I'm disgusted. What a disgraceful club we have become.

[Spod]

I get the complaints, and yeah the club took way too long to act on changing it's S&C department and the credits approach to selection, but to be arguing that what is happening this year doesn't involve a fair bit of bad luck is just crazy. I don't know what people expect when a rebuilding team full of kids which then has a bunch of crucial players missing everywhere is coming up against a quality team desperate for a good result.

Yes, Shuey and Naitanui and Yeo's injury problems can be blamed on the club to some extent. Gov too. But there is no way we were going to delist Gov or Yeo, Shuey was quite durable last year and Nic had been prior to last year. Most of the injuries other than those four are pretty clearly bad luck.

The things we've all been wanting for years are for the club to play the kids and the change the game plan. They have done both, and aside from last night the team has shown some good heart in very hard circumstances. It's frustrating but I don't understand what people want the club to actually do at this point in time? Yes we should take some MSD picks but they are hardly going to revolutionise the club overnight and I'm pretty sure the club is already planning to hit the draft hard.

Off field, I do think Nissy's time is up and the club has been too stale and slow to act, but in a football sense I'm reasonably confident we're on a better track than we have been for a while.

 

[timeforanother22]

Sorry, but half of this is crap. You are essentially accusing Geelong of cheating, which reeks of sour grapes. Whatever they are doing in terms of player payments, is within the rules and is available to us, too. If they have sponsors that they're leveraging, why don't we? And besides, everyone keeps telling me how wonderful Perth is to live... why aren't we leveraging that, too? The truth of the matter is that despite being a financial powerhouse and a successful club, West Coast have never been a "destination club"

Besides, none of that explains their superior S&C, or their superior player development. Let's be honest, Geelong utterly smoke us in every single department, and a lot of their success started with Brian Cook.

IMHO, our issues are with leadership.

While I wouldn’t mind some scrutiny over the Geelong books, I agree with what you are saying.

its funny though that Freo announced themselves as a destination club several years ago. They have had several players since that have come over to them then ask for a trade out next contract. I can’t remember that happening anywhere else?

 

[Westend]

Cmon mate, we can hardly cry we are at any disadvantage. The reality is we are run poorly as a football club. Everyone wants to keep ignoring the obvious. Football clubs business is football. Making money is a different business all together. We are not a good football club, we operate poorly have have done for many many years. Way to loyal to long term players, never prepared to make tough decisions. It’s our motto to be the nice fluffy club.
I don’t care we are last as all teams have their time there. But we don’t action for the next good period. We are way to nice.
Until this culture changes which I highly doubt ever will the. We will remain one of the softest clubs in the league long term.

Yeah see where you are coming from and its frustrating as F**k atm...but I don't think we are a soft football club

For me it's simple...our best players players are always injured has been the case for the past 4 years....does that mean we are soft? I dunno perhaps we are not durable enough in the players physical bodies to last games of afl football.

So why is that??...is it softness ??? dunno perhaps its our training methods fitness standards that need to be reviewed which they have but it doesn't seem to be working or we have not seen improvement as of yet.

 

[the harry]

Geelong got 700 games and even more goals from a pick 7 and a fourth round FS pick 16 years ago.... that's not a model that's easily replicated

 

[Astro7]

I was expecting a 4/5 goal loss to be fair

Yes, that would've been a good result I guess, with effort and game plan on display.
But clearly that was unrealistic when we don't factor in a skeletal team list and young players expected to receive a hammering from the best sides week in-week out, without side effects.
Same as last season, in that it's also hard to be consistent (synergy) when the list is rolling over at such a rate and players in different positions.
Clark and West are concerns, Clark especially, but who else do we have...
I just don't see the point in rehashing all the "ifs and maybes' and "shoulda, coulda" from previous years (with players list and delistings etc). This is the new reality, this is where we are at, like it or not.
We are at ground zero, in a rebuild and the only way is up, eventually...

