Round 2 Post-Game

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Wins poorly constructed, but Saints have blocks to build
... Max Hudghton might just about be the most continually underrated AFL player of the past decade. He never seems to rate much of a mention, but few big-names kick bags of goals on the Saints' veteran, who left Brendan Fevola the latest frustrated customer. The other St Kilda key defenders, Sam Fisher and Sam Gilbert, are critical in the defensive equation also, able to play tall and nullify, but nimble enough to fill the playmaking and linking role. Then there's the purer run and long-kicking of Jason Gram, an invaluable addition to the blend since arriving from the Brisbane Lions, and the Clarke brothers, Xavier and Raphael, now thankfully over their injury woes and ready to remind the football world just how good they are. Gram was a virtual replacement for the injured Xavier as a defensive runner. Sam Fisher has stepped seamlessly into the running tall role filled so capably by Matt Maguire until his shocking leg injury. Like Noah's Ark, the Saints now seem to have two of everything and a depth arguably the envy of every rival bar those amazing Cats. St Kilda will get a lot better than it has shown in 2008. But its further improvement won't be coming from its defence, which can't possibly do anything more than it is now.
Saints do it easy over Blues
St Kilda have produced a timely turnaround to cruise past Carlton by 40 points in their round two AFL game at the Telstra Dome. Although still short of their best, the Saints fought back from a 23-point deficit and shoddy start to boot 17 goals to eight after quarter-time, winning 19.11 (125) to 12.13 (85). The margin came despite low contributions from key forwards Nick Riewoldt (two goals) and Justin Koschitzke (none), who were well held by their opponents. Although the Saints could still conjure enough goal kickers, led by Fraser Gehrig and Stephen Milne (four each) and Xavier Clarke (three), their defence deserved much of the credit for the win. Sam Fisher marshalled the backline superbly, Max Hudghton broke even with Brendan Fevola (two goals) and Jason Gram and Clarke set up countless attacks with their run and good kicking from half-back. St Kilda's impressive shutdown on Carlton came after they conceded just six goals in the narrow win over Sydney last week. St Kilda have now beaten Carlton 10 games in succession, a streak dating back to 2002.
Ignore hype, just play the game: Ross Lyon
... "We're under no illusions [about] where we're coming from," Lyon said. "We still feel, regardless of what some media commentators might be saying, we've got a lot to prove and I think our start and our finish highlights that we've got a long way to go, but we feel that we're working to improve to get there. I constantly say [to the players] ... put yourself in a bubble, focus on what you've got to work on and ignore the rest because that's all it is, all it is opinion and hype. When it comes game day, I haven't seen anyone help you get a kick bar your teammates; all the hype and hyperbole means nothing." Lyon was critical of the defensive pressure applied by his players all over the ground in the first term when the Blues' midfielders were often first to the ball. "[But] I was probably more critical of our midfield and forward line early and I thought our ball use going forward wasn't great; I thought we lacked a bit of precision," he said ... The Saints are well-placed to continue their good start to the season with Brendon Goddard's return from a knee reconstruction on track and players like Shane Birss, Sean Dempster, Charlie Gardiner and Clint Jones fighting for a senior berth.
Lyon rapt with 19-goal showing
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said he was happy to shrug off the slow and low-scoring patterns of its past few outings to kick 19 goals in its win over Carlton at the Telstra Dome last night. Going into last night, St Kilda had kicked a total of 15 goals in its past two outings - the NAB Cup final win against Adelaide included - earning it a reputation as a team who likes to play a slow, congested brand of football. But the Saints defied that reputation last night as they overcame a sluggish first quarter to beat Carlton by 40 points. "Clearly we've been unhappy kicking nine and six goals (in their past two games), and tonight we got a result that is more pleasing," Lyon said after the match. Even more pleasing to Lyon was the fact their score came through eight goalkickers, and despite the relatively poor returns of two of the team's main forward targets, Justin Koschitzke and Nick Riewoldt, who finished the game with three goals between them. "I thought it was a strong team effort, I don't think we had a full four-quarter performer, but everyone really chipped in and worked hard to help the team," Lyon said.
