I'm not arguing that we're premiership material, I just don't think Bowen's views gel with the actions or stated intentions of the club, nor are they consistent with the commentary that the list deserves based on clubs with lists of comparable talent.
I agree that our list is probably more similar to the level of Port, Collingwood or Richmond who have been hovering around the middle of the table for a while. I don't think any reporter is saying 'several rebuilding years' about them.
On a club level I would be more inclined to look at how successful clubs (Hawthorn, Geelong, West Coast) handle their list management - we need normal list turnover, improved mental health, improved coaching, the occasional mini-rebuild...
Not a full-on, Carlton-esque, copy Melbourne's free agency handling, dump all our best players, change our coaches faster than our underwear, tank repeatedly and get 10-15 top five picks over the next decade type of rebuild.