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St. Kilda Saints)
The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League.
With only the one premiership in 1966 (beating Collingwood by one point), St Kilda have been the perennial dysfunctional strugglers of the competition. Their fans are regarded as gluttons for punishment who, in the absence of team success, have idolised a succession of star players.
The team came close to success in 1997, losing a grand final to the Adelaide Crows, but reverted to type by sacking coach Stan Alves after a poor season in 1998.
After a period of rebuilding, in 2004 the Saints signalled improvement for the future with a win in the pre-season competition, followed by an unprecendented 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, eiminated from the AFL Premiership by its eventual winners in a closely-fought match.
Full-forward Fraser Gehrig won the Coleman Medal for the most goals (103) kicked in the 2004 season.
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.
During the First World War the club felt so embarrassed at accidently having team colours which matched the flag of Imperial Germany that its players pinned Union Jacks 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. However the war forced the Club into recess. After three years in recess St Kilda resumed in 1918.
Premierships:
Brownlow Medal winners:
Club Song: "Oh When The Saints" (lyrics slightly changed from the well known dixieland standard).
External links
Official Website of the St Kilda Football Club
Unofficial Forum for all Saint Supporters
