Autopsy Is The Boak-Gray Era Destined For Failure?

Oct 7, 2005
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If you get more than 1000 games from a single draft, it is the start of an era. So it was at Port at the 2006 AFL Draft- Boak (306), Westhoff (280), Gray (255), Stewart (101), Rodan (120), Krakouer (82), Williams (2). But it looks like, for all of those games there will be exactly zero premierships.

It is very hard to be critical of Boak, Westhoff and Gray- they saw us through some very dark times. One could go as far as to say we may have lost our spot in the AFL if not for them. And all 3 are really nice guys. But therein lies the problem- nice guys finish last.

The problem was compounded by the appointment of Ken. A pretty good coach who has overseen the creation of a list good enough to win multiple flags. But he is another nice guy and we have won nothing under his reign. Just compare Ken to Clarkson, Hardwick, Cahill, Fos and Mark Williams. He is the nicest person there. The others have a steely resolve that borders on madness. The others are winners. Ken is not.

When you analyse Saturday night (our most disappointing and humiliating loss since 2007) there was one piece of the puzzle missing- true leadership. That mungrel that refuses to give in to the tide, a player that says “stuff this, follow me boys”- Tim Ginever 1994, Damien Hardwick 2004. I’m not saying Jonas should have killed that guy on centre wing- those days are gone. But true leaders find a way to make a statement on field when the chips are down.

I don’t doubt our boys are disappointed and hurting or that they have the desire to win a premiership. But wanting something doesn’t make it happen and I’m not sure we have the real hunger - that steely resolve.

At our first pick in 2006 we had a choice between Boak and another highly rated junior who may have gone number 1 if not for injury- Joel Selwood. I’m glad we took Travis but what wouldn’t you give to have had Selwood’s mongrel resolve and true leadership in one or two of our older players and/or coaches on Saturday night?

The Boak-Gray- Hinkley (nice guy) era has one last shot at it in 2022. Maybe the fact that it is now or never will bring with it some ruthlessness we didn’t have this year. I’d hate for Boak and Gray not to win a flag because at a club that exists to win premierships, has won plenty in the past and will win plenty in the future, great players who won none are quickly forgotten.
 
Nah we're cooked. Wouldn't even blame Trav for requesting a trade. Although I do blame Trav (more so than Robbie) for being a Hinkley enabler.
 
At our first pick in 2006 we had a choice between Boak and another highly rated junior who may have gone number 1 if not for injury- Joel Selwood. I’m glad we took Travis but what wouldn’t you give to have had Selwood’s mongrel resolve and true leadership in one or two of our older players and/or coaches on Saturday night?

One of the oft-cited sliding doors draft moments.

If Selwood comes here he either leaves during the 2010-12 nadir, or flames out thanks to our bogstandard fitness regime, a la Salopek.

Boak would still be Boak.
 

Coobk001

Brownlow Medallist
Mar 26, 2007
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There's no last shot at it. We just don't have the talent in the bank that can improve us, and we need significant improvement in terms of mids. The Boak-Gray window was slammed shut.

We are now in the Butters - Rozee - Duursma era.

They won't peak for 3-4 more years. That's when our next crack is. We need to be building, trading and drafting to build that side.
 
May 26, 2017
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We are now in the Butters - Rozee - Duursma era.

They won't peak for 3-4 more years. That's when our next crack is. We need to be building, trading and drafting to build that side.
Yet, we won’t. “We are good enough.”
 
Apr 13, 2006
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The Bitter End
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At our first pick in 2006 we had a choice between Boak and another highly rated junior who may have gone number 1 if not for injury- Joel Selwood. I’m glad we took Travis but what wouldn’t you give to have had Selwood’s mongrel resolve and true leadership in one or two of our older players and/or coaches on Saturday night?

I'd have taken Selwood, all day, every day and twice on Sundays. He may be a campaigner, but he's a winning campaigner.
 
May 20, 2013
4,857
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Boak, Gray and Hinkley had their best chance of winning a flag during that 2015-2017 period I thought.

If they didn't achieve it then they're not going to thereafter.

The trajectory, age bracket, experience was about at its peak. They just botched it.

As soon as we lost the 2017 EF I knew Hinkley wasn't the guy to steer our club to a flag.

2018-2021 record was a false form line. A good H&A period where we beat up on crap teams but give underwhelming finals performances.
 
Aug 29, 2008
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* me the amount of over reaction is ridiculous. Boak and Gray have stood up and won us tonnes of games off their own boots including finals in the past.

All it goes to show is winning a premiership is bloody hard and heaps of great teams have failed over the years. Crows 2005/6 Dogs 2008-11, Saints 2004-2011.

Yes this hurts losing the way we did but when this all comes out in the wash Gray and Boak are still in the top 5 players we have had since joining the AFL.
 
Jun 12, 2012
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I'd have taken Selwood, all day, every day and twice on Sundays. He may be a campaigner, but he's a winning campaigner.

He hasn’t been this for a long time and even then he was just riding a wave that was already in motion. His last 10 years have been the same as ours i.e. has f@&k all to show for it.

As for his legendary FF stats we all know he wouldn’t have received half of them if he played for Port. If you listen closely you can hear an umpire in an alternate universe saying “you ducked your head Joel.”
 
Last edited:
Mar 1, 2014
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One of the oft-cited sliding doors draft moments.

If Selwood comes here he either leaves during the 2010-12 nadir, or flames out thanks to our bogstandard fitness regime, a la Salopek.

Boak would still be Boak.

You may know more than me about Salopek and the reasons behind his extremely disappointing AFL career but I'm not so sure about him `flaming out', as apart from a few cameos early on I don't believe he ever lived up to anywhere near the hype that accompanied his draft selection, and when Choco tried to turn him into a quarterback ala McLeod it was an absolute disaster.

