saintkid wrote:After years of treatment, conditioning and therapy that has not worked and a trip to see guru specialists in Germany, no-one thought to put the 22 yo under the knife for scar tissue issues till now? Yeah right.
I feel for Freeman but he was a massive risk that has backfired and won't end well. St Kilda have plenty of these cases. Was told that the club picked up in 2010 some gun kid from North, Jesse Smith, that had chronic hamstring problems and never came good. You think they would learn but these decision keep costing the club.
The drug cheats picked up Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti in the rookie draft (and other guys that show plenty) after some shrewd, measured recruiting and they are already touted as a top 4 in 2018. McDonald-Tipungwuti is a gun and heading for elite status in the eyes of many at that club. We continue to flounder and studying our list management since 2009 is not hard to see why.
Be careful Stk. The last poster to 'question' our recruiting department was summarily marched out of this forum and shot.
In terms of our recruiting of the likes of Jesse Smith and Nathan Freeman, regardless of
whether these blokes end up making it or not, I hope our club continues with these sort of selections. High reward for very little cost. Be bold Saintas!
For example, Smith cost us pick 50-something. Talent-wise he was arguably the best player on Nuff Nuff's list.
If his ankle had stood up, I'd argue that we would have won back-to-back flags in 2009/10, and have been right in the mix again in 2011. Yep, he was
that good. As others have pointed out, a fit Freeman is just the sort of player we need.
If he comes good our current team will be
substantially and strategically improved.
(Not exactly the same, but there're similarities... for this reason I really wanted that 23 year old AA gun, but out of favour at the dog pound bloke, whom the Drug mob picked up for a steal.
)
So I hope we keep taking these punts. Coz the law of averages suggests that if we persist, some of will actually work out. Be bold Saintas!