Round 7 Post Game Articles Go to Pre-Game Articles

Roo and Goose injuries a heavy price
St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt may miss up to two months of football after damaging his medial ligament on Saturday night in a match described by coach Ross Lyon as wreaking "a bit of carnage" on the Saints. Riewoldt was one of five Saints hurt in the thrilling three-point win over Richmond, Matt Maguire sustaining a foot injury that could sideline him for a number of weeks and Xavier Clarke a hamstring strain that kept him off the ground for much of the last quarter. Steven Baker was involved in a heavy clash with Brett Deledio in the final term while Sean Dempster was also carrying an undisclosed injury throughout the game. Lyon said Riewoldt would be out for at least three weeks, although he would not know for sure until scans were done. "They haven't graded it fully, he's having scans either today or tomorrow and it's going to be anywhere from three to eight (weeks). If it comes out on the good side it will be three weeks," Lyon said on 3AW yesterday. "That's just an opportunity for (Justin) Koschitzke (and others). We've got a couple of kids ready to go, we've got Jarryd Allen who played in the NAB Cup, a tall forward who was emergency last week. We've got Ben McEvoy, first round draft pick really ready to go at 198 centimetres and 98 kilos. Haven't got a full wash on it (Maguire's injury), I was just putting it on the table that it was significant and he will be out for it looks like a number of weeks. Maguire, it's his good foot, so I'm not sure exactly what it is. There's a bit of carnage come out of it but (now) it's about attitude and effort from everyone else on the list," Lyon said.
AFL admits clock error
The AFL has admitted its timekeepers made an error late in the Richmond-St Kilda clash at Telstra Dome which could have cost the Tigers a chance of victory. For the second week in a row, AFL Football Operations Manager Adrian Anderson has had to admit that an error was made late in a tight match would could have influenced a result. The timekeepers left the clock running late in the final quarter of the match on Saturday night at Telstra Dome after failing to register to stop the clock for a signal for time-on from umpire Stuart Wenn. It meant the match finished 11 seconds earlier than it should have. "The error occurred when the clock should have been stopped when umpire Wenn called time-on re-calling a kick out in the last quarter," the AFL statement said. St Kilda won the game by three points after a kick from Richmond's Jack Riewoldt after the siren failed to register a score. Tigers coach Terry Wallace was ropable after the match, saying the error had cost his side its chance at victory, and Riewoldt a chance to find a target closer to goal.
Milney, Doing it for greats
Stephen Milne has revealed an impassioned plea from St Kilda coach Ross Lyon not to waste the season for veterans Robert Harvey and Fraser Gehrig as the spark behind his seven-goal heroics. The goalsneak starred in the Saints' nail-biting three-point win against Richmond at Telstra Dome on Saturday night, including kicking five goals in the second half. The haul was the second largest of Milne's career behind his 11 goals against the Brisbane Lions in Round 22, 2005. With the Saints trailing Richmond by 11 points at halftime, Milne said he was stung by Lyon's spirited call for the group to lift for club great Harvey and veteran forward Gehrig in what is expected to be their final year. Milne hoped it was a message that would stick. "We got it put to us at half-time if we kept playing like that G (Gehrig) and Harvs are going to waste their year," Milne said. "That always kicks in, not just to me, but to the whole team. They have been champions of the game, Robert Harvey and Frase. They are icons of the club. For him (Lyon) to mention that, a few of boys really stood up and thought, 'We have got to prove something here'. Not just to step up for them, but to step up for each other. We have been under the pump and our first half wasn't up to scratch. He had a bit of a go at us and quite rightly. But we functioned a lot better in the second half."
Gritty Saints hold off Tiges
It came down to the last kick. Fittingly, after an incredible match, after the siren. And the ball was in the hands of a Riewoldt. Unfortunately for St Kilda, the christian name was Jack, not Nick, even if the mark that led to the final act was a trademark of his cousin, who was sitting on the bench with a damaged knee. After showing again that he is a genuine player of the future, the younger Riewoldt loaded up from 53 metres. But with his legs spent, the connection of boot on ball was not great and the shot fell short. The Saints - with only two fit men on the interchange bench for much of a furious last quarter - thrust their arms in the air. They'd snuck home by three points. In some respects, the Tigers deserved to pinch it, if only because it was a shame to see another close match slip through their grasp. Not to mention they had pretty much dominated the Saints for much of the night, but let themselves down with poor disposal. Equally, of course, the Saints deserved their win. After a less than inspiring start to their season they finally showed the sort of grit their fans want to see. While the tall timber in Fraser Gehrig, Riewoldt, Michael Gardiner and Justin Koschitzke had less impact than Ross Lyon would have hoped, Stephen Milne was back to his brilliant best, bagging seven goals in a match-winning performance. Three of those goals came in the final term as the Tigers charged.
