Zac-Pelchen ?? !!

[Eastern]

I like Zac, but if we were to get a good offer would let him go in a heartbeat!

Are you over 50? !!

[BushDave]

We can't afford to screw up our back line whilst we are trying to build a forward line.

Zac must stay!

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Could be pure speculation...Gary Lyon on MMM mentioned that Dawson might be heading to Freo...he heard from a source and Damien Barrett said that's what some sources are whispering

I would be surprised if he went to his third club, wouldn't be surprised if he followed the guy who gave him a second chance though

Freo have an AA fullback...would Zac really want to head West so he can play in the WAFL? Or are they seeing him as a key forward now? Sounds like a class A WAG from the other Lyon.

Think again. Luke McPharlin has had a lot of success when played forward and could very easily slot back up there and be a weapon there for Freo. Him forward could actually be the "missing link" for them, if they got someone like Zac to play at FB. That sort of move could help take them to the next level.
In his time here Ross tried the likes of Zac, Gilbert and Fisher forward, but none of them are as good forward as McPharlin, so that move may appeal greatly to Ross. If they're trading for Mitch Clarke, though (and Brisbane apparently want a heap in return for him) then it would be tough for them to get both Clarke and Zac.

[defacto]

the game is going away from the zac dawson sized full back whos light on frame and agile. its going back to a darren glass bigger body contested possession style full back. no suprise players like mcpharlin, gibson and frawley have all starred this season.

i just dont know who we have that can be that player. gwilt is the closest i can think of.

time to trade in dawson whilst he still has come kind of value.

[3rd generation saint]

People do like to bag Zac, however, when was the last time anyone kicked a bag on him.
Think that SOS had a lot of influence on him, and think if we could get Maxy back, he would help Zac a lot.
Zac's weakness is one on one, because he hasn't got the strength to wrestle with the big forwards, but if he can run and jump to spoil the ball, he wins 8-9 times out of ten.

[bozza1980]

His skills are terrible, every time he has to kick the ball you hope the kick will hit.

Massive disposal efficiency...are you sure you're talking about the right guy?

Yes im sure, I've seen it, bit of pressure and hes gone.
The only kicks he is ok at are the little short 25m ones.

Everytime he gets it, you cringe.

Zac is very good with ball in hand, he may not be Brendan Goddard or Nick Dal Santo good but we'd win a lot more games if every other play on our list had Zac's disposal skills.

If you cringe when he gets the ball you must have a heart attack when a half dozen or so of our actual terrible users get it.

I can questioning of him when he finds himself in 1 on 1 contests, because even when he wins the contest he looks horrible, but to question his disposal is not founded in reality.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

People do like to bag Zac, however, when was the last time anyone kicked a bag on him.
Think that SOS had a lot of influence on him, and think if we could get Maxy back, he would help Zac a lot.
Zac's weakness is one on one, because he hasn't got the strength to wrestle with the big forwards, but if he can run and jump to spoil the ball, he wins 8-9 times out of ten.

I think the lack of bags kicked on him has a lot more to do with the way our team played then Zac's abilities. I thought a couple of times lately how it would have been if he had played fullback 15 years ago, when he would have been one-out all day against the likes of Dunstall, Lockett, Kernahan, Ablett and Modra and I just cringed. They would have ripped him a new one pretty much every time. Imagine Lockett wrestling with Zac, with no Fisher's, Gilbert's or Gwilts jumping over the top, to help him out!
I'm actually disappointed with SOS's influence on Zac, because I believe Zac doesn't make anywhere near the best of his chances to stop someone marking the ball and that's because of his obsession with making body contact with someone, basically every time the ball comes near him in the air. I would have thought SOS would have known that outbodying someone is not the only way to prevent them from marking the ball, or that he'd have at least been able to teach Zac that. Yet there are instances in probably every match where Zac has the chance (usually when coming back with the flight) to simply jump at the ball himself and either mark it, or punch it away, yet time after time he insists on trying to find the body and in doing so takes his eyes off the ball. This is not smart for two reasons: One is that taking your eyes off the ball makes it harder to then get a fist on it, or get best body position, as you've lost sight of where exactly the ball is going to land and secondly, wrestling, or trying to outbody someone is not a strength of Zac's, as he's so thin. He would be far better off playing to his strengths and using his athleticism and height more and just going for the ball more often in those instances.
I think if he continues to play FB it would be brilliant for him if we (or another club, if he leaves) got someone in who had a habit of taking marks at FB, to teach him when to just go for the ball himself. Or just watch videos of Brian Lake's 2009/2010 seasons, when he marked everything in sight. Or videos of Dustin Fletcher, who is also thin and tall, but plays to his strengths more. If he then learned that, on top of the good stuff SOS would have taught him, he would be someone we really wouldn't want to let go.
Right now though, if we end up rebuilding immediately and someone offered us something decent for Zac, I think you'd probably be best to take it, or else make sure he gets re-programmed, maybe even by spending the summer up forward, just going for the ball again.And then or course he needs to hit the gym. Hard.

