An official apology

skeptic · Post: # 1128357Post **skeptic** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 3:36am

To Sean Dempster

I'll be honest... I didn't and haven't rated him.

Criticised him heavily at the start of the season as a player that really didn't bring enough to the team.

Has well and truly proved me wrong... clearly a best 22 player and a gem at that

well done Sean, happy to be proven wrong on that one

keep up the good work

Zac Attack · Tue 30 Aug 2011 5:11am

skeptic wrote:To Sean Dempster

I'll be honest... I didn't and haven't rated him.

Criticised him heavily at the start of the season as a player that really didn't bring enough to the team.

Has well and truly proved me wrong... clearly a best 22 player and a gem at that

well done Sean, happy to be proven wrong on that one

keep up the good work

Unfortunately the majority on this forum get is so completely wrong the majority of the time about players who are pretty average and come up with excuses and on the flipside pump up the tires of Walsh et al.

InkerSaint · Tue 30 Aug 2011 8:32am

http://www.saintsational.com/forum/view ... hp?t=71830

http://www.saintsational.com/forum/view ... hp?t=71866

Lots of Dempster love going around this week.

Johnny Member · Tue 30 Aug 2011 8:49am

I think though, to be fair to everyone who didn't rate him - there is a difference between not rating him on his performances, and declaring he should be hog-tried and thrown in the Yarra because he will never amount to anything.

Not rating a player isn't an issue. If a guy isn't playing well, or hasn't played well in your opinion, there's nothing wrong with expressing that. Infact, you may well have been 100% correct.

However if you declare he must go because he'll never, ever be any good and won't add any value - then yeah, you were wrong.

I think also, most people wanted someone to force Dempster out. I know I did. The way he was playing, wasn't good enough and I think was indicative of where we appeared to be at as a team.

The good thing, that rather than needing to find someone 10% better than Dempster to improve the overall quality of the team - Dempster himself has improved.

So in summary, I don't think public apologies are really neccessary are they?

dragit · Post: # 1128394Post **dragit** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 10:33am

He has improved incrediblyâ€¦

My biggest issue wasn't the actual individuals, more the fact that we had too many role-playing, negating types in the side at once. Of course you need a few, but I felt we have had way too many players who could stop their opponent but didn't actually want the ballâ€¦

I think now that Bakes and Blake are on the fringe we have looked more composed when bringing the footy out of the backline. We're still not amazingly skilled, but most of them want the footy and presentâ€¦

Back to Sean though, it's great to see someone who was probably in the bottom 6 before, now 'picking himself' as Ross would say. Awesome effort!

Johnny Member · Tue 30 Aug 2011 10:40am

Does Dempster get Judd?

bergholt · Post: # 1128397Post **bergholt** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 10:45am

Johnny Member wrote:I think also, most people wanted someone to force Dempster out. I know I did. The way he was playing, wasn't good enough and I think was indicative of where we appeared to be at as a team.

yup, agreed.

similar to jimmy gwilt. i was a vocal critic of jimmy's in 07-09. it wasn't so much that he was playing badly, just that he was having no impact playing the hamill role as the third tall forward. in 09 he kicked a goal every two games playing forward in a side that barely lost a game. i wanted him out of the side, and probably thought that he'd never be an afl player.

then in 2010 he came out and was a revelation in defence. happy to be wrong about him, but i wasn't wrong about him as a forward. he'll never be that sort of player.

same with dempster. before this season he was in and out of the side, playing forward or mid or back but without showing that he'd necessarily be any good in any of those spots. now, with the luxury of a permanent role as a small defender, he's really adding to the team.

very few would argue for his removal now, but that doesn't mean we were wrong to pot him when he wasn't doing much for the team over the last three years. sometimes a player plays badly not because they're a bad person, but because they can't play the role that's being asked of them. that suggests that the coaching staff are to blame more than the player...

dragit · Post: # 1128398Post **dragit** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 10:48am

Johnny Member wrote:Does Dempster get Judd?

I like Jones on Judd, we may rotate a few against him.
Yarran and Garlett were really dangerous last time too, throw in Gibbs & Murphy, you can't stop them allâ€¦

stkildathunda · Tue 30 Aug 2011 10:52am

Johnny Member wrote:Does Dempster get Judd?

Went to Murphy in 2nd half last time and kept him to 7 touches after he had like 16 in first half... Gilbert went to Judd last time and kept him to 8 touches in first half & bit before Ross took him off him for some reason...

stevie · Post: # 1128405Post **stevie** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 11:19am

Johnny Member wrote:Does Dempster get Judd?

