Dal Unwell- - the age

[Saints Premiers 2008]

this screams of poor baby to me

[chook23]

God the boy can't win!
ON one hand he is just lazy, then when the truth comes out it becomes 'he's selfish' have a listen to yourselves! IIRC Burke went through an entire season with a broken thumb, does that make him selfish?
Fact is that he put his hand up to play, really comes down to the training and medical services to say that he was not right! He is going out there underdone because he wants to help the team! Would love to see some of the posters in here actually try any serious physical activity during the time you have a serious bout of tonsilitis! I know what its like to have it, and i will tell you, it leaves you drained to the point that you are lethargic for a period of time!

But was Burkes form affected, that is the discussion point.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

Awwww, Dal fulfills his commitments outside of playing, and doesn't play the perfect game. Wah, wah, he shouldn't play unless he can get 30 contested possessions a game. Boo hoo, the Saints lost, I'm sad, and I've decided it's Nick Dal Santo's fault. Trade him.

The guy's had a pretty poor season, including a drop to the 2s. We need Nick Dal Santo at 100%, not some nebulous possible return on a trade. He's got a lot of runs on the board, and we need him to turn it around. Nick Dal Santo will be a 300 game player for the Saints, and no career is played at perfection for every game.

I'm dumbfounded that people want to play Birss or Armo instead of "a sick lethargic Dal"... this sick, lethargic Dal is clearly not even a shadow of a fit, firing Nick Dal Santo, but tell me either of Armo or Birss is capable of the 4th quarter contributions Dal made? If they were either clearly better, or if the staff thought resting Dal would accelerate his recovery, then by all means, don't play Dal... but the anti-Dal sentiment swinging around SS at the moment is ridiculous.

[rodgerfox]

I thought playing underdone players was a cardinal sin?

[Beej]

I thought playing underdone players was a cardinal sin?

It was. The goalposts have obviously been moved since then.

Morals can change quickly when there are Premiership points at stake.

[starsign]

RL has confirmmed my comments re NDS and his tonsilitis re lethargy
However some are still missing the important facts about this illness, and the dilemma facing the club these past few weeks

! Chronic tonsilitis ie a condition where ones tonsils are septic just doesn't go away with rest until what appears as a very sore throat and temperature eases THEY REMAIN SEPTIC which means they continually discharge septic/toxic material into your bloodstream , which keeps you lethargic irrespective of your throat flaring up or not
2 the ONLY remedy is to operate and remove the offending organ
Now if you were fit and healthy and operated when the symptoms first arose you have a very painfull period of 10 days until the throat heals and the scabs dissappear Then one needs a couple of weeks recovery purely from what the anaesthetic takes out of you after that
However if you have been suffering for a while ( NDS?) your system may take longer to fully recover. so 4+ weeks
I'm sure the medical staff weighed up the options in consultation with the footy staff and had to take the state of the nation as it were into account, ie how many rounds left, our perilous position in the eight
and as I said earlier they would have had to take a punt on playing a less than 100% NDS ( and playing him in a position where there was less physical pressure on him , but where he was likely to succeed) compared with OPERATING and playing a less able players waiting in the wings for the next 3-4 weeks
a case of Damned if you do , damned if you don't I recon


one has to look at the broad picture and weigh up all the facts before making any sort of off the hip comments about this dilemma that the powers have been attempting to deal with over the past few weeks, and its now easy in hindsight to see that it may have been better to have him operated on as early as possible...who knows that may have even been much earlier in the season

Blokes with his abilities don't grow on trees Carlton for one are very intrested , just imagine a fit and firing NDS playing alongside Judd!!
yep we'd better trade him ...mmmmm

[Animal Enclosure]

So he was lethargic until the last quarter when suddenly he came good & got us back into the game. Lucky those tonsils got 'unseptic' so quickly.

I could understand the illness line if he played crap the whole night but I thought it was more of a worry when he all of a sudden started to get desperate at the start of the last quarter.

I've been swaying towards putting him on the block... I hope that I'm proven wrong, he stays & he is a 300 game champion.

[Sobraz]

If Ross is not prepared to consider trading at least one big, underperforming name then we are in for a long period in the cellar.

Can't recall any premiership team doing that. Geelong hasn't, not West Coast, not Sydney (in fact the reverse), not PA (again the reverse), not Brisbane, not Essendon, not North, not Adelaide, not............

Whilst Brownlow votes aren't everything, Dal Santo is our best performed player on that criterion over the last four years.

We have too many young duds to get rid of anyway.

I remember Geelong losing some great players, one went to Melb from memory, we now have some of Sydneys players, Port lost Stevens for nothing, ect, the ONLY difference between us and these teams is that they actually got a flag with the lists they had at the time, we didnt, these teams you mentioned have all moved players on or had players leave and have used the draft or the selection to IMPROVE the list.

your Geelong example is a joke.... I'm assuming your refering to the trading of Brent Molony.. or was it Clint Bizzell.. 'losing some great players'...we have some sydney players AFTER they have won their flag..

they are the top up players, the ones that are expendable that cant come back to bite you..as molony and bizzell didnt do to geelong...

your post makes no sense whatsoever, as premiership teams of recent times have actually ACQUIRED gun players from other clubs, not traded them out... Geelong, Ottens..Sydney (where do you start..)Hall....

Teams have never traded away guns and gone on to win a flag with the kids... just doesnt happen...

