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Round 6 AFL 2007 Premiership Season - Pre-game Articles - St Kilda Saints versus Carlton Blues
St Kilda Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of John Peake as the Club's Recruiting Manager. Previous Recruiting Manager, John Beveridge is slightly easing up on his recruiting workload and will take up a role in a Recruiting Advisor capacity, after 24 years at the Saints. "I will still be very much involved in recruiting at the Club and I am very enthused that John has taken up this appointment, particularly knowing he has given outstanding service to Geelong and Essendon Football Clubs" Beveridge said. Peake began his recruiting career in 1992 where he worked part time at Essendon Football Club until 1997. In 1998, Peake was appointed on a part time basis to assist Stephen Wells at Geelong Football Club and in 2006 he became the Cats' full time Recruiting Assistant. The Article Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/02May07 Lyon: Bring it on Rookie St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has strongly defended his capacity to handle his new job, declaring he is better prepared than most to withstand a crisis. As the Saints face a must-win game against Carlton at Telstra Dome tonight, Lyon revealed details of his personal psychological profile to back up his claim. "My profile says my stress tolerance is really high. So throw a brick at me," he said this week. Lyon said he had twice had psychological testing, firstly when he joined Sydney as an assistant coach to Paul Roos in 2003 and again when he took over the Saints from Grant Thomas at the end of the last season. As well as being able to absorb stress at the highest level, Lyon said there were other factors that helped him cope well with his new job. "It said I'm in touch with what I think and why I think it. I also understand how I impact on others," he said. One question set to test his stress level tonight will be finding an opponent for Carlton full-forward Brendan Fevola. The Article Trevor Grant/HeraldSun/04May07 St Kilda v Carlton RealFooty/04May07 Preview: Saints v Blues Sportal/03May07 Saint punters keep the faith An avalanche of money has come for St Kilda to beat Carlton at Telstra Dome tonight. Centrebet has taken more than $10,000 on the Saints at an average of $1.63, while Lasseters Sports has slashed St Kilda's odds from $1.68 to $1.62 after a string of bets, including one of $20,000. "If you like the Saints, bet now because they'll keep shortening. That's always the case with the Friday night favourites. The punters just keep coming for them," Lasseters Sports' Gerard Daffy said. The Article Adam Hamilton/HeraldSun/04May07 Gehrig staying home The memory has stayed with Ross Lyon for 20 years, and he is using it this year as he tries to draw the best from veteran St Kilda full-forward Fraser Gehrig. Carlton premiership coach David Parkin had exchanged places with Robert Walls, going to Fitzroy at the end of the 1985 season. His arrival signalled a new uncompromising philosophy at the Lions, designed to stiffen the physical and mental resolve of a team that had fallen from fourth to ninth in two years. "When David arrived his words were, 'There's no medical room here any more'," Lyon said. These were words the club's veteran champion forward Bernie Quinlan didn't want, or need, to hear, as the team went through its toughest pre-season in years. By the end of the year, Quinlan, at 35, had retired. "Bernie did his achilles and that was the end for him. I remember David saying it was one of his biggest regrets that he didn't manage him better," Lyon said. "I don't want to be responsible for the same thing with Fraser." The Article Trevor Grant/HeraldSun/04May07 Straight down the Lyon Rod Butterss went to a meeting of senior people at Moorabbin this week and found his coaching staff upbeat. Surprisingly so, perhaps. From a distance, a supporter might have expected a more sombre mood than what the president discovered. St Kilda is a moderate 2-3 and has a chunk of its back six unavailable through injury, not to mention the untimely addition of prized midfielder Lenny Hayes to the absentee list. Carlton at Telstra Dome tonight is plainly no "gimme" for the Saints. During the week, coach Ross Lyon publicly blamed poor management - rather than bad luck - for the injury troubles that have continued this season. It was an unusual admission for an AFL coach, in a culture that eschews the idea of blaming anything or anyone else. It also appeared on one level to point an accusing finger at past administrations at St Kilda, and could have been interpreted as