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Saints Black Days

A model of decorum
St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt and Austinn Jones put the club's turbulent rape allegation troubles behind them yesterday for some fun on the catwalk in parades for the Melbourne Fashion Festival. But there were no smiles as they stepped uneasily towards the end of the runway at the Sofitel, modelling Dom Bagnato and Flair mens wear, avoiding the camera lens as much as possible.
The Article - Michael Warner - HeraldSun - 19Mar03

St Kilda pair face psyche testing
The two St Kilda players at the centre of sexual misconduct allegations face psychological assessments over how they are handling the pressure before being considered for selection for the season opener against Geelong. The revelation that the players, Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna, would undergo the tests came as the pair made a surprise appearance at a training session at Moorabbin yesterday. The tests are separate to the assault allegations and will deal with the pressure the players are facing. St Kilda coach Grant Thomas said the Saints had had a change of heart about Milne and Montagna making public appearances.
The Article - Greg Denham, Scott Coghlan and Michael McGuire - The Australian - 18Mar03

Saints stick together
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas believes the sexual misconduct allegations against Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna and their fallout will "galvanise" his club. As Milne and Montagna surprisingly joined training at Moorabbin yesterday, Thomas said a players barbecue at his house on Tuesday night had been a "special experience". He stressed, however, the seriousness of the allegations made by two women to police. "I've got no doubt it will galvanise us and make us stronger and closer, and better," he said.
The Article - Mark Robinson - HeraldSun - 18Mar03

Saints feeling united: Thomas
St.Kilda is adopting a business as usual approach, despite the sexual misconduct allegations hanging over players Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna. The pair trained with the Saints at Moorabbin on Wednesday afternoon, with coach Grant Thomas stating the club was coping well under difficult circumstances. Thomas has spent much of the past 24 hours with Milne and Montagna and said the pair had been 'very distressed' since it was revealed they were the subject of a police investigation.
The Article - Samantha Lane, Sportal - saints.com.au - 18Mar03

Fans rally to Saints
St Kilda appears to have avoided the corporate backlash and supporter exodus that many were predicting in the wake of this week's sexual assault controversy, according to club president Rod Butterss. The club set a record for the number of memberships sold in a single day yesterday, with more than 700 memberships sold since late on Tuesday. Speaking at the club's season launch at Atlantic South Wharf last night, Butterss said he felt "absolutely empowered" by the show of support from fans and sponsors since news of the controversy broke.
The Article - Peter Ker, Rohan Connolly - HeraldSun - 18Mar03
Supporters rally behind SaintsThe Article - Samantha Lane, Sportal - afl.com.au - 17Mar03

Players suffer in silence
Of everything that has been said, alleged and argued over the past 24 hours, for a moment yesterday Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna must have wished they could have their say. As St Kilda coach Grant Thomas addressed a hyena-hungry media pack of 30 on Moorabbin's old members' wing, both Milne and Montagna, barely 20m away in training gear, couldn't help but sneak a peek at the activity. What's that they say about a car crash? The pair raised their heads yesterday after what could only be described as a torturous
The Article - Mark Robinson - HeraldSun - 18Mar03

AFL players and the trouble zone
Make no mistake, what has confronted the St Kilda Football Club in the past 48 hours and has become a living nightmare to players and officials is something every club in the AFL will have been fearing since the Canterbury Bulldogs story broke. Ironically, it is the Saints - so desperate to shake their tag as the poorest-behaved group - who find themselves involved in an incident that has the potential to undermine the birth of a new era at the club.
The Article - The Disgusting Tim Watson - HeraldSun - 18Mar03

Warning: Fascist Report
Thomas shows vital leadership
This is a different St Kilda under president Rod Butterss and Thomas. In another era at St Kilda we would have seen vision of the troubled players leaping the back fence and fleeing the media. In fact, they used to do it whether they were embroiled in a controversy or not. It was a training drill for Plugger. Yesterday, Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna joined in the club's 2pm training session. This was a remarkable turnaround. On Tuesday afternoon, chief executive Brian Waldron said the two players would not join in club activities for at least a week because the allegations against them were extremely serious and that the players needed time to themselves.
The Article - Patrick Smith - The Australian - 18Mar03