Riewoldt in doubt for Dream Team
The Hall of Fame Tribute match looks to have lost another drawcard, with St Kilda coach Ross Lyon casting serious doubt over the chances of skipper Nick Riewoldt appearing for the Dream Team. Riewoldt, 25, landed awkwardly on his left knee early in the third quarter of Saturday night's thrilling three-point win over Richmond and took no further part in the game after hobbling to the bench. Lyon said his talented forward had suffered an injury that looked likely to cost him at least "two to three weeks", although scans once the knee has settled would provide a definitive answer. "He got slung in a tackle and he's hurt his medial. We don't know how bad, but I don't think it will be too severe but it will be significant enough," he said after the match. "I've given you full information. They grade them, they scan them, and medials can be grade one, two or three, so if it's a grade one, it could be two or three weeks. At this stage, I'd be guessing. But it's on the table; we're not hiding it like the 'reco' he had over the pre-season."
What happened to the 14 seconds? Wallace fumes
Richmond coach Terry Wallace will demand an explanation from the AFL about the 14 seconds that "went missing" in the dying moments of the Tigers' three-point loss to St Kilda. Wallace was questioning a passage in the final minute of the game when the Saints kicked the ball in after Kelvin Moore hit the post from a set shot. The umpires called the ball back from that kick-in, but Wallace maintained that the clock was left ticking, running down a further 14 seconds while the ball was effectively dead. The matter was made worse by the fact that Tigers youngster Jack Riewoldt took a shot at goal from more than 50 metres out after the siren had sounded, when there could have been more time left in the game. "As soon as you're in a losing situation, you get the run of sour grapes when this sort of thing happens, but we are playing in such a professional industry, the AFL have such stringent rules and restrictions on us ... we'll try to do it as well as we possibly can but how do you lose 14 seconds in a game of football?" Wallace said after the match. "We'd love to have that 14 seconds with Jack Riewoldt with the ball and be able to make a decision about it." Wallace was in no doubt about the cost of such an error. "It's worth four points," he said.
Harvey happy he kicked on
Robert Harvey has confirmed this year will be his last in the AFL, but the St Kilda champion has not ruled out playing at a lower level next season. This year, Harvey became the first footballer in VFL-AFL history to play 21 senior seasons, but such is his passion for playing he is unsure when he will give the game away. "This will be my last year in the AFL, for sure," Harvey said. "But it will hard for me to stop playing, because that's what I love to do. I might just go and play somewhere nice and safe where I can have a kick." After beginning the Telstra Dome clash on the bench, Harvey was instrumental in the Saints' pulsating three-point win with 26 possessions, 12 marks and two goals. He worked tirelessly at both ends of the ground, pumping the ball inside the Saints' attacking 50m three times and rebounding from the defensive 50m on three occasions. He had 14 touches in the first half and played a key role in quelling a Richmond surge that threatened to break open the game. Harvey was also able to find space up forward to boot his first goal of the year. As the pressure rose in the third term, Harvey produced one of the finest goals of the season when he shrugged a desperate Chris Newman tackle, changed direction, steadied and kicked truly from a tight angle in the pocket to regain the lead for his team. Harvey, who turns 37 in August, admitted this week he had been disappointed with some of the criticism he received during the pre-season, particularly after the NAB Cup semi-final against Essendon.