St Kilda too good for Carlton
The Saints trailed the upstart Blues by as much as 23 points in the first term before storming to the lead with seven unanswered goals and icing the win in the third quarter when they kept Carlton goalless while adding four of their own. Luke Ball, Lenny Hayes and Leigh Montagna each had 28 touches, while Jason Gram (27 disposals) and Xavier Clarke (21 possessions and three goals) provided excellent rebound from defence. Leigh Fisher played an important part in the win, keeping Blues' danger man Chris Judd to 19 possessions with seven of those coming in the last quarter when the contest was over. Fraser Gehrig has lost none of his physical presence and celebrated his first game back from his brief retirement with four goals with Stephen Milne contributing four of his own. At the other end of the ground, Max Hudghton effectively curbed the influence of Brendan Fevola, keeping the spearhead to just two majors. Bryce Gibbs was the top possession winner for Carlton with 26 with Marc Murphy (23 touches) and Bret Thornton (22 disposals) also prominent.
Sleepy Saints finally wake up and win
They say the mark of a good side is to win comfortably when you are not really playing well. That must make St Kilda a mighty good team. The Saints hardly looked switched on when they ran out against Carlton at Telstra Dome last night. They were sluggish, conceding the first four goals and a couple of their stars had low-key nights. And yet when they finally awoke from their slumber, the difference in class was almost scary. They wiped the deficit in no time and with their defence flowing smooth as honey they dismissed the Blues with contempt, scoring by 40 points. All this with Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke having little say in proceedings and the Saints midfield being shown up early by a couple of Blues youngsters. It is difficult to rate Carlton's performance because there were some heartening signs, but after "giving the kids a go" late last season the irony is that its plight is with the fitness of the older brigade. Skipper Chris Judd and Nick Stevens are still miles from peak fitness -- and form. And Brendan Fevola was well held by Max Hudghton and played without spark. Stevens had a dirty night and Judd was well held by Leigh Fisher, the low-key Saint's second Brownlow scalp in a row after beating Adam Goodes in Round 1. Fevola's whinges to umpires again outnumbered his goals. He kicked two and with such reliance of the Blues on him, that number gives them no hope of winning.
Saints v Blues - Sportal snippets
TURNING POINT: - Brett Ratten promised pre-match that his Blues would attack from the outset and that's exactly what they did, racing to a 23-point lead midway through the opening term. St Kilda had no answers to the pace and inventiveness of the Carlton midfield with Marc Murphy particularly impressive. But the Saints booted two goals to end the term - Jason Gram having a hand in both of them - to edge closer. The first came when he darted through the middle before bombing long to Fraser Gehrig, who converted from 40m out. Gram then took matters into his own hands, bursting away to goal right on the siren. From there, the Saints had all the momentum, kicking 17 goals to eight after quarter-time to notch up a comfortable win.
CLASSIC GRAB: - Aaron Fiora isn't normally known for his high leaping but he gave Saints fans a taste of the 1970s with a classic one-grab mark early in the last quarter when he jumped onto the shoulder of Blue Darren Pfeiffer to haul in a genuine 'speccy'.
