Wellingham is a downhill skier, was made to look very good as the fifth midfielder and rode pendlebury, beams, ball, Thomas coat tails. Has done nothing at west coast and getting a first round draft pick for him can now be seen as daylight robbery
...and as lot worse than we performed for most of it?
According to some all the players that left were over rated and benefited from playing ion good side yet when they left we stopped being a good side. It just doesn't hang together. Ultimately the loss of a player generally isn't a huge issue but accumulated losses has a big impact. Wellingham was a good player for us. He often bobbed up when we needed a goal. Having the likes of Wellingham as your 16th best player or whatever he might have been is actually what makes you a premiership contender.
Log in to remove this Banner Ad
I don't agree with knocks on what Wellingham brought to the side but then I am more than happy that he's no longer there to distract it.
Really? I'm saying that we dropped off from the level of performance toward the end of the season.
Thing is Mark, given the retirements of players such as Jolly, Didak, Krak, Tarrant, Ball and Johnson he would probably now have to be a top 10 player at our club, perhaps pushing for top 5. He is simply not at that level. This is also taking into consideration that we hold on to the likes of Shaw, Beams, Thomas and Dawes.
Ok. Some performances may have dropped off from the early season to the later season. What combination of our tailing off v some others improving is hard to measure but that's neither here nor there IMO. We lost once to the best side of period narrowly by virtue of a play on call back, once in a very ordinary display when the H&A season effectively was decided for us and once in a tough GF that IMO at least was influenced by poor coaching (changed game plan for the day to man on man and some inaction in making moves). It was an historically good season for us, albeit we failed to win the flag again. For people to somehow use a fall off to justify where were we are now I find bizarre. Geelong fell away much more in 2010 and Hawthorn fell away much more in 2009 both with older sides than we had. other than that, I'm not really sure the point you are making by mounting the argument though.
I am a fan of Grundy but hypothetically we could have targeted free agents and trades to replace retirees (like Hawks did for eg) in which case someone like Wellingham's role would only have changed had his output demanded it.
Correct, was a good player because he was the one who rarely received any attention because of the class he had around him, he has done nothing at the Eagles to warrant them giving up a first round draft pick, but am happy we were able to get that from them.I'll take grungy over wellingham everyday of the week
I believe they were pumped by Brisbane the following year and fell in to obscurity for the next decade.
I disagree. I think we had a chance to win a flag(s) in the years 2010-12. After 2012, I think the club and coach decided we no longer had the list to push for a flag (I agree with this assessment). Thus, the trading of experienced players for quality draft picks. Of course, some of this was due to players wanting out and cultural change. I have no problem with this. The only player to leave that hurts or will hurt is Beams (despite his mediocre start to the season). I'm more than happy with this strategy. I also think this strategy needs to be separated a bit from whether Buckley is a capable coach or not. If the results this year suggest he is not (this also includes assessing the way we play) then I'd be happy for the club to make the call at the end of the year and seek a replacement. I think the list will be in good shape from next year onwards (in terms of youth and potential) for whoever takes over. Therefore, I'm not against the strategy that took place.
Only mentioned MM due to the kick wide to a contest comment. Seems as though the common element is forcing stoppages.
Spot on, it's all good and well to bring up the age spread as the reason for our predicament but it's clear as daylight that Bucks pulled the wrong reign going in this direction.
Given that we appointed a coach who only had 2 years under his belt as an assistant then there would be a whole host of people league wide who would match that minimum requirement.
While I supported the succession plan and spent previous seasons defending Bucks it's stupid now to look back and think we appointed a coach with such little experience to a side competing in the elite football competition of Australia.
Does this thing occur in the NFL or EPL?
It seems that appointing people with either vast experience as an assistant in the AFL with some also being a senior coach at lower levels is the way of the future.
As for possible replacements some names off the top of my head who I'd be interested in would be Clarkson obviously who while under contract and unlikely to leave the hawks contracts have been known to be broken. It would take huge money.
Mark Thompson, John Worsfold both premiership coaches not currently employed. You would need to assess there state of mind, were taking the job for the right reasons and the hunger still burned. More a fan of Thompson even if he's a bit of a nut job.
Brett Ratten has spent the last two years in the Hawthorn system under the best coach in the game and I'm confident he'll be a more rounded coach the second time around.
His Carlton beat us twice in 2012. Malthouse hasn't beaten us since. He performed better than Mick (with all his experience) has at Carlton with a middle of the road list IMO.
Leigh Tudor. Has done an extensive apprenticeship as an assistant and was at Geelong during 07, the saints in 09/10, Sydney in 12 and North last year.
Good levels of success seem to follow him. He's low profile but might be the next big thing in waiting. The unfashionable choice.
I haven't given up on Bucks or are calling for his sacking after 2 rounds.
He should remain coach for the entire year.
But if it all goes to shite by the end of the season I'm not going to stick my head in the sand and pretend it isn't happening because he was a former great of the club.