Sainters blessed by lucky escape
Is it possible for a winning team to leave the field in worse shape than the loser? If so, St Kilda did at Telstra Dome last night. The Tigers were winners everywhere but the scoreboard and, based on pre-season expectation, the Saints are in trouble. Sure, they won an incredible match by three points after the Tigers had twice missed winning opportunities in the final minute, but they have Nick Riewoldt with a knee injury, Xavier Clarke with a leg injury and some of their stars down on form and confidence. Not even a seven-goal performance from Stephen Milne could hide the fact the Saints were beaten in the midfield and were lucky to escape. Their premiership clock is many hours closer to midnight than their opposition and while they started the season with high hopes, the Tigers were freely tipped for the wooden spoon. Richmond fans might well get sick of valiant losses, but their team played exciting footy last night, fired by the Peter Pan exuberance of Matthew Richardson, who kicked five goals and grabbed 13 marks all over the ground. Although Fraser Gehrig was back in the line-up, coach Ross Lyon signalled that he was still not in favour of the "big three" forward line by starting Justin Koschitzke on the bench as the relieving ruckman for Michael Gardiner. Gehrig kicked only one goal and even when Riewoldt was off the field late in the game, he spent lots of time on the bench. Maybe his decision to retire against the Tigers last year was the right one. The game opened with Richardson on the wing without an opponent while Sam Fisher was loose in defence for the Saints. The Saints were less keen to let the likes of Nathan Foley and Nathan Brown run free - Shane Birss was a heavy tag on Foley, while the noted niggler Steven Baker was minding Brown up forward.
Saints Win Thriller
Stephen Milne booted seven goals helping St Kilda prevail over Richmond in a pulsating close-fought thriller by three points at the Telstra Dome on Saturday night. Milne took the Saints to the lead nearing the end of the match but it looked to be a Riewoldt upset, Jack Riewoldt of the Tigers that is, over St Kilda cousin Nick Riewoldt. However, the Tiger felt the pressure and couldn't make the distance from 50 out, to give the Saints their fourth win of the season. The win came at a cost for the Saints with Nick Riewoldt sitting out a large part of the match due to a knee injury sustained early in the third quarter. Late inclusions to the match were Richmond's Daniel Jackson who replaced Graham Polak, and Raphael Clarke came in for Max Hudghton. Milne was not the only star for the Saints at the Dome. Xavier Clarke had a big hand in setting up numerous goals, while Raph Clarke also made himself known. Nick Del Santo was great out of the middle, along with Saint great Robert Harvey. Matthew Richardson was terrific all over the field, being seen up forward, on the wing, in the centre and causing havoc in the Saints forward line, whilst booting five goals. Meanwhile Nathan Brown was tireless being a key factor with 29 disposals, as well as youngsters Matthew White and Shane Edwards who scored two goals each. The Saints started off looking like they were going to live up to the predictions of a round seven win, but Richmond quickly sorted itself out to match St Kilda through out the first quarter. Milne opened up the scoring with a typical sneak goal from a lucky bounce, with the Saints showing the spirit of this big match through their celebrations.
Loyal Lenny riding roller-coaster
For his entire adult life, Lenny Hayes has been a St Kilda footballer. Yet for all the games he has played and winters he has weathered, Hayes has never quite understood how the Saints can lurch from Madonna to whore, from premiership contender to club in crisis, from one week to the next. This season has followed the established plot. For reasons never fully explained, bookmakers and pundits installed the Saints as pre-season favourites for the premiership. Six weeks in, the club has lost as many games as it has won and the perennial rituals are being performed; players in the gun, game plan on the rack, a former coach taking pot shots at Ross Lyon, the man in the job. Through it all, Hayes has been one of the few St Kilda players to do his job every week. In six matches, he has gathered more touches than Chris Judd, cleared the ball more times than Simon Black, won more contested possessions than Gary Ablett and laid more tackles than Jimmy Bartel. If the primary function of a midfielder is to clear the ball from the centre bounce, Hayes is in a league of his own; doing it eight more times than anyone else in the national competition. Yet if Hayes' numbers speak for themselves, his words betray frustration at how his club is perceived. "We are one of those clubs that seem to get hyped up a fair bit and pretty quickly jumped on if we are not performing," Hayes said. " I still think we can have a serious crack at this year. There is no point looking at September at the moment. If we keep going the way we are going we might not even be there, but all the guys are confident and upbeat. We have played really well in patches and at other times we have been really badly. I'm reading a lot about our game plan but if we went out and played the way Ross wanted us to play we wouldn't lose a game. We all believe in the style of play he wants us to play."
BJ re-signs with St Kilda
Brendon Goddard has signed up with the Saints for another two years. See video on Saints Central for interview.


