Stephen Milne

Throughout his football career, even dating back to before he made his AFL debut Setephen Milne has had to fight hard to get the recognition and opportunities that have come much easier for many other players. Despite showing prowess around goal and the ability to get possessions up the ground as a junior, Milne had to bide his time and continue persevering before making his AFL debut for St Kilda as a mature age player in 2001.

In all 11 years in the AFL Milne has kicked at least 26 goals, including 50 goals or more five times, 2002 -50, 2005 â€“ 61, 2008 â€“ 60, 2010 â€“ 57 and 2011 â€“ 56. On several occasions before 2011 Milne had been close to making the All-Australian team without being able to break through into the final team. In 2011 31 year-old Milne kicked more goals than any other small forward, and was also adept at setting up goals for his teammates, leading St Kilda in goal assists. This has led to Milne finally being rewarded with a berth in an All-Australian team.

Of the 12,000 plus VFL/AFL players from 1897-2011 Stephen Milne is ranked 51st for career goals with 490, placing him in the top 0.5% of players in the history of the VFL/AFL. At just 176 centimetres tall Milne is considerably shorter than many of the players surrounding him on the goalkicking list and whilst Milne gets many of his goals as a traditional small crumbing forward would, he also has another string to his bow, being an effective leading target when required which came to the fore during Nick Riewoldtâ€™s abscence due to a hamstring injury for half of the 2010 season.

Milneâ€™s ranking of fourth on St Kildaâ€™s all-time goalkicking list (behind Tony Lockett, Bill Mohr and Stewart Loewe) and in the top 55 players overall in the history of the AFL comes as a surprise to most.

The milestones that Milne has achieved in recent seasons of reaching 200 games, 450 goals and playing more than 10 seasons in the AFL has led to many football followers and people within the football industry reassessing his career and realising that they had under-rated Milne throughout his career and he is now deservedly receiving greater recognition for his career achievements. Milne has been one of the best small forwards in the AFL for many years now and it was much deserved that he received recognition with selection in the 2011 All-Australian team.

Late in his career Milne has devloped into a more consistent player and in each of his past four seasons he has kicked at least 45 goals and had at least 300 possessions. Milne is ranked 10th on St Kildaâ€™s all-time games list with 236 games and with a tally of 490 goals in his career he looks set early in 2012 to reach the milestone of 500 goals further highlighting the fantastic career that Stephen Milne has had with the St Kilda Football Club.



 =Draft and Debut: 2001= In 2000 St Kilda picked Stephen Milne with selection number 23 in the AFL Rookie Draft after Milne had been overlooked by all 16 clubs in the National Draft. Milne had played in Essendonâ€™s reserves premiership side in 1999 after being recruited by Essendon from Noble Park and Dandenong Under 18s.

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Of the 64 players selected in the 2000 Rookie Draft Milne was one of only seven players still on an AFL list in 2011, along with Michael Doughty (selection 4 â€“ Adelaide), Tadhg Kennally (9-Sydney), Shane Tuck (23-Hawthorn), Dean Brogan (26-Port Adelaide), Dean Cox (28-West Coast) and James Podsiadly (58-Essendon). Shane Tuck didnâ€™t play any AFL games for Hawthorn, but has gone onto play more than 100 games for Richmond after they picked him with selection 73 at the 2003 National Draft. James Podsiadly had to wait even longer, only making his debut in 2010 as a 28 year old mature age Rookie for Geelong after they picked him with selection 50 at the 2010 Rookie Draft.

Milne was promoted off the St Kilda rookie list at 21 years of age to make his AFL debut in Round 4 2001 against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. Milne kicked two goals on debut, and went on to kick 27 goals for the season, ranked fourth at St Kilda behind Barry Hall, Peter Everitt and Aaron Hamill. Milne played 17 games in 2001, only missing two games after his debut, Round 15 and 16 when he was dropped to the VFL. Throughout his career Milne has shown that he can be very damaging despite not getting many possessions, one of the first times that this came to the fore was Round 12 against Fremantle at Subiaco, although he was restricted to seven possessions for the match Milne was instrumental in the 10 point victory with three final quarter goals.

In his debut season Milne averaged 7.8 kicks, 1.5 handballs and 2.9 marks per game with 78.5% disposal effectiveness. Milne kicked three goals or more four times with a season best of four goals in Round 19 against Port Adelaide at Colonial Stadium.

