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2007 Round 9 Post-game Articles - Fremantle Dockers versus St Kilda
St Kilda veteran Robert Harvey will have to wait a month to reach his 350-game AFL milestone. Tests showed he suffered a hamstring strain in Friday night's loss to Fremantle. A club spokesperson said Harvey would be out for four weeks with the injury. That would put him out of action until after the split round. Harvey is on 349 games, a club record, and the earliest he is likely to return would be the round-13 home game against Richmond, a night match on June 30 at Telstra Dome. It continues the Saints' horror run with injuries, but several players could return for the Telstra Dome match next Sunday against Geelong. Max Hudghton, Jason Gram and Raphael Clarke will stake their claims for recalls this week, while Leigh Montagna is making speedy progress from his broken jaw. The Article AAP/WestAustralian/27May07 Harvey to miss four weeks Vanessa Gigliotti/saints.com.au/27May07 Harvey tipped to miss four St Kilda football manager Ken Sheldon said the club did not yet have any evidence that Harvey's injury was more severe than a standard hamstring tear, but that the scans would tell them more. "We'll find out more then, but at the moment we think it will be the usual three to four weeks, and he knows what he has to do," Sheldon said. "He's had a lot of experience with hamstring injuries over time, so he'll be well aware of how to manage himself through it with the right treatment and a lot of diligence. There's no thought whatsoever that this will be it for him. He's on the cusp of 350 games and that in itself tells you he knows how to get over injuries and get himself back." The Saints added only Harvey to their injury list in the 46-point loss, although Fraser Gehrig was hobbling after disembarking from the plane in Melbourne last night. They regained co-captain Hayes from a collarbone injury. The Article Emma Quayle/RealFooty/27May07 Saint vilified as Reverend escapes blame Like Malcolm Blight and Grant Thomas before him, Ross Lyon has found the term "honeymoon period" does not exist in the St Kilda lexicon. The fans are coming for Lyon and his Saints, who at 4-5 are about to tackle Geelong, the Kangaroos and West Coast at Subiaco . . . Lyon walked into St Kilda and inherited a team with an ageing midfield, a lack of pace and a history of injuries. Like Thomas, he has lost a host of prime movers, including full-back (Max Hudghton), centre half-back (Matt Maguire), running backs (Jason Gram, Xavier Clarke, Brendon Goddard), midfielders (Lenny Hayes, Robert Harvey, Leigh Montagna) and ruckmen Matthew Clarke and Michael Gardiner. Despite this, he had broken level before Friday, only to lose a game through woefully inaccurate kicking, with his co-captain the chief offender. Contrast the blowtorch on Lyon with the Demons and Neale Daniher who have flown under the radar, despite an injury toll no worse than St Kilda's. While Lyon was rebuffing accusations he had flooded against Hawthorn, Daniher was sheepishly shrugging off talk his players would win against the Kangaroos just for him. While Lyon has been in the job for nine rounds, Daniher has had a decade to build a side brimming with depth, leadership, talent and competitive fire. The Article Jon Ralph/HeraldSun/27May07 Riewoldt: Don't give up on Saints St Kilda's rash of injuries was "almost laughable, certainly beyond the ridiculous", according to co-captain Nick Riewoldt. Despondent after a 46-point loss to Fremantle on Friday night and the hamstring strain to dual Brownlow medallist Robert Harvey, Riewoldt conceded the rising casualty list was becoming frustrating for the Saints. Riewoldt, who was attending a Perth supporters breakfast yesterday, said on Triple M: "It would be nice at some stage this season to get a full compliment of players available. It only needs one performance and all the confidence returns" . . . But the heavy toll is set to soften with defenders Max Hudghton, Jason Gram and Raphael Clarke to possibly return this week against Geelong and Leigh Montagna making better than expected progress with a broken jaw. Lenny Hayes, who made a brave comeback only a month after breaking his collarbone, said the group was trying to stay upbeat. The loss to the Dockers has the Saints near the foot of the ladder with four wins and five losses. "We still think we're a very good chance to make the finals," Hayes said. The Article Scot Palmer and Jackie Epstein/HeraldSun/27May07
