St Kilda In Damage Control.... Today's Crikey

[St George]

St Kilda in damage control as the Lovett saga unravels
The Toy Department's Ashley Browne writes:

AFL, ST KILDA FOOTBALL CLUB

Ross Lyon might have cut a cocksure figure as he assured the assembled media at Moorabbin on Tuesday that the Saints had done their due diligence before the now ill-fated decision to trade their first-round pick to Essendon in exchange for Andrew Lovett.

But rest assured the Saints are anxious at how the media chooses to spin the turn of events that saw them lose Luke Ball to Collingwood for nothing and now, not have Lovett as his replacement.

As we at The Toy Department understand it, two senior St Kilda football department figures spent about 20 minutes on Tuesday evening tearing strips off one veteran Melbourne footy scribe, who had already gone public with a damning view of St Kilda’s recent list management.

Very touchy they are at Moorabbin and when you’re coming off such a narrow defeat in a grand final, you’re on a hiding to nothing. The Saints need to walk away with the silverware this season or legitimate questions will be asked about why they let Ball walk away for nothing and then rolled the dice to secure obviously damaged goods in Lovett.

It was interesting to hear Matthew Lloyd say on Melbourne radio station SEN on Wednesday morning that if the Saints conducted their due diligence on Lovett that they claimed to have done, that they didn’t speak to him in his capacity as the most recent captain of Essendon.

If they didn’t speak to the skipper, and they already knew that Lovett had twice been suspended by Bomber coach Matthew Knights, just who was it from Windy Hill who advised them that Lovett would be a good pick-up?

All credit to the Saints if they can put all this behind them and win that elusive second flag. But for now, we suggest this has been a major distraction.

On a related matter, it has been fascinating to observe the AFL Players Association’s stance on all this. The AFLPA and the league have been all but joined at the hip in recent years, in common agreement on most issues and with matters such as the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed off with a minimum of fuss and even less rancour.

But this could be the issue that drives a wedge between the two bodies. The Saints clearly sacked Lovett with the consent of the AFL, prompting the AFPLA to label the move as "disappointing" and call out the Saints for not allowing a grievance resolution procedure lodged by Lovett to run its course.

Negotiations for the next CBA are on the horizon. You have to wonder whether events of the past few days will lead to a harder edge to those discussions.

[saint66au]

I'm a paid-up Crikey subscriber, but ther weak point is AFL coverage.

For all their valuable work "keeping the bastards honest" in business and media, they beat-up sports stories, especially AFL, much more than I like.

[SydneySainter]

Honestly, the Pies could have offered us pick 50 for Ball and the media would still say that it was still our fault we got nothing.

Don't know why I let it bother me. The media have been spinning it this way since Lovett made his first mistake and it's the way they will spin it for months ahead, particularly if Ball gets off to a flyer.

Better get used it.

[Quixote]

Just noticing your avatar gave me an idea:

Even though he'll never read it, I would like to personally ask STEVEN BAKER to fairly smash as many opposition players this season as is humanly possible.

For the SAINTS Stevie Baker!!!! Just miss bloody Goddard next time!!!!!!!!!

[goodie]

Considering the way the media treated us during the Luke Ball saga, no wonder the club's armed and ready.

[St George]

I agree with you about Crikey's weak AFL coverage saint66au - it's got worse over the years.

[meher baba]

As we at The Toy Department understand it, two senior St Kilda football department figures spent about 20 minutes on Tuesday evening tearing strips off one veteran Melbourne footy scribe, who had already gone public with a damning view of St Kilda’s recent list management.

Sheahan was the journo, I assume.

If it's true, i's a bad sign IMO. All the journos I know tend to interpret bollockings like that as a sign of weakness from the person dishing it out and therefore as a signal to go digging for more dirt. And they are usually right.

I reckon Lyon and others at the club would do well to stop trying to justify their actions in relation to Lovett and Ball. Start saying things like "what's done is done, we're focusing on the fabulous talent we've got at the club, the other 15 clubs had better watch out" etc.

[degruch]

As we at The Toy Department understand it, two senior St Kilda football department figures spent about 20 minutes on Tuesday evening tearing strips off one veteran Melbourne footy scribe, who had already gone public with a damning view of St Kilda’s recent list management.

