Dal back from the brink - article saints.com

fingers · Post: # 705999Post **fingers** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 11:54am

http://www.saints.com.au/fanzone/suppor ... fault.aspx

savatage · Post: # 706006Post **savatage** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 12:43pm

â€œItâ€™s funny. Heâ€™s been here for 20-odd years and Iâ€™ve been here for seven of them. Time just flies. It felt like I was going to retire when I first got here and itâ€™s seven years down the track and heâ€™s finally left,â€

evertonfc · Post: # 706025Post **evertonfc** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 1:18pm

[quote="savatage"]â€œItâ€™s funny. Heâ€™s been here for 20-odd years and Iâ€™ve been here for seven of them. Time just flies. It felt like I was going to retire when I first got here and itâ€™s seven years down the track and heâ€™s finally left,â€

B W and R all over · Tue 03 Mar 2009 2:26pm

[quote="savatage"]â€œItâ€™s funny. Heâ€™s been here for 20-odd years and Iâ€™ve been here for seven of them. Time just flies. It felt like I was going to retire when I first got here and itâ€™s seven years down the track and heâ€™s finally left,â€

savatage · Post: # 706076Post **savatage** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 2:27pm

[quote="B W and R all over"][quote="savatage"]â€œItâ€™s funny. Heâ€™s been here for 20-odd years and Iâ€™ve been here for seven of them. Time just flies. It felt like I was going to retire when I first got here and itâ€™s seven years down the track and heâ€™s finally left,â€

Cairnsman · Post: # 706079Post **Cairnsman** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 2:29pm

Nooooo! Don't go pumping him up just yet!

He hasn't done anythingt. Write that article in about 2 years time after he has sustained the required level week-in week-out.

The back half of his career will determine how he is remembered.

markinUSA · Post: # 706102Post **markinUSA** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 3:23pm

The quote should have been "he" was going to retire (meaning Harvey). Or should that be "He"

Richter · Post: # 706109Post **Richter** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 3:44pm

Has been changed now.

savatage · Post: # 706120Post **savatage** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 3:55pm

I accept payment in cheque or cash. 3% surcharge for credit cards. Thank you.

mad saint guy · Tue 03 Mar 2009 4:33pm

To be honest I don't think droping has changed his output in any way. He still carves it up against shite teams with an inexperienced tagger and goes missing against quality opposition. He simply doesn't run hard enough around the ground and I don't think that has changed.

vacuous space · Tue 03 Mar 2009 6:55pm

mad saint guy wrote:He still carves it up against shite teams with an inexperienced tagger and goes missing against quality opposition.

He had 25+ touches nine times last year, five of them against finals teams. If he's better against non-finals teams, it isn't significantly. He struggled against some quality taggers last year: Cameron Ling, Kane Cornes, Jarrad McVeigh and Chance Bateman. He had big games against Brad Sewell, Kane Johnson and James McDonald. He seems to struggle against top notch taggers when his team's getting beaten. He's hardly alone in that.

bigcarl · Post: # 706216Post **bigcarl** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 7:00pm

mad saint guy wrote:He simply doesn't run hard enough around the ground and I don't think that has changed.

aerobic capacity has a lot to do with it and i'm not sure that he has the tank to be a gut-running midfielder.

still he's a classy and highly skilled player that we need to get the most out of to be a chance this season.

i'd like to see him tried as a half forward.

Solar · Post: # 706218Post **Solar** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 7:03pm

the only improvement I see in dal is for him to play on and take the game on a little more. See pendelbury from collingwood thurs night as an example.

sunsaint · Post: # 706224Post **sunsaint** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 7:10pm

vacuous space wrote:
mad saint guy wrote:He still carves it up against shite teams with an inexperienced tagger and goes missing against quality opposition.
He had 25+ touches nine times last year, five of them against finals teams. If he's better against non-finals teams, it isn't significantly. He struggled against some quality taggers last year: Cameron Ling, Kane Cornes, Jarrad McVeigh and Chance Bateman. He had big games against Brad Sewell, Kane Johnson and James McDonald. He seems to struggle against top notch taggers when his team's getting beaten. He's hardly alone in that.

we know he picks up the possessions thats a given. The problem is when he leads the tagger into their forwardline and they hurt you on the scoreboard, that's the double whammy. Besides picking up 25+ playing loose in the backline is not very special these days, the double switch play can get you 3-4 in a flash.

vacuous space · Tue 03 Mar 2009 10:19pm

sunsaint wrote:Besides picking up 25+ playing loose in the backline is not very special these days, the double switch play can get you 3-4 in a flash.

