Cazzesman wrote:
BKB,
I can't understand why people don't think Saddington will be a worthy addition to the CFC backline. He 26 and played 142 AFL games. He's 194cm and 93kg. He's mobile, can take a mark and has decent skills.
A Swans recruiter told me on Draft day that if Saddo had been fit in 2005 he would have been in their best 25 to be picked for the GF team. That's not a bad wrap.
Saddo wanted a change and to come back to Melb. The Swans wanted to free up some money in their cap after the GF win. CFC were never going to use pick 52 so it was a generous swap IMHO.
It has been 18 months since the reco and the knee structure is said to be good as gold. The Cyst he had removed recently was a minor hiccup and had nothing to do with ligaments or cartilage.
He looked composed, experienced and reliable down back in the VFL in just half a game. Give him a solid 4 weeks on the track and a few VFL games under his belt and he will be back in the Seniors very quickly.
If he can hold down a key back position it will do a number things.
1. It will free up Lance down back to create more or to be pushed forward as required.
2. Give Kennedy Hartlett, Bower and Edwards time to settle in and grow in size and strength.
3. Provide valuable assistance and experience to T-Bird.
The Blues were never going to use pick 52 so if CFC can get 2-3 seasons out of Saddo while the young big guys learn their trade then the swap has worked. Time will tell.
Some may say he is keeping the young kids out of the Seniors but try looking at it another way........If the kids show they are good enough in the VFL they will get a look in later in the year.
I always worry that if some kids get it tooooo easy toooo early then they forget how hard they need to keep working to succeed over a long period. If you listened to Barry Mitchell on Saturday you will know that he reminded a few of this fact. Nothing should come easy in the AFL for an 18/19 year old. The rug can be quickly pulled from under and many a big head has banged itself on the door jam on the way out.
A two year apprenticeship in the VFL for an 18/19 year old KPP should not to be seen as a hindrance. It can only help to forge a 10 year career.
Regards Cazzesman
Tend to agree with you on Saddington. Did not sacrifice much for him trade wise nor in money terms with Sydney continuing to pay a portion of his salary. Our defence is woeful, so the logic to pick him up is a sound one. We need to have depth in our backline because I do not want to see out of form players continuing to get a game because of no other alternatives.
However, the reason most supporters like myself become sceptical is that our track record over the past few years has been woeful. None of our recent trades with the exception of McGrath are in our starting line up. Of the current players that have survived the cull, Teague, McClaren, Longmuir, Chambers, cannot/will nott crack a regular spot in the seniors with arguably the worst playing list in the competition.
Secondly, I cannot believe Carlton given the playing list it has would not have gambled with pick 52. Our track record for 4th round picks is exceptional. For a start we could have shopped for another ruckman. McEntee was on offer before the preseason draft. We still lack a quality ruckman and the more to choose from the better. Clubs seldom trade etheir quality rucks so we will never buy ourselves a ready made one.
By all accounts, in the NAtional tdraft there was a quality goal kicking midlfielder in Matthew White who got picked up by the Tigers available also.
A two year apprenticeship for a 18/19 year in the VFL in my opinion will stunt their development. The gap between the VFL and AFL has never been so wide. The standard of football cannot be compared. Would rather a player like Russell learning his craft from a Stevens than a Wiggins/Davies type.
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