Sports

AFL betting dilemma- A journey too far for the G-Train?
Steve Greber looks at St. Kilda's Fraser Gehrig, and asks whether he made a mistake in playing on in 2008.
The Beatles or the Stones, Abba or the Beach Boys. Is it best to quit while you're at the top, and leave your fans wanting more?
Or do you risk tarnishing your own reputation by pushing it too far?
St Kilda full forward Fraser Gehrig must be asking himself that kind of question right about now.
Gehrig announced his retirement immediately before the Saints' last game of the 2007 season.
The G-Train went out in style, kicking five goals in St Kilda's round 22 win over Richmond to finish with 59 for the season.
Chaired off the ground by his teammates, the dual Coleman Medal winner waved goodbye to his fans. But only for three months.
His decision to nominate himself for the national draft, and St Kilda's to re-draft him with its fourth round selection, are both hot topics for debate by fans and the media alike.
The fact is, since he returned to the club, he has not looked himself.
He has only played in four rounds, and those that argue he should not have returned this season point to St Kilda having lost in two of those matches.
Gehrig has only eight goals and two behinds to show for his efforts so far. Compare that to his return of 103 in 2004 and the 84 goals he averaged over three seasons from 2004-06.
This weekend, in the clash with Collingwood, Gehrig gets the chance to show that, at the age of 32, he is not yet finished. St Kilda are strongly fancied in the match odds but the last time the teams met, in round 14 last year, Collingwood got up by nine points in a match where Gehrig kicked four goals and Paul Medhurst could only muster two behinds.
In their seven head-to-head clashes, Gehrig has dominated. In those matches, he has kicked 25 goals while Medhurst averages only one per game.
But less than a year on from their last match-up, and Medhurst is in the form of his life while Gehrig is struggling.
St Kilda has climbed to fifth on the ladder, without playing up to their reputation as potential premiership contenders. Of their four wins, they have only beaten one side currently in the eight - Sydney, in round one.
Anthony Rocca is due back for the Pies after what will be four weeks out of the game, and the Saints only really have Matt Maguire with the strength to match up on him.
It points to a close one at Telstra Dome, and the wise punters will keep an eye on the winning margin for Collingwood to prevail by less than 39.5 points.
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28/06/2008 | AFL
Western Bulldogs v Port Adelaide
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Caloundra: Caloundra City Cup
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Sea Eagles v Knights

