMI Stadium, indicating he is in serious doubt for the clash after missing Saturday's hard-fought win against Collingwood with a sprained ankle. However, football operations manager Peter Rohde said Brogan had yet to be ruled out of tomorrow's 7pm clash . . . If Brogan is ruled out, All-Australian ruckman Brendon Lade will take over the first ruck duties - which he performed so well against the Magpies - with Toby Thurstans providing support . . . playmakers Danyle Pearce (hamstring) and Daniel Motlop (ankle) got through the 90-minute session and will be considered for the Power's only Friday night match of the year. The Article Andrew Capel/AdelaideAdvertiser/26Apr07 . . . Power full back Darryl Wakelin will play his 250th AFL game against St Kilda on Friday night. Let taunts wash out Andrew Capel/AdelaideAdvertiser/26Apr07 Cornes lines up the Saints . . . Cornes rejects the Power's recent dominance of St Kilda - eight wins in their past nine premiership matches - and the Saints' injury crisis in defence allows Port to make a "shock-and-awe" blitz of Ross Lyon's makeshift unit at AAMI Stadium . . . "They do have key blokes missing in defence," said Cornes. "But their forward line is one of the best going around. That balances it all up. They also can send Justin Koschitzke back (to defence). They are not short on options there. On one hand they have a few out, but they still look very dangerous. And then there will be the conditions. If it rains, it gets slippery and that makes it tougher." The Article Michelangelo Rucci/AdelaideAdvertiser/25Apr07 Injuries force Gardiner call Ross Lyon would like Michael Gardiner to have "two or three games" in the VFL before restarting his AFL career but the St Kilda coach suggested yesterday that the former West Coast ruckman could come into contention after only one good reserves game. Gardiner has been working hard to overcome a groin strain and a foot injury sustained during the pre-season and is likely to play his first match for the Casey Scorpions against Sandringham on Sunday. "He's a super athlete and he doesn't take long to come to hand," Lyon said. "Losing defenders (Max) Hudghton, (Matt) Maguire, Sam Fisher - it puts you under pressure." The Article RealFooty/25Apr07 Gardiner hurry-up Michael Horan/CourierMail/25Apr07 Raph Clarke available soon: SEN 'BelfastSaint' saintsational.com
Jason Gram had just become a teenager when he and his father Rod adorned their Sale home to cheer on his hero Robert Harvey and St Kilda in the 1997 Grand Final against Adelaide. Roll forward almost a decade and Harvey is still chasing that elusive premiership, while Gram, who celebrates his 23rd birthday today, has well and truly arrived as a next-generation, hard-running Saint. It took two years and two games with the Brisbane Lions to get to Moorabbin and even longer to prove he would make the grade. But Gram, who was runner-up to Nick Riewoldt in the club's best-and-fairest last season, is now established as a penetrating half-back. The affable, footy-passionate Gram still has to pinch himself that he is living his footy dream alongside his childhood hero. "It's a bit surreal. I was saying that to my old man at the weekend, that I can't believe I'm playing league football with Harvs," Gram said this week as he prepared for his 41st game, against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium tonight. The Article Michael Horan/HeraldSun/28Apr07 Playing the kids? At what stage of this season do you think we should start playing the kids? I think if we dont win 3/4 out of next 5 then we should start looking at who can play this great game instead of hanging on to the best side we can put on the park for same results if the wins are not coming . . . - by 'Saint Mik' Andrew McQualter: (DOB 09/06/86) Looks indecisive at the moment. Is tough, can tackle hard, could take a leaf out of Bakers book. I think he is worth persisting with Raphael Clarke: (DOB 24/09/85) Good judges suggest he is the best ever to come out of NT, we just need to get him out on the park Sam Gilbert: (DOB 19/08/86) I really like his hard straight ahead approach. I think he will really compliment our backline with his hardness in the future. A possibility to replace Max in a couple of years Clinton Jones: (DOB 01Jan84) Not that young (he's 22) Has pace, can get the ball, flawed disposal at times. Fringe player this yr. Next yr will really tell Luke van Rheenan: (DOB 01/01/88) Is a genuine ruckman (201cm) who has only ever played a handful of games against men. Needs time to develop but I like what I am reading about him. James Gwilt: (DOB 11/08/86) The coaching staff seem to see something that I don't. Let's re-assess at seasons end Justin Sweeney: (DOB 25/12/87) Third year on the list and still yet to debut despite a lotof injuries during that time. A concern. Jayden Attard: (DOB 27/02/86) Has rewarded the club already. Is a little older though Robert Eddy: (DOB 07/01/88) Is said to be a real hard at it midfielder/HBF. Could be very handy down the track. - by 'Eastern' David Armitage: (DOB 16/06/88) Looks ready to play now...but was reportedly lacking match fitness to run out an entire game. Would expect him to debut against the Blues. Brad Howard: (DOB 21/12/87) Seems to have disappeared.???? However while an athlete the draft reports seemed to show that he was lacking in the football area...was was never likely to do much in 2007 in terms of AFL. Jarryd Allen: (DOB 14/01/88) Looked impressive in the pre-season..but has a long term injury now. - by 'saintsRrising' Others: James Wall (DOB 05/01/87), Jarryn Geary (DOB 23/06/88), Phillip Raymond (DOB 24/06/87) The Thread saintsational.com #9 to FULL BACK? !! 