the football equivalent of the government that comes to power, only to announce the discovery of a black hole in the budget created by its dastardly predecessor. All of which raised the eyebrows of a few people, including Age commentator Robert Walls, one of the panel that helped choose Lyon for the job last year. But upon consideration, Walls came around to the view that it was just Lyon being Lyon. Brutal, honest and uncompromising, just as he played for Fitzroy (and briefly Brisbane) through 130-odd games. The Article Martin Blake/RealFooty/04May07 Lyon maintains self-belief There is something about St Kilda coach Ross Lyon that doesn't quite jell. He should have been sitting there with a furrowed brow explaining, in a suitably serious tone, the magnitude of the job he confronts as his injury-riddled team starts to crack around the edges. Yet there he was, at another midweek media conference, trying out his dry humour on reporters, being candid about injuries and rolling his eyes and grinning mischievously in a self-deprecating manner that is both delightful and puzzling. Lyon appears anything but a rookie coach with a limited reputation and profile now at a club whose lone premiership came 41 years ago and, according to some, has once again let slip a real opportunity to end this miserable history of failure. The Article Trevor Grant/HeraldSun/04May07 Saints call on Smith over injuries St Kilda has called in 1966 premiership hero and academic Ross Smith to help solve the riddle of its persistent injury crises. Smith, the 1967 Brownlow medallist and a Saints hall of famer, is chairing a research committee looking into the issue as the club tries to cobble a respectable record in the face of another injury blight. He is one of Australia's leading lights in the field, having a doctorate in philosophy and served as director of sports science at the Australian Institute of Sport for several years. St Kilda coach Ross Lyon this week said the club's problems with soft tissue injuries were not merely bad luck but the result of poor management. Lyon said St Kilda needed to bring itself to the point of clubs such as Sydney and West Coast in terms of having players available. Club president Rod Butterss said Smith and others would seek advice from other sporting bodies. "It's a committee that will seek to build relationships with organisations farther and wider, at the elite level, both contact sports and Olympics sports. We want to see if we can't get the best minds and the best experience, if not globally then certainly nationally, to assist," Butterss said. The Article Martin Blake/RealFooty/04May07 Saints look to recent history for inspiration St Kilda, back under the Friday night spotlight, will be keen to continue recent history when they clash with Carlton at the Telstra Dome. The Blues haven't beaten the Saints since 2001 and have lost their last three meetings by a combined total of 280 points. Both Fraser Gehrig and Nick Riewoldt have enjoyed days out against Carlton. Gehrig kicked nine goals in a 108 point thrashing in 2004 while Riewoldt kicked nine goals at the MCG last year as the Blues managed just four goals, all kicked by Brendan Fevola. With injuries depleting the Saints defence, the big question for Ross Lyon is who will take up the task of minding Fevola, who kicked eight in the Blues comeback win against Essendon in round three. Brendon Goddard and Jason Blake have fought hard down back but the best option appears to be Justin Koschitzke who was moved onto Warren Tredrea last week. The Saints have the height and ability to stretch Carlton down back and Koschitzke could provide that extra option up forward. Riewoldt with his hard running and athleticism provides a difficult match up for Denis Pagan. Bret Thornton or Jarrad Waite are the most likely options. The inexperienced but exciting Setanta OhAilpin is likely to get Fraser Gehrig in what looms as a fascinating match up. Despite losing two key midfielders last week the Saints still have plenty of ball winning ability and skill. Nick Dal Santo showed great signs in difficult conditions last week and with Lenny Hayes out, Dal Santo will look to set up plenty of attacking opportunities with his exquisite skills. Leigh Montagna, Luke Ball, Aaron Fiora and Xavier Clarke all had the ball more than twenty times last week so look for them to be more damaging this week under the roof at Telstra Dome. Of course, there is the great old warhorse Robert Harvey who will look to continue his magnificent early season form. The Article Adrian Blades/saints.com.au/03May07 Blues promote Young Nuggety midfielder Ross Young has been elevated to the Carlton