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LostDoggy
30-03-2009, 09:59 AM
Farren Ray a gun, Zac Dawson's back
Michael Horan | March 30, 2009 12:00am

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25259367-19742,00.html

TWO new Saints had a glowing ring of success on their halos after rebooting their careers in an inspired win against Sydney on Saturday. Former Western Bulldogs midfielder Farren Ray and ex-Hawk key defender Zac Dawson, a pair of 23-year-olds born a month apart on opposite sides of the country, gave the St Kilda fans at Etihad Stadium plenty to cheer about after their roles in the Saints' 15-point win.

Ray, who finished his playing days with the Doggies as an emergency in last year's finals, was one of the midfield stars while Dawson, playing his first senior game since Round 18, 2006, completely shut down Swans forward Barry Hall.

The heat was on both after Hall kicked the first goal of the game and Sydney's runners took the honours to give the Swans a 27-point lead at quarter-time.

But the pair emerged clear winners on the night.

"At quarter-time Ross (Lyon, coach) came out - we were nearly five goals down - and he said: 'I've got all the confidence in you boys that we can run over them'. And that's what we did," Ray said after the win.

"We just stuck to our game plan and tried to move the ball on a bit quicker to beat their zones and floods and all that.

"I think we really took a step forward."

Ray became a prime mover as he gathered 23 possessions - at an efficiency rate of 87 per cent -- and laid six tackles as the Saints effected an extraordinary period of intensity that kept the Swans goalless for 78 minutes while they racked up 11 for themselves.

In the telling third term when the scoreline was 5.2 to nil, Ray's 10 possessions for the quarter played a vital part in St Kilda's dominance.

"It was a real credit to the boys," Ray said.

"I kept looking up at the scoreboard and they were the same score until the 15-minute mark of the last quarter.

"Our tackle pressure was amazing. If we can maintain that sort of pressure I think we can win most games."

Dawson, whose remarkable return came after 14 senior games in five years with Hawthorn and selection in December's rookie draft by the Saints, did not allow Hall a touch in the second and third terms and held the Swans spearhead to four possessions and one behind after quarter-time.

The Saints were seven goals up approaching time-on in the final term before they tired and allowed the Swans to kick four late goals and record a very flattering losing margin.

"We didn't mean to take our foot off the gas. Sydney lifted and I think our boys were pretty buggered," Ray said.

"That fast-tempo style we're trying to adopt, it's taxing, there were a few boys cramping. But we'll get better as the season progresses."

ST KILDA 1.1 4.4 9.6 12.8 (80)
SYDNEY 5.4 5.6 5.6 9.11 (65)

Goals: St Kilda: S Milne 3 J Koschitzke 2 M Gardiner 2 N Dal Santo 2 A McQualter B Goddard J Gram. Sydney: H Grundy 2 A Goodes B Hall D Jolly K Jack M Mattner P Bevan R O'Keefe.

Best: St Kilda: B Goddard S Gilbert S Fisher N Dal Santo J Koschitzke L Montagna F Ray. Sydney: P Bevan T Richards C Bolton J Bolton D Jolly A Goodes.

Injuries: St Kilda: R Clarke (hamstring). Sydney: L Ablett (personal reasons) replaced in the selected side by E Barlow. pe Reports: Nil.

Umpires: Chris Kamolins, Ray Chamberlain, Brett Rosebury.

Top Supercoach scorers: St Kilda: N.Dal Santo 161. Sydney: A.Goodes 108

bulldogtragic
30-03-2009, 10:12 AM
If one game made Farren Ray, he would have been a 'made guy' already.

Good luck to him, but the media should be a little more sensible than to judge Farren on one game.

mighty_west
30-03-2009, 12:20 PM
Farren was good and good luck to him, but he wouldn't be in our best 22, but i guess thats why he left, he knew that.

Desipura
30-03-2009, 01:58 PM
Farren was good and good luck to him, but he wouldn't be in our best 22, but i guess thats why he left, he knew that.

Hopefully Liam Jones will be better than Ray will ever be..........

LostDoggy
30-03-2009, 05:42 PM
Its pressure football where Ray makes too many mistakes.
I didn't see too much of the game and he must have played well but its round 1 and not finals.

Mofra
30-03-2009, 06:26 PM
I'd expect Ray to play better this year in any case, clearly wasn't happy last year.

Not really a type we need as long as Hill can keep the run & carry part of his game (and as much as he has his knockers, Eagle's ability to run out games is still very good)

alwaysadog
30-03-2009, 08:16 PM
Its pressure football where Ray makes too many mistakes.
I didn't see too much of the game and he must have played well but its round 1 and not finals.

Except that he really stood up in the final against the Collywobbles.

LostDoggy
30-03-2009, 09:44 PM
Except that he really stood up in the final against the Collywobbles.
We didn't have a bad player on the day.
Collingwood hardly applied any pressure.
Cam Wight also played well that day so he needs to be on the list as long as he wants.

lemmon
30-03-2009, 11:14 PM
Would struggle to be in our best 22 but still felt a tad bitter sweet to see him running around and doing well in another jumper. Seemed to enjoy his time on the half back line for the sainters

Bulldog4life
01-04-2009, 04:04 PM
Even though it is only one game I was impressed by his improved kicking skills compared to the previous years with us. With taller targets up front he didn't have to pin point his passes.

hujsh
01-04-2009, 07:18 PM
Even though it is only one game I was impressed by his improved kicking skills compared to the previous years with us. With taller targets up front he didn't have to pin point his passes.

I felt that as well. Much easier to just kick it to Kossie and Riewoldt and he looked more at ease with that task.

alwaysadog
02-04-2009, 08:14 AM
We didn't have a bad player on the day.
Collingwood hardly applied any pressure.
Cam Wight also played well that day so he needs to be on the list as long as he wants.