St Kilda lost inspirational veteran Robert Harvey for a lengthy spell as Fremantle rubbed salt into the Saints' wounds with a 15.11 (101) to 6.19 (55) victory at Subiaco last night. With Harvey set to become only the 10th man in AFL/VFL history to reach 350 career games next week, the dual Brownlow medallist limped off in the first quarter clutching his left hamstring. Without his presence in the Saints' engine room, his younger pretenders could not stem the giant presence of Aaron Sandilands, who gave Matthew Pavlich, Chris Tarrant and Peter Bell enough ammunition to kick Freo's season back into gear. The Article AAP/HeraldSun/26May07 Saints can still make AFL eight: Hayes . . . "We had our chances but let ourselves down in front of goal," Hayes told SEN radio in Melbourne. In the second quarter we played really good footy, but we might have kicked 1.5, and then the third quarter we had a lot more inside 50s than them but just did not convert. At this elite level some of the goals we missed, myself included, you just can't do that, especially playing away. It is not good enough to play two quarters of footy." Hayes, whose return from a cracked collarbone against Freo saw him instantly up to speed with 21 possessions, said he hoped a few more troops would follow him back into battle in the coming weeks. "We have got a few positives coming back over the next few weeks, and we still really believe we can build and get a really good ... side out there leading into the finals," Hayes said. And while coach Ross Lyon was downcast after a third interstate loss for the year, he could still find some positives. "We are a good young group. We get a couple back possibly next week. It's a work in progress," Lyon said. The Article AAP/TheAge/27May07 Harvey adds to Saints' woes . . . Harvey was poised to gather a loose ball during time-on of the first term, but sustained the injury and immediately went to ground. He was assisted from the field by Saints medical staff and didn't return, cutting a forlorn figure from the visitors' dugout. Harvey's expected absence is a massive blow for St Kilda, which arrived in Perth on Tuesday with only 25 fit players. St Kilda supporters held their breath when injury-prone big man Justin Koschitzke copped a heavy knock to the head from Docker Michael Johnson early in the third quarter, a clash that saw the Fremantle defender reported. Koschitzke was initially stunned by the blow, but was able to take his free kick and didn't need to leave the ground. There was no sirengate in this Fremantle-St Kilda clash, no narrow margin and no whispers in the sky field umpire scandal, although there was some controversy over one goal umpiring decision. The Article Mark Duffield and Digby Beacham/RealFooty/26May07 Big blow for Saints as Harvey injured St Kilda coach Ross Lyon was blamed for the ugly against the Hawks last weekend. He witnessed the bad last night with yet another star, this time Robert Harvey, succumbing to the injury curse plaguing the Saints as they fell to the Dockers by 46 points at Subiaco Oval. And the good? It will not satisfy the rookie coach, but at least his undermanned side briefly threatened the Dockers after a horror opening that saw Fremantle jump to a match-deciding 30-point lead at quarter-time. Indeed, bar for extreme inaccuracy, the Saints could have been challenging for one of their finest wins against a Fremantle side still a long way from its dominant form of last season. While Lyon's Saints are limping like extras in a bad Western, Chris Connolly's Dockers finally hit a target and may have straightened out their season in the process . . . While it may not have changed the result, the Saints could have made a match of it in the second quarter had they kicked accurately. Despite sending the ball into attack four more times than the Dockers, the Saints managed 2.11 to half-time, just seven points better than last week's output in the snore-fest against Hawthorn. They continued to take ground off the spluttering Dockers in the third term, with Nick Riewoldt, who proved a handful for Steven Dodd, and then Sam Gilbert closing the margin to 16 points. Riewoldt could have heaped further pressure at the 18-minute mark, but hit the post with a kick that seemed to sap the Saints. The Article Courtney Walsh/TheAustralian/25May07 Inaccuracy cost us: Lyon St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has bemoaned his side's inaccuracy after their 46-point loss to Fremantle at Subiaco on Friday night. The Saints finished the match with just one fewer scoring shot than Freo, managing a wasteful 6.19 to their opponents' 15.11. "We had 2.11 at half-time and 3.15 during the third term and you won't win too many games kicking like that," Lyon said. "We'd like to kick them, but we got the ball into the 50m 50 to 47, so there was nothing wrong with our run." Lyon said his charges "used a lot of