Mr Plow,
I don’t have the answer but I don’t get why our coach tells everyone we have more talent than three years ago. You cannot tell me we are more talented without Gibbs, Waite, Henderson, tuohey etc. This is not the case. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and many will offer their opinions but many will not sit here and take as gospel that things will get better because we have been to the draft. First it was 60 games, then 66 and now 88. Seriously what is the average number of games an afl player plays. We are running out of time or we will begin the rebuild of the rebuild.
I can see some talent but unless we surround that talent with experience I am afraid when free agency arrives many more may go. We need to start winning but the team I watched against the bulldogs looked distraught, lost and terribly confused. I think they believed it would just happen. This mentality and confusion rests with the coach.At afl level it just doesn’t happen.
Great post,
edgetracker435.
When Mr. Bolton asserts that we have more
talent than three years ago, I am inclined to agree, based upon my own observations. Gibbs is an elite midfielder (without doubt), Waite at his best was an elite forward (but that was sporadic at best), Henderson was a good footballer, Tuohy too. However, despite having these players on our list for many years, we never progressed beyond a semi-final. Unfortunately, they are nearing the end of their respective AFL tenures.
On the other hand, you cannot also tell me that the likes of Cripps, Curnow, Marchbank, Fisher and Dow are less
talented than the aforementioned? If so, I would absolutely disagree with you, as would many external to this debate.
Nonetheless, the draft is not a guarantee. There are no guarantees in modern football. This rebuild may yet culminate in just another semi-final berth and we may have to go again in 8-10 years. And that's okay, because this was the highest probability play given the dire hand that we were dealt.