'Eastern' et al saintsational.com Saints to rush in ex-Eagle - Hamill on track St Kilda is likely to fast-track ruckman Michael Gardiner back to AFL action once it gets him on the park. Saints coach Ross Lyon said yesterday there was a senior role for him and one good VFL game -- hopefully with Casey Scorpions on Sunday -- could thrust him into contention for selection. Gardiner, 27, is yet to play this season because of foot problems . . . Lyon said injury woes with defenders made Gardiner an attractive option. "He'd be in contention because he can play as a tall forward and losing defenders (Max) Hudghton, (Matt) Maguire and Sam Fisher puts you under pressure," he said. "So (Justin) Koschitzke could go back or, heaven forbid, (Nick) Riewoldt -- and Gardiner play tall forward from the square and give you an option." Lyon said Aaron Hamill's recovery from knee surgery was on track after the forward received a clearance to step up training. The Article Michael Horan/HeraldSun/25Apr07 Koschitzke may get Tredrea job St Kilda's Justin Koschitzke could get the big defensive job on Port Adelaide skipper Warren Tredrea in Friday night's AFL clash as the Saints' spate of injuries to key backmen continues to bite. Sam Fisher strained a hamstring last weekend, joining Max Hudghton (quad) and Matt Maguire (foot) on the injury list. Tredrea has struggled to make an impact in his return from a knee injury, kicking just one goal in two games, but the four-time All-Australian still shapes as a key figure for the fourth-placed Power. Koschitzke has booted six goals in four games, playing mostly as a key forward, but has the versatility to switch into defence. "It looks like those defenders will be out for a while and they don't grow on trees, so that's hard," St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said. "Everyone we have put into roles - (Jason) Blake and (Jason) Gram and (Brendon) Goddard have been playing really well. Obviously (Koschitzke) would come under consideration for a Tredrea this week. If you are playing against Jonathan Brown, or a (West Coast's Ashley) Hansen, those big forwards, he can play on those types." The Article John Salvado/AAP/saints.com.au/24Apr07 Voss might get a go . . . Utility Brett Voss could also come back to bolster the St Kilda defence against Port Adelaide, which is the fourth highest-scoring team in the competition so far this season. Voss - who played every senior match in 2005 and 2006 - was overlooked for the first four rounds after having his pre-season interrupted by an ankle problem. "Then other players took their opportunities and in round one we were a pretty strong team," said Lyon. "We decided to go with runners on the bigger grounds and (Voss) hadn't been able to force his way in. We'd been vindicated by performances, in a sense, even on the weekend, until the second half (when they were over-run by Essendon)." Brett Ebert has been the Power's most effective forward this season with 12 goals in four games, while Port coach Mark Williams also has the option of swinging Chad Cornes or Toby Thurstans into attack on Friday night to test the Saints for height. The clash at AAMI Stadium will mark the second time Lyon has coached the Saints in a match outside Victoria for premiership points. The Article AAP/TheAge/24Apr07 Lyon admits concern . . . St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has conceded he's 'very concerned' about the Saints' up-and-down form ahead of Friday night's clash with Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. The Saints have gone win-loss-win-loss in four matches under Lyon against Melbourne, Brisbane, the Western Bulldogs and Essendon. Asked at Moorabbin on Tuesday morning whether he was worried about the trend, Lyon replied: "Very, yes, very concerned. I think the key in our losses is that we haven't been allowed to play well, I think our opposition has pressured us very well," he said. "The focus is consistency . . . but at two-two we're reasonably close, it's not perfect. We're two-two, it's a marathon and we're going to fight to win games and build to our best 22" . . . Lyon conceded that his players' general skills and efficiency will need to lift enormously if the Saints are to beat the in-form Power. "We've got to stop butchering the ball and we've got to increase our tackle pressure and take our opportunities," he said. The Article Angus Morgan/Sportal/24Apr07 No real secrets to winning on the road: Lyon . . . The clash at AAMI Stadium will mark the second time Lyon has coached the Saints in a match outside Victoria for premiership points. And the former Swans assistant says there are no real secrets to winning on the road. "It's just about demystifying it, not building it up to be something it's not," he said. "You just want a normal preparation, going over to play footy and not focus that you're going interstate. You just keep everything normal. Good players play well anywhere and that's what the top teams have a capacity to do." The Article AAP/SydneyMorningHerald/24Apr07
