“He was running fine, pressuring and competing well. He was fine that way. We just didn’t get enough of the ball forward. We need to get a bit more clean ball forward and start to win the contest, which we didn’t do tonight,” Sydney coach John Longmire said.
Saints new boss
The Age reports St Kilda is expected to appoint AFL Players Association boss Matt Finnis as its new chief executive officer.
Finnis spearheaded the players' collective bargaining agreement and has strong relationships with the AFL, clubs and players.
An announcement is expected as early as Friday afternoon.
Steven out for ten
Saints’ best and fairest winner Jack Steven will miss at least a quarter of the season with a foot fracture.
The 23-year-old could be out for up to 10 weeks after sustaining a break in his right foot during training.
Head of football Chris Pelchen said Steven had been training strongly before pulling up sore.
"Scans conducted late this afternoon revealed a fracture in his right foot which is obviously disappointing for both Jack and the club on the eve of the 2014 season," Pelchen said.
"It's important to note that the fracture is not stress related and followed an innocuous incident during training."
The Saints will already be without Leigh Montagna for Round 1, who will miss through suspension while defender Sam Gilbert is at least a month away from returning after surgery to repair a foot stress fracture.
Williams sent home
Pies’ defender Marley Williams has flown home to Melbourne from training camp on the Gold Coast and won’t play in Sunday’s match against the Suns.
Williams, 20, faces an AFL ban that could run until his court sentencing on April 22, after he was found guilty of grievous bodily harm following an incident in 2012.
Williams is preparing for sentencing, which could mean jail.
