In what would be the first win of a nine game streak to the 1997 Grand Final, Stewart Loewe took this spectacular grab over Mark Graham of Hawthorn at Waverley. It would be one of eight marks the Saints big man took that afternoon on his way to 22 possessions and four goals.
In a dominant performance by the Saints, Loewe was joined in the best by Robert Harvey (with 43 possessions) and Peter Everitt. The latter’s rapid rise to the elite ranks of AFL rucks was of particular interest to the media. Loewe had a backhander for his 23-year-old’s past efforts when sought for his thoughts on the reason for the rapid improvement. “He’s now a fully professional footballer,” Loewe opined, “and not a part time larrikin from Hastings.”
Despite the 79-point victory moving the Saints into 4th place on the ladder, and Loewe’s individual performance, The Age was seemingly more interested in the status of the veteran’s contract. Jake Niall reporting that Loewe would be free to leave the club if they failed to qualify for the finals due to a “get out” clause in his contract.
History ultimately confirmed that this concern was unfounded but Loewe himself was equally adamant at the time. “To stick with a club, and play with a club for your whole career, is pretty important to me,” Loewe told Inside Football earlier in 1997. “I look forward to playing out my career at St Kilda and in playing in some pretty successful sides over the next few years.”
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