Round 7 Pre-game ArticlesBack to: Post-Game Articles


A long road back, via the great Woods
If every dark cloud has a silver lining, it came for Brendon Goddard last August as he stood just metres from the great Tiger Woods as the golf champion carved up the field at the Southern Hills golf course in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to win the US PGA Championship. Goddard had been travelling through the US with a group of friends, taking in the sights and as much sport as possible. The St Kilda ball magnet was convalescing from the only major injury of his burgeoning career. Only three months earlier, the rangy Goddard had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee after a heavy bump in the opening quarter of the Saints' round-seven match against Sydney at the Telstra Dome. After his surgery and initial recovery, the avid golfer, who plays at Melbourne's Yarra Yarra where he has a handicap of only four, took the rare opportunity away from football to get up close to Woods ... "To get near Tiger sent a chill down the spine, really. Being an avid golfer, you appreciate what he does by getting to see him up close and to see the pressure he is under each week to perform and just the (crowd) support he has got, you don't realise until you go there." Crowd support and expectation are something Goddard knows all about. Although not on the level of an international sporting icon, the Saints carry expectations and hopes, and Goddard, with the extra burden of being a No. 1 draft pick, has experienced his share of pressure. The Saints, he affirms, don't focus on external expectations and, as for his own, he has had to rethink his focus on things after such a serious injury. In some ways, football has lost its certainty for the talented Goddard; in other ways, he has regained what he loves most about the game.
Baker happy to be back where he belongs
When Fremantle's Jeff Farmer was left sprawling on the ground in last year's clash against St Kilda, fingers were pointed at one man. And while Steven Baker is reluctant to talk about the incident that cost him seven weeks on the sidelines despite any video footage, he admits the inevitable conspiracy theories that followed were a source of annoyance. "One person would say I swung my arm, which was rubbish. Then I had (player manager) Ricky Nixon come in and he pretty much told them what happened," Baker told saints.com.au. "There were a lot of people saying the same story. I pretty much just stopped and propped, and my story was the one they went with ... but I still got done over." Done over is one way to put it. Baker's seven-game suspension is one of the heaviest in recent years and every subsequent major tribunal case that has resulted in a lighter penalty has had Saints fans up in arms. But Baker does not claim injustice, just frustration at being forced to watch helplessly as his teammates ran around in the opening weeks of 2008. "It was hard sitting in the stands. When we won a few games it was alright but it was hard not being out there to help the boys when we had a few losses. I'd always be looking at opposition players I could be playing on," he said. "Ross [Lyon] has tried to get me to be more controlled with my aggression but I don't think I'll change. I've been unlucky in the past but I'll try to keep the same aggression, just a bit more controlled. I won't go over the top. I'll probably have a few more cameras on me than I used to." Baker's first game back from the suspension was last week's loss to Port Adelaide. He admits it took him some time to get used to the tempo of the match. "I was blowing pretty hard after the first half ... but it was a bit of a shock early just how fast the game was," he said
Lyon: Dal Santo will deliver
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has backed his star midfielder Nick Dal Santo to soon emerge from the worst form slump of his career. In a week in which the Saints have found themselves under plenty of scrutiny, following last week's poor performance against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium which has seen the NAB Cup premiers drop outside the top eight, it is the classy Dal Santo that arguably finds himself under the most pressure of any of player. The 24-year-old wingman managed just 13 disposals against Port Adelaide last week and is averaging just 19.5 disposals per game this season. It is the first time the man who finished third in the 2005 Brownlow Medal has averaged less than 20 disposals per game in a season since first establishing himself as a regular member of the Saints line-up in 2004. However, Lyon says the Saints have not considered dropping the star wingman, who was the club's leading votegetter in the Brownlow again last season and fourth in the best and fairest. "Dal played well (the week before) against Essendon," Lyon said. "We understand he has been under some public scrutiny but I have lost no faith whatsoever in Nick Dal Santo. He is a real integral part of our midfield and we expect him to play well on Saturday night (against Richmond)." Lyon said Dal Santo, like many star midfielders, was struggling with some of the increased attention he has been getting recently in a week in which the off-the-ball tactics used by taggers to stop the game's best players has been firmly in the public eye.
