I dont think we drafted Saddington to be our Key Backmen...

He would be helpful, in a good side...but i doubt he will ever become a gun FB or CHB...

He is a short term fix for our Back stocks until Flint, Hartlett, Bower, Setanta etc are ready for the big time

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"Dont count the games, make the games count"

I agree that Saddo is a part of the jigsaw but IMHO

The keys in order are

Waite - Must finally step up and play 20 plus, consistent games
Fisher - See above
Carrazzo - As a consistent onballer
Setanta - Just keep improving and competing. He will win more 1 on 1's than he loses
Big Josh - Hopefully can play 18 plus games to build toward 2008.

If these guys play most of the year and play solid consistent football the weight on the rest will ease and the team should consolidate and move upwards accordingly. Fingers crossed.

Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

We have many doors to unlock...And many Keys are required.

IMO a fit Saddington who holds down a place in our backline could just fast track the players around him. The players who will replace him.
His experience is proven. Can he still play at the level ? Maybe maybe not .
But if he does, he doesn't just bring with him his "Questional, Debatable Talent " He brings together the players around him, he might just fill a void as the guy who keeps our younger backman developing. Its one thing to have Stars but every team has someone who offers more than how he plays on the day. Might not be the star but just a missing link.

Let me name a "missing link /Key" type of the past.

Earl Spalding.

And not for one minute am i comparing the two. But Saddo might just make our backline structure work better. Playing he could be the key, the key to opening the doors for the players around him.

IMO if Saddo plays I could see both Walker and Thornton having huge i mean huge years..

And some side questions, Do we play Waite at CHB ahead of Saddington?
Does Waite play HBF ?
Where does Lance play, could he play a "winger type roll"not your conventional wingman, more a quaterback style wingman, a go to man for quick movement up the field, the link man, (reads the play well ) who does have good delivery.To link it forward.

Could Pagans new game plan of fast movement be to a man halfway up the park make Lance a winger and Saddo a key position player?

If we are fit, as we say we are, could our team support this position for Lance, The quarterback of the wing, who when he gets it, sets up our forwards. On ballers streaming back to cover and forward to get to the feet of.
I'm being a little radical now but .......

Is it possible ??



Thus i ask is Saddington the a Key ? Who else could have a bigger impact if playing, merely by directly impacting on the players around him by just being fit and being out there.

Anyway who am i know ?
Good read this also.

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I know a little secret. And i'm not sharing.

37 games in the last four years after playing 111 games in his first 5 year, just 13 games in the last 2 years.

All the signs of a player on the way out. Would need a huge turnaround in terms of form and also injury luck to survive past 2007 IMO.

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Something that was never in question refer to opening post where i stated i wouldn't be surprised if this was his last season. But what if ?

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I know a little secret. And i'm not sharing.

There is always the what if.

But I reckon the odds are very small.

You could probably count on one hand the number of players who have turned their career around at the age of 27 after 4 ordinary years.

I sincerely hope he does it (but he is going to have to stop squibbing contests like he did twice last year).

Will be very lucky to survive past 2007, maybe he knows this already and will step up? But is he capable?

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A fit Saddington and play him in the back pocket along side Thornton at fullback, will more than boost our back line, give him the early games and wait and see if he will come up to it or not.

Bondi - Like you I have followed Saddington quite a lot in the past... my mum being a Swans supporter *and thus me having a vested interest*, I followed Saddington amongst other played when he joined the Swans. More than serviceable, he provided height in the backline and played well alongside Dunkley in his first few years at the club...

...keep in mind that I've probably seen more of Saddington's good years/matches than bad ones.

As for turning around his career at 27? You never say never, do you? I could have sworn I'd never see John Elliott set foot inside MC Hammer Park ever again after being dumped as Prez, but I was wrong... so, you never say never!

As for being the answer? I don't believe so, but if he gets his shiznit together I believe he can play a valuable part in rebuilding the club... I DO know that, when in form *and yes, that was going back quite a few years ago* Saddington can deliver... and I bet, like so many other players this year, you hope he delivers as well...

I don't mind Saddington,i think he is a pretty good footballer,but i think injuries are getting the best of him these days. I'm sure he kind of struggled last year because of injuries and being in a club with a inexperienced backline,but i wonder how he goes if he is 100% injury free.