Except that Dal doesn't get a lot of possessions from his teammates. Joey gets a lot more cheap kicks than Dal does. So do Sam Fisher, Brendon Goddard and Jason Gram. Dal, along with Ball and Hayes, are ball winners. He had a down year in that department last year, but over the last five years, Dal's been consistently either #1 or #2 at the club in terms of winning his own ball. He's also been one of the best in the country in terms of ball use. I think he deserves a little more slack than he gets around here.

marksnsparks · Wed 04 Mar 2009 1:25pm

I'd still rather see him running around in R,W &B than opposing us.

Seen him do some exceptional things. Just needs to be more often to be seen as a great.

rodgerfox · Post: # 706460Post **rodgerfox** » Wed 04 Mar 2009 1:39pm

I think Dal's reaction to his dropping hasn't been that good.

Whenever interviewed, I don't get the feeling he's Ok with it. I think he still feels he was scape-goated.

Doesn't ever seem to categorically say 'I was wrong'. And if he does, softens it by using words like 'probably' and 'I think'.

St DAC · Post: # 706465Post **St DAC** » Wed 04 Mar 2009 1:48pm

And yet, the man himself contradicts you Rodger. Another of your "brilliant insights"?

rodgerfox · Post: # 706480Post **rodgerfox** » Wed 04 Mar 2009 2:18pm

St DAC wrote:And yet, the man himself contradicts you Rodger. Another of your "brilliant insights"?

How so?

fingers · Post: # 706482Post **fingers** » Wed 04 Mar 2009 2:21pm

rodgerfox wrote:I think Dal's reaction to his dropping hasn't been that good.

Whenever interviewed, I don't get the feeling he's Ok with it. I think he still feels he was scape-goated.

Doesn't ever seem to categorically say 'I was wrong'. And if he does, softens it by using words like 'probably' and 'I think'.

I think it's a fine line for an athlete. His words are always about the team and the fact that he is better for it. Saying "I was wrong" publicly does nothing. It's what he says or said to his team mates and how he responds.

saintspremiers · Wed 04 Mar 2009 2:57pm

Was this "internet forum" upset that Dal was dropped at the time?

Sure, some were, but my recollection is that the majority supported the club.

...or perhaps the journo just looked at bigfooty.

In any case, when we have our traditional mid-year soul searching antics, I hope another couple of established players get dropped once again

MC Gusto · Post: # 706556Post **MC Gusto** » Wed 04 Mar 2009 4:21pm

rodgerfox wrote:I think Dal's reaction to his dropping hasn't been that good.

Whenever interviewed, I don't get the feeling he's Ok with it. I think he still feels he was scape-goated.

Doesn't ever seem to categorically say 'I was wrong'. And if he does, softens it by using words like 'probably' and 'I think'.

OH MY GOD YOU ARE RIDICULOUS

St DAC · Post: # 706583Post **St DAC** » Wed 04 Mar 2009 5:10pm

rodgerfox wrote:How so?

Read the article. Dal says the dropping was deserved, and he's benefited from it. You think he's lying?

BigMart · Post: # 706637Post **BigMart** » Wed 04 Mar 2009 7:40pm

It was a ridiculous decision IMO - definitely a scape goat....but if thats what it took...

It may have helped the rest of the group more than Dal.....

I get the distinct feeling that he was angry with the decision......

I do believe it helped Milney - stats would back this up.....but did not make a great deal of difference to Dal...

Milne's game vs (whoever he broke his cheek against) was monumental

Solar · Post: # 706640Post **Solar** » Wed 04 Mar 2009 7:45pm

BigMart wrote:It was a ridiculous decision IMO - definitely a scape goat....but if thats what it took...

It may have helped the rest of the group more than Dal.....

I get the distinct feeling that he was angry with the decision......

I do believe it helped Milney - stats would back this up.....but did not make a great deal of difference to Dal...

Milne's game vs (whoever he broke his cheek against) was monumental

marto agreed, that game was against freo I think