senior list to replace Nick Stevens who was scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday to repair a prolapsed disc in his neck, a condition that will keep him sidelined for the remained of 2007. Young, 23, was the first mature-age rookie to be selected in the AFL at No.32 overall in last year's Rookie Draft. Originally from Donald in north-west Victoria, Young also played for University Blues and was recruited to Carlton from the club's VFL affiliate, the Northern Bullants. Young enjoyed some game time with the Blues during the club's successful 2007 NAB Cup campaign and may be in the running for senior selection for Carlton's round six match against St Kilda at Telstra The Article Angus Morgan/Sportal/03May07 Fevola an AFL forward freak: Thornton Carlton fullback Bret Thornton has been a part of Blues backlines destroyed by St Kilda far too often for his liking in the past five years. Thornton acknowledges he could be in for another tough AFL game on Friday night at Telstra Dome, when he stands alongside one of Fraser Gehrig, Nick Riewoldt or Justin Koschitzke. But he hopes the Blues' saviour will be the man he rates the best key forward in the league, his team-mate Brendan Fevola. "His greatest asset is his pace off the mark, he's probably one of our quickest players over 15 metres," said Thornton, who goes head to head with Fevola at Carlton training. "The strength of his marking, if you're caught behind, then he very rarely drops them. He's got a great pair of hands". The Article AAP/WestAustralian/03May07 Blues out to break losing run against Saints Carlton will have to buck the trend of recent history to beat the Saints tomorrow night, having lost their past seven meetings in a streak stretching back to round one, 2002. The loss of Nick Stevens, having surgery today on a season-ending neck injury, will test the Blues' midfield depth but coach Denis Pagan is confident the Blues can bounce back from last week's loss to Brisbane. Veteran Anthony Koutoufides, who damaged a tendon in his finger two months ago, met his surgeon yesterday but Pagan expects the former skipper is still a week away from returning . . . The Saints, already battling injury to defenders Matt Maguire, Max Hudghton and Sam Fisher, also have to cover the loss of midfielder Lenny Hayes, who broke his collarbone last week. Both sides have two wins, with the Saints, who were highly fancied to finish well inside the eight, sitting just above the Blues on the ladder with a slim 8.3 per cent advantage in 13th spot. After last week's 53-point loss to Port Adelaide, new Saints coach Ross Lyon said "we'll educate, we'll adjust and aim to be 3-3" tomorrow night. The Article Martin Boulton/RealFooty/03May07 Saints face white Blues Carlton agrees on one thing for Friday night's game against St Kilda -- the man in white is always right. For just the second time in the club's history, Carlton will not wear its navy blue jumper. The only other time was Round 3 in 1997, when Carlton wore a light blue guernsey against Adelaide to launch a lolly, the blue M & M. Carlton will wear its white clash guernsey for the first time on Friday night, after the AFL requested several clubs design an alternative jumper. Under the AFL rules, Carlton was required to produce a light-coloured alternative guernsey for designated away "clash" matches against Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Melbourne and St Kilda. The Article Darryl Timms/HeraldSun/02May07 Thursday Debate with Mike Sheahan Finally, an alternative guernsey that fits all Carlton may have provided the solution to the mess created by the haphazard search for clash club jumpers. The Blues will wear a white guernsey with a navy blue CFC logo against St Kilda tomorrow night. They will wear white shorts, featuring navy chamois panels, hmmmm, and navy socks. Pity about the shorts, but the rest sounds great. So good the AFL should explore the idea of basic white as the clash jumper for all clubs. Adopt the racing tradition: the all-white colours of the club. White with the relevant logo on the front and the numbers in matching colour. We can't have this ongoing clash of egos and colours, and, generally, the resultant bad taste. The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/03May07 Pagan wary of selling St Kilda short Carlton coach Denis Pagan is wary of underestimating an injury-depleted St Kilda outfit ahead of Friday night's AFL clash at Telstra Dome. The Saints are missing a host of key players, including defenders Max Hudghton, Matt Maguire and Sam Fisher and midfielder Lenny Hayes, but Pagan said there was still a lot of talent in the side. "You just never know