Ahmed Saad leaves West Preston-Lakeside after seven decorated years

Two-time premiership player and a three-time league-leading goalkicker, Ahmed Saad leaves a West Preston-Lakeside and NFNL great.

Ahmed Saad celebrates a goal for West Preston. Picture: David Crosling

Ahmed Saad leaves a lasting legacy at West Preston-Lakeside and in the Northern Football Netball League.

The former AFL goalkicker departs, having signed for EDFL power Pascoe Vale, a two-time premiership captain, three-time league-leading goalkicker and three-time Team of the Year member.

There arguably could have been one or two more flags too, if not for COVID.

Arriving in 2017, alongside Rob Maiorana, Saad played 85 games for the Roosters and kicked 351 goals – second most all-time at the club – at an average of 4.1 per match.

The premierships will always hold a special place.

West Preston-Lakeside co-captains Nathan Valladares and Ahmed Saad lift the NFNL Division 1 premiership cup with coach Rob Maiorana (centre). Picture: Hamish Blair

“Winning premierships is hard at any level, so winning two back-to-back is pretty special,” Saad said.

“With COVID I felt we could have had one more, the year we missed and the year after we were first and two games clear and pretty dominant so I feel we could have pinched another one there.

“But you can’t guarantee any of that, we didn’t finish first in either year but still managed to come through and win two flags.

“Back-to-back captain with Nathan Valladares, we had a good group of leaders supporting us and a good coach in Robbie (Maiorana).”

Saad returned from an ACL injury suffered last year and played 13 games, kicking 35 goals.

His best return was 91 majors in 2019.

Hurstbridge bore the brunt of his dominance on several occasions but none moreso than Round 15, 2021 when he booted 11 majors in what would prove to the be the final game of the season.

The former St Kilda forward kicked 10 against Bundoora and had bags of nine against the Bridges and North Heidelberg.

While it was a difficult decision, he said it was time for a new challenge.

Ahmed Saad in his first season at West Preston-Lakeside. Picture: Mark Dadswell

“I absolutely loved it, I love the club, love the people, I really enjoyed my time there,” Saad said.

“I had success there, which was great, but more importantly the people were awesome, which made me stay there for so long.

“I thought I’d give it another crack, I did my ACL last year and I didn’t want to move, I wanted to stay in an environment I was comfortable in.

“I was happy to try and help West build again … even though I thought it would be tough with the list we had, losing players and a new coach coming in – we didn’t really have a coach until December.

“For me, I felt like it was time to move on, a new challenge, a new environment and somewhere I can do and make a difference on and off the field.”

Saad’s connection with Maiorana, from their time at Northern Bullants, as well as Ali Fahour and Patrick Karnezis attracted him to Moore Park.

He listed the likes of Jackson Clarke, Adam Valeri, Garrett McDonagh, Alex Federico and Aiden Tilley as some of his favourite teammates over the journey.

Getting to play alongside nephew Malik Elfakahani was a special moment.

“I played with his dad when I was at Roxy for one game before I got drafted, I’ve got a really close relationship with my uncle to play with him and his son is really cool,” Saad said.

Saad returns to the Essendon District competition, where he came through the ranks at Roxburgh Park before joining Northern Bullants and ultimately getting drafted.

He is excited by the opportunity at Pascoe Vale, under new coach Leigh Tudor.

“One of the main reasons was, through my work at the AFL and Bachar Houli Foundation, a lot of guys have come through the under-18s that are going to be senior players I’ve been mentoring the last couple of years,” he said.

“I’ve got a really good relationship with about 10 of them, so to be able to play with them and mentor them on the field will be pretty cool.

“I love that it’s a multicultural club and believe I’ll be able to fit in pretty easily.

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“They’ve got a new coach in, I had a meeting with him on Thursday, had a good chat and I feel like we’ll get along and aligned in what we want.

“And the fact Pascoe Vale hasn’t won a Premier Division premiership, that really excites me.

“I’d love to be able to go down, make a difference on and off the field and help them taste success and if I can be part of history it would leave a bit of a legacy.”

Roosters 2018 premiership teammate Mark Kovacevic has also departed Moore Park, signing with Goulburn Valley league club Shepparton Swans.