Saints Drop Clarke, Run With Ball

The Age

Friday September 12, 2008

Nick Sheridan

STRUGGLING St Kilda midfielder Xavier Clarke has been dropped to make way for Luke Ball in tomorrow's sudden-death semi-final against Collingwood.

Clarke has played just one game since straining a hamstring in round seven. That was last week, in his side's 58-point loss to Geelong, and it was a less-than-impressive return to the big stage.

So Clarke, whose promising career has been hampered by continual struggles with hamstrings, will step aside for that other injury-plagued, though far more decorated, midfielder. Ball has just overcome a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined for the past five weeks.

And Collingwood has regained skipper Scott Burns, who has satisfied staff that he has recovered from the calf injury that kept him out of the side since round 21.

Burns will come in for Rhyce Shaw, who has been dropped.

The Magpies kept defender Simon Prestigiacomo in the squad, but named veteran Shane Wakelin an emergency.

The other change to the St Kilda team is youngster David Armitage coming in for Charlie Gardiner.

Saints' midfielder Leigh Montagna said several Saints were looking to make amends for last week's disappointing performance.

"Some players didn't stand up in the finals atmosphere, and we're lucky that we get a chance to do it again this week," he said.

Earlier in the day, the Saints were busy trying to protect Ball from Channel Nine's prying eye in the sky.

Nine sent a helicopter to get footage of Ball during the closed training session to see how well he had recovered from his injury.

As Nine sports reporter Tony Jones tells it, Ball was out on the ground having a light kick. "But then it became apparent that it was the Channel Nine chopper, and someone obviously made the decision for him to leave the training track," Jones said.

St Kilda media manager Matt Schmidt said: "Given the price of petrol I was surprised that Eddie (McGuire) would send up a Channel Nine chopper to gain footage for his Pies but it is finals time and stakes are high I guess."

© 2008 The Age

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