My Footy

Andrew Lovett faces a committal hearing over rape charges. Source: Herald Sun

AT least two AFL clubs will consider drafting Andrew Lovett if he is cleared of rape charges next month.

The sacked Saint is due to face a committal hearing on August 10, at which a Melbourne magistrate will decide whether he goes to trial.

Lovett’s management yesterday confirmed recruiters from two clubs had expressed interest in reigniting his career if the charges are dropped.

“Andrew hasn’t given up on his dream of playing in the AFL, but he knows he has a very serious and sensitive legal issue pending,” Alex McDonald of Stride Sports Management told the Herald Sun yesterday.

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Johnson and Baker Source: Herald Sun

ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon have backed Steven Baker after his nine-game AFL suspension, but concedes he went too far.

While the Saints are disappointed with the severity of the ban, they acknowledged there were no grounds for appeal.

“What it is, is what it is … we’re not appealing because we don’t think it’s appropriate,” Lyon said.

Lyon backed Baker, but was also critical of how the tagger behaved in the short period during Friday’s match where Baker and Geelong opponent Steve Johnson clashed.

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There’s no doubt that Baker and Johnson hit each other several times during their fiery clashes last Friday night.  It’s a shame that their behaviour has overshadowed the match itself.  Due to the wet conditions, the match probably suffered a little as a spectacle however, it was still a tough match played between the 2 Grand Final favourites.

What stood out to me about the several incidents between Johnson and Baker is that it should never have been allowed to escalate to the heights that it did.  The Umpires have a lot to answer for not paying a free kick against one of the many rule breaches that occurred between the two players.  At one stage Umpire Number 8 was no further than 15 metres away when Baker hit Johnson flush on the chin with his fist – no free kick!  You have to be joking Umpire!  Is this the same game where a defender putting his hands (even ever so lightly) into the back of the leading forward results in a free kick?  If Umpire Number 8 had’ve paid a free kick at that time, the issue wouldn’t have escalated much further.  A coach would not allow a backman to forfeit a shot on goal to his opponenet nor would a coach allow a forward to give up their team’s forward thrust.

I’ve heard that Matthew Knights (Essendon Coach) is advocating the introduction of a 4th Field Umpire. What’s the good of having an extra Field Umpire when the ones that we have now don’t lay reports or pay free kicks?  Would the presence of another Field Umpire allow Umpire Number 8 to do his job better?  I doubt it as he had a clear view of the incident and failed to do his job.

If Baker and Johnson have to serve time on the sidelines so should each and every umpire who officiated in that match as they did not do their job. The umpires had it within their control to stop this escalating but unbelievably decided not to do so.  This should extend to all Field, Boundary, Goal, and the Emergency umpires.  One or more of them would’ve seen enough to warrant a free kick or a report.

Is this rant the result of my team losing the match or losing a player for some weeks?  No.  I follow Richmond and I’m a football lover.  Umpires today seem to eager to take the easy way out and that disgusts me to the extreme.  I also used to be an Umpire having officiated for many years as a Field Umpire, then a Boundary Umpire, and finished my career as a Goal Umpire.

I’m not sure if anyone else saw the closing minutes of the Geelong V St. Kilda match last night.  With about a minute and half to go, St. Kilda’s Milne marked the ball about 15 metres out from goal and played on.  The Umpire called, “Play On” and theGeelong defender tackled him locking the ball in.  Milne made no attempt to dispose of the ball.  What did the umpire do?  He called for a ball up saying that Milne had no prior opportunity!

No prior opportunity???  He played on after taking a mark for goodness sake!  In playing on, Milne used up his prior opportunity – rolled the dice, and lost.  Free kick Geelong.

How is it fair to play on after taking a mark and being tackled without fear being free kicked?  I’m sure that guys like Steve Johnson, Mark LeCras, Leon Davis, Eddie Betts, and other nimble forwards would pick up on this and play on more often knowing that at worst, they’ll force a ball up.  Why is this any different from a ruckman grabbing the ball out of the ruck and being free kicked when tackled?  Like the guy taking the mark and playing on, the ruckman has taken on the opposition and is deemed to have had prior opportunity.  No difference from what I can see.

Disgraceful umpiring decision – and I don’t barrack for either team!

St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt, who continues to train well, runs with Stephen Milne and Michael Gardiner yesterday. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo

ALMOST a year after they met in one of the most anticipated home-and-away games of all time, St Kilda takes on Geelong again tomorrow night, both teams once more sitting in the top two spots on the ladder, but the hype surrounding their clash vastly reduced.

That has something to do with the fact that, unlike last year, both the Cats and Saints have actually lost a couple of games in 2010. But probably more to do with, as St Kilda coach Ross Lyon noted yesterday, this time there’s a clear favourite and a clear underdog.

The Saints haven’t been used to playing the latter role much these past couple of seasons, but up against Geelong’s near-faultless recent form despite the absence of several key players, Lyon and his troops seem happy enough to play the upstart trying to knock off the champs.

”We’re 9-3, but we haven’t been as convincing [as last year], there’s no doubt about that, and I just think everyone sees Geelong as the benchmark team and the premiership team, and that we’re all still chasing them,” Lyon said.

”I think last year there was a view that we’d maybe caught up, but I don’t think anyone thinks that now. I think everyone thinks we’re going to have a real red-hot go, and we’ll compete, but I’m not sure anyone thinks we can beat them bar ourselves.”

Lyon said he couldn’t accurately judge whether Geelong had actually improved again on its stellar levels of the past three years until the Saints played them. But he backed his own team’s current form and consistency over the past two seasons to provide a searching test for the Cats.

”I think why everyone admires them [is because] they’ve had a number of players out and they’re still playing good football,” he said.

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ST KILDA captain Nick Riewoldt could return to action as early as next week, capping a remarkable comeback from injury.

Riewoldt, who hasn’t played since breaking down with a serious hamstring tendon injury in Round 3, returned to full training this week and is on track to make a quick-than-expected return.

“Clearly it’s within the next 1-3 weeks, so it’s about how many hurdles are put in front of him,” Saints coach Ross Lyon said today.

“He continues to jump them really strongly, for an analogy, but if he clips one of them it will put him back a week straight away. Until he jumps them all and he’s been stamped I can’t put a definitive round on it.”

Lyon admitted he had been shocked how well the match-winning forward had returned to full-scale training.

“He trained fully with the group earlier in the week and when I saw his name on the whiteboard and I felt physically ill there for a little, bit but to see him train and let himself go was unbelievable,” he said.

“I couldn’t believe it because I’d come back in and they had set up training and there was Nick and even though I knew it was coming I just thought ‘Here we go’. It was a significant moment and one he got through with flying colours.”

Lyon said there was no doubt the sight of Riewoldt running around with his teammates at Moorabbin had given the Saints a lift.

“He (Riewoldt) got a big applause. Certainly your captain and a very talented player is going to boost everybody, particularly when we all thought he was gone for the year,” he said.

“I’m sure after seeing Nick train that he’ll come back and play some pretty good football.”

By Sam Edmund

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/st-kilda-captain-nick-riewoldt-set-for-return/story-e6frf9jf-1225883331277