St Kilda's Brett Voss has long lived in the shadow of his older brother, former Brisbane Lions captain Michael. You might think that would change now that Michael is retired, but Brett is finding his brother the footy commentator even tougher to escape. "I listen to his commentary. It's a bit hard to avoid him," Voss told saints.com.au. "He's Mr Everywhere at the moment. It's funny to listen to your brother commentating, and when he says something silly you feel for him a little bit, I suppose. He's finding his feet in the media side of things. I think he's enjoying it thoroughly. He hasn't commentated on me yet so that should be interesting. I'll definitely be watching that tape when he does. He better look after me, that's for sure." Brett played his first game for the season for St Kilda last weekend against Port Adelaide, after spending the first four weeks on the team's emergency list. Despite the defeat, he finished with a personal tally of three goals. "It's good for my own confidence," he said. "After not playing in the senior side for a while you kind of wonder if you've got what it takes to play at that level. So I was happy to get my hands on it a fair bit." Brett says his brother Michael's football achievements spurred him on to succeed. The Article Catherine Murphy/saints.com.au/01May07 Ball keeps his helmet St Kilda co-captain Luke Ball says he is likely to continue wearing a helmet for the next fortnight after a trouble-free return from a head injury. The midfield star wore a helmet for his return match in the Saints' 31-point loss to Essendon on Saturday. Ball had sat out the previous two games after he was heavily concussed in a Round 1 collision with Melbourne's Matthew Whelan. Ball said it was a personal decision how long he wore the helmet, but said he would persist with it in the short term to protect the scar on his head. "I have worn it at training a couple of times and it felt OK and (on Saturday) as well. It either helped or hindered me, I guess," Ball said. "I felt pretty comfortable wearing it, although it was pretty hot in there. Basically the scar on my head is still a bit raw, so they just wanted to cover that up because it will get split open if it gets another hit. So I might wear it for another couple of weeks, I think." Ball praised the club's handling of his injury. The Article Rebecca Williams/HeraldSun/24Apr07 Power on 6-1 stretch Resurgent Port Adelaide - a team few rated as a final contender this year - is on target to equal its best ever start to an AFL season. Flying at 3-1 with wins against Fremantle in Perth, the Kangaroos at home and Collingwood at the MCG, the Power now begins a three-match stretch where it will start hot favourite in each game. If results go according to plan, the Power should be 6-1 after seven rounds - equalling its previous best start in 2001. From there, a finals spot is virtually assured . . . Brogan did some light skill work at Alberton Oval yesterday while Pearce ran sprints in a bid to push for inclusion in the side for its only Friday night game of the year. They will be tested fully at the club's main training session at AAMI Stadium tomorrow but will not be risked if they are not 100 per cent fit because of the team's strong form. The Saints will be boosted by the return of leading goalkicker Fraser Gehrig, who will form a strong, multi-pronged attack with Nick Riewoldt, Justin Koschitzke and Stephen Milne. Port Injury list - Dean Brogan (ankle) Test, Daniel Motlop (ankle) Test, Danyle Pearce (hamstring) Test. The Article Andrew Capel/AdelaideAdvertiser/24Apr07 Power stars may return Andrew Capel/AdelaideAdvertiser/23Apr07 Statistics - St Kilda vs Port Power finalsiren.com AFL `softer on drugs' Here's proof that the AFL's much-maligned drugs policy is soft on illicit drugs - 3000 versus 500. That's the potential number of tests for illicit drugs the National Rugby League will conduct a year under their new "two strikes" policy compared with the AFL's current mark. That means if you are one of the 400 NRL players, on average you can expect to be tested 7.5 times a year for illicit drugs. If you are one of 640 AFL players, however, the current ratio of illicit drug tests to each player is less than one a year. The Article Tim Morressey/CourierMail/26Apr07 Ebert missed in drug leak inquiry ASADA'S investigation into the leak on this week's AFL drug testing at Port Adelaide surprisingly did not involve the Power employee tipped off 52 hours in advance. Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigations officer Mark Nichols yesterday left Adelaide without interviewing four-time Magarey Medallist Russell Ebert. The Power's community youth program manager was told of Monday's drug tests at Alberton in an off-air call to Radio FIVEaa on Saturday morning. Surprised at not being contacted by Nichols, Ebert said yesterday: "They know where I am." Nichols, who left Adelaide yesterday without commenting, was at the FIVEaa studios at Hindmarsh Square at 9.30am to interview the station's sports presenter Ken Cunningham and station manager Paul Bartlett. Ebert was in the building at the same time but not sought out by the investigator. Cunningham said Nichols "was keen to find out the identity of the caller" from Saturday morning. Bartlett said the station had declined, on privacy and ethical grounds, to reveal the caller's details. The Article Michelangelo Rucci/AdelaideAdvertiser/26Apr07 AFL bid in jeopardy Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke has warned 'stupid bureaucrats' not to jeopardise the city's chances of gaining an AFL licence. The passionate Aussie rules fan is livid the State Government's Major Sports Facilities Authority is threatening to force any future Gold Coast AFL team to play out of the Gabba. The Article GoldCoastBulletin/26Apr07 Get ahead - like Molly Who knew his hats were so rare? Molly Meldrum, apparently, has his trademark headwear specially made for him by a company called Mount Castle. Tomorrow, you'll have a chance to get your very own. The music guru is guest speaker at Port Adelaide's monthly luncheon and is offering one for auction, with proceeds going to the Phoenix Society. He should have some interesting tales. Molly has interviewed nearly every legend of the music industry and who could forget his bumblings with Prince Charles? Molly has put aside his club loyalties (he's a St Kilda fan) to appear at the lunch. The Power will return the favour by hosting Molly at tomorrow's game at AAMI Stadium. The Article AdelaideAdvertiser/26Apr07 Panel to demand medical reports The match review panel has been directed to obtain medical records from victims, ensuring it will be better informed when determining penalties. The league's demand for more precise information follows a panel decision to reprimand Hawthorn's Luke Hodge after he was found guilty of tripping Brisbane's Nigel Lappin in the opening round of the season. The force of Hodge's contact with Lappin caused damage just above his knee and he has been unable to play since. Lappin, who in round one was playing in his first match since 2005, has missed four matches in succession and will not play against Carlton at Telstra Dome tonight. The panel assessed the trip as negligent conduct, of low impact and body contact, drawing 80 demerit points. Hodge pleaded guilty, took a discount, and accepted a carryover of 66 points on his record for the next 12 months. Even though the match review panel has had the power to ask for doctors' reports since its inception at the start of 2005, it did not seek one from the Lions in the case of Hodge and Lappin. The Article Chip Le Grand/TheAustralian/28Apr07 ASADA boss warns staff The head of Australia's sports anti-drug authority has warned that any of his staff members could face criminal charges if they were involved in the Port Adelaide drug testing tip-off scandal. The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) is investigating how Port players knew drug testers were coming this week when the tests are supposed to be random. Port's Chad and Kane Cornes were both told by their father Graham that ASADA testers were on their way after the radio station Graham works for, Adelaide's 5AA, was tipped off by an off-air caller. The tip-off scandal follows the leaking of drug testing information last year to the media about a list of AFL players who were on two strikes under the league's illicit drugs policy. ASADA is looking into the latest tip-off to see if it can determine who called Russell Ebert, a radio colleague of Graham Cornes and an employee at the Power, and how the drug tests were compromised. The Article AAP/RealFooty/28Apr07 Footy's South Africa safari The AFL has committed to sending up to four clubs overseas for their community camps from the end of this season, with South Africa a priority destination. There are several thousand players in 18 competitions in South Africa. According to the AFL, Collingwood is keen to pursue Cape Town and the western cape district of South Africa; Fremantle has an alliance with the North West Province; and Carlton is interested in Johannesburg. The AFL wants West Coast to examine possibilities in KwaZulu-Natal, which takes in South Africa's second biggest city, Durban. Overseas NAB Cup matches remain a possibility, but the AFL is most likely to hold exhibition matches as a climax to community camps. Japan, China and Dubai are other countries being considered and the push to hold "event" exhibitions in London and Los