Agree, but Farren was one of the best.

azabob
02-04-2009, 12:15 PM
Agree, but Farren was one of the best.

The main problem for Farren against Hawthorn was he was pretty much the only one who kept getting the footy early on, so his errors were very noticeable. As it got later in the game other players started getting the footy and also turned it over, but by then it did not matter.

The Coon Dog
02-04-2009, 12:25 PM
The main problem for Farren against Hawthorn was he was pretty much the only one who kept getting the footy early on, so his errors were very noticeable. As it got later in the game other players started getting the footy and also turned it over, but by then it did not matter.

Agree 100%.

aker39
12-05-2009, 04:12 PM
Interesting interview with Leigh Montagna on 3AW last night.

Is he having a dig at the bulldogs?

Listen in from about the 4.20 minute

http://www.3aw.com.au/displayPopUpPlayerAction.action?&url=http://media.mytalk.com.au/3AW/AUDIO/110509_Leigh_Montagna.mp3

comrade
12-05-2009, 05:50 PM
Interesting interview with Leigh Montagna on 3AW last night.

Is he having a dig at the bulldogs?

Listen in from about the 4.20 minute

http://www.3aw.com.au/displayPopUpPlayerAction.action?&url=http://media.mytalk.com.au/3AW/AUDIO/110509_Leigh_Montagna.mp3

What does he say?

azabob
12-05-2009, 06:47 PM
Interesting interview with Leigh Montagna on 3AW last night.

Is he having a dig at the bulldogs?

Listen in from about the 4.20 minute




Not sure its hard to tell not. Maybe 2-3 years ago clubs could've had a go out our hardness at the ball etc but not now.

What do you think?

alwaysadog
12-05-2009, 09:36 PM
Not sure its hard to tell not. Maybe 2-3 years ago clubs could've had a go out our hardness at the ball etc but not now.

What do you think?

I think he's just being supportive of his teammate and having a dig at us on the basis that we didn't/couldn't get the same output from Farren.

As they say in the classics only time will tell if he's right or if the Farren we know will triumph.

Good luck to him anyway, because from our perspective he didn't or couldn't play at the intensity required over a prolonged period and lost his place on that basis.

comrade
12-05-2009, 09:42 PM
I think he's just being supportive of his teammate and having a dig at us on the basis that we didn't/couldn't get the same output from Farren.



I think it's less about St Kilda's magical player development powers and more about Farren actually pulling his finger out.

AndrewP6
12-05-2009, 10:08 PM
I think it's less about St Kilda's magical player development powers and more about Farren actually pulling his finger out.

Agreed...and we spent a no.4 pick on him...only to see him float round getting easy possessions, butcher the ball, and generally underperform...shame he couldn't reward us earlier, might have kept his spot. If we had Kosi and/or Riewoldt or the like, we could've made him look as good as they are doing now...

Read a newspaper article a while back which said we considered him "dispensable"...my recollection is he asked to be traded, and we told him he was required.

alwaysadog
12-05-2009, 11:38 PM
I think it's less about St Kilda's magical player development powers and more about Farren actually pulling his finger out.

Most players lift at least initially at their second club. Let's see if it's sustained.

By the way Rocket didn't want him to go, blames his manager, I think.

bulldogtragic
13-05-2009, 09:09 AM
Most players lift at least initially at their second club. Let's see if it's sustained.

By the way Rocket didn't want him to go, blames his manager, I think.
Both true.

Desipura
13-05-2009, 10:59 AM
Not totally......Rocket had a heated discussion after the Hawthorn game, I mentioned it at the time that he was likely to be playing elsewhere in 2009. If we had not traded Ray, we would not have had an opportunity to pick up Jones. If Ray contunues to have a good career at the Saints, good on him.
I 'd more more happy if Jones becomes a good player for us. As we all know, we need a kpp more than another onballer.

Sedat
13-05-2009, 11:13 AM
Not totally......Rocket had a heated discussion after the Hawthorn game, I mentioned it at the time that he was likely to be playing elsewhere in 2009. If we had not traded Ray, we would not have had an opportunity to pick up Jones. If Ray contunues to have a good career at the Saints, good on him.
I 'd more more happy if Jones becomes a good player for us. As we all know, we need a kpp more than another onballer.
Jones or Roughead? I thought the Ray upgrade pick was 31, which was used to get Roughead. Certainly we would not have been able to get both of them without the Ray pick upgrade.

The Coon Dog
13-05-2009, 11:20 AM
Jones or Roughead? I thought the Ray upgrade pick was 31, which was used to get Roughead. Certainly we would not have been able to get both of them without the Ray pick upgrade.

That's right. If we didn't trade Farren, then St.Kilda would have had selection 31 & who knows whether they would have drafted Roughead?

Desipura
13-05-2009, 12:13 PM
either way you look at it, we were able to draft a kpp with the pick the Saints gave us for Ray. If one of them becomes a long term player, we will benefit more than we ever will with Ray on our list as he does not address our kpp issues.
Jones had done some training with the Saints during presaon in 2008 so they obviously rated the boy.

LostDoggy
13-05-2009, 03:30 PM
Jones, had trained with the Saints and is a Saints supporter. I wondered at the time whether he was disappointed being picked up the dogs instead of the saints.

Remi Moses
14-05-2009, 04:09 PM
Players have a history of performing well in their first year at a new club,judge farren on his FINALS performance and his second year.As stated Ray wanted to leave anyway

Happy Days
14-05-2009, 04:37 PM
Players have a history of performing well in their first year at a new club

Paddy Bowden anyone?