sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Adam Saad (born 23 July 1994) is an Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League. He previously played for the Gold Coast Suns and the Essendon Football Club.

Adam Saad
Saad playing for Essendon in August 2018
Personal information
Full name	Adam Saad
Date of birth	(1994-07-23) 23 July 1994 (age 28)
Original team(s)	Coburg (VFL)
Draft	No. 25, 2015 rookie draft
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	76 kg (168 lb)
Position(s)	Defender
Club information
Current club	Carlton
Number	42
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2015–2017	Gold Coast	48 (3)
2018–2020	Essendon	61 (5)
2021–	Carlton	43 (2)
Total		152 (10)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2022.
Career highlights
All-Australian team (2022) 22under22 team (2015) AFL Rising Star nominee (2015)
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early career

As a junior, Saad first played for West Coburg Football Club in the Essendon District Football League. Saad joined Coburg in 2013 following a TAC Cup stint with the Calder Cannons. After appearing to struggle between Senior and Development level football, he established himself as one of the VFL's leading small defenders, winning the Coburg best and fairest award in 2014 sharing in a tie with Daniel Venditti, and was named in the 2014 VFL Team of the Year.[1] His strong form and State Combine testing led him to being drafted to the Gold Coast Suns with pick 25 in the 2015 rookie draft.

AFL career

Saad made his debut for the Gold Coast Suns in round 1 of the 2015 season and kicked one goal in a defeat to Melbourne. In round 5, 2015, Saad was nominated for the Rising Star after his team's win over the Brisbane Lions where he had 26 touches.

Following the 2017 season, Saad requested and was granted a trade to Essendon, who sent their 2018 second round draft pick to the Gold Coast in return. At Essendon, Saad showed his durability by only missing one game in three seasons. He slotted into the backline, used his pace to full effort, and was inventive in moving the ball forward. Saad claimed third place in the club's Crichton Medal count in 2019.

Saad requested a trade to Carlton after the 2020 season,[2] and he was traded on 11 November.[3] Saad kicked his first goal for Carlton in the Blues' round 7, 2021 win against his old side Essendon.

Through his career, Saad has been known for his dashing pace, and propensity to run long distances with the ball, frequently bouncing it. He led the league in bounces in 2017,[4] 2018,[5] 2021[6] and 2022;[7] in both 2018 and 2022, his tally of bounces more than doubled his nearest rival. He has a long left-foot kick, and during his time at Carlton, the spectators would shout "woof!" whenever he took a kick; he was the fifth long-kicking left footed Carlton player to receive this traditional treatment, which had originated with Val Perovic in the 1980s.[8]

Personal life

Saad is a practicing Muslim. He is of Lebanese descent.[9]

Statistics

Updated to the end of 2022.[10]

Legend

G	Goals	K	Kicks	D	Disposals	T	Tackles
B	Behinds	H	Handballs	M	Marks

Season	Team	No.	Games	Totals							Averages (per game)							Votes
				G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T
2015	Gold Coast	42	16	1	2	121	151	272	66	44	0.1	0.1	7.6	9.4	17.0	4.1	2.8	3
2016	Gold Coast	42	10	0	2	75	76	151	36	25	0.0	0.2	7.5	7.6	15.1	3.6	2.5	0
2017	Gold Coast	42	22	2	7	194	171	365	78	50	0.1	0.3	8.8	7.8	16.6	3.5	2.3	1
2018	Essendon	42	22	0	3	199	178	377	56	55	0.0	0.1	9.0	8.1	17.1	2.5	2.5	3
2019	Essendon	42	22	3	0	239	149	388	62	75	0.1	0.0	10.9	6.8	17.6	2.8	3.4	0
2020[lower-alpha 1]	Essendon	42	17	2	1	202	119	321	49	34	0.1	0.1	11.9	7.0	18.9	2.9	2.0	2
2021	Carlton	42	22	2	6	311	113	424	72	39	0.1	0.3	14.1	5.1	19.3	3.3	1.8	0
2022	Carlton	42	21	0	0	323	136	459	100	47	0.0	0.0	15.4	6.5	22	4.8	2.2	3
Career			152	10	21	1664	1093	2757	519	369	0.1	0.1	10.9	7.2	18.1	3.4	2.4	12

Notes

References

External links

• Adam Saad's profile on the official website of the Essendon Football Club
• Adam Saad's playing statistics from AFL Tables

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