"Gehrig's a wanker!" chants Carlton Cheer squad
... as the big G slots another one
Last night, he looked just like he used to look, and did just what he used to do. An early pass dropped just to the front of his slightly older legs, and early in the third term a handball from Riewoldt slipped straight through his hands. But Gehrig launched himself off the ground in the first quarter to pluck a mark from Setanta O'hAilpin's outstretched arms ... The G-Train was back in his old spot last night, in the goal square and in front of the black, white and red cheer squad. He wore a brand new pair of short shorts and had his right hand wrapped up in a glove. He gave the Saints not only a familiar look, but a more complete look, given both Koschitzke and Riewoldt spent most of their night somewhere near him ... The Saints didn't score a goal through either Riewoldt or Kosi last night until the last quarter, which might have been concerning had they not kicked more than three times as many goals than they mustered last week against Sydney and, more importantly, won. At times they still look a little more than they actually are, but the whole winning thing renders that a little irrelevant, and they did move the ball a little longer and quicker than they did against the Swans ... By the last quarter, the Saints were safe and the Carlton cheer squad had realised first, that Gehrig was back, and also that they didn't like him much. "Gehrig's a wanker!" they chanted, only to quieten as a long ball came in. Gehrig grabbed it, wriggled his hips, got by his opponent and slipped the third of his four goals through from the line. He kept wandering towards the fence line, casually, then turned back without a word. "Gehrig's a wanker!" was the cheer squad's response.
Mature Gardiner becomes Saints' role model
Michael Gardiner and role model. If you were playing a word association game, it would not be the first phrase that springs to mind to describe the West Coast recalcitrant turned St Kilda ruckman. However, ask his former team-mate Brett Voss to talk about Gardiner's behaviour since he moved across the country late in 2006, and that is what he comes up with. "Michael came to the club under a fair bit of pressure," Voss said bluntly. "And he really acted as a good role model for guys going through injury problems or other problems." Gardiner not only had a bad-boy reputation hanging over his head but a body that kept letting him down. When he ran out to play against Sydney last Saturday night, it was his first senior game for 20 months. Last year he played just one reserves match, hamstrung by painful injuries to both feet. On several other occasions he was named to play alongside Voss in the seconds, only to pull up sore at the last minute. "He had a number of setbacks but he didn't dwell on things he couldn't control, and he did everything right to get back from injury," Voss said. "His demeanor around the place and his attitude was always positive and that is a good role model for guys who can get down on themselves" ... away from Perth and the friends of dubious character he associated with, the player who took the field last Saturday for his first AFL game since June 2006 was a happier, more mature man. He has had a steady girlfriend for more than a year and has kept his rap sheet blank since he arrived in Melbourne.

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Gardiner puts his new foot forward for Saints
St Kilda has revealed that it gambled on radical foot-shaping surgery for ruckman Michael Gardiner last year in a bid to underpin the club's premiership hopes for 2008. Gardiner, who will play his second comeback match for St Kilda against Carlton at Telstra Dome tonight, remains the AFL's medical test case for groundbreaking knee surgery on a posterior cruciate ligament now that Brisbane Lions ruckman Beau McDonald has retired. But the Saints have also confirmed that the 28-year-old's nagging foot problems, which plagued him while at West Coast, were the result of a second metatarsophalangeal joint capsulitis and joint dysfunction caused by his second toe being too long for his big toe. The deformity is understood to have meant that the 103-kilogram ruckman was distributing weight to the wrong parts of his left foot, causing constant pain ... (Peter) Larkins said the bone-cutting surgery, which has a high success rate, was used for many parts of the body, including patients who had a limb longer than the other. "Osteotomy simply means reshaping the bone and sometimes it's done in legs for people with arthritis of the knee, sometimes it's done for hip disease or and it can be done for people with badly shaped wrists," he said.
100 games at the Dome
Saturday night the Saints will played their 100th game at Telstra Dome against the Blues. St Kilda played their first game at the stadium against Sydney in Round 1 of the 2000 season and of that original playing squad, Lenny Hayes, Robert Harvey and Max Hudghton are the only remaining Saints players to still be part of the current St Kilda list.
