The WB best 18

dogwatch · Apr 27, 2012

For footballers there's a fine line between being a hero and a has-been, a superstar and a spud. I often laugh at how quickly a player can fall from favour and how - just as quickly - he can be elevated to hero status again. A great microcosm of this was in last week's match day thread when Jarrad Grant was being bagged but suddenly kicked a goal and got plaudits from the same posters (who at least owned up to being a bit hasty).

Most WBs (whipping boys) do have at least a few who will come to their defence. Cam Wight was perhaps an exception there and James Mulligan doesn't seem to have many mates on BF these days.

Some seem to be under the pump from the moment they arrive at the club (ask DFA) while others gradually descend to villain status as they lose some of their speed, spring, hair, good looks or whatever endeared them to fans a few years earlier (Shaggy or Cross would be examples of this).

The worst sort though, are the ones that - allegedly - won't chase, won't work hard, won't try. I won't give examples because you will all think of a few yourselves anyway.

So here - in a season that is going to need a few sparks of levity - is the WB 18. I've tried to go no further back than 2008. It's amazing how many were whipping boys over some of this period. Oh, how we miss them! (evident when we have to start picking on stalwart players like Cross). At some point I might write a thesis on why we actually NEED whipping boys but that's probably not something BF could cope with.

Feel free to add others I may have overlooked.

(PS: I've played a few of them slightly out of position because we're tanking ... sshhhh!!)

BACKS: Callan Mulligan Wight
HALF BACKS: Hargrave Williams Addison
CENTRES: Stack Cross Eagleton
HALF FWDS: Higgins McDougall Gia
FORWARDS: Grant Minson J.Hill

RUCKS: Skipper Everitt Ray

EMERG: Boumann

tonydean · Apr 27, 2012

Ha ha ha, great thread mate, and one which I'm sure will attract attention. Of course, most of the posts that I expect on here will be from the typical BF dogs fans who will jump to the rescue of most these players!

I'll give you my thoughts about these guys:

Callan: Bit unlucky, thought he played good in a few finals when he was called upon.

Mulligan: Terrible, stamped too I think.

Wight: Never really made it.

Hargrave: Should've traded him years ago.

Williams: I like Williams, very important to our structure. As we're finding out this year!

Addison: Tries his guts out, just a very poorly skilled footballer.

Stack: Poorly managed, always played out of position.

Cross: Heart of gold, can't kick over a jam tim.

Eagleton: One of the most overrated players in the AFL EVER! No defense what so ever. Think he had 10 tackles in a whole career.

Higgins: 'See overrated'

McDougall: Shame, thought he could've made it

Gia: Won't waste my time here.

Grant: Had an ordinary 2011, coming along nicely this year

Minson: Terrible footballer. Absolute liability for us

Josh Hill: Good Riddance! There is a God

Skipper: Poorly managed and underplayed. Thought he had a lot of potential which the MC failed to utilise

Everitt: See above player

Karen Ray: enough said!

Boumann: Didn't see enough of him, so can't judge.

As I've said in previous other threads. I think we have missed out on some players progress with poor management and failure to get regular continuity in games. Something Macca seems to be working on!

dogwatch · Apr 27, 2012

Just had a peek at our 2007 list. Boy, I missed some good ones there!

McMahon (would have to be designated the WB captain)
Birse
Baird
Faulkner
S.Power
T.Walsh

Tempting, but I'll stick to my principles and go no further back than 2008.

Dazb86 · Apr 27, 2012

PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO START SPELLING HAHRGAVE'S NAME RIGHT!

But yeah. Sammy Power. So glad to see the back of him. Reasonable bloke by all accounts. But yeah. Top ten pick fail.

Butane · Apr 27, 2012

Geez what I'd give for an Eagleton type now hitting targets and banging a goal a game.

Sharkey66 · Apr 27, 2012

Butane said:
Geez what I'd give for an Eagleton type now hitting targets and banging a goal a game.

Thats exactly what we are missing at the moment, the long running goal from 55. Been ages since we have seen any regularly.

Could add DJ in his first year to the list of whipping boys, perfect example of villain to hero.

Igloo · Apr 27, 2012

Cameron Faulkner is a good one. Didn't he miss nearly a year from a broken finger or something? Or broken hand.

memberforever · Apr 27, 2012

This thread is a joke.

Are you people supporters of the Club or just a bunch of tossers.

Jean Claude Vas Deferens · Apr 27, 2012

I've gone back a year or two further than 2008 and unearthed Kieran McGuiness.... he used to cop a massive pasting from the Doggies faithful on the rare ocassions he got a game!

And at the risk of making tonydean cry, I'm going to stick up for Ryan Hargrave. Yes, he can frustrate at times, but I still reckon that a fully fit Shaggy is easily in our best 22. He's played some really good footy for us over the years.

adam10 · Apr 27, 2012

Jade Rawlings.

Very stiff on Addison, Callan and Cross tbh.

Bulldog1954 · Apr 27, 2012

tonydean said:
Hargrave: Should've traded him years ago.

All Aussie squad 2 years ago, injuries since. When should he have been traded?

Faulkner was touted as the next McLeod

McGuiness, 3 goals on debut and that was pretty much it

Unnamed1 · Apr 27, 2012

KMac could grow some stubble though. What a manchild.

tonydean · Apr 27, 2012

I like Hargrave, but he's not a great defender. I've NEVER seen him win a one on one contest in his career. However, a great coach would have made him a good half forward flanker years ago. I said this about 2 years into his career. With Robert Murphy and Lindsey Gilbee playing the same role as him, he should've been moved forward. This hasn't happened because we've never had any great tactical coach since Terry Wallace.