Angeles will continue. Essendon remains keen on Japan after visits in recent years. The Article David Reed/HeraldSun/29Apr07 Cousins contract changed West Coast will drastically alter the conditions of Ben Cousins' contract before allowing him to again wear an Eagles jumper. Club chairman Dalton Gooding yesterday said the former captain's comeback to the game after a drug-induced suspension would come only after the strictest set of behavioural conditions were agreed upon. Cousins, who today will return to Australia from a month-long stint at a drug clinic in California, will need to: STAY AWAY from certain Perth identities. SUBJECT himself to regular drug tests by the Eagles, possibly daily. ADMIT publicly his drug problem. APOLOGISE publicly for his drug abuse. BE AWARE of an instant sacking should he break any of the stringent criteria that will be inserted into his amended contract, which is worth about $750,000 a year. The final clearance for Cousins returning to the game will rest with the AFL, which will empower its medical commissioners to determine the state of the 2005 Brownlow medallist. Cousins, indefinitely suspended by West Coast in March for illicit drug use, will not be hit with a separate charge by the AFL. The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/30Apr07 Cousins 'glad to be home' ABCSport/30Apr07 Vics again getting kicked The 2007 AFL season might only be five rounds old but already one thing appears certain - more pain for Victorian footy fans. The league might insist the current non-Victorian dominance of the competition is only a cyclical thing but having begun in 2001 it shows no signs of ending with AFL bad boys West Coast again leading the way. After three successive years of two non-Victorian teams playing off for the premiership and six successive years of non-Victorian teams lifting up the cup, those frustrated Melburnians hoping to finally see their teams on the big stage this year are in for more disappointment. With less than a quarter of the season gone five of the top six spots are already held down by non-Victorian teams in West Coast, a revitalised Port Adelaide, Sydney and Adelaide with the Brisbane Lions - who appeared set for a long stay down the bottom of the ladder following the break-up of their 2001-03 premiership teams - also on the rise again thanks to the return of Jonathan Brown and the improvement of so many of their youngsters. Since 2001 there has never been less than four 'interstate teams' - as Victorians like to call them - in the top eight by season's end and in 2003 all six reached the finals. And that is a scenario that could well be repeated again this season. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/30Apr07 Umpires admit holding error, but Tigers left holding the bag The umpires who awarded West Coast twice as many free kicks as Richmond last Saturday had made an error with the holding-the-ball rule, a review has found. But the error was not as Tigers captain Kane Johnson and the black-and-gold army suspected. In fact, Richmond was given one too many free kicks for holding the ball. The AFL umpires director, Jeff Gieschen, said the review of the match, which yielded 30 free kicks to West Coast and 14 to Richmond, delivered a favourable report of the umpires' game. "We were happy with the effort - it was an average performance, it was not a bad game, it was not a fantastic game," Gieschen said. The Article Michael Gleeson/RealFooty/01May07 Interstaters throwing down the challenge In 2003 the six non-Victorian teams all played in the AFL finals series for the first time, which leads me to a trivia question. Who were the two Victorian-based teams that joined them? Collingwood and Essendon. This season is only five rounds in and much can happen and change from week to week, so singing the praises of teams too much and ruling others out can be folly. But the six interstaters look in reasonable shape at this stage to be right in contention for a repeat of 2003. West Coast are certainties. It's hard to see too many teams beating them. They are easily the best side in it and it might only be a flat spot, which all teams experience, which causes the odd loss . . . St Kilda has a good list but lacks depth and they have numerous injuries to key players which might restrict them, but their best is good enough. The Article Dan Lonergan/ABCOnline/01May07 Brendon Goddard's dad free The father of St Kilda ace Brendon Goddard has escaped an immediate jail term after he was unwittingly caught up in a drugs operation. Robert Edward Goddard, 49, yesterday pleaded guilty to money laundering between May and August 2003, and possessing a small amount of cannabis. Brendon Goddard, the top draft pick of 2002, supported his dad through most of the hearing in the County Court. A running half-back flanker with the Saints, Brendon was joined in court yesterday by two of his sisters. The Article Shelley Hodgson/HeraldSun/01May07 GO BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
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