Is our future bright?

[_Mike_]

Yes we have young guys but I don't think any of them are ready to step in at Cooney, Higgins (even though they were defensive liabilities) and particularly Griffen's level.

I cant argue there, it will be a real challenge and what worries me is that we fall into a "Melbourne" like situation having lost some valuable experience

 

[doggies ftw]

Sorry mate, I meant improvement in Season 2. if that's depressing, just read Cleveland who has us winning 10 and just about knocking on the door of the 8!




Guess we have pretty different views on footy

Yeah it's depressing to have a bit of optimism and hope about your footy club...

 

[BRWB]

I cant argue there, it will be a real challenge and what worries me is that we fall into a "Melbourne" like situation having lost some valuable experience

Nah don't see it myself. We have a better spread of quality players and leaders.

Murph, Boyd and Morris for the next year or two.
Bont, Wallis, Libba (on field enforcer, just don't ask him to do media), Roughead, Stringer, Hrovat, Macrae all got leadership qualities, and should be ready when the oldies leave.

 

[Hrovat24]

Yeah it's depressing to have a bit of optimism and hope about your footy club...

It's more stupidity

 

[Hrovat24]

who are we seriously going to miss apart from Griff?

cooney has become a major down hill skier due to.injuries

Gia was poor for the entire season

Griff was poor for most of the season

Higgins was ok but imo isnt in our top 10

willams hardly played

Jones played 2-3 decent games and played a lot of poor ones not playing from round 12

Why are we going to miss them?

Griffen was poor this season and still finished 3rd in the best and fairest , says a lot for where we are at

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

I don't think we'll know anything until we see how Beveridge coaches and how the team responds. I'm hoping for something vastly different to this year, but I'm one of the optimists .

Only four months to wait, folks .

 

[Dav1d]

I don't think we'll know anything until we see how Beveridge coaches and how the team responds. I'm hoping for something vastly different to this year, but I'm one of the optimists .

Only four months to wait, folks .

Christmas/New years will hopefully keep some people busy

I was just saying to VD that I hope a good NAB series from us, doesn't leave some supporters with great expectations next year for the actual season
we'll probably be inconsistent through out the year, looking like a finals side one week and then a bottom of the ladder side the next

losing the midfield experience doesn't worry me nearly as much as our defense and if that could be addressed it would hopefully all balance out

 

[cleveland]

Griffen was poor this season and still finished 3rd in the best and fairest , says a lot for where we are at

Or it just says the skipper gets undeserved votes

 

[Ozimandas]

Love your optimism.

Do you think our ability to win close games will go up when we lose experience, and have one of the youngest most inexperienced teams in the AFL?

And will we keep winning the four out of seven games we won by 16 points or less (3 by 8 points or less)?

Personally can see GWS going ahead of us this year, they got Griff and Patful, and their youngsters will continue to improve.

So tell me, who is going to be worse than us? I'll give you Saints, Blues and Melbourne (but lineball)?

I remember us winning games this season due to efforts of Jones and Tutt. We will finish Bottom 3 for next few years. Then if we are capable of holding onto our players we can start to go up.

HOWEVER we lost our best player and Captain and the administration were blind-sided. We are seriously fooked.

 

[_Mike_]

I remember us winning games this season due to efforts of Jones and Tutt. We will finish Bottom 3 for next few years. Then if we are capable of holding onto our players we can start to go up.

Can you remind me which those games were? I can think of one - against the GCS for Hrovat? cant think of any games where Jones has won the game for us

 

[timtamWB]

Can you remind me which those games were? I can think of one - against the GCS for Hrovat? cant think of any games where Jones has won the game for us

Collingwood this year, when he absolutely destroyed them.

 

[Dav1d]

Collingwood this year, when he absolutely destroyed them.

against Richmond he was alright to, kicked 3 goals

 

[Hrovat24]

Or it just says the skipper gets undeserved votes

Don't think so

 

[JJHunter]

Its best to be positive. Anything can happy from one year to the next. Anyone predict our rise to prelim final in 1997 or 2007?

Sides like Port did, with a fresh coach and positive game plan can get on a run and go with it.

In faireness port had blokes wanting to resign at their club.
We had 5 blokes leave who were under contract or at least offered a new contract !
While everyones intent is to move on - sometimes the hole that is left behind takes ages to fill before you can get you head abover ground level again

This is a really good post and sums up my sense of things pretty well. The stalled development of Hunter, etc is key. If Bevo can unlock the potential of most of the guys listed we are in business.

