Swans stop saints marching in.Swans stop the Saints marching on

[Bleed Red Blood]

Swans stop the Saints marching on
Sydney
June 6, 2004




Sydney's Heath James celebrates a goal at the SCG.
Picture: Getty Images


SYDNEY 4.4 7.7 14.9 17.10 (112) d ST KILDA 1.1 4.5 8.7 11.10 (76)
Goals: Sydney: B Hall 5, M Nicks 4, J Bolton, A Buchanan, N Fosdike, H James, B Mathews, J McVeigh, M O'Loughlin, P Williams.
St Kilda: N Dal Santo 2, J Koschitzke 2, L Ball, B Guerra, A Hamill, M Maguire, L Montagna, N Riewoldt, T Schwarze.
Best: Sydney: L Barry, B Hall, J Crouch, M Nicks, A Goodes, P Williams.
St Kilda: L Ball, R Harvey, S Powell, N Dal Santo, J Koschitzke, S Baker.
Umpires: M Vozzo, C Rowe, M Nicholls.
Official Crowd: 36,039 at the SCG.
Injuries: Sydney: J Ball (hamstring), L Barry (ankle), N Davis (ankle), replaced in the selected side by H James.
St Kilda: X Clarke (thigh) replaced in the selected side by L Montagna.
Reports: Nil.

The Sydney Swans have halted St Kilda's sensational start to the AFL season in emphatic fashion with a comprehensive 36-point win at the SCG today.

The Saints' club record for consecutive wins was stopped at 10 following the 17.10 (112) to 11.10 (76) result.

The Swans had winners all over the ground and squeezed the life out of the previously undefeated Saints with the home side's undersized defence standing tall.

Sydney defender Leo Barry and full forward Barry Hall (five goals) were outstanding in the victory which comes just days after Saints veteran Aussie Jones said his team could go undefeated this season.



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Sydney led all day and secured the win with a seven-goal-to-four third quarter.

The hosts managed to cut down the Saints' free-running game on the small SCG and the suffocating pressure forced uncharacteristic mistakes from the Saints in the opening stages.

The signs were there when the Saints were not on quite on their game early as the AFL's leading goalscorer Fraser Gehrig dropped a simple chest mark.

Gehrig had a forgettable day with Barry keeping the full forward to two handballs and no goals. Hall led the Swans from the beginning with two goals in the opening nine minutes and his defensive work led to Heath James' first AFL major as they raced out to a 21-point first quarter lead.

The visitors responded and by the time big man Justin Koschitzke booted a goal with a clever snap in the 19th minute Sydney's lead was sliced to two points.

However three late goals moved the hosts back out to lead 7.7 (49) to 4.5 (29) at halftime as Barry shut down a laconic Gehrig.

Gehrig had not registered a touch by halftime and took out his frustration with a bone-crunching bump on brave defender Craig Bolton just before the main break.

However the big man quickly got on the stats sheet in the third term with a deft handball setting up Nick Dal Santo's second goal before the Swans booted three in four minutes to scoot out to a 32-point lead.

The visitors stirred and Nick Riewoldt pulled down an inspirational mark going back with the flight of the ball as the Saints booted two quick goals.

However the home team then put the Saints away with forward Matthew Nicks booting three goals at the back end of the term to set up a 38-point three quarter edge which was never threatened.

The Saints remain on top of the AFL ladder (10-1 win-loss record) with a clear eight-point lead while Sydney (6-5) consolidated its spot in the top eight.

Young Sydney tall Heath James was a late call up for the injured Nick Davis (ankle) while Saints speedster Leigh Montagna replaced the electric Xavier Clarke (thigh injury).

[Bleed Red Blood]

Sydney has caused a major boilover by defeating the previously unbeaten St Kilda by 36 points at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The Swans won the round 11 AFL match 17.10 (112) to 11.10 (76)

Before the match, Swans coach Paul Roos asked for an even contribution from all his players and by full-time he had got such an effort.

Whether or not he has provided the other 14 teams in the AFL with a blueprint on how to beat the Saints is another question.

But what Roos and his players have shown is how effective a short-kicking game plan can be and how important commitment in defence is in combating an attacking force such as St Kilda.

The Swans got off to the perfect start to the match kicking four goals to one in the opening 10 minutes.

Barry Hall kicked two of these goals, marking strongly and taking advantage of Sydney's excellent clearances out of the midfield.

Sydney was employing their short-kicking game early on and Matthew Nicks' first goal was an example of its smart use.

The Swans defence was on song against a St Kilda forward line that has run rampant in recent matches.

They had numbers back in the defensive 50, frustrating St Kilda's midfield who were looking for plausible targets.

Brent Guerra's major was the only scoring highlight for the visitors in the first term.

The Swans were also pressuring the Saints into mistakes across all parts of the field.