The Saints had a turbulent 2001 season finishing second last and sacking Malcolm Blight as coach after only 15 Rounds. Grant Thomas was the caretaker coach for the remainder of the season and was appointed the permanent coach for the 2002 season. =2002 Season= 200pxhe profile for Milne in AFL 2002 The official statistical history of the AFL said â€œAlways gives plenty of cheek on the field and expect him to consolidate.â€1 In 2002 Milne played 21 matches, averaging 8.4 kicks, 2.3 handballs and 2.3 marks per game, with 80.9% disposal effectiveness. Milneâ€™s crumbing in the forward line was his strength with 2.8 groundball gets inside 50 per game placing him among the league leaders in this category.

During the 2002 season Milne kicked 50 goals to easily top the St Kilda goalkicking, finishing with more than twice as many goals as the next highest Saint, Aaron Hamill who kicked 22 goals. The only other Saint to kick 20 goals or more was 19 year old Nick Riewoldt, who in his second AFL season won St Kildaâ€™s best and fairest and the AFLâ€™s Rising Star award.

Milne kicked three or more goals on nine occasions, with a seasons best of five goals in Round 10 against the West Coast Eagles at Colonial Stadium, however his best game of the season was against Sydney in Round 5 at Colonial Stadium even though Milne kicked only one goal.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In Round 4 Geelong had thrashed St Kilda by 122 points at Skilled Stadium, the Saints were severely undermanned against Sydney with Nathan Burke, Peter Everitt, Fraser Gerhig, Heath Black, Aaron Hamill, Robert Harvey, Justin Koschitzke and Stewart Loewe all missing due to injury. To prevent a repeat effort of the previous week St Kilda employed defensive tactics and flooded heavily against the Swans turning the game into a low scoring arm wrestle.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Spending more time playing up the field than usual Stephen Milne stood out like a beacon, using his creativity to great effect in the congestion to bring his team-mates into the play with his superb ball-use. Milne amassed 18 possessions comprised of 17 kicks and one handball, he also took a season high six marks. The brave Saints drew with Sydney eight goals, eight behinds apiece and Milne received the first Brownlow votes of his career, being judged best afield by the umpires. Milne polled in one other game during 2002, receiving two votes for his five goal, 15 possession game against West Coast in Round 10.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne finished sixth in the 2002 Coleman Medal, and was remarkably accurate, kicking 50 goals and only 11 behinds. Milneâ€™s greatest strengths were his accuracy and his unpredictability, enabling him to create goals seemingly from nothing. Milne was rewarded for his great 2002 season with selection in Australiaâ€™s International Rules team and seventh place in St Kildaâ€™s best and fairest.

