RIPPER_46 said:
Of theirs interestingly enough , apart from Judd , Stenglien & Chick all of the players they selected of theirs were on their list before Whoosha got there.
Actually I see that as the most critical reason why Worsfold defecates from a great height on Connolly.
I can name half a dozen players who were with us and were average or downright appalling or during the Judge era, who have improved dramatically since Worsfold took over.
Hunter- timid, utterly lost youngster -> Tough, incredibly hard at it, 10 mark a game CHB.
Fletcher- Extremely inconsistent, shoddy skilled midfielder -> Perpetual motion, sublimely skilled totally consistent elite midfielder
Embley- A footballing joke. Unfit, no skills, no discipline -> Tough, committed, ultra fit and dedicated player, wears a vice-captains hat now.
Cox - Raw, unfit beanpole -> Top 2 ruckman in the competition. Extremely fit and tough (a trend emerges?)
Glass - Lost, mediocre defender in McIntosh's shadow -> The backbone of our defence.
..and the list goes on for pretty much as long as I want it go on for. The only players I can think of who were good both pre and post Worsfold are Matera, Kerr, Wirrpunda and Cousins, and the latter two have unquestionably taken huge steps since Woosh took over.
Contrast that with Freo, and I can name plenty of guys who started well either at Freo or other clubs but have gone backwards dramatically after even relatively short periods under Connolly. Headland? Polak? Medhurst? It took about 3 weeks for Josh Carr to turn into a shrinking violet.
The quality of a list is always a function of a coaches ability to motivate and maintain discipline- if he's doing his job and people are in good form and working hard to develop, naturally the list looks better in time- if he's not, player fail to live up to their potential.
Connolly has, is and will continue to ******** away an astonishing amount of talent due to his complete and utter inadequacy as a coach. He's smart, he'd make a great assistant but he's just far to weak an individual for the top job.