Hope you can join us there for analysis and discussion on all things St Kilda Football Club!

Jason Gram is apparently injured and will miss this week, as returning power forward Justin Koschitzke looks to fill at least some of the gap left by captain Nick Riewoldt in attack.

Legend has it that the St Kilda crest – the club’s logo, and found on the left breast of the jumper – originated on this famous day in the history of the club.

Though Russell Holmesby, who co-authored the St Kilda history book The Point of it All, says there is earlier photographic evidence of the existence of the crest than this day, it was this superbly brave performance by the Saints that embedded the crest into the club’s history.

For it was emblazoned on a “Badge of Courage” ordered by the St Kilda committee, to be given to players who took part in the match. It created a noble meaning for the crest; a symbol that represented the courage and spirit of a club that had tasted little success.

The Saints finished with only 15 men on the field on this day; the St Kilda Football Club was winless and grounded by infighting at the time, and the Shinboners went out to inflict more pain on the club – both physically and morally – with fierce tackling that reached a head in the second quarter: St Kilda captain Clarrie Hindson had broken his fibula and champion forward Bill Mohr had two ribs broken before half-time.

At the long break the Saints led by a goal, but five players were receiving treatment in the rooms, with a number of players ginger from North’s toughness at the man.

In the third quarter, Jack Anderson was knocked unconscious, Bill Roberts felled twice and Roy Bence concussed by friendly fire and carried off.

Despite a melee in the centre of the ground in that term, the Saints extended their lead to 16 points. An early burst in the final term by the Saints yielded two goals, much to the crowd’s rapture. By game’s end two of the 15 Saints still on the ground were badly injured, with ruckman Matt Cave requiring stitches for a gash near his left eye, and Jack George having to prop himself up in the forward pocket after damaging his ankle.

When the siren sounded, the Saints had won by 14 points. The ecsatatic home crowd rushed onto the field and carried the St Kilda players from the ground.

The versatile Stuart King and George Chapman had filled the scoring hole left by the injured Mohr to guide the Saints home, kicking four and three goals respectively.

The crest has since been synonymous with the club and strengthened the tie between St Kilda and the “Saints” nickname – and probably enough to ward off the period in the 1940s where St Kilda were known as the Panthers.

It was also the basis for the “cross” jumper design worn as a pre-season, home, and then away jumper from 1996 until 2002, including the 1996 pre-season premiership, 1997 Grand Final and 1998 pre-season Final teams, as well as the training jumpers worn in 2009 and, more subtly, 2010.

Most importantly, the crest itself has appeared on every match-worn St Kilda jumper since.

Links and References

“Heroic players make telling point”, Tim Lane, The Age, April 11, 2010, with extracts from The Point of it All (1992), by Jules Feldmann and Russell Holmesby

“Saints earn a badge of courage”, 100 Years of Australian Football, Penguin Books, 1996, p140

“History of the St Kilda Shield”, at West of Moorabbin

The Saints Central St Kilda Encyclopaedia

Other installments of “In This Round”:
Round 4 – Collingwood vs St Kilda, Victoria Park, 1993
Round 3 – St Kilda vs Collingwood, Waverley, 1997
Round 2 – St Kilda vs Carlton, Moorabbin, 1989
Round 1 – St Kilda vs Geelong, Telstra Dome, 2004
NAB Cup Grand Final – St Kilda vs Carlton, Waverley, 1996
NAB Cup Semi-Final – Essendon vs St Kilda, Telstra Dome, 2008
NAB Cup Round 2 – St Kilda vs Carlton, Waverley, 1995
NAB Cup Round 1 – Collingwood vs St Kilda, Telstra Dome, 2006

“Hayes expects Koschitzke to fire up”
AAP/The Age

And Andrew Lovett has taken the unprecedented step suing the St Kilda Football Club, the AFL and the three members of the AFL grievance tribunal who were involved in his case:

“Lovett opts to sue league, tribunal and St Kilda”
Samantha Lane, The Age

“Kosi can fill Riewoldt void: Hayes”
Jason Phelan, AFL.com.au

Andrew Lovett is taking his case against St Kilda to Fair Work Australia, with a preliminary hearing set for next Wednesday:

“Lovett takes dispute to federal agency”
Jake Niall, The Age

“Nick Riewoldt’s hard cell, a hyperbaric chamber used to speed up his recovery to reach finals”
Mark Stevens, Herald Sun

It was a new-look St Kilda taking on a new Fremantle on Sunday evening.