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<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;"> yecGiKQG5Tw =2003 Season= Milne â€œbegan 2003 in slashing form with nine goals in the opening two rounds and 16 from the first five, but a two-game suspension for striking took the wind out of his sails.â€2 Milne missed St Kildaâ€™s Round 6 & 7 matches and returned to the St Kilda line-up for Round 8, however he was unable to recapture his brilliant early season form and was dropped for St Kildaâ€™s Round 16 match. Milne returned to the St Kilda side in Round 17 kicking two goals, however he was suspended again, this time missing one week.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne returned through the VFL and was unable to regain his place in the St Kilda side for the rest of the season. In the final five games of the season Milne watched from the sidelines as St Kilda had four successive 10 goal plus victories from Round 18 to Round 21 before losing to Geelong by 19 points at Skilled Stadium in Round 22. The young St Kilda side showed significant improvement in the second half of the season and competition for spots in the side was hotting up.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">During 2003 Milne averaged 6.9 kicks, 1.4 handballs and 2.3 marks per game with 78.6% disposal effectiveness. Whilst Milneâ€™s disposal effectiveness still remained very good for a small forward, his average disposals and the impact that he was making on the scoreboard had reduced. Whereas his accuracy placed him in the absolute elite during 2002, in 2003 he was about average, kicking 26 goals 19 behinds from his 14 games to be ranked third for goals at St Kilda behind Fraser Gehrig and Riewoldt.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milneâ€™s season had been de-railed by his two suspensions, and in order to remain an integral part of the St Kilda side he needed to be more disciplined in the future and avoid missing games due to suspension. Even though he had finished the season in the VFL Milne signed a three-year contract with St Kilda in October 2003. =2004 Season= Milne played in St Kildaâ€™s victorious 2004 Pre-Season Wizard Cup premiership against Geelong and although he was having some off-field issues he was able to remain focussed and unaffected whilst representing St Kilda, playing very well during the first 16 rounds, kicking 41 goals and nine times kicked at least three goals. After kicking four goals in Round 16, Milne failed to kick a goal in Round 17 and 18 which resulted in him being dropped.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne returned for the Round 22 match, kicking one goal and was left out of the Qualifying Final team to play Brisbane. It was the first final St Kilda had played in since 1998 and Brisbane comprehensively defeated the Saints by 80 points.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In wet conditions in the Semi-Final against Sydney at the MCG, a recalled Milne was back to opportunistic best, kicking four goals from just six kicks as the Saints recorded a 51 point victory and progressed to a Preliminary Final against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In a great Preliminary Final, in which St Kilda full-forward Fraser Gehrig registered his 100th goal of the season, the Saints fell just short losing by only six points. Milne was held goalless as Gehrig, Nick Riewoldt and Luke Ball kicked 10 of St Kildaâ€™s 13 goals between them.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In 2004 Milne played 21 matches, averaging 5.9 kicks, 1.7 handballs and 2.7 marks per game with 78.6% disposal effectiveness. On 11 occasions Milne kicked at least three goals, with a season best of six goals and two bags of five. Milne finished third in St Kildaâ€™s goalkicking with 46, behind Coleman Medalist Gehrig with 103 and Riewoldt with 67. =2005 Season= 200pxDuring the 2005 season Milneâ€™s â€œscoring accuracy was the best of any forward in the competition at 75%, which included 86% accuracy from set shots. Milneâ€™s average of three groundball-gets inside 50 was the best in the competition, yet he also took 40 marks in the forward 50 and booted more of his goals from marks than from general play.â€3

