Some questions answered...I think

[CeilidhSaint]

Armo has to be regulalrly selcted in the mid-field for this year and forever more - can kick a goal, hard at it,lost his puppy fat and top 10 selection 2006 draft, time to play.
Charlie Chuck wagon Gardiner gives another dimension, can lead up and scrabble on the ground and whilst not the greatest kick (esp. on the run) generally knows where the goals are, clever too. Can be the new Hamill without the perpetual two week injury and concentration sometimes on the man rather than the ball.
King - it's nice to have a genuine tap ruckman who we can rove to as opposed to 2nd guess. Gardi too.
Blake - he did well in the last quarter and righted our ship. Lots can knock him but he gives his all and I like the boy.
Max - no matter what happens in the future, Max has got to be seen as one of the best backmen the Saints have seen. Can play small or tall (Matera anyone?) and needs to be recognised for his great service, and for giving Lloyd the Lurker one of the best touch ups ever.
BJ - give him the ball at HB and the forwards should be sprinting to all parts waiting for him to hit them lace out on the chest. Would love him to play on Cooney sometime. Seems to have replaced Gram in many ways whose game has suffered since BJ's returned, time to reinvent Gram as Dempster is a running quarter back too.
Harvey - never doubt him - nuff said.

[Otiman]

Max - no matter what happens in the future, Max has got to be seen as one of the best backmen the Saints have seen. Can play small or tall (Matera anyone?) and needs to be recognised for his great service, and for giving Lloyd the Lurker one of the best touch ups ever.

How do people rate him up against Spud?

[bigcarl]

How do people rate him up against Spud?

as good, maybe better

[markinUSA]

Well, he certainly is a very good footballer, as was Spud. We've been lucky to have two such talented fullbacks!

[Mr Magic]

Well, he certainly is a very good footballer, as was Spud. We've been lucky to have two such talented fullbacks!

Not just 2
We've been lucky to see a 'procession' of great/very good full backs during my time as a supporter (from the early 60's) till now.

Verdun Howell (a Brownlow medallist at full back)
Bob Murray
Cowboy Neale
Barry Lawrence
Trevor Barker
Danny Frawley
Max Hudghton
Luke Penny (if injury hadn't curtailed his carree)

[saint66au]

Dont forget Jamie Shanahan in that list

Poor bugger is only remembered for that one GF game, but played some terrific footy for us at Full Back

[Mr Magic]

Dont forget Jamie Shanahan in that list

Poor bugger is only remembered for that one GF game, but played some terrific footy for us at Full Back

Yes, my mistake, Jamie was a great servant for our Club that, IMO, was very poorly treated by Stan Alves in the end.

IIRC he decided to free up some room in our salary cap to ensure we could keep Joel Smith who decided to jump to Hawthorn anyway. By the time that decision was made, Shanners had been publicly made the 'sole culprit' for our 1997 GF loss.

[Saint Bev]

Dont forget Jamie Shanahan in that list

Poor bugger is only remembered for that one GF game, but played some terrific footy for us at Full Back

Yes, my mistake, Jamie was a great servant for our Club that, IMO, was very poorly treated by Stan Alves in the end.

IIRC he decided to free up some room in our salary cap to ensure we could keep Joel Smith who decided to jump to Hawthorn anyway. By the time that decision was made, Shanners had been publicly made the 'sole culprit' for our 1997 GF loss.

Joel Smith never left St Kilda we got rid of him on DR's advice, that ended up being wrong.

[matrix]

We've been lucky to see a 'procession' of great/very good full backs
Verdun Howell (a Brownlow medallist at full back)
Bob Murray
Cowboy Neale
Barry Lawrence
Trevor Barker
Danny Frawley
Max Hudghton
Luke Penny (if injury hadn't curtailed his carree)

jesus! we've been spoilt really.
pretty lucky to have seen all those blokes play magic.
i always liked penny too, thought he read the play very well...shame he departed early.

[Solar]

Dont forget Jamie Shanahan in that list

Poor bugger is only remembered for that one GF game, but played some terrific footy for us at Full Back

Yes, my mistake, Jamie was a great servant for our Club that, IMO, was very poorly treated by Stan Alves in the end.