For the first time in the remarkable history of clashes these two sides have shared, it was a battle of the top two on the AFL ladder, with Freo (in second) looking to secure top spot on the ladder at the end of any round for the first time in their history.

That they eschewed their typical away-from-home form and kept themselves in the game until the final minutes showed they have turned a number of corners since the last meeting between the two last year, which St Kilda won by 83 points.

But equally, that St Kilda were able to kick a winning score – as the usually-stingy defence let through a total of 93 points – showed it could still kick a winning score in the absence of Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke, with the latter to return next week and provide even more of a focal point to the forward line.

For it was utility Brendon Goddard and the “Yapper” Stephen Milne providing the main options up forward in roles a little different to those they’re usually set that saw the Saints home; Goddard asked to roam further up the ground (seemingly at will) and Milne to be the number one target when the Saints were streaming forward.

Goddard was able to float forward with lethal efficiency, taking contested marks and finding space to provide maximum return. The most encouraging sign for Saints fans was that Goddard did not need to camp himself permanently in the forward 50, and sacrifice his presence in defence and the midfield; he’ll be able to play as an effective forward partner to Koschitzke from next week, and still provide handsome football around the rest of the ground.

Milne did well to create space and opportunities, and kicked truly from set shots and the boundary line, as well as providing forward pressure and setting up goals for others. It was his best game for a very long time.

It was a strong midfield performance in the final term that got the Saints over the line, with David Armitage coming to life to gather 12 touches, Clinton Jones 13, and Leigh Montagna, Jason Gram and Lenny Hayes all nine each out of the middle. Otherwise, the “Saints Footy” style of play had been missing for much of the game, with uncharacteristic fumbling from players, unforced errors, and an inability to constrict the opposition across the ground.

It had been an arm-wrestle for the first three-quarters before the Saints kicked the first four goals of the last. Matthew Pavlich kicked five goals for the Dockers, Paul Duffield gathered 36 touches, Greg Broughton 29 and mature-age recruit sensation Michael Barlow 28. Aaron Sandilands provided a brilliant nuisance for the Saints and continues his rise as one of the most imposing players in the competition.

The Saints will come up against a deflated Port Adelaide next Saturday night at AAMI Stadium and need to regain the “Saints Footy” elements that went out the window for periods on Sunday evening. Koschitzke will return and provide a huge presence up forward, but the entire team will need to lift their consistency and concentration across every minute of next week.

Media

“Deputies show Saints the way forward”
Peter Hanlon, The Age

“Saints too strong for Dockers at Etihad Stadium”
Mark Robinson, Herald Sun

“Freo’s run ends with bang, not whimper”
Luke Holmesby, AFL.com.au

“Milne and Goddard fire Saints”
Samantha Lane, The Age

Multimedia

Watch the match summary at BigPond Sport

Watch the full-match replay at BigPond Sport

Watch or listen to Ross Lyon’s post-match press conference

Listen to Lenny Hayes post-match on ABC Radio

Listen to Nick Riewoldt’s interview at the tail end of Triple M’s pre-match coverage

“Playing tag … and loving it”
Emma Quayle, The Age

Farren Ray speaks to the Club’s Official Website about his career path:

“Saints get most out of Farren Ray”
Felicity George, Saints.com.au

St Kilda forward coach Leigh Tudor talks of the versatility of Brendon Goddard:

“Push for Saints’ Goddard up front in AFL”
Adam Cooper, AAP/The Age

And Stephen Milne ranks as the competition’s number one sledger, according to the Herald Sun:

“The AFL Yaparazzi”
Jon Ralph, Herald Sun

As the two least successful clubs in VFL/AFL history to date, it’s not all-important clashes between competition juggernauts that this rivalry has been based on.

Rather, it has been a mixture of the unique, incredible and questionable, with occasional flashes of both genuinely brilliant and sadly woeful football being played.

