Stephen Milne
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| Personal Info | |
|---|---|
| Birth | March 8, 1980, |
| Recruited from | Noble Park/Dandenong U18
|
| Playing Career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 4, April 21, 2001, St Kilda vs. Port Adelaide, at AAMI Stadium |
| Team(s) | St Kilda (2001-)
97 games, 210 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2005 season | |
| Career Highlights | |
|
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Stephen Milne (born March 8, 1980) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.
Milne was recruited from Noble Park, followed by Dandenong U18s, and then to the Essendon reserves team in the late 1990s. In 2001, he was elevated from St Kilda's rookie list and played his first AFL game. The small forward was considered too small to survive at the elite level, but pretty soon it was clear that "Yapper" had what it takes to succeed.
In 2002 he had a strong year, booting 50 goals in 21 games, with his accuracy around goals and agility proving vital. In the Round 4 clash against Sydney, he booted a brilliant goal in the dying minutes of the match to put the Saints up by 17 points (although the game ended in a draw).
Currently runs Saintly Entertainment with teammate Steven Baker
[edit] Sexual assault allegations
In 2004, following St Kilda's Wizard Cup victory, on the Sunday after the game, Milne and fellow Saints player Leigh Montagna were involved in sexual assault allegations. The charges were eventually dropped but these allegations were a cloud over Milne and Montagna's head for quite a while during the early 2004 season, with the media and opposition crowds really giving it to Milne.
With these allegations hanging over his head, Milne produced a sensational burst of form early in 2004, proving one of the most dangerous forwards in the competition in St Kilda's 10-game winning streak.
[edit] 2005 season
In 2005 Milne continued to improve and had his best season to date. He was one of the AFL's most accurate kicks from set shots and regularly kicked crumbing goals. One of the rare lowlights came in the Round 3 game against the Kangaroos, where Milne had a chance to go back and seal the game with a set-shot at goal. However, he played on and turned the ball over, where the Kangaroos, led by Shannon Grant, staged a miraculous comeback in the dying minutes. Milne was criticised for this excessively attacking play and was blamed by many in the media for the Saints' loss.
Despite that minor setback, the remainder of Milne's 2005 season was exemplary. He regularly bobbed up for the Saints with bags of 3, 4 and 5 goals. But his most amazing effort was in the final round of the regular season against the Brisbane Lions, where he had the statistics of 15 kicks, and 11 goals straight in the Saints' 139-point demolition. No sexual assaults were recorded after that particular match, so it was a nice day.
