What? Mate, have you been listening to the President, Trigg, the Coach etc?
Resetting the list. Road map. Journey. Green shoots.
The plan is to RESET the list (following on from 7 years of bad drafting and blown drafts). The plan was to start from ground zero, starting from the 2015 draft, and using the 3 years that followed to assemble the core of a team that could carry us to the finals in 2020 and beyond.
We are not yet even halfway through that 3 year period.
The core of the work wont be done until we finish the 2018 draft, and even then we will need another year or two of development and free agency to get the list right.
We dont have the fortune of having a list comprised of the best players from dozens of picks from 5-6 drafts, and including two gun young KPF including one who was nearly a Coleman medalist at 21.
Are you seriously saying Curnow, Cuningham, SPS, Silvagni, Williamson, McKay are in the same league as Kelly, Cameron, Patton, Shiel, Coniglio?
They're not even close; we need another 2-3 big draft hauls to get in the talent we need to match that GWS team, and even then we need to nail our picks.
Yeah; and 23 (and around 50-100 games) is around the age that players mature. This happens at around 2020 for us.
We wont be playing finals next year. We will be bottom three. Again. We are still in the three year reset next year.
This draft period, Gibbs will leave. Possibly one of Casboult or Kruezer as well. We will focus on the draft (more teenagers) and in getting in players that are 23 years old or younger who will be able to contribute in 2020 and onwards after we finish resetting the club.
Next year is another development year. Year three of the reset. Thats all it is. Get used to it.
Let me again reiterate: Road map. Green shoots. Journey.
I was hearing how we would be a finals side this year also. Looks like we're going to finish either last or second last.
On the back of this 18th-17th finish, Gibbs is all but gone, Simpson (still our most reliable player, one of our most valuable and in our bests every week) is probably going to retire, and we are likely going to lose either Casboult (our CHF and the only bloke capable of taking a mark up forward) or Kruezer (our ruckman) to free agency.
Next year (2018) we will (again) finish bottom 3. We will (again) hit the draft and get in a bunch of teenagers, and almost certainly hunt (and hopefully land) a big ticket free agent. After this draft/ trade period, the 'reset' is officially over.
In 2019 (first year post 'reset') we will start to rise up the ladder as the kids start getting to that 50-100 game mark, and off the back of the big ticket free agent drafted the previous year. We likely finish 11th (maybe even score ourselves a wildcard game if the AFL introduce this). We again hit the draft, and we again try and lure a big ticket free agent to fill any remaining list deficiencies (or trade in a player who wants to come to an emerging 'big' Victorian club).
In 2020 we are in finals contention, finishing in the top 8 (hopefully top 4). From there onwards, its game on. The list is aged 20-26 across the board, have been playing together for years, have 100 games under the belt, a rock solid, talented, and experienced defence who learnt their craft under a baptism of fire. We are now set for a 5 year period of dominance.
Also at this point our list management strategy changes, but lets worry about that when we get there.
If you havent noticed we have (by far and away) the most impotent forward line in the AFL by a considerable margin, and an aeging midfield, followed by a bunch of kids. If it wasnt for a highly defensive game plan by Bolton relying on controlling the tempo, a gun backline with an AA in Docherty, the evergreen gun Simpson, and a number of good tall young kids and a damn fine rookie pick up in ASOS, we would be getting smashed weekly.
There is a reason we are 17th on the ladder, with the lowest points for in the AFL by a mile (for the 3rd year running) you know?
We will finish bottom 5 next year. Probably bottom 3.
Green shoots. Road Map. Journey.