A match brilliantly thought out by the men at the helm, but Lyon couldn't find answer to Geelong's key players
Sun Herald
Sunday September 27, 2009
THE BUILD-UPThe coaches did an outstanding job during the week and both kept their players away from the media.It was a smart move, albeit slightly unpopular with some fans and traditionalists, particularly the decision to close training sessions at the end of the week.St Kilda coach Ross Lyon was omnipresent as the spokesman for his club which allowed his players to keep their minds focused on the big task at hand.The Saints coach €“ as he had done all year €“ was not afraid to make hard calls at the selection table, replacing Robert Eddy with former Swan and premiership player Sean Dempster.Outwardly, Mark Thompson was very relaxed in his approach, something that undoubtedly rubbed off on his players. The Cats' match committee also had to make a tough call and left out Mathew Stokes, opting to keep the team settled and stuck with Shannon Byrnes and Travis Varcoe, who had both been solid in the preliminary final.OPENING STRATEGIESAs the statistics suggested, the Cats jumped out of the blocks and got away to a flier; we probably should give a nod to their coach here, who, as I said, seemed extremely relaxed. However, the Saints appeared to be nervous early and were unusually sloppy in the first 10 to 15 minutes.It looked like the Saints completed three warm-ups before the game €“ I wonder if that is their normal preparation?From the first bounce, both teams backed the systems that have been so brilliant for them throughout the year. Who can blame them?THE MATCH-UPSThere were some match-ups that everyone expected and they were realised: Gary Ablett versus Clint Jones, Nick Dal Santo versus Cameron Ling, Corey Enright versus Leigh Montagna, Harry Taylor versus Nick Riewoldt, Justin Koschitzke versus Matthew Scarlett.But there were some surprises as well and Lyon threw up a few, particularly Dempster being used as a defensive forward on Andrew Mackie to negate the half-back's run and rebound.But Thompson had other ideas and he rotated Mackie off Riewoldt, helping out Taylor.The other surprise was not so much Ablett going forward, but Jones not following him. This resulted in a mark and goal when Sam Gilbert was on Ablett. Not surprisingly, as soon as Ablett kicked that goal, Jones went back.The other surprise was Steven Baker taking Steve Johnson. With no possessions in the first half, Johnson had an ordinary game by his standards but we know his preparation had been interrupted by injury. The second game back from surgery is always the toughest but we can't undersell the job Baker did on Johnson.Johnson can be a matchwinner whenever he gets the football and Baker kept the dangerous forward to less than 10 possessions for the game, which was outstanding.THE CHALLENGESSt Kilda's Lenny Hayes was fantastic and the leading possession-getter on the ground in the first quarter. Thompson had to do something and he moved Jimmy Bartel on to Hayes in the second quarter. It was a significant move and St Kilda lost some of their drive and won less of the contested ball.The Saints hit back as Brendon Goddard and Dal Santo started to become heavily involved in the Saints' forward forays.Hayes cleverly got back in the game by going third-man up at the stoppages, which was likely to have been a ploy by Lyon.The Bartel/Hayes dual ended up being a fascinating contest, equal to that of two heavyweight boxers slugging it out.The biggest challenge for Lyon was a match-up for Geelong's other danger forward Paul Chapman. In the end, Chapman's class stood out for his team with five scoring shots.Lyon's thought and preparation on his opponents was virtually impeccable. There is no doubt he left no stone unturned and his planning gave his team every chance of winning the game.Thompson completely backed his players and his structures. He didn't change too much and he put full faith in his players. However, one of the key moves he made that turned the game was Bartel to Hayes.Both coaches had their problems throughout the contest and they both responded well, but at the end of the day there is always little bit of luck left over that can fall with the bounce of the ball.The Cats deserved their second premiership in three years but both coaches were very good on ideas and need to be applauded.
© 2009 Sun Herald