Saints’ Paddy warning
GEELONG Falcons talent manager Michael Turner says St Kilda needs to “keep playing” key forward Paddy McCartin if it does not want to lose him to another club.
McCartin, the 2014 No. 1 draft pick, has played just 22 of a possible 58 games since being selected and has played five AFL and five VFL matches this year.
The 21-year-old was drafted from the Falcons and Turner said he had watched his prog- ress since with a lot of interest.
“It’s all right playing a couple of VFL games, but you draft No. 1 draft picks to play in the AFL and I’ve always got a theory that if you play guys too long in the VFL they become VFL players,” Turner said.
“It’s like Tommy Hawkins and [Jonathon] Patton and all the big key forwards.
“We’re not making excuses for them, but they do take time and in Paddy’s case he’s had to deal with diabetes, he’s had a broken collarbone, he’s had various injuries.
“And in certain times during games, and I watch them pretty closely, he’s certainly shown the attributes to play in the AFL.
“St Kilda just need to bite the bullet and keep playing him because if they don’t, someone else might.”
McCartin has been named on an extended interchange bench for St Kilda’s clash with Gold Coast tomorrow.
Injury-hit Gold Coast turned over almost a third of its line-up after superstar Gary Ablett was ruled out of his milestone game.
The two-time Brownlow Medal winner was set to play his 300th game tomorrow at Etihad Stadium but succumbed to the calf injury he suffered in last week’s narrow loss to Carlton.
He was withdrawn yesterday from the extended squad and the Suns later made a remarkable seven changes when they trimmed that squad to 22 players.
“[It’s] really disappointing for Gary, his family and the footy club, waiting for his much-anticipated 300th game,” football chief Marcus Ashcroft said.
“Gary hurt his calf in last weekend’s game — he had been rehabbing it all week. Unfortunately today, trying to complete some rehab runs, [he] didn’t get through those at all.
“He’d been working really hard the last few days, we know he’s the ultimate professional and he did everything he could.”
If the 33-year-old Ablett misses just the one match, he will play his 300th game at Metricon Stadium next Saturday when the Suns host North Melbourne.