Mind games ahead of Tigers-Saints clash, and Richo's the man to beat
Richmond coach Terry Wallace expects St Kilda to work hard to stop Matthew Richardson in his successful new wingman role. One of the features of Richmond's much-improved form in the past three weeks has been Richardson's superb work away from goal. The Tigers and Saints will meet at Telstra Dome on Saturday night, with Richmond wanting to capitalise on its form surge this year and the Saints badly needing a win. Privately, the Tigers expect Saints utility Jason Blake to tag Richardson. But Wallace did not discount the prospect of Richardson and Saints key forward Nick Riewoldt being opposed to each other on a wing. Asked whether fans might be treated to the unusual sight of Richardson and Riewoldt on opposite wings, Wallace replied, "or on the same wing, absolutely, that could quite easily happen. I've seen Nick play those sorts of roles before, it depends what they're doing with their structure, doesn't it? It depends what is happening with Fraser (Gehrig), the ruck situation — whether Michael Gardiner comes back into the side, which we think would be a reasonable chance." Saints coach Ross Lyon indicated that Richardson would be the subject of much St Kilda planning. "He's been running back, running forward, using him on the switch, he's the everywhere man," Lyon said. "I think there's loose men back to defend and there's loose men back to attack and I think he's struck a really nice balance with both — we'll go to match committee and consider it. I've worked with Richo years ago and he's one that gets spoken about a lot, he's a very special player and it takes a player with an enormous work-rate to play on him. We feel we've got a couple of them — Blake, (Jason) Gram, Sam Fisher — we've got some super athletes that can really run."
Gehrig under consideration for Tigers
... Gehrig, who retired at the end of last season, was left out of the Saints' line-up for their past two matches. But Lyon yesterday said the "G-Train" could soon be back on track and was in contention to be selected for this weekend's match against Richmond at Telstra Dome. "He's got a very good record against Richmond, so he'll come under strong consideration," Lyon said. "His hands are an issue. His hands are very arthritic and sore and affecting his ball handling. Probably in the off-season in the warmth, they feel good, but it's pretty cold in Melbourne." Lyon said Gehrig's arthritic hands were a continuing problem and said the illness was making it difficult for the forward to pick the ball up off the ground ... Lyon was also quick to defend midfielder Nick Dal Santo, who has faced criticism recently, particularly after a below-par performance against Port Adelaide last Saturday night and heavy tagging. "I have lost no faith in Nick Dal Santo whatsoever. He's a really integral part of our midfield and we expect him to play really well on Saturday night," Lyon said. "I thought John Worsfold put the agenda on the table in that star midfielders get a lot of attention and not as much protection as the star forwards. Clearly, Nick Dal Santo gets a lot of attention." Lyon admitted he was fiercely protective of his players and said this instinct had been one of the reasons why he has been perceived as a poor media performer. Yesterday, Lyon was notably upbeat and even jocular during his 35-minute press conference, at which he again fielded questions relating to his game plan, which has been criticised recently as being too "Sydney-like".
Gehrig's future still unclear
Lyon admitted on Tuesday it was getting harder for the Saints to justify being able to play all three of Gehrig, Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke in the one forward line - which makes it easy for opposition teams to run off the giant trio and turn defence into attack. "He is in my plans no doubt about that but it has got more difficult with the way the game has gone," Lyon said when asked about Gehrig's future on Tuesday. "The game has got quicker, the backs run so hard now and forward pressure is such a key element of success. And that (the Saints' lack of forward pressure) is compounded by our forward structure because if you look at Riewoldt and Koschitzke, they are really tall men so it is getting harder and harder to play three talls (in the one forward line)." Lyon said it was difficult to gauge whether the Saints attack had performed better or worse in Gehrig's absence during the past two matches - given their contrasting results in those games. "It depends which week you ask me because against Essendon we kicked 18 goals (and won in Gehrig's first game out) but last week we kicked only nine (and lost)." Lyon also said Gehrig's hand problems were getting worse not better. "His hands are an issue with him because his hands are very arthritic and sore and it is affecting his ball handling," he said. "In the off-season in the warmth they feel pretty good but it's pretty cold in Melbourne at this time of the year." However Lyon said Gehrig has not considered going back into retirement. "Retirement will be up to Fraser - his career is self-determining," he said. "He was keen to come back and we went through all the issues with him and he knew what lay in front of him. There is no guarantees for anyone in AFL footy, I can only control today."
