Maguire rips Hall a new one

[Kildonan]

Actions count for Maguire
10 June 2006
Ben Broad
saints.com.au

Matt Maguire admitted that having his integrity questioned after last year's now famous preliminary final incident with Swans spearhead Barry Hall gave the St Kilda defender added motivation heading into their much anticipated rematch at the SCG on Saturday night.

And the Saints star had the last laugh in their round 11 encounter, with the hard-nosed backman not only inflicting Hall's poorest outing for the season but playing a vital role in what might turn out to be a season-defining win for the Saints.

St Kilda won a thriller 7.10 (52) to 7.8 (50), and while it must be said the match was played in conditions backmen spend nights dreaming about, Maguire was simply superb in blanketing the man whose performance goes so far towards determining just how the Swans fare.

While Maguire praised his team for the way it fought out the match, when probed after the clash one could tell the pre-game media discussion about last year's incident had perhaps caused a few old wounds to re-open.

There were queries whether Hall's strike on Maguire in last year's preliminary final - which saw him face the AFL tribunal only to beat the charge and later lead his team to the premiership - had been forceful enough to ground Maguire, or whether in fact the Saint had milked the incident.

That suggestion angered Saints officials and, in particular, the man at the centre of the furore.

"Yeah I suppose there is a little bit of motivation there when people question your integrity and I suppose the way you play the game," Maguire said.

"A few people out there may have called me a stager or a diver, or (questioned) even whether I was scared of Barry which is, you know, their opinion but I was just out here tonight not for revenge or anything but I just wanted to knock him off and contribute to a team effort."

And knock him off he did. Hall managed just five kicks, two marks and a goal for the night as opposed to Maguire's 16 kicks, to go with his eight tackles.

Maguire said he had been prepared to speak at last year's tribunal hearing and try to clear Hall's name. Instead, he let his football do his talking at the SCG on Saturday night.

"I suppose that's the way to play footy, you beat the man to the ball rather than verbally," he said.

"You can talk all you want, but it's your actions that count the most."

 

[Kildonan]

From the main board - a littany of denial:

So you didn't even bother to factor in the horrible wet weather conditions or terrific effort from the other saint defenders helped out to stop Hall.

ehhh. next troll please

How is it a troll, Maguire was brilliant and shut Hall right out of the game.

Hall's problem was 90% supply, 9% weather and 1% Maguire.

You want to spot up a troll, here's one for you now.

Bullshyt. There were at least 6-7 one-on-one contests between Hall and Maguire, and Maguire out-muscled and out-positioned Hall every single time.

LOL
...and you think I'm bullshyt-ing?

Don't we usually agree? Can't say I pay particular notice to usernames, but the only time I remember disagreeing with you was over trading a contracted Saddo for nothing.

Anyway here's my position:
1. Hall is an elite player who had a poor game.
2. Maguire had a good player who had a good game.
3. Hall's poor game wasn't largely because of Maguire's good game.
4. Rather, Hall's poor game was because of abysmal supply.
5. The "Maguire destroys Hall" meme is just a nice little story of revenge that resonates nicely with the hoopleheads, but is largely without basis in fact.

How sad is Midaro, that he can't even watch a match of footy before commenting on it?

 

[Kildonan]

Also from the main board:

1) Yes Maguire beat hall last night. So what, it was a wet night and when two players are on one another, one or the other invariably wins. Goose played his best game last night and Hall didn't. So what? Doesn't mean Maguire is "better" than Hall as a footballer or vica versa.

2) There was no quote from Hall. The Richard Hinds story was a pure beat up. Hall actually was quoted as saying he could understand the Saints and Maguires hesitation in not wanting to give evidence on Halls behalf. Maguire came out after the game and said he or the Saints never said they wouldn't give evidence but the AFL never asked them. Also said, like most of us that Hall should not have been out of a GF because of a tummy tap.

I actually was more p !ssed off that Maguire didn't get a free for it. Was never worth a suspension.

3) last night was not revenge. What a load of crappola. Swans won a 2005 flag. How could a H&A win be against them be classed as "revenge". Fair Dinkum what rubbish.

4) Swans Best - Schmidt, Vosso, and whoever the other incompetent egotist was. Almost won the game for Sydney with the absolute corrupt way they umpired especially in the last quarter. 8 consecutive free kicks with BS deliberates and other rubbish frees, Fraser goes near the ball and got scragged and pulled down all night, 1 free. Milne gets a 50 metre against him for "swearing" at Vosso. A Swans player calls him a C- - - and gets nothing.
Blatant cheating. Geischen needs to be sacked immediately and these egotists who think they are the stars of the game, not the players, with the little mans syndrome have to be brought back into line.

They are ruining the game.

Agree with you re: umpiring - something needs to be done as it IS ruining the game. The abuse of power to achieve their own ends has to be stopped.

I was proud of Matt Maguire for standing up when a lesser man may have just been ordinary. Without his outstanding effort last night we would not have won the match.