Round 4 Team Changes

[Axcellence]

Hi

It's a bit early, but I am just wondering what the team changes are going to be like. With Gehrig & Harvey unlikely to play, it opens up the door for all the other players in the team. Ball & Koschitzke have a spot in the team on any day... meaning coaching staff won't have to sweat on who to drop.

Mcqualter played his first game reasonably ok, but did not lay a single tackle. However, his last year's performance against port means he's more likely to play than not. And you always need tall wingers like Troy against hard running / marking team like Port.

B: Fisher, Hudgton, Voss
HB: X Clarke, Maguire, Gram
C: Hayes, Dal Santo, Thompson
HF: Goddard, Hamill, Schwarze
FF: Koschitzke, Milne, Riewoldt
Foll: Ackland, Baker, Ball
Int: Montagna, Fiora, Mcqualter, Blake

I am actually interested in seeing some of the match-ups.

Chad Cornes vs Hamill (or Voss) - Interesting to see who will line-up on Chad Cornes. He had 14 marks in round 14, 2004 but in the 2004 PF he had only 3 (due to defensive work by Voss). He was back to his usual best in 2005 with 10 marks in R11, 2005.

Tredrea vs Maguire - Tredrea is an excellent player with an elite marking ability. Will be interesting to see how much improvement Maguire has made against him. A surprise can also be Koschitzke - doubtful if he'll play CHB coming back, but he has given Tredrea a bath before.

Ball vs Cornes - probably the best match-up if it happens (unlikely). Last time, it was a cheap hit on Ball's face by a Shattock that contributed towards a loss. It'll be interesting to see what gets served up this time. Shattock is yet to play a game since roung 16, 2005. Cornes, however, is playing well as usual.

Lade, Brogan Vs Ackland, Blake - Interesting to see how this pans out. If Koschitzke comes in, it will mean less pressure on Ackland & Blake around the ground. Lade was probably the matchwinner (and Jolly the match-loser) against Sydney. Brogan had an excellent game against St Kilda playing against Barry Brooks who was a dismal failure. Blake did not play against Port in 2005.

Gavin Wanghaneen vs Baker/Gram - champion against good players.

It will be an interesting game to see provided all the names listed above play.

Interesting to note though that the following players will not be playing from the last AAMI ground clash between the two teams.


Roger James
Byron Pickett
Damien Hardwick
Josh Carr

Robert Harvey (inj)
Fraser Gehrig (inj)
Brent Guerra (delist)
Trent Knobel (delist - had a 0 disposal game in 2004).

 

[Kildonan]

Hamstring woes rule out Harvey and Gehrig
By Michael Gleeson
April 15, 2006

Scans on St Kilda stars Robert Harvey and Fraser Gehrig have confirmed the pair will miss next week's match against Port Adelaide, but both could be available after that.

Both players damaged hamstrings in the win over the Brisbane Lions. Scans showed Harvey had damaged scar tissue but had not sustained a strain or tear, while Gehrig had the mildest of hamstring tears.

St Kilda coach Grant Thomas last night said that while both would miss next round's trip to AAMI Stadium on Anzac Eve, they would then be reassessed and could be available for round five.

"With Harvs there's a disruption there, albeit very slight. It's only scar tissue, not a tear, but irrespective he will miss a week and beyond that we are not sure. Fraser had a very very slight tear, it is only a grade-one tear, so he won't play either. He will miss one but will probably be right after that," Thomas said.

Both players were injured in the first half. Harvey spent the rest of the match on the bench while Gehrig played on.

But also of significance from the win over the Lions - greater than Lenny Hayes' 38 touches, Nick Dal Santo's sublime form, or even the impressive goalkicking of Nick Riewoldt - was Leigh Montagna.

While the other three were exceptional, it was a case of simply doing what was expected of them.

Not so Montagna, who has been a fringe player for several years. But he might have found the niche in which to serve him and the Saints.

Since the retirement of Aussie Jones, St Kilda has been short of running players to carry the ball, link from defence and deliver accurately by foot. Against the Lions, Montagna was that player. While he did not play out of defence as Jones did, Montagna was vibrant on a wing, as he ferreted into packs, tackled hard and ran the lines.

"I am looking to try to cement a spot around the wing, half-forward. I think that is best for me, to get the ball and run and take off, and it has been spoken about that the team maybe lacked a little bit of run-and-carry in the midfield," Montagna said.

"I suppose that is one of my strengths but it is also an emphasis put on the team this year . . . instead of having one person trying to take Aussie's spot we are hoping for a whole number of blokes to come in and do that."

Aaron Fiora impressed with his run, and showed agility in evading opponents while keeping the ball alive, but his delivery can be awry. Jason Gram's form has also been strong.

Fortunately, the Saints have two of the league's premier ball-users in the middle. Dal Santo and Hayes were extraordinary, Hayes in his typically understated manner that attracts little attention, even from opponents.

Dal Santo's ball use is the most probing and creative in the AFL. He has been admired for this in recent years but is now regularly more commanding in games. He had Michael Voss, and there was clear respect from both players.

"Once the game is going you forget about names and that is more so now than in the past," Dal Santo said. " . . . This is my fifth year in league footy and I think I have taken the next step, if there is one, to be able to not focus on yourself. The first couple of years you are trying to get a spot and that is just natural but once you have a spot then it is all team-related and that is where we are at as a group . . . (the Lions' midfielders) are still a quality midfield, you go through their names and they are still some of the biggest names in AFL footy so you still have to be on your game and, as we saw last week, if you are not on your game even by a couple of per cent, you just get exposed."