effort" to get themselves back into the game in the third quarter, and struggled to make an impact in the last term after looking a rough chance at the last break. "If we had continued on the way we were playing, we were a chance," he said. "But we did use a lot of effort getting there." Lyon said St Kilda would probably get back a couple of players for next week's clash against Geelong: "We're working hard on player availablility." But dual Brownlow Medalist Robert Harvey won't be among them after damaging his hamstring a week before what would have been his 350th game. "It doesn't look good," Lyon said of his champion's injury, the latest soft-tissue injury to plague the Saints. The Article Brad Elborough/AFL/saints.com.au/26May07
After a season of demoralising injuries, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon is contemplating possibly the most disheartening of all, after Robert Harvey limped out of last night's 46-point loss to Fremantle with a hamstring injury. Chasing a loose ball on the near-side wing at Subiaco, the dual Brownlow medallist's stretch left him clutching the back of his left leg immediately, followed by a disconsolate trudge to the sidelines. And with a history of hamstring troubles behind him, and the 35-year-old's 350th career game on the horizon next week, Lyon's downcast assessment of the injury after the game seems to indicate he may be without his most experienced campaigner for a significant spell. "We have not had it assessed officially, it is obviously a hamstring, but it does not look great," Lyon said. The Article HeraldSun/26May07 Black charged for rough conduct against McQualter While the Dockers had some good fortune on Monday with Michael Johnson's match-day report for striking St Kilda's Justin Koschitzke thrown out and Dean Solomon cleared of a high shot on Sam Gilbert - Black was booked by the panel for engaging in rough conduct against St Kilda's Andrew McQualter. Black, who has already served a one-match suspension in the WAFL this season, can accept a reprimand but will risk a one-match ban if he decides to challenge the panel's verdict. But even if he accepts the charge, Black will carry 93.75 points towards his future record meaning if he is reported again he will certainly face time on the sidelines. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/28May07 Freo ease past Saints Fremantle's topsy turvy season has continued with a thumping 46-point victory over a wayward St Kilda at Subiaco Oval on Friday night. The Dockers bolted out of the blocks with a six-goal-to-one opening term, and although the Saints closed to within 16 points late in the third term, the visitors' capitulation in front of goal gifted Fremantle the 15.11 (101) to 6.19 (55) win. But the news wasn't all sweet for the Dockers, with running defender Michael Johnson on report after his forearm collected Justin Koschitzke in the face during an attempted spoil. And in a bitter blow for the injury-ravaged Saints, 35-year-old veteran Robert Harvey appears set for a stint on the sidelines after injuring his left hamstring during the opening term. Peter Bell led Fremantle from the front with 32 disposals and three goals, while Chris Tarrant and Matthew Pavlich combined for six goals. For the Saints, Nick Riewoldt was sensational at centre half-forward with 23 touches, 10 marks and a goal, but lacked genuine support throughout the night. Fittingly, Troy Cook and Des Headland booted the opening two goals of the match to kick off indigenous round, and when Fremantle added another four unanswered majors, the Dockers held a 40-4 lead after just 24 minutes of play. Fraser Gehrig halted the run with a goal late in the opening term but the Dockers still headed to quarter-time with a commanding 32-point advantage. The Article Justin Chadwick/Sportal/25May07 Lenny's return softens Harvey blow There is only one Robert Harvey. Since he made his debute for the Saints in 1988, he has rarely seen form slumps in 349 games that have included a couple of Grand Finals and two seasons netting Brownlow Medals, as well as various club awards. Unfortunately, he has also seen injury. The ping in his left hamstring during the first quarter of the 46-point loss to Fremantle at Subiaco Oval on Friday night was felt by all St Kilda supporters watching the game. When he will return for his 350th game is still yet to be determined, but coach Ross Lyon said: "It doesn't look good." While one midfield great nursed his injury on the sideline, another Saints on-baller was working his way back into a game he had been sidelined from for three weeks. Saints skipper Lenny Hayes took his place in the side against Freo after many critics had claimed it was too