Sheahan was the journo, I assume.

If it's true, i's a bad sign IMO. All the journos I know tend to interpret bollockings like that as a sign of weakness from the person dishing it out and therefore as a signal to go digging for more dirt. And they are usually right.

I reckon Lyon and others at the club would do well to stop trying to justify their actions in relation to Lovett and Ball. Start saying things like "what's done is done, we're focusing on the fabulous talent we've got at the club, the other 15 clubs had better watch out" etc.

Could have been a number of offenders, from what I've seen. IMO, some of these guys are presenting some very dodgey information, from no credible source (or aparent source at all), in a way that may prejudice the criminal case, or possible law suits against the club. They need a good dressing down. I'm sure, after the club had finished with them, the police wouldn't mind a crack at 'em either, secretly, I'm sure members of the AFL hierachy too. There's some journalists taking very risky POV's I suggest.

[Leo.J]

It was interesting to hear Matthew Lloyd say on Melbourne radio station SEN on Wednesday morning that if the Saints conducted their due diligence on Lovett that they claimed to have done, that they didn’t speak to him in his capacity as the most recent captain of Essendon.

If they didn’t speak to the skipper, and they already knew that Lovett had twice been suspended by Bomber coach Matthew Knights, just who was it from Windy Hill who advised them that Lovett would be a good pick-up?

They spoke to his mentor and the Essendon doctor, Dr. John Quinn and James Hird...

Do your home work Ashley Browne.

Secondly Ball wanted to leave, and he wanted to go to Collingwood, and Collingwood wanted him, which left us with no chance of getting anything decent for him.

So as mentioned above had we taken pick 40 for Ball we would have been a laughing stock anyway.

AND...we will get nothing from the media in particular the Herald Sun because we give them nothing, and we are sponsored by their competition The Age...As for the other outlets if they only have one side of the story they'll run with that, like they did with the Luke Ball saga.

Unfortunately we have no friends in high places, and because we're good people want us to fail.

[plugger66]

Yep they hate us more than the other clubs. Makes sense really.

Lets face it, its a big story and EVERY other club would be treated the same. Why do people honestly believe we would be treated differently.

[Moods]

WEll to be honest I didn't interpret the article as anything but what pretty much everyone is saying. I don't reckon it teed off at the club.

If we were all being honest we would admit it IS a distraction the club doesn't need. I'm not so sure about the witch hunt about who wanted to recruit him. Who cares now? I was dead against the idea of recruiting him from the outset, but really I'm sure the club feel the same way and that is - let's get on with the season.

Losing Ball and now this does raise questions, whether we want to admit it or not. All the club can do is ensure we win as many games as possible and the talk will die down. Unfortunately as much as the club want this to go away, it won't until after the trial.

[Leo.J]

Yep they hate us more than the other clubs. Makes sense really.

Lets face it, its a big story and EVERY other club would be treated the same. Why do people honestly believe we would be treated differently.

IMO they do give us a hard time because we give them nothing...

Unfortunately journalism has gone the way of the rest of the world, it's about cash and sensationalism. Journos don't report with any balance anymore...the facts are boring apparently.

[degruch]

WEll to be honest I didn't interpret the article as anything but what pretty much everyone is saying. I don't reckon it teed off at the club.

If we were all being honest we would admit it IS a distraction the club doesn't need. I'm not so sure about the witch hunt about who wanted to recruit him. Who cares now? I was dead against the idea of recruiting him from the outset, but really I'm sure the club feel the same way and that is - let's get on with the season.

Losing Ball and now this does raise questions, whether we want to admit it or not. All the club can do is ensure we win as many games as possible and the talk will die down. Unfortunately as much as the club want this to go away, it won't until after the trial.

I guess the club would be 'bad sports' if they publically acknowledged Ball tampered with the draft, and had he not, they'd have probably have been able to strike an equitible deal. I was taking a break from the off-season forum, not sure whether anyone questioned the AFL's stance on this?

[plugger66]

Yep they hate us more than the other clubs. Makes sense really.

Lets face it, its a big story and EVERY other club would be treated the same. Why do people honestly believe we would be treated differently.

IMO they do give us a hard time because we give them nothing...

