Paddy

[takeaway]

With his concussion history I will be happy gets through the first 6 or so games with no hassles, even if he does not have much impact, and even with a game off. Can hardly be flying with confidence, after his issues. Needs games under his belt and I am confident he will deliver. No more concussions please. Quiet today but still could easily have kicked 3.

[Moods]

The irony of all this is that we panicked and picked Paddy because the thinking was that big key fwds were so rare and valuable after Tom Boyd had signed his 6 year $6mill contract or whatever it was after being poached from GWS. Now Tom Boyd can't even get a game at the Bulldogs......

[Scollop]

Gee I'd love Townsend in my team right now

At this stage of his career Paddy is a liability to his team. Sounds harsh, but this is a ruthless caper. Can't afford to carry passengers

Play him against weaker teams only or we risk any chance of making finals. Even then he has to earn his spot. He has to nail his opportunities.

[Impatient Sainter]

Petracca in the forward line with short bursts in the midfield would have been nice.

Thanks Trout

Plus one. To quote Lethal Leigh when talking about Jack Watts, " I haven't seen anything in this kid that would warrant taking him as a number one pick." I thought the same the first time I saw Paddy. I couldn't see what the hype about him was, although he did look handy. Go back and look at his U/18 YouTube highlights. Good, but not great. Nothing there that would warrant a number one pick being used on him. To rub it in, Petracca is already performing at a high level and will only get better.

Like many, I was hoping, rather than believing in Paddy. I really hope he proves us doubters wrong. He needs to if we are going to succeed in the medium to long term. Somehow, I don't think it's going to happen and I'm not basing that just on one poor game today. Most of his games have been poor and he's hardly shown a thing up to now, his fourth year. Not athletic, not quick, no endurance and an average kick for goal at best. Four preseasons in and he's still struggling with his running. He should be flying by now.

Agree what were they possibly seeing in this unfortunate diabetic suffering, over weight kid to think he would remarkably turn into an AFL footballer? Let alone someone worthy of No 1 draft choice? As I have said he will go down as one of the worst No 1 draft picks in draft history. If he suffers more concussions he wins the prize as the absolute worst.

[bigred]

What gets me is that I saw him training late last year and he looked FIT.

Earlier in the preseason I saw him training and he looked FIT.

Today he looked like he ate all the pies.

Just gotta keep playing him.

[iwantmeseats]

Blind Freddy would have picked Petracca

[stonecold]

Blind Freddy would have picked Petracca

Going early some!!!!!

[Moods]

Blind Freddy would have picked Petracca

Going early some!!!!!

Early?? He's into his 3rd year isn't he? Or is the 4th? Most #1 picks have made an impact by now

[Toy Saint]

Both Paddy and Sinclair were quite poor today

[stonecold]

Blind Freddy would have picked Petracca

Going early some!!!!!

Early?? He's into his 3rd year isn't he? Or is the 4th? Most #1 picks have made an impact by now

Another loyal servent, gotta love em!!!!!

[Moods]

Blind Freddy would have picked Petracca

Going early some!!!!!

Early?? He's into his 3rd year isn't he? Or is the 4th? Most #1 picks have made an impact by now

Another loyal servent, gotta love em!!!!!

Just a disappointed servant. Our young blokes aren't coming through. Great to see Acres play well. Ross got into the game late, Dunstan has been dropped. Sinclair was average.

On a brighter note Billings was very good and created heaps of goals. Just needs to kick straight and he will elevate himself to A grade.

[stonecold]

Blind Freddy would have picked Petracca

Going early some!!!!!

Early?? He's into his 3rd year isn't he? Or is the 4th? Most #1 picks have made an impact by now

Another loyal servent, gotta love em!!!!!

Just a disappointed servant. Our young blokes aren't coming through. Great to see Acres play well. Ross got into the game late, Dunstan has been dropped. Sinclair was average.

On a brighter note Billings was very good and created heaps of goals. Just needs to kick straight and he will elevate himself to A grade.

So Acres and Billings are not young and getting better then?????

[Shaggy]

Paddy's marking is elite. Needs to match game day with training. Important he starts to have games continuity for confidence and stamina

[saintkev]

Play him in the backline. Bob Murray struggled up forward and became a champion full-back.

[fugazi]

Give him 5 games in a row and see how he is tracking.
Jury well and truly out, but you can't judge him on a first round performance in a brand new role.

[mad saint guy]

I dearly hope Paddy makes it but he's a long, long way off right now. It's going to hurt seeing Petracca start to dominate from this season onward. I know it's a pointless, painful hypothetical but imagine if we had taken Petracca and then landed Lynch this year. There's no way we'd miss finals in 2019 lining up like this...

B: Webster, Brown, Geary
HB: Savage, Carlisle, Roberton
C: Sinclair, Steele, Acres
HF: Billings, Lynch, Petracca
F: Gresham, Bruce, Membrey

Foll: Longer, Steven, Ross
Int: Clark, Coffield, Dunstan, Newnes

That would be one of the most deadly half forward lines ever assembled.

[minneapolis]

Paddy supporters are really just hopers.

As a comparison, Membrey was very good from day 1 and always showed a bit of talent.

Paddy is a nice guy but nowhere near a No 1 pick.

A shame for him and the club.

[Joffa Burns]

Some of you really support the 'Filth’ don't you!!!!!

So it's ok to write the game has passed ' Hickledik' by and comment that he is not up to it, but not ok to make accurate assessment on Paddy?

You are acting as a hypocrite my good man!!!!!!!!

[saintspremiers]

Some of you really support the 'Filth’ don't you!!!!!

Who cares about your opinion?

You’re Paddy’s number one fan yet if we were talking about Hickey you’d be bagging him a hundred times harder than anyone else.

Smells like a troll, looks like a troll.....

[st.byron]

Some of you really support the 'Filth’ don't you!!!!!

No mate. Just calling a spade a spade. He has shown sfa towards justifying being a first round pick, let alone number one. Agree with others.....slow, didn’t hold his ground, for all his “McClunkin” hype, he’s not that great a mark and not that great a kick. Looks like a complete stuff up by Elshaug.

[st.byron]

Blind Freddy would have picked Petracca

Going early some!!!!!

Early?? He's into his 3rd year isn't he? Or is the 4th? Most #1 picks have made an impact by now

Into his fourth year.

[Myron Gaines]

Apart from a few minutes verse Rance in 2016 I’ve seen nothing to suggest Paddy makes it as a longterm AFL player let alone the dominant forward we all hope he becomes. If he wasn’t pick 1 he would’ve been close to delisted by now. Looks like a country footballer.

[perfectionist]

.. Looks like a country footballer.

That's a bit unfair - there are some good country footballers.

[WellardSaint]

Apart from a few minutes verse Rance in 2016 I’ve seen nothing to suggest Paddy makes it as a longterm AFL player let alone the dominant forward we all hope he becomes. If he wasn’t pick 1 he would’ve been close to delisted by now. Looks like a country footballer.

+1.

We only signed him again because nobody else in the country wanted him.
It was purely a token effort to justify the ridiculous decision to draft him in the first place.

[SaintPav]

The play which nearly got Bruth killed was bad, really bad.