[degruch]

Could be pure speculation...Gary Lyon on MMM mentioned that Dawson might be heading to Freo...he heard from a source and Damien Barrett said that's what some sources are whispering

I would be surprised if he went to his third club, wouldn't be surprised if he followed the guy who gave him a second chance though

Freo have an AA fullback...would Zac really want to head West so he can play in the WAFL? Or are they seeing him as a key forward now? Sounds like a class A WAG from the other Lyon.

Think again. Luke McPharlin has had a lot of success when played forward and could very easily slot back up there and be a weapon there for Freo. Him forward could actually be the "missing link" for them, if they got someone like Zac to play at FB. That sort of move could help take them to the next level.
In his time here Ross tried the likes of Zac, Gilbert and Fisher forward, but none of them are as good forward as McPharlin, so that move may appeal greatly to Ross. If they're trading for Mitch Clarke, though (and Brisbane apparently want a heap in return for him) then it would be tough for them to get both Clarke and Zac.

You may be right, but Mitch Clarke is coming to Freo, nothing more certain...they have the money, plus players and/or picks to trade to do it. Besides, would they want Zac, Clarke and Zac Clarke in the same team? It'd be a nightmare!!!

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

That would be funny!
I hear that Zac Clarke is the one Brisbane want for Mitch Clarke (plus a draft pick or two, or whatever), though, which would make sense for both parties.
Freo were around the top 4 for a chunk of this year, despite their injuries, so if they can add Ross, Mitch Clarke and say Zac (freeing McPharlin up to go forward), without losing too much from their best current team, they could be a huge chance to win a flag (especially if they get on top of their horrendous injuries).

[gringo]

People do like to bag Zac, however, when was the last time anyone kicked a bag on him.
Think that SOS had a lot of influence on him, and think if we could get Maxy back, he would help Zac a lot.
Zac's weakness is one on one, because he hasn't got the strength to wrestle with the big forwards, but if he can run and jump to spoil the ball, he wins 8-9 times out of ten.

I think the lack of bags kicked on him has a lot more to do with the way our team played then Zac's abilities. I thought a couple of times lately how it would have been if he had played fullback 15 years ago, when he would have been one-out all day against the likes of Dunstall, Lockett, Kernahan, Ablett and Modra and I just cringed. They would have ripped him a new one pretty much every time. Imagine Lockett wrestling with Zac, with no Fisher's, Gilbert's or Gwilts jumping over the top, to help him out!

Imagine if he still had to play in those knickerbocker shorts and a hat also?
I'm actually disappointed with SOS's influence on Zac, because I believe Zac doesn't make anywhere near the best of his chances to stop someone marking the ball and that's because of his obsession with making body contact with someone, basically every time the ball comes near him in the air. I would have thought SOS would have known that outbodying someone is not the only way to prevent them from marking the ball, or that he'd have at least been able to teach Zac that. Yet there are instances in probably every match where Zac has the chance (usually when coming back with the flight) to simply jump at the ball himself and either mark it, or punch it away, yet time after time he insists on trying to find the body and in doing so takes his eyes off the ball. This is not smart for two reasons: One is that taking your eyes off the ball makes it harder to then get a fist on it, or get best body position, as you've lost sight of where exactly the ball is going to land and secondly, wrestling, or trying to outbody someone is not a strength of Zac's, as he's so thin. He would be far better off playing to his strengths and using his athleticism and height more and just going for the ball more often in those instances.
I think if he continues to play FB it would be brilliant for him if we (or another club, if he leaves) got someone in who had a habit of taking marks at FB, to teach him when to just go for the ball himself. Or just watch videos of Brian Lake's 2009/2010 seasons, when he marked everything in sight. Or videos of Dustin Fletcher, who is also thin and tall, but plays to his strengths more. If he then learned that, on top of the good stuff SOS would have taught him, he would be someone we really wouldn't want to let go.
Right now though, if we end up rebuilding immediately and someone offered us something decent for Zac, I think you'd probably be best to take it, or else make sure he gets re-programmed, maybe even by spending the summer up forward, just going for the ball again.And then or course he needs to hit the gym. Hard.

Maybe the coach played him that way? Punch and spoil and let the runners clear it?

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

True, but what about all the times he could have just kept his eye on it and gone the spoil to start with, instead of just automatically trying to find the body, to instigate unnecessary body contact? Who taught him to do that (or didn't teach that out of his game)?

[St Ick]

I'd be unhappy if we lost Zac as we have put up with him for so long, he comes good and suddenly we lose him? I find it interesting that our frustrating recycled players such as Dempster, Zac etc have had a lot of time in the senior team to come good - which they have mind you, but our kids had to do apprenticeships... anyway, thats another story...

