Riewoldt: Seaford ‘crushed’ the playing group

[Jacks Back]

“I’ve heard the last couple of days now that we’re out of Seaford, everyone saying what a great facility it was for us along the journey,” he said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“I mean, that’s rubbish. That’s spin.

“Because it wasn’t a world-class facility and geographically it was tough for the players.”

When asked whether the move had “ripped the soul out of the club”, Riewoldt said there was “no doubt” that was the case.

“For the group at the time, on the back of a grand final in 2009 and 2010, arguably the best list that we’d accumulated in the club’s history, and then to go down to Seaford, away from the spiritual home — yeah, it crushed the group at the time,” he said.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/nick-r ... 1521665112

[saintspremiers]

I used to go to training a bit at the old Moorabbin and take my kids who were little at the time.

I never drove half an hour to Seaford in the 7 years we were there.

Quite a few times there may have been a BBQ and training. I thought about it, but couldn’t be bothered going to
a second rate place that we should’ve never been to.

Now we are finally home things will be different. I want to ride my pushy to Moorabbin with my daughter to watch training.

Little things like that mean a Shyte load to diehard fans

[spert]

I remember driving through Seaford when the Saints were about to go there, and thinking how crazy it seemed to be moving to a low profile location, hidden at the back of the suburb.

[Scollop]

What a effn load of bs. Seriously Rooy!! Who did it crush? Name them. Wasn't Maddie diagnosed in 2010? Wasn't the news of her diagnosis more crushing than having to drive a few extra km's? Why give oxygen to the people out there that thought you blokes were soft? "geographically".... It's not Siberia mate

There were so many other factors around 2011 that played a part in the fall down the ladder. In the years that followed 2010, imho moving to Seaford had zero impact when you look at the other major events. We'd just been smashed in a GF after playing off in GF draw; we had a bunch of softweeners crying over their BMW and Merc steering wheels NOT because they had to drive an extra 20 minutes down the road, but mainly BECAUSE of the GF loss in 2010, combined with the GF loss in 2009.

We had a coach who publicly stated in his press conferences in April 2011 that it could be time for a rebuild. Ross Lyon left at the end of that year and the players were once again devastated. The lack of faith in the playing list by Ross Lyon and his penchance for passing the buck may have had a profound impact on an already fragile group. The team played superbly in the last half of h&a in 2011 and we could have achieved anything IF the head coach was focussed. He wasn't and we all know why. For Rooy and some of the other boys it was like dejavu when the St Kilda board had sacked their previous coach. In this case, the players were feeling like the board had let them down by not securing the coach who helped get them so close.

So there you have it. Uncertainty. A first time apprentice coach who wanted to change a winning formula and experiment with the game plan. A team on the decline. A team with question marks against them and, sad to say, a bunch of players lacking leadership and direction who were more interested in sooking rather than getting on with the business of being leaders and winning.

[saynta]

Now, who am I going to believe, Rooey or Scollop? Tough choice.

[St DAC]

Well, you cant change the past, so it is what it is. I'll take Rooey's word that it "crushed the players" but IMHO it probably shouldn't have.

While I agree Seaford's location wasn't preferable the facilities compared to the crappy Linton Street facilities at that time were considerably better. And really, was it such a treck? How many folks go into the city from Frankston to work each day; it would be much easier going the other way.

More likely to me is Scollop's observations as somewhat morale-sapping more so than just the move to Seaford.

Anyway, gone is gone, and I am on-board with the Moorabbin return. I hope it may provide a spark we seem to have been missing for a while.

[prwilkinson]

After reading his biography this isn’t too much of a surprise. He was pretty scathing towards the administrators whom made the decision.

[Scollop]

I believe what he says. I have no doubt he didn't like it. I am questioning why it needed to be something he and others wanted to focus on, that's all

[prwilkinson]

I remember driving through Seaford when the Saints were about to go there, and thinking how crazy it seemed to be moving to a low profile location, hidden at the back of the suburb.

