riewoldt wants tougher approach

[bigcarl]

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/ ... 42,00.html

ST KILDA captain Nick Riewoldt has vowed his Saints will deliver greater vigour and toughness when they try and topple league heavyweight Geelong on Saturday. The Saints were thrashed in the midfield by the resurgent Western Bulldogs on Friday night, when they were beaten 68-44 in contested-ball contests, and humbled 133-105 in disputed possessions.

The figures (259-193) were also lopsided in uncontested possessions as the Saints coughed up a 37-point lead and eventually lost by 38 points.

Coach Ross Lyon yesterday addressed this key issue, prompting Riewoldt to emerge from the club's Moorabbin bunker and declare his team was now ready to deal with the Cats' blue-chip midfield.

"Certainly we need to be a lot harder. We need to win more contested ball," Riewoldt said.

"We can't expect to win games serving up what we served up in the last three quarters on Friday night.

"That's what our focus is on this week."

Veteran midfielder Robert Harvey, who continues to have his decision to play on questioned, and key midfielder Nick Dal Santo, under fire for "soft" kicks in defence and a lack of pace, have been singled out under the media spotlight this week.

But Riewoldt was quick to deflect individual criticism.

"I think, like anything, people can overreact in a circumstance like this," he said. "Harvs went through it earlier in the season. Underestimate great players at your own peril."

Riewoldt has also had to deal with the spotlight, with fans concerned whether the Saints' "Triple Towers" forward set-up of Fraser Gehrig, Justin Koschitzke and the skipper can work in cohesion.

The trio was brilliant in the first quarter when the Saints ran amok, but the Dogs exploited a lack of flexibility in the Saints' forward structure after the first break.

While there are calls for Lyon to be more imaginative in the way he uses his talls, Riewoldt was yesterday in no mood to have his coach's strategy questioned.

"I don't think anyone was questioning whether it would work at quarter-time on Friday night," he said.

The Saints may also need to address their defence if they plan on stopping Cameron Mooney and Tom Hawkins.

Key defender Matt Maguire would have been a perfect fit for either, but he is expected to play another week in the VFL.

Ruckman Michael Gardiner (calf), former Cat Charlie Gardiner, former Swan Sean Dempster and the speedy Clint Jones will push for selection for the Telstra Dome clash, which pits Saints ruckman Steven King against his former Geelong premiership teammates for the first time.

[bigcarl]

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/b ... 91243.html

ST KILDA forward Nick Riewoldt yesterday dismissed criticism of teammates Robert Harvey and Nick Dal Santo, saying the entire team was to blame for the Saints' poor performance in the last three quarters of its 38-point loss to the Western Bulldogs last Friday night.

Former Hawthorn forward and five-time premiership player Dermott Brereton again criticised 36-year-old Harvey, suggesting on Channel Nine's Footy Classified that someone at St Kilda should tell the 300 plus-gamer it is time to retire.

"Dermie again, was it?," Riewoldt said. "Harvs is a very resilient man. He is a very strong character and Robert Harvey wasn't the reason St Kilda lost on Friday night, Nick Dal Santo wasn't the reason St Kilda lost on Friday night. It was a team effort and it was a poor team effort.

"Like anything, people can tend to overreact in a circumstance like this. Harvs went through it earlier in the season and you underestimate great players like Dal (Santo) at your own peril."

The Saints were smashed by the Bulldogs in the midfield after quarter-time and their normally frugal defence conceded an uncharacteristic 19 goals — one more than the side conceded in the first two rounds combined. Still, Riewoldt was confident the club could turn its form around this week against reigning premier Geelong.

"We've played six games so far this year and we've played three bad quarters of footy, so hopefully this was an aberration," he said.

Riewoldt said the Saints would have to get tougher and show a greater effort across the board to beat the Cats at Telstra Dome on Saturday.

"Clearly we need to be a lot harder and we need to win more contested ball. Effort is the key every week in football. You can't expect to win games of AFL football, with it being so competitive, without sustained effort.

"(Geelong) are the benchmark of the competition, we've got nothing but total respect for them, but that being said we're confident going into this week we can match it with them."

The 25-year-old also dismissed suggestions that the Saints' forward line could not sustain the three-pronged attack of himself, Justin Koschitzke and Fraser Gehrig. "I don't think anyone was questioning whether it would work at quarter-time on Friday night," he said.

He said the club would not rush back defender Matt Maguire, despite him putting in two good performances for the Casey Scorpions in the VFL in recent weeks. The Saints expect former Eagle Michael Gardiner to return after the ruckman missed the Bulldogs match with a calf strain.

[Saintschampions08]

"We've played six games so far this year and we've played three bad quarters of footy, so hopefully this was an aberration," he said.

If that's what the players think, i think we're in a lot more trouble that i expected.

[joffaboy]

"We've played six games so far this year and we've played three bad quarters of footy, so hopefully this was an aberration," he said.

If that's what the players think, i think we're in a lot more trouble that i expected.

I would suggest they know more about their game than some nobody flog like you.

[Quixote]

"We've played six games so far this year and we've played three bad quarters of footy, so hopefully this was an aberration," he said.

If that's what the players think, i think we're in a lot more trouble that i expected.

I would suggest they know more about their game than some nobody flog like you.

[Saints43]

"We've played six games so far this year and we've played three bad quarters of footy, so hopefully this was an aberration," he said.

If that's what the players think, i think we're in a lot more trouble that i expected.

I would suggest they know more about their game than some nobody flog like you.

So you're suggesting they've only played three bad quarters of football?

I reckon that might be incorrect.


(was there any need to call the poster a nobody flog? Would you say it to a stranger in a pub?)

[The_Dud]

i'd say its more like 3 good quarters of football....

[The Fireman]

Duuuuhhhh

[Saintschampions08]

"We've played six games so far this year and we've played three bad quarters of footy, so hopefully this was an aberration," he said.

If that's what the players think, i think we're in a lot more trouble that i expected.

I would suggest they know more about their game than some nobody flog like you.

Yeah, so our 2nd and 4th quarters against Sydney, when we didn't score a goal...they were good.

So was getting killed in the first quarter against a team thats just equaled their longest losing streak.

[saintgus]

stuff everything else........
i cannt wait for 2:00 Saturday arvo !!!

[Saints94]

Big men wont work against geelong we will need speed

[Ralphy]

Big men wont work against geelong we will need speed

so your the dude i kept getting accused of being haha! homework....


but ne ways yea we need speed

[saintsRrising]

Twins??? Seperated at birth????

[Saints94]

Twins??? Seperated at birth????

No saintsrising

[Ralphy]

Twins??? Seperated at birth????

No we have different IP addresses i just keep getting accused of being this person