Scollop wrote:Personally I think Dawson was AND is easily replaceable. He played and plays an insignificant bit part. Lyon loves role players and Zac is definitely overpaid for his minor role. Freo's team pressure and their class midfield wins them games - not the contribution of Dawson.Bunk_Moreland wrote:Geez, I was sorry to see him go.
I was sorry to see RL go as well.
While they were at the Saints I had some odf the best experiences I have ever had while being a Saints supporter.
I saw 19 straight win, in 2009, two fantastic finals wins, a wonderful GF week and then a heartbereaking narroe GF loss (that Zac almost won for us with the great spoil)
I saw us lose Roo for almost all of 2010, and still get top four, narrowly beat Geelong, flog the Dogs and then an even more heartbreaking GF draw - but I did get to see Lenny and bj on that day.
I would trade every horrible bottom dwelling year for those two years again in a heartbeat.
I would have Zac back in a heartbeat if i was guaranteed another two years like that, and the chances at a flag.
I didn't realise our strength at the time that you so fondly remember was directly related to having Zac Dawson in the team. To get the sort of success we had in those 2 years took years of list building and RL failed after being gifted a team of matchwinners.
Yes you've gotta have a couple of good defenders, but let's not delude ourselves as to the value of Dawson. To put another perspective on the contribution Zac makes to Freo - How would Zac Dawson go at St Kilda right now? Maybe he'd plays his role well but we'd still be last on the ladder.
Think Luke Delaney....sound familiar...Delaney is playing his role and doing ok but you need matchwinners and ballwinners to win games of footy. If we are tinny enough to find someone as good as Nat Fyfe or if we could throw in a Mundy or a Barlow sized mid into our mix in the next couple of years (fingers crossed on Acres) perhaps that's when we start to climb back into the top 8.
I dont think you understood what he said. He wasnt saying we need Dawson now, he was saying they were great times and Im saying anyonew who thinks they werent is lying or hindsighting. We have that prrof from Stinger. Said he was always against RL until someone showed a post that showed that wasnt true.