[bigcarl]

the anti-Dal sentiment swinging around SS at the moment is ridiculous.

i agree. i guess people need someone to blame for our woes but to me they're looking in the wrong places.

the biggest difference at st kilda now to a couple of years ago (leaving the coach out of it for a while) is the lack of a sure route(s) to goal.

fraser's decline has really hurt us and we haven't come up with a viable alternative to take some heat off riewoldt.

kosi is not the natural at full forward that we hoped he would be and ross seems reluctant to try others, bj for example, there.

complicating our very poor forward set up (in which way too much responsibility for kicking a winning score falls to riewoldt) is the gameplan.

half the time there is no-one home, the players having done the coach's bidding and gotten behind the ball.

anyway. i don't think dal santo is the problem. but he could be part of the solution.

play him at half forward alongside riewoldt and see whether his creativity cannot lift a forward line that has failed to function for two seasons.

also, give bj a run at ff or bring gehrig back for a final hurrah. we desperately lack viable targets apart from roo.

[davidgrantfan]

""half the time there is no-one home, the players having done the coach's bidding and gotten behind the ball.""

Yes,
Holding up a run of play to wait for our fwds to get up into the goal square just allows more time for the opposition to get even more players back to contest the ball. We saw that happen too many times on sat nite

[fonz_#15]

if you opt to play you are fair game, and dal was pathetic on the weekend.

[perfectionist]

I remember Geelong losing some great players, one went to Melb from memory, we now have some of Sydneys players, Port lost Stevens for nothing, ect, the ONLY difference between us and these teams is that they actually got a flag with the lists they had at the time, we didnt, these teams you mentioned have all moved players on or had players leave and have used the draft or the selection to IMPROVE the list.

If we dont move a few players on and change the core beliefs of this group then we will be in all sorts, a few have to go, you CANT hold onto the past and the players of the past.

I hope Ross is looking to the future, I'm not sure how many on here want to face it or not, but this group we have right now from quality to duds needs a change.

Look what Judd has done for the kids at Carlton, someone like Kerr would be a breath of fresh air to our midfeild IMO but you need to trade for him.

On football alone I would have Didak in my side before Dal so how can this be good for our club going forward.

Our playing group is getting spanked from week to week and performing once every three weeks so changes are needed.

People forgett about what the Lions have done and where they are sitting right now, they will be back into contention in 09 and will probably be doing it without there gun CHF.

We need to trade some players, not just delist and pick up others for picks 70+, we have really dropped the ball in this area and our supporters are happy to keep doing it year in year out

What a load of crap. You don't let facts get in the way of your hatred of Dal Santo. All of the players you mention went to clubs who offered them more money. None of the clubs traded them to get a better list.

If you want to pretend that reason has something to do with your argument, you'll have to do a lot better than that! 0/10

[Bernard Shakey]

starsign says tonsils remain septic until they are removed.

I say crap. I had chronic tonsilitis on and off, as a kid. I still have my tonsis and they are not septic.

[saintspremiers]

If Dal is so sick he should have been rested..sounds a bit odd that a coach and fitness team would let someone so sick actually play. Sounds very strange.

exactly.

If we were talking a big bodied player, then sure, play him, but Dal is not physically big enough to play effectively when well off 100%.

[bigcarl]

I say crap. I had chronic tonsilitis on and off, as a kid. I still have my tonsis and they are not septic.

the infection moved to your brain obviously

[Bernard Shakey]

At least I have one.

[WayneJudson42]

At least I have one.

Good comeback.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

starsign says tonsils remain septic until they are removed.

I say crap. I had chronic tonsilitis on and off, as a kid. I still have my tonsis and they are not septic.

Isn't tonsilitis one of many diseases which is much more serious the older the patient? Or am I getting it mixed up with mononucleosis?

[Zed]

I've said it all day... if there's aproblem with Dal, then the club should say so.

Now they have, and Kosi as well.

Now we know...

Will the apologies be forthcoming? I doubt it

and what about an apology to us supporters for playing someone who wasnt feeling well ? .. should have rested him and played someone who was fit and raring to go.

[Little Dozer]

I've said it all day... if there's aproblem with Dal, then the club should say so.

Now they have, and Kosi as well.

Now we know...

Will the apologies be forthcoming? I doubt it

.. should have rested him and played someone who was fit and raring to go.

It is unbelievable that Armitage is playing at Casey while proven duds like Fiora are selected.

[bergsone]

players want to play,simple as that,coachs medico should have said NO 2 weeks ago.Has he recovered ,should he play this week,Only if he has recovered,if not we cant afford another passenger this week

Take the pressure off by playing him half back,give me a break.Unbelievable

[jonesy]

It's little wonder they all haven't got tonsillitus and Pnuemonia,and other artic like sicknesses.....This weather is unacceptable!

I lived hear all my life until the past 3 1/2 years ,I used to think it was normal,but now i know different....humans aren't supposed to live in this freezer.

Good Luck to Dal

[iwantmeseats]

RL, what a EPIC fail. Totally stupid and irresponsible to even considr playing him. He continues to astound me. Ok, um were struggling, Dal is as crook as a dog, but lets see how he goes , and while Im at it, Ill play Milne outta FF

[Dan Warna]

I've said it all day... if there's aproblem with Dal, then the club should say so.

Now they have, and Kosi as well.

Now we know...

Will the apologies be forthcoming? I doubt it

should not have played then.....

Not selected OR withdrew himself for the sake of the team..

PLUS why go on the footy show if so crook.

Derrrr, let me think...

FS? Already booked.

Play? Maybe made himself available.

If a player says he's right to play, the coaches won't dispute it unless it's a major injury.

Take a chill pill

just goes to show how good dal santo is to rack up the possessions and effort he does when he's sick as a dog.

about coaches playing sick players as well....