early and suggested coach Ross Lyon would make a late change to the side. But there is only one Lenny Hayes also. The Article Brad Elborough/AFL/saints.com.au/26May07 Saints tumble to 46-point defeat After much criticism for playing defensive football against Hawthorn in their 28-point loss last week, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon again stationed an extra player in the Fremantle forward line from the opening bounce. But that player, Leigh Fisher, was nowhere to be found when Freo captain Matthew Pavlich and Michael Johnson took big marks and goaled. After 22 minutes, and trailing by 31 points, Saints' supporters had their heads in their hands when dual Brownlow Medalist Harvey left the field clutching his left upper leg. St Kilda booted a wasteful 1.7 in the second term to Fremantle's 2.0. A better effort in the third quarter, when Nick Riewoldt was dominant, saw the Saints turn for home just 23 points behind, but Lyon could have used the spare man in defence at the start of the last quarter as Fremantle set up its win in the first eight minutes. Four goals in that time opened up a 47-point lead, which effectively finished the contest. The Article Brad Elborough/AFL/saints.com.au/25May07 Hudghton strikes trouble Another key Saint has succumbed to the club's soft tissue injury curse with full-back Max Hudghton again striking trouble. Hudghton suffered a calf injury playing VFL reserves for Casey Scorpions last weekend . . . The latest blow comes as the Saints struggled for a squad of 25 to travel to Perth for tonight's clash with Fremantle. St Kilda's football manager Ken Sheldon confirmed last night that Hudghton was in trouble again. "He played VFL last weekend in the reserves and I think the thing was he pulled up with a bit of general soreness," Sheldon said. "A bit of that is contributed to his calf but I'm not sure if it has deteriorated further." The Article Scott Gullan/HeraldSun/25May07 Veteran hurt again Scott Gullan/HeraldSun/25May07
Aaron Hamill is a certainty to resume playing this season and still would have a clear function in the St Kilda team when he did, according to club co-captain Nick Riewoldt. The chronically injured 29-year-old has not played since last September and is still listed by the Saints as being out indefinitely due to a knee complaint, but Riewoldt is anticipating his return soon after the mid-season break. "I'm really confident he'll come back. Definitely. This year," Riewoldt said. "He'll start to take a few small steps in the next few weeks, I would have thought, and maybe (in) the last third of the year. If he could get that in, he just adds another dimension to the side. We all walk taller when he's out there" . . . The arthroscopy he had in February was the third procedure the battle-weary forward had had on his knee and triggered speculation that he might have played his last match. Hamill, who is still limited to stationary skills, has vowed that he would return. The Article Samantha Lane/RealFooty/25May07 Hamill to return SkyNews Hamill aiming for mid-season comeback Injured St Kilda star Aaron Hamill says he is hoping for a mid-season return to the AFL. Hamill, 29, played just 21 matches in the past two seasons and is yet to play this season after knee surgery in February. The Saints have placed no definite timeframe on his return, but Hamill said the knee had recovered well and he was planning a comeback soon. "All going well, I'll probably play, I've got it in my head that I'll play a week before the bye and then play during the bye," Hamill told the Nine Network's Footy Show. The bye comes during round 12, which is split over two weekends. "All I'm training for now is prevention of soft-tissue injury, the knee's fine, so all I'm training for now, I'm just conditioning my body for what footy throws at it." Hamill said he had recently had straight-line running sessions and expected to join skills sessions with his team-mates next week. "I know you've probably heard it before, but I'm feeling very good, I'm feeling fresh, the knee's coming along well and I've had three training sessions, so it's progressing well," he said. The Article AAP/BrisbaneTimes/24May07 Johnson and Solomon decisions baffle . . . Michael Johnson and Dean Solomon are in the clear, which is a huge surprise. When the match review panel's findings were released yesterday afternoon, it was staggering to learn the panel had taken no action on Dockers Johnson or Solomon for incidents against St Kilda on Friday night. Match review panel chairman Andrew McKay and his colleagues must be worried Fremantle won't be able to field a team if they rub out any more Dockers. If Johnson made a genuine attempt to spoil