Now, I realize this will open up a can of flaming worms here, but Terry was quite successful taking us from 2nd bottom in 1996, to consecutive qualifying final wins in 97 and 98. The only coach who was successful with qualifying final wins. We lost our qualifying finals in 85, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

tonydean · Apr 27, 2012

memberforever said:
This thread is a joke.

Are you people supporters of the Club or just a bunch of tossers.

This is the sort of post that gets me yellow cards, where's the card here ref??? Bit of favouritism going on here no?

Igloo · Apr 27, 2012

tonydean said:
This is the sort of post that gets me yellow cards, where's the card here ref??? Bit of favouritism going on here no?

No td, that isn't the sort of post that got you a yellow card.
If you have any issues, pm a mod. Don't complain in a thread and cause it to go off topic.

tonydean · Apr 27, 2012

What the original poster is trying to point out with this thread is the wasted opportunities we've had, in our last few drafts, to pick quality players that would make up our next great team.

It shows the ineptitude of our recruiters and how they have wasted draft picks on players that have either been delisted, never made it or are just average players.

Drunken Bum · Apr 27, 2012

tonydean said:
What the original poster is trying to point out with this thread is the wasted opportunities we've had, in our last few drafts, to pick quality players that would make up our next great team.

It shows the ineptitude of our recruiters and how they have wasted draft picks on players that have either been delisted, never made it or are just average players.

It was my impression that the OP was just naming a team or whipping boys who fairly or unfairly are much maligned by our own supporters, i think you have taken his post completely out of context, seeing as you are one of the major culprits re. whipping boys though i am not majorly surprised

Drunken Bum · Apr 27, 2012

memberforever said:
This thread is a joke.

Are you people supporters of the Club or just a bunch of tossers.

I think you hit the nail on the head, it was a joke thread, some people on here are far too sensitive and need to get a sense of humour. Where in the OP was there any malice or ridicule pointed at players apart from pointing out that either fairly or unfairly they have at one stage been favorite whipping boys of our own supporters? In fact i believe the OP was actually having a bit of a dig at the supporters who insist on doing the whipping if i read it correctly.
Relax, you don't always need to take everything so seriously.

Butane · Apr 27, 2012

tonydean said:
It shows the ineptitude of our recruiters and how they have wasted draft picks on players that have either been delisted, never made it or are just average players.

This really rustles my jimmies.

We've only played in 3 prelims in the last 10 years. While all or most of those 'duds' were on our list. (And how many in the last 20 years?)

If our recruiting has been s**t during that time than you can imagine how s**t 90% of the other teams have been.

Now consider how much more money almost every other team has had to throw at recruiting in that time.

t;dr - Our recruiting has been at the very very least AFL standard.

Testekill · Apr 27, 2012

Butane said:
This really rustles my jimmies.

We've only played in 3 prelims in the last 10 years. While all or most of those 'duds' were on our list. (And how many in the last 20 years?)

If our recruiting has been s**t during that time than you can imagine how s**t 90% of the other teams have been.

Now consider how much more money almost every other team has had to throw at recruiting in that time.

t;dr - Our recruiting has been at the very very least AFL standard.

I agree on the fact that the OP rustles many a persons jimmies. 11 of the players that he's thrown out there played in finals for the club with the only one that showed he was not up to it being Josh Hill.

Igloo · Apr 27, 2012

lol, jimmies

Testekill · Apr 27, 2012

Igloo said:
lol, jimmies

dogwatch · Apr 28, 2012

Drunken Bum said:
I think you hit the nail on the head, it was a joke thread, some people on here are far too sensitive and need to get a sense of humour. Where in the OP was there any malice or ridicule pointed at players apart from pointing out that either fairly or unfairly they have at one stage been favorite whipping boys of our own supporters? In fact i believe the OP was actually having a bit of a dig at the supporters who insist on doing the whipping if i read it correctly.
Relax, you don't always need to take everything so seriously.

You've nailed it, Drunken Bum. Thank you.
Mind you, I have no argument with most of what td has expressed. Mostly thought-provoking stuff.

The OP was light-hearted but intended to stir up some thought, comment and maybe even a bit of introspection. I'm pleased to see it succeeded.
I don't think I labelled any one of the WB18 a dud (although one or two of them demonstrably were).

The telling points are that 11 of them played finals (thank you, Unotuchable), that 9 of them are still on our list, and 6 of those are included in the team selected to play GWS tomorrow.

I used to thnk there was a one-dimensional scale on which we could put all BF posters. At one end there would be the dyed-in-the-wool supporter who could never hear a bad word about the club or its players and at the other end there would be constant carping about "accepting mediocrity" and the need for a clean out at all levels of the club.

Actually, I still do think that. I think I can feel another thread coming on...

Chadley · Apr 28, 2012

Bartlett (c)
McMahon (vc)

tonydean · Apr 28, 2012

dogwatch said:
You've nailed it, Drunken Bum. Thank you.
Mind you, I have no argument with most of what td has expressed. Mostly thought-provoking stuff.

The OP was light-hearted but intended to stir up some thought, comment and maybe even a bit of introspection. I'm pleased to see it succeeded.
I don't think I labelled any one of the WB18 a dud (although one or two of them demonstrably were).

The telling points are that 11 of them played finals (thank you, Unotuchable), that 9 of them are still on our list, and 6 of those are included in the team selected to play GWS tomorrow.

I used to thnk there was a one-dimensional scale on which we could put all BF posters. At one end there would be the dyed-in-the-wool supporter who could never hear a bad word about the club or its players and at the other end there would be constant carping about "accepting mediocrity" and the need for a clean out at all levels of the club.

Actually, I still do think that. I think I can feel another thread coming on...

Thanks dogwatch. It's nice to see at least one person on here thinks I have some interesting things to say! :thumbsu:

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