Yep. The Dempsternator is impervious to bites, scratches or eye gouges...

The only thing that can stop him is friendly fire from Blakey or Kosi

Cairnsman · Tue 30 Aug 2011 11:21am

The guy has played in 5 AFL grand finals.

And to think he is only 25 (confirm someone).

Isn't it amazing what getting knocked out will do for a guys stocks.

Dempster is one of the best recycled players going around and is a huge part of the reason we have played off in the last two GFs.

Armoooo · Post: # 1128423Post **Armoooo** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 12:12pm

I'll jump on board as well, not so much for Despster, I've always liked him. But I was wrong about Brett Peake, I would have been happy to see him delisted earlier in the season, but he has become another player in recent times.

GrumpyOne · Tue 30 Aug 2011 12:21pm

This thread just goes to show that when it comes to seeing latent talent in players, Ross is better than all of us.

stevie · Post: # 1128427Post **stevie** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 12:27pm

Cairnsman wrote:The guy has played in 5 AFL grand finals.

And to think he is only 25 (confirm someone).

Isn't it amazing what getting knocked out will do for a guys stocks.

Dempster is one of the best recycled players going around and is a huge part of the reason we have played off in the last two GFs.

He was 27 in January

dragit · Post: # 1128428Post **dragit** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 12:27pm

GrumpyOne wrote:This thread just goes to show that when it comes to seeing latent talent in players, Ross is better than all of us.

Yeah, I always assumed that I knew more than Ross, he may one day prove otherwiseâ€¦
Next up, McQualter and Eddy to become absolute leather-poisoned guns.

i_luv_nick_riewoldt · Tue 30 Aug 2011 3:26pm

I'd prefer dempster on murphy. Played so well. Loved his goal this week as well.

Richter · Post: # 1128527Post **Richter** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 4:33pm

There's a lot of love for a tagger going on in here this week.

Dempster's done fine, but for mine when Lenny comes back next year it'll be in place of Dempster or Polo.

He shuts down players but does he really give you that much the other way? That's the thing that has set the likes of Jones apart - a solid contribution going BOTH ways.

The Fireman · Tue 30 Aug 2011 4:59pm

when players are crap, we call them crap.
When players are good, we call them good.

Sainternist · Tue 30 Aug 2011 5:15pm

A little late, Skeptic.

But only by 10 weeks or so

http://www.saintsational.com/forum/view ... t=dempster

jays · Post: # 1128563Post **jays** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 5:46pm

played great this year love the way he plays his footy

Toy Saint · Post: # 1128670Post **Toy Saint** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 9:15pm

Yes, I'm guilty of blaming a few of our players for being too negative and too defensive in the GF. Dempster, Jones, McWalter (spelling), Eddy & Baker. Dempster & Jones have proven me wrong.

noob · Post: # 1128674Post **noob** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 9:29pm

I almost rate him as our best defender.
Have massive trust in him to beat his opponent every week.

skeptic · Post: # 1128679Post **skeptic** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 9:36pm

Toy Saint wrote:Yes, I'm guilty of blaming a few of our players for being too negative and too defensive in the GF. Dempster, Jones, McWalter (spelling), Eddy & Baker. Dempster & Jones have proven me wrong.

I don't think your wrong there though

In hindsight (in my opinion only), Jones, Mini, Eddy and Baker should never have played in the replay

plugger66 · Post: # 1128683Post **plugger66** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 9:43pm

skeptic wrote:
Toy Saint wrote:Yes, I'm guilty of blaming a few of our players for being too negative and too defensive in the GF. Dempster, Jones, McWalter (spelling), Eddy & Baker. Dempster & Jones have proven me wrong.
I don't think your wrong there though

In hindsight (in my opinion only), Jones, Mini, Eddy and Baker should never have played in the replay

You have to replace them though and Armo and Steven werent fit enough. Anyway 4 changes after a drawn GF would be way over the top especially since most others hadnt played for 5 weeks.

skeptic · Post: # 1128689Post **skeptic** » Tue 30 Aug 2011 9:46pm

that's a fair enough point

if I really had it my way I would have had many of them out midseason and would have played some more others b4 they became injured but obviously this approach is neither here nor there

all i'll add though is that if half our team was as physically spent as was made out... we pbly should have made a few more changes (if we had players to change them with)

An official apology

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