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I don't take much notice of what the GF losers usually do, but this does seem unusually sombre. Thought those who hadn't seen it might be interested...
The wall of tears
BEHIND the walls, they said they were like tears for a mother dying. The captain, Nick Riewoldt, couldn't face the media, nor could most of his teammates.
He's cried before, Riewoldt, but not like this.
Back then he was a kid with a busted shoulder.
Yesterday he was captain of the St Kilda Football Club in trying conditions.
Almost knocked out early, he presented and presented with Harry Taylor on his tail.
Harry will be applauded, but Riewoldt should be acknowledged.
Stephen Milne, whose wretched second quarter will haunt him for some time, sobbed in the arms of his wife, Melissa, and mother Bronwyn.
He sobbed and sucked in air at the same time, making a truly a horrible sound.
Amid scenes of uncontrollable emotion, "Milney" would collapse to his knees, cry, stand up and cry again.
As a word, devastation doesn't do it justice.
Peter Dawson, father of Zac who had the "Zac moment" late in the second quarter when his kick was smothered by Tommy Hawkins, who goaled, described the collective in the changerooms as "broken-hearted".
He was proud of his boy.
Twelve months ago he was out of the AFL, yesterday he played in a Grand Final.
He was shaky at times, but overall OK.
His spoil on Gazza in the last quarter, which rebounded from Matthew Scarlett back to Gazza, was one in a million.
It was a great effort.
"Rossy Lyon has a lot to be proud of," he said.
"We're proud of Zac.
"He's gone through a pretty traumatic time and he's come through it and he's better for it, and he'll be a good man."
Peter Dal Santo had just left his son, too.
"It's like a mortuary in there," he said on emerging.
"Just tears and nothing to say."
The warrior, Lenny Hayes, broke down in the arms of his mother.
The redness of eyes matched the redness of welts across his body.
Eleven touches in the first quarter, a heroic 18 contested possessions count of 24.
His war with Jimmy Bartel, who laid 16 tackles, most into the body of Hayes, was the match-up of the day.
At the siren, Bartel hunted him down. Hayes sat on the MCG, despondent and disbelieving. Bartel hugged him, gracious and respectful in victory.
As Hayes left his mum, who would shed a tear after her son departed, he said: "I'm shattered."
Farren Ray was this year's king of the recycles.
Sent packing by the Bulldogs, Ray's season was almost absolute. Appearing 30 minutes after the game, still in his footy gear, he had been crying.
Swamped by family and friends, one surely a brother, Ray cried again.
It was contagious. There was Brendon Goddard, bandaged and bloodied, in tears. Steven King, too. Luke Ball, who regained his status, was crying, as was Kosi with his family, and Clinton Jones who had gone head-to-head with Gazza.
And then there was Stevey Baker.
The pocket rocket made Steve Johnson ineffective and his save at the end, when he crashed into the goalpost, was exactly why Baker is held in the highest esteem at the Saints.
Indeed, it is tears for all Saints.
The greatest stage brings the greatest scrutiny: St Kilda, like Geelong in '08, lost the game more than the Cats won it.
The Saints know that. Everyone, from the players, the coaches and the fans.
And they will hurt like the Cats hurt last year.
Probably worse.
The Cats got one in '07 and the Saints have one in 100 years.
The worst pain in football is not simply defeat.
It is defeat in the shadows of victory, defeat when dominance of the game is yours, defeat when another opportunity may not arise and you know, deep down, you had it, that it was so close you could just about reach and grab it.
Twelve points separated these two teams at the end in what will quickly be recognised as an epic.
In rain, cold and threatening hail, the two best teams played out a contest worthy of football's grandest day.
The Saints, however, let this one slip.
Denied by the one of the greatest teams in history, whose greatness now matches its character, the Saints can blame no one but themselves.
And now they are suffering like never before.
For the players, firstly, and the fans, separately, one question remains: If this year wasn't the year, what more can be done? Structurally, they need a little class.
A Chapman-type on a flank, maybe another through the middle.
They missed too many goals yesterday.
Milney and Schneider had the most glaring opportunities.
Schneider missed from 15m. Milney dribbled from 30m. Riewoldt was smothered from 5m. Schneider and Dempster had slight chances in the last quarter.
Mentally, they need to restock.
A 23-3 season requires a mountain of input, physically and mentally, and some of the players will never be there again. Others will use it to inspire them.
Jason Gram was terrific yesterday. Doubters loitered after a jumpy preliminary, but yesterday he showed he was made of sterner stuff.
