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Last Tuesday, Hudghton turned 32. Today, he will play for the 225th time in red, black and white and when Robert Harvey wanders away at the end of the Saints' season, he will lose his partner in "old-man training" - laps of the Moorabbin Oval slow enough to give them time to chat about their children, lives and the team - and be the oldest player at the club, the player who has survived and seen the most of its varied, recent phases.
>>>>>>>>>>>>......
As have his kids. Josh hasn't completely worked out what his dad does for a living yet, but knows enough to have asked Hudghton to track down a copy of his footy card. "I wouldn't know where to get hold of one, but he's starting to get into it," he said.
"I bring him and (three-year-old) Aaron down to the club as much as I can. I think it's great for them to spend time around the place, but they don't really understand what it is. Josh will watch the game and say, 'Daddy, I saw you fall over'. He'll say, 'I saw that man squash you', and I'll be, 'Yep ... yep ...
Hudghton may play on next year, but he might not - that decision is not one he feels either he or his club needs to make right now.
"To be honest, all I'm thinking about at the moment is training. Training, the first quarter of the game and then my first contest of the game," Hudghton said. "Of course, I've thought about it (retirement), but I haven't sat there and tried to decide what to do, because I don't need to do that yet
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Just hang around a little longer Max- the young guys need you to teach tem this and more
Fantastic. Zero contested marks, two kicks and six goals to the opposition - in three quarters of football! Dunno how we'll manage without him.
One day, people will work out that spoiling should be just one component of a backman's repertoire, not the only component. The ability to win possession and kick to a teammate either foot would be nice to see.
If you want to build a premiership team, you always start from the last line and work forwards. We had a v good full back and a v good CHB in 2004-05 but both fell to injury, one permanently. Fan hero status means nothing on the field.
Don't even talk about him in the same breath as Robert Harvey. What an insult!
perfectionist wrote:Fantastic. Zero contested marks, two kicks and six goals to the opposition - in three quarters of football! Dunno how we'll manage without him.
One day, people will work out that spoiling should be just one component of a backman's repertoire, not the only component. The ability to win possession and kick to a teammate either foot would be nice to see.
If you want to build a premiership team, you always start from the last line and work forwards. We had a v good full back and a v good CHB in 2004-05 but both fell to injury, one permanently. Fan hero status means nothing on the field.
Don't even talk about him in the same breath as Robert Harvey. What an insult!
You have no idea, Max is in line to be AA this year, has been the stalwart of our defence for the last decade and gives everything...something Harvs also does....
Ask his teammates, they love him and rightly so....
He gets no accolades and you want to bash him here....200 game players for the Saints deserve more
I'm actually starting to see Sam Gilbert and Sam Fisher do very Maxy-like things when spoiling (which is obviously an important part of the game!).
If he can stick around for one more season and keep on imparting his knowledge and skills about how to get an arm around a leading opponent to get a fist to the ball without giving away a free kick (even under the new stupid interpretations) it will actually help to set up our defence for years to come.
Having said that, I certainly wouldn't begrudge him a retirement if we did go all the way this year. My fingers are so crossed they're getting arthritic!
maverick wrote:...He gets no accolades and you want to bash him here....200 game players for the Saints deserve more
No accolades because he is no good. No supporter of any other club has EVER said they wanted MAX, even for their seconds!
200 games? No premierships! Spot the link!
And yes, Gilbert is very MAX like - hopeless! Can't kick, can't mark, can't play. One of the worst players EVER to put on the RW&B. Honestly, some of youse guys wouldn't know a good player if he bit you on the arse! Grow up! (Then again, I suppose we'll have to wait 20 years!)
perfectionist wrote:
200 games? No premierships! Spot the link!
is that the robbie flower link?
the nathan buckley link?
the gary ablett snr link?
the scott west link?
the chris grant link?
the trevor barker link?
the tony lockett link?
the robert harvey link?
...fair dinkum!
"The starting point of all achievement is desire. "
maverick wrote:...He gets no accolades and you want to bash him here....200 game players for the Saints deserve more
No accolades because he is no good. No supporter of any other club has EVER said they wanted MAX, even for their seconds!
200 games? No premierships! Spot the link!
And yes, Gilbert is very MAX like - hopeless! Can't kick, can't mark, can't play. One of the worst players EVER to put on the RW&B. Honestly, some of youse guys wouldn't know a good player if he bit you on the arse! Grow up! (Then again, I suppose we'll have to wait 20 years!)
seriously i didnt expect perfectionist to say this
old 'Pepper' has been and still is VERY much RWB thru and thru.
and can still do the job asked of him quite well IMO
