MAX MALINS - WE'LL HAVE TO GRIN AND BEAR IT!
By The Saracens
July 23 2023
It doesn’t happen very often at Sarries that one of our players, especially a home grown one in his prime, leaves for pastures new. That says a lot about Sarries of course but it makes the departure of Max Malins to Bristol seem a bit weird. It will look very odd watching him in a “bear-suit” next season. Whatever the reason for his departure (and let’s hope for his sake that it was his choice to go) we will miss him.
Maxim Hugo Malins hails from my part of the world, growing up in Saffron Walden and attending Felstead school, (although he later discovered he has Irish roots – his great grandfather being Peter J Kelly, a leading member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood!) He was a talented all round sportsman excelling at hockey and cricket as well as rugby. He joined Bishops Stortford Rugby Club and was scouted by Sarries at the age of 17. He joined the academy and was dual registered with Old Albanians where he became a prolific try scorer.
Max started out as a fly half - I remember when he came on to the scene back in 2017 during the Anglo-Welsh Cup he was hyped up as being something special but as is often the case it didn’t materialise, at least not then. He was selected for England U18 and U20 primarily at 10 and wore the shirt when the U20’s lost to the All Blacks in the 2017 U20’s World Cup final. But it seemed that 10 was not to be his final destination; like Alex Goode before him, he found his feet as a full back and it is rumoured that is the real reason for his move to Bristol. Maybe he’s right – a few years ago Mark McCall is reported as saying: “Max Malins at full-back looked like a great player – he reminded me of a young Beauden Barrett who wanted to be a fly-half but played his early years at 15”.
When he broke into Sarries’ first team it was more often on the wing where he proved to be very, very good! Those early years were punctuated by several annoying injuries which prevented him from getting a sustained run in the team (and potentially nailing the 15 shirt). First a broken metatarsal in preseason 2019 was followed by a second fracture in early 2020, then he damaged a shoulder ligament in 2021 while playing for England against Australia just before he returned to Sarries from Bristol. It was almost as if his maturing body wasn’t quite strong enough to keep up with his prodigious talent
Following the Salary Cap relegation, Max and his mate Ben Earl spent a season on loan with Bristol Bears where Max clearly thrived – he scored 18 tries in 19 games for the Bears, helping them finish top of the Premiership at the end of the regular season. Although the Bears lost to Quins in that extraordinary semifinal, Max was in the team which won the Challenge Cup giving him his first taste of European success. He and Ben returned to Sarries the following season having gained enormously from their time away but unlike the other loanees (Nick Isiekwe, Ben Earl, Alex Lozowski), Max had found something at Bristol which called him back. When his transfer to Bristol was announced last year, he said “I'm delighted to have signed with the Bears. During my loan period, I was made to feel very welcome by the fans, thoroughly enjoyed my rugby and made some good friends”.Pat Lam said “Max is already one of the top players in the Gallagher premiership and he made a huge impact during his loan spell with the Bears. We are all looking forward to welcoming him back into the team again”.
The past 2 seasons at Sarries have seen Max in his prime. In 2021/2 he was the premiership’s top try scorer with 16 tries (including 4 in the game against Worcester) and he added another 10 this season as Sarries finished top of the table. Typically he scored a try in his final appearance for the club – the Premiership victory over Sale at Twickenham.
He was capped by Eddie Jones in 2020 featuring in the autumn Nations Cup which England won that year. But like many, he fell in and out of favour with Eddie Jones and was dropped by Eddie for the France game in 2022 (having started the previous 4.) It seems he was a casualty of the defeat by Ireland – apparently Eddie said that he disliked Max’s “Body Language”. Max was then left out of the summer tour to Australia too. He was clearly as puzzled as everyone else: “I’d like to think my attitude was always there. I’m quite a relaxed guy, not necessarily buzzing around the place all the time. Maybe my relaxed nature put a thought in his head. It was gutting at the time. When you’re in that shirt and it gets taken away from you, it’s a tough one to take. All you can do is take a step back from it and move forward”. Fortunately Steve Borthwick was bit less fickle and restored Max to the shirt – he then scored 2 tries against Scotland.
The culmination of this season was obviously a difficult time for Max “It has been a bit of an emotional time," he said. "It was a long time ago that I had to make the decision (to go to Bristol). It's only really recently I've had to come to terms with it, knowing that it's coming pretty soon.
The semi-final week, I didn't really enjoy that week too much because of the whole unknown, not knowing whether or not it would be my last [game] or what not. Thankfully we won. The final was a fitting end point for Max where once again he showed how much he will be missed scoring yet another try.
For many Max was a real “Men in tights”. His black leggings racing down the wing will be sorely missed. For me Max is becoming the real deal, adding that try-poaching instinct so evident in Chris Ashton to his pace and handling skills. Being in the right place at the right time is vital for a try poacher and that is the secret ingredient he has discovered. At only 26 he is just approaching the height of his powers. We wish him well but boy will we miss him!