 

[Shuestar13]

I was actually expecting a 10+ goal loss tbh, similar to the game against them last year. They were coming in off a couple of losses with a few question marks, wanting to make a “statement”. We’ve been battling the tide for a month now, but at some point the lack of player availability was going to bite and unfortunately it hit last night.

Certainly disappointed to lose by such a big margin. It really was piled on in the last quarter and a half, we were going “ok” all things considered until just after half time.

If that makes me a club apologist etc etc. so be it, but it is reality. I do like Simpsons statement in the PC and it does seem to tie in to the pressure he faces, believe it or not, despite the contract and public situation, he will be feeling the heat internally. He cannot afford many more such defeats, regardless of our situation.

Hopefully we can hang in there the next few weeks…

 

[Jupes]

don't know how this external review meme got started but i'm pretty sure the club has had them regularly (like every 2 years) ever since the cousins era blow up.

 

[Wooshaaaa]

We've been pathetic plenty of times and each time we've bounced back... eventually

In 89 we lost to Ess 25.10.160 to 1.12.18 then the next year we were in a Prelim playing off for a GF... 2 years later we won our first flag

2000-2001 we were ravaged by injury and had fill in everywhere (feels very similar to now TBH) We rebuilt through the draft and made finals and won a flag

In 2010 we 'won' a spoon and 12 months later we again were playing off for a GF, we made finals most years then won that GF.

I'm sure we can turn this s**t around, it's gonna gross and be slow but one day it'll happen.

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

End of 89 we sacked john Todd and hired malthouse.

End of 2001 we sacked ken judge and hired Worsfold.

Bring the end.of 2023

On Pixel 6 Pro using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[timeforanother22]

End of 89 we sacked john Todd and hired malthouse.

End of 2001 we sacked ken judge and hired Worsfold.

Bring the end.of 2023

On Pixel 6 Pro using BigFooty.com mobile app

You forgot the bit where we sacked Worsfold and hired Simpson

 

[WA footy mad]

Come on guys did you expect anything else from this year, we are a club in full rebuild mode. Not all the youngsters will make the grade but we are seeing some of the youth playing good footy. Another good draft and we will have a reasonable amount of youngsters we can make a competitive team out of. I love the change in style move the ball on, please dont ever go back to the dull mark stop kick & do it all over again. The new style is so much better just some of the skill errors are letting us down.

 

[PremiershipNo4]

No point engaging with them. They clearly seem to hate the club and everything about it

Dumb comment

 

[Shuestar13]

Dumb comment

HAHA Thank you so much, I needed a laugh. The absolute audacity of YOU saying to someone else “dumb comment” given the pitiful “standard” of what you post. My goodness.

 

[Magnum27]

Sorry, but half of this is crap. You are essentially accusing Geelong of cheating, which reeks of sour grapes. Whatever they are doing in terms of player payments, is within the rules and is available to us, too. If they have sponsors that they're leveraging, why don't we? And besides, everyone keeps telling me how wonderful Perth is to live... why aren't we leveraging that, too? The truth of the matter is that despite being a financial powerhouse and a successful club, West Coast have never been a "destination club"

Besides, none of that explains their superior S&C, or their superior player development. Let's be honest, Geelong utterly smoke us in every single department, and a lot of their success started with Brian Cook.

IMHO, our issues are with leadership.

The one and only thing that stops us and Freo from being a destination club and only being able to recruit anything other than locals back to Perth is the huge travel factor, and even that now is stopping West Aussie boys from coming home and a few of those that have for Freo have quickly got back out to an eastern states club, that is what is stopping us from being a destination club. Players can get an extra season or two playing on the east coast compared to playing out west, and nothing we can do about that, it is the comp we are in.

 

[kranky al]

If we had Vic Country and Vic Metro as our feeder zones, cheap land and a building sponsor to build 'discounted' mansions for players and throw in a $1 pub to attract free agents, then we would be in a similar position to Geelong.

They have some significant natural advantages others simply do not hold.

Geelong get Jeremy Cameron for a pack of crisps….

 

[kranky al]

There’s a big difference between where we are and top 8.