Key position players don't grow on trees, to lose a 196cm full back would hurt us more in the short term than losing one of our midfield guns such as Joey.

For everyone asking when has he had a bag kicked on him, I think he would have if big fwds could kick straight. Cloke, Hall, Pods have monstered him at times but not capitalised. Even that Irish nut from Carlton had his measure in round 24, most of the goals kicked in the first half of that game were from Zac's opponent.

I like Zac, I think he is a vital part of our backline and it works so well because of blokes like Blake and Chips who help him out, someone like Gilbert can be replaced, but Zac wont be replaced easily.

[MrCordz]

ZAC is Gone to FREO

[The Sainter]

Someone here commented on his kicking out from goals??? What are they talking about? Goddard and dal Santo seem to do most of the kick outs.
As I have stated before here he is the worst full back I have ever seen who keeps getting selected every game in nearly sixty years of watching my beloved Saints. Like him we have had some ordinary full backs in very poor teams but they never were walk up starters like he has become, I would be very nervous if I was Zac with a new coach coming in.

[bobmurray]

ZAC is Gone to FREO

why do you think that is official....

[groupie1]

His skills are terrible, every time he has to kick the ball you hope the kick will hit.

Massive disposal efficiency...are you sure you're talking about the right guy?

That's true, but it tends to happen that those deep defenders have lots of little kicks around to players standing on their own, inflates disposal efficiency a lot. it's a known flaw in this particular statistic.

[Plugger87]

I hope Pelchen is a smart man and moves him on. We are going nowhere fast with him as our FB!! No more Lyin game plan that protects him for being caught one out and when he is, he is severly exposed.

[Moccha]

Let him become Lyin's Achilles heel at Fremantle

[True Blue Sainter]

I would rate Zac Dawson in the top 6 full backs in the league. He has his bad days but that is the nature of his role. He isn't Scarlet or glass but he is our best option in a difficult position. Hawthorn would have loved to get him back I would think.

Scarlett, Glass, Rutten, McPharlin, Merrett, Jamison, Tarrant, Gibson and Frawley have all been better in the past two years IMO.

[Saints 2012]

Complete hack that consistently gets beaten 1 on 1, doesn't get enough of the ball himself, cannot kick on his right foot, absolutely no physical presence. He would not get a game by any club that is in the same or worse position than ours – Bombers, Dogs, Dees, Tigers, Crows, North, Swans, Freo.

He might get a game at GWS or Port if he is lucky.

[degruch]

Complete hack that consistently gets beaten 1 on 1, doesn't get enough of the ball himself, cannot kick on his right foot, absolutely no physical presence. He would not get a game by any club that is in the same or worse position than ours – Bombers, Dogs, Dees, Tigers, Crows, North, Swans, Freo.

He might get a game at GWS or Port if he is lucky.

...or the Saints, if we're lucky.

[skeptic]

I'd keep Dawson

He does his job... we've got greater holes in the forward line, midfield and ruck to fill b4 we worry about the backline

[Little Dozer]

Would be very disappointed if we lost Zac.

He is a very good stopper.

Agree with that comment, the only problem with Zac is that's all he does Stop. He needs to get more strings in his bow like the current good fullbacks, Scarlett, Tarrant, Gibson. These players also stop but they also use the ball and take on the game. It might of been the way Ross wanted him to play his game. Time will tell.

Zac has nowhere near the football ability of these guys, that's the problem. Now RL has gone, Zac is history at St Kilda, thankfully.

[plugger66]

Would be very disappointed if we lost Zac.

He is a very good stopper.

Agree with that comment, the only problem with Zac is that's all he does Stop. He needs to get more strings in his bow like the current good fullbacks, Scarlett, Tarrant, Gibson. These players also stop but they also use the ball and take on the game. It might of been the way Ross wanted him to play his game. Time will tell.

Zac has nowhere near the football ability of these guys, that's the problem. Now RL has gone, Zac is history at St Kilda, thankfully.

He will play FB for our seniors next year whoever coaches. Incase you hadnt realised he is our best option there.

[Leo.J]

Would be very disappointed if we lost Zac.

He is a very good stopper.

Agree with that comment, the only problem with Zac is that's all he does Stop. He needs to get more strings in his bow like the current good fullbacks, Scarlett, Tarrant, Gibson. These players also stop but they also use the ball and take on the game. It might of been the way Ross wanted him to play his game. Time will tell.

Zac has nowhere near the football ability of these guys, that's the problem. Now RL has gone, Zac is history at St Kilda, thankfully.

He will play FB for our seniors next year whoever coaches. Incase you hadnt realised he is our best option there.

Have to agree with you Plugger, he's our best option atm.

He's 26 next year, still potentially has another 4 years in him.

And he has a 66% winning record since being at the club... better than Ross