When I first visited Seaford I thought the same thing... hidden at the back of the suburb summed it up perfectly.

[Con Gorozidis]

Seaford was s***. It wasn't even Seaford. It is Carrum downs.
Players and staff hated it and we couldn't attract players while we were there.
This is just fact.
The spin was always spin

[saintspremiers]

I just hope Archie Fraser gets a room at the new facility named after him.

The rubbish/bin room!

[saynta]

I just hope Archie Fraser gets a room at the new facility named after him.

The rubbish/bin room!

Or a urinal maybe.

[Moods]

I love Roo but the premise that professional footballers getting paid very well to do nothing else but play footy, moaning about a further 20 minute drive down the highway is laughable. TBH it's embarrassing and exposes the mental fragility of our group at the time.

Moorabbin was a tip. they've fixed it up and it'll be good to get back there, but fair dinkum. It should have just been an inconvenience rather than 'ripping the soul out of the joint.'

[stonecold]

I just hope Archie Fraser gets a room at the new facility named after him.

The rubbish/bin room!

This, haha!!!!!

Or a urinal maybe.

[axcellence]

Roo should be a club director before the end of the year! He can fix up the admin.

[SaintPav]

The place sounds like it was a dump but "crushed" is a bit over the top.

Linen House Centre: blink and you'll miss it.

[SaintPav]

I just hope Archie Fraser gets a room at the new facility named after him.

The rubbish/bin room!

Or a urinal maybe.

This is really disrespectful.

Give Archie Frazer his just deserts.

"The Archie Frazer Turd Receptacle"

[SaintPav]

The Ross Lyon 'See You Next Tuesday' Function Room.

[parkeysainter]

Not much point worrying about it anymore. Seaford is no more, but the playing group didn't like the place at all. That is fact and more so for the group around 2011. The place was crap and there was nothing around there. It was like a Mad Max movie.

Anyway, the Saints are back at their spiritual home. It will do so much good for several different areas of the club, much more than people realise.

[SaintPav]

The Barry Hall Bog Roll Cupboard.

[SaintPav]

The Archie Fraser Turd Paper Dispenser

[Linton Lodger]

I just hope Archie Fraser gets a room at the new facility named after him.

The rubbish/bin room!

Too good for him, how about naming one of the actual rubbish bins after him?

[saynta]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/t ... 08684f0112


"Former Saints coach Scott Watters echoed Riewoldt’s sentiment, saying the move

compounded a series of problems that led to the club’s decline.

Watters, who took over from Ross Lyon after the 2011 season - St Kilda’s first at Seaford - said he inherited a club also feeling the effects of poor drafting and the emotional toll of consecutive Grand Final losses in 2009 and 2010.

But Watters said the Saints’ elder statesmen despised their place of work.

“Seaford certainly wasn’t a place where the senior players wanted to be,” Watters told SEN.

“For the senior players who had been through the Moorabbin experience and been through some Grand Finals, I think in the end, Seaford became a symbol for what they missed.

“The lost Grand Finals took a toll mentally on a lot of the players,” he said.

“It was taking them a while to come out of that. I think Seaford on top of that, it felt quite soulless for that group, who had such a strong attachment to Moorabbin.

“Whilst they were at Moorabbin, they were in their premiership window. Seaford symbolised everything they had lost, so it was pretty tough for them.”

The Saints this week returned to their spiritual home, reopening a newly renovated Linton St training base.

[SaintPav]

The Scott Watters Medical Rooms for Short Man Syndrome and other Psychological Hang-ups

[mr six o'clock]

I love Roo but the premise that professional footballers getting paid very well to do nothing else but play footy, moaning about a further 20 minute drive down the highway is laughable. TBH it's embarrassing and exposes the mental fragility of our group at the time.

Moorabbin was a tip. they've fixed it up and it'll be good to get back there, but fair dinkum. It should have just been an inconvenience rather than 'ripping the soul out of the joint.'

Yes

And isn't the facility still going to be used by the saints for junior development. Roo bagging it could harm our ability to attract junior's to want to train there.