Fisher keen for a settled Saints defence
St Kilda remain a long way from finally having a settled defence, but at least they know they're building some decent depth in that area. It is an AFL maxim that premiership teams feature little, if any, variations in their first-choice defensive personnel. The Saints' much-publicised injury problems over the last few seasons have hit the backline particularly hard, with experienced defenders Brendon Goddard and Matt Maguire missing the round-one win on Saturday night over Sydney. But Raphael Clarke has returned from a succession of injuries and first-gamer Jarryn Geary impressed against the Swans. Sam Fisher, the Saints' designated "sweeper", says they have the makings of a strong backline. "Apart from Maxy Hudghton, I think I'm the next experienced down there with the likes of Brendon Goddard and Matt Maguire being out on the weekend ... and I've only played 70-odd games," he said. "If anything goes wrong down there, we've got the blokes to step up and then hopefully we'll get Matt and Brendon back in the coming weeks. The last few years, it's been pretty unsettled, especially with the bad luck through Raph, Matt and Max - they've all been in and out for a lot of games. It just makes it so much easier when you get to play with each other so often that you feel you become accustomed to the way people play."
G-Train on track
... "When I initially retired, I meant it," Gehrig says in the Round Two edition of the AFL Record. I had two shockers against Sydney and the Bulldogs (in rounds 18 and 19) and I had a flu-like bug and wasn't sleeping well and felt really lethargic, and that's when I told (coach) Ross (Lyon) that I was going to retire. "My last half of the year was good apart from those two games. I decided I was going to travel and see the sights of the world. I was in Switzerland for a couple of months, but my situation changed while I was overseas." Gehrig, 32, and with 255 matches under his belt, declared that round 22, 2007 would be his final senior appearance for the Saints. He admitted at the time his body was fatigued and that he would travel overseas, but things didn't go according to plan as he explains to the match-day magazine. "I got a couple of updates that the team was a lot fitter than it had been in the past and that it might take a bit of a different tack as well," he says. "I hadn't thought about footy for about a month-and-a-half but then I started thinking about coming back. I spoke to a couple of people, the coach included, and there was still the opportunity to do it. There was always the massive disappointment of not playing in a Grand Final after getting to a couple of prelims, and I worked out that I still wanted to do that – and have an influence if we get there. I also realised: ‘I'm still young, the body can still do it, and I can travel any time'. St Kilda hasn't had to give up much to get me back, either, in terms of pick 57 in the draft and financially. Coming back probably fitted in well with my personality because I've always done things a bit differently.
Dees to move department to Casey
Melbourne will use Casey Fields as its football training base for at least two years beginning in October. After years of frustration through failing to find a suitable off-season training venue, the Demons will leave the Junction Oval and use the Cranbourne site as their football home. They plan to forge a permanent link with Casey, which is one of Australia's fastest-growing regions, even after they take residence in the much-touted, but significantly delayed, multi-purpose site in the Olympic Park precinct. The Demons have been forced to schedule off-season training at various venues around Melbourne for several seasons and will be without unfettered access to the Junction Oval arena until Round 4. Demons football manager Chris Connolly said the move to Casey, while yet to be signed off by the Melbourne board, would provide stability. "We will be at Casey, full-on, for two years," Connolly said. "It hasn't been ticked off, but we will put an extension on (to the existing facilities at Casey) and make it work. In October, we'll get our footy department out there full-time." Connolly said the fact cricket controlled scheduling between football seasons meant staying at the Junction Oval was not an option. "When we leave the Junction, we ain't coming back," he said. "It's Round 2, and there is a (cricket) roller out there in the middle of our footy ground." Melbourne's administration will remain based at the MCG until the completion of the Olympic Park site.
New shadow over Pratt's right to rule
Members of the AFL Players Association have challenged the league over Richard Pratt's role as president of Carlton. Pratt and his company Visy were fined $36million last November for price fixing.Chief executive Andrew Demetriou was forced to explain why the league had not pushed for Pratt to stand down when the AFL boss addressed the association's executive and delegates conference late last year. Demetriou briefed the conference on the Hall Of Fame game, the illicit drug policy, player behaviour and proposed code of conduct. He then took questions from the floor and the issue of Pratt's presidency was raised. Observers say Demetriou's response was long and earnest. The code will govern everyone associated with the AFL - players, coaches, other club employees, match officials, board members and AFL employees.