who's going to come in and do really well," Pagan said. "You just go with who you've got and I'm sure St Kilda would think like that." Despite Pagan playing it down, St Kilda's medical woes have presented the Blues with an opportunity to end a series of recent thrashings against the Saints. The Blues have lost their past seven matches to St Kilda, including the past four by a combined 371 points, an average margin of more than 93 points. Carlton's Simon Wiggins pulled up from last week's loss to Brisbane with hamstring tightness and will not be considered for selection, according to a club spokesman. The Article AAP/TheAge/02May07 Pagan wary of injury-hit Saints HeraldSun/02May07 Preview: St Kilda v Carlton Adam Bentick v Robert Harvey Harvey has once again been leading the way for St Kilda and was the team's shining light against Port last weekend. Denis Pagan enjoys giving his younger players challenges and may put Bentick alongside the evergreen St Kilda star to build up his experience. Setanta O'hAilpin v Nick Riewoldt O'hAilpin has been on fire in the first five rounds of the season and may be given first crack at the St Kilda forward. While speed and height should not be a problem for the Irishman, Riewoldt's guile may prove more of a handful. If O'hAilpin is outmanoeuvred, Bret Thornton and Jarrad Waite are more-than-capable back-ups. Brendon Goddard v Brendan Fevola Goddard may get the role of stopping the Blues spearhead thanks to his speed and strength. Fevola will be keen to make up for his mouthy display against Brisbane last week, and eager to exploit a weakened Saints defence. The Article AFL/saints.com.au/02May07 Murphy may play in defence: Pagan Carlton coach Denis Pagan has floated the prospect that Marc Murphy may start Friday night's match against St Kilda in defence. Quizzed ahead of training at MC Labour Park on Wednesday about how Murphy was coping with the extra on-field attention in the absence of the club's leading midfielder Nick Stevens, Pagan said the 19-year-old was learning with every outing. It's a fair bet that Murphy will have St Kilda's No.1 tagger Steven Baker for company at the opening bounce on Friday night, but Pagan hinted that his young star may not necessarily start in the centre square. "We'll try and support him as much as we possibly can and that's what we'll do," Pagan said. "We may start him on the half back flank or something like that that's going to help him confront what's coming this week with whoever Ross (Lyon) decides to put on him. "I think he's pretty strong in confidence and he's been an outstanding player the whole way through. It's just part of his development and I'm sure he'll come through with flying colours. Pagan said he would look at the match-ups before deciding whether the club's No.1 draft pick from 2006, Bryce Gibbs, who has been tried in defence over the past few weeks as part of his development, would start there again on Friday. The Article Angus Morgan/Sportal/02May07 Lyon remains positive Despite a minor setback with injuries, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon is looking forward to this week's round 6 clash with Carlton at Telstra Dome. "The injuries we've sustained aren't ideal and it's disappointing to lose our captain Lenny Hayes just as he was finding form, but every team has its challenges and that includes us" Lyon said. The Saints take on the Blues this Friday night and Lyon is keen to organise a game plan that will see his team claim victory. "The season is not over for the Club, by any means. We're a talented group where we will resolve to fight on and put on a good show" he said. While the side has been affected by injury, Lyon remains upbeat that his players are positive and focused on the season. "The boys are not down beat, they're enthusiastic and have trained really well. Having said that, we know we have to get a result on Friday night." Lyon however admitted beating Carlton would be no easy task, with the Blues having played quality football this season. "Carlton are playing really good football and they've played in three really high standard games" Lyon said. "They are a very attacking side with a significant amount of speed and it's going to be a real challenge for us." One of the challenges facing the Saints will be containing Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola. "He is a strong, unique and powerful player" Lyon said. With St Kilda's three main defenders unavailable, Lyon must consider other alternatives to combat the Blues' full forward. The Article Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/01May07 Stats Confidential with Mark Stevens Hunting? Try savagery. The