St Kilda evergreen Robert Harvey was pretty much stating the bleeding obvious today with the following observation about the potential deficiencies of Geelong.
“It’s far to say they don’t lack much,” Harvey noted wryly of the Cats, who take a 21-1 win-loss record for 2008 into Sunday’s qualifying final at the MCG.
But if the surging Saints can claim parity, or even marginal superiority in one area, it is finals experience.
Of the top eight sides, only the Sydney and Adelaide players have participated in more combined finals than the Saints (153).
The Cats can boast a combined tally of 150 playoff matches, headed by Darren Milburn (11) and Cameron Mooney (10).
“We’ve just to attack the game from our perspective,” said Harvey, who will be playing his 381st match and 15th final on Sunday.
“We know what you’re going to get from Geelong and that’s pretty consistent footy.
“We just go in and try our best and hopefully we get a fair bit out of every one of our players and where that leaves us, we don’t know yet.”
The two clubs have only met once previously in 2008, with Geelong winning the round-four clash by 42 points, kicking 21 goals in the process.
“We definitely have to defend better and I think we are defending better,” said Harvey.
“Obviously their midfield depth is just unbelievable so we have to get every little bit out of our midfield to match theirs.
“Our forwards are playing good footy so we have to defend well and hopefully match them in the midfield.”
St Kilda will also take some welcome momentum into the qualifying final, having smashed Essendon by 108 points last weekend to snatch fourth spot and the double chance from Adelaide in dramatic style.
Among the stars were goalsneak Stephen Milne (seven goals) and skipper Nick Riewoldt (four).
“Nick’s second half of the year is the best footy I’ve seen him play,” said Saints midfield lynchpin Lenny Hayes.
“He’s really led the team well from the front.
“It’s a real credit to him, he works really hard and he’s getting the rewards.”
Never comfortable in the media spotlight, the 37-year-old Harvey was insistent that none of the focus from the club this month revolved around making any special effort to gain him that elusive premiership in his 20th and final season.
“It hasn’t been spoken about for weeks,” he said.
“Even last week at the tribute game I had, it wasn’t spoken about and that’s the way we want to keep it.
“I’m just happy to have extended my career for a few weeks and hopefully we can extend it out further – four weeks would be nice.
“I’m just here to enjoy it and that’s not a factor from the players’ point of view.”
Most finals matches played by the current lists of the 2008 AFL finalists
Team Total finals Most
Sydney 256
Michael O’Loughlin 18
Barry Hall 17
Adelaide 179
Simon Goodwin 20
Andrew McLeod 19
Tyson Edwards 19
St Kilda 153
Robert Harvey 14
Fraser Gehrig 14
Geelong 150
Darren Milburn 11
Cameron Mooney 10
Collingwood 145
Shane O’Bree 12
Shane Wakelin 11
North Melbourne 131
Adam Simpson 20
Shannon Grant 18
Brent Harvey 16
Western Bulldogs 93
Jason Akermanis 22
Scott Welsh 14
Hawthorn 80
Stuart Dew 14
Brent Guerra 11
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