Re: Ade Gardner : Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:14 pm  

Billinge_Lump wrote:

A bit harsh, he always handled Vainakolo with aplomb.

I've seen Ade handle Big Les. In fact, I cite Ade's best match as a Saints as at home to Bradford in 2006. Big Les was easy to handle if you applied a game plan, something we did very well.

Turn him round, and meet him early. That is all there was to it. If you let him get a roll on, you'd get destroyed. Similar to an outwide Maurie Fa'asvalu. Hit him low and early.

Re: Ade Gardner : Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:36 pm  

Ski wrote:

I've seen Ade handle Big Les. In fact, I cite Ade's best match as a Saints as at home to Bradford in 2006. Big Les was easy to handle if you applied a game plan, something we did very well.

Turn him round, and meet him early. That is all there was to it. If you let him get a roll on, you'd get destroyed. Similar to an outwide Maurie Fa'asvalu. Hit him low and early.

Ade has, but I'm not sure Vainakolo was the same player he was earlier in his career at that point. But you are right about the gameplan being a key factor.

Re: Ade Gardner : Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:54 pm  

Ski wrote:

Albert was reliable. You could depend on him under the bomb, and you would usually back him in a foot race. But he was, by definition, a flat track bully. He'd run great figures in against the lower sides, but stick him against another "top" winger, and he'd go into himself.

Harsh.
His commitment to defence alone should banish any use of the word bully.
What I will say about Albert is you knew what you were getting. He could do what he could do and couldn't what he couldn't. If the gap he had was larger than X metres, he'd go through, if was smaller he wouldn't. There was no anticipation of a swerve or step or bit of magic that great wingers like sullivan, hunte, robinson or offiah could produce.

In full flight, however, he was a sight to behold.

Re: Ade Gardner : Tue Nov 23, 2010 4:00 pm  

I personally think Darren Albert was one of the most under-rated players we had, a very good player and we miss someone like him, so much.

Re: Ade Gardner : Tue Nov 23, 2010 4:03 pm  

Cannot believe you guys are dissing Darren Albert given what we've been watching over the past few seasons.

He was defensively nigh on perfect and was scintilating going forward. Not strong, but the fastest we've had in a long time.

He should have played at fullback for us instead of the snail.

Re: Ade Gardner : Tue Nov 23, 2010 4:38 pm  

Albert was probably the best winger we've had since Sullivan. I may be missing someone but off the top of my head I can't think of anybody.

Re: Ade Gardner : Tue Nov 23, 2010 5:18 pm  

We could really do with a Darren Albert now.

Going forward he wasn't that elusive, and he didn't make much ground out of dummy half, but if you put him in a gap he was off. And his hands and defence were absolutely perfect.

Overall, that's a pretty good package.

Re: Ade Gardner : Tue Nov 23, 2010 5:43 pm  

Billinge_Lump wrote:

He is, fast, but not the truly top class winger some try to make out.

If he was we'd have won the cup in 2002.

He was the best all round winger we've had in the last 20 years or so.

Judging him on one error in the 2002 final - when we were sh*t and wouldn't have won anyway - is harsh, considering our other wingers, particularly Meli, have cost us in a number of finals and big games.

A 28 year old Darren Albert in our team right now would be a god send.

Re: Ade Gardner : Tue Nov 23, 2010 6:09 pm  

Ski wrote:

Glad it wasn't just me.

Albert was reliable. You could depend on him under the bomb, and you would usually back him in a foot race. But he was, by definition, a flat track bully. He'd run great figures in against the lower sides, but stick him against another "top" winger, and he'd go into himself.

All that said, he is better than what we currently have.

Well, if a winger who has the speed of an Olympic sprinter, good hands, good under a high ball, good size and strength plus great in defense- is overrated, I would love to know what he could have done to become 'rated'.

All that Albert didn't have was a hugely elusive step, having that would have made him pretty much the ultimate modern rugby winger. But nobody has everything, sadly.

In his prime would walked into any side in the league, no problems.

Re: Ade Gardner : Tue Nov 23, 2010 6:18 pm  

Albert was one of the best one on one defenders Ive seen at saints,
and he wasnt exactly slow?
cant believe what some people are writing on here.
If he was still in his prime now, I would still have him over any other winger in SL