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In Round 22 against Brisbane, Milne had a night out kicking the most goals in a match during the 2005 AFL season with 11 goals straight at the Telstra Dome and becoming just the eighth St Kilda player to kick 10 goals or more in a VFL/AFL match, joining Dave McNamara, Bill Mohr, Allan Davis, George Young, Mark Jackson, Tony Lockett and Fraser Gehrig.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne had 15 kicks, one handball, took six marks and for just the second time in his career received the three Brownlow Medal votes. St Kilda defeated Brisbane 186 points to 47, registering their third highest score in club history and recording their greatest winning margin with 139 points, eight more than the previous best against Adelaide in Round 7 1991 at Moorabbin.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In 2005 Milne was able to maintain very good form throughout the season, kicking 61 goals to finish equal seventh in the AFL goalkicking. Stephen played all 24 games, averaging 8.5 kicks, 2.7 handballs and 3.5 marks per game, with a disposal efficiency of 69.8%. Milne kicked at least three goals 11 times, including five occasions with four goals or more.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne finished seventh in St Kildaâ€™s 2005 best and fairest, and second in the Saints goalkicking behind Fraser Gehrig who won his second Coleman Medal in a row. Milne was ranked fifth at St Kilda for loose-ball gets with 54, behind Nick Dal Santo, Ball, Lenny Hayes and Aussie Jones. While Milne predominantly played as a small forward he also spent some time in the midfield and recorded 17 goal assists and 25 score assists. =2006 Season= In 2006 Milne played 22 of St Kildaâ€™s 23 games, having been being dropped for the Round 7 game against Geelong at the Telstra Dome. Milne averaged 102 minutes, 9.8 kicks, 2.6 handballs and 3.7 marks per game with a disposal efficiency of 63.4%.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milneâ€™s accuracy which had been good throughout his AFL career, let him down during the 2006 season as he kicked 29 goals, 29 behinds. Milne was only able to kick three goals in a game on three occasions however he spent less time inside forward 50 than in previous seasons and set a new career best with 273 possessions for the season.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">St Kilda had a disappointing 2006 season and were defeated by Melbourne in the first week of the finals. The St Kilda board reacted swiftly, sacking head coach Grant Thomas and replacing him with Ross Lyon who had been an assistant coach at Sydney for the previous three seasons including the 2005 Premiership. This decision by the St Kilda board had a direct impact on Milne as Thomas has gone on record as saying that if he had remained as St Kildaâ€™s coach for the 2007 season Milne would not have been playing their as the Saints would have sought a trade for him. With Thomas being sacked and Lyon becoming St Kildaâ€™s coach, Milne got a reprieve and remained a Saint. =2007 Season= Milne played all 22 games during the 2007 season and had a purple patch kicking 13 goals between Round 3 and 7, three times kicking three goals and twice kicking two goals, however Milne did not kick more than two goals in a game for the rest of the season and finished with 32 goals 22 behinds.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In 2007 Milne played 109 minutes a game, averaging 10.1 kicks, 2.1 handballs and 4.5 marks, Stephene was ranked number 1 at St Kilda for total minutes played and fifth for contested marks. â€œMilneâ€™s scoreboard impact has been slashed in half in the past two seasons after booting a career-high 61 goals in 2005. He has totalled only 61 in the two years since and has been used up the ground more in a bid to increase his impact.â€4 =2008 Season= In the first 12 rounds of the 2008 season Milne kicked 27 goals at 2.3 goals per game which is slightly above his career average, and considerably above his output during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. However Stephen Milne and midfielder Nick Dal Santo were both dropped to the VFL for the Round 13 match against Fremantle. St Kilda had a hard fought eight point win against Fremantle and Milne and Dal Santo returned the next week to both be named in St Kildaâ€™s best players for the Round 14, 15 point victory over the Kangaroos. Milne had 11 possessions and kicked four influential goals against the Kangaroos, earning him two Brownlow Medal votes.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Given that Dal Santo and Milne only spent one week in the VFL, it is likely that St Kilda dropped them both to send a message to the entire playing list, not just these two players, and encourage the entire team to focus more on the team aspects of their game including sacrificial acts to assist teammates.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Whatever the reasons, the entire St Kilda football team looked rejuvenated and a different team after Dal Santo and Milne were dropped. That Milne took the feedback on board from the St Kilda coaches and has been able to adjust his game to become a better player is a credit to him and St Kilda, as some players arenâ€™t prepared to adapt their game for the greater good of the team.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne suffered a fractured cheekbone in Round 20 2008 against Fremantle at Subiaco. To reduce the risk of further damage he was driven back from Perth to Melbourne with St Kilda medical staff. Milne showed great courage and mental toughness to play with a fractured cheekbone the very next week against Adelaide in Robert Harveyâ€™s Tribute game at the Telstra Dome. Milne had 20 possessions and kicked two goals, making a valuable contribution in St Kildaâ€™s 48 point victory.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In 2008 Milne had his most accurate season since 2005 to kick 60 goals 32 behinds and finish second in St Kildaâ€™s goalkicking, five goals behind four Captain Nick Riewoldt. Milne played 106 minutes a game averaging 10.6 kicks, 3.3 handballs and 4.3 marks a match with a disposal efficiency of 63.2%. Milne kicked three goals or more eight times, including two bags of seven in Round 7 against Richmond and Round 22 against Essendon. =2009 Season= 200pxIn the first 12 rounds of the 2008 season Milne kicked 27 goals at 2.3 goals per game which is slightly above his career average, and considerably above his output during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. However Stephen Milne and midfielder Nick Dal Santo were both dropped to the VFL for the Round 13 match against Fremantle. St Kilda had a hard fought eight point win against Fremantle and Milne and Dal Santo returned the next week to both be named in St Kildaâ€™s best players for the Round 14, 15 point victory over the Kangaroos. Milne had 11 possessions and kicked four influential goals against the Kangaroos, earning him two Brownlow Medal votes.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Given that Dal Santo and Milne only spent one week in the VFL, it is likely that St Kilda dropped them both to send a message to the entire playing list, not just these two players, and encourage the entire team to focus more on the team aspects of their game including sacrificial acts to assist teammates.