Arthritis may derail Fraser Gehrig stuttering comeback
Saints coach Ross Lyon said the 32-year-old had a role to play, but revealed yesterday that arthritis was making Gehrig's stop-start comeback even more painful. "His hands are an issue. His hands are very arthritic and sore and affecting his ball handling," Lyon said. "His fingers are all gnarled and been dislocated. As we all know, AFL footy is brutal and physically demanding and once you start playing footy again, they become more acute, those issues. Fraser is very stoic and he wouldn't like me mentioning it. Maybe I'm out of line a bit, but he never makes excuses. At ground level it is harder for him. He can still clunk them. It's the ball handling." Lyon didn't baulk at Gehrig retirement talks, but said the decision was Gehrig's and that an extended period playing in the VFL could force the issue ... Playing for Casey Scorpions in Tasmania last weekend, Gehrig kicked a point in a 12-possession game, which included four goal assists. "Fraser's never played at that level and it's not as systematic," Lyon said. "It's probably a shock to the system, so sometimes it's about running around getting game minutes under your belt. He's not in the side at the minute. We have match committee (today). I would tell you if he was in. It all depends on how the ruck pans out as well with Michael Gardiner, who will fully train today and Thursday and might be available."
Gehrig feels fickle finger of fate
Melbourne this week had its first cold snap of the year. In the morning, the air was sharp enough to pierce your lungs. In the Alps, unseasonal snow fell on the ski fields; a powdery promise of things to come. And at Moorabbin, Fraser Gehrig rubbed his hands and cursed his lot. In many ways, Gehrig is still a young man. He is 32. He is tall and strong, with not a hint of grey in his beard. He is thinking about marriage and kids, the point at which life starts all over again. Yet in one cruel way, he is old beyond his years. St Kilda coach Ross Lyon yesterday revealed that Gehrig's hands are riddled with arthritis, a legacy of 143 games of AFL football and a lost count of dislocated fingers and broken bones ... Gehrig, for all his eccentricities, has an old-fashioned attitude towards playing with injury. Last year he played half the season with a fractured metacarpal bone in his hand and didn't complain once. Earlier in his career at St Kilda, he carried a partially torn plantar fascia for several weeks. His tolerance of pain is matched only by his dislike of talking about it. "Fraser is very stoic," Lyon said. "He wouldn't even like me mentioning it, to be frank." Yet now that Gehrig's private pain is out in the open, the dilemma facing Lyon and the St Kilda match committee is better understood. It will be no great loss to world music if Gehrig never plays the piano again. A more pressing question is whether he can still play full-forward.
Saints plan for 'Everywhere Man' Richo
Richmond's "everywhere man" Matthew Richardson will be the subject of much St Kilda planning for their AFL match on Saturday night at Telstra Dome. The key forward's devastating runs off the wing have been a high-profile feature of Richmond's much-improved form over the last three weeks. Privately, the Tigers expect St Kilda will use tall utility Jason Blake as a tag on Richardson. "He's been running back, running forward, using him on the switch, he's the everywhere man," said Saints coach Ross Lyon. "I think there's loose men back to defend and there's loose men back to attack and I think he's struck a really nice balance with both - we'll go to match committee and consider it. I've worked with Richo years ago and he's one that gets spoken about a lot, he's a very special player and it takes a player with an enormous workrate to play on him. We feel we've got a couple of them - Blake, (Jason) Gram, Sam Fisher - we've got some super athletes that can really run. You mightn't be able to stop his attack so much, but you might be able to attack through him a little bit."
Tigers hungry to tackle
Richmond coach Terry Wallace said yesterday a more selfless attitude by his players had been integral to the team's improvement. Wallace said years of struggle at the foot of the ladder had forced some players to worry more about personal survival than team prosperity, but that had changed after the Round 3 defeat against Collingwood. The Tigers have since posted a win against Fremantle and a draw against the Western Bulldogs, and now face what Wallace said had the feeling of a "final" against St Kilda at Telstra Dome on Saturday night. "We felt at times the nature of being down in the ladder at times. Blokes will go into self-survival mode and they will do what they think is right for themselves, rather than necessarily right for the team," Wallace said. "I think the biggest change we have had is that the playing group has more trust and faith in each other to do the right thing at the right time, which includes the hard work defensively and tackling and doing those sort of things. It's as simple as blokes sacrificing a little bit of their own game for the sake of the team." What has also changed is the Tigers' attack on an opponent. While they were beaten 66-45 in tackles by Hawthorn on Sunday at the MCG, the desperation was evident. The Tigers are still 16th for tackles this year but the statistics don't always tell the full story.