I remember a game on telly where he spent maybe one and a half quarters up forward which turned the game for the Bullies but he spent the rest off the half-back.

He had a few of those this year too. Not really important, but I think it's an idea they've been toying with for a while but his form up forward was hard to ignore.

A few weeks ago I was wondering whether Setanta was actually going to make it. The game on Saturday was very encouraging and gave me hope that it might just work.

Given his athletiscm and height he could fill a very important part of our team in the future. Let's just play him at CHB for the rest of the year and let him learn the game from some of the best.

for a moment I thought you were suggesting that our backline contains "some of the best"

Yeah that's true...................the decision to move him to a 'Defensive' type role came at the start of the season. He played as a Rucking Forward last year.

He has still played Forward cameo a couple of times this year. But 90% has been spent in defense.

I CRACKED THE SHITS when i saw this happening, but you gotta give credit to Barry Mitchell on this one. Was the work of a genius (i'm Barry's #1 fan!!!!).


Still think he should have move of a go in the ruck from time to time thou.

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

No, I am thinking the likes of Pavlich, Neitz, Croad, Richardson, Rocca, Hall. It need not necessarily be the whole game, but at least part of it would be good for his development I think.

when they first drafted Santy the idea was as a backman.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

2ndefforts are the best efforts!!!

CHB for the remainder of the year plz.

Where is Hartlett?

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"The Wigg's big in 08!" - Chris Judd

At 199cm & 96kg, he is readymade for a key position down the spine. If he can be given a specific position to make his own, it'll help his development too as he can just focus on how to play that one role. It's too much to expect him to pick up the game and have the same 'feel' as his team-mates.

It's only a matter of time before it all clicks into place for him. He'll make the grade, nothing is surer.

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GROUND ZERO + DRAFTING YOUTH = SUSTAINED SUCCESS

..to be sure.

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Oompa loompa doompety dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me

Where have Beano and Kevin Bohane got to. They stuck up for Santy when impatient supporters started the obligatory premature bagging and now when their boy is just starting to roll they've disappeared.

He will make mistakes we all know that, but he will develop as a really good backman and in a few years when the game is much more natural to him he could also play CHF at times depending on our structure. In two weeks he has improved from a return to the Ants for most of the season, to what should be a certain starter for the rest of the year. Lets hope we can get at least one more win for him and Blackers and Russell and anyone else who has only been in losing sides. Pity Sean Og isn't a few years younger.

Beano is just fine Gerry.
He and Sean Og are probably just p1ssed that last few matches haven't been FTA.
To keep them and the O family happy, has anyone with Foxtel actually recorded a DVD ? If you can spare one, I'm sure they'd be grateful.

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occidentally orientated

Followed the link to Bomber Blitz & was amused by their comments re Setanta's skills being less than their star key position youngsters such as Laycock, Bolton & Bradley. Pretty hard to dispute their claims because unless you've been to Windy Hill to watch them train you wouldn't have had the chance to see them touch the footy. For all we know Bolton could kick precision passes over 80m with either foot, but as he rarely gets a kick, we'll probablly never know. At least Setanta's skills both good & bad are on display, and can be developed under match conditions.

I watched the first three quarters last night and the one thing I noticed is that given time Setanta is a good, accurate kick.

When he's rushed or under pressure his decision making isn't there yet and thats when the errors come. Its not instinctive to him yet.

If you walked away from that game thinking he's a dud and the worst player in the AFL then you don't know a lot about this game.

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

I think what is overlooked with Setanta is his disposal by hand...good technique and hits targets over a distance....his kicking will only improve...Earl Spalding was no stylist but a very effective player and I put Setanta in the same category....the Bomber Blitz crew need a reality check., they must be taking the same lollies that Gardiner and Cousins are selling ..

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Spot on again Elwood ...you're on fire!

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There's so much I could say...

What Setanta has been able to achieve allready cannot be overstated. After less than 3 years playing Aussie Rules at any level he has proven that he is able to win contested ball both in the air and at ground level in the number one competition. The only reason we are discussing his kicking is because he wins clean posession rather than just being a spoiler. Andrew Dunckley & Mick Martyn played over 500 games of AFL between them and neither of them kicked significantly better at any stage of their carreers than Setanta kicks now. All that needs to happen is that his teammates need to work hard to provide a safe option (which they should be doing anyway) so that he doesn't have to pinpoint 1 player surronded by 4 opponents from 50 meters away. If Setanta can improve his kicking to the hit those safe options (which is highly probable given how far he has come allready), then he will become a very valuable player in future years.

Heard a new one just recently.......Setanta O' Help me. A bit rough

Heard a variation of that.

Setanta O'Help Him.

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Writer for SuperCoach Paige www.scpaige.com.au
Twitter - @johnfeeney24

Barry Round played 328 VFL/AFL games and won a Brownlow Medal.

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