I'm not aware of him having a career ending injury and from memory and whilst still in his 20's it was not a lot of years later he ended up playing low division suburban football in Melbourne.
 

El_Scorcho

Hall of Famer
Aug 21, 2007
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Selwood won his flags as a junior member of the greatest football team of all time.

He's got a case of Jono Brown reputation, where everyone thinks he's this incredible leader because he's the club captain and won 3 flags, but he wasn't the club captain when they won those flags. Geelong's last decade has been marked by an inability to get it done at the pointy end of the season, and while I blame Chris Scott and their finals-allergic gameplan for most of that, he hasn't been able to drag star studded teams over the line since the real winners from that great Geelong era retired.

Swap him and Boak and Boak has won 3 flags and has the far better career, zero question about it.
 
May 20, 2013
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fu** me the amount of over reaction is ridiculous. Boak and Gray have stood up and won us tonnes of games off their own boots including finals in the past.

All it goes to show is winning a premiership is bloody hard and heaps of great teams have failed over the years. Crows 2005/6 Dogs 2008-11, Saints 2004-2011.

Yes this hurts losing the way we did but when this all comes out in the wash Gray and Boak are still in the top 5 players we have had since joining the AFL.

These threads are popping up since the club have failed to adequately respond to the finals debacle on the weekend.

There is some revisionist history going on but who can blame us

The club's response has been to shift blame away from the players and coach and instead chose to celebrate another failed season.
 
97D15618-8DA9-4D9A-8438-505E88522713.jpeg


Reduced to telling my grandchildren this is Matt Priddis
 
Oct 12, 2007
30,501
52,048
The Hills
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fu** me the amount of over reaction is ridiculous. Boak and Gray have stood up and won us tonnes of games off their own boots including finals in the past.

All it goes to show is winning a premiership is bloody hard and heaps of great teams have failed over the years. Crows 2005/6 Dogs 2008-11, Saints 2004-2011.

Yes this hurts losing the way we did but when this all comes out in the wash Gray and Boak are still in the top 5 players we have had since joining the AFL.
Yaaay. We stack up to the "great clubs" Adelaide, St Kilda and the Bulldogs.

Mission accomplished.



#sackken
 

Portmagpies36

Norm Smith Medallist
Nov 5, 2015
5,250
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If you get more than 1000 games from a single draft, it is the start of an era. So it was at Port at the 2006 AFL Draft- Boak (306), Westhoff (280), Gray (255), Stewart (101), Rodan (120), Krakouer (82), Williams (2). But it looks like, for all of those games there will be exactly zero premierships.

It is very hard to be critical of Boak, Westhoff and Gray- they saw us through some very dark times. One could go as far as to say we may have lost our spot in the AFL if not for them. And all 3 are really nice guys. But therein lies the problem- nice guys finish last.

The problem was compounded by the appointment of Ken. A pretty good coach who has overseen the creation of a list good enough to win multiple flags. But he is another nice guy and we have won nothing under his reign. Just compare Ken to Clarkson, Hardwick, Cahill, Fos and Mark Williams. He is the nicest person there. The others have a steely resolve that borders on madness. The others are winners. Ken is not.

When you analyse Saturday night (our most disappointing and humiliating loss since 2007) there was one piece of the puzzle missing- true leadership. That mungrel that refuses to give in to the tide, a player that says “stuff this, follow me boys”- Tim Ginever 1994, Damien Hardwick 2004. I’m not saying Jonas should have killed that guy on centre wing- those days are gone. But true leaders find a way to make a statement on field when the chips are down.

I don’t doubt our boys are disappointed and hurting or that they have the desire to win a premiership. But wanting something doesn’t make it happen and I’m not sure we have the real hunger - that steely resolve.

At our first pick in 2006 we had a choice between Boak and another highly rated junior who may have gone number 1 if not for injury- Joel Selwood. I’m glad we took Travis but what wouldn’t you give to have had Selwood’s mongrel resolve and true leadership in one or two of our older players and/or coaches on Saturday night?

The Boak-Gray- Hinkley (nice guy) era has one last shot at it in 2022. Maybe the fact that it is now or never will bring with it some ruthlessness we didn’t have this year. I’d hate for Boak and Gray not to win a flag because at a club that exists to win premierships, has won plenty in the past and will win plenty in the future, great players who won none are quickly forgotten.

Without on field leadership it doesn't matter how much talent you have, even after the first quarter Saturday night there was plenty of time to turn it around but our so called leadership group were nowhere to be seen. We haven't had great leaders on the ground for 15 years. We were that desperate to find someone after Travis Boak stood down we went with the failed co captains option. I think that tells you how many good leaders we have at the club.
 
Aug 29, 2008
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Melbourne
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Yaaay. We stack up to the "great clubs" Adelaide, St Kilda and the Bulldogs.

Mission accomplished.



#sackken
You are a *****. Take a break for your own mental health man. Seriously. The amount of over reacting on here is hilarious. The fact is "Great clubs" don't always win premierships. Sometimes they come up against even better clubs and sometimes they fail for other reasons. They should honestly shut this board down for a week until people calm down somewhat.
 

Alberton Proud

Norm Smith Medallist
May 24, 2012
9,438
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You are a fu******. Take a break for your own mental health man. Seriously. The amount of over reacting on here is hilarious. The fact is "Great clubs" don't always win premierships. Sometimes they come up against even better clubs and sometimes they fail for other reasons. They should honestly shut this board down for a week until people calm down somewhat.

:rainbow::rainbow::rainbow::rainbow::rainbow::rainbow::rainbow::rainbow::rainbow:
🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄
 
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