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Whatever the reasons, the entire St Kilda football team looked rejuvenated and a different team after Dal Santo and Milne were dropped. That Milne took the feedback on board from the St Kilda coaches and has been able to adjust his game to become a better player is a credit to him and St Kilda, as some players arenâ€™t prepared to adapt their game for the greater good of the team.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne suffered a fractured cheekbone in Round 20 2008 against Fremantle at Subiaco. To reduce the risk of further damage he was driven back from Perth to Melbourne with St Kilda medical staff. Milne showed great courage and mental toughness to play with a fractured cheekbone the very next week against Adelaide in Robert Harveyâ€™s Tribute game at the Telstra Dome. Milne had 20 possessions and kicked two goals, making a valuable contribution in St Kildaâ€™s 48 point victory.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In 2008 Milne had his most accurate season since 2005 to kick 60 goals 32 behinds and finish second in St Kildaâ€™s goalkicking, five goals behind four Captain Nick Riewoldt. Milne played 106 minutes a game averaging 10.6 kicks, 3.3 handballs and 4.3 marks a match with a disposal efficiency of 63.2%. Milne kicked three goals or more eight times, including two bags of seven in Round 7 against Richmond and Round 22 against Essendon.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;"> l6YLGk3doHY =2010 Season= 200pxAt quarter time in Round 3 2010 Stephen Milne was involved in an altercation with several Collingwood people including their head coach Mick Malthouse. Many players after being involved in such an incident would have been distracted and found it difficult to perform at a high standard for the remaining three quarters.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Exacerbating matters Nick Riewoldt seriously injured his hamstring in the final minute of the first half against Collingwood, it was imperative that the Saints found another leading target in the forward line for the second half. Milne was the Saint to step up and provide this target, although he kicked just one goal, he played a great team game, having nine kicks, nine handballs, seven marks and laying three tackles during St Kildaâ€™s gutsy 28 point victory.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In the 15 point Round 4 victory against Fremantle at Etihad Stadium Milne kicked five goals straight including the goal of the week when he used great body positioning to get away from Paul Duffield and proceeded to kick a sublime dribble goal from the right forward pocket at the Coventry end to put the Saints 20 points up in the last quarter. Milne received one vote from True Sainters members for his performance against the Dockers with 12 kicks, 9 handballs, five marks including three inside 50, and a goal assist.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne was at his lively best in Round 11 against Richmond, having 16 kicks, five handballs and kicking five goals, five behinds and received two Brownlow Medal votes. Milne was a great focal point in attack for St Kilda taking 11 marks including an incredible nine inside 50 and was as effective as ever gathering the loose-ball inside 50, with his 399th career goal he managed to kick another goal of the week contender. Shortly afterwards Milney brought up his 400th career goal with a set shot in the second quarter.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In Round 12 against Fremantle at Subiaco, Stephen Milne became only the 21st player to reach 200 career games for St Kilda, Milne was the second player in St Kildaâ€™s history to play 200 games and kick over 400 goals in their career joining Stewart Loewe who kicked 594 goals from 321 games. This certainly puts Milneyâ€™s fantastic career achievements in perspective.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In his 200th game Stephen Milne gave St Kilda the perfect start when in true Milne style he managed to dodge three Dockers before snapping truly to register the first goal of the match, earning himself another goal of the week nomination. Milne had a 200th game to celebrate, kicking four of St Kildaâ€™s eight first half goals and was a major reason for St Kilda enjoying a 25 point lead at the main break which setup the 18 point victory.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milneâ€™s fantastic goal against Fremantle was his fourth goal of the week nomination for 2010. Given that approximately 200 goals are scored in each AFL round and that Stephen Milne averaged 2.5 goals a game during the first 12 rounds of 2010, for the average AFL player this would result in approximately a 3.75 % chance of being nominated for goal of the week in each round which would equate to one nomination every 27 weeks. As we all know Stephen Milne is not your average AFL footballer, but to be nominated for goal of the week four times in 12 rounds is absolutely extraordinary and underlines Milneâ€™s freakish ability around goal.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">During captain Nick Riewoldtâ€™s absence Stephen Milne led the St Kilda forward line admirably, to be St Kildaâ€™s most effective marking option inside 50, and hurt the opposition on the scoreboard, several times kicking team-lifting goals when the Saints needed them most. Riewoldt returned to the St Kilda side in Round 15 against Brisbane at the Gabba.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In the four point Qualifying Final victory against Geelong Stephen Milne was voted best Saint afield by True Sainters members for a brilliant performance both around goal and gaining possessions up the ground.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne spent time playing in the midfield as well as his customary role as a small forward and was the only player in the match to have two goal assists, he also had 19 possessions, nine marks including four inside 50 and an equal game high three goals. Milne made a significant contribution when he played in the midfield and laid seven tackles, ranked second at St Kilda behind Hayes with nine.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">During the second quarter Stephen Milne took centre stage kicking three consecutive goals in six minutes during the middle of the quarter, including the goal of the week when he outbodied his opponent Josh Hunt to mark and played on immediately to kick a dribbling goal from close to the boundary line in the right forward pocket. During six minutes of Milne magic no other player on the ground scored and St Kildaâ€™s lead extended from two points to 20 points, which ended up being the half-time margin.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In 2010 Milne played 25 matches, averaging 106 minutes, 10.4 kicks, 4.6 handballs and 4.4 marks a game with a disposal efficiency of 59.7%. Milne finished ninth in St Kildaâ€™s best and fairest and kicked 57 goals, ranked seventh in the AFL and first at St Kilda. Milne received three Brownlow Medal votes in 2010 comprised of two votes in Round 11 against Richmond and one vote a week later in his 200th match against Fremantle. Milne kicked at least three goals ten times including four consecutive games from Round 9 to Round 12.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;"> u1oJ2sNkVJw BfPwsUr_Mj4 =2011 Season= 200pxThe profile in the AFL Record Season Guide 2011 said Milne â€œwas comfortably St Kildaâ€™s leading goalkicker and became the go-to man in the absence of Nick Riewoldt for much of the season.â€6