It began immediately – although inconspicuously – in 1995, when Fremantle played their debut AFL match in the Ansett Australia Cup against the Saints at East Fremantle Oval. Whilst the match itself was normal enough (St Kilda would win by 35 points), this would be the only time (to date) the Dockers would actually play in Fremantle in a competitive AFL match.

In Round 14 of the following season, St Kilda would break through for its first win at Subiaco, and in Western Australia – of course, against Fremantle – in a game which produced great goals from both sides.

The next clash between the two came on ANZAC Day of 1997, with Fremantle – in 10th place and the Saints in 16th – weathering a late St Kilda challenge to win by a straight kick. The return bout was played on a ridiculously blustery day at Waverley in Round 20 of that year, with Fremantle in 10th place (again) going into the match whilst St Kilda was second on percentage, on its way to a second minor premiership. The Saints that time won a scrappy game by 13 points after the Dockers got within a point in the final term.

St Kilda co-captain Stewart Loewe would be stretchered off in Round 9 of 1998 at the WACA after an awkward fall in which his head ended up making contact with his knee. Despite a thrilling running goal from ruckman Peter Everitt, the 4th-placed Saints were overrun by the 13th-placed Dockers in the final term.

After several years of minor quirks, things were about to get really weird.

Round 15 of 1999 will be remembered for the mark that was taken by umpire Peter Carey. Early in the match, Docker (and former Saint) Adrian Fletcher centred a short pass to Brad Wira on the wing, only for the experienced Carey, who was in the path of the ball’s trajectory, to take the mark and call for a ball-up. Needless to say, the incident was a massive talking point in football circles, though ultimately it would take its place in VFL/AFL history as a wonderfully unique and humourous moment in a game that has a habit of throwing those up from time to time. The Dockers would go on to win the game by 23 points, and send St Kilda’s season into a further downward spiral.

By the time the two teams met in Round 12 of 2001, both teams had new coaches and were sharing 14th (St Kilda) and 16th (Fremantle) places on the ladder; by season’s end they would be 15th and 16th respectively. On this Saturday night at Subiaco, the Saints won their third game of the year after a young Stephen Milne sprang to life in the final term, on his way to kicking three goals and giving the Saints a 10-point win. However, captain Robert Harvey would seriously injure his knee in a gang tackle that continued well past its use-by date; with the ball locked up amongst the scrum, the umpire inexplicably chose to let play continue, long enough for the Dockers players to force Harvey to the turf as his knee buckled under him.

It would also be Malcolm Blight’s last victory as coach for the Saints, with his brief tenure at Moorabbin ending just three weeks later.

The next season threw up a couple more notable matches – in Round 2, the fast-finishing Dockers would roll the Saints by three points at home after trailing for much of the day, and in Round 17 St Kilda played a rare home match at Princes Park and defeat the Dockers in a dead-rubber in front of just 8,078 fans.

A skip to 2004 would find Brent Guerra breaking Docker Byran Schammer’s arm in a devastating bump as a barnstorming St Kilda extended their winning streak to seven to begin the season, as well as Fremantle wearing their predominantly white away/clash jumper for the first time in the return match in Round 22 at Docklands.

A trio of thrilling matches followed. Strange, thrilling matches.

In round 2 of 2005, St Kilda won their first match of the season by a solitary point at York Park in Tasmania. The Saints would overhaul the Dockers in trying conditions, with Aaron Hamill earning a free kick for holding the ball and scoring the winning point – but not before a final Fremantle charge into their forward line, with defender Luke Penny expertly safely punching the ball out of bounds in the final seconds from a marking contest.

The infamous “Whispers in the Sky” clash was a dire battle in Round 21 at Subiaco. St Kilda were pushing to solidify a top four spot after being outside of the 8 after Round 13, though tipped by many to win the premiership on the eve of the season. Skipper Nick Riewoldt has broken his collarbone in Round 14, and stand-in captain Justin Koschitzke had powered his way to stunning form and lead the Saints’ fight for redemption. He earned 11 Brownlow votes in just five matches, and with Riewoldt back, he was seen as a key component to St Kilda’s premiership hopes as September neared. Fremantle, meanwhile were hoping to return to finals action after St Kilda had knocked them out on the eve of the 2004 finals series.

