Keep Dal At Saints Campaign

[Toy Saint]

Like.......unless we get a really good offer

[Con Gorozidis]

How about this new team Culture strategy:

1.Everyone currently on the list who played in a 2009 or 2010 grand final is allowed to play as long as they choose(this applies to 11 players)
2. Everyone of these 11 players gets a great send off game and we can really celebrate the club culture and the fantastic run we had in 09/10 when we almost won a flag!
3. The 'send off' games can be used as a terrific base of emotional and sentimental 'feel good factor' that will infuse our young players via air particles and osmosis and the younger players will become better players through this process.
4. Under AFL salary cap rules - each team must pay 95% of the total cap. Given our lack of good players under the age of 29 - each of the 11 09/10 GF players to be paid in the top 12 of players at the club until retirement (Jack Steven to be paid as 12th highest)
4. For the next 10 years - at all home games we can meet and have a beer before, half-time and then after the game where we talk about our almost champions of 09/10 and what a great squad it was with some great champions!

[thejiggingsaint]

Look, I don't want to see the guy leaving us. I would love to see him stay (and maybe win a premiership medal with Roo and Lenny?) BUT if he's not "up for it" and in SOME games that I saw he was fairly anonymous, I think it's just dumb to retain him simply to keep "The class of 2004-09" together, sentiment as I said earlier never won a flag. The decision of whether he goes or stays should above all be one that benefits the club.

[SinCitySainter]

Yeah he was awful this year. So bad he finished 6th in the B&F if only a few more had such bad seasons.

[thejiggingsaint]

I heard a few North Melbourne supporters ringing in today on SEN and they were not too keen on getting Dal.

[saintbrat]

I heard a few North Melbourne supporters ringing in today on SEN and they were not too keen on getting Dal.

good

I trust the football department remember rd 23 and how those sorts of days can build the club- they have mentioned honouring players- this isone chance....

[satchmo]

I admire Dal too, but sentiment never won a flag. Sorry folks, a fact of (AFL) life.

Well if it guarantees a flag then sure. But it would have to be 100% for certain.

[ljpoyz]

If the offer we get is above the club's valuation of Dal, of course we should trade him.

And no it doesn't have to 100% guarantee anything, if the list managers think it makes us 1% more likely to trade we should do it.

[robbie muir]

Absolutely keep Dal. For too long some of our best ever players have played at other clubs.
ie Stewart , Ditterich , Lockett , Winmar , Goddard , Ball etc.
You can destroy the fabric of the club by getting rid of such players as it shows the younger players that there is no loyalty. You don't see the bigger clubs trying to trade their stars once they get close to 30. Why should we.
In addition if he was traded it is unlikely that you would get a pick better than 25 to 30. Such a pick is no guarantee of a successful player. Keeping Dal would probably means he plays another 100 games as his body holds up pretty well and passing on his knowledge to the youngsters coming through.

[saintbrat]

http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-09-1 ... -dal-santo

[SemperFidelis]

Like.

Want to win a premiership in my lifetime, know we have to trade well this off season, know I have to pull my head out of the proverbial and get used to free agency ...

But still LIKE!

I may be a gullible, sentimental fool but I believed this when he wrote it, which was presumably after North made its intentions known (given what was said on radio today). He could have kept his thoughts to himself. He didn't.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/t ... 2qfwl.html

Fortius quo fidelius. It has to mean something, or we might as well trade it in too when we trade away a 260 game All Australian. If Dal wants to stay, he should be accorded the respect of serving out his contract.

Nice to see Pelchen throw us a bone tonight ...

Please Stay Dal +4

[St Lenny]

Surely if St Kilda dont show loyalty to long serving players like Dal, how can they expect loyalty from their supporters.

[saintspremiers]

Surely if St Kilda dont show loyalty to long serving players like Dal, how can they expect loyalty from their supporters.

Move on. That's footy.

[PADDLEPOP1001]

Surely if St Kilda dont show loyalty to long serving players like Dal, how can they expect loyalty from their supporters.

Move on. That's footy.

No it's not,not all players are about free agency ,we all make the mistake of thinking that!

[Bernard Shakey]

I heard a few North Melbourne supporters ringing in today on SEN and they were not too keen on getting Dal.

good

I trust the football department remember rd 23 and how those sorts of days can build the club- they have mentioned honouring players- this isone chance....

Yeah I remember all those sort of days honouring players that took us to wooden spoon after wooden spoon. The club really built then!

[thejiggingsaint]

I think the Football Club are considering all their options. I think that this is how it should be. I have loved seeing Dal play with us, and I hope that he continues with us, however, if a good deal FOR THE FUTURE comes up with a trading of Dal involved then the club should be actively considering it. Consider this scenario; the Head of Football Mr Pelchen, listens to the "keep Dal campaign" and misses out on a good deal for the club, then in 2014 Dal plays at less than his best in a side that is low on the ladder again, I could be wrong on this of course, but feel that the calls would be coming from posters demanding to know why we didn't trade the guy when we could!