Kangaroos found a new level at Skilled Stadium on Sunday, laying 25 effective tackles inside their forward 50 against Geelong . . . St Kilda has laid just 23 forward-50 tackles in five games -- two fewer than the Kangas did in one big day out. Stephen Milne and Fraser Gehrig have had one effective forward-50 tackle between them this season. After Round 1 against Melbourne, a victory built on blue-collar work ethic, the Saints were No. 1 with 12 inside-50 tackles. However in a month, they have plunged to last, producing a just 11 in four matches. Coaches love their forwards harassing and forcing defenders into errors. You can guarantee that stat hasn't escaped the attention of new Saints coach Ross Lyon. The indigenous players, led by the Davey brothers, have made an art form of it. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/02May07 Bad management, not luck St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says the Saints' on-going injury woes stem from bad management and not bad luck. As the Saints' injury toll grows this season, Lyon yesterday said the club was reviewing its medical and fitness programs in a bid to halt more than three years of injury woes. Lyon said the Saints needed to bring their player availability up to the standard of the West Coast Eagles and Sydney, where he was a former assistant coach. "It's beyond bad luck, let's not kid ourselves," Lyon said. "There are some controllables that aren't being controlled. That's my view. There is no doubt some soft tissue (injuries) at critical times over the last three years has hurt the club at critical times. I am not pointing the finger, but we need to get West Coast and Sydney type player availability. It's a key element of success, player availability and for whatever reason that hasn't been in existence here for three and a half years." The St Kilda board is awaiting further details of a review, conducted by Lyon and football manager Ken Sheldon. Club president Rod Butterss last night conceded there were "underlying frustration" at the run of injuries. The Article Rebecca Williams and Mark Stevens/DailyTelegraph/02May07 Lyon blames injury management Rebecca Williams and Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/02May07 Lyon hits out at injuries St Kilda coach Ross Lyon says his club's horrendous run with injuries is due to more than bad luck saying the Saints have not had an adequate fitness program in place since at least 2004 . . . At present the Saints have 11 players unavailable through injury, including their three best defenders in Sam Fisher, Matt Maguire and Max Hudghton as well as star midfielders Lenny Hayes and Andrew Thompson, boom recruit Michael Gardiner - who is yet to play for the Saints due to a foot injury, and veteran forward Aaron Hamill, who has played just 21 games since the start of 2005 . . . "I am not pointing the finger but we need to get to where West Coast and Sydney are at in terms of player availability because it's a key element of success and for whatever reason it hasn't happened here since 2004 through 2006 and now into 2007" . . . One of those in last year's top draft pick, Queenslander David Armitage, is in line to make his AFL debut on Friday night while others in contention to come into the side are ruckman Michael Rix and wingman Clint Jones . . . Lyon said James Gwilt was also a chance to be promoted, to play on Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola, who looms as the Saints' danger man on Friday night considering Maguire, Fisher and Hudghton are all unavailable to play on the AFL's reigning Coleman Medallist . . . Lyon however said the Saints may have their best 22 back sooner than expected with even Hamill making improved progress from his latest knee injury with the Saints coach saying the former skipper was a chance of returning within eight weeks provided he suffered no further setbacks. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/01May07 Saints aiming to solve injury woes AAP/TheAge/01May07 Saints aiming to solve injury woes Roger Vaughan/AAP/AFL/saints.com.au/01May07 New foot injury to sideline Gardiner for a month St Kilda's controversial ruck recruit Michael Gardiner is unlikely to play before the midyear break at the earliest, with the same injury to his right foot that required surgery on his left foot. St Kilda last night confirmed Gardiner would miss at least the next four weeks after his sore right foot forced him to be a late withdrawal from the past two games for the Casey Scorpions' VFL affiliate side. "On the last two occasions, he has pulled up sore from after the last training session of the week. Now we will give it extra