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Junior Cats match Saints
Acting captain Brenton Sanderson predicted a keen rivalry between the two clubs as they both emerge in the next few years. "I think St Kilda and Geelong are at the same stage," he said. "I know everyone uses that rebuilding thing a bit too often but we are probably at similar stages where we are both developing young lists. We hear more about St Kilda's (list) because they've had so many glamour first-round draft picks whereas Geelong has maybe pulled a few out of the hat with Corey Enright and Cameron Ling taken in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Those guys that have been at the club for three or four years are starting to play some great footy."
The Article - Scott Gullan - The Australian - 09Mar04

In-your-face Saints make hefty impact
This is a tougher, more in-your-face St Kilda than the AFL has seen for some time, and Thomas is more than happy for the world to know about it. "Reputation is a significant factor in AFL," he says, "and unfortunately our reputation hasn't been good and, if anything, has quite possibly inspired other teams. What you want to do is have a reputation where you intimidate, and no doubt your Brisbanes and Essendons of the past have that".
The Article - Rohan Connolly - TheAge - 09Mar04

www.getalife.com
Coaches and football clubs realise the importance of starting the season off well and bringing their sides up to the standard that is required in AFL today. No-one can tell me that any of the teams tried to lose the Wizard Cup games, even Brisbane Lions went in with intense football, albeit they may have been the only team that didn't have 'every gun firing' who were fit enough to play the game. Could I then say that Essendon were lucky enough to get this far considering this particular point?
The Peanut Gallery - This site

Thomas notes draw irony
And that is, while wanting to win, he (Grant Thomas) is also being wary of not revealing too much to his opposite number with the home and away season fast approaching. In an amazing coincidence the Saints not only meet the Cats in Saturday night's pre-season decider but also in the first home and away game of the season on March 27. But even more amazing is the fact the club's four Wizard Cup opponents in Adelaide, Richmond, Essendon and Geelong are also the same four clubs the Saints will play during the all-important first month of the home and away season.
The Article - Paul Gough - Sportal - 08Mar04

Saints, Cats flag different approach
They are both in charge of success-starved AFL clubs and they are both on the verge of the first major triumph of their coaching careers but Geelong's Mark Thompson and St Kilda's Grant Thomas are taking vastly different approaches to Saturday night's Wizard Home Loans Cup grand final at Telstra Dome.
The Article - Paul Gough - Sportal/exclusive to afl.com.au - 08Mar04
Wizard final one of contrasts - Paul Gough - Sportal/exclusive to afl.com.au - 08Mar04

Saints weigh the money or the club
Many key players at St Kilda would consider sacrificing salary in contract negotiations to keep the team together, former skipper Aaron Hamill indicated yesterday. In the week before St Kilda plays in its first grand final since losing to North Melbourne in the 1998 pre-season decider, Hamill intimated that some players could sacrifice pay rises, as has occurred at the Brisbane Lions, to maintain the current group and stay under the salary cap. Hamill, who is hoping to sign a new contract within weeks, said he would 'do whatever it takes' to keep the group together.
The Article - Lyall Johnson - TheAge - 08Mar04

Young Saints keeping the lid on
The message from St Kilda's younger brigade immediately following Saturday night's semi-final win over Essendon could have come straight from the coach's mouth - 'We're keeping a lid on it'.
The Article - Jordon Chong - saints.com.au - 07Mar04
Bomber crash lands - Rebecca Williams - Foxsports - 08Mar04

Saints glimpse the Holy Grail
There was a subdued mood in the St Kilda rooms after the win and it was an equally relaxed group that took a brisk dip at South Rd beach early yesterday. Coach Grant Thomas is eager that the players do not get too carried away with pre-season success. But the Saints' list, with its wealth of young players, is building expectation.
The Article - Rebecca Williams - HeraldSun - 08Mar04

Spider sues the Saints
Following the lead of similar action by Wayne Carey against his former club, the Kangaroos, Everitt is claiming an unspecified restitution. In a case listed in Melbourne Magistrates' Court for May 14, Everitt, 29, is suing for 'breach of contract agreement' relating to alleged non-payment of long-service entitlements. Saints chief executive Brian Waldron this week confirmed the action. "If Peter believes he is entitled to some compensation, he can go through the appropriate channels," Waldron said.
The Article - Rosanne Michie - FoxSports - 07Mar04
Spider sues the Saints - Saintsational Fan Forum

Wizard Cup Semi-final Results
St Kilda: 1.4.5, 1.8.7, 1.13.10, 2.16.12 (126).
Essendon: 0.1.1, 1.5.3, 1.9.4, 1.11.9 (84).
Nine Point Goals: St Kilda: Goddard, Thompson.
Essendon: J Johnson.
SIX POINT GOALS: St Kilda: Gehrig 5, Riewoldt 4, Milne 3, Hamill 2, Blake, Ball.
Essendon: Watson 2, J Johnson, Hille, Richards, McPhee, Lloyd, Rioli, M Johnson, Alvey, Fletcher.
BEST: St.Kilda: Ball, Black, Riewoldt, Gehrig, Penny, Jones, Dal Santo, Blake
Essendon: J. Johnson, Hird, McPhee, Watson, Rioli.
INJURIES: St.Kilda: None
Essendon: Wellman (ankle), Lloyd (shin), Mercuri (hamstring), M.Johnson (hamstring).
REPORTS: None
UMPIRES: McBurney, McInerney, Allen, Ellis.
CROWD: 29,536.