on Justin Koschitzke, the defensive coach at Fremantle has to reassess his instructions. Perhaps the panel had an attack of the guilts after suspending Johnson for four weeks in the pre-season competition for front-on contact that no longer brings more than two weeks. As for Solomon, the panel deemed that he took possession of the ball and then attempted to fend off Sam Gilbert. Yep, that's exactly what he did -- with a forearm to the neck/head region that jolted the young Saint's head back as if he had been on the end of a jab from Anthony Mundine. The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/29May07 Saints: Injuries just bad luck Bad luck, not bad management, is behind St Kilda's rash of injuries this season. Football operations manager Ken Sheldon said there was no finger pointing at the club's fitness staff, headed by Peter Mulkerns, over the hideous run of injuries the Saints have suffered. "I don't think anyone's doing that. Is it coincidence? I think so," Sheldon said . . . One bright note for the Saints was Lenny Hayes getting through the game without any discomfort or further injury to the collarbone he fractured only a month ago, while the Saints look ahead to their daunting task against Geelong at Telstra Dome on Sunday hoping Hudghton, Raph Clarke and Gram will be available. The Article Michael Horan/HeraldSun/28May07 Medics cop fan abuse As a patched-up St Kilda prepare for tonight's pivotal game against Fremantle, Saints star Luke Ball has revealed the club's injury woes have got so bad that fitness staff have started copping abuse from frustrated fans. Following the example of his former club Sydney, Saints coach Ross Lyon marched the Saints into Perth early, bringing with him the 25 fit players at his disposal. And while fierce criticism has been levelled at the Saints following their tedious loss to Hawthorn at the MCG last Saturday, Ball said fans were more vocal about the endless string of injuries. "The coaches tell us they are really trying to do something about it because it is deflating, it is for the supporters," Ball said. "As we were walking off the ground last week that seemed to be more the abuse we were copping - when are you going to get a full team out on the park? The coaching staff walked off scot-free, but the medical staff seemed to cop all the abuse. It is frustrating because while you do need to have depth and certainly our depth is being tested, you do feel a lot better with your better senior players playing." The Article AAP/HeraldSun/25May07 Howard retreat on drug stoush . . .The AFL has not budged on its three-strikes policy. Yesterday, it gave no sign it ever will. The Government has spent all week spoiling for a fight. Yesterday it failed to throw a meaningful punch. The best part of the AFL's day came before its meeting with Pyne and Sports Minister George Brandis, when Prime Minister John Howard publicly distanced himself from the drugs issue. The Article Chip Le Grand/TheAustralian/26May07 Adrian McAdam: The possible dream . . . There are four boys (six girls) in the McAdam family. Eldest brother Greg played 10 games with St Kilda in 1985 and Gilbert, the 1989 Magarey medallist, played 111 games with St Kilda and Brisbane. Their dad Charlie was a stockman around Hall's Creek; his horsemanship is the stuff of legend in the family. He mightn't have known his real age, but Charlie was a whiz once you put him on a horse. If McAdam was playing today, in a world where structures have been put in place for indigenous players, he may well have fulfilled his dream of a long career. The Article Jon Anderson/HeraldSun/26May07 Build the role of the coach, don't roll him? It is around this time of year that the jungle drums start to resonate to the cry of "sack the coach". So far, Neale Daniher, Dean Laidley, Chris Connolly, Kevin Sheedy, Mark Thompson, Denis Pagan and Terry Wallace have had their turn in the firing line. Both Laidley and Thompson are riding the crest of the wave at present and have defeated the hangman, at least for the time being. We are good at highlighting deficiencies and sometimes better at inventing them. I was told a long time ago by a great industry leader that people don't fail, organisations fail. In essence, once you have selected someone as the right candidate you actually take on the responsibility of guaranteeing that they grow and develop in the role, something football clubs are not very good at. Of course, the coach also needs to accept responsibility for his progress and development. Has it taken 10 years for Melbourne to realise that Daniher's word is not hitting the spot with the Demons? I am certain Neale is a far better coach now than he was last year, let