What happened on that Friday night is now a part of St Kilda-Fremantle rivalry folklore. Awful and questionable umpiring decisions went Fremantle’s way all night, gifting the Dockers several goals and depriving the Saints of several chances of their own. Koschitzke would injure a quad muscle in the third quarter, and he would not be fit enough to return to the side, which bowed out in the preliminary final several weeks later (had St Kilda defeated Sydney in that match, he would have been a huge chance to return for the Grand Final).

The final term was an old-fashioned thriller. In the final minute, with the Saints up by a point, Justin Peckett was run down by Luke McPharlin just outside Fremantle’s 50-metre arc; the resulting kick forward saw Justin Longmuir take a spectacular mark over the top of the pack just 25 metres out from goal. His kick was straight, and the Dockers had won by five points, and were to face reigning premier Port Adelaide the following week in the final round for a spot in the finals.

Channel Nine reporter Tony Jones – travelling back to Melbourne from the game after Nine’s coverage – claimed that he heard umpire Matthew Head, who had made a number of the decisions that went Fremantle’s way remark, “Now I know what it feels like to have a victory”. Several other passengers made the same claim as Jones, but the AFL cleared Head of any wrongdoing after an investigation into the matter that week.

Though they would start strongly, Fremantle lost to Port Adelaide the following week and finish 10th as the Power clinched eighth spot. St Kilda would go on to record two amazing victories over the following two weeks – their biggest win in the club’s 132-year history over the Brisbane Lions, by 139 points, and a brave eight-point win over minor premiers Adelaide in the First Qualifying Final at AAMI Stadium, to secure a home Preliminary Final and a week’s rest.

But the centrepiece of this rivalry – so far, at least – came in Round 5, 2006; the final installment of this trilogy taking place where it started – at York Park (now Aurora Stadium) in Tasmania, referred to as “Sirengate”.

The Dockers were truly dangerous in 2006, and were only knocked out a week short of the Grand Final. Though notorious for poor interstate form, on this day they were all over an inept St Kilda, who were making another slow start to a season. Though the Saints would be in with a chance all day, that chance seemed to have disappeared as the clock counted down to zero as a desperate Dockers defence forced a stopped in the Saints forward line, with their team up by a point. The siren sounded, and Fremantle players around the ball began celebrating a hard-fought victory.

But the siren was quite faint, and umpire didn’t hear it – and play continued from the stoppage well after full-time. The Saints forced the ball to Steven Baker, whose flying shot at goal – a number of seconds after the siren – missed to the left, tying the scores. The umpire then awarded Baker a free kick for a hit he got as he kicked it, and so he was to take the kick again, with the first behind taken back, and the Saints again down by a point. As this was occurring, Fremantle officials had stormed on to the ground to remonstrate with the umpires, with coach Chris Connolly finding himself arguing with St Kilda player Lenny Hayes. Verbal stoushes were springing up between officials, umpires and players left, right and centre, and amongst it all, Baker missed again. The game was a draw.

St Kilda coach Grant Thomas declared the game “one for the blooper reel” in the post-match wash-up, whilst Connolly was understandably furious. Fremantle immediately took the issue to the AFL. Sensationally, the AFL overturned the result during the week, with final score officially at 13.15 (93) to 14.10 (94), the Dockers victorious by a point.

The sides would meet again at Subiaco in Round 20. To date, this match is the most important game the clubs have been involved in against each other, with a top four spot up for grabs. Fremantle trounced the Saints, with the only highlight for St Kilda being a goal kicked by Brendon Goddard from an enormous kick late in the match; from just inside the centre square, Goddard’s kick would go through the goals at post-height.

The Dockers would finish third on the ladder, with fellow Subiaco tenants West Coast in first place. Though they would lose the Second Qualifying Final to Adelaide away, they won their first final of any sort at home against Melbourne a week later. Sydney knocked them out a week later, otherwise the MCG would have been set for an all-Western Australian Grand Final.