time to settle and then increase the tempo of training," St Kilda football manager Ken Sheldon said. "We've got faith in the system and believe he's a chance to get back this year. The frustrating thing is it's his good foot, not the one he's had trouble with. It is similar to his original injury in his other foot, so he knows how to handle it and we think this is the best way to tackle it. His other lingering injuries are A-OK . . . we hope we are not going down that path of surgery. It's four weeks and at the end of that, we will make a decision, but it is a long year and it is the end of the year you want them firing." The Article Paul Gough/RealFooty/01May07 Shoulder injuries increase The greater rate and ferocity of tackles may be responsible for an increase in shoulder injuries among AFL players, according to the AFL Medical Officers' Association. Shoulder injuries are the one category stubbornly increasing against another general reduction in injuries, according to the AFL Report on Injuries for 2006, and the association executive officer Dr Hugh Seward admits that the style of game may be contributing to it. "The severity of the tackles that we've seen is one of those significant factors that is increasing the risk to shoulders," Seward said. "The shoulder (injuries) seems to be steadily increasing," said Dr John Orchard, the compiler of the report. "That's the one we are concerned about becoming a trend." Figures from Pro-Stats confirm that the number of effective tackles (which either deprive the opponent of possession or tie him up) have gone up by about 1000 over the past four seasons. This year the AFL has clamped down on high contact and tackles in which a player's arms are pinned and he is thrown heavily to the ground. The Article Len Johnson/RealFooty/03May07 AFL to help Carlton restructure debt The AFL has announced that the Carlton Football Club will restructure its debt with assistance from the AFL, which will save the club about $250,000 in interest repayments over the next 12 months. AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou, in detailing the change, said, "This is part of a wider package of financial advice and support that we are providing to Carlton, and we welcomed the opportunity to work with the Carlton Board and management to produce a significant improvement to the club's balance sheet." Carlton chairman Richard Pratt commented that, "We appreciate the assistance of the AFL in restructuring our debt, and I would also like to acknowledge the Business Banking team at NAB who facilitated the completion of these new arrangements and will continue to provide banking services for the Carlton Football Club." The Article AFL/saints.com.au/02May07 Tribunal under attack The AFL tribunal is under fire for turning soft after the great escapes of Adam Goodes and Shaun Burgoyne. Only two players have been rubbed out, for a total of two matches, in the first five rounds of this season. Of 28 players charged in the home-and-away season, St Kilda's Fraser Gehrig and Fremantle's Steven Dodd are the only two to be suspended -- for one match each. This time last year, eight players had been suspended for a total of 15 matches. In 2005 -- the first year of the match review panel -- 11 players were outed for a total of 22 matches in the first five rounds. Burgoyne, Goodes and Dale Thomas walked free on Tuesday night, with clubs now becoming more eager to "roll the dice" and take on the tribunal. Former St Kilda coach and commentator Stan Alves yesterday said the tribunal appeared softer than ever before. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/03May07 Champ or not, Burgoyne was reckless . . . Burgoyne joins Headland as the luckiest blokes this year at the tribunal. With the possible exception of Mark Williams, no one enjoys watching Burgoyne play more than I do. But Williams and I are very lucky to be able to watch him play this week. Extremely so. He was unquestionably reckless in his attack on St Kilda's Lenny Hayes on Friday. He made contact in the no-go zone - neck and head - and hurt the durable Hayes. Given the penalties imposed on Michael Johnson and Mathew Stokes in the pre-season competition, the offer of two weeks with an early plea seemed perfectly reasonable. Yet a panel of former players, Richard Loveridge, Emmett Dunne and Wayne Henwood, saw it differently. Burgoyne said he couldn't avoid falling on Hayes, and the tribunal fell for it. The onus, remember, rests with the player making contact. Wet night or not, Burgoyne breached his duty of care. It's that sort of season at the tribunal. Big stick in the pre-season competition, kid gloves in the premiership