Are West Coast the worst team since Fitzroy 1996?

[Freomaniac]

2012/13 Melbourne v West Coast would be interesting for all the wrong reasons.

The 2012-13 playing list wasn't bad physically.

The playing list was bad mentally. Having Mark Neeld set the club back a couple of years as he stuffed any confidence in that playing list.

I enjoyed Paul Roos coaching era at the demons in 2014-6 as a neutral.

They went defensive and restrictive in that 1st season in 2014 and only got 4 wins.

But slow and small improvements happened every season. 7 wins in 2015 but 15th.

10 wins in 2016 in Roos coaching his 3rd year there proved they were in a the right direction.

It set up demons 2018 finals series and 2021 flag win.

Again .... Ron Barrassi never got his respect in his 1981-85 coaching stint.

Yeah 35 wins in 5 seasons isn't great. But some of those blokes that has debut games in 1981-85 under Barrassi, they played in that squad that got a preliminary final in 1987 and a grand final in 1988.

 

[VinnieB]

Carlton in 2002-3 was terrible. But that was not doing what all 15 other clubs did in the 1990s which was get quality scouts to draft decent teenage kids.

Had they drafted lots of decent kids from 1997-2000, their 2002 drop wasn't bad.

They decided to tank In 2005-7. But trading a fair bit to get Chris Judd had to be done. Chris Judd helped that Carlton playing list.

Not only did they get a Premiership player, Judd was a hard trainer and leadership/ captain material.

And Eagles got Liam Baker.

 

[SAweagle]

This current West Coast side is worse than their 2022-2024 sides which were compared to Fitzroy 1996.
I know North have been bad in recent years but not even they have been as bad as the current West Coast side.
Port weren't even this bad in 2011 despite having tarps and no money.

Do you think the current West Coast side is the worst since Fitzroy 1996?

Might rewatch 92 and 94 today

 

[iameviljez]

No I don't, I remain convinced the Demons side coached by Mark Neeld was the worst side I have ever seen.

Agreed, this was my first thought too, outside of Fitzroy and the start-up sides.

Sydney 1992-93 was worse, too.

Carlton in 2002-3 was terrible. But that was not doing what all 15 other clubs did in the 1990s which was get quality scouts to draft decent teenage kids.

Had they drafted lots of decent kids from 1997-2000, their 2002 drop wasn't bad.

Carlton's Trade history in the second half of the 90s to the early 2000s tells a real story.

They traded in a bunch of ok-to-ordinary players for picks - Hickmott, Justin Murphy, Devonport, McGuane (a real shocker for p19 and p65), Sean Charles, Mansfield, Corey McKernan and Stephen O'Reilly. As much as a number of these players had done well at previous clubs, they never seemed to hit anything like the same heights in blue.

 

[PerthBoy86]

I’ve been an avid watcher of Eagles games in recent years.

Fair, if it makes you feel better about your empty trophy cabinet . After 30 years it might need another dust too .

 

[PerthBoy86]

I think it's quite clear we are significantly behind even Richmond and North this year. Saturday was the most insipid display I've seen for awhile, Carlton moved the ball down the ground as if they were the only team playing. We basically had most of our senior cogs missing, which in a way is a positive, as in 2023 we'd get the same result with them. But unlike some of our supporters not sure we've really improved much if at all lately, and will probably go back from last year. But there are at least green shoots, and imo this is really year 1 of the rebuild. Gonna be a long rebuild though...

 

[ioppolo]

The accurate point to start tracking our decline is our bye in 2021. Up to then, we were 8-5 and had just snatched victory against Richmond thanks to Kennedy's ridiculous last minute goal.

Rest of 2021: 2-7
2022: 2-20
2023: 3-20
2024: 5-18
2025 to date: 0-5

That puts us at 12-70 in almost 4 full seasons worth of games. I'd be interested how this stacks up against other team's periods of sustained failure, I know North from 2020 onwards would have a similarly bad record.