alone when he started. Ten years of experience is testimony to that. The question is how much time, effort and development has the club put into the coach to ensure he grows with the game and his influence and effect dramatically increases over time. Coaches are regarded as being advice-proof and development-proof - but that is far from the truth. The Article Grant Thomas HeraldSun/27May07 Vics are footy's poorer cousins Carlton chief executive Greg Swann said the one big difference between most Victorian clubs and their dominant interstate rivals was simple - money. Speaking after the AFL revealed at the weekend it is conducting an inquiry to determine why Victorian clubs are failing to keep pace with their interstate rivals, Swann said it was wealth and the infrastructure that comes with it that was the difference. Demetriou has raised the league's concerns at a series of breakfast meetings with Victorian club chief executive officers. The Article Michael Horan/HeraldSun/28May07 Victorian footy needs help Jon Ralph and Kelvin Healey/HeraldSun/27May07 Could the umps really favour Victorian AFL clubs? John Mangan/RealFooty/27May07 Non-Vic teams dominating AFL: Demetriou AAP/SydneyMorningHerald/26May07 Threat to AFL camp The AFL could be banned from holding its draft camp at the Australian Institute of Sport if it does not bow to federal drug policy demands. In the latest shot in the war on the AFL's "three-strikes" policy, government sources said the league's annual three-day camp could be at risk. The AFL would have to find another venue to host recruiters, coaches and the country's top 72 prospects in October. Sport Minister George Brandis and Christopher Pyne, the minister responsible for the Government's illicit drugs policy, last week presented the AFL with a five-point plan that includes sanctions after a player's first strike, or positive test. They want the AFL to abandon its policy of keeping a player's identity secret until a third offence, and implement testing 365 days a year. The Article Sam Edmund/HeraldSun/28May07 Proposals no good: Demetriou Sarah-Jane Collins/RealFooty/27May07 Attack on AFL drugs policy a joke Jason Koutsoukis/RealFooty/27May07 'Neutral' should be neutered The AFL didn't have to look far on Sunday to realise why Victorian fans are losing hope, Mark Stevens writes. All Andrew Demetriou had to do was flick on Foxtel to watch the Bulldogs play Sydney in a "home" game in Canberra. It would have taken the AFL supremo a few minutes to realise the stands were full of red and white. And it was clear inside an hour that the Dogs, away from their Telstra Dome fortress, had no hope. A day after announcing his concerns about the "heartland" of football, the cruellest of all inequities was on show. The Dogs pocketed about $300,000 for the one-off game at Manuka, but could lose a lot more. Like a top-four or top-eight spot. Some might say Sydney would have won in Melbourne anyway, given its gritty, dominant, performance in Canberra. But it's not that simple. Consider for a moment, that the Dogs have won 18 of their past 23 games at Telstra Dome. Yet, because their financial deal at the ground is so poor, the Dogs were forced to give up that advantage to improve their bottom line. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/29May07 A state of disarray If the AFL is serious about correctly diagnosing the disease that has infected Victorian football clubs, it only need look to Manuka Oval two days ago for one symptom. The old VFL's disastrous results over the past decade — two flags in 10 years despite a disproportionate number of clubs and no Victorian club in a grand final since 2003 — requires analysis and AFL boss Andrew Demetriou has identified the problem significantly late. But surely money remains a massive factor when the Western Bulldogs are forced to sell a home game to Canberra — and play Sydney for good measure. The Article Caroline Wilson/HeraldSun/29May07 Vic clubs in danger: Kennett Jake Niall/RealFooty/29May07 . . . Aaron Fiora Landed spectacularly on his head against Fremantle but escaped neck damage but he complained of a sore wrist after the game. The injury report Dr Peter Brukner/RealFooty/28May07 Still plenty to work with for Saints The 46-point margin does not reflect the balance of play between the two sides, with Fremantle only having one more scoring shot on the night. After conceding the first six goals the Saints found themselves 38-points adrift before Fraser Gehrig steadied the ship with the last goal of the first quarter. The Saints controlled the game for a large part of the next two quarters but couldn't convert on the scoreboard. Justin Koschitzke converted from a strong mark early