Bernard Shakey wrote:
I am more concerned about Dal Santo, probably the most talented player on our list. He finished 4th, which most would say is pretty good.
It is rubbish.
If he played to half his ability, he would have finished 1st or 2nd.
Dal needs to play to his undoubted ability or we, as Saints supporters are being ripped off.
Dal, lift your game and play to your ability, for your sake, for the sake of the team and for the sake of the supporters, who pay your wage.
I wouldn't say Dal Santo is more talented than Riewoldt ... so fair enough to finish as a runner-up to Roo.
Dal takes the hard tag every week, and still did in '07. What that allowed was Montagna to play loose and have a terrific year.
For instance - Joey dominated in Rounds 12 and 13. So what did Malthouse do the following week?
He tagged Montagna. Dal had a better run at it and polled 3 votes for BOG.
Now being tagged is no excuse, but Dal finished about 10th in the Brownlow, and top 25 in the Herald Sun award.
For two weeks in Rounds 16 and 17 Dal Santo didn't have a tackle ... he racked up plenty of the footy and according to the Brownlow was BOG.
But what would the coaches prefer from him? A bit of defensive pressure, and would probably reward him more for it in the B&F. So the B&F finish can be misleading.
Dal Santo is ridiculously maligned on here. He is a player that every other team in the AFL would jump at having, and is St Kilda's best midfielder.
People also forget that Dal Santo has played 102 consecutive games. He is there every week, unlike most of our other players. When you play that many in a row, you are going to have a few poor matches.
What I want to see is our other midfielders step up around him. Players like Ball and Hayes need to take some of the pressure of Dal Santo, who works hard and is our best mid.