The code says they must not engage in conduct which:
• Is unbecoming or likely to prejudice the reputation or interests of the AFL and its member clubs; or
• Is detrimental to the interests of, and public confidence in, the AFL and its member clubs; or
• Brings the game of Australian football into disrepute.
Demetriou said yesterday that he spoke to the player conference for 40 minutes, then responded at length to the appropriateness of Pratt remaining in power at Carlton and why the league commission had not sought Pratt to stand down.
New tricks forced on backmen: Malthouse
Malthouse said that he failed to see anything sinister in Sydney defender Craig Bolton's clashes with gun St Kilda forward Nick Riewoldt last Saturday, which prompted the Saints to bring the issue to the AFL's attention ... St Kilda officials went before an umpires' panel yesterday to seek clarification about three incidents from Saturday night's match against the Swans. In the incidents Riewoldt's legs are seemingly taken out from underneath him as he leaps for a mark by Sydney defender Bolton. St Kilda confirmed yesterday that it had met the AFL but did not comment on what was said. An AFL spokesman said that the league was always happy to meet clubs to hear their concerns about the game. The spokesman said no course of action would be taken from meeting, reiterating comments made earlier in the week that there were already free kicks in place to handle the practice and that Saturday's umpires had missed one or two free kicks relating to Riewoldt.
Spotlight on tunnel
Port Adelaide will wait for the AFL's response before it decides whether to weigh into the raging tunnelling debate. Facing Sydney - the club alleged to have used the dangerous tactic in round one - on Sunday, the Power is satisfied St Kilda's formal complaint will hose down the risk of it resurfacing at the SCG ... Port forwards such as Justin Westhoff - who uses his athletic leap to devastating effect - could be most at risk against the Swans. "Everyone's equally at risk I would say," Port operations manager Peter Rohde said. "But it's not a big issue for us, we're not overly concerned about it. I'm sure the AFL will be looking into it and I reckon in the next day or two will come out with some sort of view on it. It's not going to take a lot of our attention. I'm sure we'll be just watching to see what they (AFL) come out with. We're confident, they're looking into it now, obviously, and they'll make a stance on it."
Saints say tunnelling claims weren't an attack on Sydney
... "I've spoken to (Swans president) Myles Baron-Hay today and our clubs continue to have a good relationship," Saints CEO Archie Fraser said this afternoon in a statement. "None of this was ever intended as an attack on Sydney. As a club we raised the question to seek clarification of the rules and it's up to the AFL to interpret the rules for the competition. We'll now leave this with the AFL to consider and our focus is clearly on this weekend's game against Carlton. The AFL is a fiercely competitive competition to win each week and we have well and truly moved on."
Contract clause bans team playing at Carrara until 2016
The AFL's ambitious plans to have a team based on the Gold Coast by 2011 have hit a major problem, with the team banned from playing there until 2016. In a serious setback to the AFL's recently adopted full-speed approach to issuing a 17th licence to a consortium based in the region, a contract with the Queensland Government stipulates the Gabba, 80km away in Brisbane, must be used for all season matches until the end of 2015. The Herald Sun has learned the contract was struck before the Government agreed to the $40 million final stage of the Gabba redevelopment. The arrangement, struck via Queensland government body Major Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), says a second AFL team being based in south-east Queensland must "play one half of its AFL premiership season matches at the Gabba". That clause expires in September 2015. In the AFL-MSFA deal, it is clear the AFL is under no obligation to introduce a second team to south-east Queensland, but should it decide to do so before 2016 it must schedule it to play at least 11 games at the Gabba if the home-and-away season remains at 22 rounds.