series. The Article Mike Sheahan/FoxSports/03May07 Ty Zantuck chase probe Former AFL footballer Ty Zantuck is expected to be charged on summons after allegedly leading police on a brief car chase and running from his car. The Herald Sun believes Zantuck, 25, has denied police claims he was driving the car and ran from the vehicle after a tyre went flat. Zantuck was questioned at St Kilda police station yesterday. A police spokeswoman would not confirm Zantuck was the person who was questioned. The Article HeraldSun/03May07 "You couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo!" If you play any form of professional sport for long enough, you are bound to find yourself on the receiving end of some derogatory comments. Even the most beloved of sports stars manages to upset fans at some point. Look at Ian Thorpe or Pat Rafter - fine upstanding Aussies yet even they came in for criticism at times. Thankfully most fans recognise these people for their sporting excellence and resist the lure of joining the "tall poppy" bashers. But this phenomenon of "bagging" has meant that a prerequisite for elite sportspeople is developing not only the required skills, but also skin as thick as an elephant hide. I was subjected to many unflattering comments during my 17 years with the Saints. Yes, I put my hand up and say that wearing a helmet for most of those years was like waving a red rag at a bull, but some of them did leave me a bit bewildered. It wasn't the "where did you leave your bike?" type comment, it was usually the ones that left you in doubt about something you previously had no doubts about. I will explain. The Article NatahBurke InsideFootballOnline/02May07 No more Draft Dodging Only in the past year has it dawned on some clubs that the AFL's trendsetters have been plundering the rookie draft while they missed out, writes BEN CASANELIA. Midway through the 1998 rookie draft, Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy turned to a group seated behind him and muttered: "Am I stupid or something - why are clubs passing? It's ridiculous." Sheedy's quip came after yet another club declined to add a rookie to its list, presumably to cut costs as financially challenged clubs fought tooth and nail for existence . . . It's been 10 years since the first rookie draft and now for the first time clubs - with the exception of Brisbane and Sydney - are operating under an AFL guideline designed to fix the inequality that's existed in the system since its inception . . . The Saints' only success story is livewire forward Stephen Milne, while the Cats hang their hat on Max Rooke (84 games). The Dogs' current line-up contains two former rookies in Dale Morris and Matthew Boyd, although both look 150-game players in the making. The ArticleBeb Casenelia/InsideFootball/02May07 Retrospective Draft by 'statsman' What if we could travel back in time to each of the National Drafts of the past 10 years? With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, how different would the draft order be? THE STATSMAN speculated about what would happen if the club recruiting chiefs could have their time over again. How different would each year's top five have looked? The Article Statsman Inside Footy/18Apr07 Why Blues are 'sold' on new white jumper The big question facing Carlton fans should their team account for the Sainters at Telstra Dome tonight is, should they change the words to their theme song? Well, they will hardly be able to sing, "We are the navy blues", will they? Have a gander at what they will be wearing. It is, of course, their new, predominantly white "clash" guernsey, the only navy blue on which is the splash of their famous CFC motif on the front and the number on the back. For what it's worth, we think it looks a treat, for the simple reason that apart from the change of colour, the design is the same (unlike some of the hideous ones at other clubs). What's more, Carlton already must be wondering why it didn't think of unveiling it years ago, for the simple reason, the club revealed yesterday, that since releasing the top onto the retail market, it's already sold 850 of them and the Carlton shop at Princes Park is running low on supplies, even though it recently received a new shipment. In fact, it's normal for an AFL club to sell about one clash jumper to five regular tops, but such has been the demand for the Blues' white one that its selling ratio has been one in three. The Article Geoff McClure/TheAge/04May07 Pagan wary of selling St Kilda short AAP/TheAge/02May07 Pagan wary of injury-hit Saints HeraldSun/02May07 Preview: St Kilda v Carlton AFL/saints.com.au/02May07 Murphy may play in