Saints president Greg Westaway said: "We should have had them put away at three-quarter time. . . the players are devastated."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/the-wall-of-tears/story-e6frey09-1225780019696
The wall of tears
- Mark Robinson
- From: Herald Sun
- September 27, 2009 12:00AM
BEHIND the walls, they said they were like tears for a mother dying. The captain, Nick Riewoldt, couldn't face the media, nor could most of his teammates.
He's cried before, Riewoldt, but not like this.
Back then he was a kid with a busted shoulder.
Yesterday he was captain of the St Kilda Football Club in trying conditions.
Almost knocked out early, he presented and presented with Harry Taylor on his tail.
Harry will be applauded, but Riewoldt should be acknowledged.
Stephen Milne, whose wretched second quarter will haunt him for some time, sobbed in the arms of his wife, Melissa, and mother Bronwyn.
He sobbed and sucked in air at the same time, making a truly a horrible sound.
Amid scenes of uncontrollable emotion, "Milney" would collapse to his knees, cry, stand up and cry again.
As a word, devastation doesn't do it justice.
Peter Dawson, father of Zac who had the "Zac moment" late in the second quarter when his kick was smothered by Tommy Hawkins, who goaled, described the collective in the changerooms as "broken-hearted".
He was proud of his boy.
Twelve months ago he was out of the AFL, yesterday he played in a Grand Final.
He was shaky at times, but overall OK.
His spoil on Gazza in the last quarter, which rebounded from Matthew Scarlett back to Gazza, was one in a million.
It was a great effort.
"Rossy Lyon has a lot to be proud of," he said.
"We're proud of Zac.
"He's gone through a pretty traumatic time and he's come through it and he's better for it, and he'll be a good man."
Peter Dal Santo had just left his son, too.
"It's like a mortuary in there," he said on emerging.
"Just tears and nothing to say."
The warrior, Lenny Hayes, broke down in the arms of his mother.
The redness of eyes matched the redness of welts across his body.
Eleven touches in the first quarter, a heroic 18 contested possessions count of 24.
His war with Jimmy Bartel, who laid 16 tackles, most into the body of Hayes, was the match-up of the day.
At the siren, Bartel hunted him down. Hayes sat on the MCG, despondent and disbelieving. Bartel hugged him, gracious and respectful in victory.
As Hayes left his mum, who would shed a tear after her son departed, he said: "I'm shattered."
Farren Ray was this year's king of the recycles.
Sent packing by the Bulldogs, Ray's season was almost absolute. Appearing 30 minutes after the game, still in his footy gear, he had been crying.
Swamped by family and friends, one surely a brother, Ray cried again.
It was contagious. There was Brendon Goddard, bandaged and bloodied, in tears. Steven King, too. Luke Ball, who regained his status, was crying, as was Kosi with his family, and Clinton Jones who had gone head-to-head with Gazza.
And then there was Stevey Baker.
The pocket rocket made Steve Johnson ineffective and his save at the end, when he crashed into the goalpost, was exactly why Baker is held in the highest esteem at the Saints.
Indeed, it is tears for all Saints.
The greatest stage brings the greatest scrutiny: St Kilda, like Geelong in '08, lost the game more than the Cats won it.
The Saints know that. Everyone, from the players, the coaches and the fans.
And they will hurt like the Cats hurt last year.
Probably worse.
The Cats got one in '07 and the Saints have one in 100 years.
The worst pain in football is not simply defeat.
It is defeat in the shadows of victory, defeat when dominance of the game is yours, defeat when another opportunity may not arise and you know, deep down, you had it, that it was so close you could just about reach and grab it.
Twelve points separated these two teams at the end in what will quickly be recognised as an epic.
In rain, cold and threatening hail, the two best teams played out a contest worthy of football's grandest day.
The Saints, however, let this one slip.
Denied by the one of the greatest teams in history, whose greatness now matches its character, the Saints can blame no one but themselves.
And now they are suffering like never before.
For the players, firstly, and the fans, separately, one question remains: If this year wasn't the year, what more can be done? Structurally, they need a little class.
A Chapman-type on a flank, maybe another through the middle.
They missed too many goals yesterday.
Milney and Schneider had the most glaring opportunities.
Schneider missed from 15m. Milney dribbled from 30m. Riewoldt was smothered from 5m. Schneider and Dempster had slight chances in the last quarter.
Mentally, they need to restock.
A 23-3 season requires a mountain of input, physically and mentally, and some of the players will never be there again. Others will use it to inspire them.
Jason Gram was terrific yesterday. Doubters loitered after a jumpy preliminary, but yesterday he showed he was made of sterner stuff.
Saints president Greg Westaway said: "We should have had them put away at three-quarter time. . . the players are devastated."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/the-wall-of-tears/story-e6frey09-1225780019696