Kingston Council try to nail St Kilda on repairs to Moorabbin buildings
A condition report commissioned by Kingston Council has found Moorabbin Reserve's dilapidated grandstands and buildings need more than $5 million in repairs. The November 2007 Buildspect Building Consultants report, seen by the Leader, states it would be cheaper to demolish the lot, at a cost of $1.5 million. "Almost no repairs or maintenance have been carried out over a long time," the report stated. St Kilda Football Club will relocate training and adminstration to Frankston in 2010 but wants to keep the Linton St lease until it ends in 2040, for its social club and merchandising. Last month the council announced a review of the reserve's master plan and investigation into alternative uses. Relations between the club and the council have also been strained, with St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser telling the Leader in February that the council had driven the club out of Moorabbin. The council's Trevor McCulloch last week downplayed the report. He said the council only wanted the main grandstand, spectator mounds and some outbuildings demolished, at a maximum cost of $700,000. But a council source last week said the report raised fears ratepayers would have to foot a $1.5 million demolition bill so the reserve would have a future after St Kilda left. "Why should the community pay to clean up St Kilda's mess? They should be leaving the ground the way they found it," the source said. St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser said the club would do the right thing by the community. "We have the lease on Moorabbin Reserve until 2040 and we intend to fulfil our (lease) obligations," Mr Fraser said. Mr McCulloch said under the lease the club was responsible for all grounds and building maintenance. But St Kilda communications manager Matt Schmidt said the ground's dilapidated state was because of lack of capital works, which is the council's responsibility.
Lion calls for AFL to monitor tunnel tactic
Reigning Coleman medallist Jonathan Brown called on the AFL to monitor any trend towards tunnelling tactics by defenders before introducing any new rules to deal with the potential problem. "It definitely is dangerous," he said. "But I can see how defenders get themselves into the situation - if a forward does jump early, the defender sometimes doesn't know where to go except sit underneath him. No doubt the defender's going to try and influence the contest as much as he possibly can, but I've played on Craig Bolton a few times and I haven't had issues with 'Bolts' doing that. I probably don't jump as high as Nick Riewoldt, so that's probably why I don't get tunnelled." Brown warned against a knee-jerk reaction by the league, saying it was difficult if not impossible to tell when a defender was deliberately employing the tactic. "I think it's probably something that's worth the AFL keeping an eye on," he said. "If it did become a bit of a trend, maybe bring in a rule, but I think it's more of a keep an eye on it (situation) and see what happens for the time being and fingers crossed, nobody gets injured. How do you tell whether it's accidental or not? I'm not sure if the ones on the weekend were that intentional, you know."
Paul Roos criticises Saints CEO
Sydney coach Paul Roos has accused St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser of slurring Swans defender Craig Bolton for the use of so-called tunnelling tactics. Fraser said AFL players risked serious injury over tunnelling, which is more of a basketball term for taking out an opponent's legs when they jump off the ground. The Saints on Tuesday night made an official complaint to the AFL with Fraser believing Bolton deliberately used the tactic against St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt in last week's round one victory over Sydney. But Roos said he, Bolton and the Swans were surprised by the comments and insist they are all totally unaware of the tactic. Roos says he has no issue with St Kilda, but he felt that Fraser should have gone through the proper channels before speaking to the media. "We made that very clear absolutely, we just needed to get that across to Archie and the St Kilda footy club," he said. "I spoke to (current St Kilda coach and former Swans assistant Ross Lyon) today and he and I are fine. But I think we need to make it clear to Archie that's not the appropriate way to do things."
I've never heard of tunnelling: Roos
.. Roos said the first time he became aware of the basketball-style tactic was after the Saints claimed Riewoldt had been a victim of it at Telstra Dome on Saturday night. Tunnelling involves a player bumping an opponent under the ball by making lower-body contact while in mid-air. Roos said any allegation he had instructed undersized defender Craig Bolton or any of his other players to use tunnelling was insulting. Bolton, an All-Australian defender, was shocked at St Kilda's alleg ation that his tactics were dangerous. He said his actions in marking contests with Riewoldt had not been premeditated. "It certainly is not deliberate," Bolton said. "It wasn't premeditated or planned. It was incidental. I hope there isn't any insinuation it is deliberate because that is not the case. I am just trying to get in the best marking position." St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser last night sent the AFL a DVD showing the contests and a letter explaining the club's concerns.