in the second quarter to reduce the margin to four goals, but following that the Saints reeled off five straight behinds. St Kilda's set up on the kickouts was a feature of their second quarter performance and the Dockers had a lot of trouble clearing the ball from defence. When they tried to spot up a player on the kick out a Saints player would be there to spoil or a St Kilda player would lay a great tackle to keep the ball in the area. The Article Adrian Blades saints.com.au/29May07 When good plans go bad What is that is said about the best-laid plans? And no, I'm not talking about that awful film starring Reese Witherspoon and Josh Brolin from 1999. Though on reflection, watching that may have been a less frustrating experience than what we saw at Subiaco last Friday night. I'm talking about Ross Lyon's meticulous and methodical battle plan for victory on the road in Perth last week. Given that winning in Perth has become as difficult for the Saints as cracking the Enigma Code, it's no wonder Ross the Boss opted for a plan straight out of Bletchley Park. We arrived days early to scope the terrain. Roo went body surfing at one of Perth's city beaches to prove he wasn't afraid of the marauding white pointer that once tried to dine out on Premiership legend Brian Sierakowski. Then it was down to South Terrace in Freo for a cappuccino on the strip to eyeball the locals and maybe just a touch of psychological warfare. You call this 43-bean dribble coffee? Get yourself to Acland Street sometime and try something that didn't come in a can! The Article Francis Leach saints.com.au/29May07 100 reasons to celebrate St Kilda players Phil Raymond and rookie Robert Eddy, along with 1966 premiership player Kevin 'Cowboy' Neale, made a very special visit to the Bayside Hostel in Mordialloc last week. The Saints representatives were on hand to celebrate the remarkable milestone of hostel resident and Saints fan, Jack, who shared his 100th birthday with family and friends . . . The Article Vanessa Gigliotti saints.com.au/29May07 Saints to talk on $1m row St Kilda football club president Rod Butterss and former coach Grant Thomas have agreed to have mediation in a civil dispute over a $1 million loan. Mr Butterss lodged a Supreme Court writ in May claiming he loaned his then close friend $1.14 million in 2001 so Mr Thomas could purchase a Brighton property. Both parties agree Mr Butterss company Camora Ridge made three payments of $240,000, $755,000 and $144,650 to Mr Thomas and his wife Kerry between June 8 and September 5 of that year. Mr Butterss claims the money has not been repaid and, as at January 31, 2005 had accrued interest making the total $1.3 million. Mr Thomas claims there was never any agreement about interest or mortgage clauses relating to the loan which expired last year. Lawyers for both parties appeared at a directions hearing this morning and agreed to conduct talks by October 11 in a bid to resolve the case. It will come back for further Supreme Court directions hearing on October 23. The Article Katie Bice/HeraldSun/29May07 AFL pushes state-of-origin AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou is pushing to relaunch a state-of-origin competition next season and is considering punishing players and their clubs for withdrawing under false pretences. Demetriou, who said that only AFL clubs and their coaches could prevent the series from succeeding, looks headed for another showdown with Sydney coach Paul Roos, who wrote in his newspaper column five days ago that he strongly opposed reviving the traditional concept. Demetriou told The Age yesterday: "Yes, I want it to happen. From a personal perspective, I'd bring it back. I know the players want it and we've certainly got a terrific opportunity next year to make it happen in our 150th anniversary. The Article Caroline Wilson RealFooty/30May07 St Kilda: A fork in the road The Saints are now at a fork in the road (sorry Kevin!). We have two options open to us for the remainder of the 2007 season and moving forward into 2008. 1. Continue to push for the finals, and improve our 22 each week with players returning from injury. Re-gain Gram, Maxie, X, Joey, possibly Goose and Sammy and Banger after the break. Hopefully bring Gardiner in too. Continue with Gehrig at FF, slot Maxie back at full-back and continue with Voss and Thommo off the bench. Stick with Doc Clarke in the ruck. Aim to be maybe 5-7 at the break, and then win 8 of the last 10 and position ourselves to have a real crack at the finals. 