No scomo.

We are rebuilding.

We got to play a bunch of finals, two grannies for one win and now we have to rebuild again.

And we are rebuilding at a perfect time with tassie coming in the comp.

Get a buncha draft picks this year then start the climb again.

 

[kranky al]

There’s a large space between top 8 and stuck languishing at the bottom of the table, below two other shocking teams.

This club needs to show its going to be moving into that large space, and it’s showing nothing.

Its almost like we have the worst injury list in the comp in a rebuilding year.

 

[Cuzz09]

Just get through each week and enjoy life outside of football.

Makes it easier realising we can't win. No expectations. Just see what happens.

It will be good when we are even a 50/50 shot before a game starts

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[PremiershipNo4]

I think the answer to these problems is pretty Simpo really

 

[kranky al]

Just get through each week and enjoy life outside of football.

Makes it easier realising we can't win. No expectations. Just see what happens.

It will be good when we are even a 50/50 shot before a game starts

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Im enjoying watching kids play.

Just like the dark days after 07, watching shuey, scooter, ebert, nn, etc - you watch them do well, sometimes get monstered - learning all the while. I remember shuey in that prelim against the pies where he got caught htb a few times and the commentators praising him saying he will break that tackle in a few years.

One normie later he was .

Its all part of the theatre. What i hated was the last two years we wasted thinking we were still contenders - that’s what pissed me off. Watching kids play and learn is part of the joy of winning a flag.

 

[Cuzz09]

Someone bumped a thread about who will win a flag next WCE or Carlton from 2012 and the debate was interesting but of the names mentioned not many were part of the 18 flag.

This thread can be bumped when we start looking decent again and we can all laugh.

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Yeah see where you are coming from and its frustrating as F**k atm...but I don't think we are a soft football club

For me it's simple...our best players players are always injured has been the case for the past 4 years....does that mean we are soft? I dunno perhaps we are not durable enough in the players physical bodies to last games of afl football.

So why is that??...is it softness ??? dunno perhaps its our training methods fitness standards that need to be reviewed which they have but it doesn't seem to be working or we have not seen improvement as of yet.

Yeh maybe soft is wrong word. But we are not ruthless and we should be.

 

[Cuzz09]

We are comfortable and lose the hunger easily after any success

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[ziad]

The one and only thing that stops us and Freo from being a destination club and only being able to recruit anything other than locals back to Perth is the huge travel factor, and even that now is stopping West Aussie boys from coming home and a few of those that have for Freo have quickly got back out to an eastern states club, that is what is stopping us from being a destination club. Players can get an extra season or two playing on the east coast compared to playing out west, and nothing we can do about that, it is the comp we are in.

There are lifestyle issues at play. Plenty of WA boys dont come home.

 

[Nuffington Post]

Firing Simpson is not the answer at the moment given the huge soft cap tax we would have to pay. There is no short term fix, but we can do the following:
1. Keep drafting top end talent (don’t succumb to short term trades like Freo have done with Jackson, Hogan etc)
2. Retire Nic Nat, Shuey, Hurn, Yeo and Gov in the next two years (at least 2 this year) so that we have a fit list and depth in the WAFL for development
3. Install new leadership in medical/S&C (sorry Kofoed)
4. Develop a succession plan for Nisbett and start the recruitment process for new CEO
5. Assess Simpson’s prospects with 12 months to go on his contract, and in all likelihood look for a new coach then.
6. Bring in experienced players through free agents and trades that don’t cost much (eg Robertson)
7. Delist West, Clark, XON etc

 

[Grahame]

Its almost like we have the worst injury list in the comp in a rebuilding year.

Imagine how much further back in our rebuild if we hadn’t had the injuries.

The MC would have selected the 12 players 27 or more.
Plus Duggan, Cole, Ryan, Allen, JJ , Waterman and Williams. That’s 19.

And then some or all of SPS, Witho, Petro and Rotham.

And that’s ignoring Hough and Bazzo.

So where would the spots have been?