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:08:07:20:59:40 by Darraghgirl.
Innings
Points win matches: tries win hearts and minds.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:07:24:08:03:33 by Eric Browett.
Innings
Points win matches: tries win hearts and minds.
He does seem to have become a bit more robust in the last couple of years, so maybe like Stretts we’ll get to see him again.
Quote:MonaghanBoy
He's the type of player that could've featured in a group to built a team around going forward, along with Earl, Christie, Dan, Tizzard.
Agree100% (would add Isiekwe to that list who feels like he's been around forever but is still young)
Like Eric I haven't 100% given up hope that he might return and McCalls comments gave that an extra boost but I still regard it as an outside chance.
Ultimately he was a player who wanted to stay at the club but the club chose to back a different player. That that player is neither homegrown or (IMO) is as complete a player is frustrating. For me the Final game against Sale highlighted what a bad decision it is. One player could easily have lost the game for us (several times) the other did everything to win it for us.
You only have to take a moment to work out the benefit and value Goode has been to the club over the years and wonder why Sarries wouldn't do everything in their power to hold onto the "second coming" (plus with defence a bit more speed!)
Good luck to him at Bristol. I shall always enjoy watching him and I hope he can find further levels to his already exceptional game.
.I always saw Max as our long term fullback, having seen him play there for England u20 - and, ironically, it was Pat Lam who first put him on the wing and it's replacing Max as a winger that I'm most concerned about. Roti is a fantastic player, but I feel who's breakthrough will be now or never.
Quote:OldMarovianQuote:MonaghanBoy
He's the type of player that could've featured in a group to built a team around going forward, along with Earl, Christie, Dan, Tizzard.
Agree100% (would add Isiekwe to that list who feels like he's been around forever but is still young)
game.
100% agree about Isiekwe - we've been very lucky at locks over the past decade with Maro & Kruis - but Nick has been consistently excellent for what feels like forever. I wonder if we might also see one of the young centres be added to that list as well, that we build our team around, perhaps for the rest of the decade. Although, having said that, Tompkins and Loz aren't exactly past it. But someone like Hartley would already appear to be that kind of rock to sculpt a backline around going forward.
As above, Max is a great, great player who will certainly make us regret his moving. Nonetheless I hope he does well but also that Elliot continues to warm our hearts with his brilliance and continues to show the same attitude as he did when dropped by England by saying, with apparent huge sincerity, that he couldn't be more delighted to be playing with Saracens.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:07:25:11:50:18 by Duncan96.
Quote:OldMarovian
When your preferred position is FB and you're told you're behind (understandably) the aging club stalwart BUT also a player who despite playing in the back three for many years now still doesn't posses many of the basic skills of a FB I think your card has been fairly firmly marked. Good luck to him.
Good on you for sticking to your guns but I think we are forcing you into a more and more indefensible corner. Saying Daly doesn’t possess basic Fb skills reminds me a bit of those England managers who didn’t pick Glen Hoddle until 1980 because he couldn’t tackle back. It missed the point a bit at a time when England lacked creativity.
And calling such an attacking superstar a “stalwart”? Uuuuhmmm. OK then.
1. We would all want Max Malins to be at Saracens but we are where we are for whatever reason
2. Elliot Daly is a very good player who improves the side when he plays, but where is his best position?
3. Alex Goode is a legend but perhaps now less "leg" and more "end". He took half the season to warm up. It's surprising that his contract was extended for two years and we may yet see him return to Japan or take another path altogether within 12 months.
Roll on the start of the season!
Quote:TommyKentish
I think Mark McCall said it best in the inside line video “we all wish you all the best in Bristol and never say never!”
+ lots.
Eric I've been singing "Let Daly go" for almost as long as the film has been out. Not my fault no one listens!!
Excellent post AP.
Quote:Duncan96
Saying Daly doesn’t possess basic Fb skills reminds me a bit of those England managers who didn’t pick Glen Hoddle until 1980 because he couldn’t tackle back. It missed the point a bit at a time when England lacked creativity.
And calling such an attacking superstar a “stalwart”? Uuuuhmmm. OK then.
Football analogies mean nothing to me. Daly is an incredibly skilful player who the club utilise at FB to add an additional dimension to our game, understood. Your comparison would suggest the essential skills he doesn't bring are less important? several harder games the final in particular would make that an assertion that's hard to maintain.
I feel we will always be at a disadvantage in the biggest games with him in the back three (FB specifically) as he'll be exposed and that will out-weigh what he adds. Worst case scenario I am totally wrong and he has a stellar next season being a major reason why we win silverware. I can live with that and the massive slice of humble pie that would come with it!
Stalwart was in reference to Goode. Loyal, reliable, hard-working would seem to be a very fair description of him to me? none of that implies anything negative about his ability as an attacking talent unless I'm missing something.
(IMO, of course!)
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For clarification I think Goode is an excellent, fantastically talented, skilful creative player .... and a stalwart