Richo calls for 'tunnelling' ban
Richmond forward Matthew Richardson said yesterday the AFL should act decisively to prevent any use of the controversial tactic of "tunnelling" in marking contests. "Tunnelling" involves taking a player's body under the ball while he is in the air, and carries the risk of the target landing heavily while unprotected. Richardson said the player going for a mark should not be subjected to unfair interference. Being thrown off balance while in the air could lead to a high risk of serious injury, he said. "Once you're in the air and your feet are off the ground, if you get taken off balance, you've got no control how you land," Richardson said. "So it's not something you'd want to happen. You'd get blokes landing and doing their knees. Once a guy is in the air and going for a mark, if he's pushed, it gets dangerous." Richardson, who is in his 16th AFL season, said he had no personal concerns as he felt the tactic had only ever been used against him once or twice over that time. But he had seen it used in ruck contests.
Lenny Hayes and Leigh Montagna re-sign with Saints
... Hayes, who shared the captaincy with Riewoldt and Luke Ball last year, has signed to stay with the Saints until the end of the 2011 season while Montagna - one of the most improved players in the AFL over the past two years - has signed on until the end of 2010. Fraser said the re-signings of the star pair sent a clear signal to rival clubs that the Saints intend to keep their talented group intact at a time when the club believes it is on the verge of genuinely challenging for its first premiership since 1966. "It is important to get your core group of players locked away," Fraser said on Tuesday. "But if you create the right working environment for the playing group and if you expect to play in finals footy over the next few years, which we are confident we will do, then we expect to keep all the players we want to keep" ... Meanwhile Hayes, who began his career with the Saints way back in 1999, believes his latest contract will be his last long-term deal with the club but is confident it will be the one that finally delivers that long-awaited premiership. "Definitely (a flag is within reach over the next four years), I see no reason why not," he said. "Obviously it's a tough competition and so even but with the group we have got and with everything settled off the field, if we can keep everyone out there this year we will have a good year." Hayes said this latest contract may well prove to be his swansong given he will be near 32 by the time it ends.
Saints re-sign Lenny and Joey -
G-train to play this week - BJ and Goose soon
St Kilda are confident they can keep their best players out of the grasp of potential AFL raiders after announcing new contracts for midfielders Lenny Hayes and Leigh Montagna ... Some contracts remained to be settled in 2008 but chief executive Archie Fraser was confident half-backs Jason Gram and Brendon Goddard and midfielder Xavier Clarke would also re-sign. "If you create the right environment for the playing group and you're up to the challenge and going to play in finals footy, which we expect to do in the next few years, then we're pretty confident we'll keep all the players that we want to keep at this club." Hayes, 28, admitted this would be his last major contract, but believed the Saints were capable of winning a premiership in the near future, a major reason for he and his teammates committing ... St Kilda should regain full-forward Fraser Gehrig from a calf strain for Saturday night's game against Carlton at Telstra Dome, while Maguire (leg) and Goddard (knee) could play the following week against the Western Bulldogs. The Saints believe they can improve on the form they showed in beating Sydney last Saturday night and Montagna welcomed the prospect of lining up on Blues skipper Chris Judd ... Meanwhile, St Kilda will this week present tape to the AFL to illustrate their concerns opposition defenders were making a target of Riewoldt, trying to upset his centre of gravity by chesting the lower half of his body when the forward flew for marks.
Saints challenge to Swans 'tunnelling' tactic
... In a dispute that would pitch Ross Lyon up against his close friend and mentor Paul Roos, the Saints have become increasingly frustrated at the increasing tendency to stop Riewoldt by employing "tunnelling" tactics - a method that appeared to be adopted several times on Saturday night by Swans defender Craig Bolton.