Unfortunately journalism has gone the way of the rest of the world, it's about cash and sensationalism. Journos don't report with any balance anymore...the facts are boring apparently.

Well I reckon the sacking of Lovett has been very balanced and mainly in our favour. Of course some people will be against what we did but on the whole we have come out in front. As for the recruiting of AL we are behind and again that is probably right. Afterall we gave away pick 16 and didnt get a player at all. Yes it is hindsight but it is also hindsight that MG has been good for us as King, Ray and so on. You have to take the good with the bad sometimes.

[degruch]

Yep they hate us more than the other clubs. Makes sense really.

Lets face it, its a big story and EVERY other club would be treated the same. Why do people honestly believe we would be treated differently.

IMO they do give us a hard time because we give them nothing...

I would have thought we give them heaps!?! In the 30-odd years I've supported the club there's barely been a year go past without an earth-shattering news story coming from St Kilda. This is almost business as usual. Maybe they were just pissed we only gave them good news stories for the majority of 2009?

Besides, I don't believe this report's giving us a bad wrap, but I am saying it's good to hear some jouro's are being made accountable by the club.

[Moods]

Yep they hate us more than the other clubs. Makes sense really.

Lets face it, its a big story and EVERY other club would be treated the same. Why do people honestly believe we would be treated differently.

IMO they do give us a hard time because we give them nothing...

I would have thought we give them heaps!?! In the 30-odd years I've supported the club there's barely been a year go past without an earth-shattering news story coming from St Kilda. This is almost business as usual. Maybe they were just pissed we only gave them good news stories for the majority of 2009?

Besides, I don't believe this report's giving us a bad wrap, but I am saying it's good to hear some jouro's are being made accountable by the club.

Yes. I love the Alistair Clarkson way of dealing with the media. Very respectable.

[GrumpyOne]

I guess the club would be 'bad sports' if they publically acknowledged Ball tampered with the draft, and had he not, they'd have probably have been able to strike an equitible deal. I was taking a break from the off-season forum, not sure whether anyone questioned the AFL's stance on this?

Are you suggesting that Collingwood are guilty of Ball Tampering?

[barks4eva]

What's really pathetic is some posters actually choose to believe Paul Connors, Mike Sheahan, Eddie McGuire and Mick Malthouse's version of events in relation to Luke Ball as opposed to Ross Lyon's and Nick Riewoldt's assessment of what really happened!

Some even take exception to Nick standing up for the St kilda Football Club and showing these lies up for what they are!

FACT is Ross Lyon and Nick Riewoldt were there and the others are getting second and third hand info, yet it still doesn't stop a few on here who think Luke Ball walks on water and the sun shines out of his arse!

IMHO, Ball is a prima donna private schoolboy who absolutely creamed top dollar out of this football club for way too long, $600,000 a year, more than Hayes at the time and delivered way less than that value, so coming down from that ridiculous figure that some imbecile paid him to begin with was obviously too much for ball and his melodramatics and sulking didn't sit well with Lyon!

So the press, Mike Sheahan or whoever can write what they like and air headed nuffies with NFI will choose to believe Paul Connors version as opposed to Nick Riewoldt's, but hey the same people thought Grant Thomas could coach and cracked it big time when he got exited out, so it's hardly surprising these malcontents are slow on the uptake!

[Thinline]

Yep they hate us more than the other clubs. Makes sense really.

Lets face it, its a big story and EVERY other club would be treated the same. Why do people honestly believe we would be treated differently.

IMO they do give us a hard time because we give them nothing...

Unfortunately journalism has gone the way of the rest of the world, it's about cash and sensationalism. Journos don't report with any balance anymore...the facts are boring apparently.

Well I reckon the sacking of Lovett has been very balanced and mainly in our favour. Of course some people will be against what we did but on the whole we have come out in front. As for the recruiting of AL we are behind and again that is probably right. Afterall we gave away pick 16 and didnt get a player at all. Yes it is hindsight but it is also hindsight that MG has been good for us as King, Ray and so on. You have to take the good with the bad sometimes.

I get your point even if I'm a bit perplexed as to how the whole tawdry debacle can be thought of in terms of winning and losing.