Just trying to nut things out - Saintsational fan Forum
Brent Guerra decision - Saintsational fan Forum
Bomber Thompson - Saintsational fan Forum - 129 contributors

Grant Thomas surveys his players at training Wednesday. Picture: Vince Caligiuri Image source: The Age

Saints take a massive risk
It will be at least a week and perhaps months before the assumed guilt of Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna is confirmed or dismissed. What is beyond dispute right now is that the St Kilda players exposed themselves to massive risk on Sunday night. In the footy vernacular, they presented themselves front and square to trouble. It was a risk that simply cannot be explained, given the fierce scrutiny currently applied to the sexual behaviour of sportsmen worldwide. Anyone with eyes and ears must know the score.
The Article - Mike Sheahan - HeraldSun - 17Mar03

Sack threat for Saint pair
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas threatened in the early hours yesterday to sack Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna if it was found they had lied to the club over the sexual assault allegations made against them. Milne and Montagna, who later had counselling for several hours at the home of Saints president Rod Butterss, protested their innocence to Thomas, and later reiterated their claims in interviews handled by Butterss, David Grace, QC, as well as in a recorded interview with Brighton police.
The Article - - Lyall Johnson, Rohan Connolly - TheAge - 17Mar03

Seven apology to Koschitzke
Channel Seven has apologised to Justin Koschitzke and issued a retraction after it named him as one of the St Kilda players involved in sexual misconduct allegations yesterday. Koschitzke's manager Liam Pickering and St Kilda officials said they were considering legal action against the network. At about 12.40pm yesterday, Seven News reporter Craig Hutchison said police were investigating "allegations of sexual misconduct involving star St Kilda players Stephen Milne and Justin Koschitzke" over an alleged incident on Sunday night.
The Article - - Jamie Berry - TheAge - 17Mar03

Allegations taken seriously: AFL
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says he is disappointed two St Kilda players have been accused of sexual assault but he has defended the reputation and conduct of AFL players generally. Demetriou would not comment on the specific allegations levelled against the St Kilda players but said the AFL had urged the club and the players to co-operate fully with on-going police investigation.
The Article - Paul Gough, Sportal - afl.com.au - 17Mar03

Guerra suspended for three
Brent Guerra's senior debut for St Kilda will be postponed until at least round four, after he was suspended for three matches by the AFL tribunal for rough play. The former Port Adelaide player was found guilty of making illegal head high contact with Geelong's Cameron Ling seconds after the opening bounce of Saturday night's Wizard Home Loans Cup grand final.
The Article - Samantha Lane, Sportal - saints.com.au - 17Mar03

Guerra suspended for three matches
St Kilda's off-field woes continued last night when Brent Guerra was suspended for three matches by the AFL Tribunal. Guerra, one of the stars of the club's Wizard Cup grand final victory, was outed on a charge of engaging in rough play against Geelong's Cameron Ling. In his first season at Moorabbin after being recruited from Port Adelaide, Guerra, 21, looked stunned when tribunal chairman Brian Collis, QC, delivered the verdict. He left the hearing with Saints assistant coach Matt Rendell and player advocate Sean Carroll.
The Article - Michael Stevens - HeraldSun - 17Mar03

St Kilda supports police-probe pair
St Kilda yesterday denied it was a club in crisis and stood by two players being investigated by police after allegations of a "very serious sexual nature". Saints said the club fully supported their players Stephen Milne, 24, and Leigh Montagna, 20, following a complaint made to police by two women. A distraught St Kilda chief executive Brian Waldron said both players had made full statements to police emphatically denying the allegations. "We absolutely support the players because these are nothing but allegations," Waldron said. "We believe them (the players)".
The Article - Greg Denham and Michael Davis - TheAustralian - 17Mar03

Damage has already been done
It's press conference time at Moorabbin and a battalion of media people has been shoe-horned into a small room under the grandstand. It's three days after St Kilda's exhilarating victory in the Wizard Cup, and less than two weeks before a home-and-away season that promises to be the start of something big for an outfit known for years as the club born with a wooden spoon in its mouth.
The Article - Trevor Grant - HeraldSun - 17Mar03

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