Is GWS's premiership window about to close?

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I've never seen a team with so many problems that can be attributed back to the coach. Poor game plan, soft game style, seemingly a lack of motivation. I can't work out why Leon Cameron is still employed.

If you look at a guy like Jeremy Cameron, he is simply not worth a million dollars in that team. In another team, absolutely.
 

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How many truly elite or potentially elite players do they have now? I don't think there are that many any more. They have potentially the most damaging player in the comp, but he is often injured.
From last night's team, they still had seven players who have made the AA squad of 40: Kelly, Cameron, Whitfield, Shaw, Haynes, Coniglio and Ward. Ward and Shaw are past their best but the other five I'd say are elite players. Then there's Taranto and Hopper who are close to if not elite mids based on 2019 form and the way they've developed. Add Greene to the mix, although as you say if often injured.

I'd say that's seven/eight top liners in their team. Williams is a rung below but also a terrrific player.
 
Anything other than a finals appearance will be deemed a failure of a year for the Giants. Here are their remaining 2020 fixtures:

R13 v West Coast @ Optus Oval
R14 v Fremantle @ Optus Oval
R15 v Carlton @ Metricon Stadium
R16 v Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R17 v Melbourne @ The Gabba
R18 v St Kilda @ TBA

In this shortened season, teams will likely need 8.5/9 wins (with a healthy percentage) to qualify for the finals and the Giants currently have 6 wins and 5 losses with a percentage of 98.2%. So, the question is, can GWS win at least 3 of their remaining 6 games this year and build enough percentage to hold off other teams? If the answer is yes then their premiership window may not be shut. Don't forget, this is a team that qualified for the Grand Final from 6th position last year.
 
Anything other than a finals appearance will be deemed a failure of a year for the Giants. Here are their remaining 2020 fixtures:

R13 v West Coast @ Optus Oval
R14 v Fremantle @ Optus Oval
R15 v Carlton @ Metricon Stadium
R16 v Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R17 v Melbourne @ The Gabba
R18 v St Kilda @ TBA

In this shortened season, teams will likely need 8.5/9 wins (with a healthy percentage) to qualify for the finals and the Giants currently have 6 wins and 5 losses with a percentage of 98.2%. So, the question is, can GWS win at least 3 of their remaining 6 games this year and build enough percentage to hold off other teams? If the answer is yes then their premiership window may not be shut. Don't forget, this is a team that qualified for the Grand Final from 6th position last year.

I'd say 5 of those 6 games are winnable for GWS.
 
From last night's team, they still had seven players who have made the AA squad of 40: Kelly, Cameron, Whitfield, Shaw, Haynes, Coniglio and Ward. Ward and Shaw are past their best but the other five I'd say are elite players. Then there's Taranto and Hopper who are close to if not elite mids based on 2019 form and the way they've developed. Add Greene to the mix, although as you say if often injured.

I'd say that's seven/eight top liners in their team. Williams is a rung below but also a terrrific player.

I'd say 5 of those 6 games are winnable for GWS.

They'll be lucky to win one if they play the way they did last night.
 
Yes.

In previous years they've had key injuries at bad times. 2016 was their best chance.

Coach is no good either.
 
Compare their 2016 side to the 2020 side and they are just so soft now, both with effort and mindset. GWS in 2016 were a tough and skillful side.

Players like Finlayson (and he isn't the only one), who just mope around the ground with half hearted effort after half hearted effort unless they get the ball on a platter just demonstrate this point. Where is the selection pressure on these guys who have served up this trash all year? In hindsight the snow game against Hawthorn last year was a window into the future. They were soft and didn't want to be there.
They did play in the GF last year with a stack of players out. Not exactly soft stuff
 

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They have such a potent forward line and they don’t seem to take advantage of it. I don’t know, I look at their team and on paper they look like they could be so dominant. I don’t understand why they play this slow defensive style.
 
Wouldn’t be surprised to see GWS win this week. They are the sort of team that reacts well to getting a rocket.

Regardless, they will still sneak into the eight and from there anything can happen.
 
Pretty tough to axe a couch a year after playing in a GF in the biggest * of a season since 1849 (second only to 2016 VFL GF rigging)
Exactly. How many coaches get sacked after making 4 finals series in a row. Is there a better coach around sure. But no one gets sacked with the record LC has
 
Exactly. How many coaches get sacked after making 4 finals series in a row. Is there a better coach around sure. But no one gets sacked with the record LC has

Sure. But if Clarkson is avaliable (a big if) you go for him. And it isn't quite the same, but Grant Thomas got replaced after three seasons of making finals. For similiar reasons actually that are being suggested in here; an extremely talented side that he wasn't able to get the best out of. GWS have one of themost potent teams in the competition on paper and sometimes they play like they just entered the season again.
 
If Clarko had this list he would get rid of 25% of the players as they are not a team but a group of individuals that all want to be the player that does it all which really is not their fault.

If you look at my team Richmond players like Graham , Broad , Short , Castagna , Vlastuon , Astbury etc etc know what their roles are and are not expecting to be the 'Champion' that wins the game themself's but there is cohesion and synergy.

When i look at GWS its like a showroom but none of the cars get to be driven when it rains

Clarkson would drill that out of them , Could you just imagine Josh Kelly getting told to tag Macrae or Cameron to play a defensive foward role on Grimes
they just wouldn't know how because all throughout their careers from under 14's they have been free wheeling with talent
 
Maybe the AFL will step in and make sure Clarko ends up at GWS next year? Otherwise the league potentially faces multiple years without NSW participation in the finals. A lot of the hard work in regards to expansion will be undone if both NSW teams are stuck outside the top 8 for the next 2-5 years.
 
Maybe the AFL will step in and make sure Clarko ends up at GWS next year? Otherwise the league potentially faces multiple years without NSW participation in the finals. A lot of the hard work in regards to expansion will be undone if both NSW teams are stuck outside the top 8 for the next 2-5 years.
They haven't even missed the finals once since 2015 yet.

This is the oddest year ever, and they are out of the 8 only on percentage. Before the weekend had won 3 in a row. With the run home, they'll probably make the 8 this year.

Yet you are suggesting the situation is so dire the AFL step in and place a coach in place because the hard work of expansion will be undone.

They were diabolical on the weekend and overall aren't playing well this year, it is unbelievable the overreaction here. They beat Richmond like 3 weeks ago.

The squad is actually fairly young, it isn't aging out, and there is loads of young talent in the development side. It is a younger side than Carlton which everyone describes as developing.
 
Serious question - isn't there some link between teams getting belted on grand final day and then having a terrible year the next year?
 

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