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In the Round 2 2011 draw against Richmond at the MCG small forward Milne received two votes from True Sainters members for his performance with 24 possessions, five marks, 11 scoring shots and two score assists to comprehensively beat his opponent, 18 year old second gamer Reece Conca. With straight kicking Milne would have been the match-winner and clearly best afield, however his accuracy let him down as he kicked four goals, seven behinds.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Small forward dynamo Stephen Milne kicked the second biggest bag of his career, with eight goals against Adelaide in Round 18 and more than doubled Adelaideâ€™s score with 50 points to the Crows 24.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">As well as kicking crumbing goals in the traditional manner for a small forward Milne also proved to be very effective as a leading target, taking an equal game-high three marks inside 50. The modern small forward is expected to attack and make a contribution on the scoreboard whilst also working hard the other way and applying great defensive pressure. Milne was superb in both areas to take full advantage of his opportunities around goal to kick a very accurate eight goals two behinds and he also laid an equal career best seven tackles to be ranked equal third on the ground in this category on Friday night behind teammates David Armitage and Clinton Jones.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In Round 23 against North Melbourne Milne had 14 kicks, three handballs, seven inside 50s, seven marks, and had a significant impact on the scoreboard, kicking four goals and having four goal assists.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In 2011 Milne played all 23 matches, averaging 88% game-time, 10.0 kicks, 3.3 handballs and 4.0 marks a game with a disposal efficiency of 61.36%. Milne led St Kilda for goals, goal assists and was ranked sixth for kicks, fifth for inside 50s and second for marks inside 50 with 48, five behind Riewoldt. Milne kicked at least three goals 12 times during 2011 including six straight games from Round 15 to Round 20 when the Saints had a season best six game winning streak.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne was St Kildaâ€™s best forward during 2011 and was consistently the player to kick-start the Saints into action, having the astronomical record of kicking the opening goal of the game 11 times from 23 matches, for a strike-rate of 47.8%, head and shoulders above the next best player in the AFL.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Milne was named in the forward pocket of the 2011 All-Australian team. Milne kicked 55 goals during the 2011 home and away season to finish equal fourth in the Coleman Medal with Barry Hall, behind key forwards Lance Franklin, Jack Riewoldt and Travis Cloke. Milne was one of nine players selected in their first All-Australian team and was joined in the team by St Kilda team-mate Nick Dal Santo who was selected in the team for the third time, having previously been chosen in 2005 and 2009.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;"> 7iZ6fnOnolU =Statistics= =References=
 * 1 AFL, AFL 2002 the official statistical history, page 258.
 * 2 AFL, AFL 2004 the official statistical history, page 256.
 * 3 Champion Data, AFL Prospectus 2006 â€“ The essential number cruncher for season 2006, 1st edition page 236.
 * 4 Champion Data, AFL Prospectus 2008 â€“ The essential number cruncher guide for season 2008, 3rd edition, page 273.
 * 5 Champion Data, AFL Prospectus 2010 â€“ The essential number cruncher guide for season 2010, 5th edition, page 233.
 * 6 AFL, AFL Record Season Guide 20011, page 283.