Former St Kilda coach Tim Watson says he can never criticise Paddy McCartin again, after the key forward elaborated on his battle with diabetes.
The 2014 number one draft pick spoke to Channel Seven last night about how difficult dealing with diabetes can be leading into a game.
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“Going into a game if I’m nervous, generally what will happen is my blood sugars will run a bit higher,” McCartin said.
“If my blood sugars are like 18 or 19, it’s the equivalent of being really hung-over.”
After saying the Saints looked better without McCartin on the field in their Round 1 win over Brisbane, Watson has changed his thinking, after gaining a further insight into what the 21-year-old is dealing with.
“I was staggered,” the three-time premiership player told SEN Breakfast.
“That was a great insight of what Paddy McCartin is going through.
“I had no comprehension of how difficult it has been for Paddy giving the diabetes he suffers and how he has to manage that against his sugar levels, energy levels, training levels and all that stuff.
“I could never ever criticise Paddy McCartin again because I didn’t know what he was dealing with to get himself prepared to play AFL football.”
Former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon confirmed McCartin would never use the diabetes as an excuse for poor football performances.
St Kilda will seek to go 2-0 on Good Friday against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, and you can hear the game live on 1116 SEN from 3pm with Gerard Whateley, Anthony Hudson, Garry Lyon, Danny Frawley and Abbey Holmes.
Listen to the best bits of this morning’s edition of SEN Breakfast with Garry Lyon and Tim Watson in the player below!