2. Concede that a premiership is highly unlikely in 2007, but accept that a reasonably fit list at St. Kilda has the ability to win a flag. Therefore adjust our sights and refocus long-term. Keep Gwilt at CHB, let Gilbert and Armo play every game for the rest of the year and give Brooks a fair dinkum crack in the ruck. Retire Thommo and Vossy, and play Gehrig as a flanker so that Watts can develop at FF. Develop Sweeney as a third forward and give Bally some time off to get himself back to what he can be. In short, pump the games into the youngsters who will form the basis of our premiership side in 2008. Such a team could look something like this (games by start of '08 in brackets): B: L. Fisher (45), M. Hudghton (200), J. Gwilt (25) HB: J. Gram (45), M. Maguire (85), S. Fisher (70) C: A. Fiora (130), N. Dal Santo (120), B. Goddard (90) HF: J. Sweeney (15), N. Riewoldt (135), L. Montagna (70) FF: S. Milne (140), F. Watts (15), S. Gilbert (20) Foll: B. Brooks (25), L. Ball (95), L. Hayes (200) I/C: J. Attard (20), S. Baker (150), J. Koschitzke (100), X. Clarke (100) Em: D. Armitage (15), C. Jones (5), M. Rix (25) That's a young, quick and flexible line-up that is extremely different to our team of 2004-05. Not many of the same players. We are not quite yet at the fork in the road where we have to make this decision ... the mid-season break will be the time for Ross Lyon to assess what he wants to do and which path will give the Saints their best crack at a premiership in his tenure. With our injury list, expectations of a flag are unrealistic IMO. We could win finals in 2007, but no club can be hampered to the extent the Saints are this season. I have enough faith in our list, coaching staff and development staff that we have the quality of players (if the group stays together) to be successful for the next 5 years. We are not a write-off and do not need to rebuild. We have sowed the seeds and have a knowledgeable farmer over-seeing the crop. We just need some rain (luck with injuries) . . . You have to be constantly developing your list and changing your side in modern football. RL recognises this and will do a lot more work at the end of the year with our list to get it where he wants. He is also building his own team, one which is very different to Grant Thomas. Lyon has what it takes and our playing group are by and large adequate to succeed in the AFL. So the rest of 2007 may go two ways, depending on results over the next month. A win against either the Cats or Roos would put us in good stead to make a charge in the second half of the year, whilst two losses would put our campaign in jeopardy, largely as a result of injuries. I desperately hope that we take the first fork in the road in '07 and enjoy some success. I believe RL hopes this too. But we ... and RL ... must keep in mind the bigger picture, and if some pain in 2007 means a premiership in 2008, then so be it. In the meantime ... roll on Round 10 !! The Post '2007' saintsational.com Key skill is off target . . . Five AFL teams - St Kilda, West Coast, the Kangaroos, Essendon and Geelong - failed to return at least 50 per cent accuracy in their scoring at the weekend. St Kilda and West Coast lost, and the Kangaroos and Essendon were taken to the wire. For Geelong, its errant goalkicking was never a factor. Ultimately, a lack of a honed skill puts all the planned strategy at risk. It often does. Skill errors lead to turnovers that lead to all the strategy planned by highly paid coaches and assistants falling apart. The Article Michelangelo Rucci/AdelaideAdvertiser/30May07 'Rule' should get the shove The Laws of Australian Football have never been straightforward, Derek Humphery-Smith writes. In fact, they are widely regarded as the most interpretative laws governing any of the world's football codes. This doesn't make the job of an umpire an easy one. This year, amongst great fanfare but little reason, the Laws of the Game Committee instructed the AFL Umpiring Department to ensure field umpires applied a much stricter interpretation to the "push-in-the-back" law for marking contests. This became what most commentators now refer to as the "hands-in-the-back rule". Amazing that a stricter interpretation of an existing law has become a "rule" in its own right only nine rounds into the 2007 season. But the relevant law hasn't actually changed. Law 15.4.5 reads as follows: A Player makes Prohibited Contact with an opposition Player if he or she: (b) pushes an opposition player in the back, unless such contact is incidental to a marking contest and the player is legitimately marking or attempting to mark the football. Incredibly, this interpretation was thrust on the umpires without any input from them. The Article Derek Humphery-Smith/HeraldSun/29May07 GO BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
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