 

[kaiserchief13]

This should have been 2 years ago but Simpson only cared about himself and not about the ongoing success of the club

 

[Piggy Smalls]

Considering how well resourced the Eagles are I'm not even sure how you would compare. For a proud and mighty organisation with 2/3 of the state behind them, it is unfathomable how bad they have been, and how little they have to show for it.

 

[Knighta21]

Just wait for Essington to show up this week and make the Eagles look good!

 

[purplearmy]

This should have been 2 years ago but Simpson only cared about himself and not about the ongoing success of the club

The club gave him the contract. Not his fault.

 

[kaiserchief13]

The club gave him the contract. Not his fault.

Of course it's his fault. Why is he not being criticised now in the media? The team was shit with senior players 2 years ago so they should have dropped them for younger guys but he refused and it created a culture of the senior guys not putting in much effort but still being selected which filtered down throughout the club. Simpson may be decent with tactics but he's a shocking motivator and developer

 

[Piggy Smalls]

Might rewatch 92 and 94 today

Nice flex

 

[purplearmy]

Of course it's his fault. Why is he not being criticised now in the media? The team was shit with senior players 2 years ago so they should have dropped them for younger guys but he refused and it created a culture of the senior guys not putting in much effort but still being selected which filtered down throughout the club. Simpson may be decent with tactics but he's a shocking motivator and developer

The club thought he was the man for the job. They offered him a contract when they shouldn’t have. They then took forever to sack the guy. That’s on the club.

 

[Cmarsh]

Fremantle 2001 ranks a mention.

 

[Aura]

it is unfathomable how bad they have been, and how little they have to show for it.

Hough is the only one under 23 who regularly tries in their whole squad

 

[Shueygod]

Hough is the only one under 23 who regularly tries in their whole squad

, Ginbey might try harder than 99% of the league. It’s the players older than 23 that let the club down.

 

[Aura]

, Ginbey might try harder than 99% of the league. It’s the players older than 23 that let the club down.

He’s a lot better down in defence. Hewett, Long, Hutchison look ok

 

[Shueygod]

He’s a lot better down in defence. Hewett, Long, Hutchison look ok

Long has looked poor this year, the young key forwards look good, Dewar has looked good, Gross from the recent draft good. Grego likely debuts this week.

The main issue is that there are too many kids in prime positions, our most experienced midfielder was Hutchinson on the weekend.

 

[Frank Grimes]

Worst teams since Fitzroy 1996 imo:
1/ Melbourne under Mark Neeld.
2/ Richmond under Wallace.
3/ Carlton under Malthouse.

 

[Freomaniac]

Might rewatch 92 and 94 today

And possibly the 1st 3 quarters of the 1991 grand final too.

Again... Totally different situation how eagles had a few old dudes and a lot of kids when they started in 1987.

But the gap between the best and worst sides in 1987 wasn't that wide

 

[Freomaniac]

Agreed, this was my first thought too, outside of Fitzroy and the start-up sides.

Sydney 1992-94 was worse, too.

Again.... I look at the demons 2012-3 list. I didn't think it was that terrible.

Their previous season, they got 8 wins under Dean Bailey before that infamous beating vs the cats in Geelong.

Swans side of 1992-4 was terrible.

• 3 wins in 1992
• 1 win in 1993
• 4 wins in 1994

That was a dire 3 years.

• 8 wins in 1995
• 16 wins in 1996 and a grand final

 

[purplearmy]

Fremantle 2001 ranks a mention.

Sure does, and a lot of other Freo years as well.

 

[Freomaniac]

Fremantle 2001 ranks a mention.

That's true.... But dockers lost a few close games in the 1st half of 2001.

Could of been a 5 or 6 win season in 2001.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Carlton were very bad and North still are yet to prove they are through it all.. add to this is the myth that Fitzroy was actually that bad, they won 10 games in 93, 5 in 94 and then 2 in 95 and finished with 1 win in 96 when the whole club had given up.

North 2020 3 wins, 2021 4 wins, 2022 2 wins, 2023 3 wins, 2024 4 wins.. I would say this is arguably the worst team since the AFL formed.