Saints graduate to Wizard final
In front of the biggest crowd of the Wizard Home Loans Cup so far of over 29,500, St Kilda dominated the game from the outset with a six goal to one first term setting up their victory. The Saints victory not only set up a fairytale grand final against a similarly success-starved Geelong side at Telstra Dome next Saturday night but also showed that Thomas' team is ready to compete against the AFL big guns.
The Article - Paul Gough - (Sportal) afl.com.au - 06Mar04
Pics - Saints vs Bombers - Getty Images - saints.com.au
How good was that - Saintsational Fan Forum

Saints all intense and purpose
Thomas said he had no concerns about the hype surrounding his young team. "It's a by-product of football," he said. "As much as you get caned when you're not performing well, when you're performing well you take the good with the bad. I really don't think that effects the team if they've got their heads screwed on right. We know where we're at and we know where we're heading and we're very clear about that. They won't be getting ahead of themselves."
The Article - Martin Blake - TheAge - 06Mar04

Hooroo to the Dons hoodoo
From the opening bounce it looked like the lopsided tally would swing back. The Saints were aggressive, tough and unforgiving at every contest. A super goal from Brendon Goddard only four minutes in was inspirational and telling. It typified the intentions of the young, driven Saints to take it up to the tried, true Bombers.
The Article - The Australian - Jackie Epstein - 06Mar04

Saints march into Wizard Cup final
Electrifying from the start, St Kilda was never headed and recorded its first win over the Bombers since 1999 with a 42-point pasting, 2.16.12 (126) to 1.11.9 (84).
Just as significant for the season proper, the Saints had young stars Nick Riewoldt (four goals), Nick Dal Santo, Xavier Clarke and Luke Ball star in a sizzling all-round performance that left the Bombers demoralised.
The Article - Adam Cooper (AAP) - HeraldSun - 06Mar04

Bomberland Match Report
Matches are often set-up in the opening term and that was the case at The Dome tonight. St.Kilda got off to a flying start and before the Bombers had blinked they were five goals down. It was catch-up footy from then on and despite Essendon throwing everything at St.Kilda in the final three quarters it was too little too late. The Saints progressed to the Wizard Cup grand final by 42-points.
The Article - Bomberland - 06Mar04
More Pics - Getty Images - Bomberland - 06Mar04

AFL umpire takes the knocks
McBurney was left with nowhere to go when St Kilda forward Fraser Gahrig marked and handballed to teammate Jason Blake, who was running into an open goal. The man in orange copped the full brunt of Blake's run and as he bounced off, Essendon defender Adam McPhee tackled McBurney thinking it was Blake.
The Article - AAP - 7sport.com.au - 07Mar04

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Hamill seeks long-term deal
St Kilda has opened contract negotiations with Aaron Hamill as it begins the increasingly difficult task of keeping its star players within the salary cap. The Saints want to deal with Hamill's contract, which expires at the end of the season, before thrashing out arrangements with other stars.
The Article - Damian Barrett - HeraldSun - 04Mar04

Riewoldt to lift Saints' semi hopes
With Nick Riewoldt training yesterday and moving freely after an apparently serious knock to the knee last weekend, St Kilda looks to have its best chance of beating Essendon in five years in Saturday's Wizard Cup semi-final. The Saints have not beaten Essendon since round eight in 1999, being slammed in their past four meetings by margins ranging from 42 to 99 points, although they scored a small consolation win in a low-key practice match last year.
The Article - Daniel Ziffer - TheAge - 04Mar04

Saints fans get on the Wizard Cup bandwagon
The club is signing up 700 new members a week, up from 500 a week before Christmas, and is currently on 18,600 - up 3000 on the same time last year. St Kilda says its 2004 membership has already reached the same level as round one of the 2003 home-and-away season. "With a month to go till the start of the season, that's quite exciting for us, and the intriguing thing is that we still have 9000 unsigned members from last year," said David Friend, general manager of membership. "A lot of those will still come in. We did another 8000 last year from this time until whenever the cut-off is in June, so we're optimistic but you can't bank on it."
The Article - Lyall Johnson - TheAge - 03Mar04
Saint wing and a prayer - Mike Sheahan - HeraldSun - 02Mar04
Saints to meet Dons in top clash - AAP - 7sport.com.au - 01Mar03

Lucky escape for Riewoldt
For a moment Nick Riewoldt was filled with searing pain and an awful sense of dread as the 'R' word - reconstruction - flashed through his mind. Dual Brownlow medallist Robert Harvey also suffered a heavy knock in the back, but he will be ready to play in the semi-final. "I think early in the season most of the boys tend to pull up a bit sore," Riewoldt said. "They train a long time in the pre-season without actually playing much footy, so to actually get out there and play (again), you're bound to pull up a bit sore."
The Article - HeraldSun - 02Mar04

Bomber coach talks up St Kilda's flag hopes
Be it Kevin Sheedy mind games or a realistic early assessment of his team's opponent next week, the Bomber coach yesterday suggested the young St Kilda side as a chance to go all the way to a flag. Reflecting on the way the Saints wiped the floor with a lacklustre Richmond in their Wizard Cup quarter-final on Sunday night, Sheedy described the the Saints as an "exciting" team that was not afraid to take risks. "They were pretty exciting (against Richmond and Adelaide, in round one)," he said.
The Article - Lyall Johnson - TheAge - 02Mar04
Sheedy memo to Tiger fans - Jordan Chong - afl.com.au - 02Mar04

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