Few players in the modern era have burst onto the scene and captivated devout football followers like Adam Saad. The 21-year-old’s audacious, game-breaking runs from deep in defence have mesmerised fans and left them salivating, desperately seeking more.
As a mature-aged rookie, little was expected of the 21-year-old when he arrived at the Gold Coast SUNS courtesy of pick No. 7 in last December’s rookie draft. What has transpired since then will be written into folklore, with Saad rapidly becoming one of the more exciting players in the competition, and at a time where Rodney Eade’s side urgently required a spark.
Saad’s first half of the season was sizzling. There is no other way to describe it. He took the game on at every available opportunity, leaving opponents in his wake to set up scoring chains from backwards of centre. With blistering pace and an ability to cut angles like a feather blowing in the wind, almost overnight Saad became one of the more damaging rebounding defenders in the game.
And then there is his left foot. Like a well-rounded golfer, Saad has a wide range of shots. He can be deft. He can be penetrating. He can be precise. The versatility of his kicking catalogue is what makes him such a damaging force and such a tantalising prospect for Eade and the football department moving forward.
The enormous injury toll at Metricon Stadium ended up having a significant impact on Saad. With so much experience and talent sidelined due to injury, players like Saad were forced to carry increased workloads, which resulted in wear and tear style injuries of their own. The dreaded osteitis pubis infiltrated Saad and ultimately ended his year prematurely as he struggled to cover the ground with the same velocity as he had earlier in the year.
The Coburg product finished his debut season with 16 games next to his name, after being shelved for the final two rounds of the season as his groins incapacitated his movement and his potency by foot. In an ideal world, with a full complement available, Saad would have got through the year with a handful of breaks and even a couple of games with the substitutes vest. But an ideal world rarely exists in this game.
As the dust settles on his debut year – a year that looked unlikely to ever materialise after Saad was overlooked in a handful of drafts – the dashing defender from the VFL finished averaging 17 possessions at an elite efficiency rate of 83.1 per cent, as well as 3.1 rebound 50s per game.
After debuting in round one on the grandest stage of all, the MCG, Saad was exceptional against St Kilda the following week, before putting his name up in lights with one of the best performances by a first-year player in Gold Coast’s short history.
In QClash 9, Saad gathered an equal career-high 26 disposals, nine bounces and 554 metres of gained territory to play a significant part in the big win against Brisbane. Having previously produced glimpses of brilliance across games, the lightly-built small defender constructed an outstanding package that resulted in him earning the round five Rising Star nomination.
A week later, Saad followed up his breakout game with another high quality effort against the Crows. He equalled his career-best possession tally to be one of the more influential SUNS players in the loss. From there, the first signs of his groin issues arose, forcing him to miss the trip across the country to play West Coast in Perth.
In pouring rain against Fremantle in round 11, Saad put an exclamation point on another one of his defining gifts: his courage. On a number of occasions he ran back with the flight of the ball to take grabs – his effort against Dockers superstar Matthew Pavlich is sketched into the memory of those fortunate enough to see it live.
In the back half of 2015, as his groin began to impact his football more and more, Saad’s football suffered; with rest the best course of action. He battled through for some time before the club decided to pull the pin despite a lack of replacements. But by then, Saad had well and truly proven his immense value.
Of all the players on Gold Coast’s list, the silky smooth mature-aged rookie has the largest scope for improvement. He desperately needs a full pre-season and a solid block of time in the strong room to improve his core strength and eradicate his groin issues. From there, the sky is the limit. Buckle up for a great ride.
