Its time

[crow87]

This will be an interesting period for the crows and will ultimately determine our success over the next 5 year period. We fell short this year and we need to look at why. Its time to clear out the so-so players who are past it and look seriously at our recruiting-which has been lacking (1st round picks?!). We need to look at pace and skill-honestly our basic football skills are lacking, our ability to hit targets and finish well are poor. Maybe I've just been hearing this a bit too much but I think we need more pace and skill, a few indiginous boys anyone? Where are our Burgoynes, Daveys and Pearces? I understand these guys are standouts but it seems like we dont even try them?
What do people reckon? I don't completely buy Craigs theory about the premiership clock being false, are we about to enter a semi-rebuilding phase?

 

[RoosterLad]

Time for what?

 

[Eggzoi]

Time for what?

Time for Chili

 

[crow87]

Time for what?

Hammertime.

 

[*PAF]

This will be an interesting period for the crows and will ultimately determine our success over the next 5 year period. We fell short this year and we need to look at why. Its time to clear out the so-so players who are past it and look seriously at our recruiting-which has been lacking (1st round picks?!). We need to look at pace and skill-honestly our basic football skills are lacking, our ability to hit targets and finish well are poor. Maybe I've just been hearing this a bit too much but I think we need more pace and skill, a few indiginous boys anyone? Where are our Burgoynes, Daveys and Pearces? I understand these guys are standouts but it seems like we dont even try them?
What do people reckon? I don't completely buy Craigs theory about the premiership clock being false, are we about to enter a semi-rebuilding phase?

Doom and gloom, you need to look at it positively.
You need to be positive and look at it this way.

Oldies __ Very good but slowing down.
Near-oldies __ Hmmm.
Not yet near-oldies __ Better than "Near oldies"
Young-ish __ As a whole better than "Not yet near-oldies"
Real youngsters __ unknown at this stage.

Your list is actually improving.
Can the oldies play on long enough for the ones down the order to come to the fore?
Can you keep recruiting in such a way that the next group coming through is at least as good as the previous group?

If the answer to both of those questions is yes then there will be no bottoming out just the odd fluctuation.
The rest will depend on recruiting/trading to fill gaps.

 

[Geoffa32]

IF we trade well this year...which I hope we do, we may have a shocker next year and look good for 09....Bit like our friends over the road....

But I cant see

Burton
Goodwin
Bighlands
Torney
Edwards
Macca ???

Being part of the success in 09...

 

[Stiffy_18]

Doom and gloom, you need to look at it positively.
You need to be positive and look at it this way.

Oldies __ Very good but slowing down.
Near-oldies __ Hmmm.
Not yet near-oldies __ Better than "Near oldies"
Young-ish __ As a whole better than "Not yet near-oldies"
Real youngsters __ unknown at this stage.

Your list is actually improving.
Can the oldies play on long enough for the ones down the order to come to the fore?
Can you keep recruiting in such a way that the next group coming through is at least as good as the previous group?

If the answer to both of those questions is yes then there will be no bottoming out just the odd fluctuation.
The rest will depend on recruiting/trading to fill gaps.

Spot on!

And EXACTLY the 2 questions that need to be asked and answered.

 

[johnnypanther]

Doom and gloom, you need to look at it positively.
You need to be positive and look at it this way.

Oldies __ Very good but slowing down.
Near-oldies __ Hmmm.
Not yet near-oldies __ Better than "Near oldies"
Young-ish __ As a whole better than "Not yet near-oldies"
Real youngsters __ unknown at this stage.

Your list is actually improving.
Can the oldies play on long enough for the ones down the order to come to the fore?
Can you keep recruiting in such a way that the next group coming through is at least as good as the previous group?

If the answer to both of those questions is yes then there will be no bottoming out just the odd fluctuation.
The rest will depend on recruiting/trading to fill gaps.

great summary

IMO its the group of "near oldies" that IS and HAS BEEN the problem - on our list that is a large group comprising 2nd tier, serviceable players - too many of them. When assessing each one of these players individually, a case can be made to keep him on the list, however, i think we should look at them as a group and in that case there are just too many of them. If our aim is to wina premiership rather than just play finals then we should weed them out - and we missed a golden opportunity last year when there was a good draft.
The other problems this group causes is (i) they have virtually no trade value (yes - even Shirley) and (ii) they are keeping out the younger players and holding back their development.

 

[Stiffy_18]

great summary

IMO its the group of "near oldies" that IS and HAS BEEN the problem - on our list that is a large group comprising 2nd tier, serviceable players - too many of them. When assessing each one of these players individually, a case can be made to keep him on the list, however, i think we should look at them as a group and in that case there are just too many of them. If our aim is to wina premiership rather than just play finals then we should weed them out - and we missed a golden opportunity last year when there was a good draft.
The other problems this group causes is (i) they have virtually no trade value (yes - even Shirley) and (ii) they are keeping out the younger players and holding back their development.

I agree in most part with you but I wonder how many players would you have really delisted last year.

I keep hearing people say we need to cut XYZ resulting in some 10-12 players. Thats all well and good but you better make sure you will be getting a player that is a genuine chance of being an AFL footballer in their place.

As good as last year's draft has been, I am not sure there would have been more than 80 odd players with genuine AFL potential! The weeding out process cannot be a quick fix. It has to be a gradual process and I think we are doing that. The frustration creeps in when things go as bad as they have this year and then people are restless and want immediate change.

No point replacing Robert Shirley or Michael Doughty with a Matthew Smith caliber player that will never play a game of AFL football. When you replace them, you need to replace them with players that show enough to suggest that they might have an AFL career. Replacing them just for the sake of it doesn't solve the problem, it just makes it worse because you have less and less depth and you sink more and more down the ladder.

 

[-VC-]

[youtube]ek-74f7c8Ug[/youtube]

 

[Vader]

As good as last year's draft has been, I am not sure there would have been more than 80 odd players with genuine AFL potential! The weeding out process cannot be a quick fix. It has to be a gradual process and I think we are doing that. The frustration creeps in when things go as bad as they have this year and then people are restless and want immediate change.

It took Gary Ayres 5 years to destroy the list. It's probably going to take us even longer to rebuild it.