[Bernard Shakey]

I think the Football Club are considering all their options. I think that this is how it should be. I have loved seeing Dal play with us, and I hope that he continues with us, however, if a good deal FOR THE FUTURE comes up with a trading of Dal involved then the club should be actively considering it. Consider this scenario; the Head of Football Mr Pelchen, listens to the "keep Dal campaign" and misses out on a good deal for the club, then in 2014 Dal plays at less than his best in a side that is low on the ladder again, I could be wrong on this of course, but feel that the calls would be coming from posters demanding to know why we didn't trade the guy when we could!

Yeah, just like we should have with Kosi after the 2008 season.

[The Redeemer]

I think the Football Club are considering all their options. I think that this is how it should be. I have loved seeing Dal play with us, and I hope that he continues with us, however, if a good deal FOR THE FUTURE comes up with a trading of Dal involved then the club should be actively considering it. Consider this scenario; the Head of Football Mr Pelchen, listens to the "keep Dal campaign" and misses out on a good deal for the club, then in 2014 Dal plays at less than his best in a side that is low on the ladder again, I could be wrong on this of course, but feel that the calls would be coming from posters demanding to know why we didn't trade the guy when we could!

Yeah, just like we should have with Kosi after the 2008 season.

Funnily enough his best season came in 2009 however sheesh...what could have been

[thejiggingsaint]

I can still remember Stewart Loewe's retirement game. All the emotion before, during and after the game, how stoked we all were in the Victory room after the game, when "Buckets" came on stage and took off his top to show he was still wearing a Saints Guernsey! FANTASTIC memories, but does anyone remember the result? A smacking by Melbourne! With Everitt playing like a passenger, and he was not alone! Yes I love all the milestone games, but d'you know something? I'm getting just a wee bit tired of us being a club that's known for just "sending-off retiring players in style" (particularly when they are usually non-premiership players!) I would LOVE at some stage before I die to have memories of a GF WIN!!!!!

[6621104]

Its a schizophrenic thing, loyalty. Must go both ways. You can hardly expect players to sign on and punish themselves for each other and also for us season after season, to play for the jumper and the coach and to stay even when others with more money come calling if that service, sacrifice and commitment means nothing. Long serving one club players who have been more than serviceable and in fact champions should not be forced from the club because they have value when the less skilled, role player gets to finish and have that one last day in front of us all as we thank them as we should. Dal should stay, we should want him to stay and no draft pick will ever make up for the damage to a club when a player of his stature is traded away against their will.

[thejiggingsaint]

The club need to consider ALL options in building toward some success, is all I'm saying. On the other side of the coin, if Dal should be offered better terms than he's getting here, should HE not consider his options also? You know, if he remains here (and I hope he does) with a contract extension, and his form is less than its been this season, I'm wondering just how "loyal" some will be on here toward NDS?

[longtimesaint]

That's the chance you take. We know that Dal has the ability and all things being equal will give us at least another two years at a high standard. If we traded him for pick 26, and that player remains a fringe player while we watch Dal starring for another club, what would be said on the forum then?

[savatage]

That's the chance you take. We know that Dal has the ability and all things being equal will give us at least another two years at a high standard. If we traded him for pick 26, and that player remains a fringe player while we watch Dal starring for another club, what would be said on the forum then?

I don't enjoy what if scenarios. What if Nick Dal Santo does his knee round 1 next year? It's a pointless exercise.

We know what we're going to get out of Dal Santo & it's quite good - but it may only be quite good for another 2-3 seasons. If we do trade him & get 2 players out of him - then it's worth the chance I think.

[avid]

I don't really know how, loyalty, commitment, tradition, honour, affects the players. I assume it has some significance -- it obviously has massive significance for fans.

A some stage, maybe 200 games, surely we need to draw a line and say THIS PLAYER IS NO LONGER A COMMODITY: THIS PLAYER IS A LEGEND --officially.
No CLUB LEGEND should ever be traded (unless they want to go for their own reasons)
Surely it matters that we keep them, surely a one-club player means something, surely it matters that service to the club is recognised and honoured.
Isn't this part of what great clubs are built on?

[Con Gorozidis]

Great clubs are built on flags
Love dal. Top bloke. Top player.
But let's calm down on the sentiment until we at least have an offer.
We are getting ahead of ourselves.
I for one don't want to give up hope of a flag in five years and for my only joy in the next five years to be one farewell game a year in which we will probably get pumped by ten goals.
Not sure about everyone else but how long do people really think we can stay down the bottom because unless we get everything right we are headed for at least five years down the bottom. Something the club cannot afford.
If you are looking for someone to blame don't turn on your fellow suffering supporter blame the club MGT who failed dismally in recruitment from 2004 to 2010.
Because of that we don't have the luxury of sentiment.
I'm not wanting to trade dal but ill wait and see on what is on offer first.
In a lot of the games he wa pretty disinterested .
If people think us having old guys cruising around going through the motions and collecting a pay cheque is good for our culture they're dreaming. I want to see a team of desperate rabid dogs .