defence: Pagan Angus Morgan/Sportal/02May07 Please explain let-offs Uunless you were at Tuesday night's AFL Tribunal sitting, you will regard Shaun Burgoyne as extremely fortunate to have escaped suspension, Mike Sheahan writes. The vision available at the weekend and the match review panel's offer of a two-match penalty with an early plea left no other logical conclusion. Even Port Adelaide officials shared the view. Port's football operations manager Peter Rohde said last night: "When we first saw it, we thought, 'Gee, he's going to go for sure'." Yet, Burgoyne and his advocates were able to convince the tribunal otherwise, to have them reject the conclusion reached by the match review panel. The tribunal upheld the argument Burgoyne made minimal contact, if any; that the so-called victim Lenny Hayes hurt himself when he was slung to the ground, not in any contact from Burgoyne. The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/04May07 Cornerstones in state of erosion Almost a year ago, I was embroiled in a heated debate on radio with Dwayne Russell over what I thought was the diminishing impact of many of Australian football's original facets. I call them the cornerstones of our game. I argued that these cornerstones help give our game its unique identity, and that they are being eroded - visually and statistically. The cornerstones are: long kicking and intelligent short kicking, high marking, high scoring and physical contact. I believe they are being eroded by several ill-conceived rule changes and interpretations coinciding with coaching strategies and game plans brought about to counteract these rules. Let's look at these areas, consider possible causes and remedies and look at examples of each. The Article Tony Shaw/RealFooty/04May07 Number of drug tests set to triple The AFL's crackdown on drugs has begun, with testing of players set to almost triple. Clubs have not yet been informed of the number of drug tests players can expect, but an AFL source yesterday estimated the number to be between 1400 and 1500 a year. It is believed the AFL executive signed off on the increase in testing about a fortnight ago. At the latest meeting between the league's executive and club chief executives, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou hinted that testing could at least double and that target-testing would triple. In previous years, about 490 tests were carried out annually by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority. They were full-screen tests with about one-third conducted on match days. ASADA tested for illicit substances as well as for performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids. Under the AFL's latest crackdown - fast-tracked because of the revelation of Ben Cousins' addiction to ice and subsequent overseas treatment - the league will significantly boost its illicit drug testing to a ratio of about 10 non-match tests to one on match days. It is understood ASADA will perform about 460 tests a year, with 160 of those on match days, under World Anti-Doping Agency compliance, which carries much stricter penalties than the AFL's illicit drug code. The Article Greg Denham/TheAustralian/03May07 ASADA calls for answers on 'X' RADIO 5AA and The Advertiser newspaper have been told to release details of "Mr X" - the man who last month leaked details of recent drug testing at Port Adelaide - or face prosecution. ASADA investigator Tom McQuillan made the demand on Wednesday while meeting with 5AA general manager Paul Bartlett in Adelaide. McQuillan yesterday sought the name and telephone number of Mr X from The Advertiser chief football writer Michelangelo Rucci. The Article HeraldSun/04May07 John Powers dies at 72 John Powers, the author of one of the greatest books written about Australian football, has died in London aged 72. Ron Barassi, the football coach Powers shadowed for a season as a "fly on the wall" at North Melbourne in 1977, expressed shock when The Age delivered the news last night. Powers' book The Coach broke new ground in Australian sports journalism because he was permitted unprecedented access to the club. He was a friend and colleague of acclaimed playwright David Williamson, whose play The Club rivals The Coach as the finest piece of literature about Australian football. Powers had the fortune of choosing a premiership year in which the grand final was drawn for only the second time in Victorian Football League history, but it is a maniacal Barassi who emerges as the central character. The Article Kate Hagan/RealFooty/04May07 GO BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
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