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Bang Bang.

I was pretty critical of Saddington for pulling out of contests. The one against Essendon* and Mark Johnson was the standout.

This is a pretty good explanation though, one that I hadn't even considered.

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

Fair enough...I'm happy to keep an open mind and see if he can improve on his initial efforts now that he is fitter....

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Exactly.
Tractor, as far as I'm concerned your on the money with this!

bluekettle wrote



I'm with you too bluekettle.

I'd like to see that too. It may just happen if Saddo keeps up the strong performance in the preseason (incl NAB Cup).

My issue is what would the backline make up be if he was included, especially with Waite earmarked for a CHB or HBF position in 2007, Setanta cannot be replaced as he is consolidating his position at FB with every outing, Bower growing in confidence and maturity and Thornton, needless to say:

BP (Smalls): Russell, Scotland, Walker (Carrots too, but pushing for midfield role)

FB: [/u] Setanta or Thornton (dependoing on match ups)

[u]BP (Talls): Saddo, Bower (or maybe Hartlett may break in there)

HB ( Tall): Thornton, Bower or Walker

CHB: Waite, Thornton or Setanta

HB (Small-Av): Walker, Bower, Lappin, Houla, Russell or Wiggins

B: Scotland Setanta Saddo
HB: Thornton Waite Bower

Positives:

Walker is released to midfield if needed
Carrazzo is released to midfield role
Very tall marking backline
Very athletic with Setanta, Waite and Bower there.(Saddo too is athletic)
Thornton, Scotland and Saddo provide experiece to guide kids (Bower & Setanta)

Negatives:

Hartlett doesn't get needed experience
Lose Scotland from attacking HBF (may play defensive wing)
Maybe a bit too tall with no attacking small on each line.

Personally I don't think Walker will be released to a midfield role by Pagan. Carrots will play midfield and replacing him with Russell adds inexperience to the backline, whilst hopefully building Russell's confidence in the BP.

Either way, it hasn't looked this good since the day Sexton retired.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Ok, so assuming 4 talls & 2 smalls in the back half, what is the preferred Round 1 line up?

I'm thinking we have 2 spots b/w Waite, Bower & Saddington (given Thornton & Setanta are pretty much certainties).

be lucky to get a game, and I personally hope he doesn't

(injuries pending)

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Honestly guys, as much as a fit Saddington would help strengthen the backline, surely he isnt the key. If so we are going a lot worse than i thought we were. Dont get me wrong i think he will be very handy but thats about it.

For me we need to go with blokes like Setanta that can play on bigger blokes and once the ball hits the deck he can run. Our backline should be

Russell Setanta Bower
Walker Thornton Scotland

Thats nice... i like that, run and attack off the half back line

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Matty Kruzer you star!

correct

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Love Cricket? Love me

what about waite?

B Walker Thornton Setanta
HB Lappin Waite Bower
C Simpson Stevens Scotland
HF Gibbs Whitnall Kennedy
F Fisher Fevola Betts

Foll Ackland Kouta Murphy
I/C Cloke Houlihan Carrazzo Russell

thornton at FB is a waste of his talents

Hollywood's is the best line up, but I would shuffle Russell out and bring in Waite... or Walker into the midfield and Waite in.

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hollywood 43 wrote:



I like that too HW43. I think we'll find Waite starting in the backline from all reports CHB, or maybe HBF.

The good thing about Walker in the backline is his ability to compete in the air against even the gorillas . His jumping/ spring enables him to pack a punch to spoil, and yeah his recovery is damn good too when the ball hits the ground., just like Setanta.

If Waite and Walker are in the backline, I can't see Bower, Thornton or Setanta being dropped from the backline, and if Scotland plays back instead of defensive wing, then Russell is going to have a hard time breaking into the backline, let alone the first 22 in 2007.

Russell may be given a similar opportunity /apprenticeship as Walker did, and that is as a hard tag of the elite footballers to enable him to learn the game faster.

So realistically, it isn't looking like Saddo is necessarily needed in the backline, and maybe Setanta against the gorillas, (freeing up Thornton) is the key to the backline's improvement; after all we were too short down back, and Setanta is 6cm taller than Saddo.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue