St Kilda Football Club

The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League.

Related Topics:
Australian rules football - Australian Football League

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With only the one premiership in 1966 (beating Collingwood by one point), St Kilda have been the perennial strugglers of the competition. In the absence of team success, its fans have idolised many Brownlow medal winning star players.

Related Topics:
1966 - Collingwood - Brownlow medal

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The team came close to success in 1997, losing the Grand Final to the Adelaide Crows. It sacked then coach Stan Alves after a poor season in 1998.

Related Topics:
1997 - Adelaide Crows - Stan Alves - 1998

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After a period of rebuilding, in 2004 the Saints signalled promise for the future with a win in the pre-season competition, the Wizard Cup. Following this was an unprecedented ten game winning streak in the home-and-away season. Unfortunately injury and inexperience meant that the Saints only finished third at the end of the season, eliminated in the AFL finals by eventual winner Port Adelaide Power in a closely-fought match.

Related Topics:
2004 - AFL - Port Adelaide Power

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Full-forward Fraser Gehrig won the Coleman Medal for the most goals (103) kicked in the 2004 season and again in the 2005 season (74 goals).

Related Topics:
Fraser Gehrig - Coleman Medal

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Saints' motto is 'Fortius Quo Fidelius', a Latin phrase meaning 'Strength Through Loyalty'.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Since the inaugural International Cup of Australian Football in 2002, St Kilda FC have sponsored the Japanese national Australian rules football team. Also known as the Samurai, the team members wear the St Kilda colours when representing their nation.

Related Topics:
International Cup of Australian Football - Japan

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During the First World War the club felt so embarrassed at accidentally having team colours which matched the flag of Imperial Germany that its players pinned Union Flags to their jumpers. Before the next season began in 1915, the club decided to change their colours from red, black and white to red, black and yellow, the colours of Australia's ally Belgium. However the war forced the Club into recess. After three years in recess St Kilda resumed in 1918, but did not return to the original colours until after 1920.

Related Topics:
First World War - Imperial Germany - Union Flag - 1915 - Belgium

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Premierships:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• 1966

Brownlow Medal winners:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Colin Watson, 1925
• Brian Gleeson, 1957
• Neil Roberts, 1958
• Verdun Howell, 1959
• Ian Stewart, 1965 (tie with Noel Teasdale) and 1966
• Ross Smith, 1967
• Tony Lockett, 1987 (tie with John Platten)
• Robert Harvey, 1997 and 1998.

Club Song: "When the Saints Go Marching In" (lyrics slightly changed from the well known dixieland standard).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 
St Kilda Football Club: External links ►