Steven Baker lazily hand-balled to Sydney's Heath James when trying to clear the ball out of its own 50, allowing the young Swan, who had replaced the injured Nick Davis before the match, to kick a major unopposed.

The home side had a chance to extend their lead in the final moments of the quarter when O'Loughlin marked right of the posts.

But the talented Swans forward skewed the ball to kick a behind, leaving the score at 4.4 (28) to 1.1 (7) at the first change.

St Kilda coach Grant Thomas got stuck into his players during the break, and at least for the first 15 minutes of the second term it seemed to have worked.

They kicked three straight goals through Nick Dal Santo, Matt Maguire and Justin Koschitzke to close the gap on the scoreboard.

But as the momentum looked to have switched to the competition leaders, the Swans struck back with three goals of their own.

Hall kicked his third for the match, finishing off a great run from Ben Matthews up the left flank and Jarrad McVeigh goaled himself soon after.

Veteran Paul Williams rounded out the quarter to keep the Swans comfortably ahead at half-time, 7.7 (49) to 4.5 (29).

Second half

As with the second quarter, Sydney answered any challenge the Saints threw at them after the main break.

Dal Santo kicked his second for St Kilda via Fraser Gehrig's first disposal of the match but the Swans replied with three goals through O'Loughlin, Mathews and Hall to take a 32-point lead.

The Saints worked on reducing the gap on the scoreboard and goals to Luke Ball and Robert Harvey helped their cause.

Harvey's major was courteous of a spectacular running mark from Nick Reiwoldt, displaying the aerial skills of the blond-headed Saint.

Again, though, Sydney showed their composure to respond appropriately.

Nicks added three goals to his match-total and a brilliant snap from Jude Bolton saw the Swans near the century mark.

Aaron Hamill goaled in the final minute of the term to give St Kilda fans a glimmer of hope, although they still trailed 14.9 (93) to 8.7 (55) at the three-quarter time.

But whatever chance the Saints had of coming back, it was dispelled early in the final term.

Hall kicked his fifth goal and Nick Fosdike "stole" a major from O'Loughlin after the Swans forward was tackled on the line before placing the ball just inside the field of play.

As O'Loughlin went to tap it through the posts, Fosdike ran through to get his boot to ball for his only goal of the match.

Late goals to Koschitzke, Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna improved the score line as the Swans ran out 36-point winners.

For Sydney, Hall and Nicks were impressive while Leo Barry did what every other team has struggle to do so far this season, keeping Gehrig goal-less.

While the loss would be a blow for St Kilda, they will still maintain an eight-point buffer on top of the AFL ladder after the completion of round 11.

http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/s1125686.htm

[Bleed Red Blood]

Swans shock Saints
Sportal

Sydney has stalled St Kilda's winning run at ten with a shock 36-point success at the SCG.

Barry Hall kicked five goals and Matthew Nicks four as Sydney out-played its more fancied rival in every aspect of the match to run out 17.10 (112) to 11.10 (76) winners.

Leo Barry, playing on Fraser Gehrig was outstanding, keeping the league's leading goalkicker goalless while gathering 23 possessions himself, while Paul Williams was also busy with 22 touches. Luke Ball and Robert Harvey played well for the Saints.

Sydney got off to a terrific start leading by two goals early, and after Hall?s second goal and Heath James's effort on the run in the 13th minute the home side led by three goals.

Nick Dal Santo, Matt Maguire and Justin Koschitzke got the visitors to within two points before Sydney ended its seven consecutive minor scores with three majors - Hall?s third, and others to Jarrad McVeigh and Williams - to end the term leading by 20 points.

Gehrig?s first touch of the game ? a handball - led to Dal Santo?s second goal before another Sydney three-goal spree. The lead stretched out to 32 points before the Saints booted two goals. However, Sydney was never going to let the game slip kicking the next four goals - three to Nicks and the margin was 38 points at the final change.

The fourth term played out like the match, as the Swans came out fighting with three goals - including an unusual effort as Michael O?Loughlin was caught with the ball but held the ball over the line for Nic Fosdike to soccer through. The Saints ended the match with three consolation goals.

Ruckman Jason Ball came off early in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury, while defender Barry limped off with minutes remaining.

Sydney: 4.4 7.7 14.9 17.10
St Kilda: 1.1 4.5 8.7 11.10

Goals: Sydney: Hall 5, Nicks 4, James, McVeigh, Williams, O'Loughlin, Mathews, J Bolton, Fosdike, Buchanan
St Kilda: Dal Santo 2, Koschitze 2, Guerra, Maguire, Ball , Harvey, Hamill, Montagna, Riewoldt

Best: Sydney: L Barry, B Hall, P Williams, A Goodes,
St Kilda: L Ball, R Harvey, N Dal Santo,

Crowd: 36039 at SCG

http://www.sportal.com.au/football.asp?i=news&id=51917