ADAM SAAD was one of the biggest stories of the 2020 trade period, choosing to leave Essendon after three seasons, in a recruiting coup for the Blues as the club looks to push towards that elusive finals berth.

He previously spent three seasons at Gold Coast before heading to the Bombers, but says he intends to remain a Carlton player for the rest of his career.

“I’ve been through (club changes) before, but this is the last one,” he says.

“This is definitely the last one.”

“It was one of the hardest decisions of my life.

“It was much tougher than the move back from Queensland.

“It took me weeks and weeks to reach a decision. I just felt this (move) was the best thing personally for me and for my family.”

Having spent an extra week on the Gold Coast after the Bombers’ frustrating 2020 season ended, he returned home to Melbourne to sort out his future.

The Bombers had been desperate for Saad to stay, and had been unsuccessfully endeavouring to lock him into a new long-term deal for months.

But the Blues, sensing the chance to secure the hard-running, creative defender, offered him a five-year deal and he was more than tempted.

“I jotted down the pros and cons (of leaving) just to see it visually and that just made it easier for me,” Saad says.

“When it came to making the decision to request a trade, it was really tough … I called a few people from the club. It was just the right decision for me.”

If that decision alone was difficult to reach, the actual trade was every bit as arduous to navigate.

The Bombers were unwilling to give up a player who had finished third in the 2020 best and fairest without a fight – or without sufficient recompense.

Several months on, Saad says he has no desire to delve into the dealings between the two clubs, nor media reports at the time which suggested acrimony between the parties, suggestions he was reluctant to play lockdown roles in defence, and rumours he was concerned about the Bombers’ future direction.

He doesn’t want to look back in the rear-view mirror, but says he will remain grateful for Essendon bringing him back to Melbourne in late 2017.

“There’s no hard feelings, I still thank the club for bringing me back home (from Gold Coast), and I really enjoyed the three years I spent there,” he says.

“I made some good relationships there. I wish the club all the best.

“I guess at the end of the day you have to do things to improve yourself as a player and as a person. I felt a fresh start was the best thing for me.”

Saad had been attracted to Carlton’s attacking game style – which coach David Teague plans to stick with in 2021 – and he believes it can help elevate his own game in the process.

“I watched some of their games last year,” he says.

“Speaking to ‘Teaguey’ during the trade period, I know they play an exciting brand of football and hopefully I can add to that.

“I feel personally like I have got a couple more levels to go (as a player).”

CONNECTING THROUGH PRAYER

SAAD THRIVES on the connection between religion, family and football. Those bonds are not only entwined, they are unbreakable.

A devout Muslim, he prays five times a day. His faith was an important guide for him throughout the 2020 hub experience in Queensland as well as the trade period.

“I’m very fortunate,” Saad says.

“Religion is a way of life for me.

“My religion teaches me that everything happens for a reason and to have patience through tough times.

“It was tough being away from family (his wife joined him in the hub after six weeks), but we look at getting our strength from (religion) and we are connected through prayer.”

It was the same during the trade process, as he reflected on patience, and his belief that it would all work out in the end.

“I was speaking to my manager (John Meeson) regularly (through the trade period),” he says.

“I just fell back on my religion.

“My religion teaches me patience and to believe in the plan of Allah (God).”

Saad was doing a running session in Brunswick when he got the phone call that the trade deal had finally gone through.

Carlton agreed to send picks No.8 and No.87 to Essendon in return for Saad, pick No.48 and No.78.

“I had just finished the running session,” he says.

“He (Meeson) called me and said the trade had been done. My journey at Carlton had started.”

Saad’s link to Ikon Park goes back to his early days. He played on the ground at times with Calder Cannons, he is very familiar with the precinct and he and his family live only a short drive away from the club’s home base.

Importantly, he feels as if he has already been embraced by the players, including former Gold Coast teammate Jack Martin.

“I’m loving my time here,” he said.

“Everyone has been so welcoming – from the coaches to all the players.

“It has been a relatively easy (transition). It felt a bit like starting school again, but the more you spend time with people, the more comfortable you are.”

IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON THE BLUES

TEAGUE SAYS Saad has already elevated the energy levels at the club’s training sessions.

“We wanted to add a bit of speed,” he says.

“We felt like we’ve got some good endurance runners and some good players around the contest, (but) we wanted to add a little bit of extra speed to the outside.

“To be able to add Adam and Zac Williams, who were our targets in that area, was something we were really pleased to do.”

Carlton head of football Brad Lloyd says the Blues’ ability to attract players of Saad’s quality was a vote of confidence in the club’s direction.

“Adam has been unbelievable,” he says.

“He doesn’t waste a minute. He just gets in and trains with real purpose.

“He is a really honest player the way he goes about his work and with his attitude.

“Culturally, and from a character point of view, he will be a massive addition to the group.”

Saad says it’s all about building respect.

“I just want to come in and gain the respect of my teammates,” he says.

“I’m looking forward to working with the defenders, we’ve got (Sam) Docherty and (Jacob) Weitering, there’s Liam Jones and Lachie Plowman, (Tom) Williamson and (Nic) Newman and (Sam) Petrevski-Seton.

“Hopefully we can keep building that synergy leading into the games.”

Saad has played one final – for a 55-point loss – in his 109 games, and is desperate to help the Blues chase success.

“We look to be going through an exciting period now and everyone wants to play finals,” he says.

“We’ve had a good pre-season, but we have a lot of work ahead.”

As a kid growing up in Melbourne, barracking for Collingwood at the behest of his footy-obsessed father Zafir, Saad had few Islamic football role models, other than watching Bachar Houli, who is just six years his senior.

Now, the pair feel like “brothers”.

He couldn’t be more proud of the now three-time premiership Tiger and is thankful for the support he has provided him over the years.

“I was actually with Bachar for a few weeks in the hub,” he says.

“He has been amazing for me.

“(2020) was very tough for him. His mother (Yamama) obviously had COVID and the main thing is that she is now back to full health now.

“Bachar was amazing (in 2020), and our religion teaches us that ‘through hardship comes ease’. He has been an incredible role model for me.”

NEW FOOTY FRONTIERS

SAAD WOULD love to see more Muslims playing AFL football in the future.

He hopes to play a role in this with the extension of his Adam Saad Multicultural Academy, which he will bring to Carlton.

“I’m hopefully going to build on the program, we have plans to expand it,” he says of the highly successful program he worked on at Essendon.

“It is all about trying to make a difference in the community and trying to help kids with a multicultural background fast-track their footy.

“It is an amazing feeling to see the kids develop and become better people.

“Hopefully they cannot only improve their footy skills, but the aim is to teach them some life lessons.”

His family’s connection to football remain strong.

One of his brothers, Muhammad, is training with the Northern Bullants, and another, Noah, is playing with Glenroy under-18s.

Adam was meant to be Noah’s Glenroy under-16s coach last year, but the pandemic intervened.

“The boys were great and had a really good pre-season,” he says.

“We had one practice game then the pandemic hit.

“I never coached a real game, so I can still say that my record is 100 per cent.”

Saad is working hard on getting his immediate family to become Carlton members before starting on his extended family, which could total 200 new members.

“I’ll be speaking with the membership team (at Carlton),” he says with a smile.