The press will continue to hammer us until we offer clearer reasons for our allegations of contractual breach, or failing that, until the GC announces it's signed Gablett, or player X drink drives, or Mark Harvey is forced to resign...

It's a train wreck. Rubberneckers everywhere.

[degruch]

Yep they hate us more than the other clubs. Makes sense really.

Lets face it, its a big story and EVERY other club would be treated the same. Why do people honestly believe we would be treated differently.

IMO they do give us a hard time because we give them nothing...

I would have thought we give them heaps!?! In the 30-odd years I've supported the club there's barely been a year go past without an earth-shattering news story coming from St Kilda. This is almost business as usual. Maybe they were just pissed we only gave them good news stories for the majority of 2009?

Besides, I don't believe this report's giving us a bad wrap, but I am saying it's good to hear some jouro's are being made accountable by the club.

Yes. I love the Alistair Clarkson way of dealing with the media. Very respectable.

...and this case, quite appropriate.

[joffaboy]

What's really pathetic is some posters actually choose to believe Paul Connors, Mike Sheahan, Eddie McGuire and Mick Malthouse's version of events in relation to Luke Ball as opposed to Ross Lyon's and Nick Riewoldt's assessment of what really happened!

Some even take exception to Nick standing up for the St kilda Football Club and showing these lies up for what they are!

FACT is Ross Lyon and Nick Riewoldt were there and the others are getting second and third hand info, yet it still doesn't stop a few on here who think Luke Ball walks on water and the sun shines out of his arse!

IMHO, Ball is a prima donna private schoolboy who absolutely creamed top dollar out of this football club for way too long, $600,000 a year, more than Hayes at the time and delivered way less than that value, so coming down from that ridiculous figure that some imbecile paid him to begin with was obviously too much for ball and his melodramatics and sulking didn't sit well with Lyon!

So the press, Mike Sheahan or whoever can write what they like and air headed nuffies with NFI will choose to believe Paul Connors version as opposed to Nick Riewoldt's, but hey the same people thought Grant Thomas could coach and cracked it big time when he got exited out, so it's hardly surprising these malcontents are slow on the uptake!

I like the cut of your jib young fella, hows about we hook up for some Grant Thomas lover baiting????

[degruch]

I guess the club would be 'bad sports' if they publically acknowledged Ball tampered with the draft, and had he not, they'd have probably have been able to strike an equitible deal. I was taking a break from the off-season forum, not sure whether anyone questioned the AFL's stance on this?

Are you suggesting that Collingwood are guilty of Ball Tampering?

I'm Afridi so.

[GrumpyOne]

I guess the club would be 'bad sports' if they publically acknowledged Ball tampered with the draft, and had he not, they'd have probably have been able to strike an equitible deal. I was taking a break from the off-season forum, not sure whether anyone questioned the AFL's stance on this?

Are you suggesting that Collingwood are guilty of Ball Tampering?

I'm Afridi so.

Very good.

[Leo.J]

Yep they hate us more than the other clubs. Makes sense really.

Lets face it, its a big story and EVERY other club would be treated the same. Why do people honestly believe we would be treated differently.

IMO they do give us a hard time because we give them nothing...

I would have thought we give them heaps!?! In the 30-odd years I've supported the club there's barely been a year go past without an earth-shattering news story coming from St Kilda. This is almost business as usual. Maybe they were just pissed we only gave them good news stories for the majority of 2009?

Besides, I don't believe this report's giving us a bad wrap, but I am saying it's good to hear some jouro's are being made accountable by the club.

I mean during RL's time at the club. We don't give the media what they want, so they generally tell the side of the story they have...the other side.

When I say what they want I mean we don't comment, accept generally in an official capacity...Moorabbin these days is pretty leak proof.

IMO I think its great, however we are just going to have to get used to some unfavourable media treatment.

[meher baba]

I guess the club would be 'bad sports' if they publically acknowledged Ball tampered with the draft, and had he not, they'd have probably have been able to strike an equitible deal. I was taking a break from the off-season forum, not sure whether anyone questioned the AFL's stance on this?

Are you suggesting that Collingwood are guilty of Ball Tampering?

I'm Afridi so.

Very good.

So funny, I felt like I wanted to Shahid myself!!