You and I signing from the same hymn book on nearly everything.
I just wanted to add that I dont think the saints will be anywhere near as bad this year.
With Fisher back this year, Mccartin up fwd plus after draftees I expect them to be much better.
I still have them below us... but dont forget they smashed freo last year - no matter what the reasons we havent spanked a team like that in years.

 

[immortalmike]

Looked like higgins wouldn't sign and wanted out , cooney probably was pushed out but don't think he was to fussed

We were offering significantly less than Higgins wanted and Cooney wanted to stay. We made decisions on both. Saying we had no choice is flat out wrong.

 

[cleveland]

Don't think so

i do....dahlhaus deserved 3rd

 

[Hrovat24]

i do....dahlhaus deserved 3rd

He did have a good year and I was hoping he would come 3rd , I'll have to check out the stats

 

[King Harold]

I remember us winning games this season due to efforts of Jones and Tutt. We will finish Bottom 3 for next few years. Then if we are capable of holding onto our players we can start to go up.

HOWEVER we lost our best player and Captain and the administration were blind-sided. We are seriously fooked.

So Tutt won games for us , what are you on ?

 

[Dogs Rule]

But are they gonna make it mate?? I think that's the issue, half these blokes probably won't

Maybe they'll make it, maybe not, same as with every list in the comp. Who knows?

Who would have thought Dale Morris would have turned into the player he is? In 2000, who would have picked Bob Murphy would go on to be one of our all-time greats?

How many times was Libba almost given the chop during his career?

You're glass is permanently half-empty when it comes to our list, regardless of who is coach.

 

[yebiga]

What are the normal steps after a traumatic event: denial, anger, acceptance

I think the denial stage is wearing off
The magnitude of what transpired will become more glaring as the season nears

The road we believed would lead to the promised land now aborted for a new path to be laid.

Gumotto

 

[immortalmike]

What are the normal steps after a traumatic event: denial, anger, acceptance

I think the denial stage is wearing off
The magnitude of what transpired will become more glaring as the season nears

The road we believed would lead to the promised land now aborted for a new path to be laid.

Gumotto

Stages of grief are bullshit. Up there with Phrenology.

 

[Trent85]

YOUR LIST AVERAGE AGE
1. Fremantle 25.40
2. North Melb. 25.35
3. Essendon 24.96
4. Hawthorn 24.84
5. Sydney Swans 24.64
6. Geelong Cats 24.60
7. Carlton 24.45
8. Adelaide 24.21
9. Richmond 24.19
10. Melbourne 23.95
11. West Coast 23.91
12. Port Adelaide 23.61
13. Collingwood 23.61
14. St Kilda 23.42
15. Brisbane 23.36
16. West Bulldogs 23.21
17. Gold Coast 22.90
18. GWS Giants 22.42

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/ha...says-latest-data/story-fnelctok-1227149047364

The Western Bulldogs might be expected to surge up the ladder but on average games played they are younger than the Gold Coast.

 

[Mattdougie]

Maybe they'll make it, maybe not, same as with every list in the comp. Who knows?

Who would have thought Dale Morris would have turned into the player he is? In 2000, who would have picked Bob Murphy would go on to be one of our all-time greats?

How many times was Libba almost given the chop during his career?

You're glass is permanently half-empty when it comes to our list, regardless of who is coach.

That's coz our list is half sh!t still

A coach being changed doesn't automatically change the quality of list

I will change the quality of selection tactics game plan etc but won't fix the list

 

[Dogs Rule]

That's coz our list is half sh!t still

A coach being changed doesn't automatically change the quality of list

I will change the quality of selection tactics game plan etc but won't fix the list

Care to name names?

Hang on, I know one already - Hrovat.

 

[dogwatch]

Griffen was poor this season and still finished 3rd in the best and fairest , says a lot for where we are at

I think this is a furphy.

Yes, he was poor by his own standards, especially after his stellar AA year in 2013. He started 2014 under an injury cloud with back spasms and was targeted for some heavy treatment by opposition clubs who knew what a weapon he was for us if fit. They obviously hoped to either aggravate the back or at least make him more tentative in close.

Despite all that he came back pretty solidly around mid-year and finished the season off pretty well. If that was "poor" I still wouldn't mind a few more on our list stepping up to that level in 2015.

I have no doubt we will miss him. You don't easily replace ANY top 10 player in the AFL.