We enter 2018 without one champion player.

[saintsRrising]

With Roo retiring we enter 2018 without one champion player.

I am in my mid-fifties and off the top of my head that will be the first time since I have been watching that we will have gone into a season without a champion player on our list.

Cowboy, Young, Barks, Plugga, Winmar, Banger, Buckets, Burkey, Hayes, Rooey......



Caveat: Unless we sign Dusty etc.

[Apples]

I'm in my mid 60's Saints Rising and couldn't agree more, even when we were crap in the early 80's we had at least 1 or 2 A graders most games. We also had a fair list of characters over the journey like Cowboy, Big Carl, Spider Everitt, Lazar Vidovic, G Train etc but the current crop is very bland
As a life long Saints supporter for me this is really sad, not sure we have anybody who could come out of left field to take up the mantle, perhaps Jake the Snake has some X factor under wraps, other than that for me there is nobody

[borderbarry]

I go one further, I am in my late 70's,and I saw the same. Maybe in the 50;s we had periods without a true champion, but then we got Paul Dodd, Allan Morrow, Bill Stevenson, Bill Young, and we had Neil Roberts and Brian Gleeson. Then we got the Tasmanians, Baldock, Stewart. We have had our share of Champions over the years, but I agree, if we have any left now they have not shown themselves yet.

[remboy]

I'm not sure that this is entirely a bad thing. I remember talking to a 90+ year old Saints supporter some years ago and he said the Saints had always had champion players but never had a champion team. I think that is very true. Might be time to build a team rather than rely too much on too few.

[longtimesaint]

I'm not sure that this is entirely a bad thing. I remember talking to a 90+ year old Saints supporter some years ago and he said the Saints had always had champion players but never had a champion team. I think that is very true. Might be time to build a team rather than rely too much on too few.

That is true and I watched my first match in 1958 and we have always had champions but not enough depth.
In the early 90's we had five of the best in the competition in Lockett, Loewe, Harvey, Winmar and Burke but still not enough other good players to win premierships.
The bottom five players in any team will be your downfall because they fail under pressure and good sides capitalise.

[fugazi]

Forget Champion...we enter next year without an A grader.
Not so long ago we had half a dozen.

[ralphsmith]

Interesting point saintsrising and spot on.

For my entire footy life there has always been one or more champion players. Burke, Lockett, Loewe, Winmar, Harvey, Hayes, Riewoldt.

We are entering strange territory next year. How many teams win grand finals without champions? Not too many.

[The Recruit]

Josh Kelly would count..?

[saintsRrising]

Josh Kelly would count..?

Yes, Kelly would qualify as an etc

Caveat: Unless we sign Dusty etc.

[bigcarl]

I'm not sure that this is entirely a bad thing. I remember talking to a 90+ year old Saints supporter some years ago and he said the Saints had always had champion players but never had a champion team. I think that is very true. Might be time to build a team rather than rely too much on too few.

This

[saintsRrising]

I'm not sure that this is entirely a bad thing. I remember talking to a 90+ year old Saints supporter some years ago and he said the Saints had always had champion players but never had a champion team. I think that is very true. Might be time to build a team rather than rely too much on too few.

This

Can you show me one champion team in the AFL/VFL that did not have some champion players in it?

It is not a matter of relaying on champion players ONLY, but rather that you need that extra but of oomph if you want to be Top 4, or better.

Where would the Cats be this year without Danger and Selwood? Or the Tigers with dusty and Rance?


Now equally GWS is chock-full of talent, but is not fully realising that talent as they play like millionaires with too many players wanting to be the hero.

Also Clarko has shown what a difference good coaching can and does make. But the Hawks still have some very good players too.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Truth is there are fewer superstars across the board. And they're now spread across 18 teams.
How many does Geelong have? Dangerfield, Selwood and ... ? Compare that to ten years ago.

But yeah, marquee players at the Saints are now non-existent and the revenue streams will suffer.
Nor will we get many prime-time games.

[thejiggingsaint]

Truth is there are fewer superstars across the board. And they're now spread across 18 teams.
How many does Geelong have? Dangerfield, Selwood and ... ? Compare that to ten years ago.

But yeah, marquee players at the Saints are now non-existent and the revenue streams will suffer.
Nor will we get many prime-time games.

If our " champion team" hits winning form in 2018..... WHO says we won't get many prime time games?

[saintspremiers]

I just turned 120 recently and while my memories of the 1897-99 periid are a bit hazy we don't have any champs then. We couldn't win a bloody game FFS!

[Con Gorozidis]

I have been meaning to post on this topic.
We currently don't have a player in the top 50 in the comp.
Arguably we don't have a player in the top 100 in the AFL.

[thejiggingsaint]

I have been meaning to post on this topic.
We currently don't have a player in the top 50 in the comp.
Arguably we don't have a player in the top 100 in the AFL.

But apart from that, you're more than happy with life?

[Teflon]

This is interesting more broadly
The game to me does feel as though it has a genuine dearth of true superstars...
I grew up in an era watching: Carey, Lockett, Ablett, Voss, Buckley , Harvey, Hird, Earl Spalding (just checking whose awake...)

Anyway, I know now there are more teams etc but it feels thin
Dusty would've been a good player alongside that group but not elite IMO
I truly believe grass roots football is struggling and soccer is rampant -see it at my kids school daily.... 3 play AFL.....rest soccer

[freely]

Never thought about it like this before. But interestingly, our only current player who really looks like a potential 'champion' is Paddy. If only we could get him on the park!

[saintspremiers]

Never thought about it like this before. But interestingly, our only current player who really looks like a potential 'champion' is Paddy. If only we could get him on the park!

Disagree. Can't see him moving anywhere fast enough to be that bursting the pack running forward that the modern game demands.

[dals_da_bomb]

MEMBREY could be a real talent.

[saintsRrising]

MEMBREY could be a real talent.

He could.

But this thread is about who would enter 2018 as a champion player, rather than who may become one.

[dals_da_bomb]

MEMBREY could be a real talent.

He could.

But this thread is about who would enter 2018 as a champion player, rather than who may become one.

Checkmate.
you got me there.

[Selhurst Saint]

I am in my early fifties and we have always had heroes/champions/leaders. I started with the Cowboy and George Young, moved on to Barks Plugger and Joffa, then came Burke, Harvey, Loewe and Winmar. Then the new breed of Roo and Lenny came along. They all overlapped to some extent passing on the leadership baton. I now feel we have nothing. We have some good footballers but no champions and more importantly- Leaders.

[DJ Higgins]

Never thought about it like this before. But interestingly, our only current player who really looks like a potential 'champion' is Paddy. If only we could get him on the park!

I am still unsure why people rate Paddy so highly? Forget his draft pick number as that is meaningless now. What has he done yet? He looks unfit, has terrible awareness of his surroundings hence his last concussion,has the ball go thru his hands a lot, has no tank, no real speed and is not overly agile? I am not saying he wont be ok but a champion? really

[CURLY]

Carlisle is elite in his position and a A Grader.