I have stated it in a few places already but the poor form of both White and Cloke in 2015 has been vastly overestimated. I have no doubt he can come back. Buckleys standing as a coach is dependent on it to a degree. He can't afford to see another Collingwood star leave the fold and do well elsewhere.
Like those thousand that have already went elsewhere and are staring.
Beams has barely got onto the park, and when he did, he played two games and back off for the year.
Thomas was the same, very injury prone. Plays a reasonable game against us, and then a bit less of a player this week, so no real loss.
Wellingham same again. Struggles to get on the park, when he does he does ok, flashed some brilliance against us, and I thought Oh No, and then went missing for most of the rest of the game.
Dawes, we are getting a pattern forming here. Injured a fair bit, when he plays, it is only average.
Lumumba basically hasn't done any more than our kids have. Makes as many mistakes and shows some good form occasionally, well and truly covered by Langdon or Maynard.
Seedsman, he still is doing what he did with us. Shows potential, then drops off, or stuffs up royally. He stuffed up majorly the other night for Adelaide, and I was thinking, imagine if he did that with us. I can't remember the exact action, I think he missed an easy set shot at goal, from fairly close in. He is far from playing well though. Howe would be playing a better game than him currently, which is half the deal coming back the other way.
Ones to half regret;
Heath Shaw, seems to be getting better with age. Killing it at GWS. However, we did get a guy 8 years his junior in Adams. Comparing Shaw in 2008, is comparing them at the same age. Adams is tracking far better than Shaw was at the same age, and will continue to give us value once Shaw hangs up the boots.
Kennedy, Bit sad we lost this guy. Wasn't doing that badly for us. Howe and Crocker we got for Kennedy and Seedsman. Howe is beating Seedsman, and Crocker is not quite beating Kennedy yet, but if you compare them at the same age, Kennedy's 2013 to Crocker's 2016, they are remarkable similar. Think by the looks of Crocker, we will end up on top in the end, but it is a shame we took Kennedy's pick to get him. Could of done it with the selection that pick Wills, and put Wills on our Rookie list perhaps at the expense of Tim Golds.
If anything, Buckley has dodged a bullet to not have on the sidelines all these players. At least Greenwood, Crisp and DeGoey are playing unlike Beams. Others shaky, but so are their replacements. ie; Thomas, Scharenberg. Lumumba, Varcoe. Dawes & Wilkins, Broomhead & Ramsay. Wellingham, Grundy.
I have great hopes for Cox ever since I saw him in the VFL last year. Funny thing is at the start of the year I was optimistic about his prospects compared to most of the board and now I find myself in the camp of hosing down expectations. He has promise but has only played 4 games. Let's not pencil him in as a fixture in the team just yet.
If he just keeps up what he is doing, that will be fine. The potential though is huge. Dean Cox in 2001 and Mason Cox of 2016 is a good comparison. Mason is a mature ager, which is a shame we don't get to possibly have him for the full length of an AFL career. But if we treated him like he was five years younger, the comparison with Dean at 20 is a good one. Mason 9.2 is 1 and 1/2 tapouts less than Dean 10.8. Mason 9.0 getting it a couple more times average than Dean 7.7. Mason 1.8 Goals a game, Dean 0.1. And then tackles Mason 2.8 and Dean 1.1.
Hopefully Cox can keep going to rival Sandilands first year in the game in 2003. Only 7.3 Disposals a game, but 18.6 tapouts. I think Cox could do that if left in ruck.