IIRC he decided to free up some room in our salary cap to ensure we could keep Joel Smith who decided to jump to Hawthorn anyway. By the time that decision was made, Shanners had been publicly made the 'sole culprit' for our 1997 GF loss.

Joel Smith never left St Kilda we got rid of him on DR's advice, that ended up being wrong.

To be fair it was a little of both. Doctors told the club that his broken leg was more serous then most and therefore the club gave him a 1-2 year contract with performance measures (from memory). The hawks gave him a longer one on more money to entice him over, even thought there was a chance he might never play again.

he took the longer term deal, his leg got better and the rest is history.

[Mr Magic]

Dont forget Jamie Shanahan in that list

Poor bugger is only remembered for that one GF game, but played some terrific footy for us at Full Back

Yes, my mistake, Jamie was a great servant for our Club that, IMO, was very poorly treated by Stan Alves in the end.

IIRC he decided to free up some room in our salary cap to ensure we could keep Joel Smith who decided to jump to Hawthorn anyway. By the time that decision was made, Shanners had been publicly made the 'sole culprit' for our 1997 GF loss.

Joel Smith never left St Kilda we got rid of him on DR's advice, that ended up being wrong.

Actually I think you'll find we offered him a shorter length contract than what Hawthorn did. We, on medical advice, offered him a 2 year(?) contract whereas Hawthorn offered him a 3 year.

[Saint Bev]

Sorry guys, we didn't offer him a contract and yes his contract at Hawthorn was performance based.

[Wollongong_saint]

i always liked penny too, thought he read the play very well...shame he departed early.

Was a shame, but it made way for Chips to step up and cement an important spot.

[st.byron]

Max - no matter what happens in the future, Max has got to be seen as one of the best backmen the Saints have seen. Can play small or tall (Matera anyone?) and needs to be recognised for his great service, and for giving Lloyd the Lurker one of the best touch ups ever.

How do people rate him up against Spud?

Rate Max above Spud. Max has an uncanny ability to get his fist to the ball just as the forward is about to grab it. Ha the leg speed to keep up with the leading forward, is cool under pressure, rarely turns it over and like Spud, the heart and guts of a lion.
Next to Harves the player who has most bled RW&B for his entire career. Absolute champion. 101% STKFC.

[jonesy]

Not taking anything away from Max as he's been a brilliant servant,and probably the most underrated fullback in the game.
However I rate spud higher. Played in an era where he didn't have several players dropping back making it easier for him. Played in an era of great forwards and generally he won on most occasions even when we did cop floggings(which was most weeks). Spud also had a great pair of hands. Had no left side though,and wasn't the greatest kick,much like Max.

Shanahan again,highly underated. Never got beaten,apart from when Jarman started kicking swivel goals from packs,nothing would of stopped that freak performance that day. Luckily for us they showed it wasn't Stkilda's softness that allowed it like everyone said,by doing it the year after against the mighty North side.

Frawley/Shanahan/Hudghton....as underated a trio you'll ever get at fullback. Dare I say it,all better than the shockingly overated 'FB of the century' Silvagni(who's only saving grace was he could go forward every now and then).

[ace]

Both spud and Max had/have the closing speed to negate a leading forward.
They get close enough to take a lunging spoiling punch on the ball at the last minute.
The big differences were/are Spud only ever had one shot in his gun but could fight it out with the gorillas.
Spud would be left lying on the ground after his spoil and if his mates did not clear the ball, his effort was in vain.
Max gets up off the turf and continues to compete.
On the other hand Max does not have the physical strength to mix it with a gorilla forward standing in the goal square.

[AlpineStars]

I think Spud was better, but the way the rules are these days Spud probably would struggle. Max has fantastic closing speed. Did see spud get abbsolutly towelled up one day at moorabbin though by Allan Jakovich (He could play, just a nuff nuff though). Can't remember to many other times he had bags kicked on him?

[True Blue Sainter]

Don't forget Bill Cubbins. Won 4 B&F's if I'm not mistaken and was arguably the best fullback of his time.