Several things of note come out of this. Firstly, St Kilda would have finished third on superior percentage if the “Sirengate” result had stood, forcing eventual Grand Finalists Sydney out of the top four, and forcing a Western Derby as a First Qualifying Final. Instead, the Saints finished sixth and limped out of the finals series in the first week, losing to Melbourne in the Second Elimination Final. Of course, if the Saints had won that game – which was a good chance of happening through the final term – they would have faced Fremantle in a semi-final, bringing the two teams face-to-face in massive game; as it happened, Grant Thomas would be sacked just days after the loss to the Demons. The other point worth considering – albeit a hypothetical one – is if the AFL would have overturned the result the way it did had Baker actually kicked a goal from either of his shots, “winning” the game for St Kilda. It’s one thing to overturn a draw, but to  completely reverse the outcome of a match would have made this issue far, far greater, and a much more daunting prospect for the AFL.

The following season was a disappointment for both teams. When they squared off in Round 20, with the Saints hoping to snatch a finals spot under new coach Ross Lyon, a collision between Steven Baker and Jeff Farmer would be the talking point of the competition for the following week.

Farmer left the ground concussed, with blood pouring from his face, after evidently running into the back of Baker. No umpires nor cameras saw or captured the incident, but a Fremantle trainer said that Baker had been malicious in the collision, and this was influential in the seven-match suspension Baker received. The Saints appealed, but this fell on deaf ears from the AFL. The decision would prove costly for the Saints, who were now without their star tagger as they were coming up against West Coast the following week, a must-win game for the Saints. The Eagles’ midfield of Chris Judd, Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr were able to run far more freely and eventually the Eagles would win by eight points; though St Kilda defeated Richmond in Round 22, they would finish the season in ninth position after Adelaide also won their final round match to knock St Kilda out of September calculations.

Round 13 of 2008 saw a spluttering Saints wielding the axe on senior players Nick Dal Santo and Stephen Milne after just three wins from the previous ten games of football. Ben McEvoy, Robert Eddy and Jarryd Allen would all debut for the Saints on a dogged Friday night, with the Saints prevailing by eight points. It would be the beginning of a remarkable turnaround for Ross Lyon and his men, who would win eight of their final ten matches in the home-and-away season to finish fourth, including the return game at Subiaco in Round 20 which Stephen Milne played out with a grotesquely swollen cheek. The Saints would fall one week short of the Grand Final.

The Saints would go one better in 2009, as Fremantle were again finding themselves at the wrong end of the ladder. In Round 4, the Saints crushed the Dockers by 83 points, and keeping the visitors to a scoreline of 4.4 (28), the joint-lowest score at Docklands. Of course, that record is shared with St Kilda, who could only manage 3.10 (28) against Collingwood in Round 6 of 2002.

Most recently, their 2010 NAB Cup semi-final match was nearly called off, after storms ravaged the Melbourne CBD, leaving Etihad Stadium with internal roofing damage. The players ran out for a later start to no crowd in attendance, and the 5,000+ fans were eventually let in over the first quarter, but only allowed to be seated on the bottom level. St Kilda would win a position in the Final easily, but would lose that to the Western Bulldogs, who were making their first Final appearance of any kind in 40 years.

And now on Sunday evening, the two teams will be squaring off, and coming into this round are occupying the top two positions on the ladder. It’s definitely the first time this has happened with these two clubs; Fremantle will be looking to be on top of the AFL ladder at the completion of any round for the first time in their history, whilst the Saints are going to be entering a lengthy period of time with injured captain Nick Riewoldt. The football world will be watching this intriguing clash, which will hopefully be remembered for some good football, promising individual performances and solid teamwork. As long as no umpires take marks or feel like “having a victory”, or the siren fails, or there are unseen and inconclusive clashes which result in massive suspensions, or storms unleash fury over Melbourne, then there’s a good chance that just might happen.

But who knows?

Links

Umpire Peter Carey takes a mark in Round 15, 1999

Justin Longmuir kicks a goal after the siren to win the game for the Dockers in the “Whispers in the Sky” match, in Round 21, 2005

“Sirengate” finish Part 1, Round 5, 2